The Runic Alchemist

Damian felt conflicted seeing the proud warrior brought to such a state. The chains looked strong enough to hold him, so Damian drew an advanced healing runic circle—at least stopping the bleeding was something he could do.

To keep up appearances, Damian muttered incomprehensible words as he healed Kazak. Yovan and Sam moved around anxiously, perhaps wanting to tell him not to risk it. Maybe they were right, but Damian needed to see him, to truly see him. Was Kazak really as far gone as they claimed?

He was one of the four great guardian beasts; if anyone could resist the madness, it was him.

"Agh… Hmm…"

Kazak grunted as Damian's spell mended his wounds. Damian had recovered enough mana, and unlike traditional healers, he didn't need to chant repeatedly; he could power it continuously, healing deeper wounds than other advanced healers could. But healing wasn't just about casting spells. Human anatomy played a huge part, and sometimes one had to heal certain wounds while leaving others to maintain balance in the patient's body. They learned it meticulously before earning the title of Healer—a real world profession requiring high INT to master fully.

Damian stopped once Kazak's bleeding ceased; too much healing wasn't good for the body. Kazak remained still, though his breathing had changed, he was awake. The dark purple veins pulsing across his body brighter were not a good sign.

"…B… Boy…?" a voice deeper than Kazak's own rumbled. He didn't look up, his head hanging low, his body suspended inches above the ground by the numerous chains.

"Kazak…?" Damian's response was more a question than an answer.

"Have you come here to mock me too…?" asked the hunched figure.

"Mock you…? Why would we mock you…?" Damian asked, genuinely confused. That was not how Kazak spoke, even if he was angry.

"HAHAHAHA… You come to mock and ask me to repeat my own faults? So you can mock me more? You're one sick bastard…"

Okay.. That was definitely not Kazak… Was he still there, somewhere inside..? Trapped..?

"I healed you, Kazak," Damian tried again.

"Aghm… Just so you can keep me as a pet? To show how worthless we are to you? You want to see me suffer, is that it, Human? That's how you play your sick little games, don't you..? Never a creature of valor… Just cowardice.. All you know is to stab others in the back… GO! TELL THAT ELF ! I AM THE LAST OF THE ETERNAL GUARDIANS ! DIVINE BLOOD FLOWS THROUGH MY VEINS! I BOW DOWN TO NO FALSE GODS !!"

Kazak looked up, his face twisted in rage, purple veins covering half of it, his large eyes glowing dark ominous purple.

"YOU CAN NOT KEEP ME ! HAHAHAHHAA.. HAHHAHAHAA.. I AM IMMORTAL !! HAHAHAHHA.."

Damian sighed, turning around as Sam and Yovan each held his shoulders. Without looking back, he slowly walked away. But just as he reached the tent entrance, another voice came from the chained beastman.

"…Valley… Val… Save my valley…"

Damian turned hastily, but just to be met again with Kazak's twisted expressions.

"I saved my valley from you monsters! You weaklings have no right! NO RIGHT!"

The last hope for Kazak's survival broke in Damian's heart as he exited the suffocating tent. It was too much… Even for him, an adult man.. Killing hundreds, Fighting a beast that he had no right to face against, Seeing good men sacrifice and die.. Then hope of his survival.. Only for it to turn out just another twisted joke of fate…

It was all too much for one night. Damian felt like he'd aged ten years in just one day.

They returned in silence to the part of the camp where Damian's unit's last 43 survivors had set up tents. Outside his captain's tent, he bid farewell to Sena as she ran off to her caretaker, a noble knight Vidalia had assigned to protect her.

Damian spoke softly. "The soldiers…"

But Sam cut him off. "You need rest. We'll take care of everything." Damian glanced at the other two and nodded before entering his tent and collapsing onto the bed.

He felt as if he could sleep for days, but before that, he took out his status tool and activated it. No new levels had come from the elephant's death or even from the bloody battle, or he would have felt it.

---

Name :

Damian Sunblade Lv.69

Rank :

Lord

Affinity :

Water, Space-time

Mana :

5600/7410

STR :

111

DEF :

79

INT :

170

AGI :

77

DEX :

79

CHA :

19

LUC : 10

Jobs :

Elder Runebreaker (Lv.19), The Runic Chemist Lord (Lv.25)

Blessings :

Godless [40 Available Points]

Titles :

[Cold Blooded Killer], [Wild Hunter], [Chained], [Primordial Metal Shaper], [Titan Killer], [Curse Bound]

Skills :

[Beginner Tree Climbing Lv.9], [Echo of Clarity Lv.2], [Advanced Scholar Lv.1], [Advanced Swordsman Lv.2], [The Runic High Lord Lv.2], [Runic Inscription Lv.9], [Arcane Synthesis Lv.3], [Nerve Shield Lv.7], [Advanced Spearman Lv.4] [Rune Breaker Lv.1] [Mana Extract Lv.4] [Summon Trunkling (Temporary)]

Penalty :

(1). Use of (Veil of Containment) now costs five times the original mana, taking a piece of the user's guilty soul with it each time.

—

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BROKEN GREED WAR | ELDORIS | CREDIT RECORDS :

1. Unranked Enemies:

- 243 kills: 4860 credits

2. First Ranker Enemies:

- 156 kills: 9360 credits

3. Second Ranker Enemies:

- 12 kill: 3000 credits

CREDITS EARNED : 17220

—

Okay, He did get a few levels but didn't even feel it much. And after all that slaughter just two levels..? That progression sucked hard..

"Huh…? What's this crap now…?"

A new title appeared, some kind of curse. Shouldn't he be fucking rewarded? Why was he being cursed?

Damian tapped the blinking title. Thankfully, it came with a description; otherwise, he'd have spent his life wondering.

---

[Curse Bound]

The Emperor beast never dies. Its physical form might be lost, but its essence remains. The Astralox Titan's soul holds a deep hatred for the one responsible for its fall, and that hatred has become a curse, binding the user to the young Trunkling, which has the body of an unranked beast but the soul of an Emperor.

Note: It is advised for the user to care for it, as failure to do so will lead to the user's own death.

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