Return of the Legendary Runesmith

Adrian was in the Time Chamber, having finished his classes for the day.

The exchange students were slowly settling into their new environment—

all except for Elizabeth, of course.

She was proud, headstrong, and carried herself like a warrior who had never tasted defeat.

And frankly, she had reason to.

She had bested every single fighter at her academy, sometimes taking on multiple opponents at once. Even the Prince had fallen to her more than once.

Her latest triumph—winning the intra-school combat contest—had only added more fuel to the already blazing fire of her pride.

So yes, Elizabeth wasn't the easiest person to deal with.

Her bickering with Allen had already begun. And at this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if she challenged him to a duel by tomorrow.

But this Allen wasn't the cheerful, easygoing version from his current timeline.

This was a quieter, more serious Allen—still rebuilding himself.

A reckless approach might bruise her pride, or worse, end with her getting hurt.

But that was Allen's problem to worry about.

Adrian had other things on his mind—namely, the fourth thread and the incoming ambush.

It would happen in two weeks, on a seemingly random night.

A swarm of monsters would be summoned within the campus. Meanwhile, several Acolytes would seal off the dorms, making sure the teachers couldn't step in to help.

It was going to be chaos.

But Adrian knew the flow of events. He knew who the real enemy behind the curtain was.

And with that knowledge, he was confident he could defuse the situation.

...And maybe, in doing so, uncover more about himself—his true origin, the truth behind it all.

"Alright, focus," Adrian muttered, drawing a breath as he turned toward the lifeless training doll in front of him.

From what he'd learned so far, different parts of the body received varying amounts of mana depending on the situation—or sometimes, none at all.

The problem was figuring out how to detect that mana flow without forcing the subject to move or placing them in a dangerous scenario.

The solution?

The third thread.

Emotions and memories—

They were powerful triggers. Fear, joy, sorrow—each could stir the soul and reveal the true nature of someone's mana flow.

"System," Adrian murmured, "isn't the fourth thread kind of... underwhelming? The third feels more meaningful—more impactful."

[Indeed, it appears so, host. However, the host should remember: at this stage, the armament becomes one with the subject's physical form. That is to say, the armament integrates with the body.]

Adrian hummed, unconvinced.

"I still don't get it. Maybe I will—when I finally create my first fourth-grade item. Then, maybe, I'll understand why this thread comes before the final one."

The system didn't respond. Adrian didn't expect it to.

He simply went back to his research, immersing himself for another two hours before finally calling it a day.

Tomorrow, he would be teaching the exchange students in class as well.

Another busy day awaited.

°°°°°°°°

Elana had some freedom in choosing her classes these days, thanks to her injury.

That's why she'd decided to attend just a few during the day.

One of them, naturally, was homeroom—Runes.

Of course, there was no way she'd skip the class taught by her Professor.

As always, she was seated in the front row, quietly flipping through her notes.

One by one, the other students began to trickle in and take their seats.

"Hey, how are you feeling now?"

"Hope you get well soon."

"You should be resting more, Elana."

A few classmates stopped by with kind words. She answered them politely but briefly, then waved them toward their seats before the Professor arrived.

While she waited, the classroom door creaked open—and the room instantly fell into a hush.

Elana glanced up once. Then back to her book.

Not the face she wanted to see this early in the morning.

A few seconds passed.

Then, movement beside her.

Elana frowned slightly and turned her head.

Elizabeth had taken the empty seat next to her.

That spot usually belonged to Aries. But since she wasn't around…

Setting her bag down with casual confidence, Elizabeth turned to her.

"You're Elana, right? I've heard about you," she said, her tone light.

Elana said nothing—pretending to be completely absorbed in the book in front of her.

Undeterred, Elizabeth leaned a little closer.

"Heard you're the strongest one here. I was thinking of challenging you… but clearly, you're not in shape for that."

There was a pause.

Elana didn't even blink.

"Too bad for you," she said calmly, without looking up.

Elizabeth let out a soft snicker.

"I think it's better this way. After all, no one wants the title of 'strongest' stripped away by a humiliating defeat."

Elana finally rolled her eyes.

Was she really trying to bait her into a fight with this level of cheap provocation?

Why did she have to sit next to me…?

Just like that, her peaceful morning was already ruined.

Then, the classroom door opened again.

Their homeroom teacher stepped inside.

Everyone stood and greeted him—except for Elizabeth, who remained seated and silent.

Adrian made his way to the podium, giving the class a brief nod.

"Take your seats."

He didn't even glance at the attendance register—Adrian trusted the class representative to handle that.

His eyes briefly flicked to Elizabeth before he began, "Today, we're going to discuss first double smithing. We've already covered what it is—a feat nearly impossible to master. This is because, during Runesmithing, only one mind can be used to study the subject and draw the rune—" he continued only for a few minutes when,

"Yawwwwn"

A loud yawn cut through the air.

Elana's head snapped to the left, eyes narrowing at the girl beside her.

The class fell silent. Several students turned with irritated stares toward Elizabeth, who sat unfazed.

Adrian exhaled, voice calm but clearly tired.

"Do you need to wash your face, Student Elizabeth?"

She shrugged lazily. "It's not like I didn't sleep well. Your lecture is just...boring."

In that instant, the room's temperature dropped.

The light from the artifact dimmed, flickering weakly under the sudden surge of icy pressure.

Elana's aura leaked across the room like a silent storm.

Elizabeth raised a brow, her smirk returning.

So this is all it takes? she thought, amused.

Before things escalated, Adrian's voice cut through the tension like a blade.

"Elana, move to the back."

Wordlessly, Elana stood up and walked away.

Anger one side, she couldn't bring herself to ignore her believed.

Elizabeth scoffed under her breath.

"Tch. Boring."

But when she looked back up, she found the Professor's eyes locked on her.

"What?" she said, shrugging.

"You must think you're quite the genius," Adrian replied, stepping aside and quickly scribbling three questions onto the board.

They weren't long—but they carried weight.

"Answer any one of them correctly," he said indifferently, "and you're free to leave the class."

Elizabeth turned toward the board, frowning.

They looked simple. At first.

But then she read deeper.

Each question referenced obscure sections of the rune theory book—details most wouldn't even glance at. Her frown deepened.

"This is unreasonable," she muttered. "No one studies that deeply."

Adrian raised a brow. "Is that so?"

He turned to the class.

"How many of you can answer one of these?"

Dozens of hands rose in sync. Elana's included.

Elizabeth blinked, stunned.

They're bluffing... right?

But the quiet confidence on their faces told her otherwise.

They weren't lying.

Adrian's voice turned cold.

"Disrupting the class while being academically the weakest... I expected better from a top student of Aegis."

"...!!"

The word slammed into her chest.

Weakest.

He'd called her the weakest.

Not even her parents had dared say such a thing.

Elizabeth clenched her fists beneath the desk, lips pressed tightly together.

But she said nothing. Not now.

Her anger boiled inside her like magma beneath ice.

I'll remember this… you asshole.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.