บท 83: The Rune King
There are nine known Ranks as being a Rune User.
The first to six ranks are just foundations for strengthening the body and letting the Rune User have the opportunity to grow by themself. In this way, whatever their transcendent skills acquired are also the skills they have as mortal, talents per se, that has a lot of potentials. This is so that one can have their maximum potential and reach self-actualization, where one reaches that maximum potential.
Starting from the Seventh Rank, the rune user will have enough foundation and had completed enough trials to acquire the true usefulness of the [Rune]. They will become True Rune Users and will become independent from the Starting Rune. They can have leaps of a gap of power from the preceding Rank by capturing other Runes after completing its specific Trial. The gap between a True Rune User and a Sixth Rank Rune User can become like a Rank 4 from a mortal.
Then, after being a True Rune User, one will become a Rune Master, freely controlling and unlocking the Rune's potential. They can now use the Rune, not only a way of power but as power itself. Once this happens, they can manipulate their innate "ensense" a supernatural power that connects the other worlds from Gantlet, and using this, one can manipulate the nature and increase the strength of their transcendent skills and even possibly create their own Rune. However, creating their own Rune is nothing but a theory as just ensense itself was a mystery that no Rune User had yet to unfold.
Finally, after a Rune Master, there is the Rune King. Thought to be the highest rank, therefore its name. The abilities of a Rune King were yet to be explored but the most noticeable part about it is that, when reaching this rank, you can enter the third stage of Gantlet. Additionally, Rune Trials increased as so as the ensense. A Rune King can easily know where the runes are in Gantlet and will try to take an adventure in the hope to capture these runes and at the same time, explore Gantlet while having confidence, not desperation. After they capture or imprint every rune for themselves, they are now ready to challenge the last stage of Gantlet.
Rune Kings only show up once every few years and it takes them another few years to be ready for the last stage. With iron courage, they will step into the unknown. Yet, none came back from it, that is, except now. The last Rune King had come back to tell his stories and discoveries...
Hurriedly, Olmen and Seth walked towards the Rune King's Chamber and they knocked on the door.
After knocking, it opened after a short paused and the one who opened it was a True Rune User, one of the Supreme Council of Moon Bridge, Tepem. She was a lady on her thirties, still retaining some of her beauty from her adolescence, she was quite popular to the Moon Bridge. Although if compared to the original world, she holds no place against models and top tier beauties.
Tepem welcomed them with a forced smile, "Come in." she said while opening the door wide. Her smile did not hide the pressure she was having.
Even though there is an age gap of almost a decade, Olmen and Seth bowed. Age can be easily ignored there since the older you are does not necessarily mean you are stronger in both physical and mental. There are sage-like people in their twenties and thirties who have reached a certain height of illumination and enlightenment after going through the trials of Gantlet. That itself, couldn't be ignored.
Upon entering the Rune King's Chamber, both were inundated by the presence of the other True Rune Users and the three superiors, Rune Masters who had significant age gaps. They are the Supreme Council.
These three Rune Masters stood near the bed while the True Rune Users stood by the sidelines. Until given the freedom to speak by the Rune Masters, they are to stay silent. That is how much authority Rune Masters hold and the gap in power between those two ranks.
Even before they got close to the Rune King's Chamber, these people already sensed them there and were not surprised to see the two.
Seth was like a secretary, a messenger, that take the orders from the Supreme Council and pass it to the people of the Moon Bridge. So him being there was a norm. Olmen, on the other hand, was special since his uses were special too.
"Rune King, they have arrived, our two messengers." one of the Rune Masters respectfully said.
The Rune King, the only one that had ever returned from the third stage of Gantlet, was a man with bronze skin, long untrimmed and messy black hair, and had a body that was almost twice the size as an average man. With torn pants and shirt, he looked so different from the others that looked like people from ancient times based on their clothing. Although he looked like a bodybuilder who became homeless.
He took a sip from a cup of water, drenching his dry throat yet he was so calm about it nobody noticed his extreme thirst. After finishing the cup, he wanted more as he put it forward and one True Rune User obediently poured onto his glass.
Olmen and Seth gulped. That True Rune User had the same rank as Tepem, who they bowed to, yet even this True Rune User was just a water holder for the Rune King.
Even when there were tens of pairs of eyes, the Rune King calmly and silently drank more and more water. Only after five cups did he placed the cup on the nearby table and began to speak with a placid and tough voice, "Do you know what happened to the Door of Salvation?"
The Rune King's eyes looked into Olmen's which were like boulders pressured on both his shoulders. It was hard to give a reply under the unintentional pressure but it was scarier to let the Rune King waiting so after mustering enough courage, Olmen spoke, with great effort to make his answer clear and concise, "Rune King" he deeply bowed, seeing this, the Rune Masters nodded in satisfaction then Olmen continued, "After sending four Rank 5 and two Rank 6 Rune Users, we finally closed the Door of Salvation to prevent the remaining people from the City of Misfortune to get through it."
After hearing this, there was a pause before the Rune King sighed which worried the Rune Masters but soon he spoke, "... No worries..." it sounded as if it was directed to himself, "I can just defeat the demon marionette myself and open the door again."
He said it so calmly that it took moments before the people in the room to process it and reacted. baffled. They looked at each other and one of the Rune Masters, the old lady in the middle was the one who asked, "Rune King, why open the door again?"
"To enter it, of course." the Rune King said as if there were no problems.
The old lady Rune Master was conflicted about how she would say it but proceeded it even if it sounded rude, "But Rune King, one of our pledge as the Moon People are not to think about the past world and permanently live here in Gantlet. If we do broke that pledge, it will be a disaster to those mortals."
The Rune King just stared at her.
The Rune Master does not know how to respond but before anyone could do so, the Rune King said to everyone, "I am one of the first people that lived in the Moon Bridge and one of the few people who discovered it. We are the ones who established these pledge but they are just lies. We are not forbidden to go back to the original world. Why do you think there is the Door of Salvation? We just made those up so that we wouldn't anger the celestials."
His words were a great impact one after another.
'It was a lie?' they all thought. Thoughts of coming back to their family, friends, loved ones, and old lives came rushing their heads. The room became restless.
But soon, they calmed down after realizing what the Rune King said as his last line. They all inwardly sighed, 'It is too good to be true.' and turned back to being aloof.
"It is true that once we irregularly go into the Door of Salvation, the celestials will sense it and visit Earth so that they themselves will put us back here. Not only did we waste our effort but we will also endanger our original world. But that is only if we are irregulars. I, myself, can defeat the demon marionette." the Rune King left it at that. It was enough for others to understand what he meant.
However, the old lady Rune Master still objected, "But, with our powers, we can potentially disrupt the norm there, Rune King."
"-ah!" then they heard an abrupt shout.
"Hm?" the Rune Masters and the others turned their heads towards the insolent who shouted.
When they realized who it was that shouted, it became more audacious of him. They all looked at the Rank 6 Rune User Olmen who shouted.
Olmen had his eyes widened and his hand covering his mouth. he was sweating profusely for letting out that sound.
Amidst these glares who were waiting for him to excuse himself, the Rune King said, "Looks like you have something to say."
Olmen immediately nodded and said, "Actually... Rune King and Rune Masters, if you are a regular that entered the Door of Salvation, you will lose your power."
",,," the Rune Masters, True Rune Users, and even the Rune King were shocked to hear this.
"Is this true?" a young-looking man who was also one of the three Rune Masters asked.
Then a True Rune User answered, "Yes, Rune Master, we are about to report this to you but suddenly, the great Rune King had arrived, and thus, we lost our chance. We took the matters in our hand and I sacrificed one of my beads to see if it will work."
This was the True Rune User who gave his bead to Olmen His name was Handon, one of the most respectable people among the True Rune Users for having multiple beads left.
"But only Olmen can tell you how it went." Handon politely then stepped back.
Olmen's brows furrowed and said, "It was a success. Renir retrieves his powers back."
After hearing this, the Rune King had the most relieved face.
"And surprisingly, Renir is also a True Rune User."
"...." the Rune Masters frowned at this. They were waiting for Olmen to correct himself from his error so they would scold him but it turned out, he was serious.
Whispers covered the room;
"Isn't that Renir only came in Gantlet for fifteen nights before he entered the Door of Salvation?"
"How is this possible?"
"Do you think he discovered something in the Gantlet Woodlands?"
Hearing these whispers, the Rune King briefly grasped the situation and was curious about this Renir.
"However," Olmen continue with a solemn expression, "He was defeated by a mortal."
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