Power of Runes Chapter 418: Energy Dynamics

Spotting the Infinity symbol beside his Lifespan, Potential, and Energy stats proved overwhelmingly thrilling for Ash. It evoked the exact rush one feels upon discovering an enormous fortune suddenly deposited into their bank account.

Ash brimmed with joy, no question about it, yet his curiosity burned even hotter regarding why these stats had turned infinite.

The alteration seemed minor on the surface, yet its profound consequences loomed massive.

Ash instantly grasped that this transformation carried profound significance, fueling his inquisitiveness further. After all, true self-knowledge often paved the way to outmaneuvering any foe ahead.

Though the adage warned that curiosity slays the cat, Ash wasn't feline, and danger be damned—he craved the truth. Without a second thought, he triggered his Eye of Omniscience, probing for the cause behind it, eager to unveil the secrets cloaked by those infinite icons.

And truly, revelations poured in.

Once his grasp of the Rune of Truth hit 1%, the Eye of Omniscience surged with power.

This boost struck for every Rune surpassing that 1% mark.

Moreover, Ash himself gained a massive upgrade from comprehending all Runes to at least that baseline.

Back in the now, the influx of data swiftly revealed to Ash the origins of key elements in his condition.

Still, despite the heightened insight, he only pinned down select truths, as myriad others streaked by like remote stars in the night.

Nevertheless, he roughly assembled the core explanation.

His infinite Potential came as no shock, since Ash had demanded it while shaping his body. His fresh body, race, and bloodline drove that limitless trait.

His Lifespan and Energy stemmed from the First Light of Creation plus the Runes fused into his core being.

The energy core—a nascent universe slumbering in his heart—held no mana.

Indeed, no familiar energies dwelled there save Dark Matter, or more precisely, Void Energy. Void ranked as an exceedingly rare trait, granted solely to Heaven’s favorites.

Yet that insight paled against his greatest shock.

What seized Ash’s focus was a grander revelation glimpsed while chasing the source of his Infinite Energy.

He discovered that a Universe—or cosmos, or any vast realm of celestial bodies and life—didn’t operate chaotically but adhered to a supreme law: the Concept of Energy Dynamics.

This notion rang familiar, echoing the Law of Conservation of Energy from his Earth days.

Per the Concept of Energy Dynamics, energy neither springs from void nor vanishes into it; it merely shifts forms, eternally persisting in the grand cycle.

Thus, when mages channel mana into spells, that mana isn't utterly spent. The magic circle reshapes it into targeted energy—like fire—bringing the spell to life in reality.

Once the fireball bursts and wreaks havoc, its energy doesn't vanish. As the structure unravels, it reverts to natural energy, scattering into the surroundings and merging with the world's rhythm.

Afterward, the mage meditates or breathes to draw in that ambient energy, replenishing what was expended.

On this intimate level, the cycle seems straightforward, a fundamental truth every magic user embraces.

But Ash now saw it ruling the Universe and cosmos on an unfathomable scale.

The Universe endlessly loans its natural energy to myriad beings and races, fueling their growth, societies, and evolution across eons. In turn, their spells, assaults, or deaths return that energy to nature, rebalancing the flux.

An colossal loop that never halts.

Energy gets borrowed.

Energy gets expended.

Energy gets repaid.

And the Universe presses on ceaselessly.

Ash uncovered another layer, rendering the system utterly captivating.

Each Universe bore a distinct energy signature, a core imprint woven into its natural flow.

This let it differentiate native energy from foreign intrusions, spotting outsiders instantly.

And here lay Ash’s unique edge.

His heart harbored its own universe, bound by the Concept of Energy Dynamics.

Thus, when Ash unleashed inner-universe energy into his host Universe, it stood out as alien. The host wouldn’t recycle it into the environment.

Instead, that energy stayed tethered to Ash’s inner realm, which swiftly reclaimed it—an instant pull beyond his full grasp.

Essentially, Ash could unleash energy unbound, wield it lavishly, then recover it via his inner universe in a perpetual, self-renewing loop.

A near-endless circuit.

Excitement stirred silently in Ash as this dawned, for its ramifications dwarfed initial appearances.

For now, pinpointing the precise link eluded him, though he suspected ties to the Rune of Balance, Rune of Stability, or Rune of Harmony—each tied to equilibrium and cosmic flow.

His infinite Lifespan arose differently.

With a universe in his heart, plus mysterious mutations from the First Light of Creation during rebirth, his Lifespan bowed to the Concept of Energy Dynamics—though he pondered if that even held. His Energy Dynamics knowledge remained nil.

Yet as long as his universe’s energy cycled to sustain him, time wouldn’t erode his life; Life Energy would loop eternally within his sealed cosmos.

Thus, time wouldn’t decay him like mortals.

Even so, after this insight, Ash knew vast mysteries lingered in his infinite Lifespan.

His Soul topped the enigmas; through his Eyes, it baffled him completely.

"But wait!! Does that mean my energy now carries a unique signature? So if I use it, won’t the Universe know about me?"

Ash voiced aloud as wariness flickered in his gaze, the idea sparking instant alarm. He'd just learned Universes flagged foreign energies via signatures.

Ash now eyed all with suspicion; he wasn't this Universe's native. His power sourced elsewhere, his heart-universe wholly apart from his current home.

Thus, Ash held back any energy release until confirmed safe. He required time to command his body and powers fully—avoiding universal enmity above all.

****