Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 618: Chains of Unyielding I

"Weaken me?" Mogal's brow furrowed.

Alex confirmed with a nod.

His eyes fixed upon the Dravo tribesman standing there.

Mogal formed a towering figure—his frame bulging with thick, formidable muscles that outmatched even icons like Arnold and Ronnie, filling viewers with awe and wonder.

However, that build served a real purpose.

The Dravo tribe's pugilist forging technique focused solely on combat effectiveness.

Its fearsome appearance was just a side effect.

Unlike the overly rigid bodies of massive brutes in tales from Alex's previous life, Mogal had what Alex called a herculean physique—

A structure crafted for ultimate bodily dominance; strength, quickness, dexterity, stamina, bursting power...

When it came to sheer physical prowess, Mogal was simply... a living exploit.

Naturally, fighters across Pangea, Verdantis, or elsewhere also honed their forms.

Yet the Dravo tribe's way stood apart completely.

Consider Pangea, for example—

Fighters there drew in mana via breath exercises and food, channeling it to bolster themselves and rise in level.

Body workouts mainly served to make the frame tough enough to hold that force.

Even Verdantis' body-forging sorcerers stuck to the same idea.

But the Dravo tribe flipped this entirely.

For them, physical form came first. Body forging formed the base.

Mana would only gather after driving the body to its utmost extremes—pulled in naturally by the physique.

A complete reversal of standard paths.

’It mirrors beast cultivation more closely,’ Alex pondered.

’Via endless battles, they naturally hone their bodies into an ideal shape... then pull mana from meals and surroundings to solidify that route.’

This theory held real weight.

Mogal's routines backed it up.

Instead of building mana with formal breath methods, Mogal depended on eating—

Consuming meat loaded with mana.

Before or after feasts, he pushed his body to total fatigue, compelling quick digestion and mana uptake from the food.

The likeness to beast ways was clear.

Alex saw no accident in it.

The Dravo tribe's key rite strengthened this view—

At each rank's top, they had to hunt a mighty beast and bind its will into a Beast Totem prior to advancing.

It seemed Dravo tribesmen wielded Beast Will to trick the world—making it see them as beasts over humans, thus letting cultivation follow that route.

’But world awareness isn't so simple to dupe,’ Alex reflected.

’It functions temporarily... not forever.’

’Maybe that's why new Beast Totems form at every breakthrough—to refresh the ruse.’

Regardless of the reality, Alex had zero plans to mimic Dravo techniques by studying them.

His aim stayed straightforward—

Grasp them deeply enough to boost Mogal properly.

If Mogal were a sorcerer, he'd rank as the ideal Physique Tempering practitioner.

No question about it.

Thus, Alex built on that core strength.

Using lessons from Heavenly Venerable’s Heaven–Earth–Man forging ideas, he crafted a Rune Tattoo just for Mogal.

Mogal’s path reversed typical warrior growth—

So Alex mirrored that reversal.

He flipped his design rules too.

What emerged—

Unlike Kavakan’s Mark of Slaughter that boosted and aided its user, Chains of Unyielding worked via restraint.

It diminished its host.

Alex gave a slight smile at Mogal’s clear bewilderment, thinking back on his reasoning.

"You seem shocked," he stated evenly.

"I said these Rune Tattoos exist to empower you... Yet this one saps your strength."

He bent forward a touch.

"I promise, those concepts don't clash."

Mogal stayed quiet, attentive.

"From my observations, your body's energy goes beyond mere Internal Energy as Pangean warriors know it."

"It's deeper—a blend of Internal Energy... and Life Essence."

He lifted one finger.

"Internal Energy stays simple."

"Mana entering the body—by any means—turns into Internal Energy."

"Life Essence, though..." His voice shifted a bit. "That's much harder to generate on purpose."

"Still, your tribe bypassed that barrier."

Mogal nodded gradually.

Realization lit his gaze.

"Our forging technique..." he murmured, "...basically squeezes Life Essence from our bodies then refills it."

Alex agreed inside.

At heart, the Dravo tribe's way proved cleverly basic.

All life held limited Life Essence, and rank ups offered the steadiest boost.

Yet Dravo found a loophole.

Their forging pulled Life Essence forcibly from the body—mostly the muscles.

Life Essence stayed inherently steady.

Bodies wouldn't make extra unless needed.

Without rank growth, no amount of push produced more Life Essence in usual cases.

Dravo chose another route.

They merged pulled Life Essence with Internal Energy into a special hybrid energy unique to their system.

Their forging went further than pulling—

It wove that fresh energy back into the flesh, toughening it more.

A tougher frame then boosted Life Essence renewal.

This built a loop—

Pull, Merge, Fortify, Renew...

An ongoing cycle that kept elevating a Dravo warrior's body.

Naturally, higher ranks made this tougher step by step.

Bigger limits called for wilder extremes.

That's why Saint-level Dravo fighters were so scarce.

To Alex, Heaven–Earth–Man forging thoughts could lift this system higher.

But explaining it outright was too intricate.

Though Mogal wasn't some dim brute, Heavenly Venerable’s ideas would challenge him still.

So Alex shaped it into a Rune Tattoo instead.

"Chains of Unyielding curb your body's output," Alex clarified.

"When on, you'll tap only about thirty percent of your max power."

Mogal's eyebrows knit faintly.

Alex pressed on steadily.

"But in return, while training under that limit, surplus energy your body makes—past the cap—gets saved up."

He touched the projection gently.

"That saved power can burst out all at once in key instants, boosting your might temporarily—up to three times over."

He halted, then noted, nearly musing,

"...at minimum."

Mogal's gaze intensified as he grasped the potential.

"So Chains of Unyielding holds back power from regular training... and unleashes it when I need it bad?"

***