Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage Chapter 698: Guardian of Happenstance Set

Despite the setbacks—or perhaps partial triumphs—that marked his more ambitious endeavors, Alex had undeniably achieved a significant milestone over the past month.

During the sparse interludes of rest between his multifaceted research pursuits, Alex had continued to hone the Rune Set blueprints he had been contemplating for a considerable duration on the Beta Bracer, leveraging OmniRune’s sophisticated simulation capabilities.

And after a prolonged period, success had finally been attained.

His dedicated work had ultimately yielded its reward, culminating in the finalization of his inaugural Rune Tattoo design, thereby transforming his long-envisioned Rune Soldier concept into a tangible reality. The sole remaining step was to imbue these tattoos into one of his soldiers, and his premiere Rune Soldier would then be brought into existence.

The Guardian of Happenstance—as its designation suggests—was conceived based upon Alex’s personal Plate of Happenstance chestplate armor.

This particular piece of armor possessed the unique capacity to absorb the residual mana effluents generated from Alex’s spellcasting, channeling them back into his physiology. This process served to bolster his defensive attributes while simultaneously regenerating portions of his physical stamina and depleted energy reserves.

Alex recognized the immense value of this ability and consequently aspired to engineer a comparable effect for his soldiers.

His overarching objective was the creation of an elite retinue that would exhibit exceptional stamina, necessitating fewer resources for post-combat recuperation, while also boasting a resilience far exceeding that of conventional forces.

In essence, augmented survivability, robust defense, heightened endurance, unwavering stamina, and minimized resource consumption constituted the foundational design ethos behind the Guardian of Happenstance Set.

As Alex had initially conceptualized, the Guardian of Happenstance comprised five distinct runes, which, when harmonized, formed a complete and cohesive set.

Given that this represented the very first Rune Set he had ever engineered, Alex employed a relatively uncomplicated methodology in determining the elemental composition of the set’s core.

Within his mind, he visualized a structure reminiscent of a pentagram. Each vertex of this pentagram was designated to represent a particular attribute, while the central nexus symbolized a unified set effect, born from the synergistic interaction and amalgamation of all five attribute runes.

From the seven fundamental Rune Tattoo attributes Alex had previously conceptualized—namely Strength, Agility, Vitality, Defense, Endurance, Dexterity, and Perception—Alex ultimately designated the initial five as the principal cornerstones of the Guardian of Happenstance Set.

Even subsequent to selecting the attributes he intended to integrate, Alex did not merely settle for the rudimentary rune variations he had previously formulated.

Instead, he meticulously re-engineered and refined each individual rune, tailoring them with precision to better align with the overarching objective and synergistic interplay of the Guardian of Happenstance set.

Alex procured the scrolls sequentially, commencing with the one featuring the Strength-aligned Rune Tattoo.

Concerning the Strength Attribute, Alex had intentionally modified the original rune’s design. Rather than enhancing the bearer’s general physical might, this revised rune directed its focus specifically towards amplifying offensive power in accordance with the user’s resolve and volition.

The outcome was a profound alteration in its functional capacity. Instead of bestowing a moderate ten to twenty percent augmentation in overall physical strength, the newly conceived Attack Strength Rune elevated offensive potency by a remarkable forty percent.

Alex carefully replaced the scroll on the table before reaching for the Rune Tattoo scroll associated with the Endurance point of his conceptualized pentagram.

For the Endurance Attribute, Alex had transformed the initial rune into what he termed the Reinforcement Rune Tattoo.

Instead of accumulating energy and gradually reintroducing it into the body for regenerative purposes—which was the original design intent of the Endurance Rune—this novel variant utilized available energy directly to fortify and strengthen the bearer’s physique in real-time.

While the original Endurance Rune concentrated on mitigating fatigue and recovering from accumulated exertion or injury, the Reinforcement Rune Tattoo completely eschewed internal storage in favor of maximizing the bearer’s endurance threshold and physical resilience through continuous augmentation.

By relinquishing the storage functionality of the predecessor rune, Alex had successfully reallocated the liberated capacity towards intensifying the enhancement effect itself.

Consequently, the improvements escalated from the initial twenty percent boost to a potential maximum of one hundred percent—contingent upon the energy supplied to the rune, as well as the bearer’s own physical constitution, being capable of withstanding the considerable strain.

“The Shield Rune Tattoo…” Alex vocalized softly, his gaze fixed upon the elaborate inscription adorning the subsequent scroll.

The initial Elementary Defence Rune Tattoo, crafted to enhance a warrior's Aura coating and boost defensive capacity by roughly twenty percent, had its foundational design philosophy completely disregarded by Alex once more.

For the Guardian of Happenstance Set, he had taken the Elementary Defence Rune and evolved it into the Shield Rune.

As its name suggests, instead of reinforcing an existing Aura coating, this rune actively generates a protective shield. This shield activates either consciously by the wearer or automatically when they face danger beyond their immediate awareness.

Similar to the preceding two Rune Tattoos in the set, the Shield Rune Tattoo features no independent energy storage. Its functionality relies entirely on drawing energy directly from the wearer.

A knowing smile touched Alex's lips; this was a deliberate design choice, intrinsically linked to the set's ultimate effect.

His attention then turned to the fourth rune within the set.

This fourth Rune Tattoo occupied the Agility corner of the conceptual pentagram.

Had the final rune not still been in development, this would undoubtedly have been the most crucial—and certainly the most intricate—rune of the entire collection.

The Wanderer Rune Tattoo, a mobility-enhancing design derived from the original Elementary Agility Rune Tattoo, held significant importance for two primary reasons: its practical application and the intended users.

Unlike the other Rune Tattoos, which were primarily tailored for human users, the Wanderer Rune Tattoo existed in two distinct versions—one for humanoid bearers and another specifically engineered for quadrupedal mounts.

This single detail imbued the rune with exceptional significance within the set. It enabled Rune Bearers, who typically possessed only four available rune slots, to still qualify as Rune Soldiers.

Rather than a fifth rune on their own body, the Wanderer Rune Tattoo could be inscribed upon their mount, thereby fulfilling the set's five-rune requirement—though only while the bearer remained mounted.

Both variations of the Wanderer Rune Tattoo augment the bearer's mobility, acceleration, and evasive capabilities, proving especially effective across challenging terrains such as forests and rocky mountains.

Commencing with the Reinforcement Rune Tattoo scroll, it became increasingly evident that the Rune Tattoo designs were becoming progressively more elaborate and advanced. The final Rune Tattoo, positioned at the Vitality corner of the conceptual pentagram, continued this trend even further.

Among all the foundational attribute runes, Alex had the most extensive experience modifying the Elementary Vitality Rune Tattoo.

From his own Everspring Rune Tattoo to Fen’s LifeBank Rune Tattoo, and even, to a degree, Zora’s Siphon Rune Tattoo, all had ultimately originated from the same fundamental basis—the Elementary Vitality Rune.

Consequently, Alex possessed a wealth of experience in altering and enhancing its structure.

It was precisely this expertise that empowered him to design the most pivotal Rune Tattoo within the entire set—

The one that served as the ultimate binder for everything.

The Happenstance Rune Tattoo draws in surplus Internal Energy or vitality naturally produced by the bearer outside of combat, as well as residual energy dispersed across the battlefield, storing it for its own use.

Subsequently, through the bearer's intent, the rune can redirect this stored energy back into the body, transforming it into physical strength, mental energy, vitality, or any other form of energy the user requires at that moment—much like the Plate of Happenstance, potentially even exceeding its versatility.

Furthermore, the Happenstance Rune Tattoo integrates the effects of the [Link] spell, establishing a connection between the energies of every bearer of the Guardian of Happenstance Rune Tattoo Set.

This aspect was, perhaps, Alex's most cherished feature of the entire set.

It signified that each bearer of the Rune Set could both contribute to and draw from a vast, shared energy pool—energy that could then be converted into physical strength, mental power, vitality, or any other necessary form of support. Whether for enhancement, stamina restoration, or healing, the set dramatically improved the user's survivability in virtually any conceivable scenario.

‘The Guardian of Happenstance could eventually become the standard-issue Rune Tattoo Set for all troops under my command,’ Alex contemplated internally. ‘And in the future, I can develop specialized variants tailored towards the unique needs of different military units.’

A proud smile graced his features.

Now that the Guardian of Happenstance design was finally complete—and the first full iteration resided within his possession—the only remaining task was to ascertain who would be the set's inaugural bearer.

Alex mulled over his decision, concluding that selecting a candidate for a certain position wasn't difficult at all. He believed bestowing it upon the right individual would significantly fortify their current internal standing.

His attention then returned to the intricate Rune Tattoos laid out before him on the table.

A self-deprecating chuckle escaped him as he reflected, 'Lately, my progress has been solely within the realms of runes and Rune Tattoos. It feels like ages since I last saw any substantial advancement in my technological pursuits.'

He let out a soft sigh.

'Perhaps it's because I haven't resided in stable, supportive territory for an extended period. Most technological concepts I conceive require either established industries for manufacturing or a land capable of effectively implementing them. Without one of those fundamental bases, introducing new technologies seems rather pointless... or so I've been convincing myself.'

Alex shook his head, his thoughts circling back to prior endeavors that had met with failure.

'Even with the Guardian of Happenstance, I'm still missing a way to easily mass-produce Rune tattoo scrolls. That project, too, has remained stagnant,' he mused.

He sighed again, his hands idly beginning to gather the set of rune scrolls.

While lost in thought, the rune pen resting on the table unexpectedly tipped over and tumbled to the floor.

Alex released another weary sigh, his focus finally returning to the present.

He bent down to pick up the fallen rune pen—

And precisely at that instant, a sudden, brilliant idea struck him with the force of lightning!

'That's it!'

***