After coming out of his depressed state, Atticus expressed his gratitude to Grimestone and turned his gaze to the slate he had just engraved.
The words emitted a deep red glow and were deeply embedded into the slate. As Atticus lifted it, he noticed that its weight hadn't changed significantly; the only difference was the glowing red words on the slate.
He infused mana into the slate, causing the red glow to intensify. He then tossed it into the air above him, and the slate crumbled, immediately forming a transparent red shield that enveloped him.
Atticus observed the shield carefully. 'Interesting, this has huge potential and It requires very little mana to activate. As long as I create the runes in advance, I should be able to use it effectively in battle,' he thought, his mind racing with ideas on how to leverage this newfound ability to enhance his combat prowess.
He understood that he wouldn't be able to engrave any runes in the midst of battle. Just imagine losing the will to defend, or even worse, the will to move during a life-and-death battle. It would result in instant death, a scenario he had no intention of going through.
'I'll have to find a way to increase my will somehow,' Atticus thought to himself. His primary limitation was his will, which felt incredibly underwhelming compared to his high intelligence.
And since will was an essential attribute for creating more complex and powerful runes, he recognized the need to improve it as soon as possible.
He shifted his gaze away from the shield and looked at Grimestone, who was still staring at him in shock.
Atticus inquired, "Can I purchase that recovery potion at the Emporium?" He pointed at the empty vial on the table.
Grimestone snapped out of his daze and replied, "Yes, you can get it at the Emporium. However, it's quite expensive." He then added a cautionary note, "And also, do not drink it more than once a day."
Noticing Atticus's inquisitive look, Grimestone decided to explain further, "First, you should understand how the potion works in terms of recovering our will. The potion, when ingested, can't directly boost a person's will. It doesn't sound logical, does it?"
Atticus nodded in agreement. The idea of a potion restoring something as intangible as will had initially struck him as strange.
Grimestone continued, "What the potion does is enhance the connection between your mind and body, helping to harmonize the flow of mana within your body. It affects your emotional state by temporarily providing a surge of mental energy. This extra energy makes it easier to regain focus and push through mental fatigue or obstacles."
"As for the restriction of not consuming it more than once a day, this applies to all potions. The more frequently a potion is consumed, the less effective it becomes. The biggest danger in overconsumption is that you can become psychologically dependent on the potion, believing you can't function without it. This can lead to an unhealthy reliance on external substances." Grimestone clarified.
Atticus nodded in agreement, taking Grimestone's advice seriously. He understood that overusing the recovery potion could have detrimental effects, and he didn't want to risk becoming dependent on it.
If Atticus could only drink the potion once a day, it would set his training back significantly. But he had no intention of becoming addicted to it simply because he was too subborn to listen to advice.
After learning a little more about rune engraving from Grimestone, Atticus left the room.
Grimestone stood alone in the room, lost in deep contemplation. "In less than an hour," he muttered absentmindedly.
The astonishing sight of Atticus successfully channeling his will and engraving his first rune on his very first attempt, all in less than an hour, left him utterly astounded. It was as if the very foundations of what he believed about the art of rune engraving had been shaken.
It had to be remembered that Lucas, whom he had considered a genius, took three weeks to achieve this feat!
What Atticus had just accomplished was nothing short of history-making.
"Shit. Damn this mana contract," he muttered, frustration evident in his voice.
The stringent mana contract, which prohibited the staff from sharing any information about the trainees, their progress, or ranks with anyone else, was a constant source of vexation.
Grimestone wished he could shout to the entire human domain about the once-in-a-generation prodigy he was currently mentoring.
He shook his head in disappointment, 'I shouldn't engrave anything today, I could truly kill myself if I lose all motivation currently,' he thought to himself.
As Atticus exited the Runes division building, he made his way to the emporium to purchase the potion.
Unfortunately, Grimestone had forgotten to mention the name of the potion. However, after explaining its effects to the clerk, she promptly informed him of its name: Will Renewal.
Atticus thanked her and began perusing the list in search of it. Upon finding it, his eyes couldn't help widen, expressing his surprise, '1000 Raven points each!?' in his thoughts.
After a few seconds, overcoming his initial shock, he reluctantly purchased two potions, nearly depleting his Raven points. With the potions in hand, he left the building and headed back to his room.
After a few minutes, Atticus reached his room and immediately made his way to the training room. He sat down cross-legged and began to reflect on everything that had happened that day.
He had taken the first step in learning how to create runes, although he knew there was a long journey ahead before he could be considered a true runesmith, it was still something.
"I need to find a way to increase my will," he muttered, trying to think of a way to increase his will without risking his life.
"Speaking of will, I wonder if the system has added it to my stats." Curiosity piqued, Atticus decided to check if the system had included 'will' in his stats.
"Status," he muttered, and a holographic interface materialized in front of him.
***
A/N: I need golden tickets!🤧🙇🏾