Beyond the Apocalypse-Chapter 575: The Mark of Cain (II)

"Even its lower version is ridiculously powerful!" Vlad couldn’t help but smile as he went through the information provided by the A.I. Chip, his excitement growing even stronger as he analyzed the synergy effects of the Runic Set.

With Life Devour continuously restoring stamina and Enhanced Strength & Stamina ensuring unrelenting combat capability, Vlad could conceivably remain on the battlefield for hours—perhaps even days. Not to mention, the combination of lingering wounds and vitality siphoning would tilt every battle further in his favor: his adversaries would weaken with each exchange, while he would only grow stronger.

Yet, as he continued reviewing the materials required to forge the Runic Set, his smile froze. The good news was that the Golden Sky Fortress had these materials accessible through the Logistic Military Center. The bad news was the cost. Even after exchanging three Voroe Sage corpses for military credits, he barely had sufficient wealth to procure a single one of the five runes necessary for the set.

"Ahhhh, so this is what it feels like to be poor," Vlad muttered wryly. In Terra, he had access to all the world’s wealth, but in the Land of the Three Calamities, everything was different. No matter his talents, Vlad would have to grind for every coin. Worse still, he couldn’t even be certain he would succeed on his first engraving attempt, meaning that multiple batches of these precious materials might be required.

"Whatever—one step at a time," he murmured. His tone was neither defeated nor discouraged. Instead, his eyes shone with a quiet determination. The A.I. Chip had implanted the data on the Mark of Cain into his mind, but mastery demanded more than memorization. He needed genuine comprehension.

Without further delay, Vlad settled onto the residence floor, crossing his legs and allowing his mind to drift into meditation. For nearly five hours, he remained in that motionless state, searching for the faint threads of insight that would help him perfect his technique. When he finally opened his eyes, he felt a sense of renewed clarity.

His next step was a short trip to the Logistic Military Center. Vlad purchased the necessary materials, depleting nearly all the military credits he had earned so far.

Returning to his residence with the goods, Vlad momentarily allowed himself a small sigh of relief. He might have emptied his account, but at least he now had the key components for the first rune.

"Time to shed the old," he said decisively.

Channeling his energy, he activated the Inferno Comet Runic Set etched into his body. Flames of vibrant red energy danced across his skin, signifying the power he had relied on for so long. Yet, if he wanted to inscribe something stronger, he needed to forget the old. Carefully, methodically, he began to unravel the old runic lines.

Within moments, the blazing patterns adorning his arms and torso shattered, crumbling into motes of radiant ash. His body felt oddly bare without them.

Wasting no time, he pivoted to the next task: preparation of the new materials. Drawing from years of experience, Vlad blended each powder, catalyst, and metal extract with practiced ease. He used a specialized crucible to refine them before transferring the resulting solution into his legendary runic pen.

Next, he rolled up the sleeves of his tunic, exposing his forearms. There, he intended to place the first piece of the Mark of Cain, the Laceration Rune. He took a moment to steady his breathing, clearing his thoughts of any lingering distractions.

The pen’s tip glowed faintly as he guided it across his skin. Every stroke had to be perfect, and every curve and line had to be precisely measured. Even a small deviation could lead to catastrophic failure.

At first, it seemed to progress smoothly. However, as Vlad completed the final loops, a subtle tremor in the runic lines indicated the energy flow wasn’t meeting the threshold necessary for activation. Vlad felt it the instant it happened—a minute imbalance that caused the entire inscription to falter.

Frowning, he abruptly shattered the incomplete rune with a short burst of his aura. "Ahhh, failure," he muttered, though his voice held more annoyance than despair.

A swirl of frustration coursed through him, but he wasn’t one to wallow. Instead, he closed his eyes, replaying the engraving process in his mind. By meticulously analyzing each step, he caught glimpses of what might have gone wrong.

"That’s fixable," he whispered, exhaling slowly to regain his composure. "But I’ll need another batch of materials."

Grimacing at the thought of his empty credits, Vlad rose to his feet, slipping into a simple cloak before making his way outside and heading to the Marshal’s castle, as it had already been forty-eight hours since he helped Bloodroar.

Maximo was already waiting for him. Without much conversation, they headed back into the room flooded by the Sacred Flames of Alexandros. Once again, Vlad was tasked with forging the Darkness-Devouring Runic Formation on someone who was on the brink of death, their internal organs already affected by the chaotic energy of the Darkness.

It seemed that rather than focusing all his runes on a single target to awaken a dormant Legend and increase the battle power of the Golden Sky Fortress, Marshal Maximo was more concerned with ensuring the immediate survival of as many people as possible. That path might not show much effect right now, but in the future, it will have an incredible effect.

Vlad didn’t express an opinion on the Marshal’s decision. Instead, he simply followed orders and began engraving the runic formation onto the back of a middle-aged woman.

Her wounds, tainted by the chaotic energy of the Darkness, had nearly severed her spine and extended into her lungs. It took immense effort, but Vlad managed to complete the Runic Formation swiftly, preventing her condition from deteriorating further.

When the flames from the Runic Formation began devouring the chaotic energy inside her vital organs, Marshal Maximo’s face lit up with satisfaction. Once the process was over, the Marshal offered his gratitude to Vlad before leading him out of the castle.

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