I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 11 - Something’s Wrong

—

“Father! Dad! Open the door!”

Outside the CEO’s office on the top floor of the Yang Corporation building, Yang Dian was banging on the door like a madman.

Inside, Yang Dian’s father, Yang Dingtian, flinched at the noise. Hastily, he pushed his secretary away and adjusted his pants.

“Coming, coming! What’s with all the banging, you little brat?!” Yang Dingtian grumbled as he stomped to the door and yanked it open.

He froze.

“Son... did you... break through?” Yang Dingtian asked, his eyes widening in disbelief. His son’s breakthrough was shocking enough, but his bruised and swollen face made it even more puzzling.

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

Yang Dian nodded excitedly and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Dad, let me tell you what happened...”

He quickly recounted everything—his encounter with Xu Shen, the fight, and the miraculous modifications to his rune.

“An eighteen-year-old Rune Engraver? Are you joking?” Yang Dingtian looked at his son skeptically. Did he get hit in the head too hard?

Yang Dian expected this reaction. Without a word, he stood up and tore off his freshly bought T-shirt, revealing his upper body.

Ghostly energy surged around him as the Skyhawk Rune appeared on his chest. The aura of a mid-Awakening Realm cultivator radiated from him.

Yang Dingtian’s expression changed instantly. His gaze turned serious as he studied his son’s rune. After a long silence, he placed a firm hand on Yang Dian’s shoulder.

“Son,” he said solemnly, “it seems you’ve grown up. This might be the smartest thing you’ve ever done.”

“If what you’re saying is true, and no one else has noticed Xu Shen’s potential yet...” Yang Dingtian’s eyes gleamed with ambition. “This is our chance to form a connection with him!”

Yang Dian nodded eagerly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be heading to the library to choose a cultivation technique?” Yang Dingtian asked.

“But Dad, my technique is already set to match my Skyhawk Rune. Why should I go?” Yang Dian scratched his head in confusion.

“You idiot! Go stick to Xu Shen like glue and build a relationship with him!” Yang Dingtian barked, slapping his son upside the head.

“Oh! Got it!” Yang Dian exclaimed before running out of the office shirtless.

“Be sincere! No scheming! Treat him with genuine respect!” Yang Dingtian shouted after him before slumping onto the sofa in thought.

“Iyi!” he called out.

The secretary peeked out from behind the desk cautiously. Seeing that Yang Dian had left, she walked over and sat beside Yang Dingtian.

“Look into someone named Xu Shen from East Street,” Yang Dingtian instructed. “You heard what my son said earlier.”

“Make sure he’s not dangerous. If he isn’t, find out what he needs and send it to him—whatever it is.”

The secretary blinked in surprise. “Since when are you so generous?”

Yang Dingtian rolled his eyes. “This is why you’re just my secretary—your vision is too narrow.”

“Money is nothing compared to having a future Rune Engraver as an ally.”

—

Later that afternoon, around 3 PM

Xu Shen walked into Experimental High School wearing a baseball cap pulled low over his face, hands stuffed in his pockets. The field was already crowded with students who had awakened yesterday.

“Hey, isn’t that Xu Shen?” someone called out suddenly.

Xu Shen: ???

I’m wearing a hat and haven’t even gotten close yet—how did they recognize me?!

Sighing in resignation, Xu Shen removed his cap and flashed a smile. “Hello there.”

The crowd collectively took a step back. The image of Xu Shen smashing Yang Dian’s head into the ground repeatedly was still fresh in their minds. The dent in the ground from that incident was still visible nearby...

“What’s wrong with you guys? I’m a nice person—why are you acting like you’ve seen a ghost?” Xu Shen asked innocently before turning to Liu Jian in the crowd. “Isn’t that right, Liu Jian?”

Liu Jian forced a stiff smile and nodded awkwardly.

Feeling bored, Xu Shen checked the time—it was almost 4 PM—and sat down on some nearby steps to wait. The other students gradually relaxed when they saw he wasn’t paying them any attention and resumed their conversations in hushed tones.

—

A few minutes later, two more figures arrived: Wang Qingqing and... Yang Dian?

Yang Dian was walking beside Wang Qingqing with an apologetic expression, constantly trying to please her.

“Sister-in-law, I’m really sorry about yesterday! I was such an idiot—please don’t hold it against me!” he pleaded earnestly. “I’m Brother Shen’s little brother now, so that makes you my sister-in-law! Your word is law for me!”

“If you call me sister-in-law one more time, I’ll slap you,” Wang Qingqing said flatly, her tone tinged with exasperation. She couldn’t help but wonder if Xu Shen had knocked something loose in Yang Dian’s head yesterday.

Hearing this exchange, Xu Shen smiled approvingly from his spot on the steps. This kid’s got potential.

The other students were dumbfounded by what they were witnessing. What was going on? Had Yang Dian completely lost his mind? He got beaten up that badly and still wanted to be Xu Shen’s lackey?

Yang Dian didn’t care about their judgmental stares—they didn’t understand anything! Spotting Xu Shen sitting nearby, he lit up and ran over excitedly.

“Boss! I’m here!” he called out like an eager puppy greeting its owner.

“You don’t have a cultivation technique prepared already? Why are you here?” Xu Shen asked casually.

“Heh, I just wanted to apologize to Sister-in-law,” Yang Dian replied sheepishly.

Xu Shen nodded in approval while Wang Qingqing approached with a puzzled expression. “What’s going on?” she asked as she sat down beside him without further comment.

—

At exactly 4 PM, Principal Ding Wentian appeared on the field, holding his trusty megaphone from yesterday.

Spotting Xu Shen lounging like a king among his followers, Ding Wentian twitched slightly but chose to ignore him.

—

“By now,” Ding began, “your families have probably explained some things to you about awakening.”

“You’ve also likely felt the changes in your body overnight as spiritual energy entered your system.”

The students nodded collectively.

“I’ll now explain the basics of cultivation techniques,” Ding continued.

“Both cultivation techniques and runes are divided into four major tiers: Soul, Nether, Silent, and Annihilation.”

“The main purpose of cultivation techniques is to enhance your absorption of spiritual energy and its conversion into ghostly energy.”

“But more importantly,” Ding emphasized, “cultivation techniques determine how much your runes can grow in strength.”

He gave an example: “If you have a fire attribute and engrave fire runes but cultivate a water-based technique instead, your fire runes’ power will drop from 100% to 50% or even lower.”

A student raised their hand and asked, “Are those their only functions?”

“Of course not,” Ding replied with a shake of his head.

“A good cultivation technique also increases your capacity for spiritual energy absorption and ghostly energy storage.”

“It allows for faster energy conversion and greater reserves of ghostly energy while strengthening your runes.”

Another student asked curiously, “Why do we need to convert spiritual energy into ghostly energy? Can’t we just use spiritual energy directly?”

Xu Shen perked up at this question—it was something he’d wondered about too.

Ding explained patiently: “Spiritual energy isn’t as harmless as legends or novels make it seem.”

“In its raw form, it contains strange and harmful forces that can turn people into ghouls if absorbed directly.”

“Ghostly energy, though eerie and cold, is safe for us to use.”

—

As Ding continued his lecture, Xu Shen lowered his head slightly in thought.

When I engraved my Weapon Rune... didn’t I absorb all of the spiritual energy directly?

—

Ding then asked how many students had already engraved their runes. Several hands went up, including Yang Dian’s.

“What did you feel during the engraving process?” Ding asked.

One student replied, “I felt the spiritual energy entering my body automatically convert into ghostly energy.” He demonstrated by summoning faint blue flames from his rune.

“Exactly,” Ding said with a smile. “That’s one of the wonders of runes—they help isolate harmful forces within spiritual energy while converting it into usable ghostly energy.”

Just as Ding finished speaking, the sky darkened abruptly.

The ground trembled violently before a massive pillar of light shot up from the city center, piercing the heavens.

A deep gong-like sound reverberated across the city.

Ding’s expression shifted slightly before he smiled again. “It seems our time is up.”

“Let’s head to the city library now so you can choose your cultivation techniques!” he announced.

—

As everyone began moving toward the school gates, Wang Qingqing noticed Xu Shen standing still with a frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Xu Shen didn’t answer immediately. His hand rested on the black knife at his waist as it vibrated faintly, emitting an icy aura.

The last time this happened... was when he encountered that ghoul.

“Something’s wrong,” Xu Shen murmured.

Before Wang Qingqing could ask what he meant, three deafening explosions erupted just outside the school grounds.

Screams and cries for help filled the air, mingling with guttural roars that sounded anything but human.

“Shit!” Xu Shen cursed as his expression darkened.

Grabbing Wang Qingqing by the arm, he turned and bolted toward safety.

“If you don’t want to die,” he shouted at Yang Dian over his shoulder, “follow me—now!”