The bow of thousands still lingered in Adrian’s chest as Selena brought him to the Rune division.
Now came the true work.
The scrolls and runes that had stunned the world were still rare. What the reinforcements had brought back from the sea wall were scraps, leftovers, miracles captured only in fragments.
Nothing yet had been mass-produced. Nothing yet could be distributed to every corner of humanity.
That had to change.
The first step was the ink.
She took him out into a factory that sprawled like a fortress of its own. Vast vats of black-blue liquid stretched in endless rows.
Adrian stared at the sheer scale. Barrels upon barrels of ink, enough to supply every outpost for years, and all of it useless until he touched it.
“Sweet stars,” he breathed. “How much is here?”
Selena’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Enough for a decade of regular production. But once you convert it…”
“It will take weeks. Maybe more.” Adrian rolled his shoulders, already feeling the phantom ache of exhaustion.
“But once it’s done, this stockpile alone will keep humanity supplied for years.”
Adrian nodded silently and lifted his hand. The white-grey mist of his manifestation bled into the nearest vat like smoke dissolving into water.
The liquid shimmered. Dark blue collapsed into a swirling grey-white that pulsed faintly, alive with potential.
The first batch of Ink was born.
The process was slow. His mana, though vast, could not touch the scale of entire warehouses at once.
Infusing each batch would take days, weeks. So he worked.
Every morning, he returned to the factory. Workers nodded respectfully as he passed, their voices hushed with reverence.
Every night, exhausted, he left knowing he had barely dented the supply. But the work continued.
Gradually, vats turned one after another. The storerooms filled with barrels of shimmering Ink that seemed to pulse with inner light.
Outposts even sent their reserves to HQ to be converted. Emergency transports arrived daily, their cargo holds packed with standard ink.
The defenders started calling it Blackwood Ink. Adrian pretended not to notice.
While Adrian worked, Selena led the others. The eight Rune Masters gathered daily in the Grand Hall, their hands struggling with unfamiliar patterns.
They memorized Adrian’s symbols with the dedication of scholars. Training their hands to etch the three most essential runes. Healing, Spatial Blink, and Barrier.
The same runes that had saved the Sea Wall.
The first few days were rough. Even Rune Masters, trained for decades, faltered at the complexity of symbols that seemed to writhe under their quill.
But slowly, they adjusted. Hours of practice carved muscle memory into fingers until scrolls began to appear in steady numbers.
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Their disciples followed. Entire classes were opened in the Grand Rune Hall, the sacred chambers now echoing with the scratch of quills.
For the first time in history, the greatest runes were not taught for points. They were taught freely, desperately, urgently.
Most inscribers struggled. Precision at this level was brutal, requiring strokes exact to the hair’s width.
Many who had spent years with basic runes found themselves breaking scroll after scroll. Frustration mounted as talented inscribers watched their work dissolve into worthless ash.
But talent always surfaced. A handful of geniuses grasped the patterns in weeks, their scrolls glowing with perfect resonance.
Though their numbers were few, they boosted production. Each successful inscriber meant dozens more scrolls per day.
The first batch of healing scrolls went to hospitals. Soldiers who had lost arms, legs, even eyes, rose whole once more.
Families wept as children embraced parents who had been broken for years. The sound of joy echoed through recovery wards.
Blink scrolls reached frontline outposts. Even a single teleport could mean the difference between death and retreat for cornered defenders.
Barrier scrolls were issued to those who stood in the first line. Shields of golden light now held back the tide longer than ever before.
Within a month, each major outpost had at least one inscriber capable of producing these runes. Even if they could only manage one scroll per day, it was enough.
It was enough to tilt the scales of survival.
This was only the beginning.
…
Adrian finally completed the last vat after an entire month of work. The white-grey mist dissolved into the final barrel, transforming dark blue into shimmering potential.
His shoulders ached. His mana reserves felt hollow despite their vast depth.
But every drop of ink in the warehouse now pulsed with Source energy. Enough to supply humanity for years.
When Adrian finally returned to the top floor of the Rune Hall, scrolls littered every desk. Parchments covered chairs, windowsills, even portions of the floor.
Selena and the other Rune Masters were hunched over them, working endlessly.
Their quills scratched without pause. Sweat beaded on foreheads as they fought against cramping fingers.
“How long have you been at this?”
Selena looked up, her golden tattoos dim with exhaustion. “Eighteen hours straight. The demand never stops.”
“Every outpost sends requests. Every hospital begs for healing scrolls.” Master Corwin’s voice cracked with fatigue.
Adrian watched them for a long moment. These were humanity’s greatest inscribers, reduced to factory workers by necessity.
Then his thoughts strayed. His ink could bypass the need for affinities to inscribe legendary runes, and if strokes were the only requirement, then why couldn’t humanity mass-produce?
Why not simply print?
He searched through the hall’s records, fingers flying across data tablets. The answer was already in humanity’s archives.
Printing had been tried before, with basic runes that did not need any affinities to inscribe. Desperate attempts during the early monster wars.
But always, it failed. Every single time.
Every rune had a start stroke and an end stroke. Machines could copy strokes, yes, but even microscopic deviations ruined the pattern.
The tiniest tremor meant collapse. A hair’s width of error turned legendary power into worthless ash.
For now, the technology of humanity had not reached the level to match even the tiniest details. Precision at this scale demanded something machines couldn’t provide.
For now, human hands were still superior.
And so Adrian joined them. He picked up a quill, dipped it into Blackwood Ink, and activated [Temporal Veil].
The world slowed. Colors deepened, sounds stretched into echoes.
His hand moved three times faster than those around him, each stroke precise, flawless. The rune flowed from his quill like liquid starlight.
One scroll. Two. Ten. Fifty.
The Rune Masters looked up, stunned. Selena’s quill froze mid-stroke as scrolls piled high around him.
“The hell!” Master Anya whispered. “How is he moving so fast?”
Selena’s best attempt took ten minutes to etch a single scroll. The runes were complex, mercilessly precise, demanding absolute focus.
Even veterans required patience. One mistake meant starting over.
What took her ten minutes to complete, he finished in seconds. His enhanced perception made every stroke deliberate, perfect.
Parchments piled. Healing scrolls glowed with emerald light, Blink scrolls shimmered with spatial energy.
What the eight Rune Masters could do together in days, Adrian completed in hours.
Hundreds at first, then thousands. The temporal acceleration never faltered, his mana sustaining the spell effortlessly.
“This is impossible.” Master Valdris set down his quill, watching Adrian’s blurred movements.
Master Dorian smiled, he had already experienced this back in the sea wall.
By the time night fell, the top floor was buried in scrolls. Stacks reached chest height, organized by type and potency.
Defenders below would see them delivered within days. Every outpost, every hospital, every frontline position.
Adrian finally set down his quill, the temporal effect fading. The sudden return to normal speed made the world feel sluggish.
“5700 scrolls.” Selena’s voice held wonder and exhaustion in equal measure.
“In eight hours.”
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep
Chapters
- Chapter 315: The Quiet Rise of a Powerhouse
- Chapter 314: The First Connection
- Chapter 313: Crown of the Source
- Chapter 312: The Source’s Whisper
- Chapter 311: The Chain That Must Be Broken
- Chapter 310: Seeds of Supremacy
- Chapter 309: Convergence of Paths
- Chapter 308: Clash of Foundations
- Chapter 307: The Quiet Rise of Inscribers
- Chapter 306: Weapons of Will and Design
- Chapter 305: The Blank Slate Arsenal
- Chapter 304: Forging Resolve Under Pressure
- Chapter 303: Preparation for the War
- Chapter 302: Absolute Source Order
- Chapter 301: War Goddess
- Chapter 300: A Promise of Erasure
- Chapter 299: The True Rulers of the Universe
- Chapter 298: Three Billion
- Chapter 297: The Crown of Andromeda
- Chapter 296: Provoking a Sect Leader
- Chapter 295: The Four Sovereigns Arrive
- Chapter 294: A Declaration of Dominance
- Chapter 293: The Spark of Supremacy
- Chapter 292: One Hundred Million Mana Units!
- Chapter 291: The Auction Registration
- Chapter 290: Hestia’s New Disciple
- Chapter 289: Before the Auction Storm
- Chapter 288: The History of Willforce Artifacts
- Chapter 287: The Mysteries Beyond Rule Stage
- Chapter 286: The First Artifact
- Chapter 285: Research in the UNI-Market
- Chapter 284: Premium Materials of the Universe
- Chapter 283: The Foundation of an Artifact
- Chapter 282: Artifacts
- Chapter 281: Momentum of the Crimson Vital Sect
- Chapter 280: Stronger Than Reality
- Chapter 279: A Trial Passed, A Contract Forged
- Chapter 278: A Glimpse of the Source
- Chapter 277: The Ten-Second Trial
- Chapter 276: A Hidden Dragon Revealed
- Chapter 275: The Variable in the Equation
- Chapter 274: Temporal Echo
- Chapter 273: The First Step Toward Astral
- Chapter 272: Market Value and Power
- Chapter 271: Divine Concept of Coherent Will
- Chapter 270: A Sect Reforged
- Chapter 269: The Structure of Power
- Chapter 268: Verdant Genesis
- Chapter 267: The First Experiment
- Chapter 266: The Gift of Life
- Chapter 265: Foundations of the Future
- Chapter 264: Force and Pressure
- Chapter 263: The Multi-Domain Strategy
- Chapter 262: The Education District
- Chapter 261: A War Without Blades
- Chapter 260: Targeted Purification
- Chapter 259: The Silent Crown Complex
- Chapter 258: Responsibility of the First Strike
- Chapter 257: The Road Above Us Is Vast
- Chapter 256: Authority Beyond Domains
- Chapter 255: Terminal Threat Classification
- Chapter 254: Source Spell Against Divine!
- Chapter 253: Crimson Will Lotus
- Chapter 252: Aruze Garden's Formation Mind
- Chapter 251: Azure Garden of a Million Years
- Chapter 250: At the Edge of the Azure Garden
- Chapter 249: A New Piece on the Board
- Chapter 248: The Cost of Negation
- Chapter 247: The Cost of Direct Command
- Chapter 246: Marivelle's Will
- Chapter 245: Surplus
- Chapter 244: Authority in Balance
- Chapter 243: Defensive Authority Technique
- Chapter 242: The Inevitable Interception
- Chapter 241: Azure Garden
- Chapter 240: UNI-Sect's Server Formation
- Chapter 239: The Road Opens
- Chapter 238: Devour Without Hunger
- Chapter 237: The Cost of Moving Forward
- Chapter 236: Unintended Revelation
- Chapter 235: The Planet That Consumes Authority
- Chapter 234: Measured by Authority
- Chapter 233: The Price of Trust
- Chapter 232: Gratitude Does Not Grant Trust
- Chapter 231: At the Gates of the Crimson Vital Sect
- Chapter 230: A Long Road To Supremacy
- Chapter 229: The Path of Infinite Expansion
- Chapter 228: Departure Toward Crimson Vital
- Chapter 227: A Sect Worth Joining
- Chapter 226: A War Sparked by Ascension
- Chapter 225: Mana Sea
- Chapter 224: The End of Complacency
- Chapter 223: Strength Is the Only Law
- Chapter 222: Awakening of the Sleeping Storm
- Chapter 221: Trapped Beneath Clashing Domains
- Chapter 220: Limits of Creation
- Chapter 219: The First Divine Concept
- Chapter 218: The First Divine Purchase
- Chapter 217: Universal Exchange
- Chapter 216: Centers
- Chapter 215: The Heart of the Hub
- Chapter 214: Arrival at the Greater Stage
- Chapter 213: The Boundless Mana Body Art
- Chapter 212: Authority Techniques
- Chapter 211: Understanding UNI-OS
- Chapter 210: The Debt Collected Elsewhere
- Chapter 209: First Lesson in the Universe
- Chapter 208: Who the Kids Really Were
- Chapter 207: Predators in the Void
- Chapter 206: UNI-OS
- Chapter 205: Beyond the Barrier
- Chapter 204: Leaving the Milky Way
- Chapter 203: Steps Toward the Universe
- Chapter 202: A walk with Aerin
- Chapter 201: The Smallest Calamity
- Chapter 200: A New Life
- Chapter 199: A Vow Beneath the Endless Void
- Chapter 198: The Void Emperor’s Test
- Chapter 197: A Test Meant to Break an Ideal
- Chapter 196: The Path of Impossible
- Chapter 195: The Structure of Ascension
- Chapter 194: The Path Beyond the Galaxy
- Chapter 193: The Void Emperor’s Dilemma
- Chapter 192: From Guardians to Partners
- Chapter 191: The Softness of Ordinary Days
- Chapter 190: Rediscovering Life
- Chapter 189: Will Force
- Chapter 188: 100% Authority!
- Chapter 187: When Reality Bows
- Chapter 186: Control Over Natural Concepts
- Chapter 185: The Demon Emperor Unmasked
- Chapter 184: The Forbidden Threshold: Middle Rule Stage
- Chapter 183: The Devourer Awakens
- Chapter 182: One Outcome!
- Chapter 181: Source Domain
- Chapter 180: The Galaxy Reforged
- Chapter 179: Supreme Emperor
- Chapter 178: Origin’s Ink
- Chapter 177: The Birth of a True Alliance
- Chapter 176: The End of Aethelia
- Chapter 175: A New Galactic Era Begins
- Chapter 174: Wrath Across the Galaxy
- Chapter 173: The Parade of Retribution
- Chapter 172: Source Influence
- Chapter 171: Divine Concept
- Chapter 170: The Founder of Aethelia
- Chapter 169: The Rules
- Chapter 168: The Last War Begins to Breathe
- Chapter 167: The Surge of the Origin
- Chapter 166: Why the Demon Emperor Seeks War
- Chapter 165: The Celestials Unleashed
- Chapter 164: The First Roar of Origin Warriors
- Chapter 163: Edge Council
- Chapter 162: The Watchpoint
- Chapter 161: Cause and effect
- Chapter 160: Fate’s Warning
- Chapter 159: Resonance Network
- Chapter 158: Earth's Humans
- Chapter 157: Ancient Cultivators
- Chapter 156: The Impossible Clan
- Chapter 155: Etched in Power
- Chapter 154: Borrowed Time
- Chapter 153: Deployment
- Chapter 152: Knowledge Forges
- Chapter 151: The Origin Path
- Chapter 150: The Constellation That Never Fades
- Chapter 149: The Seed of Doubt
- Chapter 148: The Ascension of the Celestials
- Chapter 147: Source Veins
- Chapter 146: The Chaos of Essences
- Chapter 145: The Phenomenon Zones
- Chapter 144: The Second Level
- Chapter 143: Time Burn
- Chapter 142: The First Level
- Chapter 141: The Training Program
- Chapter 140: The Descendent of Earth
- Chapter 139: The Edge of the Galaxy
- Chapter 138: The Earth’s Celestials
- Chapter 137: The Boy Who Defied Logic
- Chapter 136: The Banquet of Equals
- Chapter 135: The Demon Lord’s End
- Chapter 134: The Erasure of Shadows
- Chapter 133: Wings Over the Void
- Chapter 132: The First Great Battle of the Origin Clan
- Chapter 131: The Beacon of Life
- Chapter 130: The Day the Galaxy Looked Up
- Chapter 129: The Birth of the Origin Capital
- Chapter 128: A Network of Their Own
- Chapter 127: The Origin Net
- Chapter 126: The Mind of the Formation
- Chapter 125: The Source Writes Again
- Chapter 124: The Foundations of Origin System
- Chapter 123: The Winged Shadow
- Chapter 122: The Serpent’s Pact
- Chapter 121: The Vision of Origin
- Chapter 120: The Emperor’s Thread
- Chapter 119: Beyond the Well
- Chapter 118: The Weight of Mastery
- Chapter 117: The Price of Power
- Chapter 116: Veythar’s Hunt
- Chapter 115: The Mad Serpent
- Chapter 114: The Hidden Hand of the Empire
- Chapter 113: The First Proclamation
- Chapter 112: Where the Galaxy Gathers
- Chapter 111: A Drop in the Ocean
- Chapter 110: The Emperor’s Invitation
- Chapter 109: Echoes of Revolution
- Chapter 108: Origin Stores
- Chapter 107: The Art of Imprint
- Chapter 106: The Path of Origin Clan
- Chapter 105: The Quiet Rebuilding
- Chapter 104: The First Night of the Origin Clan
- Chapter 103: Formation of Fire
- Chapter 102: The First Decree of Origin
- Chapter 101: The Blood-Soaked Throne
- Chapter 100: Birth of the Origin Clan
- Chapter 99: The Source Unleashed
- Chapter 98: The Price of Arrogance
- Chapter 97: The Imperial Arena
- Chapter 96: The Empire’s Decree
- Chapter 95: A Duel Written in Law and Death
- Chapter 94: The Weak Fall, the Strong Remain
- Chapter 93: Foundations of a clan
- Chapter 92: The Currency of Survival
- Chapter 91: A Secret Too Great
- Chapter 90: Solvaris Nexus Hub
- Chapter 89: Stellar Ascension
- Chapter 88: The Path of the Ancients
- Chapter 87: Between Two Worlds
- Chapter 86: The Anomaly’s Arrival
- Chapter 85: The First Decision
- Chapter 84: Prayers and Drums
- Chapter 83: Bones of a Star System
- Chapter 82: First Steps into the Galactic Net
- Chapter 81: Leaving Home
- Chapter 80: The Chosen Blades
- Chapter 79: Earth Reborn
- Chapter 78: The Gatekeepers of Knowledge
- Chapter 77: Stellar Stage
- Chapter 76: The Start of a New Era
- Chapter 75: The Astral Omen
- Chapter 74: Threats from the Stars
- Chapter 73: The Waiting Years
- Chapter 72: Ingredient
- Chapter 71: The Long Road of Preparation
- Chapter 70: Foot Soldiers of the Galaxy
- Chapter 69: The First War
- Chapter 68: The Balance of Six and One
- Chapter 67: The Anomaly
- Chapter 66: The Galactic Path
- Chapter 65: Birth of the Seed
- Chapter 64: Source Form
- Chapter 63: The First Humanoid Monster
- Chapter 62: The Command of Erasure
- Chapter 61: Birth of an S-Rank
- Chapter 60: The Grind
- Chapter 59: The Higher Form of Mana
- Chapter 58: Into the Abyss
- Chapter 57: Blackwood Ink
- Chapter 56: The Beginning of Humanity’s Story
- Chapter 55: Shockwaves
- Chapter 54: A Gamble of Hope
- Chapter 53: The Abyss Within the Ink
- Chapter 52: The Gift of Knowledge
- Chapter 51: The First Step Beyond
- Chapter 50: Runes for the Void
- Chapter 49: Below the Sentinel
- Chapter 48: Breath of Life
- Chapter 47: Starbreaker’s Evolution
- Chapter 46: Absolute Source Order
- Chapter 45: Source Weapon
- Chapter 44: The Miracle Scrolls
- Chapter 43: Temporal Veil
- Chapter 42: The Reality Breaker
- Chapter 41: The Translator
- Chapter 40: Lessons from a Rune Master
- Chapter 39: Affinity-Bound
- Chapter 38: Not Just a Scribe
- Chapter 37: The Bastion of Tides
- Chapter 36: Helplessness and Fury
- Chapter 35: Where Humanity Bleeds
- Chapter 34: Volumes of Power
- Chapter 33: The Legendary Scroll
- Chapter 32: The Source Translates
- Chapter 31: Eyes of the Source
- Chapter 30: The Language of Mana
- Chapter 29: Foundations of Runes
- Chapter 28: The Rune District
- Chapter 27: The Board of Defenders
- Chapter 26: The Heart of Humanity
- Chapter 25: Pseudo Manifestation
- Chapter 24: The White Mist
- Chapter 23: A Mother’s Fury
- Chapter 22: The Half-Born Source
- Chapter 21: The Breaking Point
- Chapter 20: The Intelligence of Beasts
- Chapter 19: Defenders’ Resolve
- Chapter 18: The Raid
- Chapter 17: The Second Mission
- Chapter 16: Before the Storm
- Chapter 15: Healing Beyond Recovery
- Chapter 14: The Aftermath
- Chapter 13: The Impossible Creation
- Chapter 12: The Core of the Nest
- Chapter 11: First Blood in the Wastelands
- Chapter 10: Outpost Veridia
- Chapter 9: First Deployment
- Chapter 8: The Path of Growth
- Chapter 7: The Vanguard’s First Mission
- Chapter 6: First Hunt
- Chapter 5: 7 Prodigies
- Chapter 4: Academy
- Chapter 3: First Skill
- Chapter 2: Awakening [Source]
- Chapter 1: Awakening Ceremony
- Prologue