In an open field, six people are standing together, circling an iron training dummy. The group of five looked focused on Luceran, who was looking at the training dummy while explaining something.
"Since all of you are at the Mana Core realm, it means that you know the advancement method to break through to the next realm." Luceran said. The group of five nodded when they heard him.
"Well, most information of the Arcana Path, from the Mana Sensing to the Mage Lord realm, is not a secret. But, there are a few things that are not for the public at the mana engraving realm." He explained.
"When you are at the mana core realm, you are forming a strong container to store mana. Some people with special bloodlines or veins will form mutated mana cores. For example, it is well-known that royal bloodlines of the Solaris Divine Empire are attuned to the sun-fire element. Hence, their mana core will be mostly related to fire-based energy, forming a flaming mana core." He draws a mana core on the ground with a wooden stick while trying to make a fire-like shape engulfing the mana core.
He then continues his explanation, "But for Mana Engraving realm, it is different. There are some secrets related to a strong foundation for the mages at Mana Engraving realm."
"You see, most people will think that at the Mana Engraving realm, it is always better to carve runes that are related with their attuned elements or related with their mana core mutations. For example, people will think that the nobles of Solaris Divine Empire will carve 'Combustion' rune or 'Blast' rune to amplify their spell output."
"Is that not the case, Your Highness?" Cassandra cut the explanation out of curiosity.
"We don't blame the thought process of those people. After all, people think that the stronger firepower they have, the stronger they are. It is not wrong, but it is not optimal." He continues his explanation. The other five frowned when they heard this, as if deeply contemplating the prince's explanation.
"I am pretty sure that you will understand and agree when I show you." With his index finger, he then carves a rune on the iron training dummy. It takes almost ten seconds for him to finish it.
"What rune is this, Your Highness?" Vena asked, showing her full curiosity.
"This is the 'Purity' rune. Engraving this rune on your mana core will not directly amplify your firepower like carving 'Heat' on your mana core when you are a fire mage. But 'Purity' rune will make your mana purer, and purer mana means a more potent overall spell, and a more potent overall spell means more versatility. Not to mention that purer mana flowing in your body means it slowly nourishes your body." Luceran explained in detail.
"Usually, there are four fundamental mana runes that are usually used by mages from prestigious academies of magic schools at the early phase of Mana Engraving realm. They are, 'Purity, Control, Absorption, and Resonance.' As the name implies, purity rune talks about the quality of the mana. The purer the mana that flows, the more potent the spell you cast. For control rune, it means your grasp over the amount of mana you want to spend for casting certain spells are faster and more stable. For absorption, it is faster replenishment of mana when you are actively pulling mana into your core from your surroundings; it immensely shortens your time to reach the next realm as it brings huge impact during meditation. As for the last rune, the resonance rune, it basically works like an antenna for ants or other insects. It helps your core be more attuned and can sense specific types of mana that are suited for your types of mana core." Luceran draws a few runes on the ground for the group of five.
"When you think about it deeply, mages firepower will not exponentially increase if you choose to engrave these runes at the early stage of Mana Engraving. As runes like 'Overload and Velocity' will immensely increase the firepower of wind and lightning elemental mages like Vena or Cassandra. But there is more to the runes than just tools to amplify or strengthen your core." He smiled mysteriously at the group of five, their eyes wide with curiosity.
"It is because runes are actually the language of the universe. As you grow stronger, the less dependent you are on using mana." Luceran said. His explanation makes the group of five even more confused.
"I am pretty sure that you guys know that the realm above Mana Engraving is Mage Lord, right?" Luceran asked, and they nodded their heads, showing that they know.
"But do you really understand what it takes to become a Mage Lord?" He pressed more questions to them. They glance at one another, as if waiting for someone to answer the question.
"Well, our village inheritance stopped at the peak of Mana Engraving, only mentioning that the realm above Mana Engraving is Mage Lord." Cassandra said embarrassedly.
"The peak of Mana Engraving means that you have at least engraved twelve runes on your mana core. For you to reach Mage Lord, it means that you have started to comprehend the rune other than its mana application and are able to combine multiple runes on a daily basis and during battles." Then he wrote the name of the next realm on the ground.
"After the Mage Lord comes the Archmage realm. In this realm, your use of your runes is more profound. Able to tangibly apply it to other things other than just spells or summons. For example, if you understand the 'Absorption' rune at a higher level, you could even conjure a vortex out of nowhere that basically devours everything. The stronger your comprehension, the better your application of those runes." They are stunned when they hear his explanation.
"Wait, doesn't it mean the stronger you become, the less reliant you are on spell usage?" Prar said questioningly at the prince.
"You could say that. But it does not mean that spells are completely useless. For example, let's say you are a wind elemental mage like Cassandra. You could form a tornado and amplify it with the 'Velocity' rune to make it swirl faster and also the 'Absorption' rune to strengthen the suction force of the tornado, making it devour everything in a bigger radius. So, in this case, they complement one another. Of course, there are also instances where high-level mages fight purely using runes because their comprehension of that rune is already on the highest level." Luceran's detailed explanation left the group pondering. He then continued, his voice dropping to a serious tone.
"Above the Archmage realm comes the Supreme Mage realm." The group visibly tensed, their faces showing a mixture of awe and fear when they heard the word 'Supreme.'
"As Supreme Mage, your comprehension of multiple runes is already at the highest level. In this stage, the aftershock of their battle can even vaporize cities and change landscapes, a testament to their godlike power." They are dumbstruck with his words.
"Aren't we just ants for Supreme Mages then?" Vena asked Luceran wryly with self-deprecation.
He then looked at her in the eyes, his tone flat and serious, "Yes. In front of the Supreme Mage and above, people below the Supreme Mage realm are ants. A single wave of their hands can obliterate you into particles."
The group is still pondering and digesting the information that they just got from their new 'boss.' The silence lasts for a few minutes until Rhody, out of curiosity, asks a question, "Your Highness, what about the other Path? What is the corresponding realm for Physical Path?"
"For Physical Path, I assume that you know the names of the first three realms of Physical Path, right?" They nodded at his questions.
"Above Blood Refinement realm is the Sky Knight that corresponds to Mage Lord. Then comes the Heavenly Knight realm, and above it is the Immortal Knight realm. When you stepped into the Immortal Knight realm, even if you get obliterated, as long as there is still a drop of blood remaining, you can fully regenerate back." They gasped when they heard the last sentence.
"No wonder it is called the Immortal Knight." Vena said with awe on her face.
After explaining the summarized version of Primordia Arcana and Physical Path, Luceran waved his hands, and five potions with bluish liquid in them flew to the five of them. They looked shocked after they analyzed the potion for a few seconds.
"Your Highness, this…" Cassandra stammered.
"This is Intermediate Mana Potion, perfectly suited for Mana Core practitioners like the five of you. As of now, you guys are still too weak. I need one of you to step into the Mana Engraving realm in a month for our next mission." He said to them flatly with a slight commanding tone.
"We will not disappoint Your Highness gift." They said in unison and kneeled.
"Good. I expect some progress a month later." Then he flew to the main office, leaving the five of them.