HPDBC Chapter 62: After Party [3]
Chapter 62: After Party [3]
Noah sat in the quiet of his room in Ironwood Hall, away from the celebrations and noise that filled the rest of Ravenwood.
Word had spread fast about the after-party, and most first-years were likely having the time of their lives, finally able to cut loose after the grueling placement exams.
But to Noah, it was all just a gathering of NPCs, mindlessly following their preordained roles.
He had no desire to partake.
Tired and drained, he had just gotten out of the shower, beads of water still glistening on his skin.
Shirtless, he stood in front of the mirror, his damp hair sticking to his forehead.
As steam rose from his freshly scrubbed body, he opened the system interface.
●●●|System Interface|●●●
◇Name: Noah Ashbourne
◇Age: 16
◇Class: [The Runeweaver of Fate]
◇Stats:
|Luck: 35
|Intelligence: 48
|Dexterity: 25
|Strength: 20
◇Magic Attributes:
|Lightning (★)
|Ice (★★★)
◇Skills: (View)
◇Blessings:
|Constellation of Elements
|Demonic Constellation
"Did the system undergo an update?"
He muttered looking at a completely different interface than the one he was used to.
A new section caught his eye, one that hadn't been there before: [Runic Abilities].
"Runic Abilities?" Noah muttered, rubbing his chin.
He had unlocked this feature after receiving the Demonic Constellation blessing, but hadn't taken a closer look until now.
He tapped the section, and a brief description filled his vision.
[◇Runic Abilities: Abilities granted by the Demonic Constellation.]
[These powers are fueled by runes that etch themselves into the user's body upon acquisition. The more the user experiences combat and challenges, the stronger the runes become. Each rune manifests on the body as a tattoo, invisible unless activated. The runes enhance physical and magical prowess, allowing the user to create new magic or adapt existing ones]
[■Current Runic Abilities Unlocked:
◇Adaptive Mind – Heightens intellect and sharpens reactions based on the user's surroundings and combat. Allows for quick adaptation to enemy strategies.
◇Ice Bullet – A self-created magic skill that condenses an ice shard into a bullet-sized projectile, capable of precise, high-velocity damage.
"Create new magic?...
No wonder my class is suddenly Runeweaver..."
Noah frowned as he read the descriptions.
The tattoos formed from these runes would etch themselves on his back, starting from the neck.
He glanced at the mirror, running a hand down the back of his neck where the first faint marks had already appeared.
He noticed a specific rune symbol in the shape of a star with 9 condensed and thin points.
"Light magic..." he whispered in disbelief.
"It uses light magic to function."
He had heard of mages using magical weapons before, but this was on a completely different level.
But something didn't add up.
"Maya doesn't use light magic... She's never even been a part of the magic engineering department."
Noah's mind swirled with confusion.
"If Maya wasn't the one who made this, then who did?"
"Who in this world even had the knowledge to create a gun, let alone infuse it with magic?"
The answer was simple—and terrifying.
Whoever created this gun must have come from the same place as Noah.
"This confirms that there's another variable in the game..."
Suddenly, a high-pitched ringing filled Noah's ears.
His head throbbed violently, and he dropped the gun, clutching the sides of his head.
The ringing grew louder, drowning out all other sounds.
He stumbled, his vision blurring as an intense pain spread through his skull.
"What...what the hell?"
He gasped, feeling something cold and wet sliding down the side of his face.
Noah pulled his hand away and stared in horror.
Blood.
Dark red smeared across his fingers.
His heart pounded as he reached up again, his fingers probing the source of the pain.
His breath hitched as his fingers found a small, round hole on the side of his head.
It was as if something had pierced through his skull.
He staggered toward the mirror, blinking rapidly as his vision faded in and out.
His reflection swam before him, but the gruesome sight was unmistakable.
A hole on the side of his head, blood trickling down past his ear.
And the hole was on both sides, as if something had shot straight through.
"Huh... But I didn't...use the gun..."
His words slurred as the pain intensified.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, the cold wooden surface pressing against his skin.
The deagle he had dropped rolled under the nearby cabinet, out of sight.
Noah's breathing grew shallow as darkness crept in at the edges of his vision.
His body felt heavy, the room spinning around him as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
Noah's vision grew more blurry and lifeless as he stared at the deagle under the cabinet
Before everything went black, he heard footsteps.
Slow, deliberate footsteps entering the room.
The last thing Noah saw was the shadow of someone approaching.
Then, everything faded to darkness.
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