CHAPTER 102: CRAFT AND CHEMISTRY

Victoria glanced toward the window, gauging the dim hue of the sky outside. The faint light of early morning crept in through the curtains, casting soft shadows across the room.

"We’ll likely have three hours," she murmured, estimating aloud. "Four if we’re lucky."

With a small sigh, she sat beside Marcus on the edge of his bed, letting her posture relax slightly, though her crimson eyes remained alert.

"To be honest... I don’t know that much," she admitted, flipping open the thick tome resting on her lap. The pages crackled slightly as her fingers landed on a familiar section. "I mean, yeah, I’m pulling this from game knowledge, so don’t expect a professor-level lecture. But I can teach you the rune combinations I use... how they work, and why they work."

Marcus nodded silently, listening as Victoria began to explain.

One hour passed.

It wasn’t quite a traditional tutoring session. In fact, it was more like fragmented ramblings stitched together with the occasional insight. But Marcus paid close attention regardless. Even through the scattered delivery, every piece felt valuable—like puzzle fragments slowly forming a picture.

She described how the rune circle itself mattered just as much as the inscriptions inside it, emphasizing their relevance and alignment with magical intent. The magic wouldn’t activate just because it looked cool or had dangerous words in it.

"Random inscriptions slapped into a circle won’t do anything," she explained, her tone serious. "Even if you somehow create a powerful word or concept, if the inscriptions don’t resonate with the rune circle’s flow or intent... it won’t function. Magic doesn’t tolerate laziness."

Marcus leaned forward, drawing a rough sketch on the nearby parchment. "Then how does this work?"

It was the same rune he’d instinctively crafted before—an oddly simple, almost childish design. Just a large outer circle with a few intersecting ones and some crude symbols.

"It doesn’t align with anything you just said," he added, genuinely puzzled.

Victoria leaned closer to study the drawing. For a moment, her lips parted in surprise.

"This thing... actually works?" she asked, incredulous. A short laugh escaped her lips.

"Yeah. That’s what I’ve been using to trigger explosion magic."

She stared at him for another second. Then burst out laughing again, more baffled than before.

"Okay, yeah, you definitely got lucky. No way in hell should this work the way it does."

Marcus raised an eyebrow, a lopsided smile forming on his face.

’Lucky, huh...?’

He leaned back, letting out a small sigh.

’So my smugness was built on pure dumb luck. Figures. If making magic was that easy, everyone would be leveling kingdoms by now.’

Victoria, smirking, held up her hand. "For example—this."

A pulse of mana surged around her as she activated her ability. A massive black rune shimmered into existence, suspended above her palm. It glowed with a quiet intensity, intricate to the point of art, its lines so delicate and deliberate that it looked hand-etched by a master calligrapher.

"This took me the entire night to get right," she said, tone proud but slightly tired. "And I made it entirely from memory, no notes, no references."

She glanced at Marcus, clearly fishing for something.

Marcus paused. He’d picked up on the shift in her expression immediately—the way her voice softened just slightly, the way her shoulders tilted expectantly toward him.

’She’s... waiting for praise, isn’t she?’

He sighed internally, offering a dry smile. Then reached over and gently patted her on the head. "That’s certainly impressive."

Victoria tilted her head, unimpressed. "That’s the most ungenuine compliment I’ve ever received. And this was some serious work, you know."

"But I guess it fits you," she added, rolling her eyes with a sigh. Her voice was a mix of reluctant amusement and disappointment.

They returned to the book, her finger tracing along the faded ink as she began sharing several of her more practical rune combinations with Marcus. However, he noticed something—she was deliberately skipping certain ones.

She wasn’t giving him everything.

And the reason was obvious.

Just in case Marcus became a problem.

Which, honestly... was fair.

[Rune Creation Update]

[Currently Learned]:

Mana Efficiency Rune (Created) (B+) (Passive)

Fire Rune (Learned) (C)

Combustion Rune (Created) (A+)

Advanced Healing Rune (Created) (A-)

Arcane Gifted Rune (Created) (SSS) (Passive)

Lightning Rune (Learned) (C) + Added

Water Rune (Learned) (C) + Added

Earth Rune (Learned) (C) + Added

The system window pulsed softly in Marcus’s mind, accompanied by its signature chime.

He grinned.

’Sweet. Now I’ve got more versatility in combat. That’s going to come in handy.’

The sun finally breached the horizon, and the golden light of dawn began to pour through the window in steady waves.

Victoria stood up, stretching her arms overhead, her joints cracking faintly.

"Oh, and one more thing," she said, voice a bit groggy as she yawned. "That rune creation system of yours? It pretty much lets you create any rune. No limitations."

Marcus blinked. "You couldn’t have started with that?"

She grinned like a gremlin caught in the act. "Wanted to make sure you were paying attention before I dropped the juicy part."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course you did."

Victoria walked toward the door, brushing her hair back casually. "Anyway, I should head back before your parents wake up and start asking questions."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Why not just stay for breakfast?"

She paused, half-turning. "I still need to change clothes, you know? And take a bath," she added with a light laugh.

That made Marcus stop for a moment.

Come to think of it... the mansion did have a full wardrobe system handled by staff. Getting her clean clothes or another uniform wouldn’t be hard at all.

As for the bath? The one in the west wing was massive—easily enough for two or three people. Certainly better than sending her off in this state.

And his parents?

They’d been surprisingly relaxed since he arrived in this world. They probably wouldn’t care.

"I’ve got it handled," Marcus said casually, giving her a light pat on the back as he stepped out of the room ahead of her.

Victoria blinked.

"...Huh?"

Confused, she followed after him, uncertain what he meant—but somehow, knowing Marcus, she could already tell she wasn’t ready for whatever came next.