[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage":3,"chapter-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-37":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},148000,246,"Chapter 36: First Life-Threatening Battle","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-37",37,"\u003Cp>CH36 First Life-Threatening Battle\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True_Sage opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He found himself back at his computer workstation, inside his small apartment in the city’s high-rise district. Morning sunlight poured in through the wide window, casting golden hues across the room and revealing a stunning view of the urban skyline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stretched lazily, muscles creaking like he’d just awoken from a long nap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Was I asleep?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He froze. Something felt off. A vague sense of urgency tugged at the back of his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I feel like I was dreaming... about something important.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ultra-wide monitor before him detected his movement and flickered back to life. A message board appeared—but it was completely blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at it, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know why it was empty—or even who he’d been chatting with—but the blankness gnawed at his gut, stirring something just out of reach in his memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shrugging off the unease, he clicked on the notification icon showing unread messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of unread chats flooded the screen—all from System_Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every single message was practically the same: a relentless push for him to finish a novel draft and submit it to the e-novel platform’s content editors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’This kid just doesn’t give up,’ True_Sage chuckled. ’Fine, I’ve got a free day. Let’s humour him and get it over with.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cracked his knuckles and muttered, ’Now... what should I write about...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, his vision blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flickering images appeared in his mind—a youth staring into a mirror. It was him, but not quite. Then an elegant, silver-haired middle-aged man. A cliché but powerful old archmage. A brown-haired teenage girl, innocent and pure. And finally...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue-haired woman, mature, beautiful, with a charming smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her image was especially vivid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His heart ached just seeing her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll be back.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He heard himself speak. A promise. One that felt sacred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His head pounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world shimmered, like a mirage on the verge of collapsing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—ding—another notification popped up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A message from a colleague:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Boss, the AI model is complete. The Core is ready to move on to the next stage.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’AI? Core?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pounding intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vision distorted. Colours inverted. Shapes bent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Words began flooding his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Core... AI... Rune... Omni...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, finally—understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"OmniRune Core AI!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire world cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From above, a massive arcane symbol—mystical and terrifying—descended from the ceiling. Reality shattered like glass, fragments scattering in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that sigil, clarity surged back into his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A torrent of Spiritual Force gathered around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Break!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The illusion vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True_Sage—Alex Fury—returned to his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forest was back. The verdant subspace, its grass soaked with energy, birds silent in the tension. A raging Crystal Stag, weighing half a tonne, was mid-charge, its luminous crystal horns aimed straight for his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no time to think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Featherflight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instinct kicked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex lightened his body and bolted up the nearest tree in a blur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Halfway up, he turned his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crystal Horns glowed with white light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’An illusion...?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He barely had time to complete the thought before—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stag rammed into the tree’s trunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire structure shook violently, almost dislodging Alex from his perch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Body Strengthening Magic!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hugged the trunk tightly, reinforcing his grip with mana, just in time to avoid falling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast reversed course, lowering its head again. Its hooves shimmered, crystal tips glowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charge!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana surged. Its speed shot up a notch. The beast slammed into the tree once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this time, Alex was ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a calm breath and a burst of movement unbecoming of a scholar mage, he leapt to the neighbouring tree just as—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRACK!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tree exploded into splinters, torn in half by the stag’s charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the tree Alex had landed on shuddered from the aftershock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex eyed the tree he had just landed on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was much thinner than the last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way it could withstand the full force of the Stag’s charge like the previous one hadn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, to his relief, the beast didn’t follow up immediately—it needed a moment to catch its breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That brief pause gave Alex the opening he needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth Spike!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp spike of jagged earth formed above his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crystal Stag’s cold gaze locked onto him, its hooves scraping the ground, producing an ominous grinding sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grunt!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deep, resonant bellow burst from the beast’s throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It dashed toward the slender tree where Alex took cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Alex didn’t panic. He slowed his breathing, his perception of time stretching as his Truth-Seeker eyes dilated and zoomed in on the charging stag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He observed every movement in perfect detail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Stag tilted its head downward, preparing its glowing horns for the crash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Now!’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex balanced carefully on the thin branch and fired the Earth Spike directly at the stag’s exposed weak spot on its neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pucchi!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spike pierced the stag’s neck just as it rammed into the tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex rolled gracefully on landing, narrowly avoiding the collapsing tree crashing beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sprang up and faced the beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his shock, the stag remained standing, the Earth Spike lodged but ineffective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Damn it,’ Alex muttered. ’It’s bigger than the last one—its neck muscles and elemental resistance are stronger.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Earth Spike dematerialised as if eaten by the stag’s thick muscles and resilient hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through Spirit Sight, Alex could see the elemental resistance actively blocking the attack—and the passive healing as its light-element Mana flowed through the stag’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stag roared, a deep, guttural sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its rage-filled eyes, once speckled red, now glowed entirely crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Shit! It’s gone berserk!’ Alex shouted to himself, turning and running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could put distance between them, the beast’s hot breath grazed his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being pushed to the edge of death had driven the stag mad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It poured every ounce of its mana into one final surge—evolving into a Class 2 Beast right before Alex’s eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Alex dove sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stag charged so fast its momentum slammed Alex against a tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to Merlin’s Body Strengthening Magic, Alex barely felt the impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the berserk stag wasn’t done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It charged again, aiming to crush both Alex and the tree in one savage blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no time to cast spells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex rolled awkwardly out of the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scrambling to his feet, he fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, calm and composed, he instant-cast Magic Arrows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He rolled away again and fired the spell straight at the stag’s eyes as it passed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrow struck true, piercing one eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blinded, the stag barreled into a tree, driving the Magic Arrow deeper before it dematerialised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stag’s roar was pained and enraged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before it could recover, Alex appeared at its side like a phantom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wrist blade!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He plunged the overhand blade into the stag’s neck weak spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature froze, trembling, then collapsed heavily to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crystal Stag died with a fierce grievance burning in its remaining eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex dropped onto the stag’s body, weakness and pain washing over him as he confirmed the kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>",1176,"2026-05-29T03:49:09.807Z","2026-06-01T04:29:07.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","0828969d9d28e586f6f37f572ad3cf747d5175b7ebf4510e70900804741bcfa7","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-38","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-36",692,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fre-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-cover.jpg"]