[{"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-525":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},148238,246,"Chapter 524: Bar Fight","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-525",525,"\u003Cp>CH524 Bar Fight\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Alex and Wayne Achard returned from the branch master’s office, Martin had already finished helping Alex’s wives register their party with the Association.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the registration completed and Alex’s meeting concluded, the group prepared to leave when a thought suddenly struck him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, what did you name our party?\" he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fortuna,\" Udara replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fortuna?\" Alex raised an eyebrow. \"Why that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’ve been speaking in that old tongue of yours quite a lot,\" Zora explained. \"So we decided to pick a name from it. Fortuna is the only word whose meaning we’re certain of, so...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Fortune, huh...’ Alex mused inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply nodded, and the group headed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>--\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few hours later, Alex stepped into a tavern not far from Dragonstone’s eastern gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is that him...?\" someone muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. What other young noble with such poise is in town?\" another replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean, poise? Just admit you’ve never seen a noble sorcerer dressed like a rogue,\" a third voice scoffed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex smiled wryly. His arrival had clearly stirred a commotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The patrons likely thought that whispering—and the fact that nearly every table was buzzing with conversation—would be enough to drown things out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately for them, Alex heard everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply chose not to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he moved toward the counter, he noticed several familiar faces scattered around the tavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kavakan sat among a band of loud, boisterous mercenaries and adventurers. Mogal occupied a corner table alone, positioned so he could watch the entrance. Meanwhile, Havel leaned against the bar itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex pretended not to recognise the noble race ronin and took a seat two stools away from him, right at the edge of the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured to the bartender— a middle-aged man with a claw scar running diagonally across his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, a man with a story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex placed five low-grade berserk stones onto the counter, and the bartender’s eyes flashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What will you be having?\" the man asked, smoothly sweeping the stones away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can I get milk and honey?\" Alex asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bartender raised an eyebrow. \"This is a tavern, not a general store.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then I’ll just have water,\" Alex replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exchange did not go unnoticed by the man seated to Alex’s right, at a table positioned along the edge of the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bartender soon returned with a cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s nose twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scent of stale liquor clung to it so strongly the cup might as well have been filled with wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now,\" the bartender said, \"what exactly are you looking for? You’re clearly not here for the drink.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex pushed the tainted cup aside and leaned forward over the counter, lowering his voice as if about to share a secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m looking for a man named Raven Horn,\" Alex said. \"I’m told he frequents your... fine establishment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Who are you?\" the bartender asked, eyes narrowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just a traveller looking for a guide and some advice,\" Alex replied calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then you’d best be on your way, traveller. There is no such person here.\" The bartender’s face grimaced, the long scar across it making him look even more ominous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As for your stones, I’ll keep them as payment for this advice. Don’t flaunt your wealth, and don’t pay for a service before receiving it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex nodded, not appearing offended in the slightest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s very sound advice. You can keep the stones,\" he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then his eyes glinted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After all, you’ll be needing them very soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have a nice day.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the bartender could process what that meant, Alex rose from the stool and pulled up his hood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost immediately, chaos erupted inside the tavern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Alex pulled his hood over his head, Kavakan rose to his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A toast...\" He lifted his cup high. \"...to all of you sons of bitches crazy enough to roam these godforsaken lands!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Toast!\" the hardy, already drunk adventurers and mercenaries roared back, raising their cups.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They tipped them in one savage motion. Liquor ran down Kavakan’s lips, dripping through the hair on his chin and onto his broad, hairy chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughter erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Men choked, coughed, wiped their mouths, slamming cups down as the mood surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kavakan laughed with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, without warning, he smashed the cup straight into the face of the nearest mercenary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on!\" he roared, swaying theatrically as if drunk beyond reason. \"Let’s celebrate with a fight! Which of you sons of bitches dares to fight me?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tavern paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The adventurers and mercenaries look around, amused, but no one dared to make the first move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their hesitation, Mogal suddenly rushed in from behind and grabbed Kavakan by the collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a heave, he hurled the weretiger across a table and into two adventurers on the far side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You!\" Kavakan’s eyes went wide as saucers as he scrambled up, pointing accusingly at Mogal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seized one of the men beside him and flung him bodily into a cluster of mercenaries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he punched the second man square in the jaw, as though blaming him for being used as a cushion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tavern exploded with noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While every eye turned toward the escalating madness, Alex quietly slid the wine-tainted cup toward Havel, who still sat at the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Havel grabbed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And smashed it against the bartender’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man nearly fainted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn you, maggots!\" Havel roared. \"Keep it down! I’m trying to drink here! If you’re going to fight, then fight!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You—!\" someone shouted, pointing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What?!\" Havel bared his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He charged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One punch... then another... and another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Mogal, Kavakan and Havel igniting the spark, the rest of the rabble needed no further invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fists flew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boots kicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cups, jugs, stools, tables, chairs—anything that could be lifted became a weapon and went hurtling through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the chaos, Alex stepped away from the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right on cue, a wine jar came hurtling toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He caught it cleanly out of the air, dipped under a wild hook aimed at his head, and in the same breath smashed the jar across the attacker’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man dropped like a sack of grain, crashing to the floor—whether conscious or not, Alex didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was already moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes turned onto the man seated at the corner table by the counter—the one who had been quietly listening to his conversation with the bartender.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Found you.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex took a step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone grabbed him from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without even turning, Alex drove his elbow backward. The strike blasted the assailant’s face, knocking them off balance and straight into Havel, who had already moved to guard his rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Havel caught the unfortunate man and, with frightening efficiency, executed something very close to a judo throw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The body sailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It disappeared into the hurricane of brawling men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By then, the man at the corner table was already on his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drunk—or pretending to be—he threw a punch without a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex caught the wrist with his right hand and, almost lazily, drove his left into the man’s exposed liver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a split second, his instincts got ahead of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mana surged, and the Beta Bracer almost answered the call, ready to spit out its hidden blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s heart skipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hurried cut off his mana, bring the blade to a stop in the Bracer, just as the punch landed true on the man’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Air exploded from the man’s lungs as his knees buckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex seized the moment, twisted, and slammed him back-first onto the table, cracking it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His ruby-red eyes looked down at the man, amusement flashing within them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good to finally meet you, Raven Horn,\" Alex said pleasantly. \"I’m in need of your expertise.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am not—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex’s fist snapped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A clean hook caused the man’s head to whip sideways, and he went limp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don’t speak yet,\" Alex said lightly as the body sagged into unconsciousness. \"We’ll have plenty of time for this denial dance somewhere more... conducive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bartender finally recovered himself from Havel’s strike and lunged from behind the counter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he didn’t make it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Havel stuck a boot out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man stumbled, and before he could recover, Havel grabbed him by the collar and introduced his forehead to the wooden counter, hard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bam!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex raised an eyebrow at Havel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He shouldn’t be dead from just that,\" Havel replied with a shrug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex decided he couldn’t be bothered to lecture him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Open a path,\" was all he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bent, hoisted the unconscious Raven Horn over his shoulder, then used the chaos of the brawl as cover to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mogal, Kavakan, Havel, and Alex—carrying the limp man like an overly intoxicated companion—flowed toward the exit while fists, chairs, and curses continued to fly behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They slipped out without resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once on the street, Mogal relieved Alex of the burden, easily throwing the dead weight across his own shoulder as if it were nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had barely made it a few metres away when two bodies were hurled out of the tavern window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The men groaned... then, incredibly, staggered back to their feet, dusted themselves off, and rushed straight back inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex suddenly felt a twinge of guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’I wonder if five berserk stones will be enough...’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keeping up the act, the group walked away while pretending to escort a drunk friend away from trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one paid them any particular attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they turned the corner, Alex glanced back once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint smile tugged at his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I guess Kenway would be proud,\" he muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he pulled his hood back over his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wrist blade of the Beta Bracer slid out with a soft flash... then retracted just as quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A silent salute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tribute to the brotherhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then they were gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>AUTHOR’S NOTE\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>8\u002F2\u002F2026\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My head was a little blank yesterday, so I had no choice but to take a break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See you in the next Chapter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>",1650,"2026-05-29T03:49:35.273Z","2026-06-01T04:29:07.188Z",1,"novelbin.me","216e43a4839ccbf81e8151ce2e877f90c00d0a55d6478ff9ef1926c1a99e312a","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-526","re-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-chapter-524",692,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fre-tales-of-the-rune-tech-sage-cover.jpg"]