Chapter 4: Master-class Rune

"Is there something you need?" Thorgrim, who was an old father outside of his role as King, finished his routine lecture and returned to the main topic.

"I need some Oath Gold," Sinuoli finally chose to get straight to the point, "to..."

"Ha, you've finally figured it out!" Thorgrim interrupted him.

"It should have been like this long ago. Put aside the idea of forging your own weapons and equipment for now; it won't be too late to wait until you have mastered more and stronger Runes!"

As he spoke, Thorgrim fished a pouch out of the safe under his desk and tossed it to Sinuoli.

"Go on, take a trip to the Armory and arm yourself. Dressing like that on the battlefield is no way for a Dwarf to look! I must be getting senile, thinking that you standing in the back and not participating in melee combat wouldn't matter much..."

Sinuoli felt a secret joy in his heart, "What a wonderful misunderstanding; it saved me from having to use those lame excuses I had prepared."

Seeing that another long-winded lecture was about to begin, he grabbed the money pouch and hurriedly exited the room.

"The kid has finally opened his mind; you could say it's a blessing in disguise. He was trained by those old stubborn fools to be more obstinate than anyone else..." Thorgrim's muttering ceased abruptly as the door closed.

Ignoring the surprised looks of his kin along the way, Sinuoli sprinted all the way back to his room on his short legs.

This was because for Dwarfs, who prize composure and calm, running through the fortress without an extremely urgent reason is not a behavior that is encouraged.

Once inside his room, he immediately opened the system. Looking at the "50" value in the Oath Gold column at the top, and stroking the heavy gold coins in his hand that were engraved with Rune patterns, Sinuoli smiled very brightly.

Scrolling to the bottom of his personal Rune list, Sinuoli decisively forged a Master-class Flight Rune. With a crisp "ding" in his mind, a bright yellow, w-shaped Rune appeared in his hand. Sinuoli hurriedly transferred it onto a piece of parchment used for holding Runes.

Dwarf Runes are usually engraved on objects, which makes them more stable and easier to use. However, when creating or testing new Runes, they are also attached to lower-cost parchment Rune Scrolls.

A Rune Scroll can store a Rune for a certain period, but as time passes, the bound magical energy will gradually dissipate, so the Rune on the scroll should be transferred to an object as soon as possible.

"Hahaha!" Looking at the small Rune on the parchment and feeling the power contained within it, Sinuoli's laughter echoed in the room. In his eyes, a smooth path leading straight to the pinnacle of Dwarf-kind seemed to have appeared.

"What's wrong? Cousin Sinuoli, what happened?"

A young Dwarf with a black beard that only reached his collarbone pushed open the door. His name was Balin, a distant cousin of Sinuoli.

Balin's ancestors were also of a Dwarf royal line that ruled a Karak, but the Karak was conquered by Greenskins during the Age of Woes. His ancestors fled with their entire clan to Karaz-a-Karak to take refuge, and after several failed attempts to reclaim their homeland, the Clan was no longer as prosperous as it once was.

Balin was not as brave and skilled in battle as most Dwarfs, but he had quite a talent for reading and writing. His family therefore arranged for him to study various knowledge in the library. Not long ago, after Sinuoli became a Rune Smith, Balin was also instructed by Thorgrim to serve as Sinuoli's Personal Advisor.

Dwarfs are a race that places great importance on blood relations; I'm sure every player has researched the "Nepotism" technology. Nepotism is not a dirty word in Dwarf society; on the contrary, they encourage this phenomenon. Dwarfs value family honor, and having blood ties as a bond makes them even more loyal.

Sinuoli was startled by the sudden call. The fear of his system being discovered by his kin threw him into a panic. He scrambled to hide the parchment with the Rune engraved on it, but accidentally triggered the inherently unstable Rune.

Watching the table-sized fireball suddenly appear in Sinuoli's hand, the young Dwarf's expression froze. The room fell into a deathly silence. The two Dwarfs stared wide-eyed at the fireball. A few moments later, cold sweat began to stream down Sinuoli's forehead; he couldn't control the fireball anymore!

"Balin, get down!"

After a loud roar, Sinuoli launched the fireball diagonally upward, then covered his head with his hands and dove to the floor.

After a deafening "Boom—" the fireball exploded, followed by the sound of rocks of all sizes falling. Feeling the rocks hitting his back, Sinuoli and the young Dwarf didn't dare to lift their heads.

After a full minute, Sinuoli cautiously looked up. He was shocked by what he saw: the stone ceiling of the room had been blown open, leaving a hole thicker than a Dwarf's waist.

Just as Sinuoli was immersed in the shock of the explosion's aftermath on his body and the power of the Rune on his mind, a loud clattering of footsteps came from the corridor.

The footsteps brought Sinuoli back to his senses. His brain spun rapidly, his intelligence seizing the high ground. Combining the various entertainment materials he had read in his past life, he quickly concocted a perfect explanation.

With a "Crack!", the door was smashed open by a shield. Seven or eight Dwarfs, fully clad in Meteorite Iron Armor with only their eyes and beards visible, rushed in, each holding a Meteorite Iron Round Shield that could cover most of their bodies and a Battle Axe.

These tin cans were the elite of the Dwarfs, or rather, special forces—Ironbreakers.

The original intention for forming this unit was to deal with threats from underground. Due to earthquakes and the secondary disasters they triggered, some of the Earth Vein Network and mines originally built by the Dwarfs were discovered and utilized by Greenskin tribes or Skaven to attack the Dwarfs themselves.

On one hand, the Dwarfs did not have enough troops to block all potential threats, and on the other, large formations could not maneuver in the narrow underground tunnels. Thus, they formed this unit, fully equipped with Meteorite Armor, to patrol underground in small squads.

Members of the Ironbreakers are often the strongest and most experienced Dwarf warriors. In peacetime, they endure the dullness of the sunless depths and threats from all directions to protect the safety of the Karak. In wartime, they form the most solid shield wall to withstand all charges, leaving the enemy battered and bloody.

"Damn rats, come out! Come out and die!"

Accompanied by the rough shouting, another Dwarf dressed in the same gear emerged from behind the squad. The difference was that his beard was gray, and the Battle Axe and Shield in his hands shimmered with the luster of Runes.

"Prince Suorsen, it's good that you're alright. Hide behind my shield! Did you see those cowardly rat-men? Where are they?" The old Dwarf rattled off a long string of words like a machine gun.

"There are no Skaven. I caused this commotion, my deepest apologies!" Sinuoli replied with a hint of panic.

"By Grimnir! What kind of joke are you playing, child? Who else could cause such destruction besides the Engineer-Sorcerers of Clan Skryre? Even those grease-monkeys from the Engineers Guild who mess around with everything couldn't do this!" The old Dwarf shook his beard, completely unconvinced.

"I won't lie to you, I just mastered a Master Rune! A Rune that had been lost. This is the power of the Rune!" Sinuoli put on an extremely excited expression, gesturing wildly as he shouted.

To be honest, as someone who had read all kinds of web literature in his past life and was familiar with the tropes, he was no longer shocked by a transmigrator having a cheat. But out of respect for his kin's intelligence, Sinuoli decided to add a bit of acting.