The Runesmith

“What are those strange golems?”

“I don’t know, but they’re on our side!”

Two soldiers exchanged words as more and more magical constructs attached themselves to the castle walls. The process was swift, and before long, the golems were firing cannons that matched the power of their heaviest magical ballistae. Even more surprising, they outnumbered the soldiers’ own magical devices and took up significantly less space. With their relentless fire, monsters began to fall in waves, and for now, the enemy was being pushed back from scaling the walls.

“I thought that bast– I mean, the other brother was more… useless? Who are these people?”

The soldier caught himself, lowering his voice. They had all seen the grand illusion projected over the city. No one without true power could have created something so immense. Either the rumors about Arthur Valerian were false, or someone even stronger, perhaps the eldest brother, was backing him.

“What does it matter? Help is help! Now shut up and get back to your post. This isn’t over!”

However, the enemy’s retreat did not last long. For every monster torn apart by magic cannon fire, two more seemed to rise in its place, crawling from the darkness beyond the walls like an endless tide of nightmares. Roland moved quickly, hands crackling with magic, restoring more defenses and positioning his golems along key weak points. His mind calculated distance, angle, magical drain, and structural stress all at once. He had no time to waste.

‘It’s going well for now but…’

Roland analyzed the situation from a distance. His golems were performing well, but they could not match the finely tuned defenses of Albrook, which had been engineered to be the best. In terms of power and effectiveness, these temporary golemic turrets were, on average, thirty percent weaker than their stationary counterparts. To make matters worse, they also overheated and burned through magical energy quickly.

Fortunately, Roland had anticipated this problem and prepared a portable charging station to counter it. Thanks to his mastery of spatial runes, he had become not only a one-man army but also his own supply line. Soldiers nearby couldn’t help but watch in awe as a large metallic canister materialized, covered in glowing runes. It was followed by several floating drones. Unlike the combat-ready ones that floated around him, these drones carried no weapons or offensive enchantments. Their sole purpose was to deliver replacement mana canisters to the turrets that continued firing at the oncoming monsters.

One of the floating, octagon-shaped drones moved quickly into action. It drifted over to the main mana fluid unit, a large drum filled to the brim with concentrated magical energy. Within city limits, it was simple to power the turrets by connecting them directly to the local grid, allowing for continuous fire without the need for refueling. Out here, however, that wasn’t an option. Roland had to rely either on his runic batteries or, as he had chosen for this mission, smaller canisters filled with mana fluid.

Although the runic batteries were capable, they had a major drawback—they took hours or even days to fully recharge. In a field environment where constructing a generator was impractical, it was far more efficient to use the mana fluid they had harvested from the dungeon. In a poetic twist, he was now fighting the monsters born of the dungeon using its own stolen energy against them.

The drum stood nearly as tall as a man, reinforced with thick plating etched in runes to contain the magical essence sealed within. As the charging process began, a nozzle extended from the drum’s circumference, aligning with a rotating circular bracket that held several empty canisters. Each canister, no larger than a lantern, was crafted from a specialized metallic alloy capable of safely containing condensed magical energy.

Once a canister rotated into position, the nozzle aligned with a designated port on its side. A safety latch secured it in place, and the mana fluid was pumped inside. When the fill was complete, the nozzle retracted and the canister moved to the next phase of the operation: delivery.

One of the stationary floating golems hovered into position. It approached the freshly filled canister, which had been held in place by the latch, and lifted it using a magnetic grip. Secured to the flat underside of the delivery drone, the canister was then flown out toward the cannon golem that had been active the longest.

The golem remained still, focused on its task. A circular hatch on its side opened, and an empty canister ejected, landing gently on the ground. Once it cleared the compartment, another hatch opened to receive the fresh canister. Each golem was equipped with three internal canisters, allowing it to function with at least one still within. With the charging station now in place, Roland ensured that his mobile turrets would never have to stop firing.

The replacement canister slid smoothly into the open chamber, and the golem’s internal systems absorbed the new energy source, returning to full power. Meanwhile, the spent canister was picked up by the delivery drone and returned to the charging station for refueling. Through this well-orchestrated system, Roland could keep his golems fully operational without expending any of his own mana.

‘Somehow we are managing to stick to the schedule.’

Once all the spider golems he could spare were deployed from his spatial storage, Roland ascended back into the sky. His level had risen enough that maintaining this spell came easily. For most mages, hovering like this would quickly drain their mana, but for him, it was little more than a mild inconvenience. From above, he had a clear view of the battlefield as it stretched out in every direction.

By now, all of his golems had positioned themselves along the battlements. The initial wave of monsters had been successfully repelled, but he wasn’t the only one responsible for the turnaround. Armand, Robert, and the Guild Master were doing an excellent job of drawing the monsters’ attention away from the city. Lucille, Lobelia, and Agni supported them from behind with powerful ranged attacks.

Meanwhile, the golem army they had brought from Albrook had secured a foothold at the city gate. Together, they held one side of the city, while Roland’s constructs defended the other. Everything seemed to be running smoothly. But Roland knew better. This wasn’t over.

‘The gamble paid off for now but will it be this easy?’

He hovered silently above the chaos, the faint glow of his armor flickering in the dim light. Below, his drones continued their relentless defense, working in unison with his companions. He spotted Agni unleashing a torrent of fire, his breath attack sweeping through clusters of enemies. The tier-two monsters stood no chance, incinerated in seconds as they bunched together, making themselves easy targets. Fortunately, these creatures lacked any real combat strategy. They charged forward blindly, relying solely on their overwhelming numbers. 

But numbers alone were not enough. With so much magic concentrated on the battlefield, it became a blazing inferno of raw mana. Monster after monster was obliterated, vanishing beneath the unrelenting waves of magical firepower before they could even reach the walls. Then it happened.

A sound rolled across the battlefield: low, deep, and thunderous, like the grinding of distant mountains. The moment it reached the city, all cheer vanished. A sudden silence fell over the defenders. Soldiers froze, their eyes wide, weapons half-raised, caught in a moment of paralyzing dread. The cannons continued to fire, their rhythm unchanged. But the sound had already signaled a shift.

‘Something is approaching… A city-scale monster.’

Roland turned sharply in the air, his senses stretching outward like a net. There it was again. A rumble, deeper this time. The ground shivered in response, and the faintest crack split through the earth beyond the northern ridge. Out past the treeline, the horizon shifted.

Trees were torn from the ground like weeds. Earth buckled and snapped as something enormous pushed its way forward. The first thing visible was its shell — an uneven, moss-covered dome so wide it looked like a moving hill. But it was not the shell that silenced the entire battlefield. It was what rose above it.

A serpent’s head and not just one but three. They stretched skyward, impossibly long and scaled with dark crimson armor that shimmered like wet stone. The mouth was lined with needle-pointed teeth, too many for any natural creature, and its eyes glowed a sickly yellow. One of the necks coiled once in the air, then snapped downward with an audible crack that split several trees into pieces without even touching them.

‘If I’m not mistaken, that thing is a Hydra Tortoise.’

It was quite the mouthful of a name, but it suited the creature perfectly. The Volcanic Hydra Tortoise Titan. It towered over the forest with ease. Its shell alone rose nearly twenty meters high, and the writhing hydra heads extending from it added another twenty on top of that. But even more terrifying than its height was its sheer bulk. The creature was massive, wide enough to flatten trees in every direction as it advanced.

Each step it took sent tremors through the earth, the ground quivering beneath its weight. It moved slowly, but there was an unstoppable momentum behind it, like a mountain deciding to walk. 

To make matters worse, the creature’s massive shell was covered in small, cone-shaped openings that looked eerily like miniature volcanoes. From within these vents, smoke billowed in thick plumes, glowing with the heat of red-hot magma. The smoke pulsed in sync with the creature’s slow, rumbling breaths, as though each time it inhaled it built pressure within its armored body. Then, with a loud growl that rippled across the battlefield, the volcanoes erupted.

A storm of molten fire shot into the sky, arcing high above the treetops before crashing down in wide, indiscriminate bursts. Entire sections of the forest were consumed in flame. Nothing was spared. Smaller monsters were either trampled beneath the beast’s colossal feet or incinerated in the blazing downpour. The Titan moved at a crawling pace, but its presence alone brought devastation.

Its three hydra heads twisted and turned, each moving with eerie independence, scanning the battlefield with a predatory awareness. They had not attacked yet, but they were watching. One of the heads turned slightly, its gaze settling on the city walls with what could only be described as curiosity.

‘If that thing reaches the city, hundreds will die…’

To Roland, the creature looked like a living siege engine. Although it was not classified as a tier four monster, it was clearly an elite variant. Most would call it a boss entity. It was far stronger than others of its class, likely enhanced by the same kind of stat multipliers that made Roland himself so dangerous.

And worst of all, this was not their only problem. While the initial waves had been repelled, more tier three monsters were beginning to rise and press forward. As Roland had feared, the attacks were coming in waves. They had arrived during the second one, and this was the third one.

This was very different from what he had witnessed during the attack on Albrook. Based on the data he was receiving from his external sensors, no creature of this scale had appeared there. It was clear that the mana siphoning process had ensured their victory in that battle. However, this city and many others would not be so fortunate.

‘If monsters like this one are beginning to form, the island is in more trouble than I anticipated.’

Roland bit his lower lip. He had not foreseen such a massive assault. When he had made his preparations, he had never expected a dungeon break of this magnitude. The situation was rapidly escalating beyond the scope of his original predictions.

It was becoming clear that many of the lesser-defended cities would likely fall. The thought weighed heavily on Roland. Perhaps he should have revealed the existence of the underground tunnel system he had discovered. But out of fear for his own safety, he had chosen to remain silent. Now, he was beginning to regret that choice. Still, there was a more immediate threat that demanded his attention. The situation before him could not be ignored.

There were not many cities on the island, and it seemed the dungeon prioritized its attacks based on population density. Smaller villages appeared to be ignored. Only larger settlements, those with at least a thousand inhabitants, were being targeted. Fortunately, most of those cities had some form of defense and established evacuation protocols.

They were not entirely helpless, and adventurers played a critical role in their defense. Even here, many had joined the soldiers on the walls. Arrows flew and spears struck down from above as fighters, driven by coin or duty, helped repel the climbing monsters.

“…”

This was not the time to doubt himself. He could not protect everyone, and he had long accepted that reality. The people in other cities were the responsibility of their own lords, and Roland had done his part by spreading rumors of increased monster activity. That alone had likely helped some prepare.

What reassured him slightly was the fact that the dungeon appeared to be focusing more on this city than any other. He suspected it was reacting to the high number of monster casualties in the area, or perhaps it possessed some mechanism to detect powerful foes. If that was the case, then the dungeon had identified him as the primary threat. The arrival of the giant tortoise-like monster could very well be its attempt to eliminate him.

Roland quickly assessed the creature. From its appearance and aura, it was clearly attuned to the fire element. Its body radiated heat, glowing with unstable fire mana, and the volcanic structures on its back erupted rhythmically with bursts of molten energy.

In this world, the natural counter to fire was water. The creature’s true weakness was not its heads or massive limbs, but the volcano-like vents scattered across its shell. Those openings were constantly active, spewing smoke and fire without pause. Targeting them would likely yield the greatest results.

‘I suppose it’s time to test the transformation system in battle…’

He had spent months developing and testing his elemental suits. This would be the first time he used them in actual combat. The volcanic tortoise was the perfect target to test how effectively he could fight while shifting between elemental modes.

“Listen up, everyone. I’ll handle that massive monster. The rest of you focus on the targets I assign.”

Before taking off, he sent a voice message to each of his companions. With the help of his mapping system, he could pinpoint the locations of the most dangerous enemies among the horde. He also knew which of his allies were best suited to deal with each one. It was a tactical advantage that allowed him to coordinate the battlefield with precision.

Without another word, Roland drew a deep breath and activated the spatial runes embedded in the back of his armor. They flared to life, summoning several armor components he had spent weeks perfecting. The pieces were forged from tidemetal, a metal known for its softness and malleability. Only through rigorous testing and the careful bonding of other elements could it be transformed into a hardened shell, one that rivaled mithril and, in some cases, even surpassed it in durability.

People noticed strange energies gathering around him and couldn’t help but point and stare. However, Roland had foreseen this reaction. Before allowing his regular armor to separate from his body, he used the elemental energies from the replacement set to form a shimmering barrier that surrounded him like a swirling orb of water.

Roland stood at the center of it all, spreading his arms to the sides to allow the outer shell of his Runic armor to detach from the silvergrace suit beneath. The position was awkward, and it was one of the main reasons he preferred to use concealment whenever he switched armor elements. His body formed an X-shape, limbs fully extended as he braced himself for the next pieces to attach.

First came the greaves, locking onto his legs with a deep clunk. Their design was smooth yet scaled, resembling the pattern of his Salamander variant. Next, the bracers wrapped around his forearms, inlaid with fine conduits for mana flow. The chestplate followed, forming around his torso in a series of interlocking segments. Finally, the helmet encased his head, its design inspired by ancient ocean kings. The visor, shaped like the gaping maw of a great leviathan, gave its name to the entire set.

As the armor sealed into place, Roland dispelled the tide bubble around him, revealing his new azure form. His flight unit connected seamlessly to the new armor set, just as it had with the old one. Without hesitation, he soared into the sky, racing toward his next destination. His goal was clear: he had to stop the monster before it reached the city and harmed even a single resident.

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