I opened the book.
Blink Knight Arts.
The first sentence immediately caught my attention.
Requirement: Possess a Blink Rune.
I sighed.
"So I really can't learn it..."
Still, I kept reading.
The Blink Rune's greatest weakness was its cooldown.
The lower the rune's rank, the longer the wait before Blink could be used again.
However...
Once a Blink Rune reached Orange Rank or above...
Its wielder became a terrifying opponent.
Blink placed tremendous strain on the body.
Without strong legs and powerful arms, dashing at such speed would only tear your muscles apart.
A weak body would destroy itself before it could defeat an enemy.
But for someone who had trained properly...
One strike was often enough to end a battle.
Of course...
That only mattered if you had enough attack power.
Otherwise, Blink was little more than a tool for escaping danger.
Yet despite all those weaknesses...
The Silvervein family had once stood at the top.
The reason was simple.
They had created a swordsmanship perfectly suited for the Blink Rune.
According to the book, several monsters also possessed Blink.
The most common among them was the White Hawk.
It hunted by diving toward its prey at incredible speed...
Then striking with a punch.
When cornered...
It used Blink to escape.
A perfect hit-and-run predator.
"...Punch?"
I frowned.
"Not its claws?"
That was strange.
The book explained further.
Just like the White Hawk...
A Blink Knight didn't rely on Blink as their primary weapon.
Blink was reserved for escaping danger...
Or delivering the killing blow.
Everything else depended on swordsmanship.
Their style focused on controlling mana.
Making every step lighter.
Every movement faster.
Every slash sharper.
Every thrust more precise.
Most importantly...
A Blink Knight required exceptional eyesight.
Only then could they react at such overwhelming speed.
"That..."
"Actually makes sense."
The next page listed the basic training.
One thousand vertical slashes.
One thousand horizontal slashes.
One thousand forward thrusts.
One thousand reverse thrusts.
One thousand vertical parries.
One thousand horizontal parries.
Every single day.
Afterward...
A long-distance run.
Sprinting.
Jumping.
Hopping.
Everything existed for one purpose.
To strengthen the body until it could withstand Blink.
Just reading those numbers made my head hurt.
"And that's only the warm-up..."
Unlike elegant sword styles that looked like dances...
The Silvervein style was brutally straightforward.
If you possessed Blink...
All you needed were powerful legs...
Powerful arms...
And the skill to finish the battle in a single decisive strike.
I closed the book.
"My head hurts."
"This is even more boring than Exploding Rock Fist."
I used to mock that martial art.
Yet it had saved my life.
Maybe it simply suited my Storage Rune.
"Graah..."
A soft cry came from beside me.
I looked over.
The baby bear was waddling toward me.
I wasn't worried.
Neither of the bears had shown any hostility since yesterday.
What caught my attention...
Was what it carried in its mouth.
A glowing green rune stone.
The cub happily wagged its tail before dropping it at my feet.
I picked it up.
Titan Rune.
A rune that enhances physical strength.
"I wish I could absorb you..."
Then I smiled.
"Actually..."
"I don't have to."
Even if I couldn't absorb another rune...
I could still embed one into equipment.
The rune disappear on my hand and appeared beside my Mana Crystal inside my Storage Space.
Its glow slowly intensified.
"So it needs to recharge..."
Now the question was...
What could I embed it into?
The cub nudged my pocket.
"My pocket?"
Then I remembered.
The Silvervein medallion.
I took it out and placed it on the ground.
The cub suddenly bit its own paw.
A few drops of blood landed on the medallion.
Then it looked at me expectantly.
"...You want me to do the same?"
I cut my finger with my dagger and let my blood drip onto the silver crest.
Nothing happened.
The cub began hopping excitedly.
Then it picked up a small stone.
Placed it on top of the medallion.
"...What are you trying to tell me?"
At that exact moment...
The Titan Rune inside my Storage Space flared brilliantly.
"Oh."
"So you're fully charged now."
I looked back at the cub.
Then at the glowing rune.
A thought crossed my mind.
"I think I understand."
With a wave of my hand, the Titan Rune appeared above the medallion.
The rune shone brilliantly.
The moment it touched the silver crest...
It dissolved into countless green particles.
The medallion itself began glowing.
When the light faded...
The symbol of the Titan Rune had been engraved onto its back.
"...Amazing."
"So this is how rune embedding works."
"The blood wasn't the activation..."
"It was probably recognition."
Or perhaps...
Acceptance.
I fastened the medallion around my neck.
The instant I did...
Strength surged through my entire body.
A green aura surrounded me.
"...Wait."
"My Storage Rune is already Purple Rank."
"So why is this aura green?"
Then I laughed.
"Of course."
"The embedded rune determines the color."
"The Strength Rune is only Fine Rank."
"That's why it's glowing green."
Everything finally made sense.