Having made up his mind, Brand opened the Rune Study Book, which was even thicker than a dictionary, ready to delve deep into the rune drawing process.
After turning to the page detailing the drawing method for Rune No. 1, the simple instructions left Brand somewhat puzzled.
This confusion was slightly different from his previous bewilderment over not understanding the material.
What puzzled him was that the rune drawing method recorded in the book seemed a bit... too simple?
"The drawing method for the first three runes is extremely simple. Just use a Rune Pen filled with Rune Ink and draw the rune’s shape onto Rune Paper. Of course, any deviation must be kept within an acceptable margin of error."
So...
Drawing runes was just like painting? As long as it looked alike, it would be a success?
Brand came to this conclusion after reading the rune drawing instructions over and over again.
This conclusion was so simple that he found it hard to believe.
It was just drawing. Although the strokes of the runes were somewhat complex, if he failed the first time, he just had to try a few more times.
"Could this book be a pirated copy?" the thought flashed through Brand’s mind.
Closing the book in his hands, Brand’s gaze swept toward the corner of the cover. There lay the Magic Seal of the Kaya Empire Mage Academy.
This proved it was a legitimate copy, and its contents were guaranteed by the Empire Mage Academy.
After confirming that the book was an authentic Rune Magic book published by the Kaya Empire Mage Academy and not a pirated knockoff from some shady organization, the confusion in Brand’s eyes deepened.
Was rune drawing really this simple?
Amidst his doubts, Brand suddenly recalled a certain "truth" from his previous life. Combining it with his current situation, Brand felt he had uncovered the truth hidden behind the fog.
Just as the highest quality ingredients often only required the simplest cooking methods, rune drawing only required the most ordinary drawing techniques!
"At least as far as this semester’s exams are concerned! Rune Array Science should be an incredibly easy elective subject!"
Brand felt quite delighted at this realization.
"It’s just drawing, how could it possibly stump the great Master Brand!?"
Since he didn’t have a specialized Rune Pen or Rune Paper on hand, Brand immediately ran to the Alchemy Shop within the academy and spent several dozen Magic Gold Coins to purchase a complete set of rune drawing equipment.
It was only because his funds were much more abundant now; the previous Brand was not this flush with cash.
After returning to his dorm with his brand-new rune drawing equipment, Brand felt impatient to start.
After filling the Rune Pen with Rune Ink and turning the book to the page printed with the illustration of Rune No. 1, Brand rolled his wrists, brimming with confidence as he prepared to try his hand at drawing Rune No. 1.
He didn’t know if it was an illusion, but upon closely observing the illustration of Rune No. 1 in the book, Brand couldn’t shake the feeling that it didn’t look printed. Instead, it looked as if someone had drawn it by hand.
However, this wasn’t a matter of great importance, so Brand quickly tossed it to the back of his mind.
Gripping the Rune Pen in his hand and sitting up straight, Brand slowly began to draw, using the image of Rune No. 1 as his reference!
The instant the tip of the Rune Pen touched the Rune Paper, the patterns on the pen lit up.
As the pen tip glided to mimic the strokes, Brand was surprised to find his Spiritual Power gradually being siphoned away by the Rune Pen. First it flowed into the Rune Ink, and finally, it imprinted onto the Rune Paper along with the ink strokes.
In a moment of distraction, Brand’s stroke skewed slightly off course.
The next moment, a faint repulsive force emanated from the ink on the Rune Paper, gently bouncing the Rune Pen away from his hand. The half-completed stroke of Rune No. 1 scattered into a messy smudge in the blink of an eye.
Brand knew that this meant the drawing had failed.
"Wait, so drawing runes actually consumes Spiritual Power?"
Without attempting another try, Brand set the Rune Pen aside. He felt he must have missed the "precautions" for rune drawing.
Picking up the Rune Study Book again, Brand began flipping through it carefully. The reality was just as he had expected.
Brand found a brief explanation of rune drawing in the Chapter immediately preceding the drawing methods:
*Runes are the cornerstone of the rules of the Fains Continent. No matter what method is used to draw runes, it will inevitably consume a considerable amount of Spiritual Power. Even drawing the most Basic Runes No. 1 through 3 will drain anywhere from sixty to seventy percent of a Junior Mage Apprentice’s Spiritual Power...*
After finding the precautions for rune drawing in the book, Brand frowned slightly.
"If the book is correct, my peers would only be able to draw a single rune even if they expend all their Spiritual Power from a full state."
And that was assuming they succeeded on the first try. Any "mistake" during the rune drawing process would lead to failure and wasted Spiritual Power, just as Brand had just experienced.
"Looks like I need to practice properly first!"
Practice was the first major hurdle of rune drawing.
The Rune Study Book stated, "No matter what method is used to draw runes, it will inevitably consume a considerable amount of Spiritual Power."
Therefore, every practice attempt was a test of Mage Spiritual Power. If potions were not used, it would take hours to recover once Spiritual Power was depleted.
"Although I have slightly more Spiritual Power than my peers, I definitely won’t be able to sustain the drain of practicing rune drawing. After all, there are only six days left until the exam! Without using Awakening Potions, I’ll only be able to draw about a dozen times at most."
Just as a certain Great Sage from his pre-transmigration world had said: True knowledge comes from practice!
Hailing from a materialist world, Brand didn’t entirely believe the book’s idealist claim that "no matter what method is used to draw runes, it will consume Spiritual Power."
"If I just casually sketch a stroke, how would the universe even know I’m drawing a rune!?"
"I, Brand, insist on giving it a try today!"
Grabbing a piece of white paper and a charcoal pencil from the nearby bookshelf, Brand envisioned a specific stroke of a rune in his mind and began to draw.
When Brand pressed the charcoal pencil onto the white paper, gently applying force with his wrist to make the pencil trace that stroke, he clearly felt a large chunk of his Spiritual Power slip away.
The next instant, the charcoal pencil snapped into several pieces with a crisp CRACK. The rapid loss of Spiritual Power made Brand feel dizzy for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
The facts proved that the book was right!
Brand’s expression turned serious. He had still underestimated the Extraordinary Power of this Idealist World!
He had to admit, the Law Power of the Extraordinary World was beyond his imagination!
In silence, he tossed the remnants of the charcoal pencil and white paper into the trash can. Brand picked up the Rune Magic textbook once again and began to study it earnestly.
Although he desperately wanted to take a shortcut, it seemed there simply were no shortcuts for certain things.
Brand felt his mindset over the past two days had been flawed, always looking for an easy way out. But there weren’t that many shortcuts in the world!
One must keep their feet firmly planted on the ground!
Thinking of this, Brand felt his spirit undergo a bit of Sublimation. This was probably the so-called feeling of gaining absolute mental clarity!
Taking a deep breath, Brand finally set down the Rune Study Book that was making his head throb. Immediately afterward, he completely submerged his consciousness into the Simulation World.
At this moment, the Brand in the Simulation World was standing in a clearing within a forest, next to a gently flowing, crystal-clear stream.
In the center of the clearing sat a long red sandalwood table. Brand was seated there properly, holding a "fountain pen" identical to the Rune Pen from the outside world, scribbling away on white paper.
The long table was already littered with scattered sheets of scrap paper. These scrap papers were covered with crooked, bizarrely shaped patterns. Faintly, one could make out that they seemed to resemble Runes No. 1 through 3.
Brand was practicing rune drawing in the Simulation World!
As he practiced his rune drawing, the Brand in the Simulation World curled his lips in disdain.
"Keep my feet firmly planted on the ground? As if! As a veteran slacker, I can only barely survive by relying on the Simulation World!"