Chapter 1 of 100

Chapter 1

8 min read1,926 words

EP.1 Obtained a Fraudulent Rune

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I was possessed by a novel I was reading with great interest.

Even though it was a cliché that had been overused like old soup.

Unfortunately, it was the reality I faced.

“Hmm. Everything else is well written...”

“...?”

“You just need to write the information of the rune you possess in this last box.”

“What?”

“A rune. You need to write the rune you possess to enter the academy.”

A female staff member stood before me, looking down at me with a haughty expression.

This was the first scene I encountered after being possessed.

At first, I thought I had been kidnapped or was dreaming.

I woke up, and the reality started without any context.

But I was too ordinary to be kidnapped.

When I slapped my cheeks hard, it wasn’t a dream either.

Only then did I hear the surroundings and the words of the female staff.

Rune.

And Academy.

Words that often appeared in the novels I read.

So.

I had suddenly fallen into a world with runes and an academy.

I nodded without realizing it.

I was familiar with this kind of situation.

And the actions I would take next were already decided.

I quietly shouted in my mind, making sure no one would hear.

Yes.

The ‘Status Window!’ that everyone shouts in this situation.

◎Name: Do Jae-hyun

◎Gender: Male (20)

◎Attributes

[Strength: 4] [Magic: 2]

[Speed: 5] [Spirit: 1]

[Endurance: 4] [Mind: 6]

◎Possessed Runes

[Dagger Lv.1]

◎Possessed Skills

◎Ultimate Skills

Wow...

I had only seen this in novels.

Now I was seeing it in hologram.

I could fully grasp it.

The novel I was reading frequently in the original world.

I had been possessed by <Next Rune Holder>.

It was a novel I personally read with great satisfaction, and I had no particular complaints about its development.

I didn’t even write a 5700-character comment, so I don’t know why this happened.

But fortunately, I adapted quickly.

It was already an irresistible situation.

Getting angry and frustrated wouldn’t change anything.

There was no plot in the original world that would send me back to reality in such a situation.

Moreover, my relatively high ‘Mental’ attribute assisted me.

A higher mental attribute than an average person.

This helped me not to panic in such a sudden special situation.

‘<Next Rune Holder>...’

<Next Rune Holder> is a typical growth hunter novel.

Set in a modern fantasy background, it is based on a game system.

However, it differs from other game systems.

‘Runes’ uniquely determine most of the status window.

Attributes, possessed skills, and ultimate skills.

Everything that appears in the holder information is influenced by runes.

That was the rune.

‘It’s good up to this point...’

Everything is good.

<Next Rune Holder> is a novel I found really interesting.

Being possessed in this novel is fortunate.

However, the name of the possessed character is Do Jae-hyun.

A character I have never seen in <Next Rune Holder>.

That’s right.

Like any other possession novel.

I was possessed as a very ordinary, passing extra.

Damn...

“Hey. Write the rune information quickly. Can’t you see people waiting behind you?”

“Oh. Sorry. I’m still a bit groggy. I’ll write it quickly.”

“I’m so busy, really...”

Give me a break...

I just got possessed and my mind is completely blank.

I briefly opened the <Rune Information>.

All the information that appears in the holder information can be explored in detail.

For example.

◎Name: Dagger

◎Grade: Normal

◎Level: 1

◎Engraved Part: Left Hand Back

◎Special Effect: Speed +1

◎Derived Skill: -

◎Detailed Information

: You can handle a dagger well.

Like this.

This applies to skills and detailed attributes as well.

It’s concise but provides an intuitive understanding of the rune.

I quickly started writing the rune information on the application form.

I lightly wrote the name and level of the rune.

There was no need to write other specific details.

After all, there would be a practical inspection during the entrance exam.

More importantly, I wanted to get out of here quickly.

Although I adapted with my high mental attribute, I still couldn’t fully grasp the reality.

I needed time to slowly observe my surroundings.

After submitting the application, I turned to leave.

Then I heard the female staff member muttering behind me.

“...Dagger? What were you dawdling for with such a low-grade rune...?”

What, this woman?

Why is she picking on me all the time?

Does my face look too easy to mess with?

Moreover, I can’t easily accept the evaluation of it being a low-grade rune.

Just because it’s a normal grade doesn’t mean its performance is low.

A [Dagger] can also be used to become an assassin when mastered...

Of course, I was just possessed and my mind was a mess.

I spent a lot of time reading the information and thinking.

Besides, I’m just about to enter the academy...

Causing a commotion here wouldn’t benefit me.

More importantly, I needed to understand the reality and my surroundings.

I briefly went into the bathroom inside the building.

And I called up the <Holder Information> again.

Name: Do Jae-hyun.

Age: 20.

Possessed rune: [Dagger].

Attributes: 4 is the average level for a normal person.

Only speed and mental are slightly higher, the rest are ordinary.

‘Just an extra level...’

Not like the explosive attributes of the female lead, Kang Ju-yeon.

Not like the incredible potential of the protagonist, Park Jin-woo.

Just a typical rune holder’s information window.

If I enter the academy, I’ll probably be at the bottom of the rankings.

That’s the level of information.

‘But...’

The spirit of Do Jae-hyun is not ordinary.

A devoted reader of <Next Rune Holder>!

A generous supporter who owned the entire series!

A deep enthusiast who even bought the setting book!

I knew this world better than anyone.

The major events and developments in the novel.

All the hidden pieces of information were in my head.

Of course, I didn’t see the ending.

I was possessed before the ending came out...

But this much is enough for a commoner to survive.

‘This is a world where runes are everything.’

In <Next Rune Holder>, everything is determined by runes.

Attributes, skills, special effects.

And potential and growth possibilities.

The potential of a rune is the potential of a rune holder.

Even a homeless person on the street can turn their life around with a good rune.

The probability is extremely low, but it’s possible.

So I set a short-term goal.

Instead of growing the rune I have...

I decided to focus on obtaining as many runes as possible.

Runes can be artificially obtained through personal effort.

This is a fact unknown to the public.

As a reader of the original novel, I knew the unknown methods of obtaining runes.

I plan to obtain as many runes as possible before the entrance exam.

Once I have a lot, they will surely be useful somewhere.

‘The entrance exam is in a month, right?’

Since I wrote the application today, that should be about right.

And then I can see Park Jin-woo and Kang Ju-yeon.

Seeing the main characters of the novel I read with such enthusiasm?

Oh, damn.

I wanted to take the entrance exam as soon as possible.

* * *

The method of obtaining runes in <Next Rune Holder> is simple.

You have to be chosen.

Whether a rune is rare or common, all runes are naturally determined.

Park Jin-woo’s [Sweat of the Seeker].

Kang Ju-yeon’s [Unextinguishable Flame].

All at the moment they became holders.

Or they are suddenly obtained during the process of growing a rune.

Runes that can’t be easily obtained just by wanting them.

But if they are not such special runes.

If they are ordinary normal runes like [Sword] or [Bow].

There is a method to obtain them through personal effort.

An unknown method that other holders don’t know.

A hidden piece of information not revealed to the public.

[The weight of the sword slicing through the wind becomes familiar.]

[You have obtained a new rune.]

[You gain 1 Strength due to the rune’s tendency.]

“Done!”

A new [Sword] rune was engraved on my body.

This time, the condition was to repeat 2001 sword swings in a proper stance.

The result of enduring heavy breathing and blisters all over.

Basic normal runes like [Sword], [Bow], [Spear], and [Axe] can be artificially obtained by satisfying the conditions set in the hidden piece of information.

Considering that runes are like assets to a holder, knowing this method of obtaining runes is a huge advantage.

◎Name: Do Jae-hyun

◎Gender: Male (20)

◎Attributes

[Strength: 8] [Magic: 2]

[Speed: 7] [Spirit: 1]

[Endurance: 4] [Mind: 7]

◎Possessed Runes

[Dagger Lv.1] [Blunt Weapon Lv.1] [Bow Lv.1] [Axe Lv.1]

[Spear Lv.1] [Cooking Lv.1] [Rushing Lv.1] [Sword Lv.1]

◎Possessed Skills

◎Ultimate Skills

One month ago.

A completely different status window from when I was being ignored by the staff.

I obtained 7 additional runes, and as a result, various attributes increased evenly.

The hidden piece of information for artificially obtaining runes was diverse.

Like repeating 2001 sword swings in a proper stance.

Or shooting 1880 arrows into the air.

Or running a certain distance at a certain speed for a month.

“...It’s crazy.”

A way of thinking that a normal person could never imagine.

But as a passionate reader of the novel, I memorized it.

Thanks to this, I was able to obtain all the basic runes in about a month.

“Already have 8 runes.”

Honestly, I don’t know if this will help my growth.

The rune I naturally obtained was [Dagger], which means I have a talent for assassination or throwing.

But I can’t ignore the attributes I gained from runes.

4 Strength from [Blunt Weapon], [Axe], [Spear], and [Sword].

2 Speed from [Bow] and [Rushing].

And 1 Mind from [Cooking].

This alone already shows the results of a month’s effort.

And as I initially thought, having many runes can’t be bad.

There’s no particular limit to a holder’s rune acquisition.

“...Huh?”

But then.

The new runes registered in the <Holder Information>.

From [Blunt Weapon] to [Sword], the runes suddenly started to shine.

A blinding light that filled the status window.

It soon turned golden.

New information windows appeared.

Completely different from the ordinary information windows, these were special information windows in a golden color.

[Amazing Achievement! You have obtained ‘Runes’ by your own strength, a privilege of the chosen ones. By satisfying all the stringent conditions, you have claimed 7 runes. You are more than worthy of being called a ‘Rune Hunter’.]

[You have obtained a new rune.]

◎Name: Rune Hunter

◎Grade: Epic (Epic)

◎Level: Max

◎Engraved Part: Heart

◎Special Effect

: After winning a duel, you can duplicate one of the opponent’s runes. You can only duplicate one rune from the same target, and the obtained rune will be registered with a lower level and reduced performance.

◎Derived Skill: -

◎Detailed Information

: A rune that can be obtained by artificially acquiring 7 runes through the holder’s personal effort. Once obtained by someone, it can never be obtained again, making it a unique rune.

“...What is this?”

I stared blankly at the information window.

My mind couldn’t process the sudden phenomenon.

A rune I had never seen before.

Even as a devoted reader of <Next Rune Holder>, I had never seen this...

A fraudulent rune with unbelievable performance.

The deformed epic rune [Rune Hunter].

It was too easily in my hands.