He kept staring at the strange cluster if lines that made no sense to him. Hours passed, his mind exhausted, until it reached a point where it completely shut down from overexertion.

He found himself lost, forgetting even to pull his consciousness out of the crystal. And at that moment, when everything seemed meaningless, a thread of light—faint intuition—guided him. Ash focused on that subtle pull, letting instinct take over.

Slowly, Unimaginably, the chaotic character began to align. Shapes emerged, a pattern formed—not of words, but of meaning. A concept whispered itself into his mind: "Form."

The meaning of the rune was clear, but the essence behind the concept still lingered just beyond his reach.

He felt a faint idea, but nothing solid came to him. He was missing something… just a step away from full comprehension.

Still, it was enough to bring him back to awareness, and he pulled his consciousness out of the Glyph Seed.

Ash took a deep breath, looking around.

"You're back… I thought you'd lost yourself in the concept of fundamental runes," Luther said, sighing in relief.

"Almost." Ash exhaled, recalling the suffocating feeling of losing himself.

"I was just about to force your consciousness out. Don't worry—it's common if you're not a runesmith and try to touch the runic language," Luther reassured him.

Ash didn't need the comfort, he was already to dive back in. But first, he had to do something.

He looked toward his screen and focused on his luck stat.

[Luck: 7]

[Stat Points: 6]

Ash placed three stat points into Luck, raising it to ten.

[Luck: 10]

A sharpened intuition surged through him, heightening his senses, filling him with confidence to conquer anything.

But his mind was still spent, and going back without recovery would be useless.

"Jessie, can you heal my mental fatigue?" Ash asked, glancing at her. She had been staring at her hands, trembling with nervousness.

She jolted from her thoughts, nodding. Placing her hand around his head, a soothing warmth spread through him, washing away tension.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked, noticing her trembling fingers against his temple.

"Yeah… just a little nervous."

"That's fine. Just don't cast the wrong spell, or we'll end up with bald heads," Luther joked, laughing at his own words.

"Father!" Jessie blurted, embarrassed.

Ash took the Glyph Seed back into his hand, ready to dive again.

"Why are you going back? It takes months for even runesmiths to learn fundamental runes. Don't expect much—it's a game of patience and persistence," Luther warned.

Ash only nodded and sank back into the endless void.

This time, as he stood before the Rune of Form, he could feel his mind peeling away layers of meaning.

Form was what gave substance and definition to every entity in the world. It was the most fundamental concept. Even a fireball required form; even the most intangible things possessed form.

Yet, despite this understanding, his mind nagged at something deeper, something still beyond his comprehension.

Ash refused to give up—he invested his remaining three stat points into Luck, raising it to thirteen.

[Luck: 13]

A new layer of insight unfolded. Another perspective revealed itself.

Form—did the air not have a form? Did emotions not have a form? Did light not have a form? If everything in this world possessed form, then why not those?

The idea contradicted itself, yet it pulled at the truth.

Was formlessness itself a form? Or was the absence of form still a form in its own right?

Concept after concept flooded his mind. Luck guided his intuition through the labyrinth of meaning, until he reached a simple, condensed realization:

Form was the concept of something itself.

He pulled his consciousness out of the Glyph Seed, noting the changing atmosphere outside.

"You're back. I hope you made some progress," Luther said.

"Yeah… I'm beginning to grasp it," Ash replied.

"Good… good."

In truth, Luther hadn't expected any progress at all in such a short time. Twelve hours had passed, but it was still insignificant compared to the usual years required.

Jessie glanced at Ash sharply but held her tongue.

Ash stared at the crystal in his hand, thoughtful. He had grasped the essence of the first rune. The others, he knew, would not be more difficult—just different.

Putting it back inside the box He looked outside. The terrain grew harsher—the land sloping upward, forests thickening, the air thinning. Towering mountains rose like giants, forming a natural fortress. Clouds clung low to the ridges, hiding their peaks.

"Misty Mountains," Ash muttered. The kind of place you could lose an army in and never find it again.

Beneath stretched a densely packed forest, high-rank beasts roaming within, ready to tear apart anyone foolish enough to enter.

"This is the valley of the Kael Lineage," Luther said quietly. "We've lived here for generations—secluded, untouched. Every ancestor rests within these mountains, every heir grew up here."

The words carried weight and reverence, more than simple explanation. Jessie's expression softened for a moment, almost nostalgic before her mask of calm returned.

The carriage slowed as the mist cleared between two mountain peaks, revealing a grassy plain. Compound buildings sprawled across the open land. Many carriages and steeds were already gathered.

It seemed many members of the family were returning as well.

The speed lowered further, the carriage landing beside the others.

"Walk behind us, and be patient if they say anything. Some of them are jealous of Jessie," Luther said as he stepped out.

Ash followed Jessie, exiting the carriage. He inhaled deeply, the crisp mountain air invigorating every cell in his body. The mana density was low, lowering the chances of dungeons appearing.

Eyes turned toward them almost immediately. People—men and women clad in casual clothes stood scattered around the compound.

Some bowed slightly toward Luther and Jessie but when they saw a boy walking behind them with his head turning sideways looking around, they looked him with curious eyes.

Then he was ignored by the others like a spare wheel.

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Jessie!—she finally decided to come back"

Ash caught fragments of warmth, love, disdain everything. though none dared voice it too loudly.

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