CHAPTER 48 — The RUNE ISLAND(3)
Atthe shore of Rune Island—
The sun shined brightly across the endless blue sea.
Golden light reflected over the calm waves while the wind carried the scent of salt and wet sand through the air. The shoreline stretched peacefully beneath the sky, untouched by the chaos happening deeper inside the island where students were hunting monsters and searching for Runes.
And right in the middle of this peaceful scenery—
Aiden Lazareth rested lazily on a beach chair.
His body looked completely relaxed beneath the warm sunlight. One leg rested over the other while his hands lazily supported the back of his head.
The soft sea breeze brushed through the dark strands of his slightly messy hair while the sound of the calm waves perfectly matched the slow rhythm of his breathing.
The sand beneath him rested quietly under the sun.
The sea moved calmly.
And somehow—
Aiden looked even calmer than both of them.
But then suddenly—
A shadow fell over him.
And it definitely wasn't the shadow of a tree.
"You again?" Valeria complained immediately.
She stared down at Aiden with visible irritation.
"What are you exactly?" she asked sharply.
"Some school kid who keeps bunking his own classes?"
But Aiden remained calm.
As calm as the ocean in front of him.
"Relax, Ria," Aiden replied lazily without even opening his eyes properly. "The students are already taking their lessons. What exactly do you want me to do?"
He casually lifted one hand upward, pointing his index finger toward the sky.
"Go inside dungeons with them?"
Fwoosh—
A thin compressed line of water suddenly shot out from his fingertip with terrifying precision.
The stream sliced cleanly through the stem of a coconut hanging high on a nearby tree.
Thuk.
The coconut dropped perfectly into Aiden's waiting palm.
"Teach them how to fight monsters?"
Aiden calmly continued speaking while holding the coconut lazily above his chest.
"Or maybe find Runes for them too?"
Tap.
He lightly tapped the coconut with his finger.
Crack—
The upper shell split apart cleanly and fell away like it had been sliced by an invisible blade.
Without hurry, Aiden inserted a straw into the coconut.
Then—
Sllurrp...
Sllurrp...
Sllluurrrp...
The peaceful sound of him drinking coconut water somehow made Valeria even more irritated.
A vein almost appeared on her forehead.
"I just want you to act like a proper teacher for once," Valeria said while narrowing her eyes.
"Oh come on..." Aiden replied casually while lowering the coconut slightly. "Sometimes you should let students figure things out themselves."
The sea breeze passed between them again.
"If you keep helping them for even minor things."
Aiden took a deep relaxing breath.
"...Then How are they supposed to learn anything on their own.
Aiden lazily lifted the coconut back toward his face—
But suddenly paused.
Then casually extended it toward Valeria instead.
"Want a sip?"
---
Ritvik kept dragging both Rowan and Sarina through the crowded outskirts of Rune Island while muttering under his breath like a man running from impending doom rather than searching for runes.
"Hurry up. Hurry up. If we are late then all the decent Rune dungeons will already be occupied by those faction maniacs."
"Why are you walking like someone is chasing you?" Rowan asked while stumbling slightly because of Ritvik's grip.
"Because someone probably is."
"What does that even mean?"
"It means don't ask questions and keep moving."
Sarina quietly followed beside them, her expression calm but her eyes were carefully observing the surroundings.
The deeper they moved into Rune Island, the stranger the atmosphere became.
The air itself felt heavier.
Not suffocating.
Just... ancient.
Massive stone structures rose from the ground at random places like forgotten ruins buried beneath nature for centuries before clawing their way back to the surface.
Strange glowing symbols were carved into broken pillars. Some emitted faint blue light while others pulsed dim crimson like sleeping hearts.
The trees here were different too.
Some had silver bark.
Some had leaves that glowed faintly.
Some looked completely petrified like stone statues rather than living trees.
Rowan's eyes moved everywhere with unconcealed amazement.
"This place feels completely different from the academy."
"That's because Rune Island itself is basically a giant historical site." Ritvik finally released their arms as they slowed down near a cracked pathway made from ancient black stone.
He adjusted his glasses before continuing.
"Long ago this place used to belong to an ancient civilization named Remoreos."
"Like... Some kind of magic Kingdom?" Rowan asked.
"Not kingdom." Sarina calmly corrected him.
"A civilization."
Rowan looked at her.
Sarina's gaze lingered on one of the ruined pillars nearby.
A faint breeze brushed past them.
"There have been many—"
"Oh shup." Ritvik interrupted His grip tightened around their sleeves as he forcefully pulled them through the mass of students. "Do you two even understand what's happening right now?"
Rowan stumbled slightly as Ritvik dragged him forward.
"H-Hey! Slow down first." Rowan groaned while trying to maintain his balance on the uneven rocky path. "You are acting like someone declared war."
Ritvik abruptly stopped.
"That's because it practically is war."
The wind brushed past them as students rushed in different directions across the island.
Some groups were heading toward the forests where monsters roamed freely while others disappeared into the massive rune dungeons carved into the cliffsides of the island.
The atmosphere was noisy.
Excited.
Competitive.
And strangely tense.
Ritvik pushed his glasses upward before turning toward them with a serious face.
"Listen carefully. The moment good runes or high-grade monster cores are discovered inside a dungeon, students start fighting over them."
Rowan blinked.
"Huh?"
Sarina crossed her arms.
"That's normal."
Rowan looked at her in disbelief.
"How is that normal?"
Sarina stared at him with an expression that practically screamed 'how do you not know this.'
"Because runes directly affect wand quality."
She explained calmly. "A powerful rune engraved into a wand can drastically increase spell efficiency, casting stability, mana circulation, elemental affinity, or even create unique effects."
Her eyes slowly drifted toward the distant dungeons scattered across the island.
"And high-quality monster cores act as mana amplifiers. The better the core, the stronger the wand becomes."
Ritvik nodded.
"That's why students fight over them. Especially faction students."
Rowan tilted his head.
"So… basically everyone here is trying to steal the best materials before others can."
"Exactly." Ritvik immediately pointed at him. "Now you are finally understanding."
A loud explosion echoed from somewhere in the distance.
BOOOOM—
A pillar of fire erupted into the sky from the direction of one of the dungeons.
Several birds instantly flew out of nearby trees in panic.
Rowan stared blankly toward the smoke.
"…Did the war already start?"
"Yes." Ritvik replied instantly. "Probably."
Sarina let out a quiet sigh.
"The strong groups have already started occupying the better dungeons."
Rowan looked around again.
Now that he observed properly—
He could clearly notice it.
Students were not randomly forming groups anymore.
Even though everyone was wearing the same uniform.
Invisible lines already separated them.
Ideologies.
Insignias.
And Affiliations.
Some stood behind students from Elemental houses.
Some gathered around Sanctum students.
And then—
There were the students standing alone.
Uncertain where to go.
Uncertain who to side with.
Rowan unconsciously scratched his cheek.
"This academy is way more complicated than I thought."
Ritvik looked at him.
"What did you think before coming here?"
"I thought everyone would just study magic peacefully."
Ritvik stared at him for a few seconds in complete silence.
Then—
"Your hometown really protected you too much."
"Huh?"
"You sound like someone who grew up inside a fairy tale."
Rowan frowned immediately.
"My hometown was not a fairy tale."
Ritvik casually shrugged.
"Compared to Grand Aetherion, it probably was."
Before Rowan could argue back—
Sarina suddenly stopped walking.
"…Wait."
Both Rowan and Ritvik turned toward her.
"Just how much are you guys gonna waste time. Did you forget we were supposed to look for Runes."
Sarina's eyes were fixed ahead.
"Yeah... You are right." Ritvik said as he grabbed their sleeves again.
"Let's go quickly."
---
All three stood frozen side by side.
Rowan and Sarina looked relatively calm.
But Ritvik's eyes had completely lost their light.
Before them—
Every major dungeon entrance on Rune Island had already been occupied.
Several massive dungeon entrances were visible ahead of them.
Each carved directly into giant cliff walls.
Students stood outside each entrance like guards protecting military strongholds.
Some leaned against walls with folded arms.
Some held staffs while glaring at approaching students.
Some openly wore faction insignias without even trying to hide them.
One dungeon entrance especially stood out.
Nearly twenty students stood around it.
Among them Rowan immediately recognized several Sanctum students.
"No way..." Ritvik muttered.
One student standing before the entrance suddenly raised his voice at the approching students.
"This dungeon has already been claimed by the Sanctum faction."
Another voice echoed from a nearby entrance.
"Only members of the crimson fire club are allowed inside."
"And this one belongs to Azure Crest."
Rowan blinked repeatedly.
"...They are claiming dungeons?"
"Of course they are." Ritvik said with a tired face. "The best dungeons naturally contain the best runes."
Sarina narrowed her eyes.
"Looks like things escalated faster than expected."
A nearby group of students argued loudly with another faction.
"We found this dungeon first."
"And now we are taking it first."
"You people are insane."
"Then fight for it."
The atmosphere across Rune Island was slowly becoming more hostile.
More tense.
Like a spark away from exploding completely.
Rowan looked around blankly.
While Ritvik clenched his head.
"We are fucked." He cursed under his breath.
"Hey come on, it's not a big deal." Rowan tried to cheer him up but Ritvik instantly snapped at him.
"What do you mean not a big deal."
He pointed violently toward the occupied dungeons.
"All the big dungeons are taken by these faction Maniacs. Ugh... Oh my god. Looks like we won't be getting any good runes in our hands."
Sarina looked at Ritvik with faint pity.
"Let's find some other dungeon."
"What do you mean another dungeon!?" Ritvik's voice cracked.
"Now only the tiny leftover dungeons remain. The ones nobody wants because they barely contain anything useful."
Tears almost formed in his eyes in exaggerated despair.
"We are doomed."
Rowan awkwardly patted his shoulder.
"Hey... Rather than standing here shouldn't we just enter somewhere? Even if the dungeon is small, at least we can gather materials peacefully."
Ritvik slowly stopped his dramatic grieving.
Then he looked at Rowan with hollow eyes.
"...Let's go."
---
Several minutes later—
"Ughh..." Ritvik ran his hand through his face in frustration.
While Rowan and Sarina stood blankly.
Utterly blankly.
Because now—
Even many of the smaller dungeons had already been occupied too.
Some groups were openly fighting near dungeon entrances.
"Move aside!"
"We found this place first!"
"Get lost!"
Students argued while magical energy flickered violently through the air.
One group even looked moments away from starting an actual battle.
Rowan stared at the spectacle with disbelief.
"...Where are the instructors right now?"
"The Instructor are useless situations like this." Ritvik replied dryly.
"I bet they are outside enjoying the island like this is some vacation trip while students are fighting over runes and monster cores."
At the shore of the island—
Far away—
Aiden suddenly sneezed while drinking coconut water.
Back inside Rune Island—
Sarina crossed her arms thoughtfully.
"Then should we just enter the forest instead?"
"But dungeons are still better than forests." Ritvik immediately replied.
"You can easily find monster cores in dungeons but finding actual runes in forests is nearly impossible."
He let out another exhausted sigh before crouching dramatically.
"Ugh... What do we even do. I don't wanna return empty-handed."
Rowan Watched Ritvik shrink into himself, his eyes softened with heaviness seeing his friend like this.
He quietly looked around. Turning his head left and right. Looking for any dungeon that is not being guarded by students.
Then—
His eyes landed somewhere.
"Why don't we go there."
He pointed toward a direction.
Ritvik turned his head following the direction of Rowan's finger.
Not far away—
Another dungeon entrance stood silently near a rocky cliff.
Compared to the others—
It looked tiny.
Its entrance was narrow.
Old.
Almost abandoned.
No students guarded it.
No groups stood near it.
Nobody even seemed interested in approaching it.
Ritvik slowly turned back toward Rowan with utter disappointment.
"...What?"
"That dungeon is tiny." Ritvik said flatly.
"I'm sure we won't find anything worthwhile there."
Then he looked toward Sarina for support.
"Right?"
Sarina quietly observed the dungeon entrance.
"...We should probably search for another one."
"But didn't you guys say all the others are already occupied?" Rowan asked.
He looked toward the larger dungeons where students still argued and fought.
"And I don't think fighting other students just to enter a dungeon is a good idea."
Ritvik suddenly froze.
Then slowly—
His eyes widened.
"...Yeah."
He abruptly stood up.
"Yeah! He is right!"
Rowan blinked at the sudden change.
Ritvik pointed dramatically toward the abandoned dungeon.
"That's probably the only dungeon left before someone else notices it."
His eyes sharpened with determination.
"If we hurry, maybe we can still get something decent."
Sarina let out a soft sigh.
"Look... I still don't think we should—"
But before she could finish—
Ritvik suddenly grabbed both Rowan and Sarina by their sleeves.
"Move before someone else takes it!"
"H-Hey!?"
"Wait a second—!"
Ignoring both protests—
Ritvik dragged them directly toward the abandoned dungeon entrance.
And just like that the trio finally entered their own dungeon.
---
CHAPTER ENDS