First Legendary Dragon: Starting With The Limitless System - Chapter 128

Chapter 128: Practicing forming Affinity Rune
‘Doesn’t matter, I already have learned the basics thoroughly. I won’t spend long getting used to the weight, especially when the current sword feels too light.’

[Well, who told you to have such a strong physique? Even if you aren’t in your Dragon Form right now, the Dragon Blood is passively enhancing your physique, making you much stronger than the average Awakener of your level.]

‘I can’t wait to undergo metamorphosis and become a Juvenile Dragon,’ he said with a smile.

[It won’t be long, Master! Only a few decades if you undergo the usual growth of a Dragon. (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ]

‘…’ He decided to just ignore her and focused on the rune. ‘Yes, the reason I’m learning the spells and cultivation the Human way is because of the absurdly long time Dragons take to mature.’

Shaking his head, he picked up the brush and murmured, “Time to get serious.”

[Master, remember the structure! Don’t rush! First comes the Origin Glyph, but you don’t draw that manually. It’s formed instinctively inside your Sea of Consciousness.]

“Mm. That part, I’ll leave to the actual Affinity Rune formation when I’m ready to engrave it into my Sea of Consciousness,” Orion muttered, narrowing his eyes as he pulled another parchment forward and uncapped a vial of ink.

For now, he would focus on the Structural Layer, the second phase of the rune construction. His hand moved with confidence, the brush drawing a perfect circle that filled most of the page, representing the spherical frame that would encompass the Origin Glyph in the center.

Then, he began placing the Primary Runes.

One by one, he carefully scribed them around the perimeter of the circle—each rune positioned at a specific interval, equidistant and balanced in alignment.

Fire, Flow, Stabilize, Amplify, Ignite, Focus, Contain, Reinforce, and Channel.

Nine runes, each glowing faintly as he finished their formation, forming a complete constellation of runes and elemental authority. But in the Sea of Consciousness, he would need to engrave the runes all around the spherical orb. He decided to practice on the two-dimensional layer first.

[Ooh~ it’s so symmetrical! So pretty! Just like me! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ]

Orion chuckled faintly, ‘I wouldn’t be able to look at it if it was as pretty as you.’

Shaking his head, he focused entirely on the next step: constructing the Mana Circuits—fine interconnecting pathways that would guide his mana between the runes and allow them to harmonize together as a unified system.

He dipped his brush again and carefully began sketching the mana threads. Each circuit glowed faintly with his mana’s pulse, weaving intricate lines from Fire to everything and Flow to Stabilize to Reinforce, linking each rune to its logical partner.

Flow supported Channel. Amplify fed into Ignite. Focus connected to every rune with gentle precision, sharpening the spell intent.

By the time he completed the interlinked web, it resembled a complex array of magical veins, like a nervous system that pulsed softly with restrained power.

[Beautiful~ Now the Runic Language, Master. Inscribe the operational logic! That determines how it behaves when mana is fed in! Mana cost, casting speed, efficiency—this is what separates an apprentice’s rune from a true mage’s!]

Orion nodded, pulling another brush with an even finer tip. Around the circular web of mana circuits, he began inscribing smaller glyphs in Runic Language—same as what is used to write the Runes, but not the Primary Runes.

He wrote the sigils for:

Mana EfficiencyCasting DelaySustained OutputControl Threshold…

And others.

It took nearly half an hour, his brushwork unwavering, his gaze sharp as a blade.

When he finally finished, he leaned back, letting the ink dry. The entire Structural Layer was complete—his chosen runes, their connections, and the intent encoded around them.

‘Damn… even just this would take weeks for most students.’ He smiled to himself.

[Of course! But you’re not most students, Master. You’re built different~ (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ]

He allowed himself a small exhale before preparing for the final step: the Formation Layer.

This step wasn’t just drawing. It was about forming a barrier—a shell—that encapsulated and activated the rune.

In a real Affinity Rune, this layer would bind the Origin Glyph to the Structure, forging a living connection between the mage and the element itself.

Using a broader brush this time, Orion began painting a translucent, semi-spherical globe around the rune circle. The ink shimmered faintly, and his mana seeped into it like wind into grass.

As the globe closed at the top, he paused, channeling his mana inward, then downward, mentally placing the imaginary Origin Glyph at the core of this three-layered construct.

The Origin Glyph wasn’t drawn. It would be born later—inside his Sea of Consciousness—when the time came to form the real rune.

But even without it, this full construct on parchment was a practice masterpiece.

Mana pulsed in layers, from core to outer ring. Then it began pulsing faster and faster. Until—BOOM!

The entire parchment exploded and burned to ashes.

“…”

[…]

The two of them silently stared at the desk with parchment debris scattered around.

Orion’s lips twitched as the crystal bottle of ink had blasted apart during the explosion, and all the ink had splashed onto his clothes and face.

[Well, that’s a stylish way of tanning, Master. You look good, really.]

Lumi’s voice sounded in his mind, barely able to contain her laughter.

“…What went wrong?” Orion silently questioned himself. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

He had done nearly everything properly, and without the Origin Glyph, it was supposed to only power itself for a few seconds before the mana that he injected exhausted itself.

But instead, the entire structure crumbled.

[I think the issue is with the Mana Circuits, Master,] Lumi thoughtfully said.

“Hmm? You think so? I’m pretty sure I connected them properly,” he said with confidence.

[Might be how you connected the Mana Circuits—maybe you messed up the connections of one of them?]

“Well, whatever. I’ll try again. I think the issue was with the Runic Inscription—I didn’t input the details correctly.”

They continued to discuss the failure and tried to brainstorm why he had failed, and after a few minutes of back and forth, Orion decided to just try again.

Picking up another parchment, he placed it in front of him and took out another crystal bottle filled with mana-conductive ink, then picked up a brush.

“Here goes nothing.”

Saying that, he once again began forming the rune, following all his steps until the Runic Inscription turn as he began to change a few details.

Lumi continued to insist that it might be due to the Mana Circuits.

As time passed and the second one came to a close, he took a deep breath and finished the final stroke.

BOOM!

Another explosion. However, this time, he had already placed all the parchments and other things away from the table, so the explosion only destroyed the parchment itself.

“Again…” he exhaled and said.

[Now it’s time you try my method, Master! (ง’̀-‘́)ง ]

Orion’s lips twitched. ‘Alright, alright. Don’t chew my ears out—I’ll try changing up a few things.’

Saying that, he cleaned away his table and began anew on another parchment, following what Lumi advised.

He created it more carefully this time, double-checking all the details.

[Hehe, it will definitely work this time! ＼(￣▽￣)／]

BOOM!