Among the special Runes that cannot be synthesized and lack level distinctions, there are some that also incorporate the element of time.
‘Temporal Rewind’: upon activation, it can forcibly revert a designated target or oneself to their state from 1-3 seconds prior. The cooldown is one use per half-day.
A truly divine, life-saving skill that allowed for a margin of error.
And there was more.
Su Chen had encountered a ghost operative in the ruins of Elemental City who could use it to restore a shattered weapon, and it could even be cast on enemies.
‘Danger Sense’—this effect was a bit like foresight. A second before a fatal crisis, a flash of the enemy’s attack would passively appear in the user’s mind.
It served as a form of precognition.
‘The mechanics of these special Runes are pushed to the absolute limit,’ Su Chen thought with a sigh.
Based on the information currently circulating, it seemed only the top two hundred on the contribution leaderboard could claim such prestigious rewards.
Once absorbed into the map of one’s Sea of Consciousness, it couldn’t be dropped upon death to be absorbed by another.
This was just like the tree of Spiritual Energy formed from a class’s Authority; its power could not be extracted after death.
‘Two Teleportation Skills.’
Su Chen glanced at the two identical Teleportation Skill Runes in his hand. They were exactly what he wanted.
[Teleportation Skill: The Caster may teleport to any location within their line of sight or to any place they have personally visited. Energy consumption is determined by the distance.]
After absorbing one, he tried to absorb the other, but there was no reaction.
‘So they can’t be stacked for an upgrade.’
This was another unique quality of special Runes—their effects couldn’t be enhanced through any known method.
“Are there two more Dark Ore Crystals in the exchange?” Su Chen asked Xue Yao.
The VIP trading room, converted from the hotel’s first-floor conference hall, was the epitome of luxury. A deep red velvet carpet lay underfoot, and the crystal chandelier overhead was adorned with a dozen or so Light Storage orbs. Their cool, white light scattered evenly, creating a refreshing and pleasant atmosphere.
The High-level Light Storage Skill did more than just infuse objects with light; the glow it emitted could also calm the mind, even accelerating the recovery rate of Runes.
“Let me check.”
Xue Yao immediately called over an employee.
In less than a minute, a search on the local network confirmed they were in stock.
The Safety Committee hadn’t forcibly confiscated anyone’s minerals. On the contrary, they were buying them in bulk at market price. Since it was for public works, everyone was happy to cooperate.
But even with the market’s tight liquidity, it wasn’t enough to completely deplete the supply of Ore Crystals.
After all, this material was the prime choice for forging Element weapons.
“Good.”
Su Chen immediately bought the two hefty Dark Ore Crystals at a premium.
Having gathered the materials, he didn’t stay any longer.
“Let’s go together. If it’s not enough, we can always come back and check,” Xue Yao said. She knew he was going to upgrade his weapon, and she was itching with curiosity to see the transformation. She followed Su Chen toward the weapon forge nearby.
...
The forge was surrounded by onlookers, and the atmosphere was as loud and frenzied as a gem-gambling market.
“Someone’s gambling big again,” some of the onlookers said, amused.
A tall figure stood before the platform. The Holy Sword in his right hand flew from its sheath, lifted by a ball of silvery-white light, and slowly floated to the center of the forge’s Rune Array.
There was one downside to Rune architecture: the process of submitting or retrieving items was completely public.
If not for the stable order in the area, some might even entertain the idea of robbery.
“Holy shit... he’s betting big!” a mercenary with a greasy face exclaimed, his eyes wide. “Two perfect-quality Dark Ore Crystals...”
“The Demon Patterns on that Holy Sword already look extraordinary, not to mention that Dark Element Rune he’s using—it has to be Lv7 at least,” someone else said, completely shocked. They couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at Su Chen.
Once the materials were submitted, the surface of the forge transformed into a crucible. Blazing white fire erupted from the array’s core, swallowing the entire sword in the flames of Purgatory.
“Here it comes.”
Many of the onlookers grew excited.
First, the two Dark Ore Crystals disintegrated, melting under the intense heat into a flowing, ink-black liquid. This liquid, along with the Cursed Sword Rune, then merged into the body of the Holy Sword.
Before long, the blade first glowed red-hot, then turned black, and finally took on a translucent, pale gray, crystalline quality.
Black and white had combined to become gray.
The original, naturally holy patterns on the blade, once like clouds and water, transformed into colorless, deep, flowing striations.
“Did it work?” the crowd murmured in astonishment. Based on the results, it certainly looked like the weapon upgrade had been a success.
“Something’s not right with that sword!”
What was even more shocking was that the new patterns on the blade no longer reflected light. Instead, they seemed to slightly distort the light around them.
Anyone who stared at it for more than a second felt their gaze being pulled in. Terrified, they all quickly looked away.
Stranger still, any of the forge’s ambient fiery glow that came within a few inches of the blade was silently vaporized, utterly annihilated. Only when the fluctuations of the Demon Patterns fully subsided did the effect cease.
“It actually worked.”
At that moment, everyone realized the weapon upgrade had been a complete success.
‘An Annihilation effect?’
Under the envious gazes of the crowd, Su Chen waved his hand, summoning the blade from the forge.
As his hand touched the hilt, he could feel that the faint wisp of Spiritual Energy within had not been damaged during the upgrade. In fact, it had grown slightly stronger, and the blade hummed in a seemingly joyful response to its master.
In his mind, he saw that within his Demon Contract, the name ‘Holy Sword’ had changed to... ‘Silent Extinction Sword’.
‘It’s similar to the Annihilation property of a Light Erosion Warlock,’ Su Chen realized.

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