"What are you even saying?" Ariana couldn't comprehend what and why the idiot was asking to stay.

She knows better than anyone about Adrian's capabilities when it comes to Runes.

He failed to pass the second stage of the AET(Arcane Engraving Test) and to become a professor of the academy; he had to at least pass the third test.

However, since she knew Adrian's situation in the family and his lack of societal knowledge, she made an exception and allowed him to become a teacher of runes at the academy

Everything has been going quite well, for the past four years. Adrian might be less knowledgeable, but his teaching skills were quite brilliant. And his good relations with top-ranking students never left any room for suspicion.

.....until recently, that is.

The third-year student and the second Princess of the nation—someone who used to adore Adrian in the past—suddenly raised an objection.

In front of the whole class, she called Adrian a fraud and failure. She even challenged him to show how to inscribe runes in front of everyone.

Although Adrian somehow got out of the situation—since he really didn't know how to inscribe runes to a weapon—his escape caused the situation to escalate.

The student who blamed him was a royalty, that's why her voice was supported by other students as well.

There was a high chance for the members of Mage Tower to arrive tomorrow as well since they always considered Ariana a bad choice to be the Headmistress of the academy. So naturally, they were searching for an opportunity to remove her.

However, none of that was more important than Adrian's freedom

If he gets caught in the case of fraud, then he would get fined and imprisoned for sure.

That's why, "You need to go."

Adrian understood what she was saying; however, the sudden appearance of the system somehow gave him a slight hope that he could go against the plot.

"Leaving now would be dangerous since the security is quite strict around this time. So I am thinking of leaving in the morning—when the soldiers change shifts."

Ariana seemed conflicted. As he said, there was a higher chance of getting caught now, even with her help. Since the soldiers assigned for the school security are trained veterans.

However, in reality, Adrian had something on his mind; that's why he wanted some time.

As such, he stepped forward and after resting his hand on the other one's shoulder, he said, "I really will escape in the morning. Trust me."

It was weird, in Adrian's eyes, that here it was about his benefit, yet it seemed he was convincing Ariana here that delaying would not create a problem.

The woman heaved an exasperated sigh before muttering, "Okay, fine. But keep your things prepared and don't sleep. I will take you out around four on the clock."

Adrian nodded before he walked towards the door along with Ariana.

The older one was about to open the door and step out, when suddenly, Adrian called out, "Thank you...Aria...even when your reputation is at stake you aren't showing hesitation in helping me escape."

Although he barely knew her, he was feeling quite thankful for what she was doing for him.

The lady didn't turn to look at him. Her grip on the door handle turned stiff, as she muttered,

"You are my responsibility. I am just trying to take care of things until the end."

Saying so, she stepped out of the room.

Left alone, Adrian heaved a sigh and sat back down on the bed.

'Agh, why am I relaxing...' He turned his eyes toward the floating system screen before asking,

"You said you can help me? How?"

[The system administrator would allow you to learn the basics of Runesmithing. Providing you with materials, skills, and rewards to help you become a full-fledged runesmith.]

Adrian tilted his head...what was this?

"Can you give me some kind of cheat ability? Or maybe install all the methods of Runesmithing into my head?" He was expecting something like that.

However,

[There is no shortcut. The Host must learn everything from scratch and learn through experiences.]

Adrian scratched his head as he asked, "You know I have like nine hours before the assessment right? Will that be enough to learn the first step of Runesmithing?"

Although he doesn't know how to actually inscribe runes on a weapon, he is knowledgeable about what a trained runesmith could achieve.

As such, he has a very vague feeling that within so little time, this system could pull off something so miraculous.

[To help the host learn the basics about Runesmithing, a time chamber is prepared.]

[Time chamber: A secluded space where the flow of time moves at a different pace from the outside world. Within this isolated realm, the host would have an ideal environment to refine and elevate their Runesmithing abilities. With access to fundamental reading materials, you could meticulously study, experiment, and perfect your craft without the constraints of time, allowing for accelerated growth and mastery.]

[Enter?]

[Y/N]

Adrian hummed as he read the description of the time chamber.

He has suddenly transmigrated into the world of a novel. Taken the body of a minor side character—not even an actual villain—and was now standing on the edge of a knife.

Both sides are dangerous, but the side the system was suggesting was far more dangerous.

'Well, I have a few hours to spend...' Deciding to rely on the system—a completely new entity just like everyone around him—he selected the 'Y' option.

*Blink*

.....

"Woah!" Adrian exclaimed as he found himself in a dark place.

He turned around but nothing was visible except for the slight illumination provided by the candle.

The ground was made of concrete stones and seemed quite dusty.

Adrian wanted to inspect his surroundings that's why he tried picking the candle—but,

"Huh?" His fingers went past the candle as if it was actually not there but just a projection.

[Welcome, host.]

[This is your hub to learn.]

[A place where you will learn about Runesmithing and apply those studies to make remarkable armaments.]

As those words appeared before his eyes, a single book dropped to the ground,

*Dhap*

Adrian crouched down and read the name of the book,

[Runesmith: Step One]

[Reading the Element]

°°°°°°°

A/N:- A bit of information will be shared in the next chapter to deepen the knowledge about runes and what MC would be doing.

Thanks for reading.