Chapter 16
Inside a modest house, a young man was scribbling intently. Despite his elegant appearance, chaos clung to him: ink smeared his face, ash dusted his clothes, and soggy papers littered the floor.
Still, he remained focused, paying no mind to the mess around him. He kept writing until, at last, he scrawled the final rune. As the ink settled, a brilliant glow bloomed, illuminating the room.
His once-tense expression lit up with hope—only for that hope to be dashed.
Boom!
Clayton flinched, quickly shielding his face with a nearby object.
Cough. "Damn it... Why is this thing so hard to make?!" he muttered in frustration.
Yes, that young man was Clayton. Lately, he'd been trying to use his rune entries to craft magic scrolls. At first, things had gone surprisingly well. But everything changed once he reached the practical phase.
It wasn't a lack of understanding. The real issue was his unstable mana control. Sometimes, his mana would run dry halfway through the process, completely ruining the result.
This problem stemmed from his recent promotion to a one-star mage apprentice. He hadn't yet adapted to his new mana capacity or quality. Creating scrolls, however, required a stable and precise mana supply.
In theory, he was top-tier. In practice, however, the results said otherwise.
Often, he could sense the process was failing but couldn't stop it in time. If only my mana control were better. Everything would be so much easier.