CH78 Legendary-grade Artefact
"As you intended, it can houses your OmniRune Core and serve as a portable interface when you leave the Enclave. I’ll leave it to you to analyse how the internal systems interact and support your intentions. You’re more than capable of reverse-engineering it."
Merlin paused for a heartbeat, then added,
"More importantly, it functions as a self-scaling combat artefact. Its output will automatically adjust to your strength and mana reserves. After all, you wouldn’t be able to use a full-powered Legendary artefact with your current Mana Capacity."
Alex nodded again. That was only natural. There was no point in gifting someone a divine sword if they couldn’t even lift it.
"It also has a self-altering form," Merlin continued, "with three wearable modes—bracer, bangle, and bracelet. That way, you’ll always be able to keep it on you, no matter the circumstance."
"Understood," Alex replied, still mentally reeling.
"The weapons housed within are fairly basic," Merlin went on, "but since they scale with your level, they’ll remain relevant as you grow. The wristblade you seem to favour is included—" he gestured at the bracer, "—its retraction system is based on the Tungsten-fused Calx core. This allows for on-the-fly rune or enchantment modifications, provided your Mana Capacity and control can handle the change."
Alex’s heart pounded slightly. That alone made it a practical engineering marvel.
"There’s also a Pulseweave Shield generator embedded inside. It produces a short-duration, directional Mana shield. Each shield can block an attack up to one tier higher than your current cultivation level. The number of shield charges you have available scales with your level, but each charge requires significant Mana investment to store. Don’t grow overly reliant on it."
Alex’s mind was already racing through how to maximise the feature’s efficiency.
Merlin gave him a moment before adding,
"It also includes a passive Mana Amplifier. Your spells will have increased power while wearing it, so adjust your spellcasting accordingly."
"That’s the important stuff," Merlin concluded. "The rest are just standard features expected of a proper Legendary-grade artefact—self-repair, adaptive calibration, durability extensions, and so on. You’ll discover them over time."
Alex sat back, stunned.
Even counting his previous life, this was by far the most valuable gift he had ever received—both in raw material worth and in its functional, personal value to him.
A Legendary-grade artefact.
The cost alone... the materials... the craftsmanship...
Just the individual materials used in its construction were worth more than the already ’expensive’ tuition Earl Drake paid for Alex to study under Merlin.
And to forge it would’ve required multiple Grandmaster craftsmen across several disciplines—Forgesmithing, Material Alchemy, Enchanting, Array Mastery and Runesmithing.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to value the artefact at an equivalence of billions of USD.
And yet, it looked like nothing more than a modest matte black bracer.
In terms of functionality, the artefact would now serve as the physical computational body for the OmniRune Core.
Up until now, Alex had relied on the Rune-Net Supercomputer and Server to provide the processing power for the OmniRune. That system handled the data-crunching necessary for his machine learning protocols.
But with his imminent departure from the Enclave, he would lose direct access to the server. This meant the artefact—his new bracer—would take over as the OmniRune Core’s external processing unit.
Sure, he could’ve opted for a large, stationary computation rig. It would’ve been easier—and far cheaper—to build.
But Alex had deliberately chosen the more complex and costly route: a miniaturised, portable design. Why?
Because the OmniRune Core AI was ready to evolve.
The OmniRune Core housed multiple modular systems, and many of them operated like independent sub-units. Most notably, the AI component had always been functionally separate, primarily running within the Rune-Net Server, where it processed a constant influx of data from the Enclave’s digital library to refine its behavioural protocols.
At present, it was more of a sophisticated bot than a true AI. It couldn’t modify itself. Any upgrades or refinements had to be performed—or at least authorised—by Alex.
But that was about to change.
The AI module for the Mage Assistant system was nearing completion. Once finished, it would be ready for the next phase of Alex’s vision:
The AI had matured into a nascent artificial brain, and Alex knew there was only so much it could learn from datasets. Real growth came from interaction.
So, what better way to train a mind... than to connect it to another mind?
Neural Integration wasn’t some sci-fi concept here—it was a real thing.
Plenty of magical artefacts were soul-bound to their users. In fact, Merlin’s bracer gift worked on that exact principle.
That made integration easier. The core components of the OmniRune were already linked to Alex’s Mindspace. The groundwork was done.
Now, his goal was to bind the AI to his own brain, allowing it to observe and study his neural patterns—his instincts, decisions, mental states—and learn how to function in harmony with him.
But to do this, the AI could no longer remain tethered to the Rune-Net.
Hence the need for a powerful, portable host device.
Alex didn’t plan on full integration just yet. The first step would be a partial link, bridging the AI to both his brain and the new artefact.
Only after the AI attained full self-modification capabilities—when it no longer required the bracer’s computational support—would Alex consider full integration.
And that would happen only when his rank rose high enough for his brain alone to handle the AI’s computation demands.
Originally, Alex would’ve been satisfied with even 10% of the Rune-Net’s processing power in his portable AI core.
But the bracer Merlin gave him?
It was almost on par with the Rune-Net itself.
Sure, it lacked the sheer data bank of the Enclave’s Digital Library.
But in every other computationally relevant area, it was equal or superior—and all within a device that fit on his forearm.
Thanks to this, Alex didn’t have to worry about his AI development, no matter where he went—even across Planes far removed from the Enclave’s infrastructure.
"Go and bind the bracer as soon as possible," Merlin instructed.
"Your family will be arriving to collect you soon. The earlier you’re done, the better."
Alex bowed slightly, then turned to leave.
"Our spot later tonight?" he asked Zora.
With that, Alex stepped into the teleportation portal and returned to his dorm.