This time, the Runes seemed to be tailored specifically for Mages.
This was quite advantageous for Lynn, as his primary combat strength currently stemmed from his spells.
As for which of the four Runes to choose...
【Lunch Money】 could bring Lynn a vast fortune.
For a Challenge Rating 1/8 monster, the guild's bounty was usually thirty copper coins, but the 【Lunch Money】 Rune directly offered ten times that amount.
For other classes, this meant they would almost never have to worry about money again during their adventures.
But for a Mage... it was probably a bit of a waste.
Killing thirty monsters wouldn't even buy a single First-Circle spell scroll.
【Triple Shot】 would not only greatly enhance Lynn's offensive capabilities but could also synergize with 【Burst Step】, triggering 【Burst Step】 three times in a row!
Teleporting eighteen meters in a fraction of a second...
Lynn could hardly dare to imagine the effects.
Without a doubt, this Rune would tremendously boost Lynn's combat power before he reached Tier 3.
Its only drawback was that its utility in the late game was too small...
Once Lynn's commonly used spells shifted to Second-Circle or even stronger spells, this Rune would practically become obsolete.
As for upcasting to boost the effects of 「Magic Missile」 and keeping it as his primary spell forever...
That was highly unrealistic.
Spell models were like machines with a fixed energy conversion rate.
Upcasting merely changed the mana input, which was equivalent to adding more fuel to the machine. Although the output increased, the fundamental energy conversion rate remained unchanged.
Using the same amount of mana to cast a Third-Circle spell would yield far better results than upcasting 「Magic Missile」 to the Third-Circle.
As for 【Seasoned Sniper】 and 【Mage's Juice Box】...
Under ideal circumstances, the former would allow Lynn to fight entirely from beyond thirty meters and hit his targets, effectively multiplying his mana pool by 2.5 times.
The downside was that at low levels, it would be extremely difficult for Lynn to engage in combat entirely beyond thirty meters, so the actual effectiveness would likely be discounted.
【Mage's Juice Box】 was the one that tempted Lynn the most.
This Rune had the highest compatibility with an adventurer like Lynn.
Purely in terms of its effect, this Rune was somewhat similar to 【Seasoned Sniper】; both enhanced Lynn's sustained combat capabilities by restoring his mana.
Because of the "potion cooldown," the effects of both Runes could not be replaced by mana potions.
In an endless battle, the upper limit of 【Seasoned Sniper】 was 2.5 times his mana pool, while 【Mage's Juice Box】 offered 4 times.
Furthermore, the 【Mage's Juice Box】 had an additional effect that healed mild to moderate injuries.
However, the 【Mage's Juice Box】 required killing thirty monsters to reach its maximum charge, making its startup relatively slow.
If he were facing a single target, it would only provide double his mana pool, making it less effective than the 2.5 times multiplier of 【Seasoned Sniper】.
Additionally, 【Seasoned Sniper】 had another advantage.
The daily limit for the 【Mage's Juice Box】 was three times his total mana.
Meanwhile, 【Seasoned Sniper】 offered unlimited refunds.
Of course, this unlimited refund was only in an ideal scenario.
Considering that Lynn needed about three hours to restore his mana through meditation, calculating based on an eighteen-hour day, the sniper Rune could refund up to nine times his mana at most.
In short, if Lynn could drain his mana multiple times a day, then 【Seasoned Sniper】 would provide much more sustainable endurance.
After hesitating repeatedly, Lynn ultimately chose 【Mage's Juice Box】.
This did not mean that 【Mage's Juice Box】 was superior to 【Seasoned Sniper】.
It was just that Lynn found it hard to imagine a scenario where an adventurer would drain their mana multiple times in a single day.
【Seasoned Sniper】 seemed more suited for a legion mage who pursued maximum firepower.
Organized mages only needed to dump all their mana under the protection of a collective spell shield, then retreat behind the front lines to rest and wait for the second wave of attack.
But for an adventurer, 【Mage's Juice Box】, with its emergency utility and life-saving capabilities, was clearly far more practical.
Unfortunately, he couldn't just quickly select them all.
After selecting the card representing 【Mage's Juice Box】, the other three cards returned to the deck.
Lynn felt that the deck was likely fixed.
He might draw duplicate Runes in the future.
For instance, the 【Late-Game Expert】 he encountered the first time, or 【Seasoned Sniper】 from this round.
But judging by the thickness of the deck, the probability of drawing duplicate Runes did not seem very high.
In addition, a palm-sized, five-pointed star bottle of about seventy-five milliliters appeared in Lynn's mind. The bottle was completely empty.
This was likely the juice box.
It didn't seem like Lynn needed to drink it physically.
Once the progress was fully charged, a mere touch of his mind would pour it directly into Lynn's body.
“To unlock the next Rune reward, you need to unlock thirty more monster entries~”
After he chose the Rune, the monster encyclopedia also previewed the number of entries required to unlock the third Rune.
Lynn speculated that the encyclopedia distributed rewards based on total entry milestones like "5, 20, 50..." and so on.
Although the number of entries required to unlock the later ones was slightly higher, the unlocking process would likely be faster.
After all, as Lynn's level increased, the types of monsters he would encounter in the future would become extremely diverse.
Especially with the upcoming Autumn Hunt and the potential winter beast tide, both would be excellent opportunities to unlock new Runes.
Lynn's consciousness returned to reality.
A white mushroom, nearly a meter tall, pushed aside the bushes with its cap and stepped out, looking plump and fresh.
Aside from its large size, this mushroom did not look significantly different from any other mushroom.
The only difference was that under its stalk, two tiny mushrooms had grown, resembling a pair of small feet wearing shoes.
These two tiny mushrooms at its base were clearly unable to properly support the Walking Mushroom's massive body, causing it to wobble unsteadily as it walked.
It seemed this mushroom was indeed the legendary Walking Mushroom.
Lynn nudged Henry. “Go on, go take care of this monster.”
“Me?”
Henry pointed at himself.
“Is there a third person here?”
Henry looked around. Ultimately, he could only nervously draw the longsword Old Henry had given him and charge at the Walking Mushroom, which stood there blankly facing them.
Seeing a human charging at it with a longsword, the Walking Mushroom showed no sign of panic or intention to dodge, as this plant-type monster possessed no visual organs whatsoever.
Its only way of gathering information about the outside world was by using its mycelium to detect vibrations and various chemical signals.
Sensing the pheromone called "nervousness" emanating from Henry, the Walking Mushroom knew this fellow was highly likely a weakling.
However, the Walking Mushroom was an instinctual creature without actual thoughts, so it would not actively attack Henry either.
Seeing that the creature barely reacted even as he nearly reached it, Henry relaxed slightly.
Once in front of the Walking Mushroom, Henry recalled how Lynn had dealt with Mentor Damon last time, so he also began circling the Walking Mushroom, trying to find the monster's weakness.
The Walking Mushroom paid no attention to this weak creature. It simply continued walking slowly on its own, shaking its cap and releasing spores from its gills.
It was sowing its seeds.
But after circling the Walking Mushroom twice, Henry realized this thing didn't even have eyes. Its entire body was no different from a barrel—where was he supposed to find a weakness?
Oh, the only somewhat prominent feature of this creature was probably the two buttock-like protrusions at the base of its stalk, which looked exceptionally plump.
Impatient, Henry charged straight ahead and slashed his longsword at the Walking Mushroom's stalk.
But before his longsword could even touch the Walking Mushroom, Henry's vision spun.
When he opened his eyes again, he was already sitting on the ground over a meter away.
His chest throbbed with a dull pain. Had it not been for the protection of his griffon leather armor, his ribs might have even been broken.
He had been headbutted away by a mushroom?
After knocking Henry away, the Walking Mushroom had no intention of pursuing him. It simply crouched back down in place and resumed releasing spores.
The poor thing was just trying to sow its seeds, so picking a fight with it was simply asking for trouble.
...
【Walking Mushroom】: Appears to be an oversized mushroom. The caps at its base allow it to move, and it can even run if in danger. Although it has slow reaction times to the outside world, its immense strength and tough outer skin place its Challenge Rating at 1/4.
The flesh of its "buttocks" and feet is exceptionally delicious, though capturing it can be quite troublesome.
Additionally, it is said that the myconids have established a "Walking Mushroom Protection Association" and strongly condemn humans who consume them.
Rate on N.U.
