Millennium Witch.

Chapter 8 - Rune Formula
Yvette's fleeting glimpse was clearly not an illusion, because in the years that followed, she not only looked more youthful, but also grew taller from less than 1.5 meters to about 1.65 meters, a growth of more than ten centimeters.

With a perfect figure, pure white skin, gorgeous silver hair, and a magnificent face, anyone who sees her cannot help but exclaim that she is truly an unparalleled beauty.

However, this trend did not last.

Four years later, in the eleventh year after her transmigration, her development stopped, and for the next two or three decades, even without any changes in her lifestyle, she maintained the appearance of a 17-18 year old girl, without aging at all.

She couldn't understand why this was happening. It made her feel like a biological machine with a specific program implanted in it, with its functions and limits clearly defined in the program, which she had no control over at all.

Could it be that someone has performed rune compilation on my genes?
Whether it's the survival ability that resembles the Magic Light Vine, or the beauty characteristic of "freezing age" after a certain age, are they all predetermined?

Is it a hidden technology that Black Tower Pharmaceuticals has not yet made public?
Thinking of this, and considering the enclosed metal door leading to the more central area below the tenth basement level, she couldn't help but make some connections.

If one day we can open that door, perhaps all the questions will be answered.

……

Lead-gray clouds filled the sky, and scattered raindrops drifted down from beneath the thick cloud cover, creating ripples on the surface of the lake in the crater.

This is the 53rd year since she transmigrated. Yvette, whose magic power has surpassed 80 points, is at her desk in the study on the basement floor, dipping her brush in the sap of the Magic Light Vine and writing notes. A fire has been lit in the corner of the room by dried vines. It's cold and damp outside, but warm and cozy inside.

"Ice Spell C-9, tentatively named 'Frost Bullet.' I feel like I've reached my limit; the runes don't seem to offer any room for improvement..."

"Flame Spell B-5, tentatively named 'Flame Dance'. Experiments have shown that more logical symbols and operators can be added, and the process can continue to iterate..."

"Wind Technique A-7, tentatively named 'Windwalker'. The user experience is terrible; the feel is like bouncing on the moon, unpredictable and still needs optimization."

This is her own training notebook, recording the rune arrangements she deduced based on her understanding of magic.

In fact, she was only proficient in using these three spells.

It wasn't that she couldn't access the magical formulas left behind by the Origin Civilization, but rather that without exception, all those spells required being entered into a magic terminal to assist in casting. Otherwise, she couldn't even remember those tens of thousands of runes, let alone use them.

So after much thought, she could only draw inspiration and ideas from those rune sets to imitate them and create the magic she needed at the moment.

Finally, the three spells "Frost Bullet," "Flame Dance," and "Wind Walk" were created—a mix of plagiarism and originality.

"I feel like I can practice my skills against the fish monsters in the lake now."

As she made this judgment, her gaze swept across the lobby on the lower level, where a bunch of things that looked like surfboards were visible.

It was a magical device called a "flying board," which, as the name suggests, was a miniature vehicle that allowed people to float and fly at a height of about twenty meters.

At this moment, these flying boards were still in a state of depleted energy. Her magical "pressure" was insufficient to recharge them, and she was unsure whether they were broken or not, but they still gave her a glimmer of hope to escape her prison.

After exiting the tunnel and reaching the water platform, where the cool breeze and rain greeted her, Yvette noticed a massive, dark shadow slowly gliding across the surface of the lake in the distance. "This mutant is a bit smaller, so let's find it..."

The thought flashed through her mind, Yvette raised her right hand, made a "pistol" gesture, pointed her index finger underwater, and gently tapped the "trigger" with her thumb.

The next second, as 2 points of magic power were depleted, a translucent light shot out from her fingertip, plunged into the water dozens of meters away, and exploded into a beautiful ice flower!

—Frostbolt, a magical spell she's refined over a decade, is simple yet powerful. With just 2 points of mana input, it delivers three to four times the single-target damage of a similar spell, "Ice Cone," making its mana cost ratio utterly superior!
Of course, as introductory-level magical knowledge from the origin civilization, "Ice Cone" isn't a very practical spell; it's more about being simple and easy to remember, with only 20 runes. In contrast, "Frost Bolt" has over 300 runes. Aside from Yvette, most people wouldn't bother memorizing them; they'd simply copy and paste them into a magic terminal.

However, for a spellcaster with limited resources, using magic does not necessarily require reciting the entire set of runes in one's mind.

As long as the two conditions of "completely memorizing the rune sequence" and "extensive practice until a cross-memory of the body, spirit, and memory body is formed" are met, it can be transformed into a special "feeling".

Then, by connecting that feeling with your thoughts, magic can be cast instantly, as if it were an instinct etched into your genes.

……

Compared to the monster that terrified her when she first arrived 53 years ago, the mutated creature now is much smaller, only two meters long.

Enraged by Yvette, it immediately approached, and before even reaching the shore, its head eagerly split into four parts, revealing the chrysanthemum-shaped mouthparts in the center, showing its eagerness for the hunt.

As Yvette retreated, she used her thumb to feed more frost bullets into the opponent's deformed mouthparts.

However, the accuracy was slightly problematic; most of the frost bullets failed to hit the bullseye and ended up in some strange places.

Hmm, aim practice should also be put on the agenda... She secretly made a mental note of this.

Soon, accompanied by a roar, within seconds the ferocious fish-monster rushed onto the metal platform and wriggled toward Yvette like a crazed seal.

Seeing this, Yvette cast the "Windwalking" spell on herself, and with just a slight step back, she created a distance of more than ten meters.

Then she immediately used the third spell, Flame Dance.

In an instant, about twenty meters directly in front, a magical ring with classical patterns appeared on the ground. Blazing flames rose from it in the form of a tornado, engulfing the fish monster that was just climbing over it!
The fish-monster's agonizing screams filled the air, followed by the smell of burning. Although it wasn't directly burned to death by the fire tornado that rose from the ground, the burning effect still caused great damage.

Seeing this, Yvette did not choose to press her advantage. Instead, she retreated directly back into the tunnel entrance and skillfully locked the door from the inside.

—More than 20 Frost Bolts, each costing 2 points of mana. Add to that the 20 points from Flame Dance and the 6 points from Wind Walk, and her mana bar of over 80 points was already less than a quarter, exceeding the danger threshold.

Meanwhile, on the surrounding lake, many bizarre aquatic mutants, drawn by the fighting and the aroma of meat, accelerated their approach. Therefore, from any perspective, she saw no need to linger in the battle.

In any case, she has already received important practical feedback and had her first combat experience. There will be plenty of time to hunt in the future, so there is no need to rush.

(End of this chapter)