"How is this even possible?"
I turned the tablet once more to make sure I had the right device.
I swallowed. "Runes are programming codes?"
A broad grin spread across my face. "This is incredible."
If runes were the same as programming codes, then there were countless possibilities I could explore—after all, runes were what made unique skills and rifts function in the first place.
Hacking into others' abilities, creating new ones, or even closing all the rifts in the world.
The possibilities were endless.
But the problem was that, although runes could be translated into codes, this was only one part of the broader study of perfecting runes, technology, and artifacts—meaning not every rune had a corresponding translation.
However, if I studied enough… then…
Before I realized it, I had fallen onto the bed, still grinning.
"Runes and codes."
It was perfect.
I was already close to the peak of modern-day technology.
'Is this a challenge from the gods?'
I licked my lips. "Don't mind if I do."
I sat upright sharply, slapping my cheeks before grabbing the tablet again.
This time I studied the magic circle closely.
"If I had to guess, then this most likely runs through both functions and persistent function, with the tablet acting as a constant with a boolean."
In short, the tablet was most likely given a set of instructions to execute using the first runes on the magic circle as the function.
Then, the tablet, being a constant that doesn't change physically, operates that task, while the boolean serves as an on-and-off switch.
The persistent function, on the other hand, acted as a thread to ensure the loop never stops until the condition of destruction was met.
But it was only my speculation, since these weren't exactly the codes I knew, plus, I was relying on Allen's vague memories to try and decipher them.
I exhaled heavily, beads of sweat forming at my temples, as I stared at my hand.
"Just this much, and I'm drained."
I clicked my tongue. "All that training of not sleeping for days in front of a screen, wasted."
Still, the concept of the tablet wasn't very complicated.
Resting a hand against my chin, my thoughts raced at full speed.
'What if I try this on my body?'
It made sense if I could apply it to myself. After all, in magical worlds, the body and core were themselves forms of magic.
Judging by where I was in the story, the mana compression awakening had already passed, and, just like before, I had failed to awaken. However, if I could find mana stones and force them into my body, then manually control the pure mana and inscribe codes onto it—I could forcibly awaken this body.
"Maybe even improve myself physically."
It was definitely plausible.
However, I would need mana stones for that.
If runes were codes, then mana was most likely the electricity that allowed the computer, which in this case was my body to even write the codes.
Meaning, without mana, I was still useless.
I shut my eyes. "Should I...?"
It wasn't exactly ideal considering the character Allen Vanderbilt had in the novel.
But...
I closed the tablet's back cover. "I must become a friend for food today."
Even if he ignored his friend, I wasn't planning to do the same.
I would ask her for a mana stone or something similar.
If she gave it to me, I, Allen Park, would repay the favor.
And for that, I needed to head out.
I quickly rose from the bed and put on the clean clothes I had tossed aside.
Once I was dressed, I unlocked the tablet, which didn't even have a password, and searched for the name:
Quincy.
In the novel, she was portrayed as an airhead with sky-blue, almost white hair and golden eyes.
Throughout the story, she was considered beautiful, even as the MC drove a blade into her neck.
The moment I opened the "Chat" app, the very first of three saved names appeared:
Childhood Friend.
My gaze lingered on it a bit too long. "This has to be the weirdest way of saving your best friend's name."
That was like saving your wife's number as Wife.
I'd slap my husband if I were that woman.
"At least save it as just Quincy."
I sighed, then tapped on the messages.
It was mostly her complaining about him not talking to her, or asking about his well-being.
Honestly, it was too one-sided to be called a conversation.
My fingers moved quickly as I typed a short message:
[You: Can we meet?]
Almost instantly, as if waiting for my text, the number replied.
[Childhood Friend: Yeah, come to that café downtown]
I stared at the message. "I don't know where that is."
I typed again:
[You: Where exactly?]
Beneath the keyboard, the name displayed with the word typing beside it.
I sat on the bed, waiting for a full five minutes before a notification arrived.
[Childhood Friend: To the left]
I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to punch the screen. "It took her five minutes to type three words?"
I sighed, replied with "okay," and left the apartment.
As soon as I stepped out, I was greeted by an open corridor, each end leading to stairs that reached the ground.
The air still carried the scent of rain even though it had stopped.
Puddles on the ground splashed as people walked by, and vehicles roared from a distance.
I slipped the apartment key into my pocket and went down the left staircase, ignoring the gazes from the two other apartments I passed.
It seemed I had been mistaken.
In this world, Allen wasn't considered average. He was considered ugly.
'Relax, Allen. You can always hack your face too.'
Nothing was impossible now.
But first, I needed some mana stones.