Born In Blood 6-20

Chapter 6: Cultivation

 

Within the underground were countless shops and other businesses, except they weren’t normal by any means. From what Liam could see, some displayed weapons which didn’t look to be made from traditional metals, glimmering various colors.

Hundreds of merchants and robed figures could be seen traversing its pathways. Others shops sold pills, and some were restaurants with signs at the top which caused him to raise a brow.

“Rare magical beast meats?” Liam uttered, remembering the dragon from his infancy. “Is that what it was?”

Before he could ask, Lloyd had already begun walking, prompting him to follow.

“This place is only for cultivators and rich merchants. You can find practically anything as long as you have the means to pay for it.” Lloyd explained.

The underground was also protected by armored guards, but with Lloyd beside him, Liam didn’t get into any trouble.

“I’ll explain a few things on the way.” Lloyd said with his face turned forward. At the same time, Liam’s curious eyes fell on the surrounding buildings.

“Know that this cultivation thing isn’t for the weak-willed. Although it might give you power, you can die at any time, and it’s much more boring than you think.”

Liam nodded. He had already resolved himself to it.

“Firstly, the interconnected centers of power, starting with the sea of consciousness, an ethereal organ within the mind.” Lloyd tapped his temple. “It’s also called the mental sphere.”

“The pressure you went through earlier was me releasing a bit of its strength. Simply put, it expresses your thinking speed, five senses, and something called mental energy. This organ even allows cultivators to sense their surroundings without eyes or ears.” Lloyd revealed.

“At the same time, mental energy is what allows us to use spells.”

Liam’s eyes glimmered with colorful lights. ‘A bit of its strength?’ He repeated.

Lloyd flashed a smile from the side. “Moreover, it allows us to use space-rings, items that allow us to store anything we want as long as it fits inside.” He flashed his index finger, displaying a black obsidian ring.

Lloyd opened his palm, and a piece of steak wrapped around a cloth materialized in his hand.

“Eat.”

Looking at his disciple’s skinny features, Lloyd couldn’t help but feel some sort of responsibility for him.

Liam instantly accepted the meal and thanked him before wolfing it down.

“Expanding the mental sphere vastly improves your senses and all your mental capabilities, as well as the synergy between other centers of power.” Lloyd clarified. “To expand it, you require a special rune.”

“The Body houses the other two organs. It determines your overall physical prowess. The strength of any martial art depends on your body first and foremost. This is why ‘techniques’ are so important, beca—”

“Martial arts?” Liam interrupted.

A chop landed bluntly on Liam’s head.

“Let me finish!” Lloyd rebuked, before continuing. “Techniques are what allow us to make use of the ‘Ora’ granted by the Opposition. Tempering methods, cultivation methods, etcetera, all take advantage of the world essence and give us humans magical abilities.”

Liam rubbed his head but listened intently nonetheless.

“The body requires a tempering method to awaken. With it, one could absorb ‘Ora’ into their body, strengthening it considerably.

“That leads to the last and perhaps the most important organ, the ‘core’, located within the abdomen.”

Lloyd tapped his lower body, right beneath the navel.

“It allows for the manipulation, and absorption of ‘Ora’, and is the very essence of cultivation. Usually, it forms at the average age of fifteen, but if one progresses his other centers of power, that process can hasten considerably.

“To put it simply, the core is the handle of a sword, the body is the sword itself, and the sea of consciousness is the hand which holds it all together.

“Not to mention, once you awaken the core, you receive your element.”

Before Liam had the chance to ask, Lloyd already answered.

“The elements are six, for humans at least. There’s Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Light, and Darkness. Light and Darkness elements are both extremely rare and versatile, but are equally as strong.

“This doesn’t mean that the other elements are weak though, all depend on how they are used. In some, very rare cases, a person might receive two elements. Those lucky bastards are called dual-elementalists.

“To begin cultivating, you must temper the body, because it houses the other two organs and is the easiest to awaken. Simultaneously, you can work on awakening your sea of consciousness.”

“I’ll tell you more when you take the first step.”

As Lloyd concluded his explanation, the pair reached the walls of the underground.

The giant walls housed large caves in which guards, hunters and other cultivators made their way inside, ladders connecting them all together.

A line of such people formed all around the foot of the wall.

From what Liam could see, an armored guard accepted a small fee before letting them enter inside.

“These are called ‘Ora’ caves. Spots where the concentration of world essence is stronger.” Lloyd explained, before approaching the guard and handing him a handful of glowing yellow crystals.

“One hour.” The guard said blankly, gesturing for Lloyd to enter, before shifting his focus to others wanting to pay.

“What kind of money is that?” Liam inquired. n(0)vel(b)(j)(n) was the first platform to present this chapter.

“‘Ora’ Stones, a currency only cultivators use.” Lloyd entered one of the caves with Liam closely behind.

The inside was completely empty, but a faint mist floated around freely.

Lloyd sat cross-legged and gestured for Liam to do the same.

“Now, I’ll give you a choice for your first technique.”

Lloyd smiled, taking out two parchments from his ring, handing them to Liam.

Liam instantly accepted and started reading.

‘Infernal Breathing’

‘Rank-2 tempering method.’

‘Allows the user to use the Infernal Breathing-Technique to heat the body to extreme temperatures. To purify the impurities within the body, one must endure the heat for one minute, completing one cycle.’

‘Ten cycles are required. The minutes must be increased by one every cycle.’

‘The end result is a Rank-2 Tempered Body. In addition to this, the user will have above-average heat resistance.’

‘Warning: If the user does not complete the cycle by enduring the heat and loses consciousness, he may be maimed or, worse, unable to practice bodily cultivation.’

Chapter 7: Guild

 

Liam’s expression turned stern.

He opened the other parchment up and read it as well.

‘Tranquil sky body-tempering method. Rank-1.’

‘Allows the user to absorb ‘Ora’ within the body, cleaning out the impurities within, using the tranquil sky breathing-technique.’

‘Slower than most tempering methods, but the safest and most stable for its rank.’

‘The end result is a Rank-1 tempered body for the user. In addition to this, the user’s body will have more attunement to Body-Tempering methods that require ‘Ora’.’

“The first one is torture, but I’m guessing it’s stronger.” Liam said with a pensive expression. “What are ranks anyways?”

Lloyd smiled at Liam’s maturity.

“Ranks are basically a classification system for cultivation techniques and cultivators. I’d describe Rank-1 as rigid wood and Rank-2 as a hardened stone. I’ll tell you more about the future ranks, but for now, focus on learning the basics.”

Instantly, Liam’s eyes widened.

‘Is the difference between ranks really that vast?’ He wondered, before thinking about his decision.

“How long would these techniques take me?” Liam asked.

“For the Rank-2, it could even be less than two years, even more perhaps. For the second, it’ll take just as long, but you’ll only be Rank-1.”

‘…There’s no reason to fear getting hurt if it’s strength I get by the end of it. After all, pain is just a feeling. Power is bound to stay.’

Inwardly, Liam was done living in weakness. Meaning entered his life in a sense, and for the first time, there was a goal he set out to achieve.

“I’ll go with the Infernal Breathing.” Liam said after a short pause.

Lloyd nodded approvingly with a smile.

“Good choice. A blade cannot be forged without entering the fire. Of course, I’ll train you rigorously before you undergo it.” Lloyd promised, before taking out another set of parchments from his ring.

“These are the martial arts you can choose from. Pick whichever one you’re comfortable with. They have different levels of difficulty, but there’s nothing you can’t learn.”

Liam nodded and instantly began rummaging through the arts.

‘Lightning Spear arts.’

‘A spear martial art consisting of four forms. High speed to catch opponents off guard. Focuses on offense, weak at defending. Movements are irregular and snappy, giving the opponent the appearance of fighting against lightning. ‘Ora’ gives the user a slight burst of speed for 20 seconds. Rank-2.’

“What are forms?” Liam asked. “And didn’t you say without the Core, I wouldn’t be able to manipulate ‘Ora’?”

“Forms are special techniques within a martial art. The first form is usually the weakest and easiest to learn, while the following ones are more difficult.” Lloyd explained thoroughly.

“Martial arts can utilize ‘Ora’ as well, and it doesn’t require you to manipulate ‘Ora’, it just needs you to absorb it, which is entirely possible. You’ll understand when we start.”

Liam nodded, before reading the next few arts.

‘Limbs of Freedom.’

‘A weaponless martial art consisting of two forms. Focuses on defense, while taking advantage of openings to attack. Allows the limbs within the body to contort and twist irregularly, even extending and shortening. ‘Ora’ coats the body with a thin barrier. Rank-2′

Liam couldn’t help but remember a rubbery figure wearing a straw hat.

‘Defense is boring, though. Plus, it only has two forms.’ He thought, before shifting to the next.

‘Sun & Moon arts.’

‘A dual-wielding martial art with three forms. Requires a Katana and Wakizashi. Like the sun and moon, the blades alternate in use, making it hard for the opponent to predict where the next slash will come from. ‘Ora’ provides a layer of sharpness, no matter how dull the blades are. Rank-2.’

Memories of Liam’s dreams flashed in his mind. Him standing atop a giant flaming dragon with his blades in hand.

“I choose the sun & moon arts.” He instantly decided.

Lloyd nodded. “Good choice. I use a sword art myself, so I can teach you thoroughly.”

Lloyd spent the next few minutes showcasing to Liam what cultivation looks like.

The former sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, and the surrounding mist entered his abdomen, glowing fervently.

“That’s pretty much it.” Lloyd said, opening his eyes and losing the glow.

“More boring than I thought.” Liam realized, but his intrigue didn’t waver one bit.

“Now, the guilds. They’re run by the high-ranking nobles and each building plays a different role.” Lloyd clarified. “I currently work as a hunter specialized in magical beasts, but there’s plenty of other jobs to pick from.”

Liam’s ears perked up.

“Can I become a hunter as well?”

The benefits that would bring were endless. Food for both himself and Eve, as well as learning more about magical beasts.

“You can, but not without the proper experience and training.

A moment later, the cave lost the mystic glow, signifying the end of the one hour. This chapter’s initial release occurred on the N0v3l-B1n site.

“Come. It’s time I teach you how to hold a blade.”

Liam nodded with a smile.

The pair promptly left the cave and underground.

Lloyd had led Liam to the borders of Ucladd, where— beyond it— nothing but lush trees and foliage could be seen. An eerie silence covered the region, and various smells entered Liam’s nose.

The pair had walked a considerable distance, before reaching a beautiful ravine.

Water trickling down to a flowing river gave a tranquil air to the space. The sides of the river bank looked as though a war had taken place on it.

The surrounding trees were cleanly cut from the middle, leaving bare stumps.

“Alright, we’ve arrived.” Lloyd uttered, taking off his upper clothes, revealing the endless scars that ran across his chiseled body.

While Liam was speechless, Lloyd shifted his gaze to him and smiled as he said:

“Strip.”

Chapter 8: Hunt

 

Noticing Liam’s confused and slightly weirded out expression, Lloyd cleared his throat.

“It’s for the arts… I need to know each movement your muscles make in order to correct you.”

With an understanding nod, Liam took off his plain upper clothing, revealing his pale and skinny body. Even his ribcage and neckbones could be seen protruding from his skin.

Lloyd shook his head. There were many with similar situations in the peasantry, but there wasn’t anything he could do by himself.

“Now,” Two sword-shaped sticks appeared in Lloyd’s hand. Tossing one of the sticks towards Liam, he said: “Try swinging.”

“But doesn’t the martial art require two blades? One longer than the other?” Liam asked with confusion.

“Did you really think we were going to start with a Rank-2 martial art from the start?”

Lloyd felt like chopping the top of Liam’s head once again, but held himself back.

“I need to teach you the basics first, then we’ll move to the more complicated moves in time.”

Liam couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed, but nonetheless, he nodded his head and began swinging his sword.

The stick cutting through the air made a ‘Fwip’ sound.

Liam repeated the move a few times.

‘He breathes out when striking, has a decent grip, and plants his feet. This one might be talented.’ Lloyd made a mental judgment.

Still, though, Liam’s form had many problems, which Lloyd didn’t fail to point out.

“Keep your arms straight, but not locked, unless you want them broken.”

Fwip…

“Keep your shoulders loose. When swinging, tense them up. That’ll add more power to your swing.” This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

Fwip!

“Keep your back straight and make sure it stays that way.”

As such, Lloyd kept correcting Liam’s form, and was surprised how fast Liam picked them up.

Liam on the other hand, felt like with each swing, his speed and even understanding of sword arts was getting better.

In just 15 minutes, Liam completed what Lloyd thought would take an hour.

Lloyd made Liam swing the sword for a few more minutes, making sure everything stuck with him, before deciding on a different topic.

“Alright, that’s enough.” Lloyd gestured. “Now, let’s move to movement, then we’ll pair the two things you’ll learn together.”

Lloyd provided examples each time he explained a move, and made sure Liam understood before continuing. The routine continued for two hours, before Lloyd allowed for a break.

Liam was sweating profusely, his body was sore and pulsing all over, yet there was a faint smile on his face.

Lloyd sat on the floor with Liam beside him, his hands glowed before two cloths that radiated a tender smell appeared in his hand.

Lloyd handed one of them to Liam and smiled.

“Finish this as fast as you can, we’ll begin once again when you’re done.”

Liam happily accepted, then unfolded the cloth and began eating the chunk of meat like an animal.

A few minutes later, after finishing the last bite of food, Liam grabbed the stick again, turned to Lloyd, and said:

“I’m ready.”

Hearing Liam say that, Lloyd couldn’t help but feel slightly proud of the young man before him.

They continued to train for one more hour, before Liam began showing signs of fatigue.

“Alright, we’ll stop here.” Lloyd allowed, then gestured for Liam to sit. “Since you’re already so ahead with the fundamentals, tomorrow we’ll prepare for your martial art.”

Liam nodded and rested with his back laying on the floor, his arms and legs laid out as there was no energy in his body.

The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange hue over the horizon. Shadows stretched and darkened, covering the region with darkness.

“Enough rest.” Lloyd broke the silence after half an hour. “Wash yourself using the river water. We’ll hunt some weak magical beasts when you’re done.”

…

Liam had finished washing in the chilling river. Feeling the wind on his wet body, he quickly dried himself off using his tattered clothes.

“I’ll get you a pair of training clothes next time.” Lloyd promised as Liam approached him from the river side.

At the same time, a bulky but small leather book appeared in his hand, which he threw towards Liam.

“It’s a bestiary, containing knowledge of all the magical beasts I’ve hunted in this forest. Read it as we walk.”

Liam opened the book up and began scanning its contents.

The pages on the left side had drawings of different mammals and reptilian creatures, yet they didn’t resemble any type of beast from earth.

Below the drawings, were notes with a description.

The pages on the right always depicted a map. The map remained the same, but on each different page, there was a specific marking.

Liam read between the lines of Lloyd’s statement.

They were getting ready for a hunt.

Chapter 9: Crack

 

The pair had walked deeper and deeper into the forest. The grass slowly increased in height, reaching Liam’s knees.

Liam’s eyes scanned the pages one by one. Wolves, pythons, bears and even lions, were all beasts that Lloyd had hunted.

However, they all seemed to have some sort of feature that separated them from the norm.

“Open page twenty-two. That’s what we’ll hunt.”

Liam opened the page and saw a rabbit-type magical beast. It had pitch-black fur, with red slits for eyes. However, its size wasn’t imposing, roughly being the size of a basketball.

“It’s a weak Rank-0 Death Jackal. It can even be hunted by non-cultivators. One strong wack to the head can kill it, but it’s extremely fast.” Lloyd reassured.

Meanwhile, a pungent, burning smell entered Liam’s nose, making him scowl and hold his nostrils tight.

“It’s urine from the Jackals.” Lloyd revealed, lowering his voice and gesturing to Liam to stay close.

“They have a small territory in the forest, so they piss over almost everything. The disgusting smell is what makes the predators stay away.”

The surrounding terrain became more wild, similar to a jungle. A canopy of stretched leaves covered the sky, basking the space in darkness.

Liam could barely make out his surroundings, since it was approaching nighttime.

Soon, Lloyd gestured for Liam to stop. The sound of icky chewing could be heard, followed by the smell of blood mixed with various unpleasant scents.

“Do you see that?” Lloyd whispered, his eyes fixed towards a specific spot a few meters away.

Liam followed his gaze, barely making out a Death Jackal which seemed to be chewing on a dead deer.

A small river of blood ran through the dirt and spread out, originating from the dead animal’s innards.

The Death Jackal’s ears twitched back and forth, while his loud chewing continued.

The sooner you get used to it, the better; Lloyd wanted to say, but to his surprise, Liam’s expression held no discomfort.

‘What a strange kid.’

Liam focused on the Death Jackal’s features.

The Death Jackal’s hind legs were muscular and thick compared to the front legs, but the front legs had sharp claws on the ends of them.

Liam didn’t forget the sharp teeth he saw sinking into the dead animal’s carcass either.

“As I’ve told you, a blunt hit to the head can kill them, but these things are fast. They won’t let you hit them that easily.” Lloyd began to instruct. “The hind legs are the source of their speed.”

“The back legs tense up when the Jackal wants to attack. Once those legs spring, you’ll barely be able to see him with your naked eye.” Lloyd explained. “They’ll continue to dash from spot to spot, while either cutting you with their claws, kicking you, or biting with their teeth. You won’t be able to do much in that state, but try to dodge.”

Liam listened carefully.

“Yet, they can’t continue with that level of speed forever.” Lloyd revealed.

“You have a one to two second window when the Jackal takes a moment to rest. If you fail to hit him during that time, you’ll have to go through another one of its crazy frenzies.”

“Do you understand?”

Liam took a deep breath and nodded, a look of determination on his face.

“How do I begin, though?” Liam questioned. “Do I try a sneak attack or something?”

Lloyd nearly laughed, but managed to hold it in before Liam noticed.

“Mhm. You should definitely go for it.” Lloyd spoke with a serious expression, leaving no room for Liam to doubt his words. “I’ll be watching from close by. If you begin to get seriously hurt, I’ll step in.”

Liam nodded, before making a slow but steady approach towards the beast. He constantly checked his feet to make sure he didn’t step on any branches or crunchy leaves.

Liam was only a few meters away when the Death Jackal’s chewing began to slow down, releasing a nearly inaudible growl.

‘Has it noticed me?’ Was Liam’s first thought as he stopped in his tracks. The Death Jackal still had its back towards him.

A second later, the Death Jackal’s chewing went back to normal…

Then it became abnormally fast!

Its growl grew louder and louder by the second.

Instantly, Liam dashed and jumped right behind the Jackal, his stick getting seriously close to hitting its body.

Thump…

The sound of a stick hitting dirt could be heard, followed by a shrill hissing sound that gradually increased in volume behind him.

Bang!

The air in Liam’s lungs was completely vacuumed as the Death Jackal landed a kick on his back, causing him to stumble and fall face first.

Liam pushed himself off the ground and dusted off his face. His eyes locked with the rabbit’s.

Its blood red eyes flickered with anger.

With a shrill hiss, the Jackal began jumping from spot to spot, like a ping pong ball inside an arcade machine.

Liam was in center while the barely visible Death Jackal continued to hop from tree to tree all around him. Under the darkness of night— with its own dark fur to add— it was practically a shadow.

Without even having a chance to block, a red line appeared on Liam’s right arm, followed by a streak of blood.

Liam limited himself to a low grunt. A shallow cut wasn’t enough to make him lose his grip.

He didn’t have the time to catch his breath before the hissing noise began once more.

At the same time, Liam realized that once the Jackal jumped, it made a ‘thump’ sound, giving him a vague sense of where the beast was.

The Jackal continued with its speed frenzy, forcing Liam to hold his defensive stance.

Multiple streaks of blood appeared on his body, but the rush of adrenaline numbed his pain.

Suddenly, the sound stopped last right behind him, giving Liam just enough space to duck right, dodging the Death Jackal’s claws.

The Jackal didn’t stop there.

More cuts surfaced on his body, blood dripped from his body and soaked him like a wet cloth, yet his expression wasn’t one of pain, but of focus.

The Jackal started to slow down.

The cuts on Liam’s body turned into scratches, and the ‘Tock’ sound began to dwindle in volume, as though the Jackal used its leftover energy to get further away from Liam.

‘As if I’d let you.’ Liam thought as he chased the faint noise.

Since most of its energy had been spent, the Jackal wasn’t fast at all, and Liam was able to catch up with it.

His eyes lit up once he saw the resting Death Jackal just a few meters ahead of him.

Suddenly, a dangerous aura covered the beast. Its fur seemed to glow and slightly grow in length, while its eyes grew redder. It yelped continuously, as though it was in pain.

Whatever it was, Liam knew he couldn’t let it continue.

Before the Jackal had time to replenish its energy and grow stronger, Liam prepared himself to throw the stick right at its head. This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

He assumed a throwing form, bringing the wooden sword above his head with both hands. As he breathed out, he threw the stick with all his strength.

The Death Jackal had stood completely still while it replenished its strength, unaware a hardwood stick was headed right for his soft skull.

Crack!

Chapter 10: Training

 

The Death Jackal was without a doubt, dead. It twitched here and there, but lay limp.

Pieces of its skull paired with brain matter splattered over a tree trunk, coloring it various shades of red.

“Well done.” Lloyd clapped, dropping from a tree above. Strangely enough, his fall made no noise.

Liam nodded, his gaze still fixed to the dead rabbit. This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

“What was it doing?” Liam questioned as Lloyd approached the jackal and picked its corpse.

“Magical beasts have innate abilities,” Lloyd revealed, taking out a large cloth and spreading it out.

“The way they use ‘Ora’ is quite special. From birth, their body is already attuned with it, allowing them to manipulate their elements as their bloodline spreads and prolongs.” He explained, before taking out a slant tipped silver blade from his ring.

“This one in particular could exchange some of its life for a temporary increase in strength. As they do that, they can shoot up to Rank-1, but their life expectancy gets reduced to mere hours.”

Liam raised his brows, but his eyes brimmed with curiosity.

Meanwhile, as Lloyd explained, he began skinning the rabbit, gesturing Liam to pay close attention as he did so.

“This is the Opposition’s fairness, the governing force of the cultivation world. There must always be some sort of barrier or drawback to growing stronger.

“Magical beasts have powerful bodies and natural abilities, but lack intellect. Humans on the other hand require cultivation techniques to progress further, but can make wonders with their minds alone.”

As Lloyd concluded his explanation, he started teaching Liam for the next 15 minutes, about how to gracefully separate the skin from flesh, the flesh from bone, and how to carefully extract the organs.

Suddenly, Lloyd dug his hand into the jackal’s abdomen, yanking out what looked like a translucent, soft marble.

“This is what allows them, and us, to absorb ‘Ora’. The gaseous inside is the world essence in the flesh.” He explained, handing the orb to Liam, who began inspecting it thoroughly.

A moment later, the pair began to make a small bonfire with a kindle of thin branches; cooking the skinned pieces of rabbit meat over it.

Like so, time passed.

…

Liam’s time in the forest became enjoyable after he grew accustomed to its demanding conditions.

Hunting wild beasts and learning how to survive in the wilderness wasn’t easy at first, but as time went on, Liam displayed talent in doing so.

At the same time, Liam began to condition his body.

His physical training consisted of lung strengthening, getting accustomed to heat, hunting, and daily spars with Lloyd.

For his lungs, Lloyd had given him hardened gourd bottles to break through, using only the strength in his exhale. Each bottle was bigger than the next, and it took him an entire month to break the first one.

Magical beasts were much more diverse and intriguing than Liam had realized. Nearly all their behaviors and abilities varied from each other, and Liam could easily hunt Rank-0 creatures with ease.

For the heat, the ravine waterfall was connected to a geyser not far from it. Liam had meditated directly under the waterfall, while heavy, nigh-boiling water washed over him.

Doing so didn’t only hone his focus, but his resilience to weight and high temperatures.

However, out of all the rigorous and relentless training he went through, the spars were the most difficult.

Lloyd was merciless!

As Liam’s proficiency with the sword got better, he started using a real katana and wakizashi, in line with his martial art.

Despite Lloyd only using a wooden stick, Liam couldn’t match his prowess at all, and their duels ended with the latter being bruised and battered.

“You must get used to it. In a real fight, your attacker won’t care about age or status. Ignoring pain will prove to be useful during those moments.”

Though, Lloyd made sure not to injure the young man’s face.

Creating a convincing story for Eve wasn’t easy. Liam bringing back home heaps of cooked meat every night made her raise a brow, but the aching hunger enticed her to believe his alibi.

Liam would sell the spare meat to nearby butcheries and restaurants within the peasantry, providing him with a steady source of income on the side.

Five months passed, and spring had arrived.

Liam’s thin and lanky figure turned lean and muscular, with his above average height growing by a few inches. At the same time, his facial features also grew more elegant.

Such progress was expected, as not a day passed where he didn’t train.

…

Currently, Liam trailed through the blooming night forest with a giant sack tied to his back, pressing him down as he walked hunched.

He wore a tight, blood covered gymsuit that clung to his lean figure, while his blonde hair was styled to an undercut parted halfway. On his hip, were blades held tightly in their scabbard.

Liam eventually stopped near a familiar ravine.

“Took you long enough.” Lloyd called out from a distance, sitting cross-legged on a large boulder with his back turned.

Liam dropped the heavy sack on the ground — which landed with a thud — then heaved a deep, tired sigh.

“You should’ve described its size properly. It was the size of a bloody bear, not a dog!” He retorted, before taking off his clothes and jumping inside the flowing river.

Lloyd raised his brows in surprise. ‘Although Rank-0 Rage Badgers can grow large, don’t tell me he killed one the size of a bear?’

A pensive look rested on Lloyd’s face, before he nodded to himself.

‘It’s time for him to temper his body.’

Chapter 11: Rascal

 

Liam rubbed his gym suit free of its bloody stains. He left the river and dried himself off with a towel, before getting ready for his daily spar.

His body was covered with small cuts and light scars. A fresh wound in the shape of a claw spurted slight blood on his chest, which he had applied a special medicinal herb on a moment earlier.

“You’ve memorized the infernal breathing technique, yes?” Lloyd questioned, still perched atop a boulder.

Liam instantly nodded as he approached, and didn’t wear his clothing.

“Can we begin?” He asked with hope in his voice.

Lloyd nodded with a brief smile, before turning stern a moment later.

“Sit in the lotus position.” He instructed, and Liam promptly sat down cross-legged on the ground.

“You’re already familiar with how the breathing method works, so I won’t touch on that. Just remember your training and strengthen your resolve. No matter how tortuous it gets, do not breathe in air.

“Too much external influence can ruin the entire process, so you’re on your own.” Lloyd said, putting his hand on Liam’s shoulder.

Training the young man took less effort than Lloyd had imagined. Liam was incredibly hard working, always looking for ways to improve.

Yet, in a moment, there was a chance he would no longer be alive.

Liam nodded with a resolved look on his face.

“Good luck, kid.” Lloyd uttered before taking a step back. “You may begin using the breathing method.”

Liam had patiently waited for this moment, the first step on his journey of cultivation.

‘Can’t screw up my beginnings.’

He let out a deep breath, completely emptying his lungs. Then, a series of quick, immediate breaths followed.

The goal of the Infernal breathing method was to heat the insides fast enough that it could forcibly purify and temper the body.

Liam repeated the process multiple times, until his lungs felt as though they were burnt rubber, flaring his body with heat.

After reaching a state of hyperventilation, Liam let out one last breath, the last before he was to endure one minute without oxygen.

This was the Infernal tempering method!

Seconds passed, which to Liam, felt like minutes.

His skin began to turn red, the need to inhale air wasn’t an issue just yet, but the heat from his lungs began to spread throughout his insides.

Time seemed to pass in slow motion, and Liam’s condition only worsened.

Steam seeped from his skin and moistened the air around him, while his lungs begged for a speck of air.

Liam denied his body’s wishes and refused to yield, only thinking of what it took to get where he is now, and what he was to gain after.

Thirty seconds had passed, yet Liam could swear one minute had already flown past.

His heartbeat started to echo in his ears, slightly weakening.

A thin line between life and death had presented itself, a test of resolve and determination.

With his thoughts murky, Liam felt as though his head was filled with a dense fog. A moment later, his body went numb, convulsing violently.

A breath of fresh air sounded more enticing to Liam than a mountain of gold.

Bulging veins appeared on his neck, while his skin color transitioned from red to purple. Meanwhile, his eyes turned bloodshot.

The light of his consciousness was beginning to fade.

However, his pores turned from purple to dark black, a putrid smell exuded from his body as a thick, goo-like substance left his body.

Lloyd had watched the whole thing with a feeling of calm anxiousness he didn’t know he possessed.

The second he saw Liam’s pores turning black, his eyes widened as he shouted, “Enough!”

As soon as he heard Lloyd’s voice, Liam’s consciousness was already hanging by a thread.

Unable to hold back the urge to breathe any longer, he inhaled as much air as his lungs could allow him to.

Hant! Hant! Hant! This chapter made its debut appearance via N0v3lB1n.

Each breath taken was sweeter than the last, and a newfound appreciation appeared in Liam’s heart for air.

Lloyd smiled wide enough to showcase all his teeth. “You did it. A ten year old with a Rank-1 body!”

Liam’s loud panting slowly abided, enough for him to furrow his brows and respond with a slightly angry tone, “Why are you so surprised? Were my chances lower than I thought?”

Lloyd laughed awkwardly, before clearing his throat. “Of course not. I taught you after all.”

Liam shook his head inwardly, before inspecting his body. From head to toe, his figure dripped with black mud.

A disgusting smell assaulted his nose, and his consciousness was slightly woozy.

Yet accompanying it was a feeling of vigor and strength unlike ever before.

“Can we spar now?” Liam raised his head and asked.

Lloyd facepalmed and heaved a tired sigh.

“You rascal! Go jump in the river already!” He suddenly shouted, picking Liam up from his shoulders, before hurling him into the flowing water.

SPLASH!

Chapter 12: Spar

 

As Liam got submerged in the river, he instantly noticed the new effects of his body.

For one, despite it being a cold spring night— and a colder river no less— Liam wasn’t too bothered by it.

And although the water currents ran against him, it was considerably weaker than before. He could easily swim against it now.

Slowly, pieces of the gunk washed off his body, revealing a defined and muscular exterior. The claw wound had already turned into a faint mark.

He began to hold his breath underwater. Part of him never wanted to do so again, but with a stronger body, came a stronger will.

Two minutes passed with Liam underwater, yet he didn’t feel any major discomfort.

The feeling of vigor, energy and strength was addicting. He needed more.

‘I need to test this body.’

Liam exited the river and dried himself off— wearing his gym suit— before approaching Lloyd with an anticipating expression.

“Can we spar now?”

Lloyd heaved a sigh, taking out two slant-tipped blades.

“Come.”

Liam suppressed a smile from appearing on his face. Slowly, he unsheathed his own blades.

The katana and wakizashi were plain silver-made weapons, only thinner to accommodate Liam’s short and weaker stature.

‘They’re so light now.’ Liam thought, before shifting his gaze to the opponent.

Lloyd stood opposite to him, like a statue, he stood still with his blades lowered to his sides.

Under the night sky, Liam’s vision improved quite well, enough that he could assess Lloyd’s calm, domineering expression.

Liam gripped his blades tighter, before tensing his knees and shooting at Lloyd’s figure.

Clang!

Sparks lit the river bank with an orange hue as four blades collided.

Liam instantly felt the strength of his attack, but Lloyd didn’t even get pushed back by it; calmly parrying it and shoving the former away.

Stumbling backwards and fixing his footing, Liam didn’t stop with his offensive, performing a swift barrage of powerful swings.

A series of loud ‘clang’ noises reverberated through the air, and sparks continued to form.

Before, Lloyd would always spar defensively, focusing on blocks and counter attacks.

Now, he was forced to become serious as Liam’s speed, strength and dexterity was bolstered. As the fight continued, a crazy smile appeared on his face — which could only be described as proud.

Right as Liam attempted to slash at his thigh with his wakizashi, Lloyd evaded and instantly grabbed his wrist.

‘Well sh—’

Liam couldn’t complete his thought as he was hurled a large distance away, crashing and rolling in the dirt face first, before abruptly hitting a tree trunk. The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0/v3l-B1n.

“Ugh,” Liam grunted as he picked himself up and cleaned his face. His body slightly ached, but his bones weren’t broken, and his skin wasn’t bruised. “You need to stop throwing me.”

“You little rascal.” Lloyd guffawed, storing his blades back inside his ring. “I can’t imagine what you’ll be like when you awaken all three centers of power.”

Liam expressed a slight smile when he thought of the future.

“Speaking of centers of power, I’ll make some preparations for tomorrow.” Lloyd said, referring to the sea of consciousness. “I’ll also need to teach you how to absorb ‘Ora’ into your body. For now, go home and rest.”

Liam nodded with a grateful smile, sheathing his blades and bidding farewell to his teacher.

Instantly, he began to run back home, testing his newfound stamina.

Sprints were also a normal part of Liam’s training routine, and he had built a solid amount of stamina during the five months.

Usually, he approached his limits at 15 minutes running full speed, but now…

Liam ran half an hour without sweating at all, already reaching the borders of Ucladd.

‘I wonder what the further ranks can allow me to do.’ He thought.

Needless to say, his ambition for strength rose.

Liam respectfully greeted the border guards as he made his way into the peasantry, then continued to run until eventually reaching his house.

From the house window, a faint candle light flickered bright and dim.

Heaving a short sigh, Liam creaked the door open and silently walked in. “I’m home.”

Eve left her room with a slightly worried expression— which softened once she saw her son in one piece.

Eve had looked significantly better than before.

Her cheekbones were no longer visible, her face lightened up and her figure improved, all due to Liam bringing food from his hunts.

To her, Liam worked as an assistant to the hunters guild, which — in turn for his support — gave him a share of the meat they hunted.

Eve smiled as she thought of her son’s hard working and determined personality. She neared his forehead for a kiss.

“Welcome home. I’ve already made your dinner, but it’s gotten slightly cold.” She said with a slight sadness under her warm tone.

In truth, she felt somewhat guilty for allowing Liam to work at such a young age. However, in Echoria, the age of adulthood was fifteen, since the core formed at that time.

“Thank you, ma. I’ll finish eating then sleep. I have another long day tomorrow.” Liam thanked, sitting and wolfing down his food.

The two conversed shortly— with Liam telling Eve about his day — before Liam finished his food, entered his room and put his head to sleep.

The night quickly passed, and the day arrived.

Chapter 13: Psionic Rune

 

Liam left early before Eve woke up, heading to the usual meeting place beside the ravine.

As usual, Lloyd was perched atop a boulder, his body covered with a warm yellow glow.

“You’re a bit early.” He opened his eyes and started with a greeting, losing the world essence around his body.

“Just a bit eager.” Liam replied as he approached. “Can we begin now?”

Lloyd nodded, taking out what looked to be a small rock from his ring, the size of a golf ball. He instantly tossed it in Liam’s hands.

“That glowing rock is what’s called a Psionic Rune.”

Lloyd explained as Liam inspected the rock from different angles. It released a faint hum, vibrating slightly. On a flat side, a small rune emitted blue light.

“The Psions were a race with extremely high levels of intelligence and mental capabilities. It is said that their mental energy was capable of turning into physical weapons themselves.

“Unfortunately, their race is now extinct, and they have become a stepping stone for humans to become stronger.” Lloyd shrugged, before continuing.

“Awakening your sea of consciousness is simple, tap the rune on your forehead.” Lloyd instructed, tapping his forehead twice. “Grit your teeth, though. Focus on where it hurts.” n(0)vel(b)(j)(n) was the first platform to present this chapter.

Liam quickly nodded, inwardly taking mental notes of the other races, before bringing the rune to his forehead.

Instantly, a sharp pain assaulted his mind.

It was as though someone had stabbed him in the temple, then twisted the blade repeatedly!

Wincing with a strained expression, his teary eyes were squinted shut. Still, he didn’t release his trembling grip on the rune.

At the same time, images started to flicker inside his head.

The migraine continued for what felt like minutes, before suddenly disappearing.

Liam still had his eyes closed, but when he slowly opened them, he was astonished.

The feeling of air on his skin disappeared, the sounds of small waves crashing against each other entered his ears, while he found himself floating above the air.

His own figure was ethereal and naked, but there was no one else but him there, making him feel at ease.

‘So this is the sea of consciousness…’ Liam thought, slightly stunned as his eyes scoured the surroundings.

The space was enclosed in a dome-like shape. Below him was a grey black sea, the light waves of which rippled and crashed against the translucent walls of the dome.

There was nothing above him except the top of the translucent barrier, while his surroundings reaffirmed the spherical shape of the mental sphere.

With a thought, Liam could actually move his figure towards anywhere he wanted.

Bringing himself close to the walls, he peeked outside, finding it to be absolute darkness.

Moving along, he made his way to the black sea, dipping his toes in.

Unlike the consistency of water, it felt like a thick, gas-like substance. Getting curious, Liam submerged his figure underneath the water, finding himself able to breathe normally.

However, the depth was shallow.

Liam opened his eyes once more, finding himself in reality.

Noticing his student’s amazed expression, Lloyd smiled.

“The sea of consciousness is all your intellectual properties combined. The sea itself, also known as mental energy, is your ability to think. With each thought, emotion and feeling, it ripples and forms waves.

“When using the Psionic Rune, it depletes your mental energy exponentially, but it’ll consume less once you expand it.

“The more you expand your mental sphere, the more mental energy you attain, the faster and quicker you can think, even boosting your senses in the process.

“Although right now your mind is too weak to have any effect on reality, once you go up the ranks, that can change.”

Excitement brimmed within Liam, and he couldn’t hide the slight smile that formed on his face.

Lloyd’s expression became stern before he continued.

“Do not overexert yourself using that rune. If you do, it’ll have the opposite effect on your mental sphere, which could even crack when strained. What do you think happens when your sea of consciousness is shattered?”

Liam’s demeanor changed once he realized the risk that came with expanding the mental sphere. He answered in a low tone:

“You lose the ability to think.”

Lloyd nodded once, before jumping off his seat.

“Now, for absorbing ‘Ora’. You already know how to since it comes with the Infernal tempering method. But it takes some time.”

Lloyd spent the next hour instructing Liam on how to absorb ‘Ora’ within his body.

It took some time, but eventually, Liam got the hang of it. All it really required was some concentration while sitting in the lotus position.

Soon, a faint glow covered his pores.

With an instinctive feeling, he commanded his pores to suck in the yellow colored mist into his body, causing it to morph into his figure.

As ‘Ora’ entered his skin, he felt the essence flowing throughout his body, nourishing and strengthening it as well.

“Good! Now try and redirect that ‘Ora’ in your body to a single point, in your arm for example.”

Liam tried as instructed.

His control over it became much easier and simpler for him once he understood how it felt to absorb the ‘Ora’ within the body; like muscle memory, it eventually became instinct.

Liam closed his eyes and focused, with a thought, the ‘Ora’ within his body moved according to his will. Slowly, he directed it to his hand and arm.

It felt powerful like never before.

Lloyd pointed towards a small boulder nearby, then said, “Punch that as hard as you can.”

Liam’s lips curved upwards to form a smile, and without delay, he fixed his form and shot his fist at it as hard as he could.

Boom!

The boulder shattered into hundreds of little pieces, causing Liam’s eyes to widen in awe.

Chapter 14: Hunt

 

Liam let out a low grunt while rubbing his bloodied knuckles. A little skin had shaved off when he punched the boulder, but his hand wasn’t broken despite taking the brunt of the attack.

His gaze shifted to the scattered rock and he couldn’t help but smile.

The ‘Ora’ within Liam’s arm disappeared, and only a few minute traces of it remained.

Lloyd giggled like a child watching someone fall, before clearing his throat and explaining:

“Absorbing ‘Ora’ into your body is like a sponge, strengthening it considerably. You can absorb it and use it straight away — losing it in the process — or allow it to nourish your body. Doing so allows your body to slowly move up within the subsection stages, such as lower, middle, upper and peak stages within each rank.”

Liam listened intently, taking mental notes.

‘Cultivation is so vast. I wonder how much I don’t know about this world.’ Liam imagined.

“Now that you’ve learned how to absorb ‘Ora’, try using it with your first martial art form.”

Liam’s face lit up as he remembered his martial art forms. His proficiency with it had grown well enough that he mastered the first form of the sun & moon arts.

He spent the next moments absorbing enough ‘Ora’ to store inside his body, before taking out his blades.

He had already memorized the form and its instructions. Without delay, he assumed a stance, raising his katana over his head and manipulating ‘Ora’ to his hand.

‘First form… Lunar Eclipse.’

Liam’s silver blades glew gray as he slashed vertically, a moonlight silver arc shooting out from his katana’s edges.

The arc of light cut through the air with a whistling sound, eventually colliding with a tree and forming a shallow but smooth cut on its trunk.

Liam’s lips curved to a wide smile.

“Now, try hunting a Rank-1 magical beast.” Lloyd proposed, and Liam eagerly nodded.

.

.

.

Liam hadn’t actually ventured that deep into the Ucladd forest, since magical beast packs would increase in both number and strength.

Rank-0 beasts weren’t too powerful once he gained a bit of experience, but Rank-1 beasts required at least one center of power in the first rank to fight against.

Eventually, Liam stopped amidst a smelly area, claw marks and urine staining the surrounding trees.

He climbed over a thick tree branch as his gaze was fixed on the mammal right below him, a Rank-1 bear type magical beast called the Earth Bear.

Liam had already memorized the beast’s description in Lloyd’s bestiary. The debut release happened at N0v3lBiin.

The Earth Bear had dense gray fur that was stained with dry blood, large black eyes that radiated strength, and a muzzle that contained a jaw as large as an adult thigh.

It gently rested by an oak tree, its purring vibrated through the air, unaware of the hidden figure looming above him. Liam had tracked it for nearly an hour.

He had waited until the bear had a full stomach before he began his attack, giving him the element of surprise and the advantage of speed.

Liam silently sprung his legs and leapt into the air, his blades pointing right towards the skull of the beast as he fell towards the ground.

Nothing stopped Liam’s trajectory as he headed for the bear’s head, and just as he was about to pierce right through its brain, the magical beast changed sleeping positions last second and Liam’s blades punctured only the side of its body.

‘Welp—’

A thunderous roar shook the surroundings. Liam swiftly yanked his blood covered blades out of the bear’s body and created distance between him and the beast.

The giant mammal perked up and began to scoff and deeply growl, looking around angrily to find who dared to disturb his sleep.

When it spotted Liam, it let out another roar aimed right towards him, longer and even more ferocious than before.

His eardrums rang painfully, but Liam didn’t lose focus. With his blades by his side, he waited for the beast to make its move.

Just as Liam expected, the bear charged right at him with murderous instinct.

As Liam dodged, its soft fur brushed right past his arms, while his sword and shortsword dragged across its body.

Right after causing two gashes to appear on the bear’s body, Liam took a step back to avoid the giant claw, simultaneously shooting out an arc of silver light at its eye, blinding it.

The beast growled in pain, but only increased in anger. Its remaining eye glowed with fury, while its body seemed to pulse, growing in size.

Liam took that as his cue to run as fast as he possibly could.

Looking over his shoulder, he wasn’t surprised when it began furiously charging through trees just to get to him.

The sounds of trees breaking and falling echoed throughout the forest.

Nonetheless, Liam maintained a safe distance, jumping from tree to tree branch.

The Earth Bear’s reckless rampage continued for a few minutes, before he appeared to slow down. its breathing became irregular and raspy, like it was difficult to inhale, while its movements turned sluggish.

‘About time.’

Liam found an opening on the beast and didn’t hesitate to take it.

He used his blades like a piton to quickly climb a nearby tree, then pushed himself off with both feet, propelling him towards the mammal’s head with his blades in hand.

The bear was weakened, making a poor attempt at blocking Liam’s steel blades from severing its neck.

Blood spurted from where the beast’s head once was, while a blood-red mist stained the air.

The bear’s body thudded on the ground, a stream of blood flowing from its separated head, wetting Liam’s shoes.

“Well done.” Lloyd whistled as he watched the gruesome scene. He shifted his gaze to Liam.

“I reckon that’s enough explaining, you pretty much know everything. Now that you’re a cultivator, you can apply for a guild membership.”

The guild system was quite simple.

Guild members could complete missions, and accumulate merit points in return. With those points, they could purchase techniques and spells.

Hunters, mercenaries, body guards, etc… The guild offers multiple options to choose from. Some of them paid more than others, but the higher one earned, the more difficult the job would be.

“What do you want to be?” Lloyd questioned.

Liam’s expression turned pensive as he recalled the many jobs the guilds offered.

‘Becoming a hunter is the best bet at the moment. I’ve already garnered enough experience with magical beasts as well.’

There were three options Liam could currently choose from.

Option one was a hunter specialized in magical beasts. The second was to become a mercenary, and the third, a scout.

Mercenaries were the most versatile of jobs, since their work contained escorts, hunts, and more.

‘Becoming a hunter is the best bet at the moment. I’ve already garnered enough experience with magical beasts as well. Though, won’t becoming a mercenary allow me to fight with other cultivators and gain more battle experience?’ Liam pondered for a few moments, before eventually concluding.

‘I can always hunt on the side.’

“Can I become a mercenary?”

Lloyd nodded with an approving look.

“Say no more.”

Chapter 15: Pity

 

The sky was covered with dense grey clouds, while beams of light poked holes through them. A gentle breeze flowed through the area, covering the vast forest and shaking its leaves.

The rays of sunshine squeezed through the cracks of a horse-drawn carriage, rocking up and down, bumping over the dirt road surrounded by thick trees.

Inside the carriage were multiple figures, among them, a young boy.

Liam had his eyes closed as he laid his back against the carriage seats. A few days had passed since he had tempered his body and got accustomed to training with the Psionic Rune.

‘Apparently, mental energy can be restored through regular rest and sleep. Though, a small side effect is the immense migraine I have to go through, and the bloodshot eyes that come with it.’ Liam thought, entering his sea of consciousness. ‘When I reach the first rank, I’ll be able to use spells too.’

His mental energy had been restored since he slept well the night before in preparation for the mercenary guild test. At the same time, his mental sphere walls seemed just a tiny bit more expanded.

Which brings him to now, surrounded by a group consisting mostly of stern, scar-faced burly dudes who shot deadly glares at him.

“Kid, you sure you didn’t get lost on the way to the nursery?”

The deep voice resonated from a tanned man, whose hairless head and severe, irritated expression made him seem uninviting. He stared at Liam, who calmly had his hands crossed.

Liam slowly opened his eyes to stare at him, his cold green irises expressing indifference.

“You look like an overgrown thumb.” He abruptly replied, before closing his eyes again.

The others held a laugh, but others with similar features grew more hostile.

Blood rushed to Thumb’s head on those words, his fists clenched as he jumped off his seat.

“Enough! Sit down.”

A robed man with noble features sitting in the front of the carriage spoke. He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, and no expression could be deduced from his face.

“We’re almost there, I’ll brief you on the mission once more.”

Thumb let out a low growl, before sitting back down, his eyes stuck to Liam’s figure.

Liam’s attention shifted to the robed man, who was also the test coordinator.

“A group of bandits have pillaged a nearby village down east. There are no cultivators in their group, but they are many in number, and nearly all are veteran fighters. Your job is to work as a team and successfully take them down.

“Banditry is punishable by death in Ucladd, so uphold the law.”

The world of cultivation was, indeed, much more ruthless than Liam’s first life. In a world where dragons and hostile races existed — governed by power and lineage — the weak had it much worse.

‘I’ve already killed once. There’s no need to shy from it now.’ Liam thought with a dark expression. Inwardly, he knew the path he’d set on would be riddled with bloodied corpses.

Eventually, the carriage came to a stop. All participants, totaling to six, came out one by one to survey the surroundings.

The carriage had stopped atop the skirt of a mountain, allowing everyone to see the entirety of the distant forest, including the small village situated right in the middle.

Beacons of dark smog rose up from the air at that spot, forming a dark cloud of ash around it.

“Good luck. We’ll be here”

With that, the carriage began to ride away, leaving the six by themselves.

‘This won’t end well.’ Liam thought, as his gaze probed his fellow team members.

Inwardly, he had already given each a nickname, as he wasn’t bothered to remember their names.

Baldy, Blades, Spear, Chains, and finally, Thumb, described by their respective features and weapons.

“How about we start with an introduction and state what weapon we use?” Baldy assumed leadership.

A friendly expression rested on his face as he said, “My name is Ivan, I wield a mace. What about you all?”

The introductions continued — with Liam barely listening — until it eventually became Liam’s turn.

“Liam, dagger and sword.”

All the participants had their eyes on him, looking him up and down. Some had distrusting and hostile gazes, while others were impressed.

Ivan — Baldy did his best to redirect everyone’s attention.

“Alright, now that we all know each other, let’s move in groups of two. Judging from the size of the village, it’s faster to clear if we split up.”

The group simultaneously nodded in response, before each one found their own partner.

Liam and Thumb were the only ones who didn’t team up.

“There’s no way I’m teaming up with this kid. I’m going alone.” Thumb shouted, before taking out his giant longsword and making his way towards the village.

“That idiot!” Baldy shouted, before shaking his head and sighing. He shifted his gaze towards Liam and spoke apologetically. “I’m sorry kid, but can you go alone?”

Liam instantly nodded. In truth, he didn’t trust anyone in the group anyways. The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0/v3l-B1n.

A moment later, Baldy began to talk strategy.

The plan they concocted was for everyone to converge in the middle, while at best, silently taking out the bandits on the way.

Liam was to cover the east side, while the west and south were covered by the rest.

Without further delay, they began to execute the plan.

.

.

.

The walk towards the village through the forest wasn’t long. Liam jumped between tree branches until he got close enough for an inspection.

As he silently made his way to the entrance, the foul smell of blood entered his nose.

There were no noises or humans in sight, but Liam kept a vigilant eye.

It didn’t take long before he saw the massacre that took place.

Severed body parts scattered everywhere, detached heads with blood still spurting from them, men and women, ruined corpses were littered like trash.

The surroundings were tainted red, while the nauseating stench of blood only got thicker.

Some blood patches were dried, giving the impression the bandits had started with this area and moved deeper in.

Liam’s expression darkened, the scene made him frown deeply.

‘If this is how brutal it is without cultivation, what world have I gotten myself into?’

Liam started to make his way through the village routes, hiding behind the village huts as he kept a low profile.

From what Liam could see, nobody was spared.

Not even children or guard dogs, their expressions covered with shock and disbelief.

Liam couldn’t help but feel pity.

‘They didn’t have any power to protect their families. As a result, they suffer the consequences.’

As he thought so, the voices of bandits entered his ears.

Chapter 16: Guilt

 

Liam hushed his footsteps and instantly hid behind a village hut, peeking his head from the side to get a clearer view.

Ahead, an eccentric pair of bandits — donning thick leather tunics and masked with a western-style bandana — dragged bloodied corpses to a blazing bonfire.

Inwardly, Liam had already made up a nickname for the two: Fatty and Skinny.

“Hahaha! I’m gonna be rich after this!” Fatty guffawed, his belly shaking up and down as he laughed.

In his hands were a handful of glimmering gold coins.

“You idiot! Keep your voice down.” Skinny reprimanded, but even he couldn’t hide the happiness in his voice.

“We still have to gather the remaining bodies and burn them. Boss is gonna get mad if we’re late. Don’t laze around!” This chapter was originally shared via NOvel–Bi(j)n.

With that, the pair spent the next half hour dragging and dropping the bodies into the fire.

Skinny heaved a sigh, sweat trickling down his face from the fire’s heat.

“I’ll go gather the corpses near the entrance, you take care of the ones here.”

With that, the two were separated.

“Laze around my foot! Do the rest yourself.”

Fatty instantly sat down on the dirt right behind a dark alley to relax, taking out a dry piece of bread from his pocket to eat.

Before the bread reached his lips, an agonizing sharp pain assaulted his chest.

Creaking his neck to look below, the sharp tip of a sword jut out from his solar plexus.

“Huh?”

Liam felt a tactile response when piercing his blade through the Fatty’s chest, as though the katana cut through the muscle, lungs, then bone all at once.

Liam reversed the grip on his wakizashi.

Before the bandit could understand what happened, Liam swiped his neck, severing it with one slash.

Thud.

His headless body fell to the ground, while he was yanked into the dark alley. Fatty’s hand was still gripped to the piece of bread, drenched in his blood.

A look of shock and confusion sat on the severed head’s face while it fell and rolled on the dirt.

Liam expected guilt. Any normal human being would when taking another life, but, to his surprise, there was nothing.

Liam put a hand on his heart. Even his pulse was steady and calm, indifferent to what had just occurred.

Perhaps it was Liam’s first upbringing that prepared him well for this moment, or his greed and ambition for power that caused a gear in his brain to shift.

‘Well, it is what it is. Can’t change who I am now.’ He thought with a wry scoff, before inspecting Fatty’s body and retrieving the stolen gold.

Before long, Skinny returned with two male corpses on his shoulders.

“Oi! Where’d you go, you fat pig!” He screamed, his venomous eyes scouring the surroundings with no trace of his partner.

Spotting a dark alley with a crimson trail of blood, Skinny grew serious.

He dropped the two bodies to his sides and unsheathed a silver saber, silently approaching the dark crevice.

“Piggy? Don’t tell me you’re taking another one of your untimely dumps?!” He shouted, anger mixed with fear in his voice.

His distraught and fearful eyes fell on Fatty’s headless body, when suddenly, a shadow flickered on the ground.

The bandit hurriedly shifted his neck towards the sky, only to be on the wrong end of two silver blades, promptly piercing through his eye sockets.

Liam yanked out his katana and wakizashi from Skinny’s face, before flicking the blood off them.

‘I should start moving.’

With that, Liam left the alley and started to make his way further towards the center, but not before throwing the bandits’ bodies in the blaze.

Shifting his gaze towards the sky, he noticed more beacons of dark smoke. However, the largest trail of smog was in the dead center of the village.

‘I know where to go.’

It didn’t take long for Liam to reach that spot. He kept low-key all throughout, simultaneously taking out a few lone bandits on the way.

Eventually, he came across the largest beacon.

Liam’s cold eyes swept the field, calmly assessing the situation.

Seven enemies in total. Five of them wielded swords, while one carried a large mace, and another a spear. They were on guard, their eyes scouring the surroundings for any movement.

The swordsmen came in various heights, but all were similar in terms of build. Nearly all carried an aura of experience around with them. Meanwhile, the ones with the mace and spear were like giants from Liam’s perspective.

‘So these are the strongest among them. How come the others haven’t arrived yet?’

Taking them down silently was a difficult option, since, not only was it more difficult to divide them, but because there were nearly no opportunities to do so.

‘Hmm… I could probably take one or two down with the element of surprise, but the rest, I’ll have to fight directly.”

The ‘warehouse’ the bandits were protecting was the width of two school buses, making Liam think it was most likely the townhall of the village. It was situated in the center, a short distance away from all the surrounding huts.

‘Why are they guarding that spot, though? The ‘boss’ has to be inside.’

Liam turned stern. The guarding bandits were already strong, but the leader had to be much stronger.

‘I still have the advantage.’

Dashing from house to house and hiding away from the bandits’ line of sight, Liam made his way to the back of the warehouse.

No guards were stationed in the back, but the right, left, and main entrance of the warehouse were covered.

Liam grabbed a random stone from the ground, before throwing it a short distance away.

Tap.

“What was that?” A horse-faced bandit voiced, a frown on his face. “Survivors?”

Tap.

He nudged one of his mates, a short muscular man, and silently signaled him to join him. Both had their swords unsheathed, slowly closing into the source of the noise.

As the horse-faced bandit reached the corner, Liam’s ring and index finger greeted his eye sockets.

“Aah!”

A loud shriek resounded through the air, alerting all the bandits nearby.

As the bandit stumbled backwards clutching his face, a red line appeared on his midsection, which spurted blood and viscera.

The bandit had been cut in half, dying a second later.

The muscular looter had a shocked expression, before he quickly recomposed himself and dashed in with his sword, swinging it directly at Liam’s neck.

Chapter 17: One Versus Five

 

Liam instantly pivoted his foot and ducked low, running his wakizashi against the bandit’s giant hand, arm and shoulder, followed by a quick slash with his katana, severing it.

Before the man could scream, a deep, diagonal gash appeared on his face, splitting it and revealing the brainy interior of his skull.

The first scream had already notified all the other bandits to rush towards the source of noise, allowing them to witness a ten year old standing over the gory corpses of their comrades.

Their faces grew severe as they unsheathed their weapons and fixed their gaze on Liam’s figure.

In short, it was a one versus five situation. Three wielding longswords, another swinging a giant metal mace, and the last gripping a lengthy spear.

“Don’t underestimate this little rat. I don’t know how, but he’s a cultivator.” Spear whispered to his mates, causing expressions of shock and disbelief among the bandits.

Even they, as lifelong criminals and outlaws, hadn’t gotten the chance to gaze upon a tempering method or cultivation technique. They were simply too valuable.

Heaving a long, forceful breath, a cold and calculating light appeared in Liam’s eyes.

‘I can’t get hit by that giant mace. Maybe I can take a few stabs from that spear user, but I can’t let him pierce my vitals. The swordsmen are small fries, but there’s three of them.’

Unbeknownst to Liam, his lips curved slightly upwards to form a smile, causing the bandits to flinch and subconsciously take a step back.

The sun was at its zenith, covering the tense air around the standoff with a warm hue.

“Go!”

Mace suddenly shouted, and the three swordsmen reluctantly shot at Liam’s figure from the front. Simultaneously, he and Spear looked for an opportunity to land a killing blow from the sidelines.

Liam’s back was against the warehouse wall, his eyes flickered coldly as the first swordsman swung at his chest.

Clang!

Using his wakizashi to parry, Liam instantly counterattacked with his katana, slicing off a good chunk of the bandit’s shoulder.

Liam was far stronger in terms of strength. Although a powerful attack from a non-cultivator could inevitably hurt him, the Rank-1 body wasn’t anything to scoff at.

As the sword-user stumbled backwards with a loud shout — doomed to bleed to death as his shoulder spurted gobs of blood — the two remaining swordsmen approached him from the sides.

Another loud ‘clang’ noise reverberated throughout the air as Liam firmed his body, bent his knees and crossed his hands, blocking both the swordsmen with one blade each.

Mace and Spear saw an opening and didn’t fail to take it.

The former swung his giant mace and threw it towards Liam’s chest, while the latter followed the spiked ball’s trajectory while clenching his spear.

Liam stopped holding back the swordsmen.

The two suddenly jolted forward due to lack of an opposing force, only for a giant mace to smash one’s head in, and a spear to impale another’s skull.

Before they could retract their weapons and react appropriately, Liam had swiped Spear’s midsection — spilling viscera and tainting the floor crimson — before splitting the Mace’s chain… and head a moment later.

The last thing they saw before their vision went dark… was Liam’s cold and indifferent expression.

‘Compared to him, you’re all really weak.’ Liam realized, snapping his shoulders and flicking the blood off his katana and wakizashi.

His battle prowess could only be attributed to his mentor, who didn’t pull his punches one bit during their training, in addition to Liam’s hardworking demeanor.

At the same time, Liam felt his reaction time had improved by a bunch through training with the Psionic Rune, even though he trained with it for a few days.

‘I’ll have to increase the intensity from now on. Training one hour a day was the limit Lloyd had given me, but I know I can push it past that.’

Suddenly, Liam felt a spike in air temperature.

His eyes narrowed as he attempted to figure out what the source was.

‘What is tha—’

Boom!

The warehouse that Liam was right beside suddenly exploded, charring his skin and sending him flying the distance until he eventually fell against a village roof.

Gray smoke and dust clouds rose into the air and covered the entire area.

Liam’s ears rang with a high-pitch, while his head was experiencing a terrible ache. The right side of his gymsuit had been burnt off, and so was the crisped skin underneath.

His consciousness was swaying, but luckily, he seemed to recover fairly quickly. The inception of this chapter’s publication is linked to N0v3lb11n.

The pain from the burns made him frown, but it began to numb as he picked himself up from the ground.

The infernal tempering method allowed for increased resistance from heat, which was partly the reason why his body was in one piece.

The dust cloud began to settle, slowly revealing a human figure standing in the middle of where the explosion originated.

The silhouette seemed to flicker an orange and yellow, while the smoke and dust dulled the colors considerably.

Liam’s eyes narrowed, before widening.

Once there was nothing clouding his vision anymore, Liam could make out the features of the human figure clearly.

The man wore a lengthy black robe, his stature and frame similar to Mace and Spear.

He had black hair styled to a military cut, while his sharp eyes were a deep brown. No facial hair was visible on his face, except a wide smile that showcased all his canine-like teeth.

The most distinct feature about him, was the fact that he was literally on fire, but his expression didn’t seem to be of pain.

Liam’s expression darkened.

‘A cultivator…’

Chapter 18: Opportunity

 

The robed cultivator instantly took off his clothing, inspecting the corners of his defined and muscular body.

A wicked smile grew on his lips as he did so, before he solemnly shifted his eyes towards the sky. Multiple emotions flickered on his face.

‘I need to leave. Better to run while he’s still pondering his life choices.’

Inwardly, Liam knew he couldn’t beat the unexpected cultivator. After all, the man had both an awakened core of the fire element, and — from what Liam could deduce — a higher ranked body.

The reason those flames didn’t damage him, was because it originated from his body or core, perhaps the special ability that upper ranked techniques came with.

In that sense, Liam was correct.

The only thing the guy lacked was an awakened mental sphere, since cultivators with a Rank-1 sea of consciousness could easily sense others in a vast area of range. Psionic Runes weren’t particularly easy to come across.

‘I need to find the others. What’s taking them so bloody long?!’

With a low, annoyed grunt, Liam picked himself off the village hut and slid onto the ground — shifting away his focus from the pain.

He didn’t walk far, before sensing a heavy bloodlust behind him, followed by a giant black-metal saber aimed for his back. The inception of this chapter’s publication is linked to N0v3lb11n.

Liam inwardly cursed as he shifted, unsheathing his blades and parrying with his wakizashi and katana.

His wrists sprained crooked as they blocked the might of the attack, but Liam managed to redirect the saber away before jumping back to create distance.

The bare cultivator was slightly taken aback and didn’t resume his offense. He shifted his gaze to Liam and spoke with a slightly amazed tone:

“Wow. At such a young age, you’ve tempered your body… What’s your name, kid?”

Liam stretched his wrists as he fixed his footing, his vigilant eyes shifting between his opponent and his own blades, which had a slight crack on its edge.

Liam remained silent, but then realized he had to buy time. Heaving a soft sigh, he responded calmly:

“…It’s courtesy to speak your own name before asking someone else’s.”

The man chuckled, then guffawed. With a serious tone, he replied.

“Wryel.”

Liam stretched the silence as much as he could, before a glimmer of impatience appeared in Wryel’s eyes.

“Liam. Striking a ten year old from behind isn’t really a cool thing to do, old man.”

Wryel chuckled, shifting his attention towards the imploded warehouse, spotting corpses scattered around the back. The bandit’s Liam had killed had been charred black, adding another layer of gore to an already savage scene.

Turning back to Liam, he spoke sarcastically.

“Said the brat that killed seven of my strongest men and didn’t suffer a single scratch.”

By the looks of it, Wryel was done talking, adjusting the grip on his black saber, before taking slow steps towards Liam.

Liam heaved a long breath. By then, his sprained wrists no longer hurt when he cranked them.

‘I still have my trump card. That saber will definitely break my blades if I let him, though.’

Liam’s ‘Ora’ reserves were still at its peak.

Wryel’s figure flickered and reappeared in front of Liam, a maniacal look was on his face as he swung his giant saber — which suddenly burst into flames — horizontally against Liam’s arm.

Liam pivoted on his left foot, barely dodging the slash and fire as he arched his body backwards.

Wryel didn’t stop there. One after the other, wide slashes backed by powerful swings forced Liam to evade and dodge, doing so by the skin of his teeth.

His small size and stature worked to his benefit, since he was a much more difficult target to hit.

Stinging burn marks started to sizzle on Liam’s skin, the pain of which was dulled considerably because of his heat resistance.

‘I have to do it in the middle of his swing, so he doesn’t have the freedom to evade or block.’

Forced to use his blades to parry a direct hit, Liam’s katana and wakizashi completely shattered, leaving only a small, slant-tipped stump at the top of his blades’ hilt.

Wryel started to laugh sadistically as he swung his saber with even more strength and speed, though his attacks were riddled with blatant openings.

Liam bided his time as he dodged.

Gritting his teeth, he suffered patiently, even throwing away his katana but holding his wakizashi, waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Finally, it came.

Wryel swung diagonally — his saber flaring with violent flames — using all the strength in his giant muscles to cut Liam in half.

In what seemed like a split second, Liam sprung from the ground and vertically swiped his blade a few inches away from Wryel’s face, consuming all the ‘Ora’ in his body.

Wyrel’s brown irises reflected a silvery moonlight rapidly shooting for his features, forming a bloody gash from forehead to chin, splitting his nose in the process.

The maniacal cultivator stumbled backwards and fell clutching his face, groaning with a strained tone. His marred expression displayed pure shock.

Death seized him a second later.

Chapter 19: Social Status

 

Liam raised his gaze towards the vermillion sky, spotting the crimson sun setting over the horizon.

‘I’m tired.’

Panting heavily, exhausted both physically and mentally, the last thing he saw before collapsing were his dumbfounded teammates arriving at the scene.

‘Took you long enough, you pricks.’

Thud.

.

.

.

Liam’s eyes flickered open.

He found himself in a small wooden room, lying on a bed with bandages covering his body, which ached and stinged with the slightest movement. Not to mention the migraine that throbbed with pangs of pain.

Grunting, he sat up.

“Oh! You’re finally awake!” Lloyd exclaimed from the side, his mouth full of food which he hurriedly attempted to swallow.

“How long was I out?” Liam asked with a strained tone, rubbing his temples.

“Eight hours.” Lloyd revealed, licking his lips and cleaning his mouth.

His face grew somber a moment later as he scanned Liam’s figure.

“How’s your body? Don’t move too much. Your bandages have been laced with multiple medicines, so there shouldn’t be any permanent scars or burn marks as it heals.”

Liam let out a concerned sigh. “It’s fine… when can we get back to training? Also, how’d the test go? And… does my mother know about this?”

Liam’s fight with Wryel made him realize how weak he really was.

Hearing his words, any worry or solemn emotion disappeared from Lloyd’s face, replaced with a prideful smile.

“Yep. You’re definitely my student. I’ve told your mother a few lies, but she didn’t really buy them. Just have an answer sheet ready.

“Someone’ll tell you how the test went in a couple of hours. But man, to think you killed more than ten people on your first mission without batting an eye. Not to mention another cultivator…”

Liam lowered his head, his expression indiscernible. “In the first place… is emotion a good thing to have as a cultivator?”

Lloyd paused, pensive. After a few seconds of silence, his face turned dark. He answered with a low voice:

“No… at least, not when killing.”

Knock, Knock.

The door to the room creaked open, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered man. He wore a pearly white robe stitched with the image of a golden dragon.

He had a serious expression, his sharp eyes azure while his short hair was black.

For a moment, his gaze lingered on Lloyd, before shifting towards Liam.

He began with a respectful greeting and introduced himself.

“I’m David Leros, one of the senior members of the guild association board. I apologize for our lack of preparation. If our test protractor did his job, you wouldn’t have suffered so much.”

Liam limited himself to a quick nod.

“It goes without saying that you’ve passed, but as an apology, we’d like to reward you with 200 ‘Ora’ Stones and a Rank-2 cultivation technique for when you awaken your core.”

Liam suppressed a smile from appearing on his face, nodding again.

David’s gaze shifted from Liam to Lloyd, then back to Liam once again.

“There is another guild branch.” David said, his sternness slowly softening. “Not too many people know about it. Kid, with your talent in cultivation and killing, I’d be a fool not to extend you an invitation.”

Liam listened intently, assessing Lloyd’s expression from the corner of his eye.

His teacher had a cold look on his face, chilling, almost.

“What guild branch?”

“You’d have to make an oath not to speak about it to anyone outside this room.” David said with a severe expression. “A nod would do.”

Liam promptly nodded.

“The Assassin’s branch. Only a handful of people know about its existence, including your teacher. The rest is need-to-know unless you accept, but I assure you, if it’s strength you seek, you’d be foolish not to join.’

‘Lloyd’s an assassin, then?’ Liam realized with shock.

“I’ll leave the decision to you. If you decide to accept, your teacher knows exactly where to find me.”

With that, David had left the room, but not before handing Liam a paper slip to cash in his rewards. It took a few minutes for Lloyd’s expression to go back to normal.

“What do you think I should do?” Liam asked, brushing past the cold looks and tense air surrounding the two.

Lloyd realized how tense he was and cleared his throat before speaking.

“At the end of the day, it’s your choice. He didn’t lie. As an assassin, you’d have access to higher ranked techniques and spells, and even better conditions to cultivate. Keep in mind, though, you’d get a lot closer to nobles who look at you as a pawn.”

Liam inwardly cursed.

‘Other than the Opposition, there’s also the giant hurdle that is my social status.’

“I suggest taking some time to think it over. At least, until you heal and get better. When you heal up, I’ll buy you a pair of blades from the underground.” Lloyd promised, before parting ways.

Liam inwardly agreed. He quickly wore a tight black gymsuit over his bandages — masking it — before making his way back home.

Night fell, and the endless stars revealed themselves, flickering as they adorned the heavens.

Due to the lack of light pollution, there was nothing clouding that majestic sight, allowing him to see the countless constellations that reflected on his irises.

Eve was knitting Liam’s clothes when he entered his house.

“Welcome back, dear.” She said with a soft smile, hugging him and kissing his forehead. Traces of tiredness could be seen on her face. “What took you so long?”

Liam did his best to focus away from the stinging sensation in his body — which burnt with the slightest touch — and flashed a quick smile.

“Sorry, ma. Another long day at work. Can I go to sleep?” The primary upload of this chapter happened on B1nN0vel.

Eve opened her mouth to say something, but let out a weak sigh. With a slightly solemn look, she responded:

“Of course, dear. Sleep well.”

Liam entered his room and instantly sat on the floor, taking out his Psionic Rune from behind his drawer.

‘I’m sorry, Eve. But for your sake and mine, I’ll spend this time getting stronger. I won’t amount to a pawn. Never.’

Liam thought, before pressing the rune against his forehead, the pain of which now brought a strange comfort.

Chapter 20: Underground

 

Signs of winter were beginning to show over the coming days. Nights were getting colder, and the fauna prepared to hibernate, while the flora started to wither and turn to chaff.

A week passed since Liam had completed his guild test. During this period of time, he had ramped up his training intensity by a lot, suffering bloodshot eyes and hours of unceasing migraines.

Still, his senses rapidly improved. Among them, his reaction timings and taste had become incredibly accurate, so much so, he could recognize the different ingredients that his meals consisted of.

Bodily cultivation, on the other hand, had a much more nourishing approach, strengthening his muscles in a slow but painless way. Liam cultivated within the ‘Ora’ caves underground, since they had a higher concentration of world essence.

In fact, he felt himself approaching the second cycle.

Along with his cultivation, he hunted Rank-1 beasts on the side in order to train his martial arts, while continuing to sell the magical beast corpses to restaurants and pill-alchemists alike.

The magical beast core was an instrumental ingredient for many pills, and likewise for the beast’s body.

Over time, Liam’s savings had reached a substantial amount, giving him the means to renovate their house in preparation for winter.

The wooden walls of their home were now made out of white-painted stone, and the dirt floors were fixed with wooden planks. Proper lights illuminated the space from the ceiling, expanding the space much more than it seemed.

‘I don’t really need to do this since my body can filter out the cold, but Eve might get really sick. It’s really the least I can do for her.’

His mother raised more than a few brows at how Liam got the money for the renovations, but she couldn’t hide her proud and amazed expressions. Although they held a tinge of guilt.

The sun had just risen when Liam woke up and started to get ready. He washed his face with a warm water vessel, then wore his usual tight black clothing — donning a small coat over his gymsuit.

Today, he had to choose which guild branch to work in.

Mindlessly choosing wasn’t Liam’s way of doing things. He weighed the pros and cons first, his face growing pensive and distant.

‘On one hand, it leads to strength. More connections, more training and experience. On the other hand, it’s riddled with iron shackles and chains.’

Liam reminded himself of his new purpose.

‘I have to fight against my status anyways. Getting stronger quicker doesn’t hurt. Besides, I have no intention of serving these people.’

Liam made his way out of his dwelling and silently exited, since Eve was still asleep.

Outside, in the distance, Lloyd’s yawning figure could be seen approaching Liam’s home.

With a quick greeting, Lloyd instantly asked as he gestured for Liam to follow him:

“Did you make up your mind?”

Liam’s response was immediate.

“Yes… I’ll take the job.”

Lloyd nodded. It seemed as though he already knew what his student’s decision would be.

“Can you tell me anything about it?” Liam asked as the pair made their way towards the underground.

Lloyd’s face turned pensive. After a few seconds of silence, he answered:

“It’s simple really. You just kill people.”

Liam sighed. ‘Thanks for that.’

“Never mind that, let’s get you a pair of blades.”

The pair entered the underground and entered various armories. The shopkeepers would shoot him strange looks now and again, but with the cold look on Liam’s face — and Lloyd’s presence — they didn’t bother him.

Strangely, most of the weapons he inspected had small but strange black writings on them.

Even Wryel’s saber and Lloyd’s blades had them, but Liam thought it was just some adornment or insignia. Looking at their labels, he came to realize they were called ‘inscriptions’, and were vastly more expensive than non-inscribed weapons.

The pair were in a shop surrounded by axes, blades and spears, when Lloyd quickly clarified.

“Inscriptions are special writings that could give your blade unique properties. They’re not limited to weapons either. It’s one of the more complicated uses of ‘Ora’, and they’re practically used all around us. Though, it requires devotion to understand and develop one’s comprehension of it.

“Basically, it’s an entirely different branch, similar to cultivation or alchemy.”

‘That’s… pretty amazing.’

Liam shifted to the blades in his grip. It was a black-metal katana, designed with curvy stripes on its edges.

On the other hand, his wakizashi had a similar appearance, only the edges were spiked instead of smooth.

‘Night Blades. 350 ‘Ora’ Stones. Inscriptions can absorb ‘Ora’ and add a layer of sharpness, capable of cutting through steel.’

Liam swung the blades a couple of times, before nodding in satisfaction. “Good enough for me.”

Lloyd stared at the price tag and let out a wry sigh. “Kid… at least buy something cheaper so my pockets don’t weep.” The debut release happened at N0v3lBiin.

350 ‘Ora’ Stones equaled 3500 gold coins. In Ucladd, ten gold coins were enough to feed a family of three for half a year.

As such, cultivator’s held a powerful edge against normal humans. However, their way of life was much more dangerous, and death loomed around every corner.

“A promise is a promise, old man.” Liam grinned, causing Lloyd to vow never to make another promise with his student again.

Reluctantly paying the shopkeeper the price for the blades, the clerk sheathed the blades in a matte-black scabbard, before giving it to Liam.

Liam fixed the blades to his hip, tying it together with a black sash that wrapped around his waist. Overall, it gave him a slick and suave appearance.

‘Damn, I look so… edgy.’ He thought, letting out a bitter laugh.

Lloyd had led him towards the furthest wall of the underground. The surroundings became more desolate, with only a few shacks and rundown inns visible.

Eventually, Lloyd entered a small wooden hut with Liam closely behind. It wasn’t furnished at all, save for a small wooden table in the middle.

Lloyd placed his hand on the hut wall, searching for a specific spot, before pressing it.

Clunk!

Suddenly, the wooden table in the middle sunk inside the ground, revealing an underground staircase.

‘An underground… within an underground?’