Born In Blood Chapter 111-120

Chapter 111 Exercise

Liam looked slightly stupefied.

Hadn’t he transferred from a different realm? That meant that Kivler was most probably right, and that other realms did exist.

On that note, inheritances were another topic Liam had learned from the general knowledge class.

They were basically a separate dimension that ancient higher ranked cultivators left behind for various reasons.

Some were close to dying and needed an heir to carry on their life’s work, others had various methods that they didn’t finish by the end of their lifetime, and needed someone to complete it for them.

From what Liam learned, there were countless inheritances scattered around the world, each with its own level of wealth, techniques and treasures.

At the same time, they weren’t free handout establishments. Most inheritances had difficult tests, trials and other requirements to even participate.

But Celestials… inheritances left by them were an entirely different kind, and undoubtedly scarce, hidden and world changing.

Entire countries were presumably built upon these inheritances, capable of altering the political landscape of the world with ease.

Veila had actually mentioned a visit to an inheritance site one day, as a trip of sorts for the students.

“You already know how higher ranked cultivators can’t stay in the same place as Mortals,” Kivler explained.

“For one, the resources are too little for their needs. Can you imagine how slow and arduous their progress might be?”

“And it’s not anything similar to ours, we can imagine. That’s why their lifespans are so long. Progress gets harder once you go up the ranks.”

Liam nodded in understanding.

“Do you think the Ashuras are still alive, then?” he asked.

Kivler had a pensive look.

“That’s up for debate… but I’m sure there are. That’s not my point, anyway.”

Liam raised a brow.

“So what’s your point?”

Kivler smiled.

“That there is a different realm for Celestials to exist in all together. It can’t be that they’re so scarce and so little in number here.”

“The Opposition doesn’t want people to cultivate, right? And it especially won’t want those powerful people lingering around such fragile lands.”

“I can’t even imagine what a battle between Celestials might look like, but devastating would be a good word.”

“If we somehow tap into those realms, we can gain more knowledge and insight into the secrets of the cultivation journey.”

Liam eventually nodded in understanding.

…But all of that was theory. Not to mention, there was no way for Kivler to truly find out his answers through mere studying.

“The only way to know is to get there,” Liam said.

Kivler looked at him with an assessing gaze.

“Aye, lad,” he heaved a sigh. “I suppose you’re right.”

Thereupon, the classes for the day had ended.

Liam instantly went back to his lodging, thinking over his learnings of the day.

‘It’s time I begin inscribing.’

He didn’t have any lectures for the next week, which meant he could finally start practicing his inscriptions and forging.

He spent most of his time learning the former, but had multiple Rank 3 darkness magical beast corpses in his ring, freshly bought and carefully preserved.

He entered his basement and began with Blood Weaving first.

Closing his eyes, he entered his sea of consciousness.

Waves of mental energy sloshed around his mind, but with a raising gesture, a large blob separated and started to float above.

Liam’s spiritual form closed his eyes.

The blob of mental energy started to change slightly, reflecting flashes of light. Gradually, it increased in luminosity, filling Liam’s mind with light.

When he opened his eyes, the blob now looked like a dim, liquid sun. Obviously not as bright, but it was luminous nonetheless.

Cold sweat trickled down Liam’s forehead. Imbuing meanings within mental energy was much more arduous than he imagined, and he was attempting the most simple form of it.

It was the ‘brightness enhancement’ inscription. The inscriber had to create a simple circuit that consisted of simple but colorful lines, illuminating a sword or an item.

This simple exercise was also the first assignment that Richard had assigned to the class. The first person to succeed would even receive ten thousand ‘Ora’ Stones.

To make it, Liam had to take in the intensity of brightness, the range of colors it was to be, how it interacted with the surroundings, how long it would last, and if the line was straight or flowing.

…And that wasn’t all of it.

‘So much for simple. No wonder techniques and spells are so expensive and difficult to make. Something like this takes this much effort.’

Coming back to reality, Liam took out his wakizashi, forming a long cut on his bare thigh, then floating the droplet of blood in front of him.

His expression was strained, although considerably less than the last time, as he refined the droplet. After all, his mental capabilities improved by leaps and bounds compared to then.

He began refining the droplet of blood with his mental energy, causing it to glow.

After half an hour of onerous refining, he absorbed the droplet of refined blood into his mental sphere.

A migraine ensued like usual, though weaker in strength.

Within his sea of consciousness, the droplet slowly muddled through the golden walls by force, adding a heavy weight on Liam’s mind.

When the droplet fully immersed into his sea of consciousness, Liam began to conjoin the blob of mental energy with it.

As the two liquids started to join together and mix, more weight pushed against Liam’s head, making him grit his teeth in pain.

Slowly, the droplet started to glow luminously, but the red from the blood overpowered it. If anything, it only increased in sharpening the crimson hue.

Although he considered padding it with more mental energy to lessen the pain, he eventually decided against it.

‘Doing that will convolute the meanings. I have to endure.’

Liam waited for half an hour for the energies to steady and fully mix, before pulling out the droplet through the tip of his right finger, and taking out a small silver dagger.

Chapter 112 Inscriptions and Forgery

The drop of refined blood stuck to Liam’s right index, glowing a fervent scarlet, Liam heaved a sigh and focused.

Blood Weaving made Links using the vampiric language.

Richard mentioned how that allowed for more flexibility and freedom with the circuits being performed – since you could simply write in language whatever you wanted to inscribe.

For example, Liam simply had to write what color he wanted, how intense it was to be, and so on, right on the blade or parchment itself.

There wasn’t the complicity of inscription lines, runes and diagrams, but simple language and writing.

Still, that meant it didn’t come with the precision that those other methods did.

Liam would have to compensate for it by writing, and generally inscribing more.

Without delay, Liam began to run his finger through the small dagger, writing the vampiric characters for his desired effect.

It took him half an hour, but eventually, the entire blade was covered with writings, and the refined ink had been depleted.

Liam heaved a short sigh before moving to inspect the dagger.

All the characters were connected to each other, as they should have been, and Liam could see that it could absorb mental energy like he intended.

With a smile, he imbued it with his mental waves.

The inscriptions flickered on!

…Before flickering off just as fast, crushing Liam’s smile before it could fully grow.

It was to be expected, especially since it was his very first time even writing with the vampiric language.

‘Well, I’m not talented enough to make this thing work on the first try anyway.’

Liam inspected his ring. There were thirty small silver daggers stored nearly inside.

Thirty more tries.

Once again, he entered his sea of consciousness and separated blobs of his mental energy, renewing the same meanings until he refined them.

Each inscription hurt horribly, and his eye grew more and more murky with blood.

Still, Liam pushed through, repeating the process.

He was on his eighth dagger, when the inscriptions on the surface of the blades started to flicker weakly.

Liam dejectedly thought he had failed once again – ready to toss away the blades to the large pile on his left – but then realized the flickering didn’t stop.

It was unstable and volatile… but it was a success!

…Somewhat.

The writings on the blade were only blood-red in color, and the weak light it exuded was not constant. Both needed rectifying, among other things.

‘I’ll have to adjust the colors to be the two nearest to red… so orange and yellow.’

‘Pushing myself past this point isn’t safe anymore. This is a good stopping point anyway.’

Liam stored the blade into his ring, before taking out a Rank 2 magical beast.

It was a Twilight Owl, sharp jet-black feathers that spanned twice the length of Liam’s arms, the beak of which was curved and razor-sharp.

Liam wasn’t crazy enough to store a Rank 3 beast will into his mental sphere right away.

He wanted to test the waters first and see how difficult it was before proceeding to the higher ranks.

He began skinning the owl with quick and precise movements, separating all the required parts and organizing them.

Unlike traditional forging that required a set anvil, blazing heat and iron tools, magical beast forgemastery could be done differently.

Of course, Rogan himself used those tools, but they weren’t a necessity.

When excessive amounts of ‘Ora’ is applied to a magical beast part, it softens enough for the forger to shape and manipulate however they pleased.

At the same time, it’s used to purify the material and strengthen it.

Liam bunched up the Owl’s black bones and began to envelop them in his ‘Ora’.

Slowly, the bones started to change state, turning mushy and soft.

Seeing that, Liam slowly began shaping the bones to a dagger’s form with his hands, only using ‘Ora’ in short intervals when the bones were about to harden.

A focused pressure spread throughout his surroundings, while his eye was completely locked in.

He had to be careful not to underuse, or overuse ‘Ora’ during the beginning stages of forging, since it had the opposite effect and could considerably lessen the strength, endurance and overall capabilities of the materials.

It took him two hours to finish with the shape. Amazingly, the bones looked… decent!

The edge was slightly bent, similar to Liam’s wakizashi, but not nearly as long. It was the same sharpness as a kitchen knife, but that was Liam’s first try at shaping something successfully.

He took the blade and slashed at his arm. A cut formed that dripped a little blood, but not enough to pierce through the muscle, and it healed a moment after.

‘Forging methods are basically the same as inscription methods. Both require experience and constant adjustment,’ Liam thought pensively, oblivious of his self-harming attitude. Updated from nov𝒆lbIn.(c)om

He did a few more finishing touches on the blade – sharpening the tip, flattening the sides, and adding teeth to the edges – before fixing a small hilt made from Owl hide on its bottom.

‘Now, the hard part,’ Liam thought, taking out the Owl black colored core and heaving a slight breath.

Clenching his fist, he crushed the core and absorbed the essences into his mental sphere.

Liam instantly entered his sea of consciousness, pressure assaulting his mind as the core contents entered his mind.

Large blobs of mental energy raised, swirled, gained color and took the form of a giant Twilight Owl. With it, came a pressure matching Liam’s blood inscriptions.

A low-pitched shriek tore through the spiritual space as the Owl developed, forcing a wince on Liam’s face.

The Owl looked enraged, its giant wings unfurling as it shot at Liam himself.

Liam had come prepared.

Jordan had taught him how to use mental energy as an actual weapon within his mind.

Although doing that outside his sea of consciousness was quite frankly impossible, Liam’s mind was his domain.

Energy swirled around his hands to form two ethereal blades, which cut through the Owl as it charged.

Chapter 113 Expedition

A week quickly passed, and Liam hadn’t exited his basement in that period, cultivating, inscribing, forging.

Littered all around him were failed inscribed blades, broken pieces of Owl bones and other materials.

Liam had a crazed smile and a bloodshot eye as he inspected a silver dagger with his blood inscriptions on it.

It was an actual success.

The blood writings on the blade glowed with interchanging red, orange and yellow.

The glow was constant, and there was no weak flickering that disrupted the light it exuded.

Liam was on his 27th dagger when the damn thing finally started working.

‘Do I go to Richard and get the rewards for it? It’s 10K Stones, after all…’ Liam pursed his lips.

‘Probably best not to. There’s enough attention on me as is. I can make that money fairly quick anyway.’

Then, Liam moved to inspect his latest forged item, the Owl Dagger.

It was much sharper compared to his previous inventions, but Liam had to sacrifice the aesthetics and size to achieve that outcome, making it easier for him to imbue the will inside.

However, his experience had started to show through his products, as the dagger was sturdy enough to be used in a real battle.

Still, he hadn’t had the chance to test if it worked or not.

‘This is my twelfth try. It better work.’

Fighting so many Rank 2 Twilight Owls was starting to weigh against his mind, after all.

Not to mention the sheer amount of times he had to refine his blood and repeat his inscription process.

He needed rest.

After a short pause, Liam imbued the blade with ‘Ora’.

Wisps of smoke started to ooze out from the dagger, like the sputtering of a flame. Weakly, it continued doing so, but the dark vapor increased in intensity.

By the end, it started flowing naturally. A success!

A broad smile formed on Liam’s face.

CRACK!

Then the blade shattered to dust, as Liam didn’t realize he was continuously imbuing it with ‘Ora’ to make the effect work.

With a sigh, Liam chucked the blade into the broken and shattered pile.

By then, he’d expended all the magical beast corpses he bought using his remaining money.

‘It’s still a good start. It’s time I rest and get a breath of fresh air.’

Liam cleaned up his basement and bathed, before testing his progress with the Dark Wraith body.

Liam stretched both hands. By command, they turned into ethereal black mist.

The next day, he left his lodging with a set of clean clothes and slightly restored complexion.

Instantly, he made his way towards the Battle Halls.

‘It’s about time I start making some money.’

///

Time passed.

Liam’s studies continued in all topics.

His cultivation was steadily rising, and so was his knowledge of it. He even felt halfway close to the solid stage.

Liam basically knew everything there was about the Mortal ranks, with lesser understanding of the Zenith and Celestial powers.

His knowledge of magical beasts and the like also grew, and his battle prowess exponentially increased.

Despite his classmates growing stronger beside him, Liam’s score was still undefeated.

Each day, his inscriptions and forging was growing more complex and difficult, but so did his experience in the field.

The person who won first place in Richard’s enhancement assignment was Nessa, who successfully completed the exercise in two weeks.

Everyone looked at her proud figure with new gazes of reverence, and Richard profusely praised her for the accomplishment.

Only after a good part of the class handed in theirs, so did Liam.

Meanwhile, Liam’s infamous reputation grew like wildfire – the Golden-Eyed Vagrant fought anybody in the Battle Halls, even second-years older than him.

None won.

Liam had to try just a bit harder against those students, but still held himself back.

In total, he had gained 11K Stones from wagering alone, making back the reward money he didn’t receive.

It helped that nobles were so easily offended and quick-tempered.

Using their fragile egos, Liam didn’t duel unless offered a hefty sum of money. It was apparent that Nord did the same.

Like so, a month passed, and it was time for Liam to receive his mission from the Headmaster.

He left his dwelling early in the morning, bathed and donned black-clad clothes.

As he walked towards the Academic Hall, his token started glowing.

Liam’s gaze narrowed.

‘I don’t like where this is goi—’

Liam couldn’t complete his thought, before his surroundings changed.

He was on the floor of the Headmasters office, staring at the wooden ceiling above.

A cold pressure slowly grew from Liam’s figure. It was the fourth bloody time he was dragged to another location against his will.

The Headmaster cleared his throat, and Liam retracted his mental waves.

“What is it this time?” said Liam, steadying off the floor.

Reye looked displeased at his words, but he sighed and shook his head.

“Your mission… and something I needed to talk to you about.”

Liam raised a brow.

Reye adjusted the golden monocle on his eye and began speaking.

“The Korsan continent is foreign to us. And so are its inhabitants. We have too little knowledge about them, since any sort of spying is blocked by the thick black clouds that loom above their lands.”

Liam nodded.

The black clouds were somewhat of an anomaly. It hung over the entirety of Korsa, basking those lands in a perpetual state of darkness.

“We’ve been wanting to go there for a while now, to scour their lands… but we can’t do it officially. It’ll look like we’re invading their lands, and war isn’t a favorable outcome.”

Liam hummed noncommittally.

“Your point being?”

Reye sighed, then hardened his gaze.

“We want you to assemble a small group and embark on an expedition there. You won’t have to fight anyone, just document the lands and study the lifeforms. You can pick anybody you like, and you’ll also be the one to lead them. Don’t give me that look, it’ll obviously come with rewards.”

Chapter 114 Needs

Liam was pensive. He himself didn’t plan to be in Echoria forever. Going on such an expedition would be a good experience, and also allow him to understand the landscape of the world in person.

The problem was the risks that it involved. He could simply do easy missions day by day and increase his strength without having to worry about too much danger.

…Then Liam remembered the Royce family. His safety wasn’t ensured either way.

“What kind of rewards?”

Reye’s response sounded prepared.

“Well, that depends on how far your group traverses, and how much information you bring back… but as a baseline reward, you’ll be given 350K, three Rank 3 spells of your element, cultivation techniques of your choosing, a Rank 4 martial art, and more.”

Instantly, Liam’s attitude towards the mission changed.

He wasn’t naive. It was obvious the endeavor was going to be extremely difficult, but the benefits to it were premium.

And best of all, a Rank 4 martial art!

Those cost a lot less than what a Rank 4 spell did, but Liam still lacked the proper funds to buy them.

“Fine. But I’ll also need some things on our journey there,” Liam voiced after a long pause.

“Name them,” the Headmaster declared.

“Rank 2 and Rank 3 magical beast corpses, as many pairs of inscribed blades as you can give me, similar blades but plain, nourishing pills and elixirs, and any other need I might have.”

The Headmaster let out a soft scoff.

“You’re daring, aren’t you? Fine… consider them taken care of. For now, I’ll give you a side-mission to complete. You’ll be given more leeway when this is done, and accepting minor quests would be possible as well.”

Liam nodded.

What followed after was a short explanation of the mission details.

In short, there was a group of people that needed killing.

They had attacked a caravan that was meant to bring in supplies to the academy from Roson.

Although the Royal soldiers would’ve killed those men with ease, an ambush paired with months of planning in advance allowed the bandits to take over the supplies and escape to a secluded town towards the east.

They weren’t weak in the least, and most certainly not dumb.

Reye informed him of their formation capabilities – which was also how they overpowered the guarded caravan – and Ranks, but nothing Liam couldn’t take care of.

Headmaster Reye gave him a map and few other instructions, before teleporting him to the train terminal towards the academy edges.

Said terminal was packed with all cohorts and all the first-years and second-years, and there were teleportation matrixes that led to different parts of their region.

Liam saw a bit of commotion up ahead near one of the train stations, where the second and first year girls were huddled around a young man.

Instantly, Liam recognized him due to his aura, which was cold as ice with the properties of wind and water.

Rishe Voist had lustrous steel blue hair that fell behind his back. He was slim but had broad shoulders, and his hooded eyes were icy azure. He calmly smiled to those greeting him.

“It’s that ice prick,” Nord appeared beside Liam. “I can’t go five minutes without hearing some dumb girl talk about him. Don’t these people have anything better to do?”

Liam couldn’t help but feel the same.

‘He’s strong, though. Second-years are just students that are cultivating Rank 4 bodies and are strong Rank 1 Magi. He’s probably the strongest among them.’

“Guys! Look, it’s the Golden-Eyed Vagrant!” a girl called out and pointed to Liam.

Countless eyes converged on him, but Liam didn’t show any reaction. Instead, he simply thought, ‘I’ll kill that girl later.’

Rishe locked onto Liam’s eye with an assessing look.

The atmosphere changed as the two stared each other down, unblinking and silent. Those surrounding them felt an invisible tenseness growing in the air.

TING!

A loud chime rang out as the bullet train arrived at the terminal, gradually coming to a stop.

Everyone’s attention momentarily fell on the train, before moving back to the staredown… but the vagrant was gone!

Liam used that moment to sneak find a specific matrix to step on and teleport away.

‘He can hold onto the House of Honor until I take it from him,’ he thought, bright light encompassing his body.

When he opened his eye, he found himself on some rocky landscape above a small plateau.

The first thing Liam did was spread his senses and assess his surroundings.

He was atop a flattened mountain top, among many other mountains that formed a ring around a large patch of terrain at the bottom.

‘This should be the Korplo Region in the east, known for its giant mountains and rocky terrain.’

Liam made his way to the edge of the plateau, his eye zooming in to get a better view.

To anyone else, it may have seemed like a large patch of trees, shrubbery and wild terrain.

But Liam, who could see right through the camouflaging formation, saw a small makeshift town run by bandits and cultivators.

‘Formations really are amazing. It’s a shame I can’t learn them since I already have enough on my plate.’

He zoomed in his retinas to get a better look.

There were at least 57 men inside the small town that he counted diligently. Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

Not all of them were Magi, thankfully, and most didn’t have powerful auras.

‘That old man really gave me the most difficult mission he could find… prick.’

Liam mapped the various buildings erected there, each with their own uses.

There was even a treasury – judging by the men hauling in large boxes and supplies – guarded by three of the strongest men there.

A series of small buildings indicated accommodations for the lower ranked bandits, among many others.

And then, there was one particular old man that looked like the boss, judging by his powerful presence and the respect his men gave him.

‘These outlaws are no amateurs. I’ll have to be very careful with how I go about this.’

Sitting back, Liam simply waited and noted their behaviors throughout the day, looking for any weaknesses.

He was in no particular rush, since he had a whole month to complete the mission.

Chapter 115 Suffer

An entire week passed.

Liam had finished concocting his plan after reviewing all their little behaviors and intricacies.

Food was apparently a problem for the professional bandits.

Now and again, they’d send a small group of weak men (by Liam’s standards) to hunt them a pack of magical beasts in the wilderness.

It usually took them 4 hours to come and go, so being late wasn’t going to be strange.

Liam marked that as his entry point.

He could find the formation sources and break it, but that would only make things difficult.

Silence was the only way.

The sun was just setting over the horizon, painting a vermillion orange hue over the endless skies.

Just then, a group of men left the formation and headed towards the forest for another hunt.

///

“Why are we always the ones to do this, man. Randal just landed the biggest haul of our lives, can’t we catch a break?” a voice complained.

“We’re also the weakest. Just keep your mouth shut and work. He’ll kill us all if you run off,” a wise voice advised.

“He did get a Rank 4 spell though…” another voice added, making greed flicker in the groups’ eyes.

The five cultivators grew silent after that, but bitterness gripped their ugly faces.

Liam waited until they got a considerable distance away from the town, denying their ability to call for backup or return to safety.

Granted, if they had Jades, they could call them anyway, but Liam didn’t plan to let that happen.

An hour passed before the group came across a pack of Rank 3 Boulder Apes, which they spent a good hour effortlessly killing.

By the time it was over, the group let out exhausted sighs, allowing themselves a short respite.

“Come on, we’ll have to head ba—”

The chubby middle-aged cultivator couldn’t finish his sentence, since a shadow burst from the shrubbery and slit his throat in an instant.

The others instantly recoiled and jumped back, but another one was ensnared by a tight chain wrapping around his face.

He screamed in agony as the dark bonds sizzled and corroded his skin, digging into his flesh.

Liam silenced those shrieks with a quick severing of his head, before his eye fell to the remaining three bandits.

Anger held their faces as they charged Liam instantly, three mental pressures converging on his mind.

Liam used Thicken, then reeled back his chains and ensnared the one closest to him, wrapping his feet and halting his charge, before sticking his shortsword in the man’s eye.

He fell with a coarse scream, causing the two remaining to flinch in fear, horrified.

The slender man in the back took out his Jade and began running away, but a dusky light tore through the air and pierced his wrist right after.

The Umbral Needle exploded, engulfing the man in corrosive gas that invaded his lungs. Blood leaked from his nose and mouth, choking as he succumbed to death.

Only one remained, and the short-statured cultivator looked mortified, the inscribed shortsword in his hands trembling.

“Put your blade down. I’ll make it quick if you answer my questions.”

Liam’s words seemed to anger the man, enough to overpower his fear.

He charged with shooting an arm-sized spike from his arm, before weaving in to slash horizontally at Liam’s head.

Liam sidestepped the spike and ducked under the blade, lining the bandits chest with three quick thrusts of his shortsword.

Blood spurted from the man’s back like gunshots, followed by a scream louder than one.

“I told you,” Liam sighed. “Answer my questions and I won’t let you suffer.”

A cold air suddenly grew around the screaming man, slowly freezing his screams. Clutching his wounds, he made a slow reluctant nod.

“What Rank is your boss? What other formations are there in your base? How many people are there in total? There’s nothing that could notify them of my arrival, right?”

“R-Rank 1 Magus, Rank 3 body and a Rank 2 core. Nothing besides the camouflaging formation, and 62,” the man said with a shaky voice, mixed with regret and pain. “And no, you can just enter…”

Liam hummed in understanding.

A wet slash sounded right after, followed by a thump and a rolling head on the ground.

Liam looted the bodies for their space-rings, then exchanged swapped clothes with the shortest bandit he’d killed.

It was a simple leather tunic with a hood that covered his head, paired with a similar mask for his face.

Liam discarded the bodies in an downstream river, before instantly making his way towards the town.

Night fell, stars flickering in the sky. Shadows stretched across the forest and darkened the entire region, adding to Liam’s bleak silhouette.

‘I’ll attack when they’re all sleeping. Only a few people would be awake at that point, but even if they find me out, I’d already taken out half of them,’ he thought, putting on his hood.

Another two boring hours passed, the sounds of cheering and joyous chants gradually dying down. Only when the entire town grew silent did Liam steele his gaze. Updated from nov𝒆lbIn.(c)om

‘It’s time.’

The disappearance of the five thankfully weren’t noticed due to their partying and drunkenness.

Liam silently entered the town and hid behind one of the small wooden buildings, his blades unsheathed and his senses spreading all throughout the space.

Most of the cultivators who were outside were drunk out of their mind, and some were flatout asleep on the ground, snoring obliviously.

‘I better start, then.’

Some of the drunkards needed to empty their bladders, choosing to head towards the edges of the town to do their business.

Liam found at least three of them going in different directions.

He chose the one closest to him and silently walked up behind the man, casually thrusting his shortsword into his neck.

With a choke and bloody gurgle, the man slumped on the ground limp.

Liam chucked his body behind a dark alley between two small buildings, then shifted his focus to the others.

Chapter 116 Pissers

Liam had already killed six of the piss-takers.

They were easy targets, after all.

Now, he turned his attention to the drunkards who still lingered around the camp. Only the treasury was guarded by competent men who didn’t leave their posts or indulge in drink.

Liam approached the small bonfire where the guards slept.

In his changed attire, he blended in with them, especially with the leather hood obscuring his face. The sleeping men didn’t even stir as Liam severed their heads with one swift slash of his blade.

The others were too drunk to know what was happening.

Before they could even realize it, their vision went dark.

Liam steadily cleaned out a small section of the base, leaving 16 dead in his wake. Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

He moved on to the dwellings where the men slept.

Despite their professionalism and ability to overtake a Royal caravan, they were careless when it came to guarding themselves during sleep.

‘They’re underestimating the Royals,’ Liam thought as he killed each sleeper with an instant slash to the head. ‘If a single powerful guard was sent, this entire place would be wiped out instantly. But they chose to let me do it instead. Crazy bastards.’

A macabre trail of bodies followed in Liam’s wake as he killed another 27 men, adding to the previous 16.

In less than five hours, 43 men lay dead and Liam remained unscathed.

‘I guess that’s all the weaklings,’ Liam thought. ‘I’ll work on the treasury next. That Randal guy is stored in one of those larger houses further up, but I’ll save him for last.’

The hunters he’d killed had mentioned that Randal had a Rank 4 spell.

Spells of that nature required strong centers of power to express their full potential.

A Rank 1 Magus couldn’t possibly execute a Rank 4 spell at its full potential – there needed to be a similar or at least close disparity between them.

That’s why Liam wasn’t too afraid.

He climbed onto the building opposite the treasury and watched as the three guards stood like statues, unblinking and ready for any threat.

But Liam’s presence was hidden from them, allowing him to circle around and climb onto the treasury roof right above them.

Dark chains grew from his hands and with a lithe jump, two Umbral Needles shot at the left and right guards while Liam fell atop the middle-man with his chains wrapped tightly around his neck.

The dark needles pierced through the necks of the two men, exploding into noxious gas that marred their faces and choked their breath. But they were experienced enough to resist the pain and crawl away.

The middle-man was not so lucky. Liam’s chokehold on his neck grew tighter by the second, crushing his windpipe and sucking the life from him.

“WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!” one of the men with a needle in his neck shouted as he desperately crawled away.

‘Dammit! It didn’t pierce deep enough!’

Those choked words tore through the air and awoke the entire base, including the boss. They left their dwellings at once, just in time to see Liam send another two needles to finish off those on the ground.

Liam’s gaze locked with that of an old man and a group behind him. The old man was aged but looked vigorous, and strong. His wrinkled face twisted in anger as he pointed at Liam and bellowed:

“Get him!”

At once, a large horde of men charged at Liam with raging screams, wielding blades, spears, and other weapons. Those in back charged up spells of every element, including Randal himself who had the biggest aura of them all.

Liam took a deep breath and unsheathed his blades, wrapping his chains around them and twirling them in the air like kusarigamas.

‘I guess this is a good time to test out my prowess,’ he thought as seven spearmen attacked at once from all sides, attempting to thrust their weapons into his flesh.

Liam’s blades burst with dark flames, coated with Lethality Mantle and his second form. He blurred as he jumped above the spears and swung his chains in a wide, circular motion.

Seven heads flew into the air, trailing spurts of blood as shocked and pained expressions twisted their decapitated faces. Liam didn’t have time to admire his handiwork, though.

A javelin made of condensed fire blazed through the air and stabbed through his right shoulder, charring his flesh.

At the same time, gusts of wind cut into his muscles and drew blood.

The men looked smug for barely a second before realizing that Liam was still running at them despite his deep wounds, his hands and feet glowing.

He continued to swing his dark-flaming chains, too fast, too deadly, and too terrifying for the remaining men to counter.

They couldn’t even land a single hit.

Liam’s hands would turn to dark mist now and again, allowing their weapons to pass straight through without inflicting any damage. Fire javelins, spikes of earth, and zephyrs of wind did little to stop his charge.

Randal grimaced from a distance as he desperately hurried to charge his Rank 4 spell, the Earth Dome. ‘Ora’ gathered from beneath and increased in intensity until a ring started to form around the ground where Liam stood.

Liam didn’t slow down.

He continued to charge forward, his chains twirling and slicing through the air as he cut down one man after another. The men fell before him like wheat before a scythe, their screams echoing through the night.

Suddenly, the ground shook beneath Liam’s feet as a solid rock-made encasing started to rise around him.

But Liam didn’t falter. He chose that moment to activate the membrane under his skin, sending a powerful jolt of strength through his veins.

Before the encasing was complete, Liam used Cartilage Brace to further increase his physical strength, ramming straight through the solid rock wall.

Boom!

Randal looked mortified as he saw Liam shattering through the dome like a juggernaut.

He stumbled and fell on the floor – pieces of jagged bone jotting from his shoulder – but Randal was deathly pale from using a Rank 4 spell to take advantage of it.

Liam smiled grimly as he got up and reeled in his chains, swinging once across the man’s neck.

Chapter 117 Regret

Liam activated his academic token, and it flickered to life. Reye’s voice came through from the other side.

“Yes?”

“It’s finished.”

“Already?” Reye sounded surprised, his voice raising a pitch.

“I just said it was,” Liam said impatiently.

“Alright,” Reye said, trying to hide his amazement. “An associate of mine will be there shortly to verify your completion.”

Liam spent the time waiting in gathering space-rings and looting the bodies.

He entered the treasury to make sure everything was there, which it was.

It was filled with large piles of gold and jewels, glinting under the moonlight, along with some other low level techniques and spells.

Soon enough, a lanky man wearing a black suit arrived at the scene.

His small eyes could only grow in shock as he saw so many dead bodies laying around.

The smell of blood was so thick he could taste it, but the young boy in front of him looked expressionless.

Liam greeted the man nonchalantly.

“Here are the rings,” Liam promptly gave the man more than a dozen rings… with the severed fingers attached to them. “The treasury is that way.”

Liam pointed to the small building with three dead guards littered around it.

Although the suited man was disgusted at the pile of fingers in his hands, he gulped down his fear and nodded.

“Great.”

“I’ll be leaving then. Is it back the same way?” Liam asked, and the man quickly nodded.

“Oh, and you might wanna be careful when you clean some of them,” Liam added as an afterthought. “They died pissing.”

With that, Liam made his way back.

///

Liam gained roughly 1,300 merit points from his mission.

He used those points to buy darkness magical beasts for his forging and blades for his inscriptions, along with some nourishing pills that helped bolster his progress with his core and mental sphere.

Spells as of that moment weren’t of any concern to him, since he’d get plenty from the expedition.

His main goal was improving his inscription and forging capabilities, since, compared to others, his cultivation journey was going to be significantly harder.

Being of the darkness element, there were too little spells of a similar nature. Not to mention, he was a dual-elementalist, the extent of his second element he didn’t even know about.

Liam moved to studying the vampiric nails spell made by Revel. With his eye, he could vaguely make out the complex meanings stored into the technique.

There were countless other failed inscriptions that Revel had made, but they were still useful to study and memorize.

At the same time, he had a massive idea with his forging. At one point, he simply thought, ‘Why don’t I add meanings into the beast will itself? I use mental energy on it anyway.’

He approached Jordan with his questions and the man confirmed it, though skeptical.

“You definitely can, even I do, only it’ll take you years of understanding how the two energies interact with one another. You could get much, much more creative with your inventions though.”

He saved that idea for another time, along with a proper utilization of the King’s Eye.

In the meantime, he also gained more details of his expedition.

He had permission to delay his final tests until he came back from his journey, and he could begin as soon as he assembled a team.

It would last roughly two to three months, and depending on how well or bad it went, that time period could change.

Liam had a few names in mind for his mission.

‘Nord is strong, but he’s an idiot. Still, it’s better than bringing any noble. Rin too, but her deafness might be an inconvenience. Nessa should come. She doesn’t seem like the scheming type, and she’s smart enough. Sveinn is a liability. I’ll find someone else in the meantime.’

During one of their battle classes, Liam brought the topic up using mental transmission – vaguely, he described the details and its dangerous nature.

[You in? You can push your luck with the Headmaster and fleece him for more rewards if you’re not satisfied,] Liam concluded and advised.

Nord looked pensive, before a smile spread on his lips.

[Of course I am.]

Liam approached Rin and Nessa next, and the two agreed instantly. Nessa looked excited to visit new lands and study different magical environments, and Rin seemed more interested in the reward it came with.

The fourth person Liam picked was a boy by the name of Gerald. He was a peasant just like the rest of the group (with the exception of Nessa), but a bit weaker and less driven compared to them.

It took a bit of convincing to bring him into the group, but the promised wealth had enticed him to agree.

With that, the expedition party was ready to set out.

Early in the morning, the Headmaster teleported everyone into his office.

Looking everyone over, he nodded, then explained to them in detail what their goal was.

“Lawrence will lead you. Consider his words like orders, and don’t fight amongst each other. We’ll give you all special storage items and enough provisions for your trip.”

Just then, a bright light sputtered across the room and took the form of a woman.

“Good, you’re all here,” Kalia said with a firm nod. “I’ll be leading you all towards the borders of Echoria. There, you’ll be put on a small ship camouflaged with an invisibility formation. One of our workers will steer the ship and wait on the borders until you return.”

Everyone exchanged a nod.

As everyone continued their studies, the group headed towards the train and quickly entered.

A moment later, the train began churning, increasing in speed as it left the academy grounds.

Nord sat beside Liam as the group settled in their place.

[Yo, man. I actually wanted to ask you something,] the red-eyed boy looked left and right despite speaking mentally, worried someone might hear him.

Liam gave him a quick side glance as he peered outside the train window.

[Have you ever seen a woman go to the bathroom? Do you think… they even do?]

Liam slowly creaked his head towards Nord’s direction, giving him a disappointed and stunned look.

Instantly, he regretted bringing him.

Chapter 118 Journey

The train continued its course, passing through countless underwater habitats and magical landscapes.

Liam would’ve liked to enjoy the sight, but Nord’s incessant mental chatter made it impossible. The boy’s mind was a never-ending stream of inane questions and pointless observations.

At one point, Liam simply couldn’t take it anymore. He blocked out Nord’s mental transmission and began to cultivate with his eyes closed. It was a welcome reprieve from the boy’s constant noise.

‘It’ll take at least 4 days until we reach the borders. After that, it might take two weeks to arrive at Korsan lands.’

Liam’s storage devices were filled with provisions, books, forty-some inscribed pairs of katanas and wakizashis, forty of the same kind except plain, paired with mental sphere, body and core strengthening/nourishing pills.

On a separate ring, there were twenty-five Rank 3 darkness magical beasts, and fifty Rank 2 of the same kind.

They were even given new space-rings with 50 square meters of space to hold those items in.

The sight made a smile form on Liam’s face.

Liam would entrust Nessa with documenting the lands, flora (if there was any in those lands), and navigating the team. She was more than happy with her workload.

Rin on the other hand was tasked with the fauna. Her knowledge of magical beasts and other lifeforms actually outshined Liam’s, since she expressed deep interest in those topics.

Gerald had basic knowledge of formations, mainly those that helped hide the group’s presence from outside threats. That would helped greatly once they settled on land.

…Nord was just there as a pair of extra hands and legs.

That would be injustice to the boy, since, despite his idiocy and simpleminded nature, he was strong and well-versed in battle.

Liam spent the next four days cultivating and expanding his mental sphere. The others did more-or-less the same, finding their own corner within the space to huddle in.

Soon enough, the train had emerged from water and began traveling through vast plains of lush greenery. There was no civilization there, just land for as far as the King’s Eye could see.

That sight lasted for about three hours, before the train gradually slowed down to stop.

Kalia arrived at the car and addressed those inside.

“We’re here.”

The group left the train as one, eyes widening in unbelieving shock as they looked past the cliff overseeing the endless azure seas.

The five had never seen the ocean before. They’d seen pictures and maps, but never the real thing. Echoria was just too large for them to witness such a majestic sight.

Large waves crashed over one another, flowing into each other before repeating the same dance again. Here and there, oceanic magical beasts poked out from the water’s surface.

Liam spotted an eel with stretched fins on its sides, flying freely above the water as though it was a bird. Just one kind among the countless different creatures living there.

Kalia let the group witness the sight for a short moment before heading towards the edge of the cliff.

“Come on now,” she called over her shoulder. “The boat is right under here.”

Her words brought the group back to their senses. They followed Kalia’s example as she lightly jumped from the cliff onto the flowing shore below.

There, a tall, skinny, bald middle-aged man greeted the Royal with a respectful gesture. He wore a single black robe, and had dark eyes.

“Welcome, your majesty. Is it just these youths?”

Kalia exchanged a nod with him.

The man shifted his attention to Liam’s group with a warm smile on his face.

“Welcome. My name is Jack, I’ll be your sailor for this journey. Please, let us waste no further time.”

On those words, the group grew confused. Liam’s eye scoured the beach, noticing a blurry translucent form on the waters.

Smiling knowingly, Jack waved his hand and suddenly a giant boat sprung into view. It was inscribed with countless lines on its black surface and looked to be made from ‘darkwood’, a special material belonging to a rare magical tree whose wood was stronger than steel yet lighter than a feather.

Nessa’s face lit up at the sight of the boat, her eyes shining with excitement. Nord grinned, Rin looked amazed, and Gerald’s expression was one of stunned disbelief.

A gangplank slowly descended from the side of the boat onto the beach, inviting them aboard.

“Please board on if there’s nothing else for you all to do here,” Jack requested.

Liam approached Kalia.

“Is there anything else I need to know before heading there?”

Kalia pursed her red lips. Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

“No, nothing you haven’t been briefed on. Just remember, safety is the priority. Don’t risk going to any mainstream or threatening locations if it poses danger to your life.”

Liam gave a terse nod before following the others inside the boat.

‘Stay alive now, get used later. Got it,’ he thought disdainfully.

The interior of the boat was like any other – the main deck was large enough to accommodate a hundred men at a time, and at the helm, Jack began to steer the boat with a complicated set of inscribed controls.

Slowly, the boat repositioned itself. It twirled around and set opposite to the beach, growing in speed as it drifted away from the shore.

Watching from afar, Kalia nodded to herself before teleporting away.

“There is a large cabin under that trapdoor in the corner,” Jack called out with his hands still at the helm. “Please choose a room to sleep and stay in. We’ll be there in two weeks more or less, so you’ll have plenty of time to train and prepare until then.”

Liam and the rest nodded.

“Is there room for me to freely practice my martial arts or train?” Nord asked eagerly.

“Ah… er, no. Please hold off until then.”

Nord clicked his tongue before entering the cabin with the others.

Spacious wooden rooms were lined opposite to each other. Unlike the dwellings within the academy, these didn’t come with the luxury of sound-negating inscriptions for privacy.

“I choose the biggest one!” Nord exclaimed, hurriedly checking each dorm with a quick glance.

A disappointed look fell on his face as he checked all the rooms. “They’re all the same…”

Liam sighed.

‘I probably shouldn’t have brought this idiot.’

The rest chose their rooms quickly, and Liam was the last to pick.

There was nothing too fancy inside the cabin – just a simple bed for rest and a single cabinet filled with clothes.

Instantly, Liam unloaded the magical beasts and nourishing pills he would consume on the way.

Chapter 119 Dozer Sharks

The Darkwood ship steadily gained speed over the coming days, cutting through the ocean with ease.

It seemed as though the waves grew larger and more tumultuous the closer they got to the Korsan lands. The ship rocked and swayed chaotically, but the cabin within remained perfectly balanced.

Liam kept to himself, preferring to focus on his own training rather than interacting with the others. He knew he would have plenty of time to do that once their journey truly began.

Still, the thin walls of the cabin gave him some indication of what the others were up to.

Nord was obviously training, judging by the sounds of things breaking and crashing in his space. Rin was experimenting with something involving fire, or perhaps forging something. Nessa was studying in silence, while Gerald worked on his formations.

Meanwhile, Liam finally experienced a breakthrough.

He had passed the lower-stage of the third Rank body!

Thanks to the pills he had taken, his body’s absorption rate had increased by twice its normal amount for a short duration.

The difference in strength wasn’t immediately obvious, but it was still significant.

With each sub-advancement, his regeneration capabilities grew stronger. Now, both his arms could be turned into dark mist up to his shoulders.

To test his new strength, Liam took one of the inscribed blades and made a deep cut on his bicep.

Blood poured out onto the wooden floor below, but after just four minutes, his wound had completely healed – compared to before when it would take six to eight minutes for even his deepest wounds to reform.

His progress with his mental sphere and core were less dramatic, but he still hadn’t used all of his pills and elixirs.

‘Damn it,’ Liam cursed in frustration. ‘I always feel like I’m close to a breakthrough but it just never happens. I may have overestimated my progress.’

What Liam was forgetting was his age.

He was only three months away from his thirteenth birthday, yet he already possessed physical, mental, and battle prowess far beyond those of his peers.

‘Well, it’s only a matter of time,’ he thought to himself. ‘I’ll get there eventually.’ Read lat𝙚st chapters at nov(𝒆)lbin.com Only

Meanwhile, his skills in inscriptions and forging were slowly improving.

Liam had shifted to using basic sharpness inscriptions. They were a whole lot more complicated than the simple brightness enhancements, and he was nowhere near to succeeding in one.

It required him to visualize how sharp and precise the blade needed to be, how it would react to flesh or metal, and its rigidity. All these elements, and more, needed to be in harmony.

A failed attempt resulted in just weakening, or even shattering the entire blade.

…Compared to that, forgings were a lot more simpler. Liam used his original black blades Rogan had forged him as a reference, since he could see the beast-will inside it with his vision.

A week passed, and Liam left his cabin after a night of heavy training.

It was dead dark outside, but the view was breathtaking.

Nothing clouded the night sky, leaving the constellations in plain view, reflected across the seas. The sounds of waves crashing gave that sight a serene audio, and Liam found himself lost in the stars.

“You’re finally outside,” Jack said, leaning against the railing with a smoke-pipe in his mouth. He looked a bit worried seeing Liam’s bloodshot eye and pale face. “I thought I’d never see you leave.”

Liam waved his hand and leaned against the railing himself, peering out into the endless, dimly-illuminated ocean.

“Just busy.”

Jack took a huff out of his smoke pipe and nodded.

“I can imagine. You’re the youngest youth I’ve seen with a strength almost matching mine. Hardworking and talented ones are always rewarded, though.”

Liam let out an inward chuckle.

Talent?

He wasn’t talented in the least.

Everything he did was by his own two hands.

A tolerance for pain, an ambitious mindset, and indifference to killing helped.

Before Liam could reply, an ominous feeling washed over his senses, making him frown.

He shifted his furrowed eye to the oceanside. Jack did the same, a stern frown on his face.

There were only waves as far as they could see – nothing out of the ordinary.

Mental energy couldn’t pierce through thick depths of water, but his eye picked up a shadowy figure trailing behind the ship right before—

BOOM!

A pack of sharks almost as big as the Darkwood ship burst from the water and smashed against the hull, knocking Liam and Jack upwards and chinking the ship.

As he flew through the air, Liam unsheathed his blades and ran them across the darkwood just in time to stop himself from falling overboard.

“Sharks!” Jack shouted from the top of his lungs, making quick gestures in the air that sped up the ship.

…Not fast enough, though – the sharks slapped their giant fins against the waters, propelling them forward.

Now that they were above the water, the true form of the sharks was clear to see.

Their bullet-shaped bodies were covered in dark-blue, hardened skin, with streamlined fins and large gills lining their sides. On the top, was a giant bent fin that glowed with a blue light.

Tiny, human-like eyes were set on either side of their massive heads, fixed on the ship with unrelenting focus.

With their maws wide open, rows upon rows of razor-sharp black teeth were visible inside.

As if their explosive strength wasn’t enough, the sharks shot powerful beams of water from their mouths, each stream weakening the chinks in the ship’s armor.

Panic and dread spread across Jack’s face as he frantically pressed against the flat marble surface of the control panel, but to no avail.

“The controls… they’re broken!” he cried out in despair.

Liam let out a grunt of annoyance, followed by another crash that violently wobbled everyone.

“Can you fix them?” Liam questioned with a hard frown.

Jack quickly nodded as he looked over the helm.

“I can, but I need time. The defense system of the ship could easily take care of them if I can fix it.”

Liam nodded, then shifted his attention to the others.

Out of all of them, Nessa and Gerald looked the most scared, but Rin and Nord narrowed their eyes in focus.

‘There’s five of them. They’re all peak Rank 3 Dozer Sharks, but their weaknesses are their fins and gills. We can win!’

Chapter 120 Strong

Liam’s mind raced for a plan.

The fins and gills were the sharks’ weakness. All Liam needed to do was sever them – which could be done without much difficulty, as their hardened exterior only applied to their skin, not fins.

…But the ocean was their domain.

Liam would have to jump off the ship if he wanted to inflict any damage to the sharks, since the needles couldn’t cause any significant damage to hardened and watery surfaces. This chapter is updat𝓮d by nov(e)(l)biin.com

‘Unless…’

Liam’s attention lingered briefly on the floorboards of the main deck, then to his group, then back to the bloodthirsty sharks.

More precisely, their gills.

‘…That can work.’

Rin and Nord hesitantly looked at Liam for orders, but found him prying out a piece of floorboard from beneath his feet.

Then, he reeled out his dark chains and tied them to his legs, before tightly anchoring them to the ship.

Liam turned towards Gerald and Nessa with a focused and hardened gaze:

“You two make sure this chain doesn’t snap. On the off chance that it does, pull it with your bare hands if you have to.”

Liam’s domineering tone held no room for negotiation, and the two profusely nodded.

Walking towards the railing above where the sharks were ramming against, Liam spoke over his shoulder, addressing Nord and Rin:

“And you two make sure the other sharks are occupied while I’m down there. Blast them with any and every spell you have in your arsenal. Throw the kitchen sink if you have to!”

Nord’s mouth opened to question what he planned to do, but in the next instant, Liam, with rapid steps, jumped off the edge!

With a new pair of blades unsheathed, Liam made sure not to jump straight into the maws of a peak Rank 3 beast bigger than a house. That’d be pretty embarrassing considering how valiant he looked.

He positioned himself to fall towards the backfins of the closest shark. Thankfully, Liam’s short figure was too small for it to notice he had perched atop its back.

Gushing foamy waves crashed against Liam’s body as he landed on the slippery surface. His gaze turned to one of hardened focus as his hands and feet started to glow.

Instantly, his inscribed blades – strengthened by the first, and second martial art form, along with Lethality Mantle and Cartilage Brace – blurred against the shark’s hardened skin.

With each deep slash, parts of the rigid scales would shatter off and reveal the soft interior.

Darkness would seep into those openings and consume entire chunks of muscle.

Liam didn’t hold back on using his third form, Interweaving Sunder, which cut up large patches with X shaped wounds.

The Dozer Shark, now painfully aware of the human attacker, trashed around, uncaring of its own wellbeing.

It smashed its backfins against the water in a desperate attempt to brush Liam away.

It even submerged itself underwater repeatedly and pulled Liam with it, but holding his breath was an easy counter to that.

After a short moment, it returned to the surface and let out a frustrated, low-pitched sound.

‘There it is,’ Liam thought expectantly.

At that point, the surrounding sharks noticed the commotion and spotted Liam, who instantly started running towards the top fin.

On the left and right, the Dozers prepared to shoot a beam of water at their fellow shark!

Just before they could crush Liam to a pulp, Nord’s glaive created a series of quick thrusts and wide slashes in the air.

At the same time, Rin’s fists burst with thick flames, which grew twice the size of a basketball – with a low grunt, she hurled them.

Nord’s slashes had formed countless cuts on one of the shark’s mouths, disrupting his ability, while Rin’s fire forced the other one to go underwater to evade the attack.

Meanwhile, Liam had neared the fin – the hardest and most rigid part of the Dozer.

Sliding across the slippery surface at an incredible speed, he held his wakizashi and katana reversely, running his blades across the organ and cleanly severing it off as he flew past.

That seemed to kill the rage within the Dozer and replace it with fear, but Liam wasn’t done.

Right before he jumped to the next shark – that re-emerged from the water after evading the fireball – darkness swirled between his fingers to form three needles, which he promptly stuck within each of the Dozer’s gills.

Immediately, the needles exploded and clogged its gills with lethal smoke. Viscous blood poured from its insides and stained the water red as it slowly sank.

As Liam did that and moved to the next beast, Rin and Nord backed him up using their long-ranged attacks and spells to repeat the process.

“The controls are fixed!” Jack’s relieved voice eventually rang out.

Hearing those words, Liam instantly hauled himself back to the ship. He was at his limit after using so many spells back to back.

Cold sweat mixed with saltwater from the ocean dripped from his drenched body.

‘Saved by the bell,’ Liam thought, panting heavily.

Meanwhile, the ship started to shake violently.

The inscriptions glowed on its surface, and the darkwood slowly repaired itself – any trace of the previous damage to its flank was gone.

It wasn’t done there.

Thick tree roots grew from the bottom of the ship and shot at the remaining sharks, wrapping around them and tightening its crushing grip until they—

SPLURG!

…Exploded.

Bloody pieces of fish meat fell all over the main deck like small meteorites, with steaming-hot blood drenching everyone from head to toe.