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Born In Blood Chapter 31-40


Chapter 31: Solar Eclipse

 

Liam was amazed at his own dexterity and speed.

‘It seems the sea of consciousness directly boosts the body as well. Although it depends on the bodily center of power for strength, its potential is only maximized with the mental sphere.’

Still, the targets he was focusing on were the weakest among them.

His green irises shifted left and right as he looked for more criminals, jumping above the trees and making no noise.

Just then, a particular bandit caught his eye.

Liam couldn’t help but chuckle despite the seriousness of the situation.

‘Why are you shitting at a time like this?’

He wondered, looking at the fat man squatting down with his pants off, making grunting noises as he continued to push out the payload.

Liam’s blades gathered a fresh coat of red liquid, before his dark gaze shifted towards the main carriage.

The slaves’ chains made a clinking noise as they walked uphill through snow, walking with difficulty and heavily panting.

The traffickers were to their left and right, and the strongest among them was right ahead.

“Get a move on!” The leader among them shouted angrily from the front.

The bandits in charge of the slaves yanked their chains forward upon hearing his shout, causing them to yelp in pain.

Some had tears streaming down their faces in frustration. nove(l)bi(n.)com

Now and again, the Leader would look behind him to make sure everyone was moving along smoothly.

Fog and thick thorny trees covered part of his vision, but he didn’t fail to count the exact number of people — thanks to his men carrying strong lamps that lit up their surroundings.

He slowly let his guard down, taking off his mask and storing it inside his space-ring.

A short black goatee sat on his chin, while the man himself seemed in his mid-thirties.

His forehead was wrinkled and a stern frown naturally rested on his face. No hair was visible on his head.

He looked behind him one last time for another check, but his eyes narrowed as he did so.

‘Are we… two less?’

His frown deepened as his eyes swept the people behind him.

‘They could have gone for a bathroom break… but two at the same time?’

The Leader didn’t stop the men from moving straight away.

‘I’m nearly back to base, I don’t want Boss to get pissed at me for being late…’ He thought, keeping a vigilant eye on his back, but nothing happened.

He slowly shifted his gaze forward, a feeling of restlessness coming over him.

Paranoia couldn’t help but whisper in his ear.

A moment later, he turned his head slowly, and his eyes widened.

The Leader’s clenched hand rose in the air, prompting all the bandits to stop dead in their tracks.

The clinking noise stopped as well, and only the sound of wind howling entered everyone’s ears.

The Leader grimaced.

‘Four missing this time!’

The Leader quickly exchanged hand gestures with the two men closest to him, who were both cultivators slightly weaker than him.

The distance between those in the front and back wasn’t significant, yet the weak fog made it difficult for them to see clearly — since they didn’t have any particular mental strength — especially when cloaked in the night.

The three men split up, each one covering the left, middle, and right of the area.

The Leader wielded a normal iron mace, while the others carried silver sabers.

Meanwhile, Liam let out a tired sigh in his mind as he perched above the leafless trees. His eyes could see clearly in the dark, but the bandits weren’t in the same boat.

‘If only the leader wasn’t such a paranoid person, I would’ve gotten away with chipping them away.’ He thought, completely oblivious to his own hypocrisy. ‘Whatever, I wanted to test out my prowess anyway.’

His hands flickered, while his blades glowed with a lunar light.

An arc of moonlight suddenly shot out from the tree line, causing two of the three cultivators’ eyes to widen in surprise and jump backward to dodge.

Unfortunately for the third, the arc already shot out and severed his jugular vein before he could react, blood gushing out from the wound and dousing the ground.

The remaining slavers cursed loudly, grave frowns forming on their faces.

“Watch my back, if we fight together and use the others as bait, we’ll survive.” The Leader whisperingly-shouted to the remaining henchman as he thought of a plan.

The weaker traffickers were anxious and fearful, yet didn’t hesitate to take out their weapons and fight back.

A shrouded figure continually sprung out from the shadows like a ghost, quickly but silently killing the men holding the lamps, stripping away their only source of light.

One by one, thudding sounds resounded through the frigid air.

The darkness hid the elated expressions on the slaves as they saw their abusers getting murdered — killed in one swift slash.

Chapter 32: Sacrifice

 

The Leader’s expression grew grimmer as he witnessed the dreadful scene.

‘Shit!’ He cursed, before a look of resolve appeared on his face.

His mace was useless against a target that fast, and he couldn’t hit them if he tried.

‘I have no choice but to use it.’

Dropping the mace on the ground, a yellow flame grew on the Leader’s palm, illuminating the surroundings and revealing the corpses scattered underneath the snow.

It grew in intensity and heat, even melting the snowflakes falling from above.

A basketball sized blaze sat on his palm, which seemed unstable and volatile.

The Leader’s expression was of agony, as the fireball seemed to burn his flesh actively, charring his entire arm.

The remaining slaver didn’t sit idle either.

Once he saw what the Leader was doing, his fingertips dripped with an azure liquid. He was careful how he used it though, as the water and fire element didn’t mix well.

The Leader’s eyes darted left and right as he waited for the dark figure to show himself.

“You sure you wanna take your time?!” The Leader yelled, standing close to the line of slaves all chained up together, the blaze in his hand getting closer and closer to one of the female slaves.

“You wanna see how her pretty face looks burnt?!”

Liam was still hidden from their line of sight, yet couldn’t help but click his tongue in annoyance.

‘It doesn’t really matter if the slaves die, but I’ll gain extra merit points if I save them.’ He thought, his cold irises scanning the two slavers head to toe from behind a tree stump.

Still, he didn’t show himself instantly. He didn’t know much about the intense blaze in the Leader’s hand, and he didn’t fail to see the slaver’s hand dripping with water.

He knew that if he just patiently waited, the Leader’s injuries could grow severe and render his arm useless.

In reality, it already had. The slavers’ leader was using sheer will to hold the fireball together, even using his other arm to support it.

“Last chance!” The Leader yelled with a growing panic, the flame in his hand getting close enough to burn the female slave’s hair — its bright orange light illuminating the surroundings.

Just then, Liam slowly stepped into the area lit by the flame, catching their attention.

His short figure became discernible to the criminals, while his blades were by his sides, pointing towards the ground.

“You midget shit! Do you know what you’ve cost me?!” The Leader yelled, tufts of his goatee had been completely burnt off. “Drop your blades and get on the ground, now!”

Liam’s cold irises were fixed on the bald man’s figure as he slowly approached the two.

“Stop! Stay where you are!” He shouted, but Liam continued to walk casually towards them.

Suddenly, Liam’s foot blurred as he kicked the snow upward, creating a thin foggy veil that covered his figure entirely.

Simultaneously, his blades glowed with a strange but mesmerizing yellow light, shooting a crescent shaped arc that radiated innate sharpness through the snow.

‘Second form, Solar Eclipse!’

The Leader’s eyes flickered with a dangerous light.

Instantly, he hurled the flaming ball towards him. The fire shot out like a bullet, before flaring up violently.

Boom!

An explosion lit up the entire environment with a blinding light and caused the surrounding snow to melt — trees briefly catching on fire. A heat wave spread out and slightly shook the ground around them.

Meanwhile, the Leader jumped backwards just in time to dodge the yellow arc.

However, his eyes widened once he saw where it was headed.

He realized the slash wasn’t meant for him, but for the remaining slaver behind him.

The blinding light from the explosion worked in Liam’s favor, as the slaver squinted his eyes and opened them, only to see a thin rapidly approaching light.

Azure and foamy water burst forth from his fingertips in an attempt to block it from severing his head, but it was too slow.

The arc split his nose in two, and continued to flow through the air before eventually dissipating.

With one arm charred black and the other injured, the Leader didn’t have any strength in his body to carry his iron mace, his eyes frantically looking around the explosion radius to see if he hit his target.

‘Where is he? Where is he?!’ He repeated inwardly, his heart racing.

A moment later, his chest sank as he saw the dark figure — blades in hand — approach him from the corner of his eye.

Liam’s clothes had burn marks all over them, and there were still wisps of fire that continued to flicker on his body. A dark, cold pressure surrounded him.

The infernal body had come in clutch for him once again. Due to his above average heat resistance, the fire didn’t completely burn his skin black, but nonetheless, caused a few more burn marks to appear on his body.

At the same time, he felt those burn marks slowly turn into nourishment and strengthen his being. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience

Also, due to his quick thinking and new found dexterity, he was able to rush his way behind a tree stump before the explosion engulfed him.

Split second decisions felt longer to him now that his mental sphere had advanced quite a bit.

He dashed and brought his wakizashi to the bald man’s neck, severing it under the shocked gaze of the slaves.

Liam spotted a space-ring on the Leader’s hand, which he didn’t hesitate to steal.

He shifted his attention to the slaves. ‘I have to be quick. That explosion definitely alerted the people inside the mountain.’

His eyes fell on the young woman in the front, just a few years older than himself.

A large gash on her chest bled continuously, her eyes devoid of any life, while her wrists and ankles were still chained to another slave. He knew straight away.

It was his fault she died.

During the fight, when he aimed the arc towards the remaining slaver, it had continued on and slashed her as well.

Liam shook his head solemnly, but that’s all the pity he could spare.

‘I did what had to be done… I didn’t mean for her death, yet my own survival was at stake.’

‘You cannot gain without sacrifice.’

Chapter 33: Disciple

 

Liam broke the chains holding the slaves captive using his sword, then led them towards the carriage the slavers left behind. A large brown-maned steed was still well and able to pull them.

“You’re free now. There’s a village a few clicks that way.”

Liam gestured towards the east while addressing the slaves inside the caravan. Some looked at him with contempt and anger for killing an innocent girl, while the others were just happy they survived.

“They’ll give you food and water for work, now move along.”

A young man decided to sit in the coachman’s seat and steer the carriage, prompting Liam to walk back home. His back displayed a slight loneliness, as his figure disappeared into the thick fog.

***

A few minutes earlier.

Boom!

A figure instantly emerged from the mountain slope, his pale face staring in the direction of the explosion.

He shot out like a bullet towards it, reaching it after a few minutes and finding nothing but dead corpses warming the snow.

He didn’t fail to notice the Leader’s hand lacking the space-ring he gave him.

“Stupid rats, unable to complete something as trivial as this. They deserve to die.” He uttered under his breath, stepping over their dead bodies and trampling them.

The figure’s face was seemingly tired, his breath deep and raspy while a frown rested on his face. After investigating the scene, he spotted carriage tracks towards his left, in addition to footsteps to the right.

Instantly, his expression softened into one of understanding.

‘The slaves can wait. I want to know who killed my goons.’ With that, his legs began to sprint towards the footprints.

***

Liam quickly wiped out the ‘Ora’ imprint from the Leader’s space-ring, before inspecting it.

The space was stacked with different kinds of parchment papers, confusing Liam as to what their purpose was.

Besides that, there were a few ‘Ora’ stones and some gold. One specific paper caught his attention.

Inspecting it, Liam’s eyes widened.

‘Isn’t this the same parchment as the one from Vamar’s ring?’

He took out both from his ring and put them side by side.

Both writings on the leather paper were different from any kind of text he had been familiar with.

It had a series of red diagrams beside each other, each one made from blood.

‘It resembles a spell…’

The only thing he could read was a small text at the top, stating its name in the Echorian language.

‘Fire Blaze Prototype. Rank-1.’

‘Prototype? Wha—!’

Suddenly, thick bloodlust spread from behind him, with noises of quick steps entering his ears.

Clang!

A blood-red odachi — radiating sharpness and lethality — smashed against Liam’s Night Blades, sending him flying the distance and rolling on the snow.

Had he not shifted himself in time, the blade would’ve pierced right through his spine.

Liam grunted, before pushing himself off the ground and looking for his attacker.

The man he saw didn’t match his image for just how much strength was in the previous strike.

His face was wrinkled and pale as a ghost, his brown eyes drooped while his body was skinnier than a twig.

He took raspy breaths and seemed to be in discomfort, even coughing now and again. He seemed to be in his fifties, with graying sideburns and a sharp beard on his chin.

With an ominous tone and interest gleaming in his eyes, he grinned, “Such reflexes. It’s no wonder you killed those weaklings.”

He took time to breathe between sentences while scanning Liam’s body head to toe.

“Milk has just dried on your lips, and you’re already this devilish. I wonder what kind of threat you’ll become when you grow older.”

Liam grimaced inwardly at the man’s condescending tone, but kept a calm face.

‘There’s a reason he’s this cocky, he doesn’t even consider me as a threat.’

His mind raced, the air around him turning dark.

‘I still have two revitalization pills with me. If I get too injured, I can use it and continue to fight. There’s still that unknown pill, but I can’t use it unless my life is in danger.’

The pale old man started to chuckle at the sight, his breath wheezing out of control before he forced himself to calm down.

“A cornered mouse will bite the mouser.” He stated with a wet cough, taking out a Jade from his ring and throwing it towards Liam.

“Since you’ve made me laugh, I’ll let you live, kiddo. First give me back the space-ring you stole.”

Liam had no choice but to comply, catching the Jade and carefully throwing the ring to the man.

“In the off chance that you’re curious about those spells, come back here when you’re a Magus. The name’s Revel.”

A sense of relief formed in Liam’s heart, but he didn’t dare let his guard down, limiting himself to say one word.

“Why?”

The man shifted his solemn gaze towards the night sky — his eyes brimming with strange emotion — then looked back at Liam.

“I could use a disciple.”

Revel turned around and left at that point, his figure merging with the frosty mist before disappearing. Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

Liam didn’t spare a second and started to run the opposite direction.

‘Damn it! I’m still weak!’

He sped up before finally reaching Ucladd’s borders, reaching his house, and making his way inside his room through the back window.

He heaved a deep breath as he sat down and inspected his weapons.

The barely used Night Blades had cracks all over its surface, causing Liam to grimace.

Chapter 34: Forge

 

Liam’s nickname in the peasantry and underground was ‘The Young Butcher’.

He was named this because of all the magical beasts he would bring to various establishments, such as restaurants, pill stores, and even forgemasters.

As it turned out, forging had its own entire branch of knowledge, similar to cultivation and alchemy. They used their own techniques and methods of forgery, but mastery of such a rigorous art depended only on hardwork and sheer persistence.

Still, the weapons made by the underground forgemasters weren’t as good as store-bought inscribed weapons, which is why Liam opted for the latter.

Liam had made more than a few connections with the rich businessmen underground, and he headed there as soon as the sun rose.

However, before he left, he made sure to reassure Eve of his well-being and update her on his achievements.

Liam was headed to a particular pill shop, donning a hood over his usual clothing.

The store owner was one he was on the best terms with.

He was a lanky, rosy-skinned old man by the name of Rudolph, with a vibrant beard that covered his chin, an air of experience and tempered knowledge surrounding him.

Liam entered his small store, a pair of female servants wearing dark blue outfits stood to the sides of the entrance.

Pills were sealed and stacked on wooden shelves covering the walls of the store, and a pharmaceutical smell covered the air.

Liam gazed at the various kinds of medicine being displayed, differing in size and color. Under the displays, were a metal plate describing them, along with their rank.

Pills that increased the user’s speed, pills that increased strength; there were tablets virtually of any kind.

However, most of the pills there were weak and lasted for mere moments — as stated by their Rank. This was to be expected, since Rudolph’s shop wasn’t too developed compared to other stores.

This was one of the reasons Liam had chosen to do business with him, since he could sell him Rank-1 magical beasts for a decent price.

Rudolph spotted the young man entering his store and instantly beamed. He waved his hand, and the servants closed the store off and entered the backrooms.

“Young Butcher! I reckon you’ve gotten another load of magical beasts you want to sell?” The shopkeeper questioned joyously.

Liam nodded. “It depends. I’ve got a few favors to ask.”

Rudolph raised his brows. “Well, by all means. If it’s in my power, I’ll try to fulfill your request.”

Liam took out two pills from his space-ring, one silver and one purple.

“Do you know what these are for?”

Rudolph accepted the pills and inspected them for a moment, before nodding his head.

“This one here can restore mental energy to full capacity when used.” He pointed at the silver pill, before moving to the purple pill.

His eyes widened as he inspected it thoroughly.

“If this is what I think it is, it’s worth more than 750 ‘Ora’ Stones!” Rudolph said with shock in his tone.

750 ‘Ora’ Stones were no small amount. It could even fund an entire village for a full five years.

“It’s a bone strengthening pill. It can help you reach the peak of a stage body wise, as long as it’s below the third and fourth rank.” Rudolph revealed.

“Not only that, but the strengthening remains permanent. I’d love to buy this from you. I’ll even add 200 Stones extra.”

Liam was entirely satisfied.

‘I’ll instantly use those pills and do a lengthy session with the Psionic Rune. The bone strengthening pill can wait after I reach the upper-stage of Rank-2.’

He instantly denied Rudolph’s offer before asking him for instructions on how to use it.

The shop owner obviously didn’t explain the process for free, but Liam didn’t mind.

After the transactions were over, Liam took out a few Rank-1 magical beast corpses for Rudolph to freely use. New n𝙤vel chapters are published on

“One more thing. Do you know any knowledgeable forgemasters in the underground? I need to have my blades fixed.”

Rudolph turned pensive, but it looked as though someone had come into mind.

“Well, yes… but you might find his personality a bit difficult. He may or may not like you, and he only offers his services to people he likes.”

Liam took his offer and was given a green token with Rudolph’s shop insignia, as well as directions.

Shortly after those words, he arrived at said place.

It was a large square hut, a chimney bellowing out smog from above. The smell of coal and steel warmed the surrounding air.

Loud ‘clang’ and ‘bang’ noises resonated from within it.

Forgemasters usually worked in such a place, but with other facilities for customers. This location, on the other hand, worked only for the blacksmith himself — and didn’t even have a banner or logo.

Liam took a step inside and assessed his surroundings, when a deep and heavy voice shouted.

“Hold up!”

A tall and stout man walked out of a metal door — extreme heat wafting from that room — his arms and face darkened black, while his face looked naturally stern.

He wore black clothing with no sleeves, exposing his broad shoulders, and a plain apron that covered his chest and extended past his abdomen to his knees.

His eyes were a deep brown, and his spiked hair tinted dark red with few strands of white. A thick, manly beard covered his jaw.

The man towered over Liam with his giant frame, a menacing air surrounding him.

“You lost?”

Chapter 35: Forgemaster

 

Liam shook his head and took out the green token, handing it to the blacksmith.

The man grunted once he saw the token, and an irked expression formed on his face as he took it and crushed it with his bare hands.

“I told that scrawny twig not to send me anyone unless they’re interesting enough to make weapons for, and he sent me a child?!”

Liam sighed. He didn’t say much, but took out his blades and stretched them forward.

“I need new weapons, my current ones are damaged and are no longer usable. Can you make me new ones or not?”

The red-haired man was about to kick the kid out from his shop, before he saw the state his blades were in.

At the same time, he realized how the young man standing before him didn’t even budge when he shouted but remained calm, and despite the burning air around them, he didn’t sweat.

‘His blades are made from an obsidian alloy, but it’s poorly made. Is that a coat of dried blood on it? Wait, the ring around his hand… this kid is already a cultivator?’

The blacksmith pursed his lips for a moment, staring at Liam in silence.

Without warning, he grabbed his Night Blades and shattered them on the ground. Updated from nov𝒆lbIn.(c)om

Liam scowled, his frown deepening with each second that passed.

Noticing his glare, the blacksmith scoffed proudly.

“Never use store bought weapons. The things those phonies make are a disgrace to us forgemasters! I’ll make you a new pair. What’s your name, kid?”

Liam paused for a moment, before answering. “Liam.”

The red-haired man pursed his lips again. “Rogan.”

With that brief and strange introduction, the blacksmith, known as Rogan, turned around and entered back into the forge.

Liam followed closely behind, scouring the space, which was the size of two living rooms.

Besides the boiling heat — which his body thankfully was used to — there were various tools and metals laying around chaotically.

On the left wall, the corpses of various magical beasts could be seen, ranging from Rank-1 to Rank-2 — a price-tag beneath it. The beasts themselves were in a large see-through container which seemed to contain some sort of preservation capability.

The area was illuminated by a white light hanging from above. In the middle of the space, a giant black anvil sat, covered with dents and marks that displayed its heavy usage.

Towards the right, materials ranging from greasing oil to various weapon handles sat in cupboards and tables.

Hammers and other tools were hung on the walls, and in front, was a cauldron of red-hot magma — the cause of heat in the room.

Liam approached a Rank-2 beast — the Albino Python — and inspected it.

It was 3 meters long and had glimmering white scales. Its reptilian eyes were forcibly opened, revealing a yellow iris.

Liam had seen them before, but he hadn’t had the opportunity to fight against one.

‘With my current strength, it’s not a stretch to say I can fight against Rank-3 beasts.’

Humans had a great advantage over magical beasts for one reason only. Their sea of consciousness and powerful intelligence.

Liam’s progress with his mental sphere had been steadily increasing — the rune didn’t hurt his head as much as before — and he felt really close to a breakthrough.

“Alright, let’s discuss payment. I specialize in making weapons from magical beast corpses, so you can choose which blades you want from that bunch.

“Keep in mind, whichever one you choose, your blades will have the innate ability of that beast — at least, a copy of it.”

Liam raised his brows, remaining silent. His tone was incredulous as he spoke.

“Innate ability? You can do that?”

Rogan gave a firm nod. “It’s my forging technique. Now, quickly choose. I don’t have all day.”

Liam paused for a moment, before speaking with a respectful tone:

“Please teach me.”

The benefits of such a skill were endless.

Liam knew that he couldn’t count on store-bought weapons forever. It didn’t matter how expensive or well-made they looked — as long as he didn’t make it with his own two hands, he wouldn’t trust its quality.

Not to mention, Liam dealt with magical beasts on a daily basis.

Rogan arched his brows, scoffing.

“If every ten year old wanted to learn how to forge, don’t you think this art would be redundant?

“Not to mention, the technique I use is Unorthodox and incomplete. It’ll cause you immense pain each time you use it, but also requires you to have a powerful body and sturdy mental sphere.”

“…That’s it?” Liam asked, confused. The part about immense pain felt incredibly casual to him. “How strong of a body and mental sphere?”

Rogan himself was a bit confused. Although he himself had a high tolerance for pain, it didn’t occur to him that Liam might have the same.

“A Rank-2 body, and strong mental energy you can manipulate precisely.”

A short silence ensued.

“Then teach me.”

Rogan had a dumbfounded look on his face, but slowly realized what Liam was implying.

“You… you’re already…?”

Liam nodded, prompting a pensive look on Rogan’s face.

A strong pressure started to emanate from Rogan’s figure — mental waves that wrapped around Liam, which the latter quickly pushed back using his own.

Although his mental waves were significantly weaker, Rogan’s expression indicated surprise and realization. He continued to increase the waves’ intensity, before signs of pain appeared on Liam’s face.

Eventually, the blacksmith sighed and retracted his pressure. “Choose what magical beast corpse you want me to make.”

“Is that a yes?”

Rogan scoffed proudly. “You’ll have to know how it works first. If you do decide to learn it, I won’t allow you to slack off. I don’t care if you start crying, either.”

A slight smile appeared on Liam’s face.

He was gonna get along with his new mentor.

Chapter 36: Primordial Forging

 

Liam instantly went back to the magical beast corpses, pensive as he decided what to pick.

It was obvious he was gonna go for a Rank-2, since he could easily afford it.

‘Albino Python, Lake Beaver, Earth Boar. The first being of the wind element, the second of water, and third of earth.’ Musing over it for a few moments, Liam eventually decided on the first option. Updated from nov𝒆lbIn.(c)om

Rogan nodded and grabbed the snake, placing it on the metal anvil and taking out a sharp cutting-knife from his space-ring.

It was a mere 4-inch blade, yet it was covered with inscriptions that bolstered its sharpness to a terrifying length.

The knife cut through the python like butter.

“A katana and wakizashi. 23 inches for the former and 11 inches for the latter…”

Rogan uttered words continuously under his breath while skinning the snake with ease.

He separated the fangs, bones, flesh and core immaculately. The skill and grace he did it with didn’t match his muscular physique, and his experienced eyes seemed to be completely absorbed in his work.

The same went for Liam, who was captured by the art of forgery — paying the utmost attention to Rogan’s handiwork.

After completing the separation and organizing all the components, Rogan took a black hammer off the wall. The hammer was covered with similar inscriptions, radiating strength — and looked similar to Mjolnir.

Liam’s interest was piqued.

Rogan began with the metallic scales, putting them all in a straight line and rubbing dark oil grease over them, before hitting it with the hammer.

Loud bangs resonated through the air, however, instead of becoming uneven and ruined, the scales wielded together to create a long, thin, and perfectly flat piece of metal.

‘How does that even work?’ Liam wondered briefly, before paying attention.

After doing so, he took the shiny metal piece and dipped it into the magma cauldron, causing it to glow red with heat. He continued hammering it until it began to take the form of a sword.

He repeated the process sixteen times, until the sword resembled a full-fledged katana.

He shaved away the excess metal from the piece and purified it, then grabbed the snake flesh, bones and fangs, and continuously mixed them together with the metal piece until it blended inside.

At the same time, he used the snakeskin to create a handle, wrapping it around a cloth until it took a solid form.

It took two hours until he finished doing the same with the dagger, but since Liam was just as absorbed as Rogan, he didn’t notice.

By the end, all the materials were expended except the snake core, which he took out to complete the final step.

Rogan closed his eyes as he held the core, and the azure colored ‘Ora’ inside of it oozed out like gas and entered through his forehead.

‘Don’t tell me… he’s absorbing that into his mental sphere?’

Following this, Rogan went through a series of pained expressions. His eyes were closed all throughout, but it looked as though he was going through a mental clash.

Gradually, color returned to Rogan’s pale face, allowing him to grab the blades and clench them tightly.

The ‘Ora’ that he had absorbed through his mental sphere left his head and burst forth through his mental waves.

It wrapped around the blades — parts of it entering it and causing it to faintly glow — while other parts were lost due to a lack of control.

The ‘Ora’ in his arms left his body and entered the blades like tendrils, briefly enveloping them before disappearing inside of it.

Only after he was done, did he stretch the weapons forward.

“Come, hold them.” Rogan’s tone was quieter than before, but his eyes were still full of life.

Liam happily obliged, grabbing the blades and waving them around.

The end products looked extremely clean.

The katana and wakizashi both had a white stripe along the edges. The aesthetics of the handle and blade formed an expensive and posh appearance.

The blades felt perfect in his grip.

“Mind telling me about the forging method now?”

Rogan heaved a long, tired sigh. “As I’ve said, it’s an unorthodox method of forgery by the name of Primordial Forging. In essence, it consists of taking over a magical beast’s ‘will’ and making it your own. Once that’s done, I can imbue that will onto a blade.

“This technique has multiple issues with it, however. The first being the short life-span of the creations made from it. Secondly, subjugating a magical beast’s will is a lot more difficult than it seems. You quite literally have to fight with it in your head, which can cause weakness to the mental sphere walls.

“I won’t lie, it’s covered with flaws. The only reason I use it today is because it’s been passed down from my forgery masters — who spent their entire lives attempting to perfect this art. I’ve barely fixed a few mistakes myself during my decades of practicing it, but it’s still lacking.”

Liam took a second to process everything, glancing at the pristine blades in his hand.

“There has to be a silver lining, right?”

Rogan scoffed proudly.

“Although it has its problems, it’s capable of surpassing every other forging method in terms of raw power and potential. Magical beasts are limitless, after all.”

Liam smiled.

“When can I start?”

Rogan smirked in approval.

“First, memorize the forging method.” He said, taking out an old, worn down parchment from his ring. “Then we can begin with the basics.”

Chapter 37: Warning

 

Winter was slowly coming to an end, but not before the season increased its intensity by multiple folds.

The first thing Liam did when finishing with his underground business was head towards the forest.

His blades practically begged to be used.

Night had cloaked the sky, flickering with bright stars barely visible through the cold mist.

Liam spread out his senses throughout the region. Growls, screeches and hisses loudened in his ears, and he could sense what creatures those sounds belonged to.

The further parts of the Ucladd Forest contained rougher and much more demanding terrain. It housed dungeons, glades and caves, which no doubt housed a plethora of powerful magical beasts.

Liam took the liberty of accepting a magical beast extermination mission while he was at it — adding to his stingy-with-time personality.

He needed to eliminate a pack of Rank-2 Blizzard Hounds located at the foot of a snowy tor.

He avoided unnecessary fights with weaker beasts until he arrived there, instantly sensing the dozen-some wolves under a rough collection of giant boulders.

The Blizzard Hounds had bright white fur, which glowed as they buried themselves under the snow — underneath the white tufts, was tough, purple skin.

They were roughly 2 meters in length, with a tall stature. Somehow, their low growls were audible through the howling wind.

‘They have powerful noses, so I’ll have to be quick.’

Magical beasts oftentimes lived in habitats that supported their innate abilities. In this case, the snow provided a nourishing effect to strengthen their bodies.

Further up, he could see the dark entrance of an alcove, multiple hounds blocking its entrance — sleeping around it.

Liam’s eyes fell on that entrance and slightly narrowed.

‘I sense danger from that cave. Though, it shouldn’t be anything too serious. Maybe a peak Rank-2 Blizzard Hound as the alpha. Rank-3’s can’t be found in this location either.’

Without delaying another second, Liam silently approached the wolf pack.

There were few trees surrounding the mountain foot to traverse through, leaving him with just a direct confrontation.

He tightened the grip on his blades and dashed towards the closest sleeping hound, who’s snout twitched with a strange smell.

As the wolf slowly opened its eyes, a shadowy blade met its neck, tainting its white fur crimson and spurting gobs of red.

The smell of blood quickly alerted the other hounds, their growling growing louder as they sniffed the air.

Meanwhile, a smile grew on Liam’s face, uncaring of the thunderous barks and howls shot his way.

‘It cut through it so easily! There’s no doubt about it. I need to learn this forging method.’

His eyes turned cold as he scoured the beasts.

The wolves instantly swarmed him, spreading around and giving him little space.

However, they didn’t get very close.

They couldn’t.

Each time they tried to, a streak of blood flew in the air, and a wolf head quietly thudded on the snow.

From thirteen, only six remained.

The massacre continued one-sidedly, with Liam slowly pushing through towards the cave.

Suddenly, the wolves changed tactics.

They jumped back and kept their distance, their claws lengthening to razor-sharp icicles.

Swiping their claws, dozens of sharp, finger-sized chunks of ice shot at his figure.

Liam evaded most of those attacks, yet purposely allowed some to hit his non-vital spots.

Streams of blood warmed his body and stained his clothes, but contradictingly nourished it.

‘I nearly forgot about my tempering method. I’ll have to get creative with how I advance now.’

Liam strengthened his arms with small amounts of ‘Ora’, just enough for him to kill the remaining Hounds.

One last thud resounded, before Liam began extracting the beasts’ cores.

‘It’s a shame I don’t have enough space in my ring. Rank-2 beasts sell quite well.’

Liam shifted his gaze towards the unguarded alcove.

Sensing the danger, he sat cross-legged and instantly began to refill the expended ‘Ora’ — preparing for the worst.

When he finished, he slowly entered through the hole. Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

Right as he did, sounds of wet chewing entered his ears, in addition to a stronger, more demanding growl.

The floor was dyed crimson with dried blood and viscera, littered with half-eaten Blizzard Hound corpses.

Further up, a giant lump of black fur had his back towards him, yet radiated immense danger — enough to make Liam’s hair rise.

However, there was no trace of fear in Liam’s eyes — just his mind and body’s natural reaction to a powerful threat.

Liam’s grip on his blades tightened as the black ‘lump’ turned around and arose, revealing a vicious, 3 meter wolf that could make an adult man cry with one look.

It’s snout and face had been marred — the healed scars indicating the beast had gone through a fierce clash time ago — resulting in one of it’s eyes being blinded. Most probably the previous alpha of the pack.

As it spotted the tiny human invading its territory, it let out another deep growl, vibrating throughout the cave — even applying pressure on Liam’s mental sphere and causing him to scowl.

‘Rank-3!’

Liam instinctively knew the wolf was Rank-3.

Magical beasts in this rank could apply physical and mental pressure, even if they weren’t species that focused on that aspect.

Noticing the grey markings under the wolf’s eyes, Liam instantly thought of a species name from Lloyd’s bestiary.

‘Shadow Lykos of the darkness element! Not only is this kind of beast rare like most darkness beasts, they’re also strong and highly dangerous.’

Liam could freely leave.

Well… not so freely, but an escape was almost certainly possible if he tried.

The Lykos growled again. A warning, Liam assumed.

Amazingly, even the Rank-3 beast wanted him gone.

Not only had Liam invaded its territory, he had also interrupted its meal. Under any other circumstance, it would’ve already pounced without warning.

Yet it was injured, and intelligent enough to avoid a meaningless fight.

Liam clenched his blades, forcing out a deep breath, before smirking.

“Let’s test our limits, shall we?”

Chapter 38: Clash

 

Seeing that the invading human had no intentions of leaving, the wolf’s growl grew louder, before turning into a deafening roar.

It didn’t bark, though. Only weaker lower ranked species did so, which only made the Lykos look more terrifying.

A heavy pressure weighed against Liam’s mind, causing him to scowl deeply, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.

Simultaneously, the Lykos’ black fur turned ethereal, oozing out similar-colored smoke that covered its body.

‘I’ve never fought against a darkness beast before, but from what I’ve read about them, I can’t let that smoke touch me.’

A deep gurgling sounded from the beast’s chest, paired with an ethereal black substance — the center of which appeared liquid — shooting out from its throat, rapidly beaming for Liam’s figure.

Liam’s hands flickered.

He swung his blades as one, aiming for the dark vapor and Lykos simultaneously.

His wakizashi glowed, and an arc of moonlight brightened the cave, colliding with the smoke.

The smoke parted ways, but not before the liquid center made the arc of light completely redundant.

The smoke dissipated into air, while the liquid center sploshed against the wall behind him.

This was the darkness element, extremely versatile and equally dangerous – able to mend and change like a shadow depending on how it was used.

The Shadow Lykos had multiple innate abilities that grew stronger with each rank, with natural manipulation capabilities growing stronger too.

Suddenly, the Lykos’ body churned.

It gurgled again, before shooting another blob from its throat — faster and larger — dripping with liquid darkness.

Liam didn’t dodge the smoke like normal since it was so fast, but that wasn’t his intention.

His katana flickered with a gentle solar glow, before a lengthy, orange colored arc shot out from it, clashing with the liquid cloud of darkness.

Simultaneously, he ducked low as he dashed forth, closing the distance between the wolf and himself using the bright flash of the first form – using the beast’s blinded eye to his advantage.

The wolf was caught off guard for a moment as it attempted to block Liam’s blade with its sharp canine teeth.

A moment was all Liam needed.

Liam asserted ‘Ora’ into his newly forged blades, causing wind to gather around it and whir on their edges – radiating sharpness.

An arc of solar light flew in the dark and headed straight for the Lykos’ neck, before the blades themselves followed shortly after.

Liam grit his teeth and used all the strength – and ‘Ora in his body – to force his blades through its black skin.

The katana penetrated through the fur of the Lykos first, before the wakizashi did the same.

The wind caused a clean cut to appear on its body, even before the blades made contact.

At the same time, the Lykos grabbed a hold of Liam’s thigh, clenching its giant maws on it.

Its long and sharp canine teeth – coated with darkness brutally dug through his flesh, sending pangs of pain throughout his body.

‘DIE ALREADY!’

Liam swung his blades as hard and viciously as he could, using every bit of adrenaline in his veins to deepen the wounds on the Lykos’ stubborn skin.

Thankfully, the wolf couldn’t use its darkness element, since Liam struck exactly in its midsection. More precisely, its core.

The two were at a stalemate, and whoever could cause the most grievous wounds would win.

Liam’s training hadn’t been for absolutely nothing. His pain tolerance over the past year had gone up to near masochistic amounts.

With a loud shout, he forced his katana through the top of the wolf’s head, its tip exiting through the bottom.

His wakizashi on the other hand pierced it from bottom to top.

The Shadow Lykos continued to yank and pull away the flesh from Liam’s thigh — mangling chunks of his flesh — until gradually, it lost the strength to do so.

A puddle of dark red liquid formed below it, while it took deep strained breaths in. The sourc𝗲 of this content nov(𝒆l)bi((n))

The light faded from its remaining eye – its body went limp, but its jaw was stuck to Liam’s thigh as it eventually died.

Liam’s sword and dagger clinked as it fell to the ground, allowing him to pry the wolf’s jaw away from his bloodied and bruised leg.

As he did so, warm blood continued to ooze from his leg — which had a few of the Lykos’ teeth stuck to it. He fell to the ground and panted heavily – allowing himself a short respite.

‘Shit, I have a headache…’

Liam hesitated whether or not to use his strong revitalization pills, but his wounds already began to heal – becoming nourishment.

Choosing not to, he sat cross-legged and began to cultivate, circulating ‘Ora’ within his wounds to heal them quicker.

‘Damn dog bit me to the bone. This works, though. I’m already getting close to completing the lower-stage.’

After feeling slightly better, he perked back up and started to skin the beast.

After it died, the wolf was flaccid, but still almost powerful enough to resist the strength of his blades.

Almost.

The most accurate parable explaining the difference in bodily strength could be: the first rank being wood, the second – stone, and the third, steel.

They were capable of damaging each other, but nonetheless, had major advantages.

‘The Shadow Lykos is a rare species of magical beast, and no doubt each part would fetch a hefty price.’

After skinning the wolf successfully taking out the parts, he stored them inside the ring.

He left the core for last, and after extracting it from the body, saw that it was pitch black in color.

‘Would Rogan make me a pair of blades from this?’

Smiling, he made space in his ring before quickly shoving the three meter beast inside the ring.

With that, he left the den once and for all.

Chapter 39: Ranks

 

Weeks passed.

At last, winter was finally over, and spring took its place – causing the previously dead trees to burst with various colors.

When Liam brought back a Rank-3 magical beast corpse to Rogan’s forgery, the blacksmith was at a loss for words.

Even more so when Liam explained how he killed it.

Liam used that opportunity to ask the blacksmith for a new pair of blades – made from the Shadow Lykos no less.

Rogan sighed, then chuckled, then laughed.

“Hahaha! Shameless rascal – trying to take advantage any time you can. Give them to me, I’ll preserve them for you.

“However, weapons made from Rank-3 beasts are difficult to make, even for me. Their wills get substantially stronger with each rank, and I’ll have to use special pills to strengthen my mental sphere.

“Pills I trust my honorable disciple will provide. Don’t worry though, you won’t have to pay for the blades.

“Also, I’m not making anything new until you dull those blades you’re using now – and maybe a few more simpler blades before that. Every weapon deserves to have a master worthy of wielding it. Never forget that.”

Liam smiled in acknowledgement before leaving the forgery.

The coming weeks, his schedule continued like normal, with the addition of learning the basics of forging.

They were simple instructions which he didn’t have trouble learning. Rogan simply wanted to familiarize him with how to work with the materials.

Liam finally became eleven years old, cueing the same tradition of pumpkin pie his mother cooked him.

There wasn’t any party, though. The two loners ate and chatted between themselves.

“Son… about your work. You don’t plan on stopping, do you?” Eve said with a weakened tone.

“Not currently, why?” Liam questioned, his mouth filled with food.

“I’m just… worried. What if, one day, you don’t return? I don’t want to lose you.” Eve muttered, her brows furrowed.

Liam sighed. “Don’t worry so much. I’m strong now, and I’m getting stronger. Eventually, I’ll get you out of this peasantry and settled somewhere much nicer.”

Eve let out a weak sigh. Her son’s confident tone assured her, but clearly not enough.

On the other hand, he completed a few more main missions, steadily accumulating his merit points. He didn’t spend them on anything, though, saving them for the higher ranked techniques.

Meanwhile, his body had advanced past the lower-stage and entered the middle-stage.

His progress was incredibly fast, thanks to his reckless and maniacal way of training – which basically consisted of getting bit, poisoned and slashed by magical beasts and humans alike.

Liam realized the forging method’s weakness, as the blades Rogan had made already began to show signs of decline after a week – granted, through heavy usage.

In the first place, it wasn’t supposed to last that long. But the blacksmith had used various methods to prolong its durability.

At the same time, something peculiar took place.

It was midnight when he was training with the Psionic Rune in his room, when suddenly, the walls of his mental sphere echoed with tremors. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience

Within, the space rumbled, and the waves of mental energy violently smashed against the translucent barrier.

Liam felt like his thoughts were swimming through a viscous, burning liquid – as contradictory as that might sound.

By the time the event stopped, a mental ‘click’ resounded in his head, and Liam felt like a fog had been lifted from his mind.

Everything felt so… clear.

His perception, his senses, his thoughts. He could feel each hair on his body swaying against the lightest of wind.

He could sense all his surroundings with unadulterated clarity despite not using any mental energy, and all kinds of sounds entered his ears.

Liam didn’t realize his room was so detailed.

His wooden drawers were covered in faint little markings, his walls were sallow and not a plain cream color like he thought, and the back window was covered with unnoticeable old stains.

Liam reeled in his amazement and laughed.

“I’m finally a Magus!”

He entered his mental sphere, looking for any differences.

For one, the sea below him was a shade darker and much more vast than before. Moreover, the translucent barrier had grown almost twice as thick.

He decided to stretch out his ‘mental muscle’, another word for spreading his senses throughout his surroundings.

His mental waves left his room, spreading through his neighborhood, then district… before faintly enveloping the entire peasantry.

A day passed.

“You rascal! Do you take me for a fool?” Lloyd frowned, causing Liam to let out an annoyed sigh.

The pair were in the forest as Liam had a scheduled duel with his teacher – where he chose to reveal his advancement.

“It takes almost two & a half years for someone to become a Rank-1 Magus. You’re telling me you’ve done it in barely one? Prove it.”

Liam scoffed, focusing all his pressure towards Lloyd’s figure. The night prior, he had practiced his control over his mental waves, and the pressure it released was quite amazing.

Lloyd’s face expressed realization and shock, with a hint of pain – prompting Liam to reel in his pressure.

‘He’s still much stronger than me. Though, with the age difference between us, I wonder at what age I’ll be stronger.’

“Wow.” Was all Lloyd could say. He took a moment to sit on the grass – probably since his knees couldn’t hold him up anymore – gesturing for Liam to do the same.

“Since I haven’t explained the ranks in detail, I suppose now is a good time to start.” Lloyd muttered, still somewhat shocked from that reveal.

“There are 9 total ranks in the cultivation path. The first three are called Mortal ranks. They aren’t that difficult to advance in, and the power gap between them isn’t too big either, since a Rank-2 body can still damage a Rank-3 body.

“This changes within the Zenith ranks, which range from 4 to 6. The difference of power is vastly different compared to the first three – since they could kill Mortal cultivators with a thought. Most noble patriarchs or matriarchs are around this level.”

Liam’s eyes brimmed with awe and emotion.

“7 to 9 are called Celestial ranks. Little is known about them, but they’re otherworldly beings, capable of wiping out entire civilizations with a simple hand gesture.”

Liam lowered his head to hide the manic expression on his face.

The word Celestial sounded just so… enticing.

Chapter 40: Stars

 

Liam often used the comfort of stargazing in his first life to cope with reality.

The constellations seemed to bring peace to his heart for some strange reason – the vastness of the universe reminded him of his insignificant existence, and even more so his insignificant difficulties. nove(l)bi(n.)com

The word ‘celestial’ seemed to stir up memories Liam had long forgotten, and his eyes couldn’t hide those solemn emotions.

In a way, he had an unrequited relationship with the heavenly bodies. But now… he felt as though he could touch them.

He shifted his gaze towards the sky.

It was still daytime, and there were practically no stars in the azure space. Yet that didn’t deter Liam from staring right at them, knowing they stared back.

‘I will touch the stars… or die trying.’

Lloyd kept his silence for Liam to process what he heard. After a while, he spoke with a grave tone.

“…Do you know what this means?”

His teacher’s firm words took Liam out of his stupor.

The seriousness of his tone made Liam just as stern. It took barely a moment for Liam to think of an answer.

He inwardly cursed.

“Will the nobles stop me from progressing?”

Lloyd gave him a shrug, prompting Liam to sigh.

“They most probably will, but might not. Since you’re from House Royce, there’s a chance they might see your talents and bring you into their family – as a soldier or something a bit higher ranked.

“Although, there’s probably a slim chance of being recognized as a main family member.”

Liam clicked his tongue. “What if I keep my awakening hidden? When it’s a little less impressive, I can reveal it to them.”

Lloyd solemnly shook his head. “Where would you get your succeeding techniques then? More importantly, the second Psionic Rune? Are you content with sitting around and wasting your time?”

Liam grimaced. His face turned pensive as he thought about what to do.

He leaned towards revealing his awakening straight away.

In the first place, he didn’t mind taking a risk if it meant he could get stronger faster. His usage of unorthodox methods were a perfect example of that.

But he had to tread lightly. It could just as easily backfire and blow up in his face – the nobles could stunt his growth if they see him as a threat.

“I’ll have to take a leap of faith. I’ll just have to impress them enough to take me in.” Liam finally spoke.

“But not now. I’ll wait at least two weeks and spend as much as I can on mental energy restoration pills. That way I’ll have an alibi of sorts.”

Moreover, he could spend that time focusing on forging as well as completing missions – not to mention progress his body even further.

Lloyd nodded in response, a bit taken aback by his student’s cunning. “You’re growing too fast for your own good, kid.”

Liam chuckled. “I do have a great teacher. Though he is a bit of a maniac.”

“You’ve got a point. I guess that’s where you get it from” Lloyd laughed, before taking out what looked like a scroll from his ring.

“Take this and memorize it. As a Rank-1 magus, you can now use spells.”

Liam’s eyes stuck to the scroll like glue, and he instantly grabbed it and opened its contents.

Like the previous spells he had inspected, the metal scroll had glowing diagrams – resembling a mix of runes and inscriptions – covering its surface.

After thirty minutes, Liam memorized the spell diagrams, and those exact writings appeared on his mental sphere walls.

“Try using it.” Lloyd called out. “The name of the spell is ‘Fleeting Foot’. It’s only Rank-1, and basically makes you move faster.”

Liam nodded. With a thought, the runes in his mind started to buzz – consuming a chunk of mental energy – and causing a yellow glow to envelop his hands and feet.

Instantly, he unsheathed his blades and started to swing them – each of its movements a barely visible flicker.

He practiced his leg movements too, and his body was incredibly fast, turning into a blur.

The effect lasted for 15 seconds, before eventually dissipating, giving Liam a small headache in the process.

“Neat. I don’t suppose it lasts longer?”

Lloyd shook his head. “That’s the spell’s limit. You should only use it during emergencies, or sure-kill moments.”

“How much did it cost?” Liam curiously questioned.

Lloyd let out a wry sigh. “Spells are expensive, even more than techniques. I’ve sold most of mine already, and that’s the only one I have.

“It cost me 375 merit points to get from the guild. Still, I was fairly weak at the time, so I couldn’t complete high stakes missions.”

Liam’s eyes widened at those words.

Even with all his savings, he barely made it past 240 points – which could land him a decent Rank-2 or even Rank-3 technique.

But nearly 400 points for a Rank-1 spell was ridiculously overpriced. Not to mention, it only made him faster.

“It’s normal. Spells exponentially boost a cultivator’s prowess and can express their power fully – especially through their mental spheres and cores. The body is often underestimated.

“Prepare for the next few months well. You’ll need every bit of help you can get. Reach out if you need anything.”

Lloyd threw a Jade Liam’s way, which he had already explained how to use a moment prior – before departing ways.

Liam heaved a long sigh.

‘I need to meet Revel.’

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Born In Blood

Born In Blood

Score 9.1
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Artist: Released: 2023 Native Language: English
His mother died when she gave birth to him, his father a physically abusive alcoholic. Life is not kind to Darius King. Darius would have dreams of being in a world of magic, but alas, his dreams would always end. He hated life, and life hated him, so he ended both his and his father's. When reincarnating into a peasant-like lifestyle as Liam, in the town of Ucladd, Darius realizes he has entered the world of cultivation! With his ambitious, ruthless, and curious nature combining into one, he paves a bloody path to power. Shifting his gaze from the Earth towards the Sky, nothing will stop him on his path for strength. “I will touch the stars... or die trying.”

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