Nameless Sovereign

BOOK 4

A CULTIVATION EPIC

NAMELESS AUTHOR

First published by Timeless Wind Publishing LLC 2025

Copyright © 2025 by Nameless Author.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

Nameless Author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

First edition

Editing by Silas Sontag and Lorne Ryburn.

Cover art by Kart Studio. Typography by Lorne Ryburn.

Recap of Book 3

Having passed the trial of the serpent, Red joins Eiwin, Narcha and Reinhart in the next stage of the inheritance ground. They find themselves in a desert rife with tornadoes and dangerous monsters. With the help of a compass Red looted from the imperials, they are able to progress through several harrowing trials.

After surviving a battle against a lizard-controlling parasite, they find a Parting Sea Pill, which is precisely what Narcha needs in order to open her Spiritual Sea. However, Reinhart seizes it for himself before they have a chance to stop him. He explains that his Spiritual Sea was forcibly removed by cultivators from the Ocean Bearers Sect, which was their elder Hector’s former sect. Now, Reinhart seeks revenge against those involved in crippling his power. He offers Narcha the Parting Sea Pill if she agrees to betray Hector.

They all refuse Reinhart’s offer, so the mercenary runs off to continue the trial on his own. Eiwin, having used a specific technique that drains her vitality, is too weak to continue, and Narcha decides to stay with her. Red has no other choice but to set off by himself, and gives them his Spirit Stones in case he dies in the trials ahead.

He soon finds himself in a fog inhabited by monsters in the Greater Ring Realm. Red uses his crimson sense to navigate the treacherous environment, when he realizes he’s being pursued through the fog. It’s the demon from the forest, now even more powerful than before. With the help of poisonous arrows he’d found in the trial, Red manages to kill the demon but falls unconscious in its blood. When he wakes up, his body is bloated with energy from absorbing the demon’s blood, but the crimson mist scares off the monsters, giving Red a clear path to the next part of the trial.

Red ascends the mountain at the end of the desert, where he finds Ricard, the bandit leader, aided by two imperials. Ricard is somehow able to discover Red’s presence and leaves him with the imperials while he continues the trial. However, before the imperials can kill Red, the necromancer’s undead creatures intervene, dispatching the imperials and urging Red to complete the trial.

Red continues to climb the mountain, even as in the next test he slowly loses his senses one by one. At the peak he encounters Ricard again. The bandit leader tries to kill him, but Red distracts him while heading for the orb of water that marks the end of trial. Though mortally wounded, Red wins the inheritance and is fully healed.

Red meets the hawk spirit responsible for the trial, who answers some of his questions. The imperials and Ricard somehow had prior knowledge of the inheritance ground, and the hawk aided Red in order to make up for this unfair advantage. Also, the hawk spirit had trapped the necromancer in the trial, and the necromancer helped Red in the hopes that Red might one day free him from his prison.

The trial’s creator was a cultivator known as the Dread Viper, who was so powerful he waged war against the world’s sects. While Red won’t receive the full inheritance unless he reaches the Spiritual Awakening Realm, which is three stages beyond the Lesser Ring Realm, he does get several things to aid him on his path. This includes a nearly unlimited supply of Vein Opening Pills, his master’s cultivation manual, and a primer on Arcane Script. With these, Red can learn how to create the Parting Storm formation, which will allow him to open his Spiritual Sea while also potentially improving his cultivation talent.

The hawk spirit also provides Red with several crucial explanations. Red’s curse means that the Moon will continue trying to absorb his life force, and Red will only live to thirty at his current state. His only hope of survival is to ascend to the Lesser Ring Realm. Also, due to his bond with the crimson mist, Red is slowly undergoing demonification, a process which is hastened by his blood absorption powers. Due to absorbing the demon’s blood during the trial, Red is now showing physical changes, but the hawk spirit gives him a bracelet to mask his true appearance.

With that, the trial is over and Red reunites with his companions, who quickly realize their memories of the trial have become hazy. Red’s companions can’t recall anything specific about what occurred when they are questioned by Curse Breakers hunting the necromancer.

They return to the sect to tell Hector everything that has happened. Red, Narcha, and Eiwin share what Reinhart told them, and Hector confesses that the Ocean Bearers Sect did take people’s Spiritual Seas. Hector himself even helped develop the technique, though he never intended it to be used against people’s will. Their elder also reveals that it was Allen’s parents who were responsible for stealing Reinhart’s Spiritual Sea, and that they committed many other atrocities. Of course, Hector hasn’t told Allen this for fear of how it may affect the young master.

Six months pass, and Red spends the time cultivating and honing his skills. He studies his new cultivation manual, learns about assassination from Domeron, and practices the Arcane Sigils with Goulth. He also forges a sword from the Dark Iron Ore he obtained in the trial, and in the process must confess to Goulth his lack of passion when it comes to blacksmithing.

Rimold enlists Red’s help in a heist, but their plan goes awry when the merchant they’re targeting is revealed to be a demon worshipper. The whole operation is ultimately a dud, as the box Red steals contains no Spirit Stones and instead a cursed, decapitated head, which Hector disposes of. After the fact, Rimold reveals to Red that he’s trying to pay off a debt, and has been forced to work for the merchant Gustav (and their sect’s greatest adversary) in order to do so.

All the while, the beast horde draws closer. The Water Dragon Sect meets with the Baron, who requests their help in the coming battle. Hector agrees to distract the alpha of the wolf beasts, a monster in the Greater Ring Realm, while Eiwin, Narcha, Allen, Rimold, and Red will join the Baron’s men in holding off the lesser beasts. During the meeting, Red notices an invisible presence through his crimson sense, though Hector advises they act as normal and proceed with caution.

Soon, Red and his companion set off to fight the beast horde. On the way, they are attacked by the cursed head, which is able to float and teleport. It bewitches anyone who looks at it, and Allen is quickly ensnared. Red manages to stab it with his eyes closed, but is overwhelmed by strange voices and falls unconscious.

When Red wakes up, he finds he has been dragged away by a necromancer-controlled undead bear. The creature explains that it is a clone of the necromancer imprisoned by the hawk spirit, forced to act independently since it has been cut off from its true self. It tells Red that his companions have been possessed by the ghosts inside the cursed head. Now the only way for Red to save his companions is to work with the necromancer.

Chapter 1

Chasing Ghosts

“Learn necromancy and you can help them,” the possessed bear said.

Red just sighed in response, as if expecting those exact words.

If everything he’d been told was true, his companions had been possessed by the ghosts from the floating head that had attacked them on the road.

But the necromancer was playing an overt scheme here. By teaching him necromancy, Red would become an inevitable enemy to organizations like the Curse Breakers, not to mention other possible consequences. He would need to rely more and more on the necromancer, and when he eventually inherited the hidden realm, it was more likely Red would free them.

As if the curse wasn’t enough…

An overt scheme, however, was only so direct because it was meant to force one’s hand. Indeed, if Red wanted to help his companions, who else could he rely on other than the necromancer? Yet, every moment that passed made him more certain that this was all a clever plot set up by the mysterious necromancer in the first place.

He needed to be careful to not fall in too deep.

Red stared at the bear. “Bring me to my companions and prove to me you can help them. Then, and only then, will I consider your offer.”

The rotting beast seemed to have expected this answer. It nodded. “Can do that… but first, probably need this.”

The bear shoved its claws inside its chest cavity. It grabbed onto something, dragging it out of its rotting flesh, and tossed it at Red’s feet.

“Sword,” the bear said. “Dropped it.”

Red looked down at the dark weapon covered in blood.

To think I just made this yesterday. Wait, or was it the day before?

He took out his water canteen and a piece of cloth and set about cleaning the weapon. He hadn’t forgotten what he’d learned about undead infections from Eiwin, so he didn’t stop washing the sword until it glistened. Even then, Red still wasn’t satisfied and decided to just sheathe the sword for now.

“We need to go back to where the head ambushed us,” he said. “It’s the only way I can track down my companions.”

“No need.” The bear shook its head. “Can tell where they are. Some, at least.”

Red frowned in suspicion. “How can you do that?”

“Ghost energy.” The beast huffed. “Strong, pulsating. Need hurry, others will feel too.”

So they are indeed possessed.

The fact the necromancer had omitted information from him did not surprise Red, but this new revelation did make his life more complicated.

“How many do you feel?” Red asked.

The bear held up its decomposing hand. “Three. Need hurry, though. Head might recover and take others.”

“You already said that. Just tell me which direction I have to go.”

The undead beast stirred into movement, standing on its four legs. Red was immediately put on guard, reminded that it wasn’t just a common animal the necromancer was possessing, but a full-fledged monster. They’d almost managed to kill Red when possessing an elderly corpse—what could they do when controlling a huge tree-bark bear?

Thankfully, the beast didn’t attack him.

Instead, it used one of its claws to point towards its back. “Hop on.”

“… No way,” Red refused.

The bear grunted. “Need hurry. Already told you. Much faster on back.”

Red hesitated, but he knew they had a point. He probably wasn’t as fast on foot as a tree-bark bear. However, he was worried about something else.

“What about the infection?” he asked.

“Infection?” The bear seemed confused. “Kid immune to infection with Moon power to help. Nothing to worry.”

Red obviously didn’t trust the necromancer at face value.

The beast seemed to notice that. “Look, dragged you here with teeth. Saliva all over back of neck. If infected, already too late.”

Red shuddered, putting his hand on the back of his neck. He felt nothing there, but upon further examination, he felt two large holes in the collar. He shivered, imagining the monster pulling him through the forest.

“Friends waiting,” the bear said. “Coming or not?”

Red exhaled and approached the bear. His worries were probably unfounded, since if the bear planned to infect him, it could have done so while he was unconscious. Although, that raised another interesting question.

Does the moonstone energy really protect me from undead infection?

Red didn’t have the time to ask the bear. He hopped onto its back, holding his breath against the rotting stench and grabbing onto its bark-like skin for support.

“Hold tight and prepare to hide just in case,” the bear said. “Curse Breakers might spot us.”

Red’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, the Curse Breaker are⁠—”

He didn’t have time to complete his question as the bear charged forth and he struggled to keep his grip.

Red barely had the chance to locate himself inside the forest as trees whizzed by. He had never moved so fast in his life before, and he recognized the fact that even a tree-bark bear shouldn’t be this fast either.

The undead creature was extremely swift despite its size, weaving and dodging past trees and other obstacles with surprising dexterity. Red thought he was about to fall off multiple times during this brief journey, but he held on in the end.

Finally, the bear’s path led them up a hill, where it slowed down. They came to a stop, and Red jumped down from the beast’s back without hesitation, trying to recover his composure. The creature stared at him in silence, waiting for him to pick himself back up.

Red took a deep breath, only to gag because of the rotting stench. This was one of the disadvantages of opening your five senses vein—you became much more sensitive to smells.

A few seconds later, though, Red finally collected himself.

He looked back at the bear. “Why have we stopped?” Red had already checked his crimson sense and couldn’t detect anything special around them.

“Close already,” the bear said. “Can’t get closer. Ghost would feel my presence.”

Red furrowed his brow. “So what do I do now?”

“Beat up, capture.” the beast said. “Will teach what to do after.”

Red’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He didn’t think the process would be so direct. “Is… there anything I need to look out for against these ghosts?”

“Shouldn’t be. Ghost dangerous but limited inside physical body. Might be knowledgeable and cunning, so be careful.”

Red sighed. He now had a plan, although he didn’t think things would go so smoothly. “Point me in their direction.”

The bear did as much, pointing down the hill. “Ghost moving. Should hurry.”

Red frowned. He would have liked more information, but it didn’t seem like he had the privilege of time.

The truth was that when it came to straightforward combat, the only person Red had any hopes of defeating was Allen. The others were all stronger than him, so Red would need to rely on his quick wits and improvisation this time around. Yet what were his chances against someone like Narcha or Rog?

I have to try.

He sprinted downhill, following the direction the bear pointed out. Although he was moving as quickly as possible, Red still kept an eye out for any signs of whoever this possessed individual was.

Red ran for almost thirty seconds, and just as he was wondering whether he was still on the right trail, he felt a fluctuation enter his detection range. Red froze in his steps and crouched down, careful not to make any noise.

He immediately recognized this presence.

Allen.

The fluctuation was unmistakable. Yet, even as Red felt it, he could tell there was something strange about the boy’s presence. It was in a state of great turmoil, as if the young master was overwhelmed by emotions that threatened to swallow his very being. 

Was this a sign of possession, as the bear told Red?

He felt Allen’s fluctuation moving at a brisk pace, almost escaping his crimson sense’s detection range as Red observed him. With no choice, he got up and chased the young master.

At first, Red had a difficult time following his trail, which was reasonable seeing as Allen had opened more veins than him. However, the young master seemed lost, stopping often to change directions, thus giving Red a chance to catch up.

Didn’t I shoot him in the leg? How can he move so quickly again?

Red, however, was reminded of how most undead creatures had rotting bodies and broken tendons yet could move like normal thanks to the cursed energy. He assumed the same was happening to Allen.

Finally, once he was within fifty meters, Red laid eyes on his target through the thicket.

This was, without a doubt, Allen. Yet his mannerisms didn’t seem to fit the image Red had of him. The young master seemed frantic, looking around with a lost and angered expression which matched the emotions Red felt in his fluctuation.

He didn’t need any powers to tell that something was definitely wrong with Allen.

I need to act quickly.

Thankfully, the young master seemed too distracted to notice his approach. Red intended to end this fight with a single blow, preferably a powerful strike to the side of Allen’s head or by choking him out, as Domeron had taught him. He might not have the power to do the same to the others, but against the young master, that was another story.

Red continued approaching his target, ready to pounce as soon as he stopped to change directions yet again. However, that was when something happened.

Allen suddenly froze mid-sprint and looked over at the exact spot Red was hiding. An expression of surprise appeared on the young master’s face before turning into anger.

How did he⁠—

Red didn’t have time to think as Allen sprinted off. With no other choice, he gave chase, not bothering to hide his presence any longer.

As Red chased after the young master, something he’d ignored came to mind.

If the head could detect me because of my moonstone energy, who’s to say the ghosts can’t do the same?

It was yet another piece of information the necromancer had omitted. However, Red couldn’t help but blame himself, too. He should have considered this, but in his eagerness to act and under the necromancer’s urging, he’d ignored it completely.

Red didn’t have time to ponder on his mistake, though. Allen was quickly gaining distance from him, and he had to do something. He didn’t have his bow, yet another item he had dropped at the scene of the battle before falling unconscious, but he did have something he could throw.

He took out his shortsword from its scabbard, taking aim at Allen from behind.

I’m sorry about this, Allen.

Red reared his arm back, before hurling the sword just like a throwing dagger towards the young master’s leg. His aim was true, and the weapon impaled itself on Allen’s calf, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground.

“Agh!” A scream of pain came from the young master.

Red took this opportunity to close in and attack. He tried to kick the back of Allen’s head, but the young master showed surprising reaction speed, moving out of the way before he could be hit. Then, without hesitation, Allen took out the sword from his calf in one single swift motion like it was nothing, and tossed it aside as he distanced himself from Red.

He glared at Red. “I won’t let you stop me! I will kill them all!”

Red felt Allen’s fluctuation stir as he said those words, and he felt a strange energy coming out of the boy’s body. 

This wouldn’t be as easy as he’d first assumed.

Chapter 2

Fighting the Possessed

Red inspected Allen with some caution. This strange feeling of uncertainty continued to grow in him as he examined the young master. It was a sensation that something was wrong, as if the light behind Allen’s eyes didn’t match with the person Red knew.

This is what possession is like, then.

Red hesitated to attack. He first needed to gauge his opponent.

He took one step in Allen’s direction, and the young master immediately stirred into movement. He drew the shortsword at his waist and charged at Red.

“Don’t get in my way!”

The young master’s movements were sloppy, but under this strange energy, Red felt Allen seemed even faster and stronger than normal. He didn’t dare to underestimate him.

Red sidestepped the sword slash before twisting around his opponent and punching him on the right side, the same side with which Allen held the weapon. This was a maneuver Red had used many times when sparring with Allen—it was a good way to punish an opponent that overcommitted in their offense and push them off balance.

Yet, even as Red felt his fist connect, Allen seemed barely affected by it. The young master swung his sword back to follow up, and Red had to scramble out of the way so as not to get wounded.

He distanced himself from his opponent, catching his breath.

Is this another side effect of possession? Not feeling pain?

That would complicate his ordeal. A punch like this in the past would have left Allen reeling, but the ghost possessing him seemed to hardly notice it.

Red couldn’t use a weapon for fear of injuring his companion too much, but his punches also had limited effect. What was he to do in this situation?

He wasn’t afforded much time to think, as Allen continued to charge at him like a mad dog.

“Die!”

A barrage of sword attacks came in Red’s direction, but he didn’t have any trouble dodging them. Allen was already predictable in his attacks, but whoever was possessing his body was worse, lacking even the bit of skill that made the young master a challenge for Red.

It was someone who possessed great strength but was unaware of how to use it.

At first, Red thought this was just a ploy to get him to lower his guard. Yet, after almost thirty seconds passed, the ghost continued to throw wild attacks at him, continuing to miss him by a wide margin.

He couldn’t help but frown.

Is it this weak?

Maybe the necromancer was exaggerating the danger these ghosts represented.

“Stop dodging, damn you!” Allen looked increasingly frustrated.

He shook his head. “Am I supposed to let you hit me?”

“You…” The young master stopped attacking once he noticed he wasn’t getting anywhere.

He stared at Red from a few meters away with hate in his eyes.

“You ruined my life while I was alive, and now you can’t even leave me alone when I’m dead?!”

Red was confused. “What do you mean?”

Allen snorted. “It’s because of you cultivators! It’s all your fault! You killed my family! You destroyed everything we held dear!”

Red narrowed his eyes. “I wasn’t the one responsible for that.”

“But you’re a cultivator!” Allen pointed his sword at him. “I know it, I read his mind! I know what your kind does! Your fights and wars destroy villages and towns just in passing. You don’t care about anything else other than yourself. You ruin lives, you destroy dreams… But I won’t allow it! Not anymore!”

Before Red could say anything, the young master attacked him with renewed savagery. Red was still trying to process what he’d just heard, but he was still able to dodge his opponent’s attacks.

This ghost didn’t seem to be the monstrous and evil presence he’d expected, so Red was at a loss. Still, it was a momentary hesitation. No matter what the circumstances were, he still needed to save his companions.

I’m sorry for this, Allen… again.

Red ducked under the sword’s swing, but this time, instead of going for a punch, he grabbed onto Allen’s right arm. Before the young master could try to free himself, Red used his leg to sweep his feet from under him, throwing him onto the ground with practiced movements.

Allen screamed as he fell face down to the forest floor, but even then, Red didn’t let go of his right arm. Instead, he used his entire body weight to pull the young master’s arm back before twisting it.

A cracking noise came from Allen’s shoulder.

This time, the young master screamed in pain. Red jumped away from his opponent before he was caught up in a retaliation.

Allen struggled to get up, trying to move his arm. However, the limb was completely limp, and he couldn’t even hold the sword in his grip any longer. 

He looked back at Red with a hateful gaze. “I’ll kill you!”

The young master didn’t even bother picking up his sword to attack, instead hoping to strike Red with his bare hands, or the remaining one at least. It was even less of a contest at this point.

Red used his opponent’s momentum against him, sweeping his legs and throwing him onto the ground again. He grabbed onto Allen’s left arm before he could react and twisted it again.

Another crack and another scream of pain.

This time, the young master wasn’t so quick to get up, so Red took the opportunity. He grabbed a length of rope from his backpack, using it to tie Allen’s arms and legs.

When his opponent finally noticed what was happening, it was too late. “… You! What are you doing, you bastard?!”

Red didn’t respond, instead moving back to examine the boy.

“Let me go! Let me go! I need to kill them!” Allen struggled against his bindings, and for a moment, it looked like he might really snap the ropes with sheer strength.

This won’t do.

Red rushed forward and struck the back of the young master’s head with a kick. Allen grunted but remained conscious.

It took Red three more strikes before he was sure his opponent was truly unconscious. After dealing so much damage to Allen, Red made sure to check whether he was still breathing normally, and to his relief, everything seemed to be in order.

Other than the broken arms and pierced leg, that is.

Red was just considering what to do next when he felt the necromancer approach the scene. He looked back and saw the undead bear making its way towards him from within the trees.

Red frowned. “You lied to me. You could have helped.”

“And risk clone?” The bear shook its head. “No, stupid plan. Besides, you’re in control, it seems.”

Indeed, Red couldn’t deny that this task was far easier than he had expected. Still, this was just the first part of the issue.

“What do I do now?” he asked. “How do I get this ghost out of him?”

“Two ways.” The bear raised two of its claws. “Necromancy or convince ghost to leave.”

Red stared carefully at the creature. “You told me I would need necromancy to expel the ghosts from their bodies. Now you’re telling me I could just convince them to leave?”

“Not just. Convincing much harder. Necromancy easy in comparison.”

“How can that be true?” Red was very skeptical.

“Ghost born from unresolved obsession after death,” the bear said. “Strong, powerful obsession. Most ghosts unreasonable, evil, corrupted. Unless obsession resolved, almost impossible to make ghost move out of own volition.”

Red immediately realized the difficulty of the situation. Wasn’t the ghost claiming it wanted to kill all cultivators? How could Red possibly help them resolve that kind of obsession? Still, he picked up on something.

“You said it’s almost impossible to do it. Do you mean that there is a way to convince them without resolving their obsession?”

The bear nodded. “Some ways. Can trick ghost or convince ghost obsession is wrong. But very, very hard.”

Red sighed. “I have to try.”

The undead bear seemed to shrug. “Won’t stop you. Remember time, though. Head might notice us.”

The necromancer didn’t look concerned that Red would succeed, which meant they were probably not lying about the difficulty of this task. He would rather test it himself, though.

“Can you help me keep him still?” Red asked. “My ropes won’t be able to stop him.”

The bear grunted. “Hm. Sure.”

It walked over towards the unconscious Allen before putting one of its paws on his back. Indeed, a bear weighing down on him would probably keep the boy from moving.

Red walked over towards Allen, noticing the young master didn’t seem to be any closer to awakening. He fished a yellow powder pouch out of his backpack before dragging it in front of Allen’s nose.

The young master stirred, and his eyes slowly opened, taking in his surroundings.

“… Hm?” Allen seemed confused. “Where am I? What is— You!”

Anger reappeared on his face as he looked at Red, who was crouching right in front of him. Allen struggled, but to no avail. He couldn’t even see what was weighing down on his back, but from his sudden change of expression, it was clear he sensed the necromancer’s presence.

Immediately, some of the fight left him as the young master now seemed fearful. Red looked over at the necromancer in confusion.

The bear shrugged. “Ghosts scared of necromancers.”

Red could only imagine why. Wasn’t it a necromancer that threw this ghost inside that head in the first place?

Red looked back at his possessed companion. He hesitated for a bit but decided to just be straightforward.

“I want you to leave my companion’s body,” he said.

The ghost glared at him and sneered. “And what? Die again now that I have a chance at getting my revenge? I will never do it!”

What the ghost said gave him pause. He looked at the bear. “Will they die?”

The bear seemed to be in thought, but it still agreed. “Weak ghost. Without body to possess, soul will dissipate quickly.”

Red frowned. Already he found himself stumped. What the bear was offering this ghost was definitive death and oblivion. How could he convince such an obsessed being to do something like that?

The difficulty of the task was dawning on him, but he didn’t give up. He needed more information.

Red started to have an idea.

He looked back at the ghost. “You said you were killed by cultivators, right? Tell me what happened.”

Allen spat at him. “Why would I tell another cultivator anything about this?”

Red hesitated. “… Because I might be able to help.”

Chapter 3

Exorcism

Allen didn’t look the least bit convinced by his words. “Help?! How would you help?! Why would I ever trust a cultivator to help?”

Red frowned. “I’m not even a cultivator yet. I haven’t opened my Spiritual Sea.”

The ghost shook his head. “It doesn’t matter! I saw what you did in the past, too! Ruthless! Cold! Calculating! You’re just like them!”

Red wanted to rebuke this ghost for being unreasonable, but he held off. It wouldn’t help his situation.

The truth was that Red was never good at convincing other people, at least not by being charismatic. When he wanted others to listen to him, he appealed to their reason or how they might benefit from the situation. However, what use would logic and reason be for a ghost?

Red needed another approach.

“You said you saw what I did in the past, right?” he asked.

Allen nodded. “I just said that!”

“If you know me and what I did in the past, you know I always keep my word,” Red went on. “No matter what, if I promise you something, I will always see it through.”

He wasn’t lying about that. Even if little else mattered to him when it came to convention and morality, the weight of his own words was one of the things that Red always kept in mind as he moved forward. It was his anchor and his guide, something he gave great importance to since the day Viran said his final words to him.

Red often asked himself why that was the case. Wouldn’t it be easier for him if he gave no importance to his promises? Yet, he always arrived at the same conclusion—Red did it because he thought it was right. Because it gave him comfort and assurance in himself.

It was that simple.

Although Allen still looked unwilling, Red saw a change in his expression that told him the ghost was finally listening to him. Now it was time to strike with some of his infallible logic.

“I know that you are unwilling but consider your own situation,” he said. “You got beaten by me, someone who has only opened four veins. Not to mention all the issues that come with possessing someone else’s body, the way you are right now, you’ll never be able to get your revenge.”

Red wasn’t aware of exactly what problems came with possessing a body, but since the bear spoke about them, he was sure they were serious. His words seemed to affect the ghost.

He gritted his teeth and glared at Red. “What do you want?”

Red sighed. “I already told you what I want. Tell me what happened.”

Allen snorted. “What is there to tell? It’s the same old tale. Cultivators appear and start fighting out of nowhere for some stupid piece of rock or treasure that we dug up. We, the villagers who have nothing to do with it, get swept up in their fight and lose our lives… I lost count of how many times I heard it happen. Just never imagined it would be our turn.”

There was a deep melancholy and despair in the ghost’s voice, and all the anger seemed to slip away from him.

“Do you know who destroyed your village?” Red asked.

“I don’t know their names,” Allen said.

“What about the organization they came from? Were they from a sect?”

The ghost hesitated. “I’m… pretty sure they were from a sect.”

Red frowned. “Where exactly are you from?”

“Altam Village.”

Red looked over at the undead bear with a questioning gaze.

The beast shook its head. “How would know? Villages too common, too small.”

Red looked back at Allen. “Can you be more specific?”

“Uh… I was from the Black Rock Province. From the Kingdom of the Seven Sanctuaries… I think.”

Red had never heard of it, so he stared at the bear again for guidance.

The beast seemed to be in deep thought. “Kingdom of Seven… Up north, near barbarian land. Destroyed now, though. Only ruin and petty kingdoms remain.”

Wait…

Red was suddenly reminded of a possibility. “How long ago was it destroyed?”

“Before bird locked me, so… Five hundred years, at least,” the bear said.

Red frowned. “So this is a five hundred-year-old ghost?”

“What?!” Allen seemed shocked. “No, that can’t be!”

The bear nodded. “Head keeps ghost fresh. Can be even older.”

This posed yet another problem for Red. How was he supposed to help the ghost when the people that destroyed his village were probably already dead?

“There’s no way…” the ghost said. “It all felt so quick.”

“The people who killed your village are probably already long dead,” Red surmised. “Getting your revenge is impossible.”

“No!” Allen gritted his teeth. “Even if they’re dead… They will pay! Someone will pay!”

The ghost’s unreasonable attitude once more left Red at a loss for words.

The undead bear grunted. “Told you. Ghost unreasonable, impossible to convince. Better to use necromancy.”

The necromancer might be telling the truth, but Red wanted to exhaust all his options first.

“What sects or organizations act in that region?” he asked the bear.

“Only know one,” the bear said. “Hallowed Valley Sect.”

Red’s heart skipped a beat. The Hallowed Valley Sect, one of the birthplaces of human cultivation, the holy land of swordsmanship, and most important of all, one of the few remaining sects in the world after the Empire’s rise.

Could the cultivators responsible for destroying this ghost’s village be from that sect? Maybe they were still alive. Red hoped this wasn’t the case, since he could never compare against a cultivator that could live beyond five hundred years of age.

“The Hallowed Valley Sect! That’s it! It’s them!” the ghost exclaimed. “I need to go there! I have to make them pay!”

Red frowned. He was contemplating how to proceed now that he knew such a behemoth was involved with this matter.

“You!” Allen called out to him. “You told me you wanted to help, right?! Let’s make a deal!”

Red had a bad feeling once he heard that, even though he was the one that came up with the idea. “What kind of deal?”

“Help me destroy the Hallowed Valley Sect!” the ghost said. “If you do that, I promise to leave your friend’s body alone!”

Red hesitated. He was about to say that he didn’t have the power to do that right now, but even if he did have the power, was this something he wanted to do? He remembered how the hawk spirit had told him about how his master could have destroyed many sects but chose to spare them for humanity’s sake.

Was Red willing to make such a promise for Allen’s freedom?

No, this is too reckless.

“I can’t do that,” he admitted.

“I knew it! You’re just like them!” Allen glared at him with a hateful gaze. “If you won’t help me, then I’ll do it myself!”

Red ignored the ghost’s rambling and looked over at the bear with a sigh of resignation. He had no other choice.

“What do I have to do?” he asked.

The undead beast seemed to smile. “Easy. Take out moonstone core.”

Red wasn’t surprised the necromancer could feel the crystal, even if he hadn’t revealed its existence. He took out the green, gleaming core from his backpack and held it with both hands.

As soon as it came into view, Allen’s eyes widened in fear. “W-What is that?!”

The bear’s clouded eyes also seemed to shine once it looked at the core in Red’s hands. He was almost expecting the beast to charge at him, but that didn’t come to pass as the zombie seemed to recover its composure.

It looked back at Red. “Now, focus on core and chant words⁠—”

“Wait!” he cut him off. “Aren’t you going to explain what we are going to do?”

“What need?” The bear shook its head. “Use core to draw out ghost. Easy, done. What questions?”

Red frowned but didn’t say anything. There was obviously more to this than the necromancer was letting on, but what was the point of complaining right now? Red knew there were going to be consequences for this as soon as he agreed to it, but it was the only way he knew to help his companions.

Whatever came next was probably more manageable than promising to destroy an entire sect.

“Ready? Here it is.” The bear started to recite some strange words to Red in its guttural voice.

They sounded completely foreign to Red, yet he couldn’t help but compare them to the mantra Eiwin had taught him. There were some similarities in how these words were pronounced, yet at the same time, Red felt they invoked an almost opposite sensation compared to his meditation technique.

The more he repeated these strange words in his mind, the stronger this feeling of disquiet and wrongness became.

Red knew then that he was dabbling with something quite dangerous. And he wasn’t the only one that felt it.

“Wait!” Allen called out to him. “W-What are you doing?! Don’t you care about your companion?!”

“Are you willing to let him go?” Red asked.

The ghost didn’t respond. The answer was obvious—whatever choice he made meant his oblivion, and he wasn’t willing to compromise with Red either. There was never any room for negotiation.

Allen’s glare of hatred reappeared. “You will pay for this! All of you will pay for this!”

Red ignored him and focused on the bear again.

The beast repeated the mantra a few times before looking back at Red. “Got it?”

He nodded. “Is that it? No hand signs?”

“No need. Not monk technique.”

“And how is this supposed to draw the ghost out?”

“Concentrate on core and all will work. Process is natural,” the bear said.

He wasn’t getting any more out of it.

Red took a deep breath before reciting the words as he focused his gaze on the insectoid crystal. At first, nothing happened, but he was used to this from his practice with his meditation technique.

He continued to recite these words while focusing on the core until almost a minute passed. The bear never once corrected him, and just as Red was wondering if he was doing something wrong, the crystal suddenly began to shine.

The ghost, who was struggling under the undead bear’s paw and hurling threats at Red all this time, suddenly fell still. Its gaze changed as it looked at the core, and an ephemeral energy started to come out of Allen’s forehead.

This grayish energy traveled to the insectoid crystal, before disappearing into its glowing surface. Red observed the process in wonder, but he still didn’t stop reciting the incantation.

Ten seconds passed as the energy continued to leave Allen’s body and enter into the crystal. Eventually, the process slowed down, until no more gray strands came out of the young master’s forehead and the core stopped glowing.

Red also fell silent. He looked over at Allen, noticing the boy had fallen face down, unmoving. He could see, though, the slowly rising and falling movement of his chest, indicating the young master was still alive.

“There, all done,” the bear said. “Now Red a real necromancer!”

Chapter 4

Ghost Hunting

Red frowned at these words. He felt nothing different about himself after repeating these sentences, but he knew a cursory glance wouldn’t suffice.

“What happened exactly?” he asked.

“Moonstone core same energy as ghost,” the bear said. “Core naturally absorb energy. Easy to absorb ghost with right trick.”

Red’s brows knitted in confusion. “How does this involve necromancy?”

“Core catalyst, words technique. Necromancer words, ancient, very primal, very powerful. Can draw out more than ghosts out of bodies with right words.”

Red hesitated. “You mean they can draw out souls too?”

The bear nodded. “Red catch on quick.”

Red could only imagine what these insane necromancers could do with these kinds of powers at their disposal.

He continued to examine the insectoid core with skepticism. “So the ghost is inside this core now?”

“No,” the bear said. “Turned to energy, pure, without will. Ghost completely gone now.”

Red was both relieved and scared at the necromancer’s words. Everything was solved very easily, and yet it was this extreme ease with which someone’s soul was snuffed out that frightened Red too.

Would these people even have the chance at a possible rest? Would any trace of their presence remain in this world at all?

Such concerns troubled Red, but he had more to worry about right now.

He looked over at the unconscious Allen. “Does that mean he is okay now?”

The bear grunted. “Should be when awake.”

Red considered waking the young master up to verify the necromancer’s claim when he noticed a problem.

His gaze wandered back to the giant undead bear sitting on top of Allen’s back.

“He can’t see you here.”

The bear seemed surprised. “Oh, right! Forgot!”

Red couldn’t afford to have his involvement with the necromancer be made known to his companions. Before the trial, Allen and Rimold had discovered it too, and Red had thought he would need to find a way to convince them to keep quiet.

Luckily, the hawk spirit had erased their memories of the occurrence, as Red learned later. Now they only had a faint recollection of talking with the necromancer before entering the trial, but they couldn’t remember the contents of the conversation.

The undead bear got up and suddenly began to walk away.

“Wait!” Red called out to it. “Where are you going?”

“Leaving,” the bear said. “Job done, what else to do?”

He frowned. “I still need your help to find my other companions.”

“Have other things to do. Red can track them. Good tracking skills. Use same technique once you do.”

“What about the head? Isn’t it still around?”

“No worry about head. Caused too much commotion. Curse Breakers already on trail.”

The beast resumed its retreat.

Red wanted to say something, but he was at a loss for words as the undead bear walked away without looking back. It wasn’t until the beast disappeared out of his detection range that the situation dawned on him.

The necromancer obviously didn’t care about his companions. They only used this opportunity to teach him a necromancer technique. What happened to the others didn’t matter to them.

It was an obvious conclusion now that Red thought back on it, but he assumed the necromancer would try to teach him something more complicated that would unmistakably mark him as a necromancer. Instead, they taught him with a few magical sentences and then left.

What exactly are they planning?

It wasn’t like Red could go asking about these words to others either, so he could only put this concern to the back of his mind for now. However, now that he didn’t have the help of the undead bear to guide him to his companions, Red needed to hurry even more to make sure he could pick up on their trail.

He looked over at Allen, who was still unconscious. Before he gave the young master one of their healing pills, he needed to make sure the boy wasn’t still possessed.

Red took out a pouch with some special medicinal herbs from his backpack before waving it in front of Allen’s nose. The effect was almost immediate as the young master stirred awake.

Allen moaned in pain. “Ugh… Why does everything hurt so much?”

“Allen, is that you?” Red went straight to the point.

It took the young master a few seconds to stave off his initial confusion. “Huh? R-Red, is that you?”

Recognition appeared in Allen’s face. Red didn’t respond immediately, examining his companion’s facial expressions.

“Oh, gods…” The young master gritted his teeth. “E-Everything burns! My arms! I can’t move them! W-What is going on?”

It seems convincing.

Red, however, knew better than to trust first impressions to discern the young master’s current state. He couldn’t ask Allen questions either, since the ghost was apparently privy to all of its host’s memories, so instead, Red used something else to assess the situation.

His crimson sense.

There was a lot of distress in the boy’s fluctuation, which was to be expected given the situation. Yet, to Red’s relief, he couldn’t sense any lingering hatred or anger from Allen’s presence, which made him feel more confident about the ghost’s disappearance.

In the meantime, the young master continued to groan in pain. “R-Red, please help me! Everything hurts so much!”

Now that Red had confirmed his companion’s identity, there was no point in not treating him.

He took out one of the medicinal pills Hector had entrusted them with before bringing it to Allen’s mouth. “Here, take it. It’s medicine.”

The young master didn’t hesitate and swallowed the pill. Red also cut him free from his bindings as the medicine took effect.

There were two audible pops in Allen’s arms as his limbs realigned. The puncture on his leg also closed on its own. The young master howled and thrashed in pain as the recovery process took place, but his flailing was at the very least a sign his arms were in working order once again.

It took a few minutes for Allen to recover his breath, and Red waited patiently by his side.

When the young master felt strong enough to speak again, he looked over at Red in confusion. “W-What is going on?”

“What do you remember?” Red answered with another question.

“I… W-We were traveling together, and then we went to investigate something, and then… And then…” Allen trailed off. “… I don’t remember what happened next.”

Red nodded. “We were attacked by… a floating head. It used its powers to compel you and the others. I tried to stop it, but I fell unconscious. After I woke up, I went after your tracks and found out you had been possessed by a ghost.”

“P-Possessed? G-Ghost?” Allen’s face paled. “W-What does that mean?”

“I don’t know the specifics either. All I know is that someone else was in control of your body.”

“That… N-Now that you mention it, I remember dreaming about something.” The young master trembled in fear. “I was on a farm with my family. O-Only I was someone else. And then… a-and then…”

“There’s no need to dwell on it.” Red cut him off. “It’s over now.”

“R-Right,” Allen gulped. “W-Were you the one that saved me?”

Red hesitated. “… I was.”

He expected a follow-up question about how Red did that exactly, but instead the young master just looked at him with a grateful gaze.

“T-Thank you Red,” Allen said. “I felt like every moment I was in that dream it was becoming harder and harder to wake up. If you didn’t come along, then I don’t know what could have happened.”

Red frowned. “… I might have been the one responsible for awakening that head, so there’s no need to thank me.”

“W-What do you mean?” Allen seemed confused.

“I’ll explain it later,” he replied. “Right now, we need to find the others.”

“R-Right! We need to… Wait, it’s already day?! What about the horde?!”

“That’s not something we can worry about right now. Remember what Hector said—our priority is our own safety.”

“But…” Allen gritted his teeth. “No, you’re right. We need to help the others first. Do you know where they are?”

Red was relieved Allen didn’t fight him on this. “I don’t know, but we can try to track them down.”

Truth be told, a lot of distance could be covered in the hours Red had been unconscious, so he couldn’t be confident he would reach his possessed companions any time soon. Still, he had the advantage of knowing the terrain, and as long as he had enough time, Red could definitely track each one of them down.

However, right now, he had to hurry.

“Which direction are we going?” Allen asked.

Red hesitated. The easiest option would be to go back to where they confronted the head, but the necromancer told him that the Curse Breakers were on that being’s trail. It was entirely possible Red could end up stumbling into them if he went that direction, but what choice did he have?

The necromancer said three of our number were possessed. Then what about the other two?

Red looked back at Allen. “We will retrace the steps you took on your way here. Maybe someone else was also tracking you down in the meantime.”

Indeed, although Rog was the only hunter, everyone else in the group had some experience with traveling through the forest. It wouldn’t be that hard for some of them to follow Allen’s obvious tracks.

“That’s a good idea! Let’s do that!” Allen got up and checked his equipment. His expression changed as he looked around in confusion. “Wait, why is my sword on the ground?”

“The ghost who possessed you tried to attack me,” Red answered.

“W-Wait…” Allen showed an expression of realization. “Did I… Did he try to kill you?”

Red nodded. “I needed to subdue you.”

The young master seemed to be deeply affected by this revelation. “I… There’s no way I would⁠—”

“It wasn’t you,” Red reminded him. “Remember what I told you—don’t dwell on it. The others might also be possessed by ghosts and according to what you said, the more time passes, the harder it will be to wake them. We need to hurry.”

“R-Right!” Allen said. “Lead the way, then!”

Red did as much, starting to track the young master’s footprints from where he first spotted the boy’s possessed self.

“Are these bear footprints?” Allen asked in wonder.

Red hesitated for a moment. “There is probably a tree-bark bear around. We should be careful.”

Red put on a brisk pace as he tracked Allen’s path. The ghost seemed to change directions very often, though, and he needed to stop now and then to reaffirm the direction they were heading.

More than an hour passed, and Red recognized some landmarks around him. They were indeed not too far from the road now.

At that moment, however, Red suddenly froze up.

Allen immediately noticed this. “Is there someone ahead?”

Red nodded. “Eiwin.”

“Really?!” The young master looked elated. “Then we need to⁠—”

“Don’t!” Red held him back. “There’s something strange about her.”

Indeed, he could feel her fluctuation in great distress like never before. Was she too possessed?

Chapter 5

Tense Encounter

Allen looked concerned at Red’s words. “What do you mean by strange? I-Is she possessed too?”

Red hesitated. “I don’t know, but we should…”

He trailed off as he felt Eiwin’s fluctuation speed up in their direction. He gritted his teeth as he looked around in a hurry.

Of course she heard us.

Red knew that Eiwin had a special technique for opening her acupoints too, and although he didn’t know the details of said technique, it was clear that it gave her an edge in many aspects. This included her senses.

Red considered whether they should hide, but he knew there was no point.

He looked back at Allen. “Take out your sword and be prepared. If she’s possessed, she might try to trick us to lower our guard.”

The young master’s eyes widened in shock. “W-Wait, do you want me to⁠—”

“Just do as I told you!” Red cut him off before also taking out his shortsword.

A few seconds later, they heard footsteps approaching them from afar. Eiwin’s figure appeared in view, and her face lit up once she saw Red and Allen waiting for her.

The woman smiled. “Red! Young Master Allen! What are you…” She trailed off as she noticed their drawn weapons, which they didn’t lower even after she announced herself. She looked over at Red. “Is something wrong?”

He didn’t respond, instead examining Eiwin’s actions. More importantly, he focused on her fluctuation.

Allen, however, couldn’t hold himself back. “We… we need to know if you are possessed.”

Red’s eyebrow twitched, but he remained quiet.

“Possessed?” Eiwin seemed surprised, before an expression of realization came to her. “I see, so that is what is happening. I had my suspicions once I saw that flying head attack us, but to have it confirmed…”

Allen nodded. “If it wasn’t for Red’s help, I don’t know what could have⁠—”

“Quiet!” Red snapped at him.

The young master immediately stopped speaking and stood at the ready, pointing his weapon at Eiwin.

“I-I’m sorry, Eiwin,” Allen said.

“There’s no need to be sorry.” Eiwin shook her head with a smile. “Red is right. You need to make sure I’m not possessed.” She looked over at him. “Is there any way I can prove it to you?”

Red frowned, falling into deep thought. From her fluctuation, he could feel the woman was happy and relieved upon seeing the two of them, but he didn’t dare to lower his guard just because of that.

“You seemed to be very anxious before coming here,” Red noted. “What happened?”

Eiwin’s expression became troubled. “… After the head appeared, I don’t remember much else. I suppose I must have fallen unconscious, but I do distinctly remember having strange dreams, violent and rage-filled dreams. Now that you have mentioned this matter of possession, I’m quite certain something must have tried to take control of my body while I was unconscious.”

“You’re telling me the ghost failed?” This revelation immediately put Red on guard.

“Back in my temple, the elders taught us how to steel our mind against outside influence,” Eiwin said. “I never experienced possession myself, but this must have been what shielded my mind from its control.”

“And you’re sure you’re completely free of any influence?”

“I can’t say for certain,” Eiwin admitted. “I know there are ghosts and evil spirits who can hide within someone’s mind and try to take control once the time is right. In fact, after I woke up and saw that I was alone in the middle of the forest, I felt a bout of nervousness I never quite felt before. I didn’t feel it was weird at the time, but now… It is entirely possible that this was the result of a failed or hidden possession.”

Red frowned. Even he wasn’t aware of this, and the fact Eiwin revealed this of her own volition made him feel more confident about her identity.

“So you might have a ghost in you too?” Allen seemed concerned. He turned to Red. “Can’t you help her like you did to me?”

Eiwin raised her eyebrows in surprise as she looked at Red. “You helped him?”

“I did,” Red answered. “But don’t ask. Not right now.”

The woman bowed her head. “I understand. Do you think you could check me to see if any ghosts are within my body?”

He hesitated. “I’m not sure I can do that, but… If there are any ghosts in your body, I might be able to take them out.”

Allen smiled in relief. “That’s great! Then can you help her right now?”

“I can, but…” He looked uncertainly at Eiwin.

The woman seemed to understand the meaning behind his gaze. “You are afraid something will happen if you approach?”

Red nodded. “You yourself said you don’t know if there are any hidden ghosts within your body. If there are, they will probably act as soon as I try to extract them.”

“That is indeed a very likely possibility,” Eiwin said with a troubled look. “There might be a solution for that, though.”

“What do you suggest?” Red asked with some wariness. He was still considering that this might all be an elaborate ruse to trick him.

“Possession all stems from taking control over a host’s body parts,” Eiwin said. “The evil spirit will always aim to take control of the brain, where the mind lives, upon which it will command the rest of the body to obey it. However, if it cannot do that, it may still be capable of taking control of other body parts, such as an arm or a muscle.”

“You mean that you could have a sudden muscle spasm and punch me to death when I approach?” Red asked.

“That… is indeed the case,” Eiwin admitted, somewhat embarrassed. “However, I have a way to gain a deeper control over my body’s movements.”

Red followed her logic. “Your meditation technique.” 

“Indeed. If the ghost tries to do something, I should be able to stop it before it happens. But that would require you to put your trust in me.”

Red didn’t immediately respond. On the one hand, he could approach Eiwin to try to exorcise her and risk being pummeled to death. On the other, he could just leave her for now and try to deal with these underlying dangers later. Of course, for the latter option, there was still the risk that this possession problem could worsen with time. Not to mention, Red would definitely appreciate the woman’s help through the tasks ahead.

Both Eiwin and Allen stared at him, waiting for his response.

Red sighed. “Let’s do it then.”

“Yes!” Allen exclaimed in joy. “Thank you, Red!”

“Don’t thank me yet.” He shook his head. “You need to be on the lookout in case something goes wrong.”

“Right,” Allen said. “I’ll pay attention.”

Eiwin stared at Red. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Red nodded. “It’s the only sensible choice.”

Actually, he planned to execute the technique from a certain distance first before resorting to getting close to Eiwin. He didn’t think it would work, but there was no reason not to try.

After receiving his confirmation, Eiwin sat down cross-legged on the ground and executed the Radiant Current meditation technique she had taught Red. The mudras and mantras flowed out of her with ease as she closed her eyes and entered a reflective state.

Red observed her fluctuation, noticing that her previous nervousness and joy completely disappeared, being replaced by a serenity that grew over the next minute. He waited for her prompting, which came almost two minutes later.

“You can do it now,” she said, still keeping her eyes closed.

“I’ll try this technique from afar first,” he said. “I don’t know if it will work, but it’s better than taking the risk.”

Eiwin didn’t respond, and he took it as her approving of his method.

Red took out his insectoid core from his backpack.

Allen looked surprised by the sight of the green crystal. “Is that a monster core?”

“It is,” Red confirmed. “It’s a bit different, though.”

“I see…” The young master scratched his chin in thought. “I swear it feels like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

That’s because you did.

Red had used the core back in the trial to distract the fireleaf deer from attacking his companions. However, those memories had been wiped from Allen’s mind, it seemed.

“Now be quiet,” he said. “I need to concentrate.”

Allen did as much and stopped talking.

Red focused on the insectoid core, trying to grasp that ephemeral feeling he’d felt the first time he executed the technique. But it didn’t come immediately, so he decided to recite the words the necromancer taught him.

The string of strange and slightly ominous words came out of his mouth as Red focused on the core. Allen gave him a strange gaze, but Red ignored him.

The insectoid core glowed, but even after almost a minute passed, Red saw nothing come out of Eiwin’s body. He didn’t know if this meant there was no ghost inside her, or if the technique was ineffective from this far, so he had made a decision.

“I’m coming closer.”

Eiwin still didn’t respond, remaining in her peaceful and meditative state.

Red approached the woman bit by bit, reciting the necromancer’s words with every step. Nothing seemed to happen, and soon enough he was within four meters of the woman. He hesitated to approach further, since if he went any closer, he wouldn’t feel confident in escaping Eiwin’s sudden attack.

Still, Red furrowed his brows and continued to walk forward.

Three meters.

Two meters.

It was then that Red saw something come out of Eiwin’s forehead. An almost imperceptible trace of grey smoke that looked quite similar to what had come out of Allen’s body.

His method was working. There was indeed something inside of Eiwin’s body.

That was when he felt the woman’s fluctuation suddenly stir.

Crap!

Red sought to dash back, but Eiwin shot up in a flash and threw a right punch directed at his face.

Just as Red braced himself for impact, the hand halted a few inches away from him. He took a few steps in retreat, noticing that Eiwin’s left hand was grabbing onto her right wrist, holding her own fist back.

The woman’s whole body tensed up, as if she was struggling against her every muscle to stay still.

She looked over at Red with an urging expression. “Quickly!”

He indulged her. He continued to repeat the mantra while holding onto the insectoid core a few meters away, as more and more of the grey smoke came out of Eiwin’s forehead and entered the green crystal.

As the ghostly substance exited her body, the woman seemed to gain an edge in controlling her muscles. Soon enough, her labored expression disappeared, and she sat back down as Red continued to execute his technique.

A few minutes passed before the smoke finally stopped coming out of her body. Once that happened, both Eiwin and Red let out a sigh of relief.

He looked back at Allen, who was cowering with the sword in his hand. “I thought I said you were supposed to help if anything went wrong.”

“Y-You did but… Was I supposed to hit Eiwin?” Allen shook his head. “I could never do that!”

Red frowned, but he decided to let the matter go.

Eiwin got up and smiled. “Everything turned out well, so there’s no need to focus on what could’ve happened. We still need to hurry and find the others.”

Red nodded.

“What were those words you were saying, Red?” Allen asked in a fearful tone. “I swear that when I heard them, I felt a chill run down my spine.”

Eiwin shook her head. “It doesn’t matter, Young Master. Whatever this technique was, it was the only way to help us right now, so you shouldn’t be concerned about it.”

“I-I guess so, but still…”

The woman smiled. “You don’t need to worry. No matter how scary the words may sound, what matters is that they came from someone we trust. Isn’t that right, Red?”

She gave him a meaningful gaze.

Red didn’t quite know how to respond. However, he got the distinct feeling Eiwin knew very well what the words he’d uttered meant.

Chapter 6

Unrecognizable

“Do you know what happened to the others?” Red asked Eiwin.

“I don’t,” she said. “When I woke up, they were all already gone. I could see some of their tracks, but I could only chase after one of them…”

So she chose Allen.

It was the most sensible choice, even though Red got to the young master first. But there was no way she could have known that was going to happen. 

“Did you try using the communication talisman?” Red asked.

“I did,” Eiwin said. “I tried to contact everyone, including you, but I got no response.”

He shook his head. “I’m quite sure there was no message on my communication talisman.”

The woman frowned. “Then it is as I thought. There must be something blocking communication. It could be that being’s work.”

Her guess made sense, but for some reason, Red didn’t think this was the head’s doing. The necromancer mentioned before that the possessed beings could track him by his communication talisman, which might have just been a scare tactic to keep him from speaking with his companions. However, it was likely that a being like the necromancer would be able to tell communications were blocked, so why go through the trouble to warn Red against it either way?

Something else must be going on, and mysteries only kept accumulating for him to ponder upon.

… No, I need to focus on the matter at hand.

Now, however, Red was left with a troublesome question.

The necromancer mentioned there were three possessed individuals among my companions. Did this include Eiwin?

Unfortunately for Red, there was no way to clarify this with the necromancer.

“We should go back to where the head attacked us!” Allen said in an urgent tone. “We can track them from there.”

“We can’t do that,” Red warned. “The Curse Breakers might have noticed the commotion and gone to investigate the scene.”

“The Curse Breakers are here?” Eiwin frowned.

“I assume so.” He nodded. “They were pretty adamant about our encounters with the necromancers when we left the trial back then, so it’s likely they are still around.”

Actually, according to the necromancer, it was a certainty that the undead hunters were still around. However, Red wasn’t sure if he could take the bear’s words at face value.

Red continued. “If they find out we were involved there, we won’t be able to reunite with our companions or cure them of their possession.”

“That’s not the only concern,” Eiwin said, looking worried. “They can also follow our tracks like anyone else. If the rest of our friends are also possessed, and the Curse Breakers find them before us…”

She trailed off, but the implication behind her words was obvious. The Curse Breakers were ruthless undead hunters, and they wouldn’t spare anything that came into contact with the corruption, even the very victims of possession.

Allen paled. “You mean they’re going to kill them? Then we need to hurry… But if we can’t go back to follow their tracks, how are we going to find them?”

Both Red and Eiwin fell silent.

If only that cursed bear were still here to locate them.

A few seconds later, Red looked over at Eiwin. “Do you recall the direction of the tracks?”

The woman hesitated. “I only did a brief examination, and I’m not as good as you or Rog in this matter. Allen’s tracks were the most obvious, so I followed them. The only other set of footprints I could discern were headed east towards the river. I think they were Miss Valt’s, but I’m not sure…”

Red frowned. “Do you think she was possessed?”

“I don’t know.” Eiwin shrugged helplessly. “She might have gone after the others too, but it’s impossible to tell.”

He sighed. “In that case, we have no choice. We’ll head east too and hope to find traces of her.”

The woman bowed her head. “That is the only way.”

“B-But what if we come across one of those Curse Breaker knights?” Allen asked with some apprehension.

“That depends,” Eiwin said. “If they insist on getting involved, then we will have no choice but to fight. I won’t let them hurt one of our friends.”

Her steely expression spoke to how serious she was about the matter. Red also knew that the woman had the strength to back up her claims, although he wasn’t sure how much it would cost her this time.

They trekked east with Red in the lead. Blindly searching through the forest for someone wasn’t a very efficient tracking method, though, and they spent hours walking with nothing to show for it.

“It’s already afternoon,” Allen said with some concern. “Isn’t this about the time you told us the horde would attack?”

Eiwin furrowed her brows and nodded. “Indeed.”

“Do you think the town’s guard can deal with it?”

“Orvin and his men are very capable. They might have some trouble, but they should still be able to hold back the first wave,” she said, trying to assuage Allen’s fears.

“R-Right.” Allen gulped with some relief. “I wonder if Hector knows about what happened to us…”

Red couldn’t imagine the elder would. If things were going as expected, then the old man was probably in the process of risking his life trying to delay the alpha of the wolf beasts. How would anyone be able to deliver a message to him in the middle of that?

As they continued walking, Red suddenly noticed something.

“Wait…” He raised his hand to stop their march. “There’s something over there.”

Eiwin immediately tensed up. “What is it?”

“It’s tracks.” Red approached the spot where he saw the footprints.

One wouldn’t be blamed for missing it in the middle of a forest. In the beginning, Red too couldn’t really tell apart anything amidst the leaf litter and foliage. However, Rog had taught him what signs he should look for—crushed leaves, broken branches, disturbed earth—things that were easy to ignore, but that held more information than one might think.

It just so happened that Red spotted a lot of them around this area.

“Someone was in a hurry,” he said. “They didn’t bother covering their tracks.”

Allen’s eyes lit up. “Do you think it’s Narcha?”

“I don’t think so,” Red replied. “The footsteps seem to be pretty heavy, not something that fits with Narcha’s build.”

Even if she was possessed by a ghost, it didn’t mean she would suddenly gain weight.

Eiwin frowned. “So it’s someone else?”

“One person,” Red answered. “They’re also headed east.”

“Wait… Could it be one of those Curse Breaker knights?” Allen asked with an expression of realization. “I mean, all that armor would make them pretty heavy, right? It would fit the tracks!”

Red and Eiwin looked at Allen with surprise. It was clear the two of them had already considered the possibility, but the fact the young master had arrived at the same conclusion so quickly came as a shock.

Allen smiled upon seeing their expression. “I’m right, am I not?…” He trailed off as if he suddenly realized something. “Wait, if that’s the case, could it be that…”

Red nodded. “They might be chasing Narcha.”

Allen paled. “Then we need to hurry!”

Red looked back at Eiwin with a questioning gaze. He wanted to know whether she was ready to use her powers to stop this individual, considering they were likely in the Lesser Ring Realm.

The woman seemed to understand the meaning behind his gaze and inclined her head slightly. “Let’s be on our way.”

Satisfied with that answer, Red got up and patted himself. “Make sure to have your talismans ready. We might need any help we can get.”

He didn’t know if Eiwin’s power up would make her stronger than this Lesser Ring Realm cultivator, so he needed to be ready to help her in the fight.

Allen nodded in understanding. “I’ll be ready!”

With their brief plans settled, the group began to track the heavy footsteps. They moved at a brisk pace, hoping to catch this individual before he reached Narcha.

Red, however, didn’t stop observing his surroundings. He hoped to find some signs of a second set of tracks, one belonging to Narcha, but he was unsuccessful. All he saw were the tracks made by the supposed knight.

This gave rise to an odd feeling in him.

Was the woman always this stealthy? Was it a result of her possession? Or did they have this whole situation wrong in the first place?

Just as Red was beginning to have some misgivings, they heard the sound of an explosion in the distance. 

Eiwin’s expression changed. “Someone’s fighting!”

Both Allen and Red unsheathed their weapons, and the group broke out in a sprint. The explosions continued to echo through the forest as they rushed ahead, until the sounds abruptly quieted down.

Eiwin paled once this happened, and she ran ahead of the two of them.

“Wait, Eiwin!” Allen called after her.

Red and the young master tried to keep up with the woman, but to no avail. They thought they were about to lose track of her, but for some reason, Eiwin began to slow down, allowing them to catch up with her.

“E-Eiwin…” Allen tried to catch his breath as he ran up to her. “Why did you suddenly…”

The young master trailed off as he noticed what lay ahead of them. Red, too, could barely believe his eyes.

The scene of a battlefield.

Splintered wood and toppled trees lay everywhere, forcefully creating a clearing in the middle of the dense forest. An acrid smell pervaded the area, reaching Red’s group. And then, there was another smell, one very familiar to him.

Blood.

At the center of it all stood two figures. Or better put, only one of them stood. The other, a knight sporting the dark armor of the Curse Breakers, was on their knees, unmoving. A large, dark saber was driven from their shoulder into their torso, carving a path through both flesh and metal, almost bisecting them in half. Fresh blood poured out of the wound, and yet Red felt no sign of life from the knight with his crimson sense. 

Then, there was the other individual, holding onto the saber’s hilt firmly, standing tall over their opponent. Someone they all recognized.

“Miss Valt?” Eiwin asked in an uncertain voice.

Only now did the other woman seem to notice their presence. “Hmm? Oh, it’s you.”

She spoke in an impassive tone, unlike the Narcha they knew. In fact, Red could feel through her fluctuation that there was almost no emotion at all coursing through the woman. Only cold indifference.

The others didn’t even need his prompting to notice something was wrong.

“N-Narcha…” Allen looked frightened. “Is that you?”

The woman sighed. “Why ask questions you know the answer to, child?”

As if to punctuate her words, she pulled out her saber from the knight’s corpse, letting it tumble to the ground. Blood pooled at her feet as she turned around to look at them.

Red felt a shiver run down his spine as a feeling of unprecedented danger came over him.

Narcha, however, looked entirely unbothered. She smiled at them. “So you are her friends, then? Well, we have much to talk about.”

Chapter 7

Insidious Presence

Eiwin glared at the possessed Narcha. “Leave her alone.”

The ghost smiled. “No time to talk, then? And here I thought you were the reasonable one of your group.”

“That body doesn’t belong to you, ghost,” Eiwin said. “Leave her alone and pass on to the Netherworld, as all living beings should.”

Narcha seemed confused. “Ghost? Ah, but of course. That is what I am, is it not? I wonder if this is how all ghosts must feel. Yet, no matter how much I try to see otherwise, how could I lament and curse my very own existence, no matter in what form it comes?”

Eiwin frowned. “… So you won’t leave?”

“And doom myself to oblivion?” The woman shuddered. “Nay, I would rather take my chances in this form.”

Eiwin studied her possessed companion and took a deep breath. Then, without saying anything, she entered a combat stance.

Narcha seemed to find this amusing as she laughed. “It really does seem as if you care about this girl a lot… Still, don’t you want to know what I have to say? Not even if it involves the existence of that floating head?”

Her words gave Eiwin some pause.

“Eiwin…” Red called out to her with a frown.

The younger woman looked back at him with a frustrated expression. They both exchanged glances, and Red could see the clear struggle in her face.

He shook his head.

The meaning was clear. This wasn’t something they could rush into, and Red couldn’t let Eiwin’s anger lead her to making a reckless decision. He remembered what the necromancer had told him about a powerful ghost inhabiting the head, and judging by how the Curse Breaker had fared, whoever was possessing Narcha couldn’t be underestimated.

Eiwin hesitated for a few seconds, but she still let her stance drop in the end.

After seeing this, the ghost smiled and looked over at Red. “You’re the child with special powers, aren’t you? Or can I even call you a child at this point? One would be hard pressed to think of you as such considering how you act.”

Red frowned but didn’t say anything.

The woman continued. “Some would credit this maturity to signs of reincarnation, but it is not unheard of for a child to mature before their time. There were often rumors in my sect about how most of my early success and talent were all due to my memories as a cultivator in my previous life. You would not imagine the hurdles certain people go through to discredit others’ accomplishments because of envy.”

“… You’re from a sect?” Red asked.

Narcha nodded. “Does that surprise you?”

“You’re a ghost,” he said.

She laughed. “Trust me, this isn’t even the worst ending you can get as a cultivator. Mortals often think of sects as inviolable sanctuaries of virtue and tradition, and yet they don’t know that internal disputes happen just as often in these places as anywhere else. In fact, these disputes are often worse in sects, seeing as a fight between cultivators can often wipe out entire towns.”

“Is that how you ended up imprisoned inside that head? By a sect dispute?”

The ghost smiled. “Not so fast, child. I did say I wanted to talk, but it won’t do if you’re the one asking all the questions, will it?”

He scowled. He wanted to use the ghost’s willingness to talk to extract information from her, but above all else, he was trying to buy himself some time.

Whoever this person possessing Narcha’s body was, they were powerful beyond expectation. Red was skeptical they had any chances to defeat them in straightforward combat, so he was trying to come up with a plan.

This Curse Breaker knight was alone… Maybe their companions will be searching for him.

That could prove to be an opportunity out of this situation, or it could make everything else even more complicated. In either case, Red would need more time.

Eiwin continued to stare at Narcha with a severe gaze, while Allen looked uncertain about how to proceed. In any case, both of them seemed to trust Red to take care of the situation.

“What do you want to know?” he asked.

Narcha put on a pondering expression. “I have searched through this girl’s memories, and yet the information I was looking for was absent. Not to mention, what I found was very alarming, to say the least…”

“You want to know about your sect?” Red guessed at her intention.

She smiled. “How smart. Indeed, I want to know about my sect, and if they’re still alive, that is.”

“What is the name of your sect?”

“Amber Saber Sect.”

Red froze. He recognized that name. His master Goulth’s manual came from that very same sect.

Red’s change in expression didn’t go unnoticed by the ghost.

She sighed. “So they’re indeed destroyed. A pity. Was it this Empire?”

Red nodded.

They don’t know about the Empire.

This would put them at the very least as being five hundred years old or more.

“I have never heard of this Empire before, but I can see they’ve caused quite a ruckus around the cultivation world,” the ghost said. “Barely five hundred years old and yet already strong enough to go against sects that have thrived for thousands of years… I wonder how they accomplished such a feat. Perhaps this is something I should investigate myself.”

This wasn’t an uncommon question for the general public, but there were many conflicting theories about it. All people knew for certain is that one day extremely strong cultivators, or celestial practitioners as they called themselves, suddenly appeared in the Empire and declared war against the sects occupying their lands.

They attributed their sudden rise to their Celestial Gods, but no one knew the truth for certain.

Red stared at the pondering Narcha. “How did you get inside that head?”

“I was betrayed and killed by my own sect,” the ghost said. “They were members of a rival faction, envious of my rise to power. We often relied on sabotaging and undermining each other’s efforts, but to think they would go as far as assassination… Truly, it is no wonder we were destroyed in the end.”

Red frowned. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“That’s because I don’t know,” she admitted. “You should know ghosts often don’t remember much of their own life, not to mention the moments leading up to the corruption of their form while they’re nothing but a wandering soul.”

This was the first time Red had heard this. He looked over at Eiwin for confirmation, and she nodded.

“All I recall was waking up in that… place,” the ghost said, her expression showing some apprehension for the first time. “Thousands of wailing souls, confused and fearful. So many emotions… It took all my will to just keep my own sanity, and I only succeeded due to the fact I reinforced my soul during cultivation. Even then, there were some ghosts inside that head that even I was fearful of. Suffice it to say, as soon as the opportunity presented itself, I fled that place as quickly as I could.”

“And took our friend’s body for yourself,” Eiwin added. “Aren’t you a sect cultivator? Shouldn’t you be ashamed of living in this corrupted form? People like you almost wiped out humanity in the past!”

Narcha shook her head. “I thought so too when I awoke… To be a ghost was worse than death, a sign of corruption of one’s very soul and the ideals they once stood for in life. Yet, I met someone inside that place that convinced me otherwise. Now, I see this form as a second chance in death to achieve what I couldn’t do in life.”

The younger woman gritted her teeth. “You’re a disgrace! As both a cultivator and a human being!”

The ghost smiled. “Maybe, but compared to being dead, this is a much preferable state of being, is it not?”

Eiwin shivered in anger, on the verge of charging at the woman.

“Ah, now wait a second!” Narcha held her hands up. “Don’t you want your friend back? If you attack me right now, there is no way you will be able to take me out from her.”

Red looked at his companion. “Eiwin, let’s hear what they have to say.”

Once more, his prompting was enough to calm Eiwin down. Of course, the ghost was under an erroneous assumption. They thought that the group had no way of taking them out of Narcha’s body. Perhaps Red could use this to his advantage.

“What do you want from us?” he asked.

“Well, you see, possession is a fickle thing.” The ghost looked over their possessed body. “Sects have been researching the subject for as long as humanity has existed, hoping this would provide a way to prolong their own life beyond what their bodies could support. However, the immutable truth they discovered is that a body and soul were both parts of one being, made and created for each other. A soul would only be in perfect harmony in one’s own body, and outside of it, or even occupying a different shape, innumerable problems would occur that would eventually lead to the soul’s dissolution. A true and absolute death, if you will.

“Of course, they found some ways to counterbalance that. Searching for compatible bodies and transforming one’s soul were amongst them, yet these are half-measures, and don’t solve the root problem.” The ghost looked over at Eiwin. “Of course, this was until the Queen of the Dead and her necromancers came along and offered a more permanent solution.”

Eiwin spat on the ground. “So now you intend to consort with necromancers?”

The ghost smiled. “It is my only option, isn’t it? For that, however, I need a proper body to control until I’m able to meet with their necromancers, and that’s where our problem resides.”

Red had an inkling about where this conversation was going.

“You see, compatibility is important in choosing a body to possess, permanent or not,” the ghost said. “I was a woman in life, so I had to choose a woman’s body to possess. Unfortunately, however, I didn’t have time to identify my potential hosts and ended up assigned to a rather… Unsuitable one.” They examined themselves. “This girl is more of a brute, a barbarian, too angry and headstrong for her own good, quite unlike how I myself was in life. No, I won’t last too long inside this body. For me to reach my objective, I need someone more gentle, more calm…”

She looked over at Eiwin. “Someone more like you.”

Chapter 8

A True Expert

Even if Red expected to hear this, he still felt surprised. Was changing and possessing bodies something a ghost could do so casually?

Eiwin also looked shocked at these words, but she kept her composure.

“Is this what this is about, then? Just looking for another body to take over?” Eiwin’s contempt for the ghost seemed to grow with every word. “Have you no pride left as a cultivator?”

“Pride?” Narcha shook her head. “I thought you would be smarter, but it seems as if your upbringing has left you severely unaware of how the cultivation world works. Pride serves as nothing but chains. Sects use words such as ‘duty’ and ‘honor’ only as a means of maintaining order at their convenience. When it suits them, they don’t let such matters keep them from their objectives. Any successful cultivator would never let such matters get in their way.”

Eiwin stared at the ghost with disdain. “Is this supposed to convince me?”

The ghost laughed. “You? Nay, you monks are very set in their ways. I know the only way to convince you, Eiwin, is by using your care and worry for your companions against you. So, this is why I am offering you a deal.”

The younger woman glowered. “My body for Miss Valt’s safety, then?”

“Indeed,” the ghost said. “Your body and temperament are more suited to me. It should last a few months, at least until I can find the Black Marsh necromancers. Your talent, too, while not outstanding, is better than this girl’s. Not to mention I know you have been practicing a body refinement cultivation art. It should prove useful in case I have to fight any more of these pests.”

As if to display her point, the ghost kicked the body of the knight into the ground.

“Of course, we need to be fast,” Narcha said. “These Curse Breakers are like cockroaches. Where there is one, there is likely to be a nest of them nearby, and I would rather not take my chances.”

Eiwin fell silent. She stared at her possessed companion, dozens of conflicting thoughts passing through her head as evidenced by her changing expression. The ghost, in the meantime, just smiled at her.

The sight of Narcha staring at them with such an unfitting expression sent a shiver down Red’s spine.

It seemed that Eiwin, too, had let go of her rage and was considering things more calmly, at least as far as Red could judge from her expression. He could guess where her doubts were coming from, but there was no way for Red to answer her without the ghost hearing it. Not to mention, he wasn’t too certain his exorcism method would work against this opponent.

Allen seemed to pick up on Eiwin’s hesitation. He looked at her with a worried expression. “Y-You aren’t thinking about accepting it, right?!”

Eiwin frowned at the young master’s words. She looked over at Red too, but he maintained his steely expression, afraid to give away anything to the attentive ghost. In the back of his mind, however, he was still afraid he would misinterpret Eiwin’s intentions, if she was indeed trying to communicate through her silent gaze.

She closed her eyes and sighed. “Remember what Master Hector told us, Red? The priority of our mission?”

Red hesitated. “The safety of our sect is our priority.”

“Indeed,” Eiwin said. “This also means that we have to make tough decisions for the future of our sect, if need be. As the leader, this is my duty and obligation.”

Allen’s eyes widened. “What are you talking about⁠—”

“I can’t beat her,” she cut him off. “I can’t leave her to her fate either.”

Red sighed. The ghost’s strength was evident. There was no hint of Spiritual Energy emanating from Narcha’s body, which meant that whoever had possessed her used nothing but their own skills and limited physical capabilities to defeat this knight who was likely in the Lesser Ring Realm, if the state of the battlefield was any indication. It was possible that the ghost also had hidden abilities and this one still seemed in complete control of their mental faculties.

If that was the case, did Eiwin have a chance of winning, even with her special abilities?

“So you’ve come to a decision?” he asked.

She nodded. “Make sure to take care of Allen, Miss Valt, and the others… And if the opportunity presents itself, try to save me in the future too.”

“Eiwin, no!” Allen looked like he wanted to rush forth, but Red held him back.

“Don’t!” He shook his head. “Trust her, Allen.”

The young master gritted his teeth and looked over Red’s shoulder at Eiwin.

The woman continued to ignore him, however, and turned to glare at the ghost. “My body for her freedom. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” the ghost said. “Unlike what you may think, I have no interest in killing mortals. As long as I can have what I want, what is the point of engaging in pointless murder? I also do not intend on having your elder or his friends hunting for me.”

She knows about that too.

Red didn’t know how much the ghost could discern from Narcha’s memories, but if he was to assume they knew everything, then any kind of trickery became extremely hard to execute. He could only hope Eiwin had a good plan.

“What must we do?” Eiwin asked with a scowl.

“It’s simple,” the ghost said. “Approach me and I will do the rest. As long as you do not resist, the process should be painless.”

“… And Miss Valt?”

“The girl will wake up like normal in a few hours. Some side effects of the possession will still linger, but she will recover from it.”

“Fine,” Eiwin said. “Then let us do it.”

Without hesitation, she walked towards the ghost. The possessed Narcha simply smiled at her and leaned on her saber, waiting for Eiwin’s approach. Unlike what Red was expecting, the ghost didn’t demand Red or Allen to leave this place, as if she was unafraid of their interference.

She’s too relaxed.

The ghost was surely aware of Red’s capabilities and the fact they were carrying talismans, yet they still seemed to keep their guard down. He didn’t think this boded well.

There were still ten meters between Eiwin and Narcha, and Red was already prepared for things to go wrong.

That was when the ghost smiled. “So a fight it is, then?”

Eiwin froze in her steps, her whole body tensed.

“Oh, so young, so innocent…” Narcha pulled her saber up. “You think I can’t tell? You think I don’t know the kind of person you are, my dear Eiwin?” The ghost sighed. “It is a shame, though. I hoped to capture your body with no injuries, but if you must remain stubborn to the end, then I have no choice.”

Eiwin said nothing. Instead, her response came with a silver light that emanated from her skin. Along with it, Red felt her fluctuation suddenly flare with unprecedented power.

He knew what came next.

Eiwin suddenly charged forward with incredible speed, striking at Narcha with an open palm. Her possessed companion, however, reacted in time and sidestepped the attack before it even got near her.

But Eiwin didn’t stop her offensive and sought to follow up with a thrust kick even as the ghost retreated. The possessed Narcha put her saber in front of herself, blocking the blow successfully.

Still, the force behind Eiwin’s kick was enormous, and the ghost found themselves flying several meters backwards, almost crashing against a tree. Yet, throughout it all, Red felt their fluctuation was as serene as ever.

“Eiwin!” Allen looked over at Red in alarm. “Red, we need to help her!”

“Not yet!” Red continued to hold him back.

They were not qualified to enter this kind of battle as they pleased. At least, not yet, while their opponent had yet to reveal their true strength.

Eiwin continued to press the advantage, using her explosive and lightning-fast strikes to overwhelm her possessed companion. Yet, even after a continuous bout of attacks, she failed to land a direct hit. Each time, Narcha dodged by a hair’s width or just managed to put her saber in the way of Eiwin’s attacks and block her blows.

To an outside observer, it seemed as if at any point the ghost would be caught by one of these attacks and knocked unconscious. It was a style of pure desperation, yet Red knew better. In fact, he felt as if he had seen this exact style of fighting before.

The ghost laughed as they dashed back again. “Ah, the saber! A weapon of brutes, barbarians!”

“Shut up!” Eiwin showed uncharacteristic anger as she pressed her attack.

She threw another punch, which the possessed Narcha continued to dodge, but just barely.

“I never liked it myself, you see…” the ghost said. “Yet they always made me train with it! It’s in the name of our sect after all, isn’t it?!”

Red felt something stir in Narcha’s fluctuation.

“Eiwin, watch out!” he warned.

Yet, it seemed like it was too late. A second later, just as Eiwin threw another open palm at her opponent, the ghost finally seemed to move.

The possessed Narcha dodged to the side, no longer having the desperation from before. Then, like a twirling dancer, she twisted on the sole of her foot, bringing her large two-handed saber down against Eiwin’s back with air-splitting power and speed.

Eiwin didn’t even have time to dodge. She brought her right arm up to block the slash.

Saber and limb clashed, and a shower of sparks flew out from Eiwin’s arm, as if Narcha’s weapon had struck pure metal. The young woman gritted her teeth, apparently still feeling the pain despite the fact her skin seemed as tough as iron.

She moved to counterattack, but the ghost twirled away from her, following the momentum of her attack. Eiwin tried to close the gap, but the saber came down against her once more out of nowhere as the ghost spun like a tornado.

Eiwin was forced to block again, and more sparks flew from her forearms. Yet, the ghost’s attacks didn’t stop, as with every spin of their feet, the saber in Narcha’s hands built up more power and became a deadlier force. It was an impressive and unique sight for Red, and Eiwin soon found herself on the back foot.

The young woman seemed to notice her disadvantage too, so instead of trying to remain in melee range, she jumped backward and distanced herself from her opponent. The possessed Narcha stopped spinning as she noticed this, staring at Eiwin with a wide grin.

She laughed. “Well then, all bark and no bite? No matter, you won’t learn your lesson until I put you in your place.”

At that moment, Red suddenly realized who this ghost reminded him of.

Viran.

For some reason, that was all he could think about as he stared at Narcha.

Chapter 9

Outclassed

Red tried to think why he got a similar feeling from this possessed Narcha as he did when seeing Viran fight. It wasn’t because of their fighting style. No, this ghost was far more graceful and agile, while Viran relied on pure brute strength and savagery.

So where did this feeling come from? What was so similar between these two individuals?

Was it the fact they were fighting against someone much stronger than them while relying only on skill and physical strength? Was it the feeling of absolute mastery and confidence they invoked in anyone who saw them fight?

While Red considered this, the ghost went into another bout of attacks against Eiwin. The younger woman tried a more cautious approach this time around, looking for a counterattack and not over-committing in her strikes. Yet, she was quick to notice that being more passive didn’t give her any advantages.

In fact, it allowed the ghost to move freely in her dervish dance and accumulate more momentum, making her blows much more difficult to deal with. Eiwin felt this in her skin as more saber slashes drew sparks from her limbs.

She was on the backfoot once again.

Allen stared at Red with an urging gaze. “Eiwin is in danger! We need to do something!”

He frowned. He knew that much, but what could they do?

Use their talismans? They could cause significant damage, but all of that would be directed towards Narcha’s body, and the last thing they wanted was to kill her. Join the fight? This was the last thing Red wanted to do. Against the ghost’s onslaught, none of them would stand a chance, and the only reason Eiwin was keeping up was due to her sudden power-up.

Yet even that wouldn’t last forever, as both Red and probably the ghost themselves were aware. When Eiwin became exhausted, what then?

There were other ideas crossing his mind, but all of them were very dangerous.

Maybe if I can get close enough to use the technique the necromancer taught me…

Red hesitated, though. He didn’t know how effective this would be against this ghost, and as soon as he tried it, he would have shown his hand. If it didn’t work, or it wasn’t as effective as he hoped, then it was very likely the ghost would target him.

Yet, maybe, just maybe, if his actions could provide an opening for Eiwin, then just one well-placed strike could knock Narcha out.

Red nodded at Allen. “You’re right. We have to do something.”

He picked out a handful of knives from his backpack before handing them to Allen.

The young master looked confused. “What do you want me to do?”

“Throw them at Narcha,” Red explained. “Distract her long enough for me and Eiwin.”

Allen’s expression twisted with worry. “What are you going to do?”

Red pointed at Narcha and then at his ears. “It’s a secret.”

He was worried the woman could hear them, and with good cause. 

Thankfully, Allen seemed to pick up on what he meant. “Fine. I’ll be right behind you!”

Red was satisfied with his companion’s response. He turned to look at the two combatants. It was clear from Eiwin’s expression that she wouldn’t be able to last much longer.

He took out the insectoid core and held it with his left hand while holding his sword on his right. Then he looked at Allen and nodded.

It was his signal.

He charged forward, closing the distance between him and the possessed Narcha. Red focused on the crystal in his hand, whispering the incantations. From behind him, he heard the swish of a dagger being thrown.

The knife passed right over his head, flying towards the ghost. The aim and power wasn’t particularly strong, but the projectile was meant as a distraction, and it worked.

Narcha stopped her spinning for an instant and sent her saber over to bat the knife away. It was a swift movement, barely breaking her rhythm, and yet it was more than enough for Red.

He closed in within a few meters of the ghost and kept reciting the incantations, louder this time. The crystal in his hand glowed, and for the first time since they met the possessed Narcha, he felt her fluctuation stir as her expression changed.

The slightest wisp of grey smoke came out of the woman’s body, and her movements slowed down for a second. She seemed to recover very quickly, but her opponent wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

Eiwin dashed forward, striking with her open palm. This time, the blow connected directly, smashing against Narcha’s armored chest. The possessed woman was sent flying, separated from her saber by the force of the strike, crashing against a half-collapsed tree and causing it to splinter as she fell down.

The ghost grunted in pain and struggled as they tried to get up. A blow like that should have knocked even Narcha unconscious, yet in this possessed state, the woman looked barely injured.

Eiwin looked like she wanted to follow up on her blow, but her steps faltered. The silver glow on her skin waned and an expression of pain and exhaustion appeared on her face. Even taking another step seemed too hard.

Six months after the trial, she lasted even longer under her improved state than Red recalled. Yet, it ended just the same.

Eiwin looked at Red with a desperate expression. “Quickly! Before she recovers!”

He didn’t even need her prompting. Red charged forward, getting within two meters of the struggling Narcha as he continued to recite the incantations.

More grey smoke exited the woman’s body as the ghost struggled to get up. Red focused on the core in his hand, still being careful about a possible retaliation from his opponent.

That was when she laughed.

Red felt a shiver run down his spine. He tried to dash back, but it was too late. Narcha sprung up with unprecedented speed, recovering from her injury out of nowhere, and struck him in the stomach with a punch. He went flying, not unlike the ghost had earlier, crashing down in the middle of the clearing.

“Red!” Eiwin dashed forward, even in her weakened state.

She sought to strike Narcha again, but her attack was too slow. The ghost easily dodged and hit her with a whip-like kick against her midsection. Eiwin grunted and was sent sprawling to the ground a few meters away.

Narcha ignored her, however, and turned to look at Red with a curious expression. “So that’s what I felt… Interesting.”

He couldn’t respond, still trying to recover his breath and fight through the pain to get up again. But even in his dizzy state, he heard the approaching steps of the ghost.

“To think a mortal like you would know an exorcising technique…” the possessed Narcha said. “Yet, what is that you’re holding in your hand? A monster core? This color, though… that energy. I have never felt such a thing before.”

Red looked up and saw that the ghost was just a few meters away, almost upon him.

The ghost smiled. “I dare say, I have found something even more interesting this time around.”

“Don’t touch him!”

A scream came from beside her, and Allen dashed forward with his sword at the possessed Narcha. The ghost frowned and looked over.

The young master tried to stab at her, but it was obvious there was still some hesitation behind his blows. He was still fighting against one of his companions, after all.

Unfortunately for him, pulling his blows back or not, it made no difference in the outcome. Narcha dodged his attack with ease and grabbed onto his sword hand. Then she threw him against a nearby tree like a rag doll.

“Ugh!” The young master grunted in pain as he fell down.

Allen struggled to get up, but by then, Narcha was already paying attention to Red again.

The ghost continued to smile. “You know, I always felt like you had quite a few secrets to your name. Yet, compared to getting a proper body, it seemed hardly relevant to me. Now, however, I’m certainly more curious… Perhaps before I hop over to the other woman, I should take a look at that mind of yours.”

Red’s brow furrowed, his mind starting to come up with a way out. He’d dropped the crystal and his sword from the impact of the blow, and he had nothing to defend himself with. Now, he also understood where the familiar feeling between Viran and the ghost came from.

Utter helplessness. The feeling when you were outclassed and outmatched in every way, and no matter what you did, there was no way out. It was what Red felt every time he sparred against Viran in the underground, and it was what he felt now as he fought against the possessed Narcha.

He didn’t have a chance in a straightforward battle. Yet, since those days, Red had acquired more than a few tricks up his sleeve.

He started to roll away from the woman, seemingly trying to increase the distance between them.

The ghost saw this and laughed. “Do you really think you can run?”

She quickened her steps ever so slightly, closing in even faster. Still, she didn’t immediately strike, as if finding the whole situation amusing.

And that was more than enough time for Red to reach his objective.

He approached the corpse of the Curse Breaker knight in the center of the clearing.

The possessed Narcha continued to laugh. “Do you think he has anything to help you? I’m sorry to disappoint you, but…”

She trailed off with a puzzled expression.

Red didn’t look for any weapons to defend himself with. Instead, he shoved his hand right into the bleeding flesh of the corpse. Immediately, a burning pain came from his hand, as a familiar feeling of strength and power began to course through his body.

The ghost’s eyes widened in shock. “You…”

Red didn’t even deign to listen to her reply. Instead, he got up in a flash and dashed towards his weapon and core.

Narcha, too, was quick to recover from her shock. She tried to stop him, but under his surge of strength, Red had already used her moment of surprise to reach his objective.

He picked up his sword and core again, and faced off against a bewildered Narcha.

Demonic strength was coursing through his veins for the first time in six months.

Chapter 10

Seize and Retrieve

Red wasn’t eager to act, and for a moment he and the ghost stared at each other in silence. Narcha, too, seemed hesitant.

She scowled. “You know blood magic too?”

Is that what it’s called?

Red had never heard his powers referred to as such, but he supposed the term was fitting.

The ghost shook their head. “Truly, you are a melting pot of corrupting powers. It is a wonder you haven’t exploded or gone insane yet.”

He said nothing, examining Narcha in silence. He was trying to come up with a plan, but the truth was that even under this boost in energy, Red wasn’t too confident in defeating the ghost.

I need to try to exorcize her.

The technique was indeed effective as he found out, but the problem was that now that the ghost knew about it, would they allow Red the opportunity to try it again?

In any case, he needed to hurry. His boost in energy wouldn’t last forever.

With no other choice, Red stopped hesitating and charged at the woman. His plan was simple: keep within at least two meters of her and chant the incantations while trying not to get killed. He didn’t know how easy this would be, but after six months of training, Red was more confident than ever in his footwork.

To his surprise, the possessed Narcha chose to retreat, keeping her distance from him. Red thought she was about to flee the scene, but he noticed her running towards her saber that she had dropped on the ground.

Red frowned. He tried to push his legs to the limit, but he was a step too slow. The ghost grabbed the saber, and without hesitation, swung it around in a wide arc towards him.

He was forced to slow down and dodge out of the way. Narcha didn’t follow up on her attack, though, so he tried to approach her again.

It was no use, however. The ghost seemed to guess his intentions and kept him at a maximum distance with the large reach of her saber, and Red was forced to stop his advance time and time again.

Her blows didn’t seem to be aimed at striking him directly, but rather to keep Red away. It was working too, as he couldn’t get any closer than two meters from the woman unless he intended to be cut in half by her saber.

Still, the ghost seemed to be content in their defensive position.

They’re buying themselves time.

Red redoubled his efforts, but to no avail. The ghost seemed to foresee his every move and was more than fast enough to react.

The possessed Narcha saw his frantic actions and smiled. “Like I thought, these types of boosts in power never last too long.”

Indeed, even now, he could feel the rush of power surging through his veins weakening bit by bit. The boost offered to him by using the blood of a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator was nowhere near as strong as the one he’d gained from a monster.

It wouldn’t last much longer.

I need more. Or perhaps…

Red suddenly had an idea.

He looked over at the knight’s corpse out of the corner of his eye. There was still plenty of blood pooling, a veritable font of power to him.

He disengaged from his opponent and charged towards it. His actions didn’t go unnoticed by the ghost, however, who chose to strike with full commitment at that moment, swinging her saber at his back. How could they allow Red to recharge his powers?

Of course, this was exactly the reaction he was counting on. He suddenly dropped down, letting the saber pass right over his head.

The woman’s smile grew thin.

Without hesitation, Red charged back towards her, closing the distance within a second. The ghost tried to retreat, but by that point Red was already chanting his incantation.

Visible struggle appeared on Narcha’s face as her steps faltered and gray smoke started leaving her body. Still, the ghost kept trying to retreat.

Red, however, wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass.

He stabbed the possessed woman’s right thigh, his sword finding deep purchase. Her steps faltered even further, and more gray smoke left Narcha’s body, absorbed by the crystal core.

The ghost, however, was quick to notice they wouldn’t be able to retreat, so instead they punched Red with their free hand. He tried to dodge, but this close to his opponent, the task was almost impossible.

Narcha’s fist connected with the side of his head, and Red felt his world darken for a moment. Still, he held onto consciousness with the help of his improved resiliency and continued to shout the incantations through gritted teeth.

Then another punch came. This time, Red couldn’t hold on and fell to his knees, on the verge of blacking out. His words also faltered, and that gave Narcha the opportunity to recover.

She didn’t retreat, though, instead pulling back just a few steps so she could swing her saber.

“Forget about possessing you,” the ghost said. “You’re too dangerous to be left alive.”

Her saber was just about to swing down when suddenly someone charged at her from the side. A shortsword stabbed into her other leg, causing Narcha to falter again.

“I won’t let you!” Allen glared at the woman, gripping his weapon.

The only response he received was a slap that sent him flying to the side. Still, the ghost, now possessing a body with two swords stabbed into its legs, was struggling to remain standing.

Red, using whatever strength remained in him, continued to chant the incantation. Still, his words came out weakly and slowly, and the effect they seemed to have on the ghost was limited to a trickle of gray mist.

Narcha looked back at him, displaying anger in her expression for the first time. She resumed her attack, hoping to cut him down, when her arm was grabbed from behind.

Allen wrapped himself around her arm and did his best to weight the limb down. “I said… I won’t let you!”

Blood trickled down the side of the young master’s face, but he still held on. Narcha gritted her teeth and tried to grab at Allen.

However, from the other side, someone also grabbed onto her left arm. A ragged Eiwin held her companion’s limb back with a steely grip.

Her countenance was weak, with no signs of the silver light emanating from her skin. Still, the young woman seemed to have recovered enough to act again, possibly with the help of the medicine Goulth had provided them.

Eiwin kicked the back of her companion’s knees, forcing Narcha to kneel on the ground. Now, with all limbs either injured or restrained, the ghost found themselves immobilized. However, it continued to struggle, and it was clear by Eiwin and Allen’s expression that they were hanging by a thread.

“Red, quickly!” Eiwin called out to him.

Red, who was barely conscious, didn’t even understand her words clearly. Still, he knew what had to be done.

He continued to recite the incantations. The last bit of the blood power seemed to give him strength to go on, and so he did.

More and more of the gray smoke came out of Narcha’s forehead, entering the core in his hand. There was far more of the substance this time around compared to the ghost that possessed Allen, but it was coming out with increasing speed.

The possessed Narcha’s struggles weakened, and ten seconds later, the woman barely seemed to have the strength to keep her head up. Her gaze, however, continued to be trained on Red.

She smiled.

“He was right,” the ghost said with an almost inaudible whisper. “I doubted him, but he was right… You still won in the end.”

Red didn’t pay attention to her words. He focused on the incantation, until the gray smoke coming diminished and eventually fizzled out completely. The woman’s struggle finally stopped, and she seemed to fall unconscious.

Red still continued chanting until he was certain nothing else would come out of her body. Only then was he satisfied.

He sighed in relief and fell to the ground on his back.

“Red!” Allen called out to him.

“I’m… fine.” Red struggled to get the words out. “Narcha should be… fine too.”

He saw Eiwin approach him through his darkening vision, examining the side of his head.

“You’re bleeding!” she exclaimed in worry.

I am?

Red barely felt it. Then again, he supposed a few punches to the side of the head by someone as strong as Narcha was bound to leave a mark. He only hoped there was no brain damage.

His strength continued to slip away. Then, he suddenly felt someone shove a small round object into his mouth.

Without hesitation, Red tried to swallow it, a task that proved harder than expected. Still, he eventually succeeded.

A few seconds later, he felt an energy blossom at the pit of his stomach before spreading through the rest of his body. Strength returned to him bit by bit, and his senses started to stabilize.

Red didn’t know how much time passed, but he eventually didn’t feel like he was on the verge of passing out any longer. He struggled to get up, before feeling a wave of dizziness hit him and falling back down again.

“Don’t try to get up!” he heard Eiwin’s voice say. “We don’t even know if you’re fully healed yet!”

“I’m fine…” Red waved her off. “I just need to be a bit slower. Help me here…”

“Ah, I’ll help you!” Allen said, supporting his back as Red tried to sit up.

Red still felt dizzy, and a terrible headache pulsed through his skull. He grunted in pain.

“You’re not well!” Eiwin looked at him in worry. “A blow to the head can have many kinds of side-effects—things that aren’t easily healed by any pill.”

“I know,” he said. “But we can’t afford to lose time here… How is Narcha?”

“She’s still unconscious. I considered giving her some medicine, but…” Eiwin shook her head. “I don’t want to risk it.”

Red appreciated Eiwin’s rational thinking. She might have been eager to heal and wake up her companion, but they needed to confirm the ghost wasn’t playing a trick on them and was still hiding inside her body.

“Let me see her,” he said.

With Allen’s support, he got up and walked over to Narcha’s body. Eiwin had taken out the swords from her legs and wrapped them in some cloth to stop the bleeding. Still, this was all the treatment she gave the woman, and she was still in a quite ragged state.

Red picked up his insectoid core and sat down by her side. He repeated the incantations, checking as many times as he could to make sure nothing of the ghost remained inside Narcha’s body. Still, even after a few minutes, nothing else came out.

If the ghost was still there, then there was nothing Red could do to dig it out.

“It should be fine.” He nodded at Eiwin. “Let’s wake her up to make sure she is still the same.”

The woman seemed relieved to hear this. She took out another pill from her pouch before forcing it into Narcha’s mouth and making sure she swallowed it.

Thirty seconds passed before the woman’s body began to stir. Then, slowly, she opened her eyes. Her gaze changed as she met with Eiwin’s eyes, looking over her.

“Eiwin… What happened?”

Chapter 11

Hiding Evidence

Eiwin frowned, struggling to come up with a response. This only left Narcha more confused as she sat up.

“I don’t know what happened…” She massaged her temples. “There was only darkness at first, but then… but then…”

Narcha trailed off as she looked at her surroundings. The destruction around the area was evident, but her gaze lingered on the dead knight a few meters away from her.

“Did we kill him… No, wait!” She paused. “It wasn’t us, it was… it was…”

“It was you,” Red completed her sentence. “Your body, that is. A ghost possessed you while we were fighting the floating head, and we needed to take it out of you.”

“A ghost?” Narcha paled. “Wait, you’re all bleeding… Does that mean…?”

“There’s no reason to linger on this,” Red cut her off. “We need to cover our tracks and get out of this place as soon as we can before more Curse Breakers arrive.”

Narcha nodded with a dazed expression. Uncertainty and fear lingered in her eyes, and Red had never seen the headstrong woman so dismayed before. Her fluctuation told the same story, stirring into an emotional turmoil stronger than when the ghost was possessing her body.

Eiwin noticed this too and seemed eager to console her friend.

“Eiwin,” Red called out to her before she could say anything. “I need your help.”

Eiwin looked over with a frown but was only met by his impassive expression. She seemed reluctant but still nodded.

Eiwin turned to Allen. “Look after her while we deal with this.”

“Huh?” Allen looked surprised. “Sure, I guess.”

The woman seemed satisfied with his response. She walked over to Red, who was standing over the knight’s corpse.

“Do they have some kind of technique to keep track of their companions?” Red asked.

“Most likely,” Eiwin answered. “It’s standard practice for large factions. It’s very likely they also have trackers on their equipment, so looters can’t profit off their companion’s deaths.”

So they know where he died…

Red frowned. “We need to wipe our traces from the scene. If they find out one of us was involved in killing this knight, then I can’t imagine we will survive this.”

Eiwin also seemed worried. “It will be nearly impossible to hide his body, and even if we did, they would still act under the pretense that their companion is dead when they can’t find him.”

Red shook his head. “We don’t need to hide the body, we just need to make sure no one can find out the cause of death.”

The woman seemed hesitant. “… What are you suggesting?”

“Use one of our talismans and burn everything. Including the trees and the corpse. It’s the only way we will be able to hide the saber slashes.”

Of course, this was all under the assumption the Curse Breakers didn’t have a way of discerning the truth even after all that, which was entirely possible in the cultivation world. However, Red couldn’t prepare for things outside of his realm of understanding, so he could only opt to be as thorough as possible within his capabilities.

For a second, he thought Eiwin was about to protest the act of desecrating a corpse. Yet, the woman’s gaze turned towards Narcha, who still seemed to be in a state of denial.

Eiwin gritted her teeth before a look of resignation appeared on her face.

She turned back to Red. “We’ll do as you say.”

He was relieved Eiwin didn’t argue with him. He looked around the area. “I will lay some lantern oil around. We will need something to set a strong fire, though.”

“We can use a fireball talisman,” Eiwin said. “It’s the only way we will be able to get a fire strong enough to burn everything away.”

Red nodded. “Then let’s set about it.”

It didn’t take long for them to set everything up. Red spread oil around the tree stumps, while Eiwin took care of the corpse. She took off their armor, which probably wouldn’t melt in the fire, and made sure to smash the area where Narcha’s saber had cut through so no one could recognize what had happened.

Upon seeing the two of them do this, Allen looked confused. “What are you two doing?”

“Hiding the evidence,” Red explained. “We can’t let the Curse Breakers know what happened here.”

“Ah, right…” The young master looked over at Narcha with an expression of realization.

Narcha seemed to snap out of her daze. “What can I do to help?”

“Nothing for now,” Red replied. “We are almost done.”

Indeed, the task wasn’t particularly hard. Once Red made sure that everything was covered with as much oil as he could muster, he walked back to Eiwin, who was looking over at the corpse with a pale expression.

The weight of what they were about to do only hit her now.

“Take Narcha and Allen away,” Red said. “I’ll do the rest.”

Eiwin nodded and turned to look at Narcha. “Let’s wait some distance away.”

Narcha frowned once she saw the young woman’s expression, but she still just nodded.

Both she and Allen followed Eiwin after collecting their equipment, leaving Red alone with the knight’s corpse. In truth, he didn’t tell the extent of his plans to Eiwin, even if the woman might have an inkling about it.

Red doubted they could hide the body from the Curse Breakers. However, he needed to make sure any kind of investigation of the scene was made as difficult as possible, and for that, they needed to do more than just burn the body.

Red picked up his shortsword and looked over the corpse. He sighed. Even for him, what he was about to do wouldn’t be pleasant. Even if this wasn’t his first time doing it.

It’s for the good of the sect.

He no longer hesitated and set about doing his butcher’s work.

It took him no longer than five minutes to be done with his task. After that, he used a fireball talisman to hit the center of the battlefield.

A huge explosion flared up, throwing wood and body parts every which way. The fire was quick to spread, even more so with so much oil. Soon enough, an inferno raged in front of Red, which was likely to spread even further beyond the battlefield.

Satisfied, he turned around and walked in the direction Eiwin and the others had run off to. He found them waiting for him a few hundred meters away.

“… Is it done?” Eiwin asked.

Red nodded. “I did all I could. I can only hope it works.”

From the side, Narcha gritted her teeth. “Can you tell me what happened now?”

He shook his head. “No, we can’t. We don’t have time for this discussion. We need to run away from this place—and also find Rog and Rimold. They might also be possessed.”

Narcha grimaced but didn’t say anything.

“We have no idea where Rog and Rimold could have gone to,” Red went on, looking at Narcha. “Do you remember anything before you fell unconscious? Maybe you saw them run in a certain direction.”

Narcha hesitated. “I don’t remember much. However, before everything… happened, I’m sure all of us stood our ground to the very end, including Rog and Rimold.”

“So we have no idea where they could have gone?” Red frowned.

The woman nodded with a crestfallen expression.

He sighed. “This makes looking for them even harder than it was looking for you. We can only look in the general directions we haven’t searched yet and hope we stumble on them.”

Eiwin nodded. “Maybe they weren’t possessed. In which case, they might also be looking for us.”

Or maybe they already encountered the Curse Breakers.

Red left that last part unsaid. This wasn’t the kind of guesswork that would help their shaken spirits. “We’ll continue heading east. Maybe a soldier along the road could have spotted them.”

The entire group agreed with his assessment.

They set about their return trip towards the road, a journey that took them a few more hours. By then, night had fallen and the Moon gaze set its focus upon Red.

He’d gotten used to its pressure, but now he felt something different about it. This time, he felt as if the gaze was conveying the Moon’s emotions onto him. Red could feel it.

The creature was angered, and he could make a good guess as to why.

The result of this anger was that its hateful gaze pressured him like never before, and he found himself slowing down as they walked through the forest. He still felt a lingering soreness where Narcha had punched him, and adding this pressure on top of it, Red felt as if he was on the verge of collapsing.

“Red!” Allen was the first to notice it. “What’s going on with you?!”

“It’s fine.” Red waved him off while massaging his temples. “We need to move.”

“Are you feeling the aftereffects of your injuries?” Eiwin asked in a worried tone. “We need to address it before it’s too late!”

Upon hearing this, Narcha gritted her teeth.

“That’s not it,” Red answered, trying to think of what to say. “It’s… complicated. Just trust me, there’s no medicine or treatment that can help.”

“Hop on my back,” Narcha said with a serious expression.

Red hesitated.

The woman glared at him. “You said it yourself, didn’t you? We need to hurry, and you’re in no condition to walk.”

Red sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

Without hesitation, he hopped onto the woman’s back, holding onto her armor and backpack straps for support. Narcha barely seemed to feel the added weight on her back.

“Point out the direction and I’ll head in it,” she said.

Red did as much.

Eventually, the group made it back onto the road, but they saw no signs of anyone around.

“We shouldn’t be more than a few hours away from the river,” he said.

“There are no soldiers here,” Allen said with worry. “Does that mean the horde…”

“We can’t be sure,” Eiwin said. “But if the guards lost at the river line, I assume there would be far more chaos even this far from the river.”

Allen nodded in relief.

It seemed, however, that they had spoken too soon.

As they walked for ten minutes further, they heard the sounds of combat not too far from them.

Narcha gritted her teeth. “We need to⁠—”

She was interrupted by a deafening howl. Red felt a shiver run down his spine.

He felt like he recognized this howl. Or at least, the creature it belonged to.

Chapter 12

Unexpected Developments

Allen also looked shocked. “Is that a wolf?”

Eiwin nodded with a frown.

“Weren’t the wolves supposed to only arrive a few days later?” the young master asked, confused.

There were no native wolf monsters in this forest, so it was clear that whatever this monster was, it had to have come with the horde. This wasn’t all either.

“We are still a ways away from the river, too,” Red pointed out. “For a monster to appear this far west near the road, it can only mean the guards weren’t able to hold all of the horde back.”

Eiwin nodded again. “Something must have happened. Come on, let’s hurry and see what’s going on.”

Red climbed down from Narcha’s back so the woman could join the fighting. The increased pressure of the Moon’s gaze was still affecting him, but at the very least, he no longer felt like he was about to collapse.

They rushed forward, and after turning around a bend in the road, they saw the scene of battle. Sure enough, a large white wolf was in the process of fighting against six town guards. Wounds littered the monster’s body, but there was also a casualty among the guards as they saw a corpse laying on the ground.

“It’s in the Lesser Ring Realm,” Red warned his companions. “It’s wounded, though… and exhausted.”

Narcha took out her saber from her back with eagerness. “That’s all I needed to hear!”

She, Eiwin, and Allen rushed ahead, while Red observed their fight from afar. He still wasn’t in much of a condition to fight. The guards noticed the group’s approach, and their expressions lit up.

“It’s the Water Dragon Guild!”

“Out of the way!” Narcha waved them off.

The guards were more than happy to obey her orders. They stepped back, leaving a clear path to the wolf, who also seemed to notice their arrival.

It turned around to face this strong warrior, releasing a low humming growl. But Narcha didn’t stop charging, her anger and eagerness to fight clear in both her mannerisms and her fluctuation to Red.

The wolf leaped at her once she was within range but just like Red had predicted, the monster seemed too slow for a beast of its power. Narcha sidestepped the blow with little issue and brought her saber against the monster’s side.

The wolf howled in pain and stumbled. Before it could recover, Eiwin charged in from behind Narcha and struck the beast with a well-placed kick on its snout. The beast faltered, the blow confusing its senses.

This moment of distraction was more than enough for Narcha to follow up. She circled the wolf and cut its hind leg clean off with a single slash of her saber. This time, the monster finally fell down, and it seemed too wounded and dazed to even notice what was happening.

It didn’t take more than ten seconds for the duo to dispatch it. Narcha finished it off with a stab into its chest, after which the beast’s injuries were finally too much for it to handle. It fell quiet a few seconds later, unmoving.

“Ah…” Allen, who didn’t even have the opportunity to act, nodded at his companions. “Good job.”

“Is it really dead?” one of the soldiers asked, afraid to approach the monster’s corpse.

“It is,” Narcha said. “Is this the only one around?”

“You sure took your damn time!” Another soldier glared at the group. “We were waiting for you at the border the entire day! We even sent people to go looking after your guild! If you had been there sooner, then they wouldn’t… My friends would still be alive.”

None of the soldiers joined in with their companion, but from their expressions, it was clear they also shared some of his sentiments. Narcha glared back at each and every one of them. Before she could say anything, Eiwin spoke up.

“I am sorry for your loss, but trust me, if we had been able to, we would have been there,” she said. “Unfortunately, we were ambushed along the way and were kept from our path.”

The soldiers looked surprised.

“Ambushed? Who ambushed you? A monster?” one of them asked.

Eiwin hesitated. “It’s hard to explain, but as you can see, even now, we have yet to locate all of our sect members.”

For the first time, the soldiers seemed to notice the state the group found themselves in. Punctured and lacerated armor, traces of blood—all signs of hard-fought battles. Upon seeing that, their previously angry expressions disappeared.

The soldier who’d first had an outburst bowed towards them. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know…”

“It’s fine,” Eiwin reassured him. “You have lost some of your companions today. It would be strange if you were in a calm state of mind.”

Narcha looked like she wanted to say something more, but instead, she just sighed. “With that out of the way, then, would you mind explaining what happened? I thought the Skycrown wolves were only meant to appear in the second wave of the horde.”

“You’re right,” the soldier said. “They weren’t meant to appear until a few days later, but… our scouts reported something happened to spur them on.”

Narcha frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“We don’t know for certain, but they told us that many of the wolves were suddenly driven into a maddened frenzy.”

The warrior snorted. “It’s a horde! Of course they were in a frenzy!”

“No, you don’t understand.” The soldier shook his head. “This was different. Although they were part of a horde, they were still under the control of their alpha. But something changed, and all of a sudden, the wolves started to break off from their pack formation and charge west in a frenzy. We received this news just a few hours before the first wave hit, so we didn’t have time to prepare…”

Eiwin looked worried. “Did you receive news of our elder?”

“We did,” the soldier said. “Our scouts saw Master Hector fighting against the alpha and leading it away from the pack. They weren’t able to keep up with them, though, and lost track of him earlier today.”

“You mean the change in the pack happened after the alpha was gone?” she asked.

“It happened much later than that. Our scouts told us the wolves fell into a small panic after their alpha was led away, but they still kept heading west. That change only happened after that, so we don’t know the cause for certain.”

Eiwin furrowed her brows in thought. “And the line at the river? How did you fare?”

The soldier grimaced. “We lost a lot of men but still held on in the end. However, many monsters slipped past us, all heading towards town.”

“So you were hunting for them here?”

“Yes, but… it didn’t go as well as we planned.” The soldier’s gaze lingered on the corpse of his companion.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Eiwin said. “However, I must ask you something else.”

The soldier nodded. “You saved our lives. You have the right to.”

“Have you seen the rest of our companions?” she asked. “Two men, Rog and Rimold. One is a hunter, and the other is a… knife-wielder.”

“I know who they are, but we haven’t seen either of them. We could pass the word around to our men, but… if they had, we probably would have known. Captain Orvin told us to let him know as soon as we found any of you.”

Eiwin seemed troubled by this.

The soldier hesitated. “I know your companions are missing but… the fighting is still going on near the river. Our men are trying to contain and exterminate whatever monsters we can, but a lot of these beasts are beyond our capabilities. We could use your help.”

This made the group fall silent. Evidently, the soldier’s words moved them, but the fact of the matter was that Rog and Rimold were still very likely under life-threatening risk. If one of them was possessed and wasn’t cured soon, they would be lost forever.

This wasn’t an easy decision to make, and the responsibility of this all fell on the shoulders of their appointed leader. Eiwin, however, was also under visible distress as she considered their options.

She’s still too soft for her own good.

“You can go,” Red said. “I will look for Rimold and Rog.”

Narcha scoffed. “In your state? You’re more likely to fall dead on the way over!”

“I already feel better,” he said. “Besides, if it really comes down to it, I will just avoid a fight and stick to the shadows. I’m much better at that than all of you.”

Narcha gritted her teeth, but she couldn’t find a rebuttal.

“But what about the… thing that attacked us?” Allen asked with a worried expression. “Isn’t it still around?”

Red frowned and shook his head. “I have a feeling it won’t trouble us for now.”

He was being sincere. The head was targeting him, most likely, and he doubted the necromancer would allow him to die or be controlled by it. Or so he hoped. In any case, if the head was going to attack them, it would already have done so by now, or when they were almost killed by the possessed Narcha.

Besides, there were still Curse Breakers around the forest.

Allen seemed to be convinced by his words, but Eiwin, on the other hand, was more hesitant.

“How are you going to find them?” she asked.

This was, indeed, the biggest problem.

“We could send some of our scouts to help you look for them,” the soldier offered.

“It’s fine,” Red assured him. “Just keep an eye out if they do turn up.”

They’re likely to get killed if they try to find them.

He turned to Eiwin. “I will try scouting the area where they disappeared.”

The woman frowned. “Is that wise? I thought you said it was very dangerous.”

“It is, but it’s our only choice. With my skills, I should be able to at least assess if anyone is waiting for us back there.”

Red was actually still afraid people like the Curse Breakers could have a means of detecting him too, but he still believed that going by himself would yield them the best chances of finding the rest of their companions.

Eiwin relented. “Fine—but take this.”

She handed him two talismans—an omnidirectional barrier and a swift escape talisman—all precious survival items. The soldiers who saw this acted surprised, but they didn’t say anything.

“I have my own talismans,” Red protested.

“You do, but you can never be too safe,” Eiwin said. “With these, you should at least have more of a chance if something happens… And don’t think to argue with me. I am your leader, and this is an order!”

Red sighed. “Fine.”

The leading soldier looked over at him, still surprised they would entrust someone so young for a task like this. However, he didn’t voice his opinions. “If you do find them, come look for us near the Crossing Village, where Captain Orvin is located. Do you know where that is?”

Red nodded. “I do.”

He checked over his equipment before looking towards the rest of the group.

Narcha gritted her teeth and nodded at him.

Allen, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be as worried, showing his absolute trust in Red. “Bring them back quickly, Red!”

Eiwin smiled. “Most important of all, be safe.”

Red didn’t respond and simply nodded to his companions. Then, no longer hesitating, he turned around and walked away. Soon enough, he couldn’t sense the fluctuation of his companions any longer, and neither could he see them as he walked around a bend in the road.

He was ready to dive into the woods before he felt another human fluctuation close by. He froze.

Red looked over towards his left, but he didn’t see anyone. Yet, he was certain that there was a presence there, no more than ten meters away from him.

An invisible individual.

His heart skipped a beat.

“Your companions are due south of here.” An ephemeral voice spoke to him, sounding almost as if it was right next to his ear.

Red shivered but didn’t respond.

A few seconds later, the fluctuation completely disappeared, leaving behind a confused Red.

Chapter 13

Hunting for a Thief

Red didn’t move for what felt like an eternity, fearful of a potential attack by this invisible individual. Yet, he eventually noticed how futile his caution was.

If they wanted to kill me, there is nothing I can do.

Only now did the weight of the situation dawn on him. This invisible person knew they’d been discovered, probably from the very first time Red felt them inside the meeting room with the Baron. In retrospect, he should have expected as much.

No matter how cautious and smart you thought you were, in front of a true cultivator, you were nothing more than an ant. Yet Red didn’t blame himself too much. He’d learned the unfortunate reality that in this world, being in the wrong place at the wrong time was more than enough to seal your fate, and no skills or clever plans could save you from that.

Of course, he was being rather dramatic. This invisible individual didn’t seem to be an enemy, and they’d even chosen to help Red. However, how could he not be wary? A strange cultivator he’d never met, offering him unsolicited yet helpful information about a matter they could only have knowledge of through spying.

If Red wasn’t cautious, then he would deserve a grisly end. Still, this only raised another question.

Why help Red?

Could their information even be trusted?

Red tried to think of a few possibilities, but all of them were mere conjecture. What mattered right now was whether he should follow this individual’s advice.

If they wanted to kill me, there was no need to go through such trouble…

Not to mention, Red had no other leads in his search for his companions. A possible direction, even if it turned out to be false, was much better than running around blindly.

Red took a deep breath and exhaled, releasing much of the tension in his body. He focused on his crimson sense, looking for any signs of the individual, but he found nothing.

Another matter he’d failed to consider was how this individual disappeared from the range of his Crimson Sense. They didn’t move at all; they simply disappeared. Red wondered how that was possible, but he focused on the more immediate implications.

His crimson sense couldn’t be completely trusted. This much Red had already expected in the past, but it still shocked him. Could that invisible person still be spying on him?

He didn’t dwell on this matter for long. His companions needed his help, after all.

Red headed south without hesitation, moving through the trees with light steps and enveloped by darkness, scanning his surroundings for any clues.

Two hours passed.

Red kept heading due south the entire time, but he had yet to find any signs of his companions, or of anyone else for that matter. At some point, he started to doubt the veracity of the information he’d been given.

After all, how could the invisible person know the location of his companions? Not to mention, they told him to head straight south, but would Rog and Rimold stay in that exact position the entire time? That seemed unlikely.

Then again, Red failed to see how lying to him would benefit someone seemingly as strong as the invisible individual. So he kept to this path and continued to head south.

His insistence was rewarded, as Red spotted something strange in his way. He froze, using his dark vision to examine the details.

It’s… a hole?

Not just a small hole, either. It was large enough for an adult to fit into, with the displaced earth piled right by the side.

Red frowned and focused on his crimson sense. He couldn’t feel anyone around, but his previous experience made him more hesitant to rely on this power for scouting.

He examined his surroundings, and only when he was completely sure there were no other signs of monsters or humans nearby did he approach the hole. Red neared the pit and peered over the edge with some caution.

The hole was a few meters deep, yet as far as Red could tell, there was nothing inside, and neither did it seem like anything had been removed. This left him confused. Who was digging holes in the middle of the forest, and what were they looking for?

After finding nothing else, Red continued to head south. He was surprised when, along the way, he found even more of these holes.

At first, these pits were spread out. Yet the longer Red moved along, the more frequent and closer together these holes became. Ten minutes later, he counted at least twenty of them, and he didn’t even bother examining them anymore.

Despite all that, Red had yet to find any tracks. Whoever was digging these holes was doing their utmost not to leave their footprints behind. And yet, what was the point of that when instead they left behind a trail of holes instead?

In preparation, Red grabbed the insectoid core in one hand and the barrier talisman in the other. But as he walked forward, he noticed something else amidst the trees with his dark vision.

It was a set of cuts on a specific tree, resembling claw marks. One might look at it and think this was the work of an animal or monster, but Red knew better. The parallel lines, the length of each cut—this wasn’t natural.

It was a sign.

Rog is nearby.

This was how the hunter and Red agreed to indicate their presence in case they ever got split up. In the end, this meant two things: Rog wasn’t the one being possessed, and the invisible cultivator hadn’t lied to him.

So it’s Rimold, then?

Red kept walking forward, searching for more of these marks. These cuts not only served as a sign, but they also indicated the direction Rog was heading in. Sure enough, moving forward, he found a few more of them, along with a sudden increase in the number of holes.

Finally, a few minutes later, Red sensed a fluctuation enter his detection range. It was Rog.

He froze and tried to spot the man amidst the trees, but to no avail. Whatever he was doing, it seemed important to him to keep out of sight.

Red hesitated, but seeing as he had no choice, he decided to use the signal they’d agreed on beforehand. He cupped his hands around his mouth and made a sound with his mouth, resembling that of a bird call.

Rog was a hunter, and he knew the calls of actual birds compared to fake ones, not to mention he was also aware about the bird species in this region.

Sure enough, as soon as Red let out this sign, he felt the man’s fluctuation start moving towards him. He waited until he saw the hunter sneaking past the trees, looking for him.

Red made the call again, and this time Rog seemed to spot him. The man nodded and walked right over to his side.

“Rimold is nearby, but he’s acting strange. Been digging holes everywhere. Probably possessed by something.” The hunter didn’t even offer his greetings before diving into the matter at hand.

Red frowned. “A ghost, most likely. Why haven’t you acted?”

Rog shook his head. “I tried a few times, but he can feel my arrows and always dodges before running away. What about you? Have you met the others?”

“I did. They’re all safe right now, but some of them were also possessed by ghosts. I have a way to take it out of them, but I’ll need them to be immobilized.”

Rog hummed in agreement, looking at the glowing core in Red’s hand. “Take my bow and shoot at him on my signal. He will try to run away, and I’ll charge at him and try to take him down.”

Red hesitated. “He might be stronger than what you are expecting.”

“I know, but you don’t need to worry. I have my ways.”

Red nodded. “Then we’ll do as you say.”

Just like that, they had a plan.

Red grabbed Rog’s bow and a few of his arrows. He had never used such a large bow before, but he didn’t need to be accurate with it.

“He’s over that way.” Rog pointed out a direction.

Red nocked an arrow into his bow. After they were ready, the two split ways and headed towards the possessed Rimold.

Rog took the long way around, but Red could still feel him with his crimson sense. A few seconds later, he was also able to sense Rimold’s fluctuation.

He looked through the trees and spotted the rogue digging in the earth with his bare hands. Red could feel through his crimson sense that the man was under great distress, which was also evident by his loud ramblings.

“Where is it?!” The rogue gritted his teeth. “Where did the bastard hide it?!”

Red didn’t pay much attention to his words. Instead, he focused on Rog’s fluctuation and waited for the signal with his bow at the ready.

It came a few seconds later in the form of a bird call, this one much better than Red’s poor attempts. He didn’t hesitate and let an arrow loose towards Rimold.

The rogue’s reaction was almost immediate. He dove back, dodging the arrow with ease, and ran away.

“Just leave me alone, you bastard!” the ghost said in an angered voice.

Rimold moved with surprising speed, but this time there was someone expecting him on the other side. Rog jumped out from behind a tree line, taking the rogue by surprise.

Rimold looked like he wanted to jump away in fright, but that was when something in Rog’s hand began to glow. A familiar scene ensued, where a purple mist blew towards the rogue’s direction, covering him in an instant.

Rimold faltered but didn’t fall unconscious immediately. However, his moment of weakness was enough for Rog, who jumped forth and knocked him down.

“Help me here, kid!” the hunter called out to him. “We need to bind him!”

Red frowned. That certainly went far more smoothly than with the other two.

Chapter 14

Treasure Hunter

Red approached and helped Rog tie up Rimold. The rogue struggled beneath them like a mad bull, despite his half-unconscious state, and they needed to tie his body multiple times before they were certain he wouldn’t break through. Even then, Rog stayed on top of the possessed man.

He nodded at Red. “This should be enough for now.”

“Where did you get that talisman?” Red asked.

“Rimold gave it to me.”

That made sense. The last time Red had seen a sleeping spell talisman, it was in the rogue’s hand, and he was quite certain there was no such talisman in the sect’s coffers.

Still, Red remembered when he had first used it against the merchant and his bodyguards. It knocked them completely unconscious, while the rogue was still awake and already recovering from his groggy state.

Rimold contorted himself, trying to escape. “You bastards! You don’t know who you’re messing with! When I get free, I’m going to kill you both!” 

Rog grimaced in annoyance and looked over at Red. “Can you shut him up?”

“Gladly.” Red took out his insectoid core again, upon which the rogue’s expression changed.

“What is that you have there?” the ghost asked in a fearful tone.

Red didn’t respond, focusing on the crystal while getting ready to repeat the necromantic words. At last, the situation he found himself in seemed to dawn on the possessed Rimold.

“W-Wait! Don’t do anything rash! We can talk!” He looked at Red with pleading eyes.

Red continued to ignore him.

The ghost insisted. “Listen, don’t you want to know why I was digging around in the forest?”

Red paused. He looked over at Rog, but the hunter just shrugged.

“Why were you digging around in the forest?” Red asked.

“That’s because I was looking for a treasure!” the ghost said.

“Treasure?” Rog looked skeptical. “In this forest? Whatever treasure worth discovering here was taken by sects hundreds of years ago.”

The ghost laughed. “That’s what they want you to think! Of course, all the ruins in this place are empty by now, but that’s exactly why this is a good spot to hide treasures! They would never think to look for it.”

Red frowned. “Before we proceed any further, I need to know something. Do you know about the Empire?”

The rogue scoffed. “Of course I know about the Empire! They’ve been threatening to invade our kingdom the whole time I was alive!”

Red was surprised. This was a question meant to gauge the ghost’s age, but not only did he seem to be aware of the Empire, he seemed to be a local to their kingdom, of all things.

Rog also seemed curious. “You’re a native?”

“I am!” The ghost nodded. “I used to live in the capital, but I’ve done more than my fair share of wandering around the kingdom!”

“Who was the king while you were still alive?” Red asked.

“King Thomas the III, of course!”

Red’s brow furrowed. This was the current king, which could only mean one thing—this ghost was probably no more than a few decades old, which lent some credence to his claims.

“What is this treasure you’re talking about?” Red asked.

“It’s a dagger!” the ghost said with fervor. “A very special dagger! They say it was carved by the bones of a cultivator who died on the verge of ascending! Even if that’s not true, it’s still an incredibly powerful weapon! It’s a work of art!”

Red now had a good idea about what this ghost’s obsession was. “You say this dagger is right here?”

“It should be!” the possessed Rimold exclaimed. “I was carrying it around this part of the forest when I was attacked back then, and I ended up hiding the dagger in a deep hole!”

“And what makes you think the dagger is still there after all this time?” Red asked.

“This…” The ghost hesitated. “It is here, you have to trust me! Just help me find it and we can split the profits from it!”

He sighed. If the ghost was so certain about the dagger’s location, why would they need to dig dozens of holes in an attempt to find it? If this weapon was indeed real, they clearly had no idea where it was.

Red looked at Rog, and the hunter also shook his head. They were of the same mind.

The possessed Rimold seemed to notice what they were about to do, and he immediately went into a frenzy. “You bastards! You’re trying to cheat me! I won’t let you! I won’t let you keep her for yourself!”

The ghost struggled with renewed strength, and Rog had to do his utmost to keep him down. He looked at Red with an urging gaze.

He needed no more prompting. He started to recite the necromantic incantations, and soon enough, the exorcizing process started.

The insectoid crystal glowed with a flaring green brightness, and specks of grey smoke started to exit Rimold’s body and enter the core. The ghost seemed to be completely unaware of this, struggling to get free and spewing nonsense about this dagger.

A few seconds later, though, his fight began to wane, until it eventually had completely disappeared. Rimold’s head fell down to the ground as the rogue blacked out.

Red still continued to recite the incantation until he couldn’t see the slightest trace of gray smoke. Only then did he relax.

He looked over at Rog and nodded. “It’s done.”

The hunter grunted back and got off Rimold’s unconscious body.

He looked at Red with a raised eyebrow. “What kind of technique was that?”

“A necromantic technique to extract ghosts,” Red stated without hesitation.

Rog didn’t display shock, instead only frowning slightly. “Really? Was the whole demon thing a few days ago not enough?”

“Trust me, if I had a choice, I never would have interacted with either of these things,” Red said. “Right now, I need to continue juggling these problems to keep them from falling on my head, at least until I’m strong enough to eliminate them.”

The hunter grunted. “Seems like a good approach. Just make sure you don’t turn into a demon or something, will you? Would hate to have to kill you.”

“If I turned into a demon, you definitely wouldn’t be able to kill me.”

Red always had the feeling that if he truly let go of all his inhibitions of absorbing blood, then he could become stronger very quickly, even faster than the demon lizard he’d killed in the inheritance trial. Yet, of course, these kinds of shortcuts never came without their consequences, and Red would rather not lose his mind and self-control in the process.

Rog ignored his words and looked over at Rimold. “Is he going to be fine?”

“Should be,” Red replied. “Unless you broke one of his ribs in the process of immobilizing him.”

“… I don’t think so.” The rogue didn’t seem confident.

Red sighed. “I would rather not use any more healing pills for this. We should wake him up and let him speak for himself. Oh, but be careful. I’m not familiar with this technique yet, so maybe the ghost is still hiding in his body.”

Red didn’t think that was the case, but it was always better to be safe.

Rog seemed to agree with him and grunted.

Red then picked some medicinal powder from his pouch and held it below Rimold’s nose. The reaction was almost instantaneous as the rogue drew in breath and began to stir.

“Ugh…” A groan came from Rimold as his eyes slowly opened. “What is that terrible smell?”

The man looked around in confusion, spotting Red standing right in front of him.

“Red?” The rogue frowned. “What are you…” He trailed off as he tried moving. “Wait, why can’t I move? What is going on?”

“You were possessed by a ghost,” Red stated. “We took it out of you, but we needed to make sure it was truly gone.”

“A ghost?” Rimold seemed confused. “Wait, the head! What happened?! Where are the others?! And untie me, goddamnit!”

They did as much after double checking the ghost was truly gone, to Rimold’s dismay. After the rogue was done collecting himself, Red gave a rough explanation of what had happened since he encountered Allen.

“Y-You mean Narcha killed a Curse Breaker knight?” Rimold shivered in fright. “Do you have any idea of what that means for us?!”

“I can take a guess,” Red replied. “Still, I did what I could to hide her involvement.”

“Even if you hide our involvement, they will never let this go!” the rogue hissed. “When one of their own is killed, their order will go to any lengths necessary to find the culprit! Sometimes they even kill every potential suspect just to make sure the true killer doesn’t get away!”

“Don’t harp on the kid, it’s not his fault,” Rog cut him off. “We can figure this out after we reunite with Hector. The old man has plenty of connections to call upon if need be.”

Rimold gritted his teeth. “I can only hope it is enough when an army of inquisitor knights comes knocking at our door.”

“There’s something else I’ve been meaning to ask you too,” Red said. “The others all claimed to have had strange dreams while they were possessed, possibly of the ghosts’ previous lives. What about you? Did you see anything?”

Rimold’s face twisted in thought. “I do remember some strange dreams… They seemed really fuzzy, and yet I can tell you they were definitely no normal dream.” 

“And do you recall anything about a dagger?” Red asked. He was still curious about what the ghost had said, and even if he thought the story was far-fetched, it was still worth looking into.

“A dagger?” Rimold said, again confused. “There was something like that, but when I think about it… I can’t really help but feel like it was way more than just a dagger.” The man had an uncertain expression.

“Like it was an individual?” Red still remembered how the ghost referred to the dagger as “her.”

Rimold nodded. “Something like that. I just felt like it was really important. Even now, I can’t help but feel a craving to just go around and search for it.”

Rog grunted. “Is it another haunted item? I mean, I can’t imagine something made of bones would be anything good.”

“It’s quite possible, in which case it’s probably for the better that we just leave this place as soon as possible,” Red said. His experience with these types of items was already very poor. Then again, there was probably never a positive interaction with a cursed treasure.

The others seemed to agree with his suggestion, and they all set out back the way they came without further ado. Red still felt the gaze of the Moon, now seemingly having somewhat calmed down.

Yet beyond just that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being observed by something beyond the reach of his senses. What bothered him most, though, was how many potential candidates could fill the role of his stalker.

Chapter 15

Roars of War

Rog, with his sharp senses, was quick to notice Red’s restlessness, no matter how well he disguised it.

The hunter looked at him with a frown. “Is something the matter?”

“I’m not sure,” Red answered. “But even if there was, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Rimold was concerned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t bother asking.” Rog cut him off. “If the kid says we can’t do anything about it, I’m willing to trust his words.”

The rogue hesitated but still nodded in the end. It seemed at the very least Red’s recent actions had earned Rimold’s trust.

“I’ll lead the way back to where we came from, but I’m not too confident in my power to detect everything,” Red said. “I didn’t notice the head back then, so there’s no guarantee I will see it if it returns. That’s why I need the help of both of you.”

Out of their group, Rog and Rimold had the sharpest senses and experience navigating the forest. Red didn’t know how much that would avail them against a teleporting, floating head, but it was better than nothing.

Rimold snorted. “Do you need to even ask? Of course I’ll be keeping an eye out!”

Rog nodded but didn’t say anything.

After getting their agreement, Red didn’t hesitate any longer. He turned around and led the way back from where they came.

Upon seeing all the dug-up holes in their path, Rimold frowned. “Was I the one that did all this?”

Red nodded. “Your possessed body, yes.”

The rogue shook his head in disbelief. “This seems absurd. Besides, why was the ghost digging his way around looking for that dagger? I don’t remember where he put it, but I’m sure he didn’t just hide it beneath the earth! No, he left it somewhere else…”

Red’s face grew contemplative. “So, the ghost was misremembering?”

This certainly wouldn’t be far-fetched for an evil spirit who just awakened from the dead, but somehow Red didn’t believe that was the case.

“No, I’m quite certain the dagger is not here, but… There was something else. Something he buried here…” The rogue trailed off before growling in frustration. “Agh, I can’t remember it! Just thinking about those dreams gives me a headache!”

“Then don’t try to dwell on it,” Red said. “We can look into this after we’ve dealt with the horde.”

He was, of course, curious about this supposed buried treasure, but he knew better than to get his priorities twisted at this moment. The rogue also agreed, but Red felt that there was a glimmer of hesitation behind his eyes.

Was this an aftereffect of being possessed, or was it just Rimold’s greed speaking? Red couldn’t tell, but he decided to keep a close eye on the man nonetheless.

The journey back was lengthy. They couldn’t break out in a full sprint, since that would only lower their perception of their surroundings and leave them more susceptible to ambushes. Instead, they opted for a brisk pace, or at least as fast as they could go while still being completely aware of their surroundings.

This made the journey back to the road take a few hours.

They were all eager to reunite with their companions, but safety came first. It was in these types of situations where many lesser warriors threw caution to the wind in their impatience and ended up being killed by an unseen enemy. Not the trio, though.

Out of everyone in the sect, Red, Rog, and Rimold were the best survivalists. They knew better than to commit such fundamental mistakes in this kind of hostile environment.

Thankfully, they encountered no monsters or enemy ambushes on their way over. Eventually, they found themselves back on the road.

“Is this where you met the guards?” Rimold asked.

“No, it should be further along,” Red replied. “I imagine the wolf’s body is still there.”

They were just about to continue along when they noticed Rog lagging behind.

The hunter wore a thoughtful expression as he looked around.

Rimold frowned when he saw this. “What is it, Rog? Did you find something?”

“There are no monsters,” the hunter said.

“Huh?” The rogue seemed confused. “The bulk of the horde is still being held at the river line, so that is not surprising.”

“That’s not it.” Rog said. “I mean, we’ve yet to come across any native monsters.”

Rimold’s frown deepened. “Now that you mention it… We were pretty deep in the forest, weren’t we?”

Red understood where this was going.

“You’re right, but that’s not all,” Rog said. “Hordes can cause a lot of chaos and destruction, and this affects native monsters too. They should be distressed, wounded, afraid, angered… They shouldn’t be hiding from our eyes.”

Rimold’s eyes widened. “This… What do you think happened?”

Rog scratched his beard in thought. “I don’t know, but there’s something else going on around here… Then again, I suppose we already knew that, didn’t we?”

Red was also considering some possibilities, but the group was lacking any kind of definite evidence to point them one way or another. Was the floating head somehow responsible for this? What about what happened to the wolf pack earlier? Was it all connected?

They didn’t know what they were dealing with, and their lack of information could be fatal in this kind of environment, as Red had come to learn.

“Let’s meet with the others,” he said. “Maybe the guards also have more information about this.”

Both Rog and Rimold agreed.

They walked a few minutes down the road before coming across where the Skycrown wolf’s body should have been. Instead, what they found was just a large pool of blood, with no signs of the corpse.

Red frowned. “It was right here…”

Rog shrugged. “Maybe they moved the body.”

He shook his head. “It was too big, and they were in a hurry.”

Rimold snorted. “Then what? Did the dead wolf just get up and walk away?”

A heavy silence settled around them once the rogue said that.

The man’s expression changed as he seemed to notice the implications. “Wait, do you think…”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if there was necromancy involved,” Red concluded.

The rogue gritted his teeth. “Was it that head or was it that damn necromancer?”

Red sighed. “It’s impossible to tell.”

“Here!” Rog called out to them. “There are some tracks going deeper into the forest from the pool of blood.”

Red approached the hunter and examined the ground. The footprints were faint, but sure enough, the unmistakable mark of the paw of a monster was there.

“It headed south,” Rog said. “The same direction we just came from.”

Red frowned but didn’t say anything. He was already considering some possibilities in his mind.

“We should ignore it for now,” Rimold said. “Our companions need us right now, not to mention those damn Curse Breakers are still around the forest. Let them deal with it!”

Rog grunted and looked over at Red. “Did you agree to meet anyone here?”

“Not really. They told me to meet them at their camp near the river.”

The hunter frowned. “Hmm, even then, I find it hard to imagine they wouldn’t leave at least one scout around the area to speak with us once we appeared.”

“Maybe an emergency then, or maybe…” Rimold gulped as he stared at the pool of blood. “Our undead wolf got whoever was still around.”

Rog shook his head. “Let’s search further before making any conclusions.”

They did as much. Yet, even after almost half an hour of walking down the road, the group had yet to find the presence of any scouts along the way. In fact, they couldn’t find anyone or anything at all.

The whole forest was eerily quiet the further along they traveled down the road. They could barely even hear any insects or birds.

It was a heavy, suffocating silence.

“This is all so… wrong.” Rog massaged his forehead. “I feel like I’m having a bad dream.”

Rimold, who also seemed bothered by their surroundings, shuddered. “We’ve come too far already. Even if something bad is going on, we still need to reunite with the rest of our companions.”

“Of course,” Rog agreed. “I just feel like I can’t think very well with this silence.”

Red didn’t share the hunter’s difficulties in concentrating, but that was because he lived most of his life in a network of tunnels. Down there, he’d gotten used to hearing nothing but the sound of his own breathing.

They walked along the road for another hour until their arrival to the river line was imminent. Still, they failed to find any evidence of what was going on.

That was when they heard it. At least, it was Rog who heard it first.

“There’s a distant noise,” the hunter said with a frown. “Sounds like a battle.”

Rimold’s expression paled. “Are they fighting the horde again?”

Rog didn’t say anything, instead just waving them on so they could get closer. Both Red and Rimold started to hear the noise at the same time, a feat he’d accomplished thanks to his opened Five Senses Vein.

Indeed, it sounded like a battle. In fact, the closer they got, the louder the sounds became, until they noticed this wasn’t just the sound of a single, small fight.

Instead, it was the cacophony of metal clashing, explosions, screaming voices, and the roars of raging monsters. 

It was the sound of war.

“We should hurry,” Red urged.

The others all agreed with him. They no longer maintained a brisk pace, instead breaking out into a full-blown sprint to cover the final distance of their journey. The sounds of combat only got louder until it was almost deafening, too many voices and noises to discern.

From above the trees, the group even saw colored flashes of light, a sign of Spiritual Energy being used. Then, finally, a few seconds later, they laid their eyes on the battlefield.

An improvised fort stood at the center of it all. Barracks and a wall made of wood trunks should have been there, but now all that remained was debris in every direction they looked—a consequence of the battle that still raged on.

Dozens of monsters surrounded this half-destroyed fortification, roaring in absolute rage and bloodlust, and almost climbing over each other to reach forward. Red almost failed to notice the human figures behind this unceasing pile of monsters, who were doing their best to keep the beasts at bay.

“Is this… the horde?” Rimold stood agape as he looked at the scene.

Red understood where his shock came from. For in the middle of it all weren’t just creatures from the mountains. Instead, native monsters acted in their midst, seeking to kill every human life in their way.

The very creatures that should have opposed the horde with every instinct of their body, were now helping them kill and destroy everything in their path.

Chapter 16

Entering Combat

The group was frozen in shock for a few seconds, but their eyes didn’t lie to them. Amidst the attacking monster stood creatures they were so used to seeing in the forest. Tree-bark bears, fireleaf deer, and even the giant horned owls.

They joined the monstrous goats, wolves, and lions in attacking the camp. It was a chaotic scene, but Red was quick to recover.

He searched for signs of his companions, but the smoke of isolated fires and the creatures blocked his vision. He could only see the shining armor of the town’s guard, as well as whom he thought were Gustav’s mercenaries fighting by their side.

“Do you see the others?” he asked Rog.

Red was still two hundred meters away from the fort, so he couldn’t identify their fluctuations.

The hunter squinted his eyes as he examined the scene. “On the back of the fort. I see them.”

The man pointed them out. Red needed a few seconds to identify them, but sure enough, he saw the figures of their companions. Not only that, but they seemed to be engaged with a familiar monster.

A tree-bark bear.

This one, however, looked bigger than most as it stood on its two hind legs. Red didn’t need to sense its fluctuation to tell it was in the Lesser Ring Realm.

Rimold gritted his teeth. “We need to go help them!”

Red hesitated. “Let’s assess the situation first. There’s obviously something strange going on here.”

This much didn’t need to be said. For one, why were the native monsters acting alongside the horde that had come to invade their home? Then there was also the fact that these beasts seemed too well-coordinated in their attack.

They were spread out evenly around the fort, assaulting it from all directions and forcing the humans to spread their forces thin. Was this just a coincidence, or did the monsters do this on purpose? If it was the latter, then it had deep implications for their current situation.

“Someone might be controlling the monsters.” Rog gave voice to his thoughts.

Rimold frowned. “Who could even do something like that?”

Rog shook his head. “I don’t know, but the one thing I can tell you is that everything these monsters are doing goes against their natural instinct.”

The rogue grunted and looked around. “Maybe we should search for whoever is controlling them. Do you see anyone?”

“I do not. Even if we did, though, we would never be able to kill someone that strong.”

Rimold looked impatient. “Then why are we hesitating?! Our companions are in trouble and we won’t find out anything else by sitting here!”

It seemed at this point, Rimold’s survival instincts were shut down by the worry for his friends’ lives. Of course, Red and Rog knew the man was right, but who among them was eager to charge headfirst into the violent melee?

“We can try to strike the bear they’re fighting from behind,” Rog suggested. “Once we reunite with our sect members, we can consider our next step.”

Red nodded. “I’ll use a talisman. We need to finish the monster off as soon as we can, in case things get worse.”

There were five monsters that stood out amidst the horde due to their size, which made Red assume they were in the Lesser Ring Realm. Three of them were kept at bay by Gustav’s fighters, while the other two were fighting against the guards and their companions.

It was a sizable force, yet the true danger lay in what they couldn’t see.

Rog and Rimold agreed to his plan, and the group set about circling the fortification. Red used his crimson sense to scout the outskirts of the battle, expecting to find more monsters waiting for them, or even the cultivator responsible for controlling them.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen. The way was clear, and at the very least, the monsters didn’t think to put scouts to watch their flanks while they fought.

Soon enough, they found themselves near the area where their companions were engaged against the giant, five-meter-tall bear. It was the first time Red had seen a tree-bark bear in the Lesser Ring realm, and the pure power its body emanated awed him. It was a force of nature, and clearly the humans fighting it felt as much.

Already several bodies of guards stood at its feet, ripped apart and with their organs hanging out. Their steel armor aided them naught against the bear’s vicious claws.

Still, even more combatants stood near the beast, keeping it at bay, and this included their companions. Narcha seemed to occupy the beast’s attention, while Eiwin, Allen, and a handful of guards armed with spears, struck at the monster’s flanks while it was distracted.

Unfortunately, the monster seemed to have earned its name. Its bark-like skin was extremely thick, and their blows and steel weapons were not enough to pierce deep enough to wound it. In fact, the monster completely ignored the attacks to its flank, focusing its attention on Narcha and her large saber instead.

When Red saw this, he frowned.

The way she’s fighting…

It didn’t look like how Narcha usually fought. Instead, it somewhat resembled the style of the ghost that had possessed her body earlier. Red suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine.

Had the ghost remained behind in her body? Had he failed to exorcize it?

Maybe this is just a side effect of the possession…

It would make some sense, since Rimold also seemed deeply affected by the emotions of the ghost that possessed his body earlier. Yet, no matter how Red tried to justify it, the lingering fear remained in the back of his mind.

“What is it, Red?” Rimold looked at him with a frown. “We need to act quickly!”

“It’s nothing,” Red replied. “Let’s do it.”

Their plan was fairly simple. Red would use a talisman to strike the beast, hopefully splintering its skin enough to allow Rog to fire an arrow deep into its body.

Without further delay, Red took out a talisman from his pouch before scratching at one of its lines. Rimold rushed into the battlefield, calling everyone to attention.

“Stand clear, all of you!”

The guards and his companions both looked surprised, but they all moved away under Eiwin’s prompting. A few seconds later, the light in Red’s hand intensified, and he waved it forward.

The green, soft glow of Spiritual Energy formed in front of him. Its shape changed in an instant, transforming into a blade of pure, condensed air before shooting towards the bear’s back. The monster obviously noticed something was wrong, but the blade of air was too quick, and tree-bark bears weren’t particularly known for their speed.

It turned around just in time to be struck in the chest by the blade. Its skin splintered into hundreds of pieces, and the bear stumbled backwards as blood flowed from its chest. Still, the creature remained standing on two feet, and it looked at Red from afar with hate in its eyes.

It let out a deafening roar.

Even a talisman isn’t enough to kill something like that.

They were already prepared for this, though. Almost as soon as the bear let out a roar, an arrow shot deep into its splintered chest. This time, the bear quivered, and it couldn’t help but fall down onto its four paws.

Rog was the one that shot it, of course. The hunter was a specialist in the monsters of this forest, and he knew what their weaknesses were. Suffice it to say, once the bear’s thick armor was blown apart by the talisman, it revealed to the hunter the path to its inner organs.

Even then, the bear didn’t die immediately, letting out a grunt of pain.

“Go, attack it now!” Rimold called out to his companions.

Narcha, who was the closest to the bear, was the first to strike. She jumped on the beast’s back, and before the monster could even react, stabbed down at its spine. Her saber met strong resistance from its skin, but the woman kept forcing it down until it penetrated the beast with a sickening crunch.

The bear roared in pain again. It tried to shake the woman off, but before it could do anything else, the others also struck.

Dozens of punches, stabs and slashing attacks came at the bear from all sides. Most of them did nothing by themselves, but like the bites from a swarm of ants, they eventually were numerous enough to injure the beast.

The bear whirled around, hoping to catch one of them with its claws, but its movements were already weakened. Narcha, too, pulled her saber out and stabbed down again, this time right at its neck.

The bear shuddered and fell prone on the ground. Breath still came from its snout, but its strength was already long gone. Even so, the soldiers continued to stab at the monster with animosity until they were sure it was dead.

Indeed, Red felt the bear’s fluctuation disappear. He didn’t even have the opportunity to join the battle before it was done. Just like that, a Lesser Ring Realm monster was dead.

Was it always this easy?

Red remembered when he first fought against the fireleaf deer during the inheritance trial. Rog had almost died back then, and they needed to struggle and use almost everything they had to kill yet. However, now, using the element of surprise and coordinating with their comrades, a Lesser Ring Realm beast fell to them in less than a minute.

This was the difference proper preparation made.

“Rog, Rimold! You’re fine!” Allen approached them with a smile on his face.

“Aye, thanks to Red.” Rimold nodded.

The young master looked over at Red. “Did you get the gh⁠—”

“Shush!” Eiwin cut him off.

Allen’s eyes widened, realizing what he was about to say. There were still guards around them, but thankfully, they seemed too occupied to pay attention to their conversation.

Red didn’t say anything. Instead, he examined Narcha and her fluctuation.

The woman pulled out her saber from the bear’s back and jumped off its body. She was quick to notice the intense stare Red gave her, and her expression changed in realization.

“This…” She hesitated. “I can explain it later. You don’t need to worry, though. I’m fine.”

Red regarded her with some skepticism. At the very least, her fluctuation seemed to be back to normal.

One of the guards approached the group with a severe expression. “Captain Orvin is calling for your help near the gate of the fort. You can leave the rest over here to us.”

Eiwin hesitated, looking over at her companions. All she received were resolved expressions and nods of approval.

She looked back at the soldier and nodded. “Point us in his direction.”

Chapter 17

Displaying Progress

The guard did as much. “The way through the tents should be clear of monsters, but it’s possible some of them got through. We can barely keep them at bay.”

They had been fighting the tree-bark bear fairly deep into the fort, while most of the battle was still happening on the outskirts and walls. Hence why they were afforded this moment of reprieve and a safe path to move through the battlefield.

Narcha snorted. “Why do you think we would take the safest way? We are here to help, so help we shall!”

The soldier frowned. “But the captain said you should⁠—”

“Screw your captain!” she cut him off. “We can meet him in battle, isn’t that right, Eiwin?”

The warrior looked at her companion eagerly.

The younger woman sighed and nodded. She turned to the guard. “We’ll make our way through the outskirts and deal with the monsters as we move towards your captain. We can clear the battlefield of other threats too, this way.”

The soldier looked hesitant but didn’t protest. “I’ll try to inform him of this.”

He walked away and started to give orders to the surrounding men. Although they had cleared the battlefield of a large threat, there were still dozens of monsters around that the soldiers still needed to deal with.

After the man was gone, Eiwin looked back at her companions. “We will take the same usual approach. Miss Valt and I will take the vanguard, and Master Rog and Mister Rimold will offer us ranged support. As for Young Master Allen and Red, you will offer your help as a pair where needed, whether to keep monsters away from our ranged companions or to reinforce both me and Miss Valt.” She looked at Allen. “Young Master Allen, you are to listen to Red’s decisions in these matters. Is that clear?”

Allen agreed without hesitation. “I will do whatever he says!”

Eiwin smiled. “Good. Then we are settled. Believe it when I tell you this, but Master Hector put a lot of thought into the kind of training he provided to each and every one of you for moments like these. We can all cover each other’s weaknesses and reinforce our strengths, and if we can work together as a proper squad, then not even Lesser Ring Realm monsters can stand in our way.”

Is that really the case?

Red was skeptical, but the truth was that they had indeed managed to kill that bear in a series of quick blows. Although they had the help of a talisman, the wordless coordination the group showed at that moment was indeed impressive.

She looked over at Narcha. “With that being said, I will let you take the lead, Miss Valt.”

Narcha nodded vigorously. Without hesitation, she charged in the direction where the sounds of battle were most intense.

It didn’t take them long to come face to face with another skirmish. This section of the wooden wall was completely collapsed, and the fighting here had turned into a chaotic melee as the guards found themselves unable to keep formation.

Dozens of soldiers did their best to hold their own against the monsters, but under their inhuman strength, they continued to fall one by one. One kind of beast in particular seemed stronger and more vicious than the rest.

Skycrown wolves.

Even amid the horde of monsters, they were still a majority. Red could feel at least twenty monsters spread through this section of the fort’s walls, while the guards numbered in the forties.

“Take out the wolves first!” Narcha called out to them without looking back.

They all responded by taking out their weapons. Narcha and Eiwin charged ahead, while Rog and Rimold prepared to shoot or throw their weapons at the monsters.

Red looked over at Allen. “Stay close. We need to watch each other’s backs.”

The young master nodded with a nervous but still resolute expression.

Their aim seemed to be two white Skycrown wolves and a large brown ibex goat with spiked vicious horns. Rog’s arrow and Rimold’s dagger arrived before Narcha and Eiwin, striking at one of the wolves.

The creature growled in pain as the projectiles stuck into its side. Its head whipped around to look in the direction where it came from. As soon as it turned, though, it was met with an uppercut from Eiwin in its muzzle that made it stagger backwards.

Before it could even notice what was happening, Narcha followed up Eiwin’s attack with a slash of her saber at the wolf’s neck. The weapon cut straight through, and the monster was decapitated in a swift one-two combo.

At this point, the other monsters noticed their presence and immediately turned away from the guards to face this new threat. The ibex charged at Narcha with its spiked horns, while the second wolf jumped at Eiwin with its claws.

Narcha put her saber in front of herself to block the head-on charge, and was pushed back almost three meters, but she still held her ground.

As soon as the monster stopped moving, an arrow and a dagger shot into its side, making it wail in pain. Still, the beast didn’t falter so easily and continued to attack Narcha, this time striking at her with its hooves.

Eiwin, in the meantime, dodged the wolf’s claws and bites but was forced into a defensive position. Red considered going over to help, when he felt another fluctuation approaching from their flank.

He looked over and saw another wolf charging towards Rog and Rimold from afar, having finished up with a guard. The two of them hadn’t even noticed yet, but Red wasn’t about to let the beast get this close to them.

He looked over at Allen. “With me!”

The young master agreed without hesitation.

Red led him over to the side in a sprint towards the wolf.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Rimold and Rog.

“What are you—” The rogue was about to protest when he looked in the direction they were running and saw the large vicious wolf charging at them.

“Let them handle it!” Rog shouted, still shooting at the ibex.

This was all Red heard from their conversation as he continued to approach the wolf. He stopped midway through his charge, causing Allen to be caught by surprise.

“Get ready and stay by the side!” Red ordered.

The young master nodded and walked over to the side.

The wolf was quick to spot these two small humans who dared to get in its way, and it didn’t stop its charge at all. There was no more than thirty meters between it and them right now, and the distance would be closed in a matter of seconds.

The scene reminded Red of the trial when he first met these wolves. Back then, Red was slowed down by the snow and got battered away like it was nothing. Now, however, nothing was slowing down his steps; he had learned a lot under Domeron’s guidance.

His Tranquil Beak Weapon Art was mainly used for assassination, but the tricks and techniques it taught him could be used in combat or in any other kind of situation, too. So it was that Red planned to deal with the wolf.

He stood in a ramrod straight stance, laying his new dark sword flat against his forearm by the side of his body. Red looked like he was an official paying his respects at court, and not like someone who was in the middle of a war.

He even felt some uncertainty from Allen, who stood by his side, but the boy remained still. Although nothing much seemed to be happening on the surface, Red knew better.

His muscles were tensing, awakened and prepared to deliver his attack. Like a heron, he stood ready to strike, to finish this fight with one fatal blow.

Even if the enemy was aware of his presence and trying to kill him, his assassination arts would still prevail.

The wolf leapt forward, crossing the final distance with a large jump. Its vicious maw opened in midair, ready to close around Red’s entire body with a single bite.

That was when he moved.

Like the string of a bow when released, all the potential energy building inside Red’s body exploded. He shot forward, diving under the monster’s maw and raising his sword up in a single fluid movement while staying low to the ground.

The wolf’s jaws closed just inches above him. Then there was the sound of something ripping apart. Red’s sword found purchase on the beast’s underside, using the monster’s own momentum to carve a vertical line from its neck to its belly.

The beast’s back legs crashed into Red, causing both wolf and boy to tumble to the dirt. They crashed down about five meters away from each other.

“Red!” Allen hurried towards him.

“Finish it off!” Red waved his hand at the young master as he got on one knee. He had no apparent wounds and was still holding onto his now bloodied sword.

Allen looked over and saw the wolf lying on its side, struggling to get up. A bloody cut travelled all the way from its underside, making the crimson fluid pool at its feet.

The young master hesitated for just a second before charging at the wolf. The beast did its best to strike Allen down, but it was too slow.

The young master circled around the half-collapsed wolf and stabbed its neck, causing the wolf to spasm in pain again. Allen then pulled his sword back and retreated before being caught up in its death throes.

It turned out, however, that the young master didn’t need to worry. The wolf only struggled for a few more seconds before falling completely still.

“It’s dead…” Allen said with a shocked expression.

“It is.” Red nodded, approaching him from the side.

“How did you⁠—”

“It doesn’t matter,” Red cut him off. “Let’s rejoin our companions. There are still many monsters around and we don’t know when⁠—”

He was interrupted by a howl of pain. He looked over, noticing the ibex collapsed on the ground with a large bloody gash on its side and several arrows and daggers lodged in its body.

The other wolf wasn’t faring much better, limping on its front leg as Eiwin continued to circle and strike it with her punches and kicks. Before long, the wolf too collapsed as Narcha cut halfway through its body from behind.

Just like that, four monsters were dead.

As soon as their immediate battle was finished, Eiwin looked back in confusion at Rog and Rimold, noticing the absence of Red and Allen.

A flash of panic came to her expression. “Where are they?”

The hunter pointed to the side, where both Red and Allen stood by the corpse of another snow-white wolf. What had taken the rest of them a minute to accomplish, the boys had done in less than thirty seconds.

None of Red’s companions seemed to believe it.

Narcha snorted. “Maybe we should have put the two of them on the vanguard.”

Chapter 18

At the Gates

Eiwin shook her head, recovering from her surprise. “Focus on the task at hand. There are still enemies for us to dispatch.”

The group nodded at her, getting ready to reenter the fray. Off to the side, the guards they had just saved were looking gratefully at them.

Eiwin bowed lightly to the soldiers. “Go help your other companions! We will clear a path towards the entrance of the fort.”

The guards didn’t hesitate to follow her orders. Most of these soldiers had only opened a handful of veins, and they were nowhere near as strong as Red and his sect members. Still, when they worked together, they were more than capable of dealing with a few monsters.

It was why the fort was yet to collapse.

While the guards wandered off, Eiwin looked for their next target. The group began moving towards the heart of the melee, where bodies of both monsters and soldiers littered the ground, and the fight was still raging on.

Bears, deer, goats, wolves, even a handful of birds made up their enemy numbers. Red saw many creatures for the first time, but he didn’t have time to admire them.

Like a well-oiled machine, Red and his companions carved a path through the battlefield, just as they promised. Narcha charged into the middle of combat with her saber, throwing off monsters and giving the guards more space to breathe.

Then Eiwin dove in with lightning-quick and precise strikes that broke bones and threw the monsters off balance for her companions to finish. Rimold used his daggers to target the weak areas of the beasts, while Rog was the most deadly in combat with his arrows that buried themselves deep into the monsters’ flesh.

Red and Allen also helped by flanking and stabbing monsters, but they knew better than to engage the creatures directly. What they’d accomplished against the wolf was, at the end of the day, a matter of both opportunity and luck. It wouldn’t work for every situation, and Red knew better than to delude himself.

Still, in less than a minute, the group had already left their mark on the battlefield. Almost ten monsters fell to their hands, and the tides of the battle slowly changed.

The guards managed to regroup, but at the same time, the remaining monsters’ attention was placed on Red and his companions. In the blink of an eye, the group found themselves surrounded by ravenous creatures clawing and biting at them.

Narcha and Eiwin still managed to hold the front line, but more beasts slipped through and started to reach for Rog and Rimold. Red and Allen were forced to help, but there were too many monsters for them to deal with at once.

Then, just as they thought they would be forced to retreat, their allies joined the battle.

One of the leading guards started barking orders at his men. “Go! Reform the line! Push them back!”

His soldiers did as much. They started to cover the group’s flanks with their spears and long weapons, relieving the pressure off the back line.

Allen smiled when he saw this. “Come on, let’s push them back!”

Surprisingly, the soldiers all roared in support of the young master’s words. With Narcha and Eiwin at the tip of the formation, slowly but surely, they started to push back the monsters to the outer walls.

At that point, it seemed like the threat of death started to overshadow the beasts’ crazed thirst for blood, as some of the monsters began to retreat. Red frowned when he saw this, but this still benefited them in the end.

The monsters that remained behind were quickly dispatched, and suddenly the group found themselves without enemies to fight. Once the soldiers saw this, they roared in celebration.

“We did it! We beat them back!”

“Shut up, you morons!” Narcha scolded them. “The battle still isn’t over! There are other monsters around the camp!”

The soldiers stopped celebrating and nodded at the woman with solemn expressions. Allen, too, who had joined their celebration, lowered his sword.

The leading guard that had regrouped the soldiers looked at Narcha. “You’re right. We will follow you and help you clear the rest of the camp!”

Narcha shook her head. “No, you idiots! We want to be fast, and you would only slow us down! Go back the way we came and help the rest of your colleagues!”

The soldier looked disappointed at first, but he took her orders to heart. He turned back to his men with a resolute expression. “You heard her! Let’s move back and reinforce our brethren!”

Soon enough, the soldiers were off, and Red’s group once again resumed their journey towards the front of the fort, where the battle was the fiercest.

Some lone monsters sought to stop them, but they were quickly dispatched by both Narcha and Rog before they could even get close. Finally, as they circled around large barracks, they laid eyes on the fort entrance.

Or what remained of it, at least.

The scene was complete chaos. Destroyed barracks, fires, and splintered wood logs. Not much remained of the so-called fort which had been built in a hurry.

Yet in the middle of it all, the battle still raged on.

Red saw Captain Orvin commanding his men as they fought against the monster horde. The guards here seemed more organized, forming a line and using their long-reach weapons to keep the monsters at bay. Yet, this formation already showed signs of collapse.

Here, most of the monsters were Skycrown wolves, probably almost fifty of them. Their snow-white coats were smeared with blood, both from their wounds and their victims, yet the beasts continued to fight without a hint of apprehension in their eyes.

There were easily over a hundred guards trying to keep these monsters at bay, yet even then, they suffered almost constant casualties. 

It was a fearsome sight, yet it wasn’t what caught Red’s attention. Instead, it was the battle being fought not too far away from there.

Red recognized Gustav’s two bodyguards, the muscular man and the nondescript woman, fighting against two particularly large white wolves. They both wore their wooden masks and still sported their scale armor from the meeting. The man wielded a large saber, while the woman used a greatsword.

Yellow Spiritual Energy emanated from these weapons, and with every swing, bright blade energy would fly forth to strike at the wolves. Yet, these bodyguards weren’t the only ones using Spiritual Energy.

The two wolves exuded a white mist from their bodies, and every step they took seemed to freeze the surrounding ground. Red saw one of their claws clash against the man’s saber, forming a sheet of ice around the weapon and causing its yellow glow to wane ever so slightly.

Still, the large bodyguard harnessed his pure physical might as he simply pushed the enormous wolf away with his weapon. The woman, too, seemed to use large and strong strikes to keep the other creature at bay, and for the moment, it didn’t seem like either side had an advantage.

Narcha gritted her teeth and looked over at Eiwin. “What do we do? Do we help the guards first or Gustav’s agents?”

This was a pertinent question. The guards were losing, and they could use the help, but if Gustav’s bodyguards were free of their enemies, then they could clean up the weaker monsters without much issue. Not to mention, the group did indeed have a handful of talismans that could help in either situation.

Eiwin hesitated for a moment before coming to a decision. “We will help the guards first. I can’t bear to see any more of them die.”

No one in the group protested. They’d had a few issues with the town guards in the past, but their relationship was mostly amicable. As for Gustav’s bodyguards, that was another matter, not to mention it didn’t seem like they needed the help, anyway.

Just as they were about to go and reinforce the guards, Red felt another strong fluctuation enter his detection range. What surprised him, though, was the direction it was coming from.

“Wait!” he called out to his group. “There’s something above us!”

His companions all froze and looked up.

Rog squinted his eyes in annoyance. “I can’t see anything.”

Red, too, peered up into the night sky above their heads, but even with his dark vision, he failed to spot anything at first. A few seconds later, though, he saw a silhouette against the starry night sky.

It was approaching the ground at a tremendous speed.

It didn’t seem to be targeting the group, though. Instead, it was flying straight at Gustav’s bodyguards.

Before Red could say anything, a shape materialized out of the dark night sky, diving towards the large man. The bodyguard noticed its approach, but before he could do anything, the creature was already upon him.

A pair of talons ripped into the man’s shoulder, dragging pieces of armor and flesh with it. Then, before the bodyguard could even react, the bird flew up and disappeared into the night.

The man stumbled, and the wolf he was fighting took the opportunity to attack. He barely managed to put his saber up in defense, but he was unable to muster his brute strength from earlier to throw the wolf back. Instead, it was the man that was pushed back, and a wave of ice spread from his sword to his arms.

After seeing this, his companion tried to go help him, but the wolf she was fighting noticed her eagerness and chose that exact moment to press its offense, forcing the woman away. The man was thus left to his own devices to deal with the wolf, and it didn’t seem like he would last for long.

Just like that, the tides of their battle had turned.

“What was that thing?” Allen asked in a fearful tone.

“Not native.” Rog frowned. “I don’t know what it was… I couldn’t even see it.”

“Gods damn it!” Narcha gritted her teeth. “We need to help them before they get killed!”

Eiwin hesitated and looked back at the guards fighting against the wolf horde. They, too, seemed on the brink of collapse.

It took a few seconds for her to make a decision. 

“Allen, Mister Rimold, with me. We’ll go help the guards.” She turned to the rest of her companions. “Red, Master Rog, and Miss Valt—go help Gustav’s bodyguards. If they die, the battle may already be lost.” Her gaze lingered on Red. “Only you can spot that bird, so make sure to help the others!”

That much doesn’t need to be said.

Although the members of the group showed some hesitation, they knew better than to protest their leader’s orders at such a critical moment. Red looked up at the sky.

The bird had flown out of his range of detection, and not even his dark vision could spot it in the sky. Yet, somehow Red knew this flying beast was there, waiting for the next opportunity to strike.

Chapter 19

Stealthy Bird

There wasn’t much time for discussion. As soon as Eiwin split up their group, they all went their separate ways.

As Red’s group approached Gustav’s bodyguards, he noticed their situation was quickly getting worse. Whatever wounds the large man had taken, they seemed to have done more damage than was readily apparent, as his movements were growing sluggish.

Rog assessed the situation with a grave face. “Something’s wrong with him.”

“Maybe poison,” Red suggested.

“Quite possible,” the hunter agreed. “All the more reason not to get scratched by that bird.”

Narcha grunted. “That’s our priority, then.”

She took a bottle of pills from her pouch before swallowing one. Red recognized it as one of the remaining empowerment pills they’d acquired from the imperials in the trial.

Narcha looked over at Red and Rog. “Deal with the bird. I’ll help out that buffoon so he doesn’t get killed.”

Red hesitated, but before he could say anything, Narcha was already running to the battlefield. Her approach didn’t go unnoticed by the combatants.

The wolf she charged towards growled at having its fight interrupted. It didn’t dare underestimate Narcha, though, even if she wasn’t in the Lesser Ring Realm.

It swiped one of its sharp claws at the woman, its paw emitting a faint, white mist. It looked as if the attack was about to connect, but suddenly Narcha spun on her feet, twirling out of the way with incredible speed and dodging the attack. Then, using the motion of her spin, she brought her saber around to slash against the wolf’s body.

The creature didn’t have the time to dodge, or perhaps it didn’t care to. The saber clashed against the monster’s white fur, causing an explosion of mist and ice shards. Still, the wolf barely stumbled on its feet, shrugging off Narcha’s attack with no visible injuries.

The wolf turned around and tried to snap its jaws closed around Narcha, but the woman had already twirled away.

“It has a protective ice sheet around its body!” the large bodyguard warned Narcha.

The woman gritted her teeth in annoyance and focused on dodging the wolf’s attacks. She was pressed into a defensive stance, as this wolf seemed both faster and smarter than the bear from earlier, but under the effects of the pill, she managed to hold her own.

This allowed the large man some room to breathe as he swallowed something under his wooden mask. Red felt his fluctuation stabilize somewhat, and soon enough, the man was charging back towards the wolf.

The monster growled in annoyance at the two-pronged attack, but a wounded Lesser Ring Realm cultivator and a powerful mortal were barely enough to keep the creature at bay. Upon seeing this, the female bodyguard focused back on her own target.

Red was relieved, as the situation seemed to have stabilized. But he knew Narcha’s empowerment wouldn’t last for long, and there was still another creature on the battlefield they had to deal with.

The pressure on him increased with Rog simply staring at him, awaiting orders.

He looked over at the hunter in confusion. “Why haven’t you shot the wolves?”

Rog shook his head. “I feel confident in piercing the wolf if I try, but I’m storing my shot for the target that really matters.”

Red remembered the technique the hunter used against the bandits six months ago in the forest.

He was willing to believe Rog in this matter. He looked up at the sky. “Do you feel confident in shooting the bird?”

“Not at all.” Rog shook his head again. “It’s too fast. By the time I can spot it, aim, and shoot, it will already be gone.”

Red frowned. “Do you have any more talismans?”

“Only a shield, but even if I had something else, it wouldn’t work.”

Red knew he was speaking the truth. One of the downsides of a talisman was that they needed at least a few seconds to be activated. How could he aim that effectively when their target appeared and disappeared from sight in a split second?

Not to mention that they were running out of offensive talismans. Red himself only had one left, and he would rather save it for when it would be most useful.

That being the case, what other venues were available to them to deal with this bird?

I need to think quickly. I don’t know when it’s going to strike again.

“If you knew when it was going to appear, could you hit it?” Red asked.

Rog hesitated. “If I knew when it was going to appear and where it was going to appear… Then yes, I could hit it.”

Red frowned. He could figure out when the bird was going to appear by his crimson sense, but as for where it would appear? It moved too quickly for Red to make these calculations and assumptions on the fly.

“Who do you think the bird is going to strike next?” Red asked.

Rog scratched his beard in thought. “If it was a common monster, it would probably try to finish off its first weakened target…”

Red noticed the man’s uncertain expression. “Yet, you seem skeptical.” 

“What is happening here goes against my knowledge of monsters,” Rog admitted. “I can’t guarantee anything.”

Indeed, it was hard to predict the behavior of these animals. If they were indeed being controlled by someone, could that someone give them very specific orders? Could they make it so this monster went against its natural instincts?

Red didn’t know, but an idea started to form in his head. “We can force it to attack someone.”

“How?” The hunter looked skeptical.

Red hesitated. “Move away from me.”

Rog raised his eyebrows in surprise, catching onto Red’s plan. “This seems a bit risky.”

Red stared at him. “You said you could hit it, didn’t you?”

The hunter nodded. “I suppose I did.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” Red waved him off. “Go stand to the side and make sure you don’t miss.”

Rog gave him an inscrutable look but offered no protest. He hurried off to the side, positioning himself almost fifty meters away from Red with his bow at the ready.

Red looked over at Narcha and the wolves. He noticed she was having more trouble keeping up with the monster as a sheet of ice formed around her armor. The large bodyguard was also having trouble dealing any damage to the creature. They didn’t have much longer, and this was certainly the best time to attack.

Red grabbed onto a talisman inside his pouch, his last offensive spell. What he was about to do was risky, but he couldn’t think of anything else.

He took his talisman out and pointed it at the wolves in the middle of the fight. 

Then, in a very deliberate manner, Red started to chant the incantations and scratch at the activation line in the talisman. The slip began to glow as strong Spiritual Energy emanated from his hands.

This, of course, caught the attention of everyone in his vicinity, wolves and bodyguards included. Such was the nature of talismans and spells—in general, conflagrations of energy had a hard time going unnoticed by those nearby.

For a moment, the combatants stared at Red in wonder and surprise. The wolves were quick to notice the talisman pointed at them and growled warily.

Then, just as the talisman seemed about to go off, Red felt it. A fluctuation suddenly appeared above him, diving towards him at an incredible speed.

“Now!”

This was the only word Red managed to get out before the bird was almost upon him. He heard the sound of an arrow being released before the creature even appeared.

It whooshed over his head.

Too early.

The next instant, the figure of the bird materialized out of the darkness above his head, its talons reaching for Red. Yet, he didn’t panic.

There was another sound, fainter this time.

Something hit the creature in midair, throwing its body off course. It crashed down just by Red’s side, its momentum making it slide almost ten meters across the ground before coming to a stop.

It wasn’t dead, though, and it struggled to get up. Only now did Red manage to lay eyes on its true appearance.

This monster resembled an owl, its dark feathers making its figure hard to discern even with his night vision. Even its beak was completely pitch-black. It wasn’t big for a monster in the Lesser Ring Realm, roughly the size of an adult man, but its wingspan reached well over five meters. The only thing that broke the monotonous dark colors of the creature was its glowing silver eyes—and the arrow that stuck out of its side.

Indeed, Rog hadn’t disappointed. If one arrow wasn’t enough, the hunter would shoot as many as he needed in quick succession to ensure that one of them would hit.

It was something Red had only seen Rog use a handful of times and which exhausted his body very quickly. Yet, in this situation, it had worked perfectly to their advantage.

Red wasn’t about to take any chances either.

He turned around and pointed his talisman at the monster, preparing to finish his incantation. The bird seemed to notice what was about to happen, and it let out a screeching sound.

Suddenly, a wave of darkness flew out of its body, covering Red in an instant. His vision was masked by absolute darkness, and he found himself unable to see anything.

Whatever kind of monster this was, it seemed capable of manipulating darkness as if it was a tangible element. It was a wondrous and terrifying ability.

However, Red didn’t panic. This wasn’t the first time he’d needed to act completely blind.

Through his crimson sense, he felt the creature move around, trying to flank him. Yet, before it could get close to him, he turned around in a rush and pointed his talisman at the monster’s fluctuation, finishing his incantation.

A wave of energy exploded in front of him, pushing his body back slightly. Then, a few seconds later, Red felt the darkness surrounding him retreat as he recovered his vision.

What greeted his eyes was the dying owl monster, impaled to the ground by a large rock spear conjured out of Earth Spiritual Energy. The creature struggled, trying to free itself, but to no avail.

A few seconds later, its movements weakened. Red felt the monster’s fluctuation disappear as it finally died.

He sighed in relief. In the end, his plan had worked perfectly.

“Red, watch out!” Narcha’s voice came from behind him.

Red turned around, only to see two enormous wolves charging at him with maddened gazes.

Chapter 20

Enemy Retreats

Red cursed to himself and tried to retreat. However, he barely took a few steps before he felt the wolves catching up to him, a wave of cold air hitting his back.

There’s no way I can outrun them.

Before he could think much further, the sound of another arrow whistled through the air. One of the wolves growled in pain and slowed its chase for a second, giving Red more time to think.

The escape talisman!

He recalled the talisman Eiwin had given him, and his hand went to his pouch to grab it. However, at the same time, he could feel the other wolf catching up to him, and its wounded companion was also ignoring Rog’s arrows to give chase.

Red began chanting the incantation in a hurry. However, he knew this wouldn’t work.

It would be a matter of seconds before they caught him, and Red wouldn’t have the time to activate the talisman. He saw his life flash before his eyes, and just as he was considering doing something dire, he felt another fluctuation approach him with extreme speed.

More accurately, it was approaching his pursuers.

One of the wolves howled in pain, far louder this time. Red took a glance back and saw the female bodyguard had her sword stuck on the creature’s side. Her entire body was surrounded by a fierce, pulsing yellow light, and even bits and pieces of what looked like rocks were floating around her. This increase in strength was also reflected in her fluctuation, as Red was quick to notice.

The other wolf was frightened by this, and its charge instinctively slowed down. Red saw his opportunity.

He kept running while he finished his incantation. By the time the other wolf noticed, Red’s body was already glowing with a faint green light.

His speed suddenly increased several times, and he ran in a straight line away from the wolf. This swift escape talisman was also based on Wind Spiritual Energy, like the one he used in the trial, but unlike that one, Red didn’t feel in control over this energy or his own momentum.

He felt like if he tried to abruptly change directions, he would probably crash and slide to a halt. Instead, Red ran in a straight line away and towards the forest.

He didn’t feel the monsters give chase any longer, but he didn’t stop. Only when the effect of the talisman ran out twenty seconds later did he finally grind to a halt.

Red felt a tightness in his chest and tried to catch his breath. An aftereffect of the talisman, most likely.

He looked around, noticing he was now back at the tree line. The glowing fort was over five hundred meters away, and Red couldn’t feel any fluctuations around him—neither the wolves nor his companions.

Maybe I shouldn’t have run so much.

He didn’t blame himself. When you were close to dying, there was no time for precise calculations.

The battle was still raging on in the distance, though, as he saw Gustav’s female bodyguard re-engage the wolves. He didn’t know what kind of ability that woman had used to save him, and neither did he know why she’d waited so long to use it, but right now it seemed to give her an edge against the monsters.

The creatures continuously suffered wounds over the next few exchanges before they decided to retreat. Their withdrawal caused a sudden reaction on the battlefield.

The rest of the monster horde, which seemed to have come to a standstill against the guards after Eiwin and the others reinforced them, all started to run away, the rage disappearing from their eyes. The horde was retreating.

Wait… The horde is retreating?

Only now did the situation dawn on Red. Horde monsters often fought to the death, and only when a scant few of them were remaining or when they were faced with truly overwhelming odds would they retreat. However, this wasn’t what was happening.

The beast horde had barely lost any of their number on this front, so why would they choose to retreat? Sure, looking at the fight of the stronger wolves and the bodyguards, one could see how the situation would probably turn against the horde soon enough, but was this something monsters could discern?

The possibility that someone was controlling them became more likely by the second.

Many of the guards, including a few of Red’s own companions, started to give chase to the monsters. Gustav’s bodyguards, though, made no attempt to stop the wolves from retreating. Red didn’t like his chances at stopping these monsters either, so he stood aside as he watched dozens of creatures pass him by.

A loud voice called out over the battlefield. “Stop! Don’t give chase!”

Red recognized this voice. It came from Captain Orvin, who stood on top of a large crate as he addressed his men.

His order had an immediate effect on the battlefield. The guards all slowed and let the monsters escape back into the forest, although more than a few of the soldiers wore reluctant expressions.

Soon enough, no more creatures could be seen inside the ruined fort, and all that remained was the destruction and corpses they’d left behind.

Red made his way back to the battlefield once the path was safe. He was greeted by Rog and Narcha, who both seemed exhausted from the battle, but luckily hadn’t sustained any wounds. They wore curious expressions as they stared at Red.

The hunter scratched his beard. “I thought you were going to run back to town at that rate.”

Narcha grunted. “What did you even do to anger those wolves, anyway?”

“He killed the bird, of course,” Rog said.

The woman looked confused. “Why would that anger them?”

“The wolves? That wouldn’t anger them.” The hunter shook his head. “It would anger the one that is controlling them. The kid probably killed his pet, after all.”

Both Narcha and Red frowned. They wanted to call Rog out on this conjecture, but at the moment, it really seemed like the most reasonable explanation for everything that was happening.

Before they could continue their conversation, they heard the sound of footsteps approaching.

Red turned around and saw Gustav’s bodyguards walking towards them. They bore no signs of injuries, but he could tell from their fluctuations that they were likewise exhausted.

The atmosphere suddenly changed, as Red’s companions were reminded that these people were normally their enemies outside the beast horde. Narcha’s hand remained tight around her saber as she glared at the pair.

The large bodyguard stared at Red and the others through the eye holes in his mask. 

“We’re even now,” the man said in his rough voice.

“Even?” Narcha looked confused.

“Yes, even.” He nodded. “You saved me, and my companion saved the kid. We’re even now.”

The woman snorted. “Is this even worth speaking about in this kind of situation?”

“Of course it is. This way, if we need to kill you in the future, there won’t be anything to hold us back, and you won’t feel betrayed.”

Narcha was speechless.

The man didn’t say anything else and turned around to walk away. His companion’s gaze, however, seemed to linger on Red.

He felt the woman’s eyes boring into him, as if trying to read his secrets. Red, however, wasn’t shaken by it, and simply met her gaze with his usual cold eyes.

The woman said nothing and turned around to join her companion.

Red’s group was left behind to digest this conversation. Only now did Narcha’s expression seem to twist in anger.s

She gritted her teeth. “Bunch of fucking bastards…”

Rog scratched his beard. “Well, they kind of have a point…”

A glare from Narcha was enough to silence the hunter.

“Narcha, Rog, Red!” Allen’s voice came from behind them. “Are you alright?!”

Red turned around and saw the young master running towards them. Not too far behind, he saw Eiwin and Rimold too. They also seemed to be in reasonably healthy conditions, albeit tired from combat. Some blood could be seen splashed across Eiwin’s uniform, but whether it came from her or her enemies was impossible to tell.

“What did those two say to you?” Allen asked as he noticed Narcha’s angry expression.

“Nothing that matters.” The warrior shook her head.

Rimold looked the group up and down. “I couldn’t see much of what happened, but I saw a lot of flashing lights from this direction.” The rogue eyed the dark owl’s corpse. “It seems you had everything under control, though.”

“It was way closer than it looks like,” Rog said.

“What matters is that everyone came out of this safe,” Eiwin said. “When you feel you are ready, Captain Orvin has invited us to a meeting at his tent… Or what remains of it, at least.”

Allen frowned. “Aren’t you worried the monsters are going to come back?”

“Of course I am,” Eiwin said, “but given the present circumstances, I have a hunch it will be a while before they try anything again.”

The young master seemed skeptical, but he didn’t protest.

As they made their way over to the main tent at the center of the fort, they saw the full extent of the confrontation. Bodies of guards and monsters littered the battlefield, and many soldiers were busy putting out fires and gathering the corpses of their companions.

An air of solemnity filled the fort, which seemed to reach even Red and his companions. They were used to fighting and killing, but it was rare for them to partake in these matters on such a large scale.

Allen, in particular, seemed more affected than most by the dreary atmosphere, as he looked around in sadness and horror. However, he said nothing and kept walking forward. Red noted how much the boy had changed since the trial.

Grisly sights were common in the cultivation world, and one needed to get used to them if they wanted to make their way up the ladder. Mortal lives were worth almost nothing to most cultivators, and they could be extinguished as easily as blowing out a candle.

It was a truth Red had to come to terms with during his time in the underground, and something that Allen was now paying witness to firsthand. The lesson each individual took out of this was essential in deciding what kind of cultivator they would one day become.

Red had arrived at his truth very early on. As for Allen? Only time would tell where his path would lead.

Chapter 21

War Council

Eventually, the group arrived at the central tent. The pavilion had many charred markings on its surface, yet amidst the destroyed fort it was the one of the few structures that remained standing.

The majority of the surviving soldiers gathered around it, either tending to their wounds or moving to and fro while gathering equipment or attending to other tasks. Even after such a catastrophic battle, the guards still acted with the coordination befitting a proper army.

It impressed Red to a certain degree. The Baron had done well in training these men, it seemed.

As soon as Red’s group came into view of the central tent, a soldier approached them.

“Captain Orvin is waiting for you inside, if you would follow me.” The guard pointed the way.

Eiwin led the group forward. The soldier raised the flap of the tent, allowing them to enter.

Inside, they were greeted by a well-lit and organized environment. White-light lanterns lined the tent’s wall, alongside a handful of maps of the region and written reports. In the center of the room was a large, round table, upon which a detailed map of the lands surrounding the river could be seen, as well as many markers and wooden pins displaying the location of settlements and the monster horde.

The whole environment seemed untouched by the destruction from outside, which surprised Red. Already inside the tent were Captain Orvin, a few of his men, and Gustav’s two bodyguards, all standing around the table.

“You’re here.” The Captain nodded. “Then we can start our debriefing.”

Red had only met this captain a handful of times before, but the man had always given him a distinct and powerful impression. Professional, serious, and, most important of all, strong.

He wasn’t in the Lesser Ring Realm, yet he was still confident enough to provoke Narcha and face her head-on. Few people in town below the Lesser Ring Realm could claim to be stronger than Narcha, and Red came to understand that Captain Orvin was definitely one of them.

The man waited until Red’s group gathered around the table. The atmosphere inside the tent was tense, and no one seemed in the mood to speak up. They all looked over at Orvin, waiting for him to begin.

Red, on the other hand, used his crimson sense to find any invisible presences. None seemed to be in the tent at this moment, though.

“First order of matters is to report casualties,” Captain Orvin said. “We lost 98 men today. That’s about a quarter of our forces gathered in this fort.”

The mood in the room got heavier.

“That in itself isn’t too much of a surprise,” Orvin went on. “Of course, I don’t mean to be cold, but we were expecting to lose at least that many during our confrontation with the horde. These men were more than willing to put their lives on the line to defend their families, so that it came to this isn’t much of a shock to them, as you can see. However, the issue is that this is what we expected to lose in total against the horde, and not just from a single battle.”

He picked up another document and started reading through it. “Our first confrontation yesterday against the horde already saw its fair share of surprises. We didn’t expect the Skycrown wolves to be amidst the first wave, and we already lost many men because of that. Overall, the casualties have already mounted to 158 deaths.”

“This…” Allen’s face paled.

Orvin looked over at everyone in the room. “Suffice it to say, with the second wave of the horde arriving soon and with the fact that we now need to worry about native monsters attacking us too, it’s entirely reasonable to expect the number of casualties to be much higher in the coming days. That is, if we survive at all. This isn’t even the last of our bad news either…” He looked over at the second-in-command at his side.

Red recognized this man as the one that came looking for them in the middle of the battle earlier, informing them that Orvin was asking for their help.

The man bowed to his captain before looking back at the guests. “We have lost a large amount of our supplies in the fire that consumed our fort. Right now, we have no more than a few days’ worth of food for the remaining soldiers, not to mention that most of our medicinal supplies were also destroyed. We can no longer treat our wounded soldiers properly.”

Narcha frowned at this. “How did the fire start exactly? By the time we were fighting with the horde, there was already smoke rising everywhere, but we didn’t encounter any fire-aspected Lesser Ring Realm monsters.”

Indeed, although there were a few fireleaf deer amidst the horde, none of them had opened their Spiritual Sea, and thus couldn’t control any flames or cause a fire. So how exactly would such a matter come to pass?

Orvin shook his head. “It’s hard to tell. It might have been a soldier who dropped a torch during the confrontation which caused a chain reaction… or maybe something else happened.”

There were heavy implications behind the man’s words.

Eiwin seemed surprised at this. “Do you suspect foul play?”

“After what happened today, I wouldn’t doubt it,” the man replied. “Still, I would rather not throw around accusations until we can be sure about what happened. I put some men to investigate this matter, but suffice it to say, I hold little hope they will find anything.”

Eiwin hesitated. “… What do you intend to do?”

Orvin smiled. “Jumping straight to the heart of the matter, are we? It’s probably for the best, though. I have decided to keep my men here and wait for the second wave of the horde to arrive.”

The younger woman frowned. “Is that wise?”

“Wise?” the captain said. “Not really, but it’s the only choice we have. I’m sure you’ve arrived at the same conclusion yourselves, but it is clear that there is someone or something controlling this horde, not to mention that this control seems to extend even to native monsters. If I decided to retreat to town, it is very likely these monsters would ambush us on our way back. Right now, we still have the protection of what remains of our fort and the river at our backs, and it would be remiss of me to leave them behind.”

Narcha snorted angrily. “That isn’t any better! We are still just sitting ducks here, and they can still continue sending monsters to attack us until we’re all dead. Even if the beasts from the mountain horde die, whoever is controlling them will still have a whole forest’s worth of native monsters to use against us!”

Orvin sighed. “What you say is true, but as long as we can hold on for long enough, then the Baron will be able to act and send someone to rescue us. It is the option with the highest chance of success.”

The warrior looked skeptical. “What do you mean by that? Who would the Baron even be capable of sending to turn this situation around?”

The captain shrugged. “He didn’t say, but the answer should be self-evident.”

Red’s mind couldn’t help but wander to the invisible figure he’d met earlier in the forest. Was that the reinforcement the Baron had promised? Even if that was the case, he couldn’t shake the feeling of danger he felt every time he thought back on it.

“Are you really planning on relying on the possibility that a stranger will help us survive?” Narcha asked with a scowl. “How can you be comfortable with that?”

Orvin glared at her. “I am not putting my trust in any stranger. I am putting my trust in the Baron. I believe he will come through for us when it matters… Still, as you put it, it wouldn’t behoove us to just sit by and wait for our salvation. We need to be proactive and try to find the root of our problems.”

Eiwin raised her eyebrows in curiosity. “Do you have a plan?”

“No,” Orvin said. “I merely sent scouts to track the path of the retreating monsters, but I sincerely doubt whoever is controlling the beasts would make it this easy to find them… This is why I need your help.”

“You want us to hunt for them?” Eiwin asked, her voice laced with doubt.

“You’re the strongest and most specialized individuals I have in this fort. Not even those two can compare to your knowledge of this forest,” Orvin said, nodding at Gustav’s bodyguards.

Neither of them showed any reactions beneath their wooden masks, remaining completely silent as they had been for the entire meeting.

Rimold snorted. “Is this a joke? We don’t even know who is behind this whole thing, but I can tell you for certain it’s not going to be a weak cultivator! What makes you think we have any chance against them?”

Orvin frowned. “Gustav’s bodyguards would accompany you and assist you in this matter. For all we know of cultivation in general, there has to be a limited range that one can control these monsters. So when the horde attacks again, their master will be close by.”

Once again, the two masked individuals said nothing.

Orvin’s words gave Rimold and the others some pause. Perhaps if they had the help of two Lesser Ring Realm cultivators, then this could be achievable.

However, that was when Rog spoke up. “This is not a good idea.”

“Huh?” Eiwin looked at the hunter with surprise.

“You don’t understand,” Rog said. “Whoever is controlling the horde is not someone anyone here can deal with.”

Orvin looked at the hunter in disbelief. “How do you know that?”

“I’ve seen it before, a long time ago.” The hunter scratched his beard. “Beast taming arts, that is. It requires a strong mind, powerful beyond normal understanding. Only Greater Ring Realm cultivators can do it, and even then, to control this many monsters… Whoever is doing it is either way stronger than that or has some special treasure. Either case means trouble for us. If we can even find them, that is.”

Narcha seemed confused. “If they are that strong, why would they need to use those monsters to attack us? Couldn’t they just walk over and kill us directly?”

Rog shrugged. “Maybe they don’t want to kill us, maybe…”

“Maybe they just want to draw someone out.” Red completed his sentence.

The atmosphere in the room changed, everyone’s minds going to a single possibility. There was only one person in town, who not only ruled over the entire region, but who also commanded the powerful formations surrounding the temple ruins where his regional capital was built.

The Baron.

His death would be a huge blow to both the kingdom and region, and it would leave the town completely unguarded. Of course, in times like these, he should remain within the confines of his town. Yet, would he be able to sit idly by and watch all his guards die against the horde? It was hard to say.

Before they could continue their discussion any further, a guard barged into the tent.

“C-Captain Orvin!” the soldier greeted his superior, trying to catch his breath.

The captain glowered in annoyance. “What is it?”

“W-We… We’ve received a report from our scouts past the river!” The man held a scroll up towards the captain.

Orvin took the piece of paper and unfurled it, reading over its contents. A few seconds later, his expression hardened, and his gaze wandered to Red and his companions.

Eiwin’s expression paled. “What is it?”

“My scouts reported your elder was wounded in his battle against the alpha,” Orvin said. “We don’t know his current status, and now the wolf is heading straight towards the river again.”

The expression of the sect members fell.

Chapter 22

Important Decision

Eiwin tried to maintain her composure as she stared at the Captain. “How do your men know Master Hector was wounded?”

“We sent some of our best scouts equipped with talismans to keep track of the horde’s progress,” Orvin said. “They witnessed most of your elder’s fight against the alpha, or at least as much as they could see from a distance. He seemed to be doing fine in keeping the creature distracted, but earlier today, my scouts saw him fall from the sky after being struck by a bolt of light. He didn’t resurface after that.”

Eiwin’s expression continued to worsen. “Your men haven’t found him?”

The captain shook his head. “They didn’t have the privilege of searching. After your elder disappeared, the wolf and what remains of its horde immediately started heading west again. Some of our scouts were even caught in its path. Those that were lucky enough to survive didn’t stay around to investigate.”

“This is all wrong!” Narcha slammed her fist on the table in anger. “Hector said he was confident in keeping the wolf occupied! What changed so suddenly for him to get wounded in their exchange?!”

Orvin sighed. “Your guess is as good as mine. However, considering what we already know has been happening here, it’s not impossible to discard the involvement of a third party. But our scouts were incapable of discerning the presence of such a person.”

Red and the rest of his companions were still digesting the information. Hector, the person who they held in the highest esteem, had lost to a monster and now was possibly dead? It was too large of a shock to absorb all at once.

One person didn’t seem too affected by the information, though.

“Relax, you lot,” Rog said with a relaxed expression. “Hector is definitely not dead. I can guarantee you that.”

His words grabbed the attention of everyone in the room, including Gustav’s bodyguards.

Allen looked at the hunter eagerly. “How do you know that, Rog?”

Rog shrugged. “I just know he has survived much worse.”

They didn’t know how to react to his response. There was no logical reasoning behind his words, yet the confidence with which Rog said them made it seem like it was the most reasonable and self-evident explanation.

Even Red felt compelled to believe the hunter.

Eiwin, too, seemed to regain some of her composure.  “You’re right, Rog. There is no way Master Hector would die in that kind of situation.” She turned back to the Captain. “You need not concern yourself. He will show up again sooner or later.”

Orvin frowned but nodded. “I’m inclined to believe you, but that still doesn’t solve our problem. We now have a Greater Ring Realm monster rushing straight for our fort who could be here within the next day, and our strongest cultivator is no longer available to deal with it.”

Eiwin sighed. “I wish I could offer you our help, but the truth is self-evident. Without Master Hector’s aid, there is no one in this camp who can keep that wolf at bay.”

The reality of the situation slowly dawned on those gathered in the tent.

Narcha gritted her teeth. “Does that mean we need to retreat?”

“It is the most reasonable option,” Eiwin said. “Even if we risk getting ambushed on our return trip, at the very least we will have a chance against those monsters, while against the alpha wolf… I need not tell you that it would be a one-sided massacre.”

Captain Orvin hesitated. “I need to consult the Baron in this matter.” The man took out a talisman from his side pouch.

Eiwin raised her eyebrows when she saw this. “Your communication talisman is working?”

“Indeed,” Orvin confirmed. “Why? Is there a problem with yours?”

Eiwin exchanged a glance with her sect members. “We have been unable to activate any of our communication talismans.”

“That is indeed strange,” the captain agreed. “However, I can’t imagine the reason as to why.”

Red’s companions seemed to share the man’s bewilderment. Red, however, was already thinking of a possibility.

They had gotten these talismans from the imperials, so maybe these same imperials had a way to deactivate them remotely. However, the sect had gotten the talismans six months ago when Red stole them, and the imperials were completely aware of that, as he’d come to know.

So why wait until right now to do this? It didn’t make much sense to Red.

While Red mulled the problem over, Captain Orvin walked outside the tent and into a private area to communicate through the talisman. It took ten minutes of almost complete silence inside the tent before the man came back.

His expression upon his return, however, seemed conflicted.

“What did the Baron say?” Narcha asked with impatience.

“We are to hold our ground,” Orvin said. “He is coming over as soon as he can with a means to deal with the wolf.”

Narcha was shocked. “The Baron himself is coming over?”

The captain nodded with a troubled expression.

“Isn’t this what his enemies want?” Narcha asked. “What about the town? Is he leaving it unprotected?”

“You waste your breath asking me these questions,” Orvin shot back. “I raised the same concerns to him, but he told me everything will be taken care of, and that I should only do as he says.”

Those around the room seemed at a loss for words.

The captain continued, looking at Red and the others. “Of course, his orders only extend to his men—it does not involve your sect. We would appreciate your help in the battle to come, but he told me that if you wish to retreat, then we shouldn’t get in your way.” He looked over at Gustav’s bodyguards. “This includes you two.”

The large, masked man hesitated. “We… will need to consult with our patron.”

“Fine,” Orvin said, before turning to Eiwin. “What about you? I understand if you would like to retreat to town or go looking for your master. That being said, your help in the coming battles could prove invaluable, and we all would be most grateful for your assistance.”

The question gave Eiwin some pause, clearly conflicted by the choice presented to her. On the one hand, Hector had given her the order to keep all of their sect members safe and retreat as soon as the situation grew out of control. On the other hand, their Grand Elder was now missing and the lives of all the soldiers and townsfolk might very well be in their hands.

As much as Hector wanted Eiwin to be cold and calculating in her leadership position, when it came down to it, how could the woman ignore the plight of the others? Her uncertainty was visible on her face, but she didn’t make the decision for the group.

Instead, she looked at her companions one by one.

Narcha and Allen looked back with resolute expressions. Their opinion on the matter was clear. Rimold looked more hesitant, but he simply nodded at her, as if to indicate he would go along with whatever Eiwin thought best. As for Rog, the hunter seemed as indifferent as ever.

Her gaze finally came to rest on Red. He could tell that there were large undercurrents running below this conflict that could very well blow up in their faces before they knew it. He shared Hector’s opinion on this matter, that they all should retreat as soon as they could.

“It’s a Greater Ring Realm monster,” he said as Eiwin stared at him. “It’s a bad idea.”

He made his feelings clear. Even if the Baron had a plan, would it be wise to rely on it?

“It might be,” Eiwin said with a smile. “But we could still use your help… They could use your help.”

Red sighed. If his companions were going to stay, what choice did he have?

He simply nodded at Eiwin.

The woman seemed reassured to see this and looked back at Orvin. “We will stay and help you.”

Orvin looked relieved. “You have my most genuine thanks, Miss Eiwin. The men will all be happy to know they can count on your help tomorrow.”

“That is good,” Eiwin said. “However, I hope you understand that none of us have any intention of dying here. If the situation is beyond saving, we will retreat, and I would advise you and your men to do the same.”

“That goes without saying,” the captain said. “Our scouts are keeping us apace of the horde’s progression, so we can have a planning meeting when the time of battle is nigh. For now, you may focus on resting and recovering.” He looked over at his second-in-command. “Arrange a tent for the Water Dragon Sect. They will need their rest and a space to prepare for the battle tomorrow.”

The soldier nodded. “If you would follow me, please.”

Red and the others followed the man. They were led through the still chaotic camp towards a tent not too far from the center of the fort. This tent was fortunate enough not to have been touched by the fire.

“This is the tent of another of our officers…” the soldier said in a somber tone. “He won’t be needing it any longer, though.”

Eiwin frowned at this but didn’t say anything.

“It is not very big,” the man continued, “but it’s the biggest we have available. I will make sure our men bring you more beds and any supplies you may need.”

“Just the beds will do,” Eiwin said. “Thank you for your help.”

The soldiers bowed before walking away. They were finally left alone at the tent’s entrance.

Allen looked over at Eiwin. “Did you mean what you said about retreating?”

“I did,” she said. “We all want to help, but it’s pointless if we lose our lives because of it. It’s also my responsibility to keep all of you safe, after all.”

The young master seemed conflicted at this but just nodded.

The group started to walk into the tent. Red stood at the back, and just as he was about to enter the tent, he felt a familiar fluctuation appear not too far away from him.

He froze.

“Are you not coming in, Red?” Eiwin asked upon seeing his stiff figure at the entrance of the tent.

Red hesitated. “I… need to do something first.”

His companions looked at him strangely.

Eiwin regarded him with worry. “Make sure not to wander too far.”

“I won’t,” Red promised before walking away.

He wandered towards an empty area of the fort, while the familiar fluctuation kept a constant distance from him. He could still feel its eyes staring at his back.

Only when Red was sure there was no one close by did he stop and turn around. He looked at an empty spot not too far from him.

There was no one there as far as his eyes could see, but Red knew better. His crimson sense felt it, as clear as day.

The invisible individual.

“What do you want?” Red asked.

Chapter 23

Secret Burden

“Which sect do you belong to?” The invisible individual responded with a question of their own.

“I’m from the Water Dragon Sect,” Red said.

There was a prolonged silence after that.

He sighed. “I’m not from any large organization, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“And your necromancer skills? Where did you learn them?” the voice asked.

So they were indeed watching me.

Red hesitated. He didn’t know what faction this person belonged to, but having learned about his special skills couldn’t mean anything good. Yet, now that it was revealed, what was Red supposed to say?

“Someone taught me,” he said. “However, I’m not a necromancer, and I have no plans to become one.”

He didn’t know if this invisible individual would buy his explanation, but it was indeed the truth.

Another long silence followed it, during which Red tried to examine the invisible individual’s fluctuation. He could usually tell many things about a person using his crimson sense, but this wasn’t the case for this person. It was like there was something blocking his powers, and Red could not discern their gender, age, general emotions, or power level. Not even their voice gave anything away, as their words seemed to be transmitted directly into his ears and changed in tone every second.

The only thing he knew for certain was their general position.

There was another prolonged silence before the voice spoke again.

“I need you to repay the favor for my help.”

Red frowned. “I wasn’t aware I was going to owe you anything.”

“Yet without my help, you definitely would not have found your companions in time,” the voice said. “It stands to reason you would owe me a favor in return.”

Red didn’t bother arguing against their reasoning. “What do you need help with?”

“I need you to use your special power.”

Red hesitated. “… Which one?”

“You have more than one?”

Red winced. There was only one power they could possibly be referring to. “You need my help to detect something?”

“Not something, but someone,” the voice said.

“You mean the person who is controlling the horde?” Red started to connect the dots.

There was a pause. “Controlling is a generous term. This individual is using a treasure to spur the horde and native monsters into a frenzy, but they can only give them simple orders. The number of monsters they directly control is limited to a handful at a time, but through these combined methods, they can create a coordinated and dangerous force.”

Red recalled how the wolves had all targeted him in a bid for revenge. “You’re saying that if we kill this person, the horde will fall apart?”

“More or less. The monsters won’t simply disappear, but their threat will significantly decrease.”

Red pondered their words. “If you can’t find this person yourself, what makes you think I can do it?”

“I am not privy to the limits of your power, but I’m certain that if you can spot me, then you can spot this individual, too.”

Red was still skeptical. “I am not so certain about that. I felt nothing strange on the battlefield earlier, even after travelling through the whole fort.”

He’d already been searching the battlefield for this possible controller of the horde. But he’d found no strange fluctuations to speak of.

“What is the range of your power?” the voice asked.

“Two hundred meters or so.” Red was hesitant to divulge such information, but considering this individual already knew about his necromantic inclinations, things couldn’t get much more compromising.

“Then it is reasonable you wouldn’t spot them. They should be able to control those Lesser Ring Realm monsters from a few kilometers away.”

“If that’s the case, what makes you think I will be able to spot them at all?”

“That’s because there’s a certain range to these powers, too,” the voice explained. “The farther they are from the monster and the stronger the monster is, the harder it is to control them. For Lesser Ring Realm monsters, then a few kilometers is still doable, but for a Greater Ring Realm monster? Then I am certain they will be no farther than a hundred meters from them.”

Red’s frown deepened. “You mean they are controlling the alpha wolf, too?”

“Indeed. They most certainly have already grafted a slavery rune into the wolf’s mind to control it. It is partially why they are able to control the horde so well.”

Red was suddenly enlightened to another possibility. “Our elder Hector… Was he attacked by this individual?”

There was another silence. “Most likely, but I wasn’t there to confirm this happening.”

Red groaned inwardly. The situation kept getting worse.

“I wouldn’t worry if I were you,” the voice went on. “If half the stories I was told about your elder are true, then not even a Greater Ring Realm cultivator would have an easy time killing him.”

This was a scant comfort, but Red was willing to believe them. The elder was over a hundred years of age, with countless connections to important surviving members of his destroyed sect. How could the old man not have a few live-saving measures in case things like this happened?

Still, all these revelations brought another question to Red’s mind.

“How do you know so much about this individual?” he asked.

“It is not my first time fighting one of them,” the voice said. “Every horde always has a few of these opportunistic beast tamers hoping to create chaos and benefit from it. This tamer in particular, though, seems to be equipped with far better techniques than my sect led me to expect.”

“You are from one of the sects?”

“Yes.” The voice didn’t deny it.

“Which one?”

“The Crystal Sky Sect.”

Only the oldest and most powerful sects in the world.

Red was suddenly even more worried about his future.

“You need not fret,” the voice said. “I can give you my word that I won’t tell anyone about your peculiar powers.”

He was skeptical. “How can I trust you about that?”

“My parents are demonic cultivators,” the voice said. “Now we both know something compromising about each other.”

Red was stunned. “Why are you telling me this?”

He had a hard time believing this individual would divulge such secretive information about themselves.

“Because for this mission to succeed, I need your help, and to make sure you help me, I need you to trust me and my intentions fully,” the voice said. “Above all else, though, I am not unsympathetic nor unfamiliar to the situation you find yourself in. That is to say, I do not believe you are a bad person from observing your actions, despite your questionable powers.”

Red was still a bit skeptical. How could they trust him like this even after all they’d seen? Yet, he was convinced that the invisible individual truly needed his help to go this far.

So, for now, Red knew he had no choice but to help them.

I can make preparations for later in case they are lying and intend to eliminate me after the fact.

“You want me to get close to the alpha wolf and try to spot this individual, then?” Red asked.

“Yes,” the voice confirmed.

“How do you suppose I should do that without dying?”

He just didn’t see a way this would work. A Lesser Ring Realm monster was more than enough to kill Red in a single blow if he was careless, not to mention a Greater Ring Realm one. It was possible he could die simply from the aftershocks of one of its blows.

“I will be guarding you from afar. As long as you can spot that individual, I will save you from the ensuing battle,” the voice said. “However, I can’t reveal myself too soon, so you will need to make your way closer to the wolf by yourself.”

Red’s brows furrowed. “I doubt it will be as simple as you put it. Doesn’t he have the rest of the horde guarding him? How should I make my way past them?”

The voice didn’t respond immediately. Then, a few seconds later, Red suddenly saw something materialize in the air in front of him.

It was a slip of paper. A talisman.

He grabbed it and inspected its runes. He recognized the type.

“It is a Spiritual Bestowment Talisman,” the voice explained. “A Wind Bestowment Talisman, to be more precise. If you plaster it against your skin, you will be covered by rich Wind Spiritual Energy. Not only will your movements become much faster, but you will also be able to weave safely through the horde to get close to the alpha. It will last no more than fifteen seconds, though, so you should use it wisely.”

Red didn’t actually need the explanation. He was familiar with its effects from the time he fought the lizard demon inside the trial. This was as valuable of a talisman as one could possibly get at his level.

“What if I fail to spot this individual?” Red asked, bringing up another important issue. “Will you still save me?”

There was a pause. “If it comes down to it, then yes, I will save you even if you do fail. However, it is imperative that you succeed, or else even your companion’s lives might be in danger against that beast tamer.”

Red didn’t know whether they were telling the truth, but he had his own plans to save himself or to force the beast tamer’s hand if it came down to it.

“I have no more questions.” Red nodded. “I will do as you say.”

“Good,” the voice said. “I will be relying on you. Do not disappoint me.”

Red felt the invisible individual’s fluctuation fade away. Soon enough, he stood alone amidst the remnants of the destroyed fort.

He sighed to himself, wondering how he was supposed to explain this to his companions. Or better yet, if he should explain this to them at all.

Red made his way back to his camp, passing through a few soldiers sifting through the destruction and gathering corpses. They gave him weird looks, surprised to see a child wandering alone in the middle of such a grisly battlefield, but they said nothing.

Just as Red was about to arrive back at his tent, he saw someone waiting in his path for him. It was Narcha.

The woman seemed to spot him at the same time as he did her.

She approached him and stared at him with suspicion.

“So,” she said. “What kind of secret and reckless plans have you cooked up now?”

Chapter 24

Scheming

Red hesitated and looked around. “We shouldn’t speak about this here.”

It didn’t seem like anyone was paying attention to their conversation, but he would rather not risk it.

Narcha grunted. “Let’s go back to the tent, then.”

“No. Let’s talk somewhere else.”

The woman frowned in suspicion. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want the others to hear our conversation.”

Narcha looked taken aback by his sincere response. Still, this only made her gaze more wary.

Red, however, stared back at her with his impassive and cold eyes, giving nothing away. A few seconds later, the woman nodded with some reluctance.

“Fine,” she said. “But this better be worth keeping from the others.”

Red led her away from the working soldiers. Only when they were in a rather isolated part of the fort, and he was sure no one was spying on them, did he stop walking and look back at Narcha.

“So, what is it you wanted to tell me?” the woman asked with impatience.

“I met someone.”

The woman’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. “Met who?”

“Our invisible guest from the meeting with the Baron.”

Red felt the woman’s fluctuation stir, although her emotional reaction was evident in her face.

She paused for a moment, as if considering her words. “Who is it, then?”

“A cultivator from the Crystal Sky Sect.”

Another wave of surprise washed over Narcha’s face, stronger this time. “Are they here to help us with the horde?”

Red nodded. “More or less. However, they also need my help.”

“Huh? How so?”

“They confirmed there is someone behind this horde, like we theorized earlier. However, that person is using some special methods to hide themselves from this cultivator’s senses. That is where they need my help.”

The woman had a realization. “They know about your powers?”

Red sighed. “They know more than just about my powers. I can’t tell how long they’ve been spying on me, but they saw the technique I used to get rid of your ghosts.”

Narcha’s face fell. “That… Are you aware of how much danger you might be in because of that?”

“I am completely aware,” he said. “Yet they told me they wouldn’t tell anyone about it, and I find myself with no choice but to help them with this task, for all our sakes.”

“Do you trust them?” Narcha seemed skeptical.

“Absolutely not. However, they also told me some compromising information about them as a way to make me believe them, or so they claimed. I don’t know whether to trust them with it, but even if they were lying about it, this could still be a huge scandal to their sect’s image if it were revealed.”

Narcha expression grew serious. “Are you not worried they will silence us after the fact to keep that information hidden?”

“That would be even worse for them, as the only way they would be able to keep their actions a secret was if they killed everyone in the fort,” Red said. “Not to mention, Hector is still out there, and even without him, we have someone in our midst with deep connections to the survivors of the Ocean Bearer’s Sect.”

The woman sighed. “Allen.”

“Exactly. We know his parents were important people in their sect, and I can’t imagine the death of their child or their master would be ignored by the survivors... Still, this is all just speculation. At the end of the day, this invisible individual can kill us all on a whim, which is why no matter how many assurances they give us, we can never truly trust them.”

Narcha looked extremely conflicted at this revelation. “Why are you telling me this? Why not let the others know as well?”

“Did you come here at Eiwin’s prompting?” Red responded with a question of his own.

The woman hesitated but nodded. “She suspects you’re going to do something reckless and sent me to investigate. I couldn’t find you, though, so I just decided to wait by the tent.”

“Then I need you to convince her otherwise,” Red told her, “so I may act without issues tomorrow.”

“What are you planning on doing?” Narcha asked.

“Something reckless.”

She glared at him. “And I’m supposed to just go along with that and lie to her? Why can’t we help?”

“You wouldn’t be able to help even if you wanted to,” Red answered. “Besides, I’ll have my own personal protection. They won’t let me die as long as I have a use for them—that much I know for certain.”

“This is still too risky!” Narcha remained unconvinced. “You’re still just playing with your life right now!”

“You’re right.” He didn’t deny her claims. “Which is why we need to inform our sect members back in town about what’s happening, too. That way, this information won’t die here with us, and we’ll have a guarantee for our safety.”

“That is a good idea, but our talismans… Wait!” Her eyes widened in realization. “We can ask Orvin for his talismans!”

“Indeed.” Red nodded. “That’s where you come in. I imagine Eiwin is going to suggest sending someone to speak to Orvin about this exact matter, but I presume she’s going to do it herself. You need to insist on going in her place and convince Orvin about this yourself.”

“This…” Narcha had a troubled expression. “You want me to convince both of them?”

“It shouldn’t be a problem to convince Orvin. You have more than enough justification in Hector’s disappearance to speak with our sect members still in town. The hard part will be to convince Eiwin, but even if you make her suspicious, it’s fine as long as you can accomplish what I asked of you.”

“This all seems… so elaborate.” She hesitated. “I’m not even that good at lying! Eiwin will see through me easily! What if she insists on it?!”

Red paused, thinking. “You’re still feeling the effects of your possession, right?”

“This…” Narcha looked reluctant to speak about it.

“We do not need to talk about this right now if you’re up to it,” Red cut her off. “All that matters is that you can use it as an excuse. Here is what you should say…”

Ten minutes later, Red and Narcha returned to the tent.

“Finally!” Rimold threw his hands up in relief. “I thought we would be waiting here all night for you two!”

Narcha glared at him. “Don’t blame me! It was the kid who was taking his time!”

The rogue snorted and looked over at Red. “What were you even doing out there?”

“Just taking care of some matters.”

Rimold glared at him with suspicion, but seeing that no one else seemed to mind Red’s behavior, he decided to let it go. He had learned over the past six months that Red was full of mysteries, and it was pointless to go digging into them.

The rogue looked over at Eiwin. “Can we start now?”

“Sure.” Eiwin nodded after giving Red and Narcha a deep look. “We can begin to discuss our strategies for tomorrow’s battle.”

The soldiers had brought along a few bed rolls and chairs to the tent, so the group sat around the room in various positions as they discussed their course of action. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to say about their battle plans that hadn’t already been said in the meeting with Captain Orvin.

They already knew their formations and each other’s combat style, but they didn’t really know what to expect from their enemy. Red and his companions presumed the Baron would be the one to deal with the alpha wolf, and some of them even hoped for their elder’s return before then. However, before the time of battle came, the preparations they could arrange would be kept to a minimum.

Beyond that, the only thing they could plan for was their possible retreat, and as the discussion went in that direction, it was only a matter of time before someone raised the subject Red and Narcha were waiting for.

“Can’t we use Orvin’s talismans to communicate with our sect?” Rimold asked. “Ours might not be working, but we already saw he has a straight communication channel to the Baron.”

“I was thinking about that myself, but I thought it was better to approach the Captain about it at another time, when Gustav’s bodyguards were not in the room, more specifically,” Eiwin said. “We need to inform Master Domeron and Master Goulth about the developments out here. They need to be prepared for the worst.”

“Let me go talk to Captain Orvin about it,” Narcha suddenly interjected.

“You want to go talk to him about it?” Eiwin seemed shocked.

“What of it?” The warrior frowned.

Rimold snorted. “How many times have you and Orvin almost come to blows back in town? If we send you to speak to him, we will probably be denied!”

Narcha didn’t respond, instead looking away with a troubled expression, as if she wanted to say something, but was hesitant to do it.

Red held his breath in expectation. Now came the moment of truth.

Eiwin, of course, immediately picked up on Narcha’s expression. “Why do you wish to speak with Captain Orvin?”

The warrior hesitated. Red thought that her gaze was about to wander to him and give it all away, but she held herself back in the end.

Narcha gritted her teeth. “I don’t want to speak with that damn old man! I just want to speak to Domeron and Goulth!”

“Speak about what?” Allen asked with genuine curiosity.

The warrior didn’t respond, looking away again with an irritated expression.

Eiwin sighed. “You can go and report back to our sect if you want to, Miss Valt. Who does the talking doesn’t matter, and if you want to ask something personal to the masters, then you may feel free to do so. That being said, are you certain you can convince Captain Orvin about this?”

“The old man might hate her guts, but he’s not one to put personal feelings above doing his job,” Rog said, scratching his beard. “She should be fine.”

The younger woman nodded. “You’re right. In which case, there is truly nothing for us to concern ourselves about… However, are you sure everything is fine, Miss Valt?”

Eiwin tried to probe her companion in a tactful way, but Narcha only looked even more irritated. “I said it’s fine! I just need to ask them something!”

Eiwin seemed surprised at her outburst, but she readily agreed. “Fine. Then go ahead—we will be waiting for you.”

Narcha left the tent with hurried steps, her anger being genuine as far as Red could tell. The woman didn’t like being interrogated or probed in front of everyone, so it stood to reason something like this would anger her. It all played to the benefit of the Red’s plans.

Rimold shook his head as he watched her leave. “This is a horrible idea.”

No one responded, and the group waited in silence for her return.

It came half an hour later.

Narcha flipped the tent’s flap up and entered their room. The woman looked far more relaxed than she when she had first left, but that wasn’t saying much.

Immediately, everyone’s eyes turned to her.

“Did you speak with them?” Allen asked eagerly. “What did they say?”

“I did speak with them, but…” Narcha hesitated.

Red’s heart skipped a beat. Did something go wrong with their plan?

“But what?” Allen urged her on.

“Domeron just said that Hector is definitely not dead, and there’s no way a monster or cultivator below the Spirit Core Realm could kill him,” Narcha said.

There was silence in the room.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Rimold asked. “If he’s still alive, why hasn’t he come back to us or even attempted communication?”

“It means he is either wounded or just biding his time,” Red suggested, looking over at Narcha with a meaningful gaze. “In which case, we should do the same and wait, right?”

The warrior nodded back. “That is what Domeron said.”

Red felt relieved. With that, his plan had succeeded without issues, and he had another guarantee that the cultivator wouldn’t kill him after everything was said and done.

This, however, was the simple part. Now came the part where Red was supposed to approach a Greater Ring Realm monster without dying.

Chapter 25

The Pack Arrives

The group decided to sleep after going over their plans once more. However, considering they were under the threat of a horde attack at any time, no one was too keen to close their eyes, Red included.

Thankfully, morning arrived with no overnight attacks. Yet, none of them got more than a few hours of sleep. As they exited from their tent, it was clear that others in the ruined fort had shared their restless night.

Soldiers were still busy moving items and bodies everywhere, and there was an atmosphere of anxiety and fear permeating the camp. The usual feeling before a life-or-death battle, or so Red presumed.

His group had barely taken a step outside their tent when they spotted a soldier waiting for them. He approached the group.

“Captain Orvin requests your urgent presence in his tent,” the man said, looking at Eiwin.

The woman nodded. “We were just going there.”

Red and his companions made their way to the command tent. However, he noticed something peculiar around the fort on their way over. “They’re not repairing the walls.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Rimold replied. “You saw how much those log walls helped them yesterday. They can barely be used as a weak first line of defense, but against these wolves, I doubt they will be much use.”

Red remained skeptical. Just after the battle, he’d seen the soldiers scrambling to rebuild the walls at Orvin’s orders, so what had changed? He decided to let the matter go for now.

As they got closer, Red felt a few familiar fluctuations inside the tent. Captain Orvin and Gustav’s bodyguards were there, but what caught his attention was another strong fluctuation belonging to someone he’d met less than a week ago.

Red looked at his companions. “The Baron is here.”

“Already?” Narcha seemed surprised. “Did he travel nonstop through the night?”

Rimold grunted. “That’s still two days of travel for us. Even a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator would take some time to arrive.”

“Let us go inside,” Eiwin said, cutting their discussion short. “The Baron himself can explain what happened when we meet him.”

The younger woman led the way inside. Sure enough, as soon as they entered the tent, they were met with the Baron’s figure at the head of the table, occupied as he read something in his hands.

“Lord Baron, you’re already here?” Eiwin was smart enough to feign some surprise.

“Ah, Miss Eiwin.” The man put the paper down. “I arrived at the crack of dawn. I had to make my way here in a hurry, though, so most of the camp is still unaware of my presence.”

“You came here alone?” Eiwin looked genuinely surprised this time.

The Baron smiled. “Of course. In as much of a hurry as I was, how could I bring anyone else with me and still arrive in time?”

Red still had a hard time imagining the graceful Baron doing any kind of physical activity, but the proof of his might was right there in his fluctuation.

He also gauged the reactions of others inside the room. Gustav’s bodyguards still betrayed no emotion either behind their masks or their fluctuations. As for Captain Orvin, he had a badly disguised expression of irritation on his face.

The Baron continued. “There are some matters I need to discuss with you, but first we need to make you aware of our latest reports.” He looked over at Orvin. “Captain, if you would.”

“Yes, my lord.” The Captain looked over at the group. “It seems like the surrounding native monsters and the surviving creatures of the first wave have returned to their usual behavior. Some of them are still fighting and vying for territory right now, as it should have been happening in the first place.”

Narcha frowned. “You mean we don’t need to worry about them attacking right now?”

“It seems to be the case, yes.” Orvin nodded. “However, if they do end up attacking us, I can guarantee we will not be caught off-guard again.”

The group looked relieved at this revelation.

Rog, however, had a thoughtful expression. “I wonder what prompted this sudden change in behavior.”

The Captain shook his head. “We don’t know for certain, but we still have to assume that whoever was behind this is still around, biding their time.”

Red could warrant a guess as to why the native monsters had gone back to normal. As that invisible cultivator had explained, the beast tamer’s control over his creatures was limited by distance. If he was intent on controlling the alpha wolf for the next battle, then obviously he couldn’t go about gathering an army of lesser monsters.

“What about the wolves?” Narcha asked. “How long until they arrive?”

“Between three to four hours,” Captain Orvin said. “We won’t be able to get the fort back in proper shape before then, so we have decided to forego its shelter and meet them right at the river line.”

The warrior grunted. “And the alpha? What will you do about it?”

The Captain’s expression worsened, and he didn’t respond.

“I will deal with it,” the Baron interjected. “Or at the very least, delay it for now.”

“A most terrible idea,” Orvin said disapprovingly. “You are no Hector, and to presume you can achieve the same as him is foolish.”

The Baron sighed. “I know my own limitations, yet what other choice do we have? I’m the only one that can keep the wolf from massacring our men, even if only for a few minutes.”

The Captain remained unconvinced. “What will a few minutes afford us? The wolf will still just beat you senseless in the end, and we won’t even be through with half the horde. We should have retreated while we still had the time.”

The Baron hesitated. “That… is not a choice we had the luxury of making.”

His mysterious words left Red and the others puzzled. But before anyone could ask about it, the Baron moved on.

He looked over at Red’s group. “Do you think Hector is still alive?”

The question caught them off guard.

Eiwin, however, simply nodded. “We do.”

“Do you think he will be here tomorrow?” the Baron asked.

“That…” She hesitated. “I can’t say it for certain, but if he’s still alive, then he most definitely will be making his way over in a hurry. As for whether or not he will arrive in time, that I cannot promise you.”

The Baron frowned. “I made a promise to him that I would look after his sect if something happened to him, and I intend to keep it. If something goes wrong, or it seems like the tides of battle are going against us, I give you my permission to retreat without question. In fact, I want you to retreat without question. Is that clear?”

“I…” Eiwin seemed stumped at these words. “We will do as you say.”

“Good,” the man said. “I have left plans on how to proceed with my trusted subordinates who remained behind, in case we can’t stop the horde here. You would do well to approach them if it comes down to that.”

No one offered any protests to his plans.

Once more, they went over their strategy for the upcoming battle. The Baron would deal with the alpha wolf, Gustav’s bodyguards would deal with the Lesser Ring Realm monsters, while Red and his companions would act as a free force to reinforce their allies where they were needed.

Earlier estimates spoke of at least six Lesser Ring wolves in the next wave of the horde, which was more than Gustav’s bodyguards could deal with at once. This meant that Red’s sect would be required to fight a few of them, at least. They still had a few talismans at their disposal, but it was questionable whether it would be enough for the upcoming battle.

Of course, Red had his own plans, which were probably more risky than anything the group had in mind. He could feel Narcha throwing him some meaningful gazes now and then, but thankfully for him, no one seemed to notice.

Once their meeting was over, the group left the tent with heavy hearts.

Now, all they could do was wait until the moment of truth.

A few hours later, their forces gathered at the river line.

The army was a hubbub of whispers once they noticed their Baron was in their midst. Still, knowing that their lord would fight alongside them for the upcoming battle served as a much needed morale booster for the soldiers.

Their formation was composed of a line of a few hundred soldiers, with a few dozen archers to offer them support in the back line. These types of formations were merely a formality, though, strategies meant for battle against other human armies. Against monsters and their enormous strength, it was likely they would be unable to keep any kind of semblance of formation once the first clash was over, and the ensuing battle would devolve into a chaotic melee. Still, the soldiers knew they needed to do their best to act in tandem if they were to have any chances of winning this battle.

The Baron himself stood at the very front of the army, flanked by Gustav’s two bodyguards, who seemed to be in fine health as far as Red could tell. As for the sect, they stood amidst the soldier’s vanguard alongside Captain Orvin.

It didn’t matter how strong they were, the first clash against a horde would always be the worst one. The Lesser Ring Realm cultivators and monsters would generally take the charge at the front, as no one beneath that level could survive such an initial impact.

Other than the sounds of the flowing river, there was almost absolute silence within the army. Red and his companions were focused too, with steely expressions and their weapons at the ready. At least, most of them were.

Allen, on the other hand, looked extremely nervous, a fact that was made apparent by his trembling hands and anxious face. Red thought this was a reasonable reaction. It didn’t matter how much stronger the young master was than the average soldier, he was still just a child. This kind of situation was too much for even most adults to handle.

Eiwin put a hand on Allen’s back in an attempt to comfort him. “Just stay close to us and everything will be fine.”

The young master nodded, and his worries seemed at least partially assuaged.

They waited for ten minutes in their formation, but there were still no signs of the horde which was supposed to arrive at any moment. Sounds of hushed conversation started to spread amidst the soldiers when suddenly… they heard it.

A howl.

The sound lasted for almost ten seconds. It was so deep and penetrating that it sent a shiver down everyone’s spines. It seemed to pierce into their soul and mind alike, and even after the sound was gone, Red swore he could still hear it echoing in his head.

No words needed to be said between them to recognize what beast that howl belonged to.

“Get ready!” Orvin shouted as he raised his sword in preparation.

The horde was upon them.

Chapter 26

First Clash

The sounds of howling and claws pounding against the dirt grew louder and louder. Then, a few seconds later, they spotted the first movements amidst the trees on the other side of the river.

The wolves’ white fur stood out against the brown and green of the forest, and soon enough, it was all they could see in front of them. One by one, the canine monsters charged forward, emerging from between the trees as they approached the river line.

The tension in the army reached a crescendo.

“Steady now!” Orvin called out to them.

His words had a limited effect, but at least no guards seemed intent on deserting.

The wolves weren’t eager to charge ahead either, waiting and staring at the humans on the other side of the wide river with bloodthirsty eyes. At the front of this monster army were six larger white wolves which seemed to have led the charge.

Red’s crimson sense couldn’t reach them from this side, but he had enough experience to tell these were all Lesser Ring Realm monsters. 

It took the beasts a minute to gather outside the tree line, upon which he counted about sixty wolves.

Less than half the human’s number, yet quantity meant little when fighting monsters. There was, however, the absence of one wolf in particular, which left them all puzzled.

“Where is the alpha wolf?” Rimold asked in confusion.

His question was answered a few seconds later. They heard trees toppling behind the wolf army, and from behind them, they finally saw it. A gigantic monster stepped out of the foliage, breaking trees like it was nothing to make its way through.

Everyone held their breaths. This wolf was easily twice the size of even its Lesser Ring Realm counterparts, standing well over three meters tall. Its fur glimmered with an icy mist, and its eyes seemed to glow with a strange light as it stared at the humans across the river. There was no rage or madness in its gaze, and instead the creature seemed to carry an intelligence unbefitting of a monster.

It sat there, watching them, as if examining its enemies and devising a plan of attack. No one made the first move, and for a second, there was an eerie silence on both sides of the river.

Then the alpha raised its head and let out another deep howl. Red and everyone around him covered their ears with pained expressions until the sound was gone.

However, that seemed to be the signal for the battle to start.

The six leading Lesser Ring Realm monsters charged ahead towards the river, the other wolves all following behind them. For a second, Red thought they would just wade through the rushing waters, something that would work to the humans’ advantage.

But as soon as the leading wolves stepped into the water, the river surface froze beneath them, forming a solid path they could walk on.

Allen’s eyes widened in shock. “They can do that?”

Not only were they capable, but the path they created seemed to last long enough for their brethren who couldn’t use Spiritual Energy to run across too. Suddenly, there were dozens of wolves making their way over the river.

Orvin saw this and raised his hand. “Shoot the ice beneath their feet!”

The archers did as much. Volleys of arrows rained down on the monsters, but most of them ended up lodged in the creatures’ backs to limited effect. Those that did manage to hit the ice were unable to crack the solid surface. Well, all except for one arrow in particular.

Rog let out a shot of his own. The arrow whistled through the air with incredible force before hitting the ice and breaking it apart. A Lesser Ring Realm wolf and many of its smaller brethren fell into the river all at once, struggling against the flow.

Yet there were five other paths that continued unabated, and before Rog could shoot any more of them, they were already more than halfway across the river. 

Orvin raised his sword and looked at his men. “Brace for impact!”

On the other side of the river, the alpha wolf finally stirred into movement. As soon as that happened, the Baron also charged.

He suddenly jumped with incredible speed towards the other side of the river. His initial impulse seemed to carry him to the other side in a single movement, and both the wolves and the humans watched in wonder and shock as the Baron flew over their heads.

The alpha wolf, of course, noticed this too. It stopped moving, growling at the approaching human before opening its mouth wide. A huge gout of white mist shot out of its throat at incredible speed towards the flying Baron, freezing the air it passed through.

It looked as if there was no way the man would be able to dodge it, and he didn’t try to either. Instead, the white mist crashed against a round, invisible barrier surrounding the Baron and was deflected to the sides without touching his body.

Red stared at this in wonder. He was certain the man never used a barrier talisman, so was the shield conjured out of his own Spiritual Energy? Red didn’t have the time to think too much about it as he watched the Baron charging through the air towards his target.

The wolf didn’t seem bothered by the fact that its initial attack hadn’t worked. It raised one of its paws, seeking to rip the man apart with its sword-sized claws. The Baron kept flying in his straight path, unable to change directions, and it seemed as if he was about to dash straight into his own death.

Everyone held their breaths.

Then, all of a sudden, Red saw something flash out of the Baron’s figure. A green light made a straight line towards the claw, clashing into it and making it change directions. This allowed the man to charge straight past the wolf and towards its back.

The wolf growled in annoyance. Whatever clashed against its paw didn’t seem to have hurt it, though, so the monster simply turned around and tried to bite the Baron, who had just landed on the ground.

There was another green flash of light. This time it hit the wolf’s snout, making it flinch and allowing the Baron to dodge out of the way. The wolf seemed to be increasingly angered, and it tried to chase after the man in a bout of frenzied strikes. Yet, every time, this green line appeared out of nowhere and distracted the wolf long enough for the Baron to avoid being hit.

Trees around the monster were destroyed, and the very ground seemed to freeze over from the savagery and strength of its attacks. However, it was unable to hit the Baron no matter how hard it tried.

Red squinted and for the first time caught a glimpse of the true appearance of this green light.

It’s… a flying dagger?

He was extremely confused.

“Don’t be distracted!” Orvin called them all to attention. “They’re charging again!”

The wolves, too, had their attention diverted by the fight happening behind them. Yet, now they seemed to have regained their focus, charging through the river towards the humans. In a few seconds, there was no more than a few dozen meters between them.

Gustav’s bodyguards took out their weapons, and both of them suddenly started to glow with a bright yellow light, which Red recognized from their fight yesterday. Their fluctuations suddenly began to strengthen in his crimson sense as they brace themselves for the clash.

Then the moment finally came. Four of the leading wolves charged at the bodyguards with surprising coordination, hoping to overwhelm them in a single attack. Yet they were met with the pair’s steel-like defense and strength, as they blocked their bites and scratches with their weapons without losing any ground.

Red couldn’t see what happened next, though, as one of the Lesser Ring Realm wolves disengaged, making their way around the fight and charging at him and his companions.

“Crap!” Narcha raised her saber and ran ahead to put herself in front of them.

Its claw hit against her saber and sent her flying backwards. She crashed against the soldier’s line, making them stumble, yet the wolf was momentarily stopped in its tracks. It tried to follow up before an arrow and a dagger clashed into its side, sliding off its icy fur.

It howled in anger, looking over at Rog and Rimold, but Eiwin took the opportunity to flank it and strike at its front leg with a well-placed kick. The wolf stumbled, and Rog suddenly shot another arrow into it, this time managing to pierce its fur. The monster howled in pain.

Narcha recovered from the impact and got up, eager to rejoin the fight. They were about to press their advantage and kill the monster before the rest of its brethren arrived. A tide of dozens of wolves suddenly crashed into the human army, many of them jumping to the rescue of one of their leaders.

Eiwin had no choice but to step back as the monsters tried to surround her.

The beast horde’s impact roiled through the soldier’s line. The men in the vanguard lost their balance, crashing back into the companions as the wolves struck with their entire weight against their shields. Sounds of splintered wood, ripping flesh, and screams of pain resounded through the battlefield all at once.

Red could barely see what was happening as he felt multiple fluctuations being snuffed out in an instant. He stood behind Narcha and Eiwin as the women held against the initial charge of the horde, ravenous creatures reaching and attacking with their claws and vicious bites, hoping to find purchase in anything. Still, his companions lost no ground and pushed the wolves back.

Red’s vision suddenly cleared, and he looked around, assessing the battlefield. The line had barely held, but now the wolves had lost the momentum behind their initial charge. And he did notice something strange.

There’s not as many wolves attacking us.

Perhaps they were deliberately avoiding the strongest section of the army. It seemed like this strategy was paying off as they focused on the weaker guards.

The wolves threw themselves again and again against the soldier’s shields without regard for their lives, and eventually their sacrifices paid off. The soldiers couldn’t hold against such vicious attacks, and their line soon collapsed as the monsters flooded through and forcefully split the army into multiple parts. The fight descended into a chaotic melee. However, Red’s companions, who were all located at the center of the army, couldn’t focus on that as the Lesser Ring Realm wolf charged forward again.

Red had a bad feeling about the situation, and his suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later.

The wolves all around the battlefield suddenly disengaged from their immediate opponents and collapsed inwards, pushing towards the center of the army in unison—towards Red and his companions.

He shivered. “They’re trying to surround us!”

It seemed the wolves had a definite target in mind.

Chapter 27

Soaring Over the Enemy

Red’s companions noticed as much on their own, but before they could do anything, the wolves in front of them took this as their cue. They started to push forward, giving Red’s group less and less space to act.

At this point, there were already wolves reaching around Narcha and Eiwin, who were busy fighting the Lesser Ring Realm monster. If they were surrounded, then there was no question they would fall.

Rog and Rimold, who were a bit farther behind them, were already doing their best to keep the monsters off the women, but in doing so, they were kept from attacking the stronger wolf. This only caused Narcha’s and Eiwin’s situation to worsen, as they could barely keep the wolf at bay by themselves.

They needed help.

Red frowned. “Allen, with me!”

The young master nodded with a fearful expression. They charged towards Narcha’s left, coming face-to-face with a wolf. It jumped forward with a growl, hoping to bite Red’s head off in a single motion. Red, however, managed to sidestep it and slash one of its legs off with his sword.

Allen, who was waiting behind him, took the opportunity to finish off the wolf with a stab to its throat. Their cooperation and movements were fluid, and neither of them took any time to consider their dead enemy before moving onto the next.

Some soldiers were also fighting by their side, allowing the boys to focus on one wolf at a time. Red still had enough space to dodge and do his work, but it was getting harder and harder as the rest of the army was pushed in by the wolves.

In less than a minute, his greatest advantage would be gone, and it didn’t seem like the wolves were dying as quickly as they needed to. Red looked over beyond the river.

The situation with the Baron and the alpha had suddenly changed. There was now a thick white mist surrounding the wolf’s vicinity, and the green light seemed to slow down whenever it passed through it. The image of the flying dagger became more distinct, and Red could see it was covered in a layer of ice.

It was weakened, slower.

No longer inhibited by the annoyance of the magic weapon, the wolf could focus wholly on the Baron. The man was quickly finding it harder to dodge and keep himself alive.

Just as Red was considering what to do, he felt a strong fluctuation suddenly move across the battlefield towards them. He shivered.

“Narcha, Eiwin—look out!”

His voice reached them even across the chaotic battlefield. An enormous wolf suddenly soared over the rest of the combatants, reaching towards Eiwin with its extended claws. The younger woman didn’t have enough time to react, but Narcha jumped in front of her with her saber at the last second.

This time, the warrior wasn’t so lucky. One of the wolf’s claws dug into her shoulder, cutting through her leather armor like it was paper and piercing her skin. Narcha flew back from the impact of the blow, crashing into Rog almost ten meters behind her.

Both of them were sent sprawling to the ground.

“Narcha!” Eiwin looked back in horror.

At that moment, the other Lesser Ring Realm wolf chose to attack. It lifted its claw, hoping to tear Eiwin apart, before it suddenly felt two stabbing pangs at its back.

It looked back in pain and anger, noticing Red and Allen stabbing their swords into its hind legs, to limited effect. Red felt the temperature around him drop even further, and a sudden white mist blew outwards from its skin.

Red and Allen were sent flying back as their bodies were covered with a thin layer of ice. Red shivered from the sudden drop in temperature, but his sect uniform did its work to keep his body from freezing over.

Then, all of a sudden, he felt another strong fluctuation appear. This one, however, he recognized.

He looked up, noticing Eiwin’s skin glowing with a silver light as she blocked the attacks of both Lesser Ring Realm wolves.

Again?

Red wasn’t privy to all the details of Eiwin’s powers, but he knew for certain that she couldn’t use it again before both a long rest and using Goulth’s medicine to keep herself from dying. She had just used it yesterday against Narcha’s ghost, so how could she do it again so soon?

Red’s worries were proven correct, as he felt Eiwin’s fluctuation peak at a far lower level than he was used to. Her power-up this time was far weaker, and this showed itself against the wolves.

The woman barely had enough strength to keep the creatures at bay. The wolves left her no quarter either, pressing forward with their claws and teeth without hesitation.

Red looked around, assessing the battlefield.

Narcha seemed to be struggling to get up with her bleeding shoulder, while Rog was trying to reach for his bow again, which he’d dropped in their clash. Rimold continued to throw his daggers at the approaching wolves, but even he was forced to stop attacking and use a barrier talisman as the monsters finally reached him.

The wolves were closing in from all sides, barely giving them enough space to breathe. Red couldn’t tell how the rest of the army was faring, but even if they could kill these wolves, it might be too late for him and his companions by then.

Allen was also trying to recover from the white mist by Red’s side. For a second, the two boys seemed to be forgotten by the monsters as they lay behind the two Lesser Ring Realm wolves.

Red frowned, finally coming to a decision. “You have talismans, right?”

Allen seemed surprised. “T-Two, yes…”

“Here, take it.” Red handed over his omnidirectional shield to the young master. “I need you to help Eiwin. Use everything you have at your disposal.”

Allen seemed hesitant. “B-but what are you…”

“Just do as I say!” Red cut him off. “Our lives might depend on it!”

The young master put on a resolute expression and nodded.

Now that Red thought back on it, perhaps they were naïve to think they would be able to retreat with no issues. Still, he didn’t expect the wolves to show such focus towards killing him and his sect members. But considering the monsters were controlled by a cultivator, perhaps they should have expected it.

The smarter choice would have been not to fight at all, but now that they were here, there was no other way out.

Red didn’t pay attention to Allen any longer. He needed to trust the young master to do his part, or they would all die anyway.

He picked out the Wind Bestowment talisman from his pouch before plastering it against his own arm and chanting. The talisman took a few seconds to activate, during which it emitted a lot of Spiritual Energy, which caught the attention of both wolves and humans around the battlefield.

The two Lesser Ring Realm wolves looked back, seemingly having learned their lesson from yesterday. When they saw the energy flowing in Red’s hands, they didn’t hesitate and immediately charged at him.

Red was unsure on whether he had enough time for the talisman to activate before moving. Thankfully, however, his companions were quick to react.

Eiwin jumped forward and grabbed one of the wolves by their tail, pulling it back. This still left one, however, which jumped at Red with its open maw.

He tried to dodge to the side, but he didn’t know if he would have enough time to escape. Suddenly, Allen came charging from his side against the wolf’s head, altering its trajectory just enough for Red to get out of the way.

He didn’t look back and started to run. Every wolf in his vicinity started to charge at him, drawn by the sudden appearance of Spiritual Energy. By this point, however, the talisman had enough time to activate, and Red felt a sudden surge of wind surround his body.

He pushed against the ground with his legs, soaring over the attacking wolves. They tried to jump and reach him in the air, but Red managed to weave past their attacks with the help of the wind surrounding his body.

He landed on the ground, behind the wolves and right in front of the river line. The river was at least five hundred meters in width, and Red doubted he could make his way over in a single jump like the Baron.

However, there was no hesitation in his steps as he jumped forward, led by pure instincts. He made his way over the river as far as he could, but just as he expected, it was barely one fourth of the way across. It looked as if he was about to crash down onto the water, but just as his feet were about to touch the river’s surface, he felt himself step onto something solid.

Red pushed against it, and he was once more soaring through the air. The same scene repeated another three times, as he seemed to step on something invisible that offered him enough support for another jump. Two seconds later, he was nearing the alpha and the Baron.

From seeing this wolf fight, he’d learned a fundamental difference between monsters in the Lesser Ring Realm and those in the Greater Ring Realm. Those at the Lesser Ring Realm could use Spiritual Energy to a certain degree, but they resembled children trying to familiarize themselves with a complex tool. They didn’t have the expertise to do more than rough and simple tricks with it.

This wolf, however, was the opposite. It weaved Spiritual Energy around its body like a protective barrier, a mist of ice that slowed down anything that entered its vicinity. Every single one of its steps and attacks seemed to be filled with Ice Spiritual Energy, evident by the layer of thick ice everywhere its claws passed.

Only now did Red recognize how dangerous his task was. Still, he didn’t stop.

He finally reached the two-hundred-meter range of the wolf and felt its overwhelming fluctuation. Yet, he didn’t sense anyone else around it. He needed to get closer.

Red landed on the other side of the river and charged towards the wolf. His approach wasn’t unnoticed by the monster. It turned around and let out a growl at Red before sending out a breath of white mist through its gullet in his direction.

The stream of mist moved at such incredible speeds that Red knew he couldn’t dodge it, even under his improved state, and it seemed so strong that he knew no talisman in his possession could block it. Such a casual motion from this creature was more than enough to kill a mortal like him.

“It’s your time to pull through!” Red shouted.

These words of his were but a gamble, yet if the invisible person cared so much about their mission, then they would save him. It was their only choice. It was his only choice too.

Suddenly, a bright orange barrier appeared in front of Red, blocking the mist. This allowed Red to continue approaching the wolf, and a few seconds later, he felt it.

A fluctuation behind the wolf, near the tree line, so faint Red could miss it if he wasn’t looking for it. Yet he knew it—this was his target.

He pulled back his arm in a single motion and threw his sword in the direction of the invisible presence.

“Follow my sword!” Red called out again.

As soon as Red’s sword left his arm, a tornado of fire struck the very location he was looking at.

Chapter 28

The Beast Master

The explosion of fire resounded throughout the entire battlefield. All the fighting seemed to stop, and everyone’s attention was drawn to this enormous tower of flames that reached up into the sky.

Red himself froze on the spot as the wave of heat hit his body. He stared at the fire in horror and awe, but a few seconds later, the flames dissipated and died down. He didn’t forget his current assignment, either. He focused on his crimson sense, searching for the fluctuation he felt in that spot mere moments ago.

It was no longer there.

Did they miss?

Just as Red was about to question himself, he felt another fluctuation suddenly appear in his crimson sense right above the alpha wolf. This presence was strong, even stronger than the Greater Ring Realm monster, and it seemed to stir in rage.

Red looked over at the wolf. Then he saw it.

A human figure, floating in the air above the monster. Its body seemed to be half consumed by flames, though which were quickly dying down. As the fire disappeared, Red was offered a glimpse of the person’s appearance.

It was a bald, middle-aged man of a diminutive stature. He wore patched-up clothing made up of various furs and animal hides, resembling a savage in appearance. His facial features did him no favors either. His face seemed weathered and full of scars, one of which included a missing left ear, with sharp features and eyes set a bit too far apart to look natural.

Red was immediately able to guess his identity.

The beast master.

The man’s expression twisted in rage, and his eyes searched around the battlefield before settling on Red. Killing intent flared in his expression, and Red shivered.

The beast master roared in a hoarse voice. “Little bastard!”

The wolf the man was floating over seemed to share its anger and opened its mouth wide. Red didn’t hesitate and turned to run. He heard another bout of ice mist coming in his direction and knew he had no chance to dodge it.

Then, a moment later, he felt another fluctuation on par with the beast master appear behind him. There was a sudden explosion of Spiritual Energy, and the death Red was expecting didn’t arrive.

He stopped running and turned around. He finally saw the figure of his savior.

A tall woman stood in front of him with a raised hand glowing with an orange energy that deflected the ice mist. Her black hair was tied in a long braid that reached her waist, and she wore a dark blue martial robe embroidered with fine golden lines. There were no pouches or items on her person other than a silvery ring on her lifted hand.

Red was unable to see her face from his position, but he could tell from her fluctuation that the woman was as calm and serene as the most experienced experts he’d ever seen.

Eventually, the white mist dissipated in front of her, and she looked back at Red. The woman had noble and elegant facial features, unbefitting the coldness she seemed to display with her expression. Her piercing dark brown eyes seemed to look past any pretenses Red could put up.

“Take him away,” she said in a cold tone.

Red was confused by her words, before he felt another strong fluctuation approach him from behind. He looked over, noticing the Baron standing right behind him.

The man bowed slightly towards the woman before looking at Red. “We need to go, child.”

Red was still bewildered, but he just nodded. He didn’t want to be in the vicinity of the battle between these two powerful individuals.

The Baron unceremoniously grabbed him by the collar of his uniform before dashing away, towards the other side of the river. Red looked behind them, noticing the two experts still had yet to make their first move, still assessing each other.

When they finally landed on the other side of the river, the Baron put him down.

“The beast master can’t keep his focus on the horde anymore,” the man said. “The wolves are in disarray.”

Red looked over at the battlefield. Indeed, it was as the Baron said. No longer were the wolves acting as a cohesive unit. Now they were simply attacking anyone closest to them. This seemed to relieve the pressure on the center of the army, and in turn on Red’s companions.

Still, from here, Red could still see Eiwin struggling against the two Lesser Ring Realm wolves on her own, with Allen shielded by an omnidirectional barrier as he tried and failed to distract the monsters.

He frowned and looked over at the Baron. “You need to help my sect.”

The Baron smiled. “I was already planning to.”

The man dashed away without hesitation, and before he even got close to his targets, a green light flashed from his body. Immediately, wolves around him began to fall without even realizing what was happening, and the Baron cleared a path for himself towards Red’s companions.

The two Lesser Ring Realm wolves seemed to notice his approach and turned around before letting out weary growls. Yet, they didn’t seem to notice the light flashing above their head.

The line of green light shot down into one of the wolves’ spine, making it howl in pain and stumble on its feet. The dagger burst through the other side, and before its companion could even notice what was happening, the flying weapon shot into its neck, piercing through in an explosion of blood.

The wolves didn’t have time to collect themselves or mount a defense. The dagger continued to pierce and slash at their bodies, and in a matter of seconds, all fight had left them.

Just like that, two Lesser Ring Realm beasts were killed by the Baron and his magical treasure. As soon as that happened, the whole army roared in celebration while the wolves now looked fearfully at the Baron.

Red was relieved and impressed at the same time. He wasn’t certain whether the Baron’s power came from his flying dagger or from his cultivation at the Later Lesser Ring Realm, but it was clear that not even common Lesser Ring Realm monsters could measure up to him. 

This made him curious. If the Baron was this strong already, how strong would Hector and that invisible cultivator be?

As if to answer his question, an explosion echoed on the other side of the river. Red looked over and saw the flashing light of Spiritual Energy. The female cultivator seemed to be on the move, while the alpha wolf and the beast master acted in tandem to keep her away.

What seemed to be dozens of fine strings of fire shot out from the woman’s sleeves as she flanked her opponents. These strings then grew into thick ropes of flames that weaved their way through the air like snakes before flying towards the beast master.

The man landed on the wolf’s back before putting his hand down onto its fur. A white light flashed from the alpha’s body as it seemed to grow even stronger. It howled, and a white mist of ice and snow exploded from its fur, covering its surroundings even farther than before.

The fire snakes seemed to lose their power as soon as they entered this domain, but even then, they persisted long enough to slash against the wolf’s body. There were dozens of explosions as the flames whipped the monster, and the beast howled in pain.

“You sect bitch! I will kill you even if it’s the last thing I do!” The beast master seemed to lose his mind as he saw his pet being hurt.

His body began to glow and, in turn, the alpha’s body too became even brighter with the white light. Suddenly, solid ice grew from the monster’s fur, covering its entire body in a matter of seconds.

Now, the alpha seemed to be covered by a layer of ice armor enclosing its body except for its face. The woman paid no attention to this and simply continued to conjure fire snakes while flanking around the wolf.

This time, however, when these lines of fire clashed against its body, all they caused was a mere shattering of ice, which seemed to reform in seconds. The wolf remained mostly unharmed.

The beast master howled in laughter. “Now go! Kill her!”

The wolf did as much, charging towards the woman with maddened eyes. But she didn’t seem bothered, and simply retreated while still conjuring the fire snakes with increased frequency.

Still, the wolf was faster than her and was quick to gain ground on the woman, while her attacks didn’t seem to be having as much of an effect any longer.

The beast master continued to laugh hysterically. “You can’t run! You can’t escape!”

Red frowned. Was this the extent of her capabilities?

As if to answer his question, he noticed something happening above them. The majority of the fire snakes were no longer aiming towards the wolf, but instead gathering a few hundred meters above the creature into a large fire orb. This orb was growing by the second as more and more fire absorbed into it.

Eventually, the energy gathered in the orb seemed strong enough to catch the self-absorbed beast master.

His expression changed once he looked up. “Shit!”

As soon as he noticed it, the female cultivator made a downward motion with her hand. Suddenly, an enormous fire snake materialized from the orb, flying down towards the wolf.

The creature didn’t even have time to react. A giant explosion of fire happened upon impact, and the wave of heat reached even Red on the other side of the river. He covered his face and squinted, hoping to spot what had happened as soon as the dust and smoke dissipated.

His answer came soon enough. The alpha wolf was sprawled on the ground, its ice armor completely shattered as the fire from the snake burned its way down into its spine. The monster stirred weakly, but it was clear that life was quickly leaving its body.

Just like that, their biggest threat was dead. There was, however, no sign of the beast master.

Red looked around, before spotting a figure shoot out from the cloud of smoke towards the air. It was so fast that he had a hard time keeping up with it. Whatever the case, it seemed like the beast master was intent on retreating.

“You’ll pay for this! All of you will face your reckoning!” His words echoed through the battlefield.

The woman made no motion to chase after him, putting her hands behind her back as she stared at the escaping cultivator. This left Red confused, but suddenly something seemed to change.

The beast master slowed down mid-air, as if he were moving through liquid. Soon enough, he was frozen in the air, looking around in horror and confusion.

Then, around the man, something materialized before Red’s very eyes. It was a simple watery surface at first, before becoming something more distinct, more consistent. More real.

It was a river flowing through the air, surrounding the beast master, and above this river stood a floating purple sword that Red recognized.

The Deep Sea Sword.

“It seems we’ve finally caught the cockroach, haven’t we?” a familiar voice echoed through the battlefield.

Their elder had finally returned.

Chapter 29

The Elder Returns

Red looked over in the voice’s direction. There he saw him, walking out of the tree line, looking none the worse for wear—their great elder Hector.

The old man was looking up at the floating beast master surrounded by the flying river. His opponent struggled to free himself, but all his movements seemed to be in slow motion, and he couldn’t muster any Spiritual Energy to resist. An expression of pure terror was plastered across his face.

Hector snorted and looked over at the female cultivator. “Do you need him alive?”

The woman shook her head. “There’s no need.”

That was all Hector needed to hear. He lifted his hand before bringing it down in a swift motion. The Deep Sea Sword, which was suspended above the beast master’s head, suddenly pointed down and began to spin.

The flying river followed the same motion and started to revolve around itself, extending towards the ground. The floating beast master was helplessly dragged by the current and pushed down, bit by bit.

Then, all of a sudden, the downward force reached a crescendo, and the flying river became a waterfall. The man was sent crashing to the ground as the overwhelming power crushed him against the forest floor.

The surrounding trees were all toppled by the overwhelming waterfall’s force, and Red felt sprinkles of water reach him even from the other side of the river. This lasted for almost ten seconds before the conjured water seemed to dissipate into nothingness.

When his vision cleared up, all that Red saw was a large crater where the waterfall had crashed down. There were no signs of the beast master’s body other than what seemed to be the remains of his clothing and other items he carried on himself.

Just like that, a Greater Ring Realm cultivator was dead.

The purple sword floated down, falling right into Hector’s grip. The whole battlefield stopped fighting, beast and human alike looking towards the other side of the river in shock and awe.

One of the surviving Lesser Ring Realm wolves let out a howl, its cry filled with grief and fear. Their leader was dead, and no longer was the beast master compelling them to fight, either.

Their enemy was too strong, and their battle was lost.

One by one, the wolves turned tail and ran in fear.

“Don’t let them get away!” Orvin called out over the battlefield.

His soldiers did as much, letting out roars of victory as they stabbed and chased after the surviving monsters. Red, however, didn’t bother joining the chase, eyes still glued to Hector and the female cultivator on the other side of the river.

The elder was looking at her with an unfriendly gaze. Red was barely able to hear their conversation with his improved hearing.

“I need his belongings,” the woman said in a neutral tone. “The core too.”

Hector snorted. “After all of this, you suppose I should just give everything to you?”

She sighed. “These are my superior’s orders.”

The elder waved his hand dismissively. “Take it, but I’ll expect compensation.”

Hector walked away towards the river, ice forming under his feet as he crossed the water’s surface. Red watched with some trepidation as the man approached, when from behind him he heard the sound of footsteps.

“Hector!”

Allen wandered over to Red’s side and waved his hand at the elder anxiously. The young master hadn’t been wounded from his confrontation with the wolves thanks to his defensive talisman, but it was clear the battle had taken its toll on his psyche.

Red looked back and saw Rimold approaching them, too. Eiwin and Rog, however, seemed busy attending to an injured Narcha who sat on the ground with her wound frozen over. Now that the wolves had left the battlefield and the soldiers were giving chase, Red could also see the bodies littering the river bank.

The confrontation hadn’t lasted more than ten minutes, and yet there were dozens of human and monster bodies piled up every way he looked. The smell of blood rose to his nostrils, something he was used to, but Allen still had a hard time adapting to it, judging by his trembling figure.

A few seconds later, Hector reached the other side of the river.

“Hector, I need to speak to you about something,” Rimold said with an anxious expression.

The elder waved him away. “Whatever it is, it can wait.”

“But—”

“I said my part. We can speak once we are done here,” Hector cut him off. He then looked towards Allen. “You’re not wounded. Good.”

“Ah, yes…” Allen seemed at a loss for words.

Hector looked over at Red. “You also did a good job helping that woman.”

“You were watching?” Red frowned.

“I arrived around the time you crossed the river,” the old man explained. “I was waiting for my time to strike, too. But we can have this conversation later.”

The elder walked past them towards Narcha and the others.

Rimold stared at Red with annoyance. “Is that why you suddenly disappeared?”

He nodded. “She asked for help, and I needed to provide it if we wanted to live.”

The rogue seemed conflicted when he heard that, but he let the matter go. They followed behind Hector, who looked over Narcha while Eiwin and Rog did their best to dress her wounds.

Eiwin looked towards the elder with a troubled glance. “I gave her a healing pill, but the ice covering her wounds is stopping it from closing up.”

Indeed, Red saw the large gash from her right shoulder down to her chest was covered in a thick sheet of ice. Any normal human would have already died from such a wound, and even Narcha seemed to be struggling to maintain her consciousness, as much as she tried putting on a brave face.

“Let me see it,” Hector said.

Eiwin and Rog stepped away from the woman, letting the elder approach. The old man put a hand on her shoulder, and the ice covering her wounds started to melt away and disappear. As the obstacle to her flesh closing faded, the effects of the healing pill started to act on her body and began to repair her ripped muscles.

Narcha gritted her teeth in pain but made no sound to betray her suffering.

Once this process was done, Hector didn’t spare the woman a second glance before getting up and turning around. His coldness and indifference didn’t go unnoticed by the other sect members, who all frowned at the elder’s actions.

Eiwin crouched down and examined Narcha. “Miss Valt, are you alright now?”

“I’m fine.” Narcha waved her off. “I just need… some rest.”

As this had been going on, Red noticed the female cultivator was also walking over to them. Her steps seemed to find solid ground over the river’s surface as she approached, carrying herself with an air of elegance and a neutral expression.

Hector scowled at this, giving the woman an unfriendly glare. “What is it now?”

The woman put her hands together and bowed slightly towards the elder. “I wanted to apologize to this senior.”

The old man sneered. “For which offense? For using me as bait, or for going behind my back to coerce one of my sect members to help you?”

The woman didn’t seem affected by his words. “For both. I was given orders to avoid interacting with this senior as much as possible during the mission, so I couldn’t reveal my presence to you at first.”

Hector seemed surprised. “Why do the people of your sect want you to avoid me?”

She seemed hesitant to reply. “… My elders have decided to cut relations with the survivors of the Ocean Bearers Sect.”

“Those bastards!” Hector gritted his teeth in anger. “Do they have no shame?! No pride as cultivators?!”

The woman frowned. “It is not my place to question their decisions, senior. Still, given the circumstances and the peculiarities of our enemy, I had no choice but to solicit the help of one of your sect members. If I hadn’t done it, then I imagine things might have turned out much worse.”

She gave Red a meaningful look.

The elder’s anger seemed to abate at these words, but he still stared at the woman with some suspicion. “What is your name and the name of your master?”

“My name is Keira. I’m an inner disciple of the Crystal Sky Sect under the tutelage of Master Xandyr.” She bowed again to Hector.

“Xandyr?” Hector’s brows furrowed. “Isn’t he sympathetic to our cause?”

The woman had a troubled expression. “He is not the one behind these decisions, I’m afraid. He has no choice but to respect them.”

Hector snorted in contempt. “What about compensation? Will that be denied to us, too?”

“Our sect will never leave contributions unrewarded,” she reassured him. “I will report how you and your sect helped me slay this beast master, and I’m certain they will be willing to reward your efforts.”

“Good.” The old man nodded. “There is one more thing we need to speak about.”

The woman hesitated. “Indeed… it is best we speak about the peculiarities of this child.”

Red’s heart skipped a beat.

Hector regarded her with a cautious expression. “Do you mean to report to your superiors about it?”

The woman shook her head. “I made him a promise, and in exchange for his help, I even revealed compromising information about myself. However, this is not what worries me.”

“As long as you keep your word, you need not worry about anything else,” the elder said. “I assure we have his issues quite handled ourselves.”

“So you say, senior, but the truth is that he got lucky. Had it been someone else from my sect here, then I’m not sure his… secret techniques would have remained a secret.”

“There are a lot of things we can’t control in this world. Even if someone else was intent on revealing this matter, I have my own ways to keep that from happening.” Hector stared at the woman with an intense gaze. “After all, the connections I’ve made in my life will eventually need to serve for something.”

She sighed. “Regardless of what this senior might like to believe, many people in our sect have not given up on helping you or your companions.”

Hector snorted. “Do not bother with empty words, girl. The time when we most needed your help was long ago, and any support you offer us now is nothing more than an insult. I only pray that you and your sect do not find yourselves in our position, for the sake of the whole cultivation world.”

The woman glared at him but didn’t reply.

“Is there anything else?” Hector asked in an unfriendly tone.

The woman bowed slightly to the elder. “That will be all, senior.”

She turned and walked away, approaching the Baron, who was waiting farther off to speak to her.

Hector turned and looked at Red. “You don’t need to worry, kid. Whatever happens, I have more than a few plans to deal with it.”

These words offered scant comfort to Red.

Chapter 30

Betrayal of Trust

Hector gathered all of his sect members and brought them back towards the fort. The place was completely empty, as most of the army was still out dealing with the horde’s surviving monsters and gathering corpses, yet the elder did not seem to care about these matters.

He urged them on, and under Eiwin’s guidance, they arrived back at the tent the Baron had arranged for them. When they were inside, Hector weighed all of them with a weary expression.

“Did something happen?” he asked. “The communication talismans we arranged were not working, so I couldn’t make you aware of my condition.”

Eiwin nodded. “We were attacked by something on our journey over…”

She proceeded to explain their encounter with the floating head, as well as their efforts to free their companions of their possession. By the time she was done, Hector was frowning in worry.

“I thought once I threw that head away everything would be dealt with, and yet…” He shuddered.

“This is not your fault, old man,” Rimold said, trying to assuage his worries. “No one could have predicted things would have developed in this manner.”

“Maybe, but I should have still tried to be more thorough in getting rid of it, at the very least. That being said, it seems we have more immediate worries.” Hector looked over at Narcha accusingly. “You killed a member of the Curse Breakers?”

The woman gritted her teeth and looked down.

Eiwin jumped to the defense of her companion. “This wasn’t her fault, Master Hector. She was being possessed.”

“Weak minds make for perfect hosts for ghosts,” Hector said. “You might think this wasn’t your fault, but I have always made it clear in my teachings about how the state of mind of a cultivator is important. It seems, however, that I wasn’t clear enough.”

He directed stern a gaze at Allen, Narcha, and Rimold, who all looked away in embarrassment.

Eiwin frowned. “Be that as it may, that is not our main concern.”

“Indeed,” the elder said, looking over at Red. “You say you got rid of the body?”

Red nodded. “As thoroughly as I could.”

Hector sighed. “I will have to take your word for it, then. At this point, the Curse Breakers have probably already arrived and investigated the scene.”

“Could this come back to us?” Red asked.

The elder shook his head. “Hard to tell. It depends on how much importance they put on this matter. It is not unusual for Curse Breaker knights to die while on missions, but their retaliation depends on how important that mission was in the first place. In any case, this is something we will need to wait and see, but I will make my preparations.”

Eiwin and Narcha still looked conflicted, even with his reassurances, but they kept silent.

There was a pause as Hector seemed to consider everything he’d learned.

He looked back at Red. “Where did you learn that exorcizing technique?”

Straight to the point, it seems.

“Someone taught me it,” Red explained curtly.

Hector frowned at his words, and he wasn’t the only one. At this point, even if Red’s companions weren’t aware of what was going on between him and the necromancer, they could still make some guesses as to the necromantic origin of this technique. Not to mention, he had already told the truth to Rog.

Hector, however, seemed hesitant to discuss the matter further. “I’ll just ask you one question. Is there anything we need to worry about?”

Red pondered the elder’s question. “I… do not know. I was forced by circumstance to make some choices, and while I’d like to think they won’t affect our sect, it would be remiss of me to guarantee you anything.”

There was a silence as his companions digested his words with conflicted expressions. Rog, on the other hand, was sitting down while looking over his equipment, barely paying attention to the conversation.

“It doesn’t matter,” Narcha spoke up. “He did what he needed to do to save us, and this is not the first time either. Whatever consequences come from it, I am more than willing to deal with them… Isn’t that what you taught us, old man?”

The woman stared at Hector with an intense gaze.

The elder relented. “You’re right. It would be hypocritical of me to punish or press you when you’re the reason they are still alive… That being said, I would like to be made aware if something changes. Is that clear?”

“You will be the first to know,” Red promised.

He wasn’t comfortable having these delicate secrets of his revealed to others, but now that it was done, it would benefit all of them if he let Hector know when something changed.

“What about you, old man?” Rog asked. “Weren’t you supposed to be distracting the wolf? We also almost died because of you.”

Hector snorted. “Don’t presume that I failed at my job. I was doing my part in distracting the wolf, but I never expected to be attacked by a cultivator, too.”

Allen’s eyes widened in surprise. “That guy attacked you?”

“He did,” Hector confirmed. “Luckily, I was already prepared to escape if need be, so I managed to keep my life. Regardless, I couldn’t risk getting close to the wolf again after that.”

Red frowned. “You seemed to have an easy time killing him with that sword. Why didn’t you use it before?”

The old man glared at him. “What do you know about these treasures? You think a weapon that allows you to kill someone at a higher realm than you can be used at will?”

Red shook his head. “I know nothing about treasures, actually.”

“Well…” Hector looked at a loss for words. “Treasures need Spiritual Energy to power them, and let’s just say a treasure as powerful as that Deep Sea Sword can’t be powered by any common type of Spiritual Energy.”

“You mean it has limited uses?”

Hector nodded. “Indeed, and I can’t charge it again at my realm either. I was still hesitant about using it during the battle, but I couldn’t let that beast master flee. Not to mention, by helping that woman, I also earned us an invaluable favor from the Crystal Sky Sect.”

Red sighed in admiration of Hector. Even in the most dangerous situations, the elder thought about how he could turn a crisis to his own benefit, like a true cultivator. A lot of his companions weren’t comfortable with this side of Hector, which seemed indifferent to the suffering of people outside his own sect, yet no one complained since the old man always did it for their benefit at the end of the day.

Or better yet, they couldn’t really complain when his attitude was what had saved their lives in the past.

Allen’s interest was piqued at the old man’s words. “You mean we could ask the Crystal Sky Sect for anything?”

Hector gave the young master a sly smile. “As long as it’s worth the transgressions committed against me and the price on the head of a Greater Ring Realm cultivator, then yes, we can ask for anything.”

Allen beamed. “Then can we ask for a Parting Sea Pill for Narcha?”

Hector’s smile disappeared, and everyone looked over at the young master in shock. Red felt Narcha’s fluctuation stir, but the woman remained silent, observing Hector’s reaction.

The old man grew dour. “I will think about it.”

“Great!”

This had clearly caught the elder off guard, but his response seemed enough to satisfy Allen for now. Red caught Narcha’s conflicted expression, which she did her best to hide before anyone else noticed.

He didn’t linger on the matter, though, as he had other questions to ask Hector. In fact, he was still curious about the beast master they had just confronted.

“Was that man a demonic cultivator?” he asked.

“Not necessarily,” Hector said. “Beast taming is an unorthodox method, but not a demonic one. If I had to guess, that was just another displaced cultivator from the barbarian lands acting as a mercenary.”

Rimold frowned. “If he is not a demonic cultivator, why did he attack us?

“Mercenaries work for the highest paying client,” Hector explained. “Sometimes, those happen to be demonic cultivators, too.”

“You mean even powerful cultivators would stoop so low as that?” Red asked.

“They would do that and much worse, kid,” the elder said. “It is not only demonic cultivators you need to worry about in this world.”

“Well, yeah, there’s also those cursed beast people and the undead folk,” Rog said with a shrug.

Red was about to question the hunter about what he meant when he felt a fluctuation enter his detection range. He paused.

Hector noticed his change in expression. “Who is it?”

“The Baron is coming,” Red stated.

The elder snorted. “He sure took his time. Let’s go outside and speak to him.”

They followed the elder out of the tent. Ahead of them they saw the Baron, flanked by a few of his soldiers.

The man seemed surprised once he saw Hector walk outside.

He bowed to the elder with an embarrassed expression. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I had some matters to attend to.”

Hector glared at the Baron. “What, were you planning another scheme behind my back again?”

The Baron smiled helplessly. “I did not have a choice in this matter, Hector. I was merely following orders.”

“What do you want?” the elder asked with an irritated voice.

“I have my soldiers gathering the corpses of the monsters. We have killed a total of twelve Lesser Ring Realm monsters over the course of these two days. It has been decided that five of their cores and materials will go to you and your sect.”

Hector snorted. “Is that your way of apologizing?”

“No, this is merely your earned rewards. Without your help, things could have gone much worse for me and my men.”

“Very well then, but don’t expect a thank you,” the old man said curtly. “Is that all?”

The Baron hesitated. “No, that is not all. I have come to ask you for you and your sect’s help in hunting down the remaining wolves. Although the main horde is defeated, there are still dozens of wolves and other foreign monsters wandering the forest. Some of them are even in the Lesser Ring Realm, and your expertise would prove invaluable to me and my men.”

There was a moment of silence as the elder seemed to consider the Baron’s request with a frown.

A few seconds later, he looked up with a resolved expression. “The answer is no.”

The Baron seemed shocked at his reply, and he wasn’t the only one. Behind the elder, Red and his companions stared at Hector’s back with astonished expressions. Even Rog was no exception.

Eiwin made to speak up. “Master Hector, are you certain that we⁠—”

“Enough!” Hector held his hand up, which was enough for Eiwin’s sentence to stop midway through.

The Baron also had a troubled expression. “Hector, if this is about compensation, we can⁠—”

“This has nothing to do with compensation,” Hector cut him off. “You made a promise to me, and regardless of whether you willed it or not, you still put me and my sect in danger through your omission of vital information. This is not the kind of transgression that can easily be reconciled by any offering of gifts. It is a fundamental betrayal of trust.”

“I did what was necessary for the safety of all of our people,” the Baron said seriously. “Whatever offense I may have caused you, I will take personal responsibility. However, by refusing to help us in this hunt, you do not only affect me, but you affect all the people in this region that will die should the horde survivors be allowed to run free.”

“I have said my part,” the elder replied, his voice resolved. “We will offer you our help after we are back in town and completely recovered, and only when proper compensation is presented.”

The Baron stared at Hector, his expression betraying anger for the first time since Red had seen him. “Why are you doing this?”

“I have been far too kind to you and this town for these last few years. Perhaps this has made you and others think they may take advantage of my good-nature and sympathy, but I have had enough. It is time to show again that my trust is not something easily abused, much less easily recovered.” Hector looked at his sect members. “Follow me. We are leaving.”

The elder turned around and began to walk away. Red and his companions were left baffled at his actions, but all of them knew that no words of protest would change Hector’s mind.

This time, he was truly resolved.

Chapter 31

Declaration of War

Of course, even though Hector planned to depart at that moment, Red and his companions still needed to gather their belongings before joining him. Red was able to recover his sword, which he’d tossed away during battle, a habit that was becoming worryingly commonplace for him.

None of his group seemed eager to speak of the matter of Hector refusing to aid the town, and the Baron decided against trying to request their help behind Hector’s back. Some of his soldiers, however, still seemed to be under the impression they were going to help them clear the wolves, and they all greeted the sect members in high spirits. Eiwin and the others didn’t have the heart to reveal the truth to them.

So it was that after gathering their belongings in almost complete silence, Red and his group joined Hector on the road.

The elder waited with his arms crossed behind his back.

He looked over at the group. “Are you done?”

Eiwin nodded. “We have gathered everything.”

“Good.” Hector seemed satisfied. He looked at Rimold. “You said you had something urgent to speak to me about.”

The rogue hesitated. “… It can wait.”

The elder was suspicious of this change of attitude, but he let the matter go. “Fine. Then let us be on our way with utmost haste. I do not intend to camp outside on our way to town.”

Hector led them down the road, and the group followed behind him in an orderly line.

The atmosphere on the trip was still very awkward, and even after hours had gone by, the group did not engage in any conversation or discussions. This was, of course, because they knew Hector very well. The old man was probably ready to rebuke any protests to his decision, and trying to convince him otherwise would not only be useless, but it would also only make their day-long trip even more awkward.

But Hector wasn’t the only person in this group with a short fuse. After two hours of maintaining a conflicted and irritated expression, Narcha finally seemed to have had enough.

She looked over at Hector. “You are not a good person.”

The elder froze in his steps, and everyone looked on with worry. They braced themselves, knowing what came next.

“… You’re right.” To their surprise, Hector responded with a calm voice without even looking back at Narcha.

He resumed his walk, falling quiet again.

Narcha snorted. “Is that it? No other argument? Is your arrogance and cold-bloodedness something you pride yourself in?”

Hector froze again. “It is what kept me alive and relevant in the cultivation world for over a hundred years, despite me being the weakest cultivator of my generation. So yes, this is something I take pride in, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.”

She glared at the elder. “Not everyone is like you. Not all of us are willing to turn our backs on our friends and allies when they need us most.”

Eiwin frowned. “Miss Valt…”

Hector held his hand up, cutting Eiwin off. “If you want to go there and help them, feel free. However, if you do so, you need not bother to return to the sect.”

Narcha gritted her teeth, her face twisting in anger.

The elder didn’t avert his gaze from her. “Is this not what you want? To be free of the burden of rules and to do as you please? Then you might as well go ahead. I’m sure it wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice to you since you have already opened all your veins and don’t need our support. After all, what else can we offer you?”

“Master Hector, is there a need for this?” Eiwin looked lost on how to react.

“Of course there is.” Hector remained steadfast. “I have been too tolerant of this brat’s offenses over the last few years. She forgets herself and the kind of organization she joined.” He looked over at Red and his companions. “Whatever notions you have about what this group and organization is, never be misled about our true identity. We are a sect, first and foremost, and we look out for each other’s interests and safety above all else. Never forget this.”

The elder started walking again, leaving the group to reflect on his words.

Red expected Narcha to explode then and there, but to his surprise, she seemed to calm down. Of course, this only went for her outer appearance.

From her fluctuation, he could tell she was as angry as he had ever seen her, but there was some other emotion that seemed to keep her ire contained. Pure resolve.

The woman seemed to have made her mind up about something, and Red wasn’t the only one that noticed it.

Eiwin looked over at Narcha with a troubled expression. “Miss Narcha, let us return to the sect. I’m sure we can change Master Hector’s mind later.”

Although Eiwin said that, she didn’t sound too confident in her own words.

Narcha just nodded at the woman and followed behind her.

They continued walking for the entire day and deep into the night, with few pauses in between. Along the way, they met with quite a few soldiers making their way over as reinforcements towards the river. By that point, it seemed like the news of their victory had already made its way to town.

When morning arrived again, the group was exhausted, since they hadn’t been able to rest after the battle. However, they were already very close to town, and it was just a matter of hours before they arrived.

It was at that point, however, that a group of mounted soldiers coming from the town’s direction made their way over to them in a hurry. Red would have thought they were here simply to greet Hector and his sect out of respect, like all the other guards they’d met along the road, but he saw their expressions were tinged with apprehension.

Hector paused and frowned.

“Master Hector!” The leading soldier stopped right in front of the group, quickly dismounting his horse and bowing to the elder.

“What is it?” Hector asked.

The soldier tried to catch his breath as he spoke. “We… We have received urgent news from the capital! The Empire has declared war on our kingdom!”

The expressions of everyone changed, and even Red couldn’t contain his shock.

“This— This can’t be right!” Rimold looked at the soldier in concern. “The negotiations were supposed to still be happening! What changed since then?!”

“This… I’m not privy to the details.” The soldier shook his head.

Hector’s expression grew troubled. “Have they attacked us yet?”

“N-No, not yet. They have just made their formal declaration of war earlier today and spoke of their intention to invade our lands in the following months.”

Narcha gritted her teeth in pure anger. “The sheer arrogance of these fucking bastards!”

“It’s not arrogance—it’s confidence,” Rog said sadly.

“If they were so confident, why would they need to be such cowards and attack us right after a monster horde?!”

Hector still seemed to be in deep thought. “Do you have any more information we should know?” he asked the soldier.

“We do not know much yet, however…” The soldier hesitated. “Sir Bernard has apparently made his intentions known in the meeting with our King. He will be leading the Imperial armies himself.”

Red’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t the only one to have a reaction of fear at this news.

Bernard, the target of Red’s revenge on behalf of Viran, and one of the most talented individuals in human history. A young cultivator in the fourth realm, or the equivalent for the Imperial’s self-denominated system, and responsible for exterminating the cultivation community in the northern part of the continent. Among his victims stood Viran, of course, a man who had been crippled at the hands of this rising hero of the Empire.

From Red’s knowledge, he knew the Empire had stronger and more experienced generals to lead this invasion. Yet, in the whole cultivation world, there was no one on a faster ascension path than Bernard. By sending him, it was likely the Empire wanted this entire kingdom to be but a simple step on the ladder towards his growth.

“Has the King passed along any orders?” Hector asked.

“Not yet,” the soldier said. “But his advisors and subordinates have already reached out to the Baron for an emergency meeting. We were sent to escort him back to town.”

“I understand. Then we won’t hold you any longer.” Hector waved the soldiers off.

The man bowed towards the elder and remounted his horse, heading east towards the river.

Hector looked back at his sect members. “We will have an emergency meeting once we are back in our sect.”

No one protested his orders.

After a few more hours of travel, they finally arrived back in town. The settlement was already abuzz with the recent news of war.

The town was already full of refugees, and by the looks of it, these people who were eager to return to their villages once the horde was dealt with were instead making plans to settle in for longer. As Red had come to learn, there was the Great Serpent Canyon separating this region of their Kingdom and the Empire, which meant that it was unlikely they would see combat during the initial phases of the war.

Still, this didn’t mean that the town and region would be peaceful. Instead, it was likely that even more refugees from other parts of the kingdom would migrate south in search of sanctuary, or so Rimold claimed. This meant that the town would only grow more and more chaotic over the following months, and the Baron would have a whole different problem on his hands. Yet, this was a better position to be in compared to those having to directly face the Empire’s armies.

The group made their way up the hill, and for the most part they went by unnoticed as the town was in turmoil at the recent news. They arrived at their sect without much issue, and soon enough found themselves at the gates.

Hector turned around to look at them. “To the meeting room, now!”

He swung open the gates, finding Domeron sitting in his rocking chair on the front lawn while sipping from his steaming mug. The swordsman raised his eyebrows and was about to speak before Hector walked past him and into the main building without sparing him a glance.

Domeron frowned and looked over at Red and the others. “What’s gotten into him now?”

“We’re at war,” Red answered.

“We’re what?!”

It seemed like the sect’s isolated position didn’t always serve to their benefit.

Chapter 32

Escape Plan

Over the next couple of minutes, the entire sect gathered in the meeting hall. Goulth too was surprised by the news, and he even forgot to ask Red about how the sword had fared in combat. Once everyone was gathered, Hector raised his hand to ask for silence.

He started to speak. “Since you all are already aware, I won’t go into much detail. The reason for this meeting is to decide our course of action in this upcoming war against the Empire.”

“Can our kingdom win against them?” Allen asked in an uncertain tone.

“Normally? There is simply no way.” Domeron shook his head. “However, the Empire will probably not be sending its strongest cultivators either, possibly for fear of the Crystal Sky Sect intervening. It is an unspoken agreement between them when it comes to matters of war—they won’t send cultivators above the fourth realm, and the Crystal Sky Sect won’t interfere.”

“Does that mean we have a chance?” The young master looked optimistic.

Domeron gave him a helpless smile. “Don’t get too hopeful, kid. Despite this agreement, the truth is that the Empire has yet to lose any wars they have fought in. This speaks to not only their strength at all realms of cultivation but also to their absolute mastery over warfare.”

Allen’s face fell. “This… Do we even have any hope, then?”

“It depends. The Crystal Sky Sect is not the only sect out there, and the King might seek out the help of a sect willing to interfere directly with this war.”

Rimold frowned. “You mean the warmongering bastards from the White Sun Sect?”

“You insult them unfairly,” Domeron said. “They’re the only sect out there willing to take the fight directly against the Empire.”

“Whatever their virtues, it doesn’t change their nature.” The rogue was unconvinced. “Besides, would our King Thomas really be willing to break the alliance we’ve had with the Crystal Sky Sect for a hundred years?”

The swordsman laughed. “For the good of his kingdom, he might do that and much more. However, this is merely one of the paths for survival I can see our King choosing, and not necessarily the best one either. If the White Sun Sect interferes, this will give the Empire justification for attacking with all their strength, and even if the kingdom survives, the destruction to its territory will be absolute in the war’s aftermath—the result will not be much different from being conquered. If the situation is truly dire, then I can see the Crystal Sky Sect stepping in to negotiate with the Empire, but in any case, it doesn’t change one thing—the kingdom will need to strive to survive this on its own for the foreseeable future.”

“But how can we do that if the Empire is so strong?” Allen said with worry.

Domeron smiled. “A miracle, maybe?”

“How is that a plan?!” The young master’s eyes widened.

“I’m just kidding.” He chuckled before resuming his explanation. “Look, the kingdom doesn’t need to win this war, it just needs to make the Empire’s efforts as costly and challenging as possible so that when the time comes, they will consider a truce that will allow us to survive.”

Red frowned. “So there is no victory in this? Only minimizing our losses?”

“It is the unfortunate reality,” Domeron said. “No kingdom in the world is able to measure up to the Empire’s strength, and the only way they can survive is with the sects’ direct interference. Until such a time where the sects’ stances change, then the best these kingdoms and other territories can do is to endure.”

“How likely do you think the battle is to reach this province, then?” Rimold asked.

“Very unlikely,” the swordsman said. “We have the benefit of being flanked by the Great Serpent Canyon, so unless the Imperials want to risk it and send their troops through that hellish landscape, we should be fine. If the fight ever reaches this place, then the capital and the war will already be lost, and we will be long gone from here.”

“Are you so sure about this?” Red was skeptical. “The imperials have already sent people here for the inheritance trial. What if they try to do it again in search of traces of it?”

He was asking this, of course, for his own sake. Since six months ago, he had yet to notice any presence of imperials in the region, but if the hawk spirit was being truthful, Red simply did not believe they would give up on such a powerful inheritance so easily.

Domeron sighed. “I can’t discount the possibility. However, that would hardly require an army to execute, and they will probably just search around with their spies. Chances are, they are already in town, but we just don’t know about them.”

“The boy’s point still stands,” Hector said, finally speaking up. “We don’t know how important that inheritance was to them and what they would do to get their hands on it. Not to mention that even if they don’t have any clues, it is evident they will suspect and investigate our sect. The possibility of us being caught in the crossfire of this war is very real, and we can’t let our guards down because of our relatively safe position.”

“Do you intend to leave town then, Master Hector?” Eiwin asked.

Hector hesitated. “… It would be the wisest choice if we had a safer place to stay, but as Domeron said, this province will probably be relatively safe from the war, and there’s no guarantee we will be able to settle down anywhere else in time. This doesn’t mean, however, that we can’t prepare escape plans in case anything does happen.”

“Where were you planning to escape to when the horde attacked?” Red asked.

“The capital. We would be forced to give up a lot of our influence to the factions in that city, but it would have been the safest choice. However, this was before this whole war was declared, and now the capital is not necessarily the safest place for us.”

“Then where else?” Red asked

Hector shook his head. “I do not know.” 

That surprised Red. He’d always thought the elder was prepared for any eventuality, but it was clear that there were some things even he was unprepared for.

“Do you mean to ask for help from your old sect?” Domeron asked with a curious gaze.

“And give up the modicum of independence I conquered after leaving them?” Hector asked with a resolved expression. “Never.”

The swordsman sighed. “Then what do you intend for us to do if we need to escape? Do you want us to wander around from town to town like nomads?”

“No, I have a better idea. Someone who can actually help us.”

Red frowned as he suddenly thought of a possibility in his mind. His gaze wandered over to Narcha, and judging by her expression, the woman seemed to have realized it, too.

Domeron stared with curiosity at Hector. “Does someone owe you a favor I don’t know about?”

“Yes,” Hector confirmed. “The Crystal Sky Sect.”

The swordsman’s eyes widened in surprise before an expression of realization came to him. He looked over at Red, and the boy just nodded.

“I helped them kill the beast master, and they also offended me by using me as bait,” Hector explained. “They owe me a favor, and I plan to use it should the need arise.”

“Wait!” Allen interjected with a look of consternation. “What about Narcha’s pill that you promised?!”

“I promised no such thing,” the elder said. “I said I was going to think about it, but that was also before I knew the Empire declared war against us. We might need all the help we can get in case something bad were to happen.”

“That’s not fair!” The young master slammed his fist on the table in anger. “Narcha needs the pill, and if she breaks through, we will have one more Lesser Ring Realm cultivator to help us!”

Red was expecting Hector to blow up at Allen’s outburst, but instead, the elder remained quite calm.

“One more Lesser Ring Realm cultivator will not change our fate if the Empire decides to attack us,” Hector said. “Unless she is able to break through to the Spirit Core Realm, then no increase in power will make a difference for us.”

Allen looked at a loss. “B-But Narcha… this is her only chance! She needs the⁠—”

“Allen!” Narcha interjected.

“H-Huh?” The young master looked at her with a confused expression.

“He’s right,” she said, her tone serious but calm. “My strength won’t make a difference in this war, and I would not be so arrogant to think otherwise. At the end of the day, what matters is the sect’s survival.”

Allen seemed on the verge of tears. “B-But Narcha, your time is running out!”

Narcha smiled at him. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure something out.”

After she said that, the woman got up and walked out of the meeting room. Nobody tried to stop her, including Eiwin, who watched her go with a pained expression.

Red, on the other hand, could feel through her fluctuation that the woman wasn’t angry, or at least not any more angry than usual. Instead, there was the same serenity of resolve dominating her emotions he’d felt on the trip over.

There was an extended silence after she left the room, and no one spoke up for a while.

Domeron was the one finally to break the silence. “I will try to speak with my contacts around the kingdom. Perhaps we can arrange something suitable for us without having to rely on the Crystal Sky Sect for help.”

Although the swordsman said that, he didn’t sound very confident. Of course, if he felt confident in his plan, he would have mentioned it earlier. Still, no one called him out on it.

“You do that,” Hector said. “There is nothing more to discuss for now, so this meeting is over.”

The elder unceremoniously got up from his chair and walked upstairs, leaving behind a room full of conflicted and pensive people.

Red looked over at the door Narcha had just left from. He feared the woman was about to do something reckless.

Chapter 33

All Changes

The meeting didn’t last much longer. Soon enough, everyone was walking out of the meeting hall, and Red looked around the courtyard for Narcha. He couldn’t sense her any longer with his crimson sense.

“Is she not in the sect?” Eiwin approached him and asked with a frown.

Red shook his head. “I can’t sense her.”

The young woman sighed. “She will return eventually. When she does, I will talk to her about what happened and see if I can calm her down.”

Red hesitated. “I… don’t think that will work.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Red thought about his following words. “Narcha is past getting angry at these matters. I think she has made up her mind to do something reckless.”

Red wasn’t too familiar with the inner-workings of the human mind, but he’d spent long enough with Narcha to understand how the woman worked and how she processed her emotions. The manner with which she was acting now went against almost everything he knew about her, so Red was certain she’d come to a decision about something.

Of course, he could also warrant a guess as to what it was.

Eiwin was silent for a long while before nodding. “I will speak to her when she returns. Just make sure to let me know when you sense her.”

The woman didn’t wait for his response and walked away. Red could also feel that beneath Eiwin’s calm exterior, her fluctuation was in a storm, trying to hold back emotions of worry and anxiety.

Red winced. He wasn’t looking forward to how things were about to develop over these next few days.

After visiting his Master Goulth and letting the man know how the sword had performed, Red excused himself and went to his room. Although he enjoyed putting his skills to the test, the moments he prized the most in his cultivation journey were the quiet meditation sessions where he could think on and truly absorb the information about what he had gone through.

He reflected upon his battles. He thought back to that female cultivator’s wondrous fire spells, as well as his elder’s power using the Deep Sea Sword. Such skills and fighting techniques were beyond anything Red understood, and he felt a strong sense of anticipation to a day where he could wield Spiritual Energy in such a manner too.

Night arrived quickly.

Red was cultivating and meditating deep into the night when he felt it. A fluctuation entering the sect.

It was Narcha.

He made to get up before he felt the woman walk straight towards his room.

Of course she knows.

Red walked up to the door and opened it, finding the woman waiting for him with her arms crossed.

She nodded once she saw him. “I need to talk to you.”

Red frowned. “Eiwin told me to tell her when you came back.”

Narcha shook her head. “I will speak with her later. Just follow me.”

The woman didn’t wait for his response and walked away. Red closed the door behind himself before following her.

She led them towards the training grounds, the same place where Red had once asked her for help in secret for recovering his treasures in the forest. Narcha crossed her arms and leaned back against the fence, looking up at the night sky in thought.

There was a prolonged silence.

“… You’re leaving,” he said finally.

“I am,” Narcha said with a calm expression.

“Do the others know?”

“I think they suspect my intentions, but maybe they think that they can still change my mind.” She looked at Red. “What about you? Do you think you can change my mind?”

“No, and I have no intentions to. If I was in your position, I probably wouldn’t have stayed for this long.”

Narcha smiled. “This is why I wanted to speak with you first, kid. I knew you would understand me. I care for this sect and the people in it, but at the end of the day, I’m still a cultivator.” She closed her eyes with a sigh. “I have things I have to do, things I want to accomplish in my life, and I won’t be able to see them done as long as I remain here. I won’t let myself turn into another old man of this sect.”

Red was reminded of a conversation he had with the different people in the sect. People like Rog, Goulth, and Domeron, who had mastery over their domains but still lamented the fact they couldn’t progress in the path of cultivation due to their talent. They spoke of how they wanted Red and the young members of their sect to achieve more than them and not to be stuck in the same position for their entire lives.

Red had no doubt that if they learned of Narcha’s intentions, they would approve. The same didn’t go for their other companions, however.

“They won’t be happy,” he said.

Narcha snorted. “Don’t I know? Still, I made up my mind and nothing will convince me otherwise.”

“Where do you intend to go?” he asked.

The woman hesitated. “… To join the war efforts up north.”

Red considered what she said for a moment. “That seems dangerous.”

“It is extremely dangerous,” Narcha agreed. “However, I have asked around, and the kingdom is willing to offer rewards for contributions earned in the war. One of the rewards is a Parting Sea Pill, reserved especially for cultivators who have yet to open their Spiritual Sea.”

So that’s what she was doing earlier.

Red was skeptical. “I can’t imagine it will be easy to earn something like that.” 

“Not at all,” she said. “I would basically need to earn enough contributions equivalent to killing a dozen Lesser Ring Realm cultivators.”

“That sounds impossible.”

“Maybe, but over a couple years, you would be surprised at what you can achieve during a war. It would be cutting close for me, but it’s still achievable.”

In the dark, Red couldn’t make out much of her expression, but her tone was calm and considered. “You’re probably going to die,” he said.

Narcha smiled. “Maybe, but that’s par for the course. Besides, you know better than anyone that to earn something you need to be willing to take on the risks, and I have been too passive for too long.”

Red sighed. “Why are you telling me this?”

She shrugged. “I just felt like talking to someone about it.”

“In that case, I’ll be going back⁠—”

“No, wait!” Narcha put her hand on his shoulder. “I…  have something to ask you.”

Here it comes.

Red turned around and stared at her. “What is it?”

She hesitated. “You see… part of the reason why I feel comfortable going away is because of you, Red. I don’t know where you came from, or what kind of fucked up secrets you are hiding, but I know what you’re capable of and what you’re willing to do to help this sect.”

Red frowned. “I’m not as altruistic as you think I am.”

Narcha scoffed. “Altruistic? You’re probably the most selfish person I know, but what matters is that you have never gone back on your word since you joined this sect. You risked your life to help my friends, and that is all that matters.”

Red had a bad feeling about where this conversation was going. “What do you want from me?”

“I want you to make me a promise,” Narcha said with an intense gaze.

Red looked up at the waxing moon. “I have made too many promises already.”

The woman smiled. “Then what’s one more on top of it?”

“What do you want?” Red repeated his question.

“I want you to promise me you’ll protect the people of this sect after I’m gone,” Narcha said.

His brows furrowed in confusion. “They don’t need my protection.”

“You know that’s a lie. If it wasn’t for you, how many times would they have died already? You’re the most resourceful and cunning person in this sect, and I know that at the end of the day, you will always find a way to save us.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. I got lucky a lot of times, too.”

“Maybe, but it doesn’t change what I said. If someone can pull through for us, I know it is you.”

Red hesitated. “I… can’t protect them from everything out there.”

“I’m not asking you to do the impossible. I’m asking you to do your best.”

“I was already going to do that even if you didn’t ask me.”

Narcha snorted. “Then just think of it as a way to give me peace of mind.”

Red sighed. “I promise I will do my best to protect them.”

She smiled. “Good. I feel more at ease now to do what I have to do.”

With these words, the woman began to walk away.

“Are you going to tell the others?” Red called out.

“Maybe tomorrow,” the woman said as she returned to her room.

Red was left there alone, feeling the burden of this renewed responsibility the woman had dropped on his back. It was never the difficulty of accomplishing a certain promise that weighed heavy on his mind. Instead, it was the expectation and trust placed on him that gave him something to worry about.

However, if it was to give Narcha her peace of mind, then this was a burden Red was more than willing to take.

Red was woken up by the faint sounds of screaming from the courtyard.

She did leave it for the morning.

He got up with a frown and just as he was about to open his door, someone knocked on it.

“Red!” Allen’s voice came from the other side. “You need to come out quickly!”

Red opened the door and was met with an Allen that seemed on the verge of tears.

“I-It’s Narcha!” The young master stumbled over his words. “She said she’s leaving!”

Red sighed. “Take me to them.”

Allen did as much, but it wasn’t like Red needed his help to find out where the argument was happening. They walked up to the meeting hall’s entrance, where Eiwin, Rimold, Rog, Domeron, and Goulth were gathered.

They all wore differing expressions of shock and solemness, but the one that seemed the most stricken of them all was Eiwin. The young woman was looking down at the ground, her face pale and dazed.

The sounds of discussion were ongoing inside the hall.

“So that’s it?! You’re going to leave us when we need you the most?!” Hector’s voice seemed full of rage as he spoke.

“You need me?! You said it yourself! No one below the Spirit Core Realm will be able to make a difference, so what’s the point of me remaining here?!” Narcha shouted, also holding nothing back.

“This is your responsibility! You took an oath! You can’t just leave our sect!”

“That is why I didn’t disappear and instead came to ask for permission!” Narcha said. “Let me go and do what I must! Once I have broken through, I will return!”

There was a silence following these words.

“… Go, then.” Hector said, his anger receding. “But don’t bother returning.”

“What do you…” Narcha sounded shocked.

“If you decide to go, then you will no longer be part of our sect,” the elder said.

Eiwin shuddered once she heard this.

Silence suddenly settled over the courtyard, before the sounds of hurried footsteps came from inside. Narcha opened the door and walked out, met by the gazes of her companions waiting outside.

The faintest trace of hesitation appeared in her face as she looked over them, but it was quickly replaced by resolve. She began to walk towards the gate.

“Miss Valt!” Eiwin ran after her.

Narcha paused but didn’t look back. “I’ll be fine, Eiwin. I will write to all of you, but as long as that old man is still alive, then I suppose I have no place here anymore.”

“Narcha, you…” Eiwin’s voice quivered.

The warrior continued, her voice full of resolve. “I’m not one for goodbyes, so instead, I will say this—take care, all of you. We will meet again some day.”

She didn’t say anything else and walked out of the courtyard, carrying only a pouch and the saber on her back.

“Narcha!” Allen went running after her.

“Don’t bother, kid.” Domeron interjected. “She made up her mind.”

Allen looked back at them with an angry glare. “Are none of you going to say anything?! Are you just going to let our friend go?!”

None of them responded, and Eiwin seemed too dazed to even absorb his words.

The young master looked over at Red with a pleading gaze. “What about you, Red?! You need to convince her!”

“There is no convincing her. All you can do now is respect her decision.”

“Screw that!” Allen ran back into the meeting hall. “Hector, you⁠—”

A sudden gust of wind closed all doors and windows of the building before the young master could even step a foot inside. This didn’t stop him, however, as he started to bang on the door with his fists.

“Hector, you coward!” Allen cried between his tears. “You can’t just do this! This sect doesn’t belong just to you!”

There was no response from inside.

That day, Allen continued to cry and bang at the door until he almost collapsed from exhaustion. The others all dispersed eventually, too, leaving behind a dazed Eiwin and a grieving Allen to recover.

They all knew that no words could bring those two out of their sorrow other than time.

Over the next couple of months, Narcha did as she promised.

She wrote back to the sect, informing them of the developments in the war and how she was adapting. The first clash with the Empire’s armies came almost three months after their formal declaration of war.

The kingdom’s armies did their best to hold on, but they continued to lose ground and suffer defeat after defeat. It all came to a head when Sir Bernard finally took the field, killing all the kingdom’s generals and causing them to suffer a crushing loss that sent their main army into a rout.

After that, the sect didn’t receive any more news from Narcha, and they didn’t know whether she was dead or alive.

Without hesitation, Eiwin set off in search of her companion, much to Allen’s dismay. Hector didn’t offer any protest to her request, instead giving her the same ultimatum as he gave Narcha.

This wasn’t enough to stop Eiwin.

She set off, and over the next half year kept them informed about her search through letters. This eventually led her to the Great Serpent Canyon, where many of the survivors from the battle had fled to escape the Empire’s pursuit.

This was the last letter they received from Eiwin too, as the woman dove into this forbidden land in search of her friend.

After their departure, the sect was never the same again.

And just like that, Red grew and cultivated in peace and quiet on the once bustling courtyard for the next six years.

Chapter 34

Time Passes

“This should be the last one,” Red said.

He places down an ornate iron plate on the forest floor, stepping back to admire his work.

A rough voice came from behind him. “Are you sure this is going to work?”

Red turned around to look at Rog. “I’m not sure of anything, but if it goes badly, we can just kill it.”

The hunter, who had barely changed in appearance over the last six years, knitted his brows with skepticism. “You seem confident. We’re talking about a Lesser Ring Realm monster here, and there’s only the two of us.”

Rog was leaning against a tree with his bow slung over his right shoulder and a faint lantern in his hand to illuminate their night surroundings. At least for himself, that is.

“We have wounded it enough over the past week,” Red pointed out. “If worse comes to worst, we can put in some effort and kill it.”

Rog grunted. “If this doesn’t work, I’ll just run.”

Red frowned. “No, you won’t.”

He hoped not. He walked back and took out his shortsword from his sheathe, the same one his master had helped him make six years ago. The blade had seen plenty of action since then, losing some of its luster, but its edge remained just as sharp as the day when Red first crafted it.

Although the weapon remained the same, the wielder had changed substantially.

Red was now seventeen years of age, or somewhere near that, since he never knew his real year of birth. His appearance had changed substantially in six years. He was taller, of course, standing slightly above average for a man, but that wasn’t the most significant transformation his body saw.

Instead, those belonged to his features.

Age and a good upbringing as a free individual seemed to have brought about a monumental change in him. No longer was Red a sallow and emaciated child—now he had grown into an elegant young man with sharp features that complemented his cold demeanor. This came as a surprise to himself and those around him. If his crimson hair wasn’t a giveaway back then, his developing countenance seemed to indicate he came from a finer and more distinguished bloodline.

This didn’t fit with the image of a slave and peasant upbringing his companions associated him with. Red was confused about this too, but rather than worrying about his origins, his concerns were more practical.

Having a distinguished appearance wasn’t something desirable for someone with Red’s set of skills, and his messy crimson hair which reached around his shoulders didn’t make his task any easier, either. This was why Red had decided to walk everywhere with a hood covering most of his hair and face a few years ago, a fashion he now adhered to almost at all times—even in the middle of the night in the forest.

Allen often teased him about how he was starting to dress like Rimold—something Red assured him was just a coincidence. Of course, his choice of garb brought more than a few suspicious looks thrown his way, but it wasn’t too uncommon in large towns for people to hide their identities, and no one bothered him about it too often.

“So, how’s this supposed to work?” Rog asked as he looked over Red’s preparations.

In front of them, a circle of iron plates were placed on the forest floor. Each of these plates had a set of complex drawings on their surface made by some kind of golden paint that reflected the light emitted by the lantern.

“We need to power it first. Like this.” Red took out a Spirit Stone from his pouch and placed it on top of the central plate of the circle.

The reaction was almost immediate as the plate and stone began to glow. Red got out of the way in a hurry and watched the reaction from a safe distance.

The glow of Spiritual Energy from the central plate seemed to transfer to the other plates, which all began to glow in turn. Then, a few seconds later, the glow from both the plates and the stone disappeared, and the Spirit Stone turned into dust.

Nothing else happened.

Rog frowned. “Did it work?”

“It should have,” Red replied. “Now we need the bait.”

“Right.” Rog walked away.

A few moments later, the hunter came back, dragging the large carcass of a boar. It looked like he was about to throw it inside the circle of iron plates.

“Stop!” Red held the man back. “Do you want to die?”

Rog looked puzzled. “Is that a threat or a genuine question?”

Red sighed. “Just place it near the circle, but don’t touch the plates.”

The hunter examined him quizzically but just shrugged. He did as Red told him and placed the recently killed boar a meter behind the circle and against a tree. This way, their prey would need to walk over Red’s trap to reach its food.

Red nodded in satisfaction once he saw this. “Now let’s wait and hope the bear is feeling hungry.”

They did as much.

Rog led them behind a tree a few dozen meters away, and they sat in wait for their prey.

An hour passed with no incidents, but neither of them lost their patience. This was the boring part of hunting, the waiting while maintaining the focus required to act at a moment’s notice, all of which was more important when your prey was a Lesser Ring Realm beast.

Red used this time to meditate, while Rog went through and assessed his equipment. Both of them appreciated the peace, but this time around, it seemed the hunter had something to say.

Rog broke the silence. “Hector asked me about Allen again.” 

Red opened his eyes. “What did he say?”

“Same usual stuff.” The hunter shrugged. “I just told him he was out hunting with us again, but Hector’s not stupid. He definitely already suspects something is up.”

“Hector suspects everything he hears,” Red pointed out. “It’s in his nature.”

Rog stared at him. “You’re not one to speak.”

Red shot him a pointed look. “Be that as it may, as long as Hector refuses to press you further, it doesn’t matter.”

“Is this really that big of a deal? When I was Allen’s age, I also did my fair share of stupid things. Hector might scold him, but it shouldn’t be that bad.”

Red shook his head. “I would do anything to avoid conflict these days. We can’t afford the distractions.”

Rog scratched his beard with a thoughtful expression. “You’re right.”

They fell silent again, waiting for their prey.

Another hour passed before Red felt a fluctuation enter his detection range.

He opened his eyes. “It’s here.”

These last six years were a rather peaceful time for Red, and even though he still saw his fair share of conflict, none of them were as dangerous as the challenges he’d faced in his first year on the surface. This also meant that he hadn’t been forced to consume any blood, human or animal, and his crimson powers hadn’t developed much.

Of course, the catch was that they had still developed on their own to a certain extent. Red’s crimson sense now reached just about 300 meters. At first, he was worried that this would come with a development in his demonification, but such a matter didn’t come to pass.

His scales and lizard-like eyes were still there, hidden by the magical bracelet, but they hadn’t developed further. The same couldn’t be said for his other problem, though.

At Red’s words, Rog dropped what he was doing and picked up his bow, looking around for the monster. They were in complete darkness, and although the hunter couldn’t see as well in the nighttime as Red, it wasn’t hard to spot the large shadowy figure of the treebark bear amidst the trees.

Red put his arm in front of Rog. “Don’t shoot it.”

The hunter looked hesitant, but he followed Red’s instructions. As the monster approached, Red saw the large gash on the side of its body. It was no longer bleeding, but judging by the way the monster gingerly moved, it was far from fully healed.

The bear walked straight towards the boar carcass, but it was still looking around with caution. Red held his breath, watching as the monster got ever so close to the circle without turning back.

Then, finally, the beast put its front paw inside the iron-plate circle.

All of a sudden, the plates glowed.

A spark rose beneath the bear’s feet, and a split second later, an explosion of flames erupted. Dust and smoke rose up, the heat from the fire reaching even Red and Rog dozens of meters away.

The whole forest seemed to have been woken up from the sound.

Rog whistled in awe. “It really worked.”

“It’s not over yet,” Red cautioned. “The bear is still alive.”

When the dust settled, they saw the bear slumped to the ground. Its front left paw was completely blown off from the explosion, and the underside of its bark-like skin was shattered in multiple places. The creature could barely move, and it looked as if it was in extreme pain.

Red grimaced at the sight. The trap hadn’t killed the beast in one blow, and he wasn’t particularly fond of making prey suffer, even the most dangerous ones.

Rog stared at the beast and put his bow down. “I’ll give you the honors, kid.”

Red sighed and walked over to the bear with his sword. The monster growled threateningly at him, but it didn’t have the strength to react.

Red walked towards its side and stabbed his sword down right behind its front shoulder. His weapon bit deep into its flesh, reaching its vital organs, and the bear let out a growl of pain before its fight died down a few seconds later.

It stopped moving.

Rog approached him. “You really outdid yourself this time, kid.”

Of course, what Red had used was a formation. A primitive one that worked as a trap, but even so, its power couldn’t be underestimated.

“The plates look ruined, though,” the hunter said as he looked at the remains of the iron plates.

Indeed, they were scorched and bent from the explosion, the arcane drawings on their surface completely destroyed.

“This is a one-time use formation,” Red explained. “Not much different from a talisman, but it’s the best I could do right now.”

Rog raised his eyebrows. “Can you make another one?”

He shook his head. “This took me almost a week to produce, and it’s an inferior product at best. I just wanted to test if my own skills are up to standard.”

The hunter looked around at the scorched area. “Well, I’d say you passed the test.”

Red had to agree.

Now that he had taken this small but very important step, he felt more confident in his next objective. He was getting close to being capable of building the Parting Storm Formation, and then he would finally be able to break through.

Indeed, over the last six years, Red had completely opened eleven of his veins, and now a single vein remained to be opened—the Third Eye Vein. He was getting close to the bottleneck, and judging by the increasing strength of the Moon’s gaze over the last couple of years, it was best if he hurried.

Chapter 35

Drunken Tirade

Rog went about extracting the bear’s core while Red gathered his ruined iron plates. He didn’t want to leave evidence of his formation behind in the forest.

When the hunter was done with the bear, he approached Red with a curious look.

“Do you think you could sell this formation to other people?” Rog asked.

Red frowned. “Maybe, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea. There would not be many people capable of buying it in town, and it would bring me unnecessary attention.”

In fact, the only people with enough resources to buy his formations would likely be Gustav and the Baron. There weren’t enough clients to justify Red’s effort, not to mention half of them were the sect’s direct rivals, which limited his choice to a single person.

There was also the matter of the attention he would receive. Arcane Script was almost exclusively learnt by people in organizations with the means and knowledge to teach it. Red, on the other hand, was learning on his own with a manual, and if people were to learn about his expertise, it wasn’t far-fetched for some people to connect the dots.

This could spell his doom, much more so when he was still trying to hide his involvement with the inheritance trial that had taken place so long ago.

Rog scratched his beard at Red’s words. “It’s a shame. You could make a fortune this way.”

You’re telling me.

Unfortunately, until Red could find a safe way to sell these kinds of products, he didn’t dare tempt fate.

They quickly gathered their belongings and started to make their way back to town. This trip hadn’t taken them too far into the forest. In fact, the proximity of the bear to town was part of the reason Red and Rog had been sent to hunt it down, a matter that had taken less than a day.

It took them just a few hours before they saw the lights of the town in the distance. Compared to six years ago, the settlement had grown substantially.

Just like his companions had predicted, many refugees from the beast horde had decided against moving back to their villages during these times of war. Instead, many people had settled on the outer edges of town, taking over the abandoned ruins and building their own shacks to inhabit. This had substantially increased the reaches of the town proper, not to mention it had added to its chaotic atmosphere even further.

The Baron had done his best to keep order in his town, but there was only so much he could do without simply barring refugees in the first place. Suffice it to say, the Baron was too kindhearted for that.

This was made evident by the increasing hubbub as Red and Rog grew closer. Even in the dead of night, there was still a lot of activity in the slums. People drinking, laughing, and no small amount of fighting too. The number of ruffians and petty criminals also increased with the influx of people, but the Baron managed to keep a semblance of peace in his town, however fickle it was.

Still, no matter how one looked at it, the peace they’d enjoyed under the Baron’s governance was a privilege in times of war, and everyone living under his protection appreciated the man’s efforts. The rest of the kingdom, on the other hand, wasn’t in a very peaceful state.

Red and Rog walked through the streets, not bothering to hide themselves. The town was so overpopulated that their previous hidden routes were useless now. Thankfully, no one paid attention to or recognized the pair, or if they did, they thought better than to mess with them.

They walked up the hill, passing a handful of guard patrols and drunken revelries on the way to their sect. Their property was still isolated from the rest of the town, even if over the years some newcomers were foolish enough to try to settle on their street. They were quick to learn their lesson when Hector intervened, though.

Once Red got close to the sect, he felt a fluctuation waiting for them behind the gate.

He stopped walking and frowned.

Rog noticed his change in expression. “Someone waiting for us?”

Red nodded and continued to walk forward. He opened the gate and was met with Domeron sitting on his reclining chair as he waited for them.

The man had likewise not changed much in appearance over the past six years.

“You took your time,” the swordsman said as he took a sip from his mug.

“What happened?” Red went straight to the point.

Domeron smiled. “It’s Allen.”

“Well, I’m going to sleep.” Rog slipped away as soon as he heard these words.

Red sighed and massaged his temples.

He looked back at Domeron. “What is it now?”

“He’s out drinking again.” Domeron said.

“… Where?”

“In the Adventurer’s Guild.”

Gustav’s place.

Red frowned. “How do you know this?”

“He told me before he left.”

“Why didn’t you stop him?”

“It is not my duty to do so.” Domeron shrugged. “You said you would take care of it.”

Red stared at the man, trying to look through his impassive expression. He couldn’t discern what kind of game Domeron was playing at, so he just nodded.

“I’ll bring him back,” he said and turned to leave.

“Do try not to make too big of a mess, please,” Domeron said as Red walked away.

Red would obviously try to heed his advice, but if Allen was already inside the Adventurer’s Guild, then the mess was already made.

Red pulled his hood up and wandered down the streets towards the guild. This was another place that had seen a substantial increase in visitors, as adventurers from all around the kingdom sought refuge from the war. This, of course, only benefitted Gustav, whose business was booming, and the merchant was as rich and powerful as he had ever been.

His subordinates often found excuses to make trouble for the Water Dragon Sect, and although Red and his companions responded with equivalent force, it had made their lives in town much more difficult these past few years. Not to mention that with Narcha and Eiwin gone, the sect had lost a substantial amount of power, while Gustav continued to grow stronger.

This didn’t mean they took their harassment passively. In fact, Red could imagine Allen had gone to the Adventurer’s Guild with revenge in mind.

He pulled his hood tighter over his head as he approached the guild. He didn’t hear sounds of combat, which was a good sign as far as he was concerned. However, as he got closer, he noticed how the guild was nearly silent; it was usually bustling at this time of night.

There was only one loud voice that could be heard coming from inside the building.

“Come on, bring me another drink!”

Moron…

Red could already tell it was Allen with his crimson sense. He entered the building without any issues, and once inside, he witnessed the awkward atmosphere of the place.

There were dozens of patrons sitting around, in the process of drinking and eating deep into the night. However, they weren’t talking like Red was used to, and they were instead staring at a certain individual sitting at a table in the center of the room.

A blond, tall young master was in the process of downing a big mug of ale. Unlike Red, this individual wore fancy clothes, befitting his status and appearance. His facial features were dignified and graceful, fitting for a heroic youth—that would be the case, of course, if it wasn’t for the drunken red flush that tinged his cheeks.

This was none other than Allen.

Like Red, the years had seen him become a fine young man. Unlike Red, the years had also seen him change for the worse, judging by the empty mugs on his table.

“Come on! I need another mug!” Allen called out to a waitress not too far from him.

The woman scowled. “You still haven’t paid for the first ten.”

Allen glared at her. “Are you doubting the word of the Water Dragon Sect’s young master?! I will pay when I’m done drinking! Just bring me another one!”

The waitress didn’t say anything and walked away to the bar.

Allen seemed completely unaffected by the unfriendly glares people were throwing his way, and he continued to sip at what remained in his empty mugs. No one approached the young master, but Red saw a few individuals talking in whispers behind the bar’s counter as they threw glances at Allen.

He couldn’t imagine the peaceful situation would last much longer, so he needed to get his companion out of here quickly.

Red approached the young man, drawing quite a few glances himself.

“Allen, we need to leave,” he said as he got to the young master’s side.

“Huh? What are you—” Allen’s expression changed as he looked at the face beneath the hood. “Red, you’re here!”

His loud announcement made the entire room stir in surprise, and now Red was drawing the same unfriendly gazes to himself. He winced.

There goes my last hope of remaining anonymous.

“Come on, join me for a drink!” Allen pointed at a seat by his side.

Red frowned. “You know I don’t drink.”

“It’s fine! We can just get you some water!” The young master looked towards the bar counter with a drunken gaze. “Waitress, bring a large mug of your finest water to my friend here!”

Allen got no response from the woman as she looked at the duo with annoyance.

Allen grunted. “Ugh, the service in this place is horrible!”

“Allen, we need to leave,” Red repeated his words.

“Why?!” the young master said with frustration. “I’m just getting started!”

Almost on cue, Red noticed several heavily armored men walking down from upstairs, carrying all kinds of weapons. They looked at the sect duo, and then spread around the room, surrounding the two of them ever so slowly.

Red’s expression grew serious. “Allen, we are leaving right now.”

Allen also noticed the hostile men getting ready to act, and he sighed in annoyance. “I wanted to stay a bit more, but I guess we have no choice.” The young master got up from his chair and looked at the waitress. “Your service is horrible! You won’t be getting a tip!”

Allen fetched a few coins from his pouch and tossed them on the table. Then, without ceremony, he walked towards the exit with an unsteady gait.

Red followed behind him, relieved that a fight hadn’t broken out.

And that was when he heard one of the armored guild guards snort as they passed him.

“Pathetic,” the man said with a sneer. “At least those two bitches weren’t cowards like you who fled at the first sign of trouble.”

The only response the man got was Allen’s fist to his face. He went flying, crashing against a table.

At that moment, all hell broke loose.

Chapter 36

Street Fight

Shouts of anger and indignation echoed through the room as the closest patrons charged straight at Red and Allen. Red didn’t bother reasoning with them.

A large man charged at him from behind, hoping to tackle Red. He sidestepped the lunge and used the man’s momentum to push him with a single kick against the crowd, sending them sprawling to the ground. It was a fluid and powerful attack, something Red would have struggled to do six years ago, but now he could measure up against any adult when it came to pure strength. He didn’t want to fight, however, so he didn’t bother following up on his attack, only buying himself enough time to escape.

But his companion seemed to be of a different mind.

Allen was in the middle of punching another armored guard, and already a handful of unconscious patrons were at his feet. Someone approached the drunken young master from behind and shattered a glass mug against his head.

Allen didn’t even stumble, looking behind him with a laugh. “That’s more like it!”

He threw a lightning-fast roundhouse kick, hitting his attacker on the side of the head and sending him flying against the tables. However, this gave his attackers an opening to surround him.

One of the armored bodyguards took out his sword to stab Allen in the back. Before he could do anything, Red appeared at his side and threw a jab at his extended forearm, causing an audible crack.

The bodyguard dropped his weapon and screamed in pain.

Allen looked over at Red in surprise and smiled. “Thanks for the help! I don’t know what I would have⁠—”

The young master didn’t get to finish his sentence as Red pulled him down.

“Hey, what are you⁠—”

An arrow hit the place where Allen was just standing. He widened his eyes in surprise and looked over at the other side of the bar. One of the armored guards had a bow in his hand and seemed ready to shoot at the duo again.

“Get them!” The guard’s scream echoed through the room.

The rest of the patrons, who were at first hesitant, roared in anger as they charged at Red and Allen.

The young master’s expression changed. “Wow, there’s a lot of people!”

Red didn’t respond and ran towards the exit with Allen following behind him. Some unlucky patrons tried to block their path, but Red was quick to dispatch them with a few well-placed blows that knocked them unconscious. Their path outside was uninhibited, but behind them dozens of people were chasing after them with murder in their eyes.

Red frowned.

If only I could use my sword.

He wasn’t afraid of taking on dozens of drunken and poorly equipped adventurers, but without being able to kill them, Red knew he would eventually be overwhelmed by their numbers. So instead, he chose to run.

Allen laughed as he followed behind him. “Haha, look! They want to kill us!”

Red ignored his companion’s drunken rambles. “We’ll lose them downhill!”

“Lose them?! Let’s just lead them into an alley and punch them all to death!”

“Stop talking and just follow me!”

Allen did as much. The duo continued to run through the streets with a trail of bloodthirsty adventurers at their back. The commotion attracted the attention of the entire town, and soon enough, the town guards gathered to see what it was about.

“H-Hey, stop right there at this moment!” A guard pointed at Red and Allen.

The duo obviously didn’t listen to him and continued to run. The guard was angry, but before he could say anything else, he noticed the dozens of people chasing after them.

The guard paled and looked at one of his companions. “Call the captain, quickly!”

In the meantime, Red and Allen continued to run downhill.

The young master looked behind himself, examining the angry crowd. “Aren’t we supposed to lose them?! Why are we still running in a straight line?!”

“There’s someone else following us,” Red noted with a frown.

“What?!” Allen’s eyes widened. “You mean…”

Red nodded. “It’s one of those two.”

Red had noticed it when he left the Adventurer’s Guild. There was a fluctuation of a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator following them from atop the surrounding buildings. He’d searched for them in the darkness, but he had yet to spot them, which left him feeling wary.

The young master seemed to lose much of his bravado. “We should run to the sect, then!”

Red shook his head. “And let Hector know about what you were doing?”

Allen gritted his teeth. “So, what do you suggest?”

“Bide our time and wait for the guards to intervene.”

It wouldn’t be difficult, considering they were faster than most of their pursuers. It was at that moment, however, that Red felt another fluctuation appear ahead of them.

“Stop!” Red froze in his steps, and Allen followed his lead.

Red didn’t need to say anything as they saw a figure waiting for them up ahead in the road. A large bald man, wearing a wooden mask and with a saber strapped to his back.

Gustav’s bodyguard.

“Fuck…” Allen cursed to himself as he stared at the man.

Their pause allowed their pursuers to catch up to them, but Red and Allen didn’t dare to move under the bodyguard’s hawkish gaze. The adventurers looked eager to tear the duo apart, but they also all stopped moving as soon as they spotted the giant man down the road.

“Mister Saber!” one of the adventurers called out to the man reverently.

“He’s got them!”

“Now they can’t escape!”

The adventurers continued to jeer at the duo’s misfortune.

The bodyguard, however, made no moves and continued to stare at them. “You have made quite a mess, haven’t you?” he asked.

“They’re the ones who attacked first!” Allen glared at the man.

A voice came from the crowd behind them. “That’s a lie! You punched us first!” 

“That’s because you insulted my friends!” The young master didn’t relent. “And I would do it all over again!”

“So you admitted you struck first?” the bodyguard asked.

“Uh…” Allen looked at a loss for words.

“None of this matters,” Red interjected. “Just tell us how you want to resolve this.”

His interactions with the bodyguards over the years were very limited, but he knew that above all else they were professionals and weren’t emotionally invested in any of the guild’s petty conflicts. As such, he knew they could always be reasoned with.

Not to mention, he was also hoping to buy themselves more time.

The bodyguard seemed to be lost in thought beneath his mask. Finally, he spoke. “You know we can’t do anything to you inside this town.”

Red scowled. Although these words seemed reconciliatory, he didn’t like their threatening undertone.

“So you’ll let us go?” Allen asked in a guarded tone.

“Of course.” The man nodded. “However, Gustav gave me some instructions in case something like this were to happen again…”

The bodyguard took his saber from his back, making Red and Allen take a step back. Red’s hand wandered towards his weapon and Allen entered a combat stance, but none of them made any moves, examining the man’s stance through narrowed eyes.

To their surprise, the bodyguard stabbed his saber into the street pavement and looked back at the duo.

“It is customary in the cultivation community for seniors to test the capabilities of the new generation,” the man said.

Allen frowned in confusion. “What do you⁠—”

Before he could finish speaking, the bodyguard charged forward. With a single push of his feet, he was already upon them, throwing a punch at Allen.

The young master put his arms up to block it, but it was a futile effort. He was sent flying, crashing against the side of a building with a thud from the sheer force of the blow.

Red didn’t have the time to check on his companion’s condition as the bodyguard’s attention turned to him, throwing a punch. The sheer pressure of the man’s gaze made it difficult for him to breathe, and as his opponent’s fist approached, it looked as if he wouldn’t be able to dodge it.

However, all of a sudden, Red felt a wave of energy wash over his body, clearing him of this accumulated tension and shocking his muscles into action. The fist almost crashed against his chest as he crouched down, but the blow missed him by a small margin.

The air pressure gathered by the man’s blow still rattled Red’s body, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from counterattacking. He drew his sword from its sheath in a lightning-quick motion, drawing an arc up against his opponent’s wrist.

There was the sound of metal clashing against metal, and a shower of sparks came from the man’s arm. Red saw the glint of steel from beneath the bodyguard’s sleeve.

Armor.

Before Red could do anything else, a wave of yellow energy exploded from the bodyguard’s body, pushing him back much like the man had done to Allen. Still, Red at least managed to hold himself upright before he crashed into the side of a building.

He stared at his opponent, feeling a tightness in his chest as he tried to recover from the blow.

The man clenched his fist a few times, examining the area where Red’s sword had slashed against his armor.

He looked over at him. “You make it difficult for me to hold back.”

“Go to hell!” Allen, who had recovered from the initial impact, charged at the man with a flying kick. The bodyguard raised his arm, grabbing the young master’s leg in midair and throwing him against Red.

Allen screamed as he was sent flying. “Red, catch me!”

Red didn’t stay still and sidestepped his companion, letting him crash against the ground. It was the right decision, seeing as in the next second, the large bodyguard was already upon him, throwing another punch towards his chest.

Red didn’t have the time to dodge this time around, so he simply put his sword in front of the blow to block it. It did little to diminish the force of the punch as both the weapon and its wielder were sent flying down the street.

The bodyguard had done his best to hold back, using strength just shy of breaking Red’s bones. Still, it was a painful impact, and Red found himself unable to breathe for a few seconds as he tried to get up.

Once again, he was forced to come to terms with the sheer difference in strength between a mortal and a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. Even after all these years of training, he was still short of being able to contend with one in a direct confrontation.

But the fight wasn’t over yet, as he felt the bodyguard’s fluctuation charging towards him. He looked up, seeing the man’s fist in a trajectory to crash against his face.

“Enough of this madness!”

A familiar voice echoed through the streets, and the bodyguard’s fist froze just shy of hitting Red’s nose. Red looked over, spotting Captain Orvin’s figure running towards them while flanked by a handful of guards.

Never was Red so glad to see the man before.

Chapter 37

Attitude Issues

The captain glared at the gathered crowd. “What in blazes is going on here?”

“They’re trying to kill us, captain!” Allen said as he held his abdomen with a pained expression.

A barrage of insults and jeers came from the crowd at the young master’s words.

“Liar!”

“Bastard! You’re the one who attacked us first!”

“He was the one looking for trouble!”

Orvin frowned as he heard these words. “Is that so?”

Allen looked away in embarrassment and shook his head. “I was just throwing punches! They’re the ones that pulled out weapons!”

The captain gritted his teeth in anger, but he didn’t seem interested in wasting more of his breath on the young master.

Instead, he looked over at the large bodyguard. “And you? What in the hell is a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator doing punching a bunch of brats around?”

“We were just exchanging a few pointers,” the bodyguard said.

Orvin glared at the man with an angered expression. “Have you no shame?! Have you no respect for the Baron’s laws? What did he settle with Gustav about Lesser Ring Realm disputes inside of town?!”

The bodyguard didn’t respond, just staring at the captain from beneath his wooden mask with impassive eyes. The atmosphere grew palpably thick, and the whole crowd fell silent in both fear and anticipation of what was about to happen.

The Captain, however, didn’t relent. “You think I’m scared of you, you bastard? You’re not the first Lesser Ring Realm cultivator who thought they could as they pleased in our town. How about you go ask your boss what ended up happening to them?”

There was another prolonged silence before the bodyguard spoke up. “I… didn’t mean any offense to the baron. Please, accept my deepest apologies.”

The man bowed towards the captain and made to walk away.

Before he did that, though, his gaze lingered on Red and Allen, who were still recovering from their beating. “I hope our sparring session has been enlightening to you both.”

“Bastard…” Allen cursed the man beneath his breath.

The bodyguard then grabbed his saber and walked uphill under Orvin’s scrutiny. Only after he disappeared behind a bend did the Captain seem satisfied.

He stared at the crowd. “What are you waiting around for?! Scram before I lose my patience!”

The adventurers didn’t dare tempt the man’s anger and headed back towards their guild. Red also noticed the female bodyguard’s fluctuation disappear from his range as the crowd dispersed, and he let out a sigh of relief.

Allen gritted his teeth. “One day I’m going to put that guy in his place…”

Red frowned. “Just be quiet.”

Thankfully, the young master was still smart enough to follow his lead in these matters. Once the adventurers and other spectators were completely gone, Captain Orvin approached them.

The years were getting to the man, and he had even more grey hairs on his head. Still, the Captain of the Guard had not lost his edge—or temper, it seemed.

He glared at Allen. “I thought you promised me you were done causing problems.”

Allen gritted his teeth. “They insulted my friends!”

“What were you doing going there in the first place, you moron?!”

“What, am I not allowed to go get a drink?!”

“You…” Orvin seemed at a loss for words. “Is this how you want this to be?! In that case, I guess I don’t need to keep your escapades a secret from Hector anymore, do I?!”

“No!” Allen’s eyes widened in fear. “I’m sorry! Look, I don’t know what got into me…”

The captain snorted. “I know what got into you. You’re a stupid teenager with tendencies to do stupid things. It wouldn’t matter if it was anyone else, but you are the young master and successor of the most powerful man in town, so you should know better!”

Allen looked away with a reluctant expression.

Orvin turned his ire towards Red. “And you? Why were you here too? I thought you knew better.”

“I came to take him away before anything else happens.” 

The man sighed. “Well, you were too late, it seems. I know it’s not your responsibility to look after him, but you know that any wrong move on his part could throw this whole town into a bloody war!”

Don’t I know it…

“I don’t need anyone to look after me!” Allen interjected.

Orvin shook his head in disbelief. “I find that hard to believe. I swear, I thought things would be easier on me after Narcha left, but it seems like you are doing a good job filling in her shoes.”

At the mention of Narcha, Allen trembled, and Red saw faint traces of anger appear in his expression.

“Can you keep quiet about this?” Red asked before things could develop in a bad direction.

Orvin hesitated. “… I will keep my promise, kid, as long as you can keep yours. That being said, if you keep doing stuff like this in the middle of town, then Hector will find out sooner or later.”

“It’s fine. It won’t happen again.” Red gave Allen a pointed look.

The young master looked away in embarrassment.

“I hope that is the case.” Orvin nodded. “Now get out of here and go back to your sect!”

Red and Allen did as much. They walked up the hill through the dark streets, taking a roundabout way until Red was sure that no one was following them.

“We can go back now,” he said.

Allen hesitated to follow. “Red… I’m sorry about what happened…”

“I don’t care,” Red interrupted. “I am not your master, nor your father, Allen. I can’t force you to follow my advice, and I don’t think I would even if I could.”

Allen gritted his teeth. “You heard it too! How they insulted Narcha and Eiwin! Why aren’t you angry?!”

Red frowned and looked back at the young master. “Are you seriously asking me that question?”

Allen seemed at a loss before he gave him a helpless smile. “I know, I know. It’s stupid… I’m just tired of being forced to take a beating without being able to fight back.”

Red, of course, knew what he was referring to. Without Narcha and Eiwin around, it was evident that the sect’s influence over the town had diminished over the years. Even if both he and Allen were just as capable of rising to the occasion in replacing them, the truth was that Gustav himself had gotten much stronger over the last six years, possibly due to the amount of profit he and his faction were earning through the war.

It was already a large concern for Hector and his sect, since there was a distinct possibility the merchant might be able to afford another Lesser Ring Realm bodyguard before long. While their elder wasn’t really worried about his own safety, the same couldn’t be said for his sect members who made frequent trips to the forest.

Red sighed. “Just be patient and wait until we have broken through to the Lesser Ring Realm. By then, no common mercenary will be able to contend with us.”

Allen seemed reluctant. “Are you really okay with waiting that long? What if we won’t have time to reach it?”

“Hector can afford us the protection we need. All you need to do is train in peace and not go out of your way looking for trouble, and it will be just a matter of time before you break through.”

Red wasn’t trying to motivate Allen, he was just being sincere. The young master was the most talented person in their sect, and he wouldn’t need a pill to break through to the Lesser Ring Realm. All he needed was time and dedication, and it would be a simple matter of time before their sect gained another powerhouse.

Allen hesitated, but he ended up nodding, his mind resolved. “I will try my best.”

Red obviously didn’t believe him. They’d had this discussion many times before over the last few months, and Allen always ended up getting himself into trouble again. It was honestly a miracle they had managed to keep it from Hector, although Red wasn’t sure whether the elder was actually aware of what was happening and just chose not to act.

Still, he didn’t bother extending this discussion any further. They walked back towards the sect without any issues, and, to no one’s surprise, found Domeron waiting for them at the entrance.

The swordsman frowned once he saw the pair. “What happened?”

Allen seemed surprised. “How do you know something happened?”

“You’re having trouble breathing.”

“Oh, that…” The young master hesitated. “We got punched a few times.”

Domeron’s expression changed. “Did those masked oafs attack you?”

Red nodded. “He was holding back, but I was very surprised, too. This is the first time they have done anything like this… I’m afraid there must be a reason behind it.”

His implication was clear. Gustav and the bodyguards were always reluctant to act against the sect members in the past because they were afraid of Hector’s retaliation. For them to take such a bold action against the young master of the sect, of all people—it could mean they had gained some kind of confidence in their own strength.

This couldn’t be good news for the sect, and judging by Domeron’s troubled expression, he thought the same.

“I will look into it,” the swordsman said. “In the meantime, I would rather none of you leave town for the time being.”

Allen frowned. “Are you going to talk to Hector about it?”

“It depends on what I find.”

The young master hesitated but didn’t protest. He knew keeping his escapades secret wasn’t as important compared to the safety of the sect.

“Go to sleep now, before Hector notices you were gone.” Domeron waved Allen away.

Allen hesitated, but he still walked off towards his own room.

The swordsman stared at the young master’s back until he saw him disappear inside a building.

He shook his head. “That kid is trouble.”

“You think so?” Red asked.

Domeron shot him an irritated look. “I don’t need any of your attitude right now.”

“If you start doing more than just sitting in your chair all day, then maybe you wouldn’t need to listen to my complaints.”

“Hey, I also get up to train you both!” The swordsman glared at him.

Red sighed. “What do you want?”

Domeron smiled. “Is it really that obvious?”

He nodded. “I have spent enough time with you to understand how you work.”

The swordsman laughed. “I suppose that’s only fair. This time, though, the favor is not for me… We have a mission for you.”

Red frowned. “What mission?”

“We found them…” Domeron said. “The remaining imperial agent.”

Chapter 38

A Plan to Kill

Red’s heart skipped a beat. “So there really was someone else?”

Domeron wore a serious expression. “I had my doubts at first too, but once you’ve spent enough time dealing with their methods, you will understand the Empire is always very thorough.”

“How did you find this out?”

Red was aware that Domeron had a very wide network of contacts within the town, whom he paid in exchange for sensitive information. That being said, these weren’t professional spies, so Red found it hard to believe they would be able to locate this imperial agent that had gone undetected for the last six years.

The swordsman hesitated. “This time around, it wasn’t me.”

Red suddenly thought of a possibility. “Was it Gustav?”

Domeron nodded. “I can’t imagine anyone else in the town who would be capable of acquiring this kind of info, but the source as of now remains anonymous. The information was just contained in a letter.”

“Why would Gustav lose the opportunity to claim credit for such a discovery?” Red was skeptical.

The swordsman shrugged. “Perhaps because the agent is another merchant under him.”

“Wouldn’t that implicate him even more?”

“Not necessarily. Gustav might have known about this imperial agent for far longer than it may seem, and probably only decided to tell us about it because this spy is planning something that could implicate him. If he attaches his name to this discovery, it might sour his relationship with his imperial contacts, which was likely the reason as to why he hid this agent’s identity in the first place. Not to mention, now he can use someone else’s sword to eliminate this loose end.”

Red frowned. “The Empire will definitely still suspect him.”

“They will, but it’s not like they can approach us and ask where this information came from,” Domeron said. “Either way, this is a sensible theory, but it’s all just conjecture at the end of the day. Perhaps there’s a third party we do not know about that found out about this, but in any case, this is not of much consequence at the moment.”

Red still felt that this information could be relevant eventually, but he had to agree with the man.

“Who else knows about it?” he asked.

“The Baron and Hector,” Domeron said. “Well, technically, the Baron was the one that received the letter, and he immediately informed Hector about it and no one else, or so he claims.”

“Do we have any reason to doubt him?”

“Ah, of course not,” the swordsman said. “If we can’t trust the Baron, then we might as well just flee the town.”

Although Domeron said this, Red could still feel he was hiding something.

Before he could ask, the man continued. “Anyway, I bet you’re wondering why I’m telling you this.”

Red hesitated. “You want me to kill this agent?”

“Yes,” Domeron said. “As soon as possible.”

“How soon?”

“Before the sun is up, preferably.”

Red scowled. “You want me to assassinate an imperial agent with just a few hours of preparation?”

Domeron smiled. “Hector is the one who gave the order.”

“Why doesn’t he go do it himself if it’s so important?”

“Because he’s being watched.”

There was a silence after these words as Red waited for Domeron to laugh and tell him that this was all a joke. This didn’t happen, though.

“Who is watching him?” Red asked.

“He doesn’t know,” Domeron answered. “But he’s sure he’s being watched over the last few weeks, and if he can’t find out where his stalker is, then it’s probably someone strong.”

Red pondered the problem. “I have felt no unknown presences around the sect.”

The swordsman smiled with a troubled expression. “We are well aware, but I do not think Hector is lying. In which case, what does that tell you?”

Red’s brows furrowed. “Either they can completely hide from my powers, or they are aware of my detection range and are keeping their distance. In either case, they probably know about my powers.”

Domeron nodded. “Can you imagine from where this information about your power might have leaked?”

Red closed his eyes in thought. “The only ones plainly aware of my powers outside of our sect is that woman from the Crystal Sky Sect, and…” He opened his eyes with a frown. “Reinhart.”

The man had disappeared for six years already, but Red didn’t think he was dead. The possibility he had leaked information about his powers was very real.

“There’s no reason to believe that woman would have revealed that about you, and in any case, the Crystal Sky Sect does not often rely on subterfuge,” Domeron said. “Reinhart, on the other hand… He has always been a huge concern.”

“If Hector is being watched, wouldn’t this stalker also be paying attention to me?” Red asked. “How would I find the opportunity to act?”

“Hector doesn’t know who is watching him, but he knows he’s being watched,” Domeron explained. “If that person stopped watching him, he would definitely warn you.”

Red remained skeptical. “This still seems very risky.”

“It is, but we need to get rid of this imperial agent as soon as possible.”

“Why?” Red asked, confused.

“Because they are still looking into what happened in the trial.”

This gave Red pause. After all this time, the imperials still hadn’t given up on discovering the truth behind the trial.

Domeron continued. “This was all tipped off to us through that anonymous letter. They mentioned that the agent was hiring people to look into the forest, including the tunnels from where the native monsters reappeared seven years ago. This was apparently one of this agent’s chief concerns and pretty much confirms to us that the imperials probably did not get their hands on the inheritance as we once suspected.”

Red hesitated. “Have they made any progress in linking anything to our sect?”

“Impossible to say, but our names, amidst a few others in town, were mentioned. It’s likely they would consider every single individual in this place a suspect until they found out who was a part of that inheritance trial.”

Red scowled. “Killing them won’t stop their investigation.”

“No, but it will inhibit their efforts,” Domeron said. “Suffice to say, that is the best we can afford right now.”

Red sighed. “That covers the why, but it still doesn’t explain the how. I might not have a strong cultivator watching my movements, but that doesn’t mean I can kill an imperial agent unnoticed without preparation.”

Domeron snorted. “That’s nonsense. I trained you perfectly over these past six years and have seen your growth with my own two eyes. No one below the Lesser Ring Realm can survive when you strike from the shadows.”

The swordsman had apparently more confidence in Red than Red had in himself, but he wouldn’t complain.

“The issue is not if I can do it, it is if I can do it unnoticed,” he said. “The imperial might have something that can warn him or protect him against those kinds of assassination attempts.”

Red still remembered back in the trial when that Imperial Knight managed to discover Narcha’s and Eiwin’s approach with the help of a talisman. Red was stealthy, but he couldn’t hide from magic.

Domeron obviously knew what he was referring to. “These life-saving talismans that can activate on their own are useful, but at the most basic level, they have a fatal flaw. They only activate once they detect killing intent.”

Red frowned. “What do you mean?”

Domeron smiled. “It’s simple. As you know, human emotions can alter certain aspects of the surrounding Spiritual Energy, and the stronger this emotion is, the more widespread the transformation. These talismans can detect the smallest changes in this property of Spiritual Energy and activate on their own once a certain criterion is fulfilled. However, if this change in property does not happen, then the talisman will obviously not activate.”

Red raised his eyebrows. “So you want me to kill him without mustering any killing intent or change in emotion?”

“Yes. Can you do it?”

Red hesitated, but in the end he nodded. “I think I can.”

If this really worked as Domeron explained, then Red had the perfect plan.

“Great. Then go and kill him.” The swordsman waved him off.

“Aren’t you going to tell me where he is?”

Domeron smiled. “I’ll give you a hint. It’s the place where you committed your first crime in this town.”

Red knew the exact location he was referring to.

Although Red didn’t have the time to come up with a thorough plan, he was still going to equip himself properly before diving into this endeavor. He took a few pills and talismans along with him, which he hoped he wouldn’t need to use.

Then, armed with his trusted sword and with his pitch-black uniform, he sneaked off into the dark town streets. This time around, Red stuck to the shadows.

He crossed dark alleys, scaled buildings, avoided patrols, everything done with an expertise he had acquired over the last six years. No one seemed to notice his passage. This wasn’t the first assassination mission Hector and Domeron had sent him on, which was why Red didn’t feel very apprehensive.

Of course, this was by far his most important and difficult mission. Most of his previous assignments involved killing criminals or idiots that acted against their sect too much. Red had done all that with flying colors, but this was the first time he was given a mission with such gravitas.

If he failed here, the consequences could be dire. Which was why he would not leave anything to chance.

He approached the building Domeron had mentioned. It was the merchant’s store from which Red had stolen a False Parting Sea Pill from seven years ago, after he had just arrived in town.

Red scouted it from across the street on top of another building. With his crimson sense, he detected the presence of seven people inside the store, all awake by the looks of it. He couldn’t tell which one was his target using only his powers, so he moved around to the roof of a different building.

Red still distinctly remembered there was a window on the back of the store, which he’d used to escape during his previous break-in. Sure enough, as he examined the building from a different side, he was greeted by a closed window from which bright white light spilled out from.

Inside, a middle-aged, well-dressed man sat, seemingly writing something at his desk. Red compared the description with what he’d heard from Domeron, and he was able to confirm that this was his target. There was no one else inside the room, so he didn’t need to worry about someone interfering.

Now, however, came the important part.

Red sat down cross-legged on the rooftop and began to meditate with the technique Eiwin had taught him. His awareness over his own body expanded, and he reached out to the mist inhabiting his body, his constant companion.

He heard a faint voice speak inside his mind.

“What… do you want?”

Chapter 39

A Single Strike

Instead of using his voice, Red used his expanded awareness to communicate with the mist. “Hide my killing intent.”

“… Difficult,” the voice resounded again inside his mind.

“I only need five seconds.”

The mist didn’t respond. A few seconds later, Red felt this strange being pulsating inside of his body, reaching towards his head for a few moments before retreating.

“Done,” the faint voice said.

Red didn’t feel any different, but he knew better than to doubt the being.

The voice that was speaking to him was none other than the crimson mist, the very source of his demonification and detection powers. Of course, speaking was a generous term.

It was more akin to Red’s mind translating the meaning and feelings of this mist into comprehensible words. It was something he’d found himself capable of doing as his expertise with the Radiant Current meditation technique grew. He’d felt his awareness grow stronger inside his body, being able to examine parts of his own being in ways he had never seen before.

This included the crimson mist inhabiting his body.

Red was mortified when he heard this strange voice in his head while meditating one day. Yet, he soon realized its origin—the crimson mist. At first, he was reluctant to communicate with it, afraid that this demonic being would corrupt his mind.

No such thing happened, though, and eventually he felt assured of his own safety. Red could ask whatever he wanted, but the being’s responses would never be very complex or thorough, and most of the time, it would be uninterested in his questions. This meant holding a conversation was pretty much impossible, and Red was unable to glean any additional information from the mist.

That being said, this line of communication was very useful for him, much more so when he needed to request the mist for help.

After confirming there was nothing wrong with his body, Red opened his eyes. Barely a minute had passed, but now he was ready to act.

The merchant was still inside the room, occupied with writing a letter of some kind. Red considered waiting for a better opportunity to strike—maybe when the merchant was back on his way home, when the agent would be more exposed—but Domeron made it clear this was something that needed to be done as soon as possible. Red didn’t know when his target would be alone again, and as such, he couldn’t waste this opportunity.

He approached the ledge of the roof of the building neighboring the merchant’s office, keeping over 20 meters of distance from the man in his room down below. This was the range where any talisman alarms should activate, as Red recalled from experience and from his discussion with Domeron.

Then, he took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Nothing happened.

No alarms went off, and neither did the merchant look up and notice his approach.

Red was relieved, but next came the hard part.

He considered sneaking up to the target’s window and entering his room unnoticed, but the merchant had positioned his desk in the room so he was facing the window at all times. This was probably a deliberate choice of someone who didn’t want to get stabbed in the back by an assassin—but unfortunately for the man, it wouldn’t stop Red.

He got as close to the ledge as possible, leaning down and measuring the distance to his target. Then, slowly, he took out his weapon from his sheathe, holding it in a tight grip with his right hand.

Red took a deep breath, and then his entire body tensed in preparation. A feeling of serenity came over his mind, but this was just the calm before the storm.

A few seconds later, Red exploded into movement. He pushed off the ledge, charging down towards the window in a blur. Glass and wood shattered as he crashed through the window, entering the room in a single step.

The merchant looked up from his letter in horror, but before he could even react, Red charged forward. He crossed the rest of the room in a single movement, his blade stabbing forth like an arrow.

His target tried to reach for something below his desk, but he was too late. Red’s sword reached him first, stabbing deep into his chest and piercing his ribs and heart. His weapon was so sharp that it found no resistance against the merchant’s thorax, causing an almost certainly fatal wound.

Still, Red was aware of the wonders of the cultivation world and how it could heal a person from almost certain death, so he wasn’t about to take any chances. He twisted his sword, causing the merchant’s body to seize, and pulled it across his chest, slashing through bone, heart, and lungs like butter.

Satisfied, Red pulled his sword back and allowed the man to crash on the floor, where he was quickly bleeding out. Then he reached down and grabbed the letter on the man’s table before turning around and dashing out the window.

From crashing through the window all the way to retreating took no more than four seconds for Red.

In the next instant, a white light flashed inside the room and he heard the door to the merchant’s office crash open, followed by the screams of alarm from his bodyguards. 

By that time, Red had already left and disappeared into the night.

Of course, suffice to say, the entire town went into high alert. In the past, when Red killed a target, he would do so in secret and get rid of their body so there would be no cause for alarm within the town’s guard.

This time, though, he didn’t have that privilege. This was an imperial agent that he was targeting, and he needed to do it as soon as possible before the man was tipped off. It all worked out in the end with surprising ease, so much so that Red wondered if they had the right target.

This doubt went away as soon as he read the letter in his hand.

Cultivator Hector refuses to leave the sect. Likely noticed something strange.

Red frowned. It turned out the elder was right to worry.

The letter itself seemed to be a report on the people of interest inside of this town. This included Red himself.

Unfortunately, it only reported on his recent activities, and the merchant seemed to be deliberately vague in his writing, not spelling things out as much as Red had hoped. In the end, he couldn’t tell what information the Imperials had on him, but it was still the confirmation he needed that he was being watched alongside his sect members.

I need to deliver this back to Domeron.

He was eager to do so, but he decided against doing it immediately. As a precaution, Red decided to wait at one of his hideouts in town before returning to the sect, just in case he was being followed—which didn’t seem to be the case, judging by his crimson sense.

Still, he played it safe. This was one of the good habits he had learned from Rimold over the years, and the rogue was kind enough to provide Red with access to his own hiding spots in town.

He arrived in a dark alley near the edge of the slums. Here there was a tool lodge that looked mostly abandoned, and that was too small of a building for even the homeless refugees to take an interest in.

Red opened the dilapidated door, wandering inside. There, in the corner of the small room, was a stack of wood and other ruined materials. He moved them aside, revealing some slightly displaced floor tiles that didn’t seem to belong.

After making sure no one had fiddled with the spot while he was away, Red popped the stone tiles out of their spot, revealing a large trap door beneath them. He used a key to open it before swinging the door open and climbing down a set of stairs.

He looked around the small room, which contained only a bed, a lantern, and a few boxes of supplies.

Everything is in order.

Satisfied, Red climbed up and closed both the stone tile and the trapdoor over his head. He jumped down into the pitch-black room but didn’t bother lighting up a lantern.

With his dark vision, Red would never need light again, or so he hoped. In truth, he didn’t think a power acquired while opening his veins was absolute in this world, but so far, it had yet to fail him.

Red sat down cross-legged on his bed and assessed his performance in the assassination. Everything went according to plan, and none of the guards had even seen a glimpse of his features. He left no evidence behind, and even if they investigated the wounds made by his sword, all they could discern was that a very sharp, short blade was responsible. Suffice to say, Red’s sword was only one of a few dozen that fit the bill in the town.

The agent was dead, and nothing connecting Red to the occurrence would be found. Still, he felt an inexplicable anxiety when he thought about the matter, as if something horrible could still come out of all of this.

What is this sensation?

He had never been one to believe in intuition, but over the years, he found himself having these pervasive thoughts more and more often. They came and went without explanation, and they seemed to be warning Red of incoming doom, even if there were no signs of it.

He didn’t understand it. In fact, he was quite annoyed by it. Still, he thought it better to warn Domeron of this once he had returned.

With nothing else to do, Red focused on cultivating. He had opened all the special acupoints from the Storm’s Blessing Vein Opening technique, and the power they had provided him was part of the reason why Red could execute such explosive movements with ease. These acupoints, located in his vital organs, could release an energy on command that could send his entire body into overdrive and force it to react far quicker than normal.

It was how he’d dodged the bodyguard’s first strike earlier, and also how he could kill the merchant and retreat in a matter of seconds. It was an extremely useful ability, which complemented Red’s fighting style perfectly. He believed that under the right conditions, he could even wound a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator with his abilities.

As for winning a fight against one, that was still far beyond him, but he wasn’t disheartened. A mortal shouldn’t be able to kill a cultivator through normal means. This was common knowledge.

The reason why people like Viran and the ghost that possessed Narcha could do it was because they were once powerful cultivators, armed with the knowledge and experience needed to accomplish such a feat. Even then, Viran died in the process of defeating the insectoid, and Red was quite certain that the ghost had used Spiritual Energy to some degree to defeat the Curse Breaker knight.

Maybe once I have opened all my acupoints, I will be able to do the same.

Now, only two acupoints remained closed in his body, and they both belonged to the same vein.

The Third Eye Vein.

This was the most difficult vein to open in cultivation, and it had a singular use for cultivators: they helped one detect and control Spiritual Energy to the minimal degree needed to open one’s Spiritual Sea. This was why it was called as such: the eye which would reveal the path towards cultivation.

However, that was the only use this vein had, as far as anyone knew. Once the Spiritual Sea was open, the acupoint in this vein became obsolete.

In fact, during his research, Red learned that the Third Eye Vein only contained a single standard acupoint, and no one in human history had ever been able to find or open a special acupoint in that vein. Suffice it to say, this left him completely surprised.

After all, according to Viran’s technique, the very last acupoint he needed to open was a special Moonstone Energy acupoint contained in his Third Eye Vein.

As of yet, Red was unable to verify the existence of said acupoint.

Chapter 40

Assessing Progress

This wasn’t the only issue Red had discovered about Viran over the years. In fact, the more he thought about the circumstances of their meeting and how the old warrior came up with this technique, the more absurd the whole situation became in retrospect.

Even Red’s master, who might have ascended to another world, wasn’t able to create a technique to overcome the curse of the Moon’s gaze. While Viran was also a strong cultivator, how could he come up with a solution to the problem that even his master, a once-in-a-millennia cultivator, couldn’t find over who knew how many decades? Not to mention, he apparently did it in a matter of months, and all inside that hellish underground landscape with no resources to help him.

Suffice to say, it felt very unlikely. Someone must have passed on this technique to him, and Viran in turn had passed it on to Red. Yet, this only raised more questions.

Why would Viran lie? Who passed on this technique to him? Why did they do it? How was Red involved in all of this?

Red sighed. Once upon a time, he’d hoped to leave behind all matters related to the underground. Yet, with every step he walked forward in his journey, he found himself more baffled and confused by the circumstances surrounding his curse.

Viran’s technique will only carry me so far. I will still need to find a way to store more Moonstone energy inside my body if I hope to survive.

The only thing Red could think of was to absorb it inside of his Spiritual Sea. Still, that would require him to come up with a circulation technique, a daunting task for someone with as little experience in cultivating as him. Not to mention, Red would also be cultivating the Storm’s Blessing technique, and he knew it wasn’t wise to keep two kinds of energies stored inside one’s Spiritual Sea. How that would be solved, he had no idea.

Even more demotivating was the fact this wasn’t a permanent solution. As long as the curse remained, the energy required to fight against it would continue to increase exponentially. What bothered Red wasn’t necessarily the direness of this conundrum, but more so the fact this meant he would never be able to rest and cultivate in peace. He would need to hurry and find every single way possible to increase his strength and stop this curse, never to meet a moment of rest.

It wasn’t his ideal life as a cultivator, but Red would do what he needed to do to stay alive.

He pulled a green crystal from his pouch and studied it. This was the insectoid core, yet compared to seven years ago, it had gone through some changes, seemingly growing bigger and brighter. Not only that, but the Moonstone Energy it could contain seemed to increase too.

Red didn’t know how this happened. A monster’s core didn’t increase in strength after it was taken out of the beast’s body. Or at the very least, it shouldn’t.

He’d initially imagined it might have been caused by absorbing the ghosts during the beast horde, but that was more than seven years ago, and the stone continued to grow stronger without any signs of stopping after every full Moon. This transformation was a double-edged sword, though.

On the one hand, it meant Red had more Moonstone energy to absorb. On the other hand, it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide its existence. In fact, Red was planning on crafting a container to hide its light with Goulth’s help, but he’d been too occupied lately to give much attention to the matter.

And there are still no signs of the Curse Breakers…

This was yet another reason why the core worried him. The undead-hunting organization hadn’t been seen in the region for seven years, which made Red suspicious. Did they not plan on investigating the death of one of their knights? What about the floating head? The necromancer?

What could have prompted their sudden disappearance?

Red couldn’t even investigate it, afraid this might bring attention to himself. For all he knew, maybe they were just biding their time, waiting for the enemy to reveal itself. In which case, Red couldn’t become careless.

He sighed.

Even in this last half-decade of relative peace, his mind was constantly plagued by worry and caution. Red often found himself expecting the worst, waiting for his secrets to be revealed, or for his enemies to find him. The fact that it never came to pass didn’t put him at ease. Instead, it only made him dread the uncertainty even more.

I can’t allow myself to be distracted.

Red took a deep breath to calm himself down. Even if things were bound to turn for the worse eventually, it didn’t mean he was unprepared.

He had already gathered a substantial amount of the materials needed for the Parting Storm Formation. His hunting and foraging efforts had earned him a large amount of money, which he used to exchange for the materials needed in bulk, more than he needed, even taking into account the possibility of failure. Of course, this only accounted for common materials.

The required elemental-aspected Spiritual Stones still eluded him. Rimold asked around the capital while on a trip, but he was unable to find anything even on the black market, or so he claimed. At the very least, it didn’t seem like Red would be able to acquire those stones without a large amount of money and influence to back his search first.

Maybe Rog was right… I should try selling my formation.

It was the easiest solution he could think of. Yet Red didn’t feel compelled to think about these matters right now.

He focused on cultivating, swallowing a Vein Opening Pill to assist him. Red still had a lot of the pills remaining that the Hawk had given him, and by the time he was done opening all his acupoints, he would probably have at least a few dozen left. He didn’t mean to sell them, though, considering the fact he did not want to leave behind any possible evidence connecting him to his master.

Halfway through his cultivation section, Red felt something suddenly pulling at his consciousness. He frowned.

It was the mist, calling to him inside of his own body.

Red didn’t even need to enter his meditative state to understand what it wanted.

It’s that time again.

He let the Spiritual Energy inside his veins dissipate with no hesitation and laid down on the bedroll. He closed his eyes, and a few minutes later, the darkness of unconsciousness had overtaken him.

The next time Red opened his eyes, he found himself in a familiar environment. An endless black-sand desert, a crimson sky, enormous bone mounds, and a dark sun that he didn’t dare to look at, even for an instant.

He was back in this hellish dimension.

A pointless endeavor.

Red sighed. Back then, his visits to this place were rare and limited, mostly prompted by his consumption of blood. Yet, since he started to communicate with the mist more frequently, he found himself being pulled against his will to this place in his dreams.

At first, Red resisted quite vehemently, and the crimson mist respected his wishes. However, he found that no matter what he did, whenever he went to sleep, he would always find himself here. He questioned the mist about it, to which he received only a single word as a response.

Inevitable.

Red wasn’t happy, but he had yet to find a way to resist this pull. In any case, at the very least nothing of note seemed to happen to him during these visits, as long as he avoided staring towards the dark sun in the sky.

Another thing that surprised him was the fact he was still just a child in this place. Age didn’t seem to reach this dream of his, and he was still just as young as he had been on the first day he entered this place. He was also carrying the bone knife he had taken from that strange knight’s skeleton, as well as the scar he had inflicted himself back then.

This meant he could be hurt, but he was still unsure how that affected him in the real world.

Red frowned and looked ahead, towards a giant bone mound. The same gigantic rib jutted out that he had been trying to reach since his very first night here. Still just as out of reach as it had always been.

It was hard to discern the passage of time in this place, but Red assumed from all his accumulated time in this realm that he had been walking for months in a straight line towards this mound. He would have given up already if there was anything else for him to do in this place.

Unsurprisingly, there was nothing he could find in the sect library to help him in this strange situation. Not even his experience in the infinite lands of the trial was of any help.

So, with no choice, Red started to walk.

And he walked for who knows how long.

At some point, he felt his strength fade. This was a telltale sign that his time in this realm was coming to an end—with his collapse from exhaustion, that is.

Just as Red felt his vision start to blur, he saw a slight change in his surroundings. He paused and blinked, completely baffled.

Yet, no matter how many times he blinked, the result was the same. He could swear the bone mound had gotten closer to him.

How is this possible?

Red couldn’t wrap his head around what had happened, but this sudden discovery gave him a second wind to fight past his exhaustion. He continued to walk forward, and sure enough, the bone mound continued to get ever so close to him, until it occupied almost his entire vision.

It was enormous. Bigger than anything Red had ever seen, and the fact it might have once been a part of a living creature was impossible to wrap his head around.

Yet beyond its unimaginable size, there was something else that caught his attention. Something seemed to be inscribed on the surface of this bone, too faint and distant for Red to discern, but he was certain of it.

It was writing. Not to mention, it was writing he recognized.

Arcane Script.

Chapter 41

Infernal Scripture

The arcane writing seemed to cover the entire surface of the bone. The closer Red got, the more details he was able to see, and what he saw left his head spinning.

What he thought were large sigils before were actually composed of dozens of smaller symbols, drawn with such detail and precision that it left him aghast. Every step Red took, another detail he missed would be revealed, and the sheer complexity of the script would increase.

Red didn’t know what these symbols meant. Anyone else in his place might have thought these were just natural patterns, but with his experience in Arcane Script, he could see some familiar patterns in how the drawings were organized. There was an order to this chaos, even if Red himself couldn’t tell what it was for.

Did someone really draw this?

He found this hard to believe. How would demons know Arcane Script in the first place? Not to mention, why carve it on the surface of a bone?

I need to see it closer up.

Red didn’t know if this was wise, but what else was he supposed to do in this forsaken place?

He continued to approach until he was finally face-to-face with the colossal rib bone. In width alone it was kilometers long, completely covering his vision. Not to mention its length, which stretched far above what Red could see, and that was only the part that stood above the dark sand.

Red saw nothing else of interest at the foot of this bone monument, so he directed his attention to the symbols on its surface. Only now, from a dozen meters away, could he spot the smallest details of the inscription.

It was a continuous spiral pattern, twisting and turning every which way, with no order that Red could discern. At the tip of each spiral stood circles filled with symbols he had never seen inside of them. Every single one of these spirals were organized in such a way that they connected and formed an even bigger array, and these bigger arrays, in turn, would combine and form an even larger system.

While Red didn’t know the symbols, he was familiar with this method of inscribing. When one wanted to create a large or complex formation, this was the preferred method for most practitioners, where you etched smaller symbols and connected them to form larger complex layers.

This was called Layered Inscribing. Depending on how big or complex the formation you wanted to make was, you might need to repeat this method several times, adding a layer for each level of complexity. Suffice it to say, every new layer was increasingly harder to draw, as one needed to consider dozens of smaller runes and symbols and how they would connect, but it was a necessary skill for a formation master, or any scripture practitioner for that matter.

Yet, the sheer scale of this inscription baffled Red. How many layers were there? Ten? Twelve? He couldn’t even count it properly.

It might not sound like much, but each new layer presented an exponential increase in complexity. Three layers were dozens of times harder to make than just two layers, for instance, and the difficulty couldn’t even be regarded in the same realm. Red had never heard of anything higher than eight layers in history, so this formation was several steps above that.

He couldn’t help but wonder about its use.

I don’t see a single symbol I recognize.

If it was just a handful of unfamiliar symbols, he wouldn’t be bothered, but there were dozens of distinct and foreign sigils he had never seen, and not a single one he could recognize from the manual he’d received from the trial. How was it possible that there was another entirely different set of arcane sigils he knew nothing about?

Maybe it’s because I am in another world.

He recalled from the manual that Arcane Script was supposed to be the language of the world, a way to give form to nature and its laws. It was possible that a different world had a completely different language, and as such, a different set of fundamental symbols.

But if that’s the case… isn’t this useless to me?

If this world and his world had a different language, would the symbols he learned in one work in the other? Red wasn’t sure, and he couldn’t help but curse at not having any inscribing material to test his theory.

All he could do right now was memorize what he could and then test it once he woke up. But when Red looked over the wall again, he frowned.

Can I even memorize this without practice?

The smallest sigils were just as complex as the ones he had already learned, and those took him a year to memorize with enough practice. Now, though, he didn’t have the paper or ink to practice them.

I wonder…

Red looked down at the sharp bone in his hand. He got an idea.

He looked down at the dark sand beneath him. Red had tried in the past to move this sand, but he found that even one grain of this dark sand was impossibly heavy, so using it to draw wasn’t an option. However, he didn’t need to part the sand, he just needed to draw over it.

Red gripped the bone in his hand and carefully scratched the dark sand. The soil didn’t even shift, but over it, a slight white line of bone dust could be seen.

I guess this can work.

It obviously wasn’t the best option. The sand, while mostly even, was grainy and not good for drawing, and it wasn’t like the line of bone dust made for a clear depiction. However, Red wasn’t hoping to replicate the symbol perfectly.

He just wanted to memorize how it was drawn, and practice was the best way to do it.

He then picked a few symbols that stood out to him as being easier to draw and set about his work.

Red didn’t know how much time had passed, but eventually he felt his concentration wane. He was already exhausted by the time he’d reached the bone, and inscribing was already a difficult practice in the first place.

By the time Red felt he couldn’t keep himself awake any longer, he’d memorized three symbols in total, and the bone in his hand was all but spent. Now, all that he could hope for was that these sigils would be of any use in his world.

I should try asking the mist if there’s a way I can bring ink and paper here next time.

This was Red’s last thought as he fell unconscious.

His eyes opened and were greeted by the ceiling of the underground compartment. Red sat up on his bed and sighed.

I didn’t think I would find anything of interest in that place.

He’d spent so long in that hellish nightmare with nothing to show for it that Red thought he would be forever sentenced to wander those planes. Yet, he’d finally reached the bone mound.

What prompted this change?

Red felt compelled to ask the mist, but it had never been forthcoming with sharing information. Not to mention, he shouldn’t dally. It was probably already morning, and Domeron would be waiting for him back at the sect.

He used his crimson sense to scout above him, and after confirming there was no one waiting for him, he got out of his hiding place. Red then walked out into the alley and joined the morning crowd in one of the main streets without any hiccups.

Already, he heard the murmurs of conversation.

“Did you hear? Someone was killed last night in their office!”

“Really? Who?”

“Do you remember that merchant who sells herbs…”

It seemed like this was still too small of a town for murder to be commonplace, and as Red expected, the matter from yesterday was being talked about at length in the streets. At the very least, he took solace in the fact that the merchant had truly died.

Red made his way back to his sect without issue. No guards stopped him, and he wasn’t suddenly attacked by any imperial spies.

When he arrived back at the gate, he found Domeron waiting for him in his reclining chair.

The swordsman nodded in satisfaction. “You’re back.”

“Did you wait here all night?” Red asked.

“What?” Domeron frowned. “Do you think I don’t sleep?”

“Now that you mention it, I have never seen you in your room.”

“Anyway…” The swordsman coughed into his hand and tried to change subjects. “I trust everything went well?”

“It did. I wasn’t spotted by anyone, and I also got this.” Red handed the letter to Domeron.

The man grabbed it with his one hand and read through it.

He hummed with interest. “Pretty thorough surveillance, it seems. Not surprising, but it does seem like the Empire might have quite a few people working for them in town.”

“It could just be hired hands,” Red suggested.

“Maybe, but there are not many hired hands in this town who would dare spy on us.” Domeron shook his head. “In any case, this tells nothing we didn’t suspect already. Did you find anything else?”

“I didn’t look,” Red answered. “I just grabbed the first thing in front of me and got out as quickly as I could.”

The swordsman sighed. “Really? That’s disappointing.”

“You told me to kill him,” Red pointed out. “Not to acquire intelligence.”

“I suppose.” Domeron shrugged. “Either way, you’ve done well. I’m sure Hector will want to talk to you later about it, too.”

“Is he still being watched?”

“It seems to be the case,” Domeron stated.

“Does he plan to do anything about it?”

“If he does, he hasn’t told me anything yet,” Domeron said. “Just don’t worry about it, kid. Hector is resourceful, and if he needs your help, you can be sure he will ask for it.”

Red nodded and decided to let the matter go.

He parted ways with Domeron and headed straight to Goulth’s house. He could already hear the sound of a clanging hammer coming from inside, as well as the whistling of the large man as he carried a tune.

Red entered the workshop and closed the door behind him.

“Huh? Kid, is that you?!” Goulth turned around and looked at him with a smile.

“It is.”

“Great, great! Come here! I need your help with something!”

It seemed like the man was in a good mood.

Over the years, Red expected his relationship with his master to change after their conversation about Red’s lack of creative talent, but to his surprise, no such thing happened. Instead, Goulth seemed to accept his disciple as he was and stopped trying to push his philosophy onto him.

He still taught Red blacksmithing, but he also started urging him to study Arcane Script more, something that he did seem to have a greater talent in. Their relationship became even more harmonious than before, and Red entrusted even more of his secrets to this man who seemed to have nothing but his best interests in mind.

“There’s something I want to speak to you about,” he said.

“Hm?” Goulth raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Is it important?”

“Yes. I discovered a new system of Arcane Sigils.”

The blacksmith stared at him, mouth agape.

Chapter 42

Dangerous Experiments

Goulth tried to rein in his surprise and looked at Red with a frown. “Do you mean you came up with new arcane sigils?”

Red shook his head. “No. I mean that I have discovered a completely foreign Arcane Script system.”

The blacksmith’s eyes widened again. “This… Do you even know what you are saying right now? How could there be two different Arcane Script systems? It makes no sense!”

Red hesitated. “… The system I discovered isn’t from this world.”

Goulth’s expression changed in realization. “Do you mean you learned them from that dream of yours?”

Red nodded. This was one of the secrets he had told his master, mostly involving how he was sometimes pulled into this other world in his dream and was made to walk in an endless desert with no purpose. Goulth didn’t recognize his description, but he shared the same belief that Red was probably transported to some kind of infernal hellscape.

The blacksmith told him this wasn’t unheard of. People who came in contact with powerful demonic forces might establish contact with the other side through their dreams, but Goulth’s knowledge of the matter was limited. He only told Red that most of the time, these connections ended in disaster and should be cut off as soon as possible.

His master wanted to enlist Hector’s help, but Red convinced him not to. Since that infernal plane seemed to be uninhabited, there was probably no danger forthcoming to him. Not to mention, Red knew that as long as the mist remained inside of his body, there was no cutting off whatever connection he had with that place.

The blacksmith was reluctant at first, but he agreed. After a few years passed with no other incidents, Goulth stopped bringing the matter up for the most part.

Now, however, things had changed.

“I thought you were only walking in an endless desert!” Goulth stared at Red with concern. “Who taught you those things? Did you make a deal with a demon?”

“I did no such thing. It’s just that when I was pulled into that dream yesterday, something changed…”

Red explained to his master how he managed to reach the bone mound yesterday for some reason, as well as the formations he saw carved on its surface. By the time he was done, Goulth had a contemplative look on his face.

“Do you know what prompted this change?” he asked.

Red shook his head again. “Nothing out of the ordinary happened… Or at least, nothing that hasn’t happened before.”

“So you just… reached the bone?”

Red sighed. “That seems to be the case.”

The blacksmith grunted in thought. “Maybe it isn’t the case that nothing happened, but rather that something did happen, but you just didn’t notice it. Next time you’re in there, make sure to examine everything thoroughly. It might lend you a clue.”

Red frowned. What his master said made sense, but Red had been very thorough already, so he couldn’t imagine what he was missing.

Well, there is one thing I didn’t check back then…

The thing in the sky. Red didn’t linger on this thought, though, and let it dissipate lest something bad happened.

“These sigils you found… How many did you memorize?” Goulth asked.

“I committed three of them to memory.”

“Three?!” Goulth exclaimed. “How much time did you spend there?”

The blacksmith’s surprise obviously came from the fact that memorizing even one sigil was something that could take days or even a week for a beginner.

“I don’t know,” Red admitted. “However, I can’t say with complete confidence that I remember them correctly. I didn’t have the proper materials to draw them back there either.”

In Arcane Script, a slight mistake in your drawing could make the sigil completely ineffective. It was why it was so important to practice them, so drawing their shapes would become as much a matter of muscle memory as it was a matter of visualization.

Not to mention that trying to recall information from his special dreams was rather difficult, even if Red was completely conscious. It was like there was a barrier which he needed to break through every time he tried to remember what happened in that hellscape—a rather arduous and tiring task.

Goulth smiled. “Well, we won’t know until you try doing it, right?”

The blacksmith got up and went to a side room, bringing back a stack of high-quality paper and ink before setting it on top of a table.

“Come here!” Goulth waved at him with an excited expression. “We’ll first check your drawing and see if you really remember how it looked!”

The blacksmith looked even more eager to experiment than Red, so he nodded and approached. He sat down on a chair and picked out his brush and ink before setting aside a paper to start drawing.

Before he continued, he looked over at Goulth with annoyance.

The blacksmith was leaning over his shoulder, staring at the brush and paper with a fanatical expression. “Come on, kid! What are you waiting for?”

“Give me space.”

“Ah, sorry!” Goulth scratched his head in embarrassment and stepped back.

Red still felt his intense gaze from a few meters away, but he didn’t bother telling the man to go to another room. He sighed and focused on the task at hand, drawing from his foggy memories the image of one of the sigils.

His hand began to move. The brush moved with fluid and elegant strokes, changing in speed every so often as Red moved to a more complex part of the drawing. There was no pause between any of the strokes, and he didn’t stop to breathe or blink for even a second, since one slight lapse in focus could mean the sigil was a failure.

Finally, a few minutes later, he was done, and they were left with a rather peculiar drawing.

“Is this the symbol you saw?” Goulth asked in wonder.

Red understood why he was surprised. This looked nothing like the Arcane Script they knew. There was an abundance of curved lines, crisscrossing and uniting to form a strange symbol. It was like a chaotic assortment of shapes that didn’t make sense together at first glance—nowhere near as aesthetically pleasing or orderly as the Arcane Script of this world.

“I was confused at first, too, but once these symbols were put together, they formed an extremely complex formation.”

Goulth nodded. “I don’t doubt you. Now, are you sure you got the symbol right?”

Red hesitated, examining the drawing. “I’m… not sure.”

“In that case, continue drawing it,” he said. “Once we have enough samples, you can compare them and see where you might have made any mistakes.”

Red set about doing this task.

It was a repetitive and tiring ordeal, and he had to take a few breaks to maintain his focus. Goulth stood there watching him the entire time, enraptured by his practice and barely speaking at all. It was clear that the blacksmith was extremely interested in the prospect of discovering a new Arcane Script system, even if it was from a hellish landscape and possibly not even real.

Red compared every single one of his sketches, concentrating on the sigil’s image in his mind, and correcting mistakes whenever he saw them. Goulth offered him some limited help, as even though he wasn’t an expert in Arcane Script, he still had a good eye to spot mistakes and discrepancies in Red’s drawings.

It took Red two hours before he felt satisfied with his drawing.

“I think this is as good as it’s going to be,” he said. “If there are any mistakes in it, I can’t recall them from memory.”

Goulth grunted in satisfaction. “Great. Do you want to try inscribing it and seeing if it works?”

This whole time, all that Red had done was practice the drawing. Generally, if one wanted to see the true effects of an Arcane Sigil, they would need to inscribe it into a high-quality Spiritual Material, such as a monster skin or spiritual paper, and use the proper tools and ink.

Red, however, hesitated. “… Are you not afraid of what its effects might be?”

“Well, of course I am!” Goulth exclaimed. “If that place you described is real, then these sigils are probably demonic in origin. However, we don’t even know if it will work, and there’s nothing wrong with just experimenting!”

It seemed the blacksmith valued knowledge above everything else, regardless of the origin of said knowledge. Red was of the same mind, but he wanted to make sure the blacksmith approved of their heretical actions before continuing.

“I would like to try to etch this symbol on a bone. Do we have any suitable ones?” he asked.

Goulth shook his head. “We have bones, but even the bones of a giant monster aren’t big enough to etch on properly.”

If only we managed to keep the bone of that wolf back then…

Red shrugged. “Let’s try a monster hide, then. It’s the closest thing we have to a bone.”

“I agree.” Goulth walked away to the storage.

A few seconds later, he came back with a square piece of treated monster leather.

“Here, this belonged to a Lesser Ring Realm fireleaf deer,” Goulth said as he laid the material on the table.

“And the ink?” Red asked.

“Here.” The blacksmith put a pot of dark blue ink on the table. “Deep Blue Spiritual Ink. Made from Sky Howl’s resin. I’m not sure if any of this will work with these sigils, but it’s the best we have with us right now.”

Red was satisfied. “This will hopefully suffice.” 

“Are you drawing it right here?” Goulth asked.

“Yes. Please, make sure no one interrupts us.”

The blacksmith nodded. “I will be waiting in the other room.”

Goulth then walked away, leaving Red to focus on the task at hand. He examined his final sketch of the symbol a final time before setting about drawing the sigil proper.

Suffice it to say, doing the real thing was much more mentally taxing on Red than simple practice. One mistake here meant the material he used would go to waste, and this was something he obviously couldn’t afford to do, so he took particular care to make sure all details were drawn to absolute perfection.

Thankfully, Red had six years of training to back him in this matter. This sigil took ten minutes to draw, but by the end of it, it was completed with success and with no signs of mistakes.

“I’m done,” Red called out to his master.

“Let me see!” Goulth came running from the other room, looking over his student’s shoulder at the symbol. A wide smile came to his face. “It looks perfect!”

Red nodded in agreement. “Now all we need is to power it.”

“Right!” Goulth took out a spirit stone from his pocket and handed it over. “Here, you do the honors!”

Red hesitated. “I don’t know what this sigil does. What if it’s dangerous?”

“You’re the one who drew it! It’s your responsibility to see this through!”

Red sighed. “Fine.”

He grabbed the stone and brought it closer to the sigil. Red frowned as he heard Goulth distancing himself, but he didn’t stop, and a few seconds later he laid the stone on top of the arcane symbol.

The reaction was almost immediate. The stone glowed as the symbol seemed to absorb some of its Spiritual Energy. This glow, however, was quick to subside, and a few seconds later, nothing else happened.

“So?” Goulth asked, hiding from behind a table.

“Nothing happened,” Red answered.

“Really?” The blacksmith sounded disappointed. He approached Red and examined the sigil. “It absorbed Spiritual Energy, didn’t it?”

“Yes. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a proper arcane sigil. Maybe my drawing was still flawed in some ways, or maybe whatever symbol this is only works in that place. Either way, it seems like this was a failure.”

“Don’t be disheartened yet.” Goulth patted his shoulder. “There are still plenty of experiments we can do before declaring this a complete failure. After all, this is probably some kind of demonic sigil. Maybe it only works with some type of demonic Spiritual Energy.”

Red’s eyes widened as he realized something. “I have an idea.”

Goulth frowned in suspicion. “What idea?”

Red didn’t respond. Instead, he grabbed a knife from his waist before slashing the palm of his hand.

The blacksmith’s eyes widened in surprise. “What are you doing?!”

“Just a test,” Red answered as he put his bleeding palm over the sigil.

His blood started to drip down onto both the spirit stone and the arcane symbol. Suddenly, to their surprise, the crimson fluid seemed to be absorbed by the sigil as its blue lines started to glow.

Some kind of reaction started to happen around the sigil as Red and Goulth felt the surrounding air change.

The blacksmith smiled in delight. “It worked! It really work⁠—”

Suddenly, the sigil exploded, and the entire workshop was thrown into chaos.

Chapter 43

Blood Magic

Red and Goulth were both thrown backwards by the force of the explosion. Tools and other materials were sent flying, and the detonation echoed throughout the entire sect.

Red lay on the ground, swiping his hand around as he tried to clear the dust in the air and see what was going on. He heard the blacksmith curse by his side.

“Fucking hells!” Goulth coughed into his own hand. “What was— Shit! There’s a fire!”

As the dust cleared, Red saw it too. The area where the explosion occurred was caught in a blaze, and the papers and wooden appliances were all caught in flames.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Goulth got up in a hurry. “Get the inflammable stuff out of the room, kid!”

Red did as his master said. Suffice it to say, his master’s workshop had a fair amount of inflammable material, including alchemical ingredients which would also cause quite an explosion when exposed to open flames.

While he was occupied with moving these materials, Goulth was trying to extinguish the fire using cool water. He was finding little success, though.

“What in the blazes is going on here?!” Hector’s angered voice came from outside the workshop.

“Uh, we had an accident!” Goulth shouted back. “Help us put out the fire, elder!”

The elder didn’t respond, but Red could imagine him gritting his teeth outside the house. All of a sudden, the windows around the house swung open, and a small torrent of floating water flew towards the fire, crashing into it in a sizzling steam. The fire was extinguished in almost an instant, far faster than normal water should have been able to accomplish.

Goulth let out a sigh of relief. He looked out the window of his workshop and smiled. “Thank the gods you were here, Hector!”

The elder snorted. “Will you tell me what happened?”

“Uh, yeah, we were⁠—”

“Come outside first!” Hector interjected. “I won’t have a conversation through a window!”

Both Red and Goulth walked out, finding Domeron, Hector, and Allen waiting for them.

“What happened to your face?” Allen asked with a smile.

“There was an explosion,” Red stated, wiping the soot off his face.

“We know that!” Hector glared at him. “What caused the explosion?!”

“We were just experimenting with something new.” Goulth said.

The elder frowned. “Experimenting?! You’ve been in this sect for more than ten years and I’ve never seen an accident like this!”

The blacksmith shrugged. “Accidents happen when you’re experimenting.”

Hector still didn’t look convinced, and he looked suspiciously between Goulth and Red. “What the hell were you experimenting with to cause this?!”

Before Red could respond, his master spoke up.

“We were trying to concoct a new medicine,” Goulth said with an embarrassed expression. “I asked the kid for help, but I didn’t expect him to mess up the ingredients.”

Red was taken by surprise by his master’s lies, but none of it showed in his expression.

Hector stared at Red accusingly. “I thought you were the kind to be more careful about these things.”

Red shrugged. “I was too tired.”

The elder snorted and looked back at Goulth. “I don’t care what you were doing inside that workshop, but I just want to ask you one thing—are your experiments going to kill us all?”

The blacksmith smiled. “They won’t, but if something goes out of control, I’m sure we can count on you to help us.”

Hector grunted and turned to leave. “Next time, I’ll let your house burn down!”

Domeron shook his head with a helpless expression and left without saying a word. That only left Allen, who stared at the two of them with curiosity.

“What kind of experiments are you guys doing?” the young master asked.

“The dangerous, secret ones that are none of your concern! Now leave and stop being nosy!” Goulth glared at Allen with an angry expression.

“Fine, fine!” Allen turned around with a smile. “Just make sure to show me what you have cooked up when you’re done!”

With those words, the young master left Goulth and Red alone.

The blacksmith sighed. “Let’s go inside first.”

Red followed his master into the workshop.

Goulth stared at the chaos caused by the explosion with a resigned expression. “Gods, what a mess! Help me clean this up, kid!”

Red hesitated. “… Why did you lie to⁠—”

“Shush!” The blacksmith cut him off. “Help me clean this place first and we can talk after!”

Red sighed and did as his master asked. It took them a little over half an hour to get the place in order and assess the damage. A lot of the wooden appliances and furniture around the fire were completely ruined, but Goulth wasn’t too worried about them. These were easily replaced.

What made the blacksmith angry was the inscribing material that was right next to the explosion and had been completely destroyed by the fire.

“Fuck, the Spiritual Ink is gone!” Goulth stared at the ruined bottle with pain in his heart.

Red frowned. “Was that the only one you had?”

“No, we have another bottle. It’s just that these are expensive, and every bottle takes weeks to arrive from the capital.”

“I could help you with the costs,” Red offered.

Goulth snorted. “I don’t lack for money, kid! Besides, it’s not like this is your fault. We were both too reckless to experiment with this inside the workshop.”

“Maybe that is so, but there is no way we could have foreseen that kind of reaction from a single rune.”

A single arcane rune alone had limited power and could only do the simplest of things. It was only when they were drawn into a formation or a talisman that they were able to display their true strength. As such, neither of them were expecting such a violent reaction from this single sigil, which was why they got complacent about their safety amidst their great curiosity.

Goulth shook his head. “We are dealing with something completely foreign here. We should be prepared for anything the next time we try it.”

Red raised his eyebrows in surprise. “There’s going to be a next time?”

The blacksmith laughed. “That depends on you!”

“Is that why you lied to Hector?” Red asked.

“Well, he isn’t stupid. He knows we are up to something, but he probably couldn’t guess what we are researching, even in his wildest dreams,” Goulth said. “Either way, don’t you feel excited, kid?! Researching a completely foreign practice, being the pioneer of a possibly new field of Arcane Script! Doesn’t that get your blood pumping?!”

Red hesitated. “… I’m just copying some drawings.”

“Bah, don’t be modest! You still have to figure out what each sigil does and how to connect them on your own, right? That’s already plenty of work on its own!”

Red sighed. “When you put it like that, I suppose you’re right.”

Goulth smiled. “Of course I am! In any case, let’s sit down and think before we rush ahead. What have we learned from this experiment?”

Red pondered the question for a moment. “These runes still work in our world, and it seems like blood is required to activate them.”

“It’s a reasonable conclusion to make considering what happened and its origins, even if we still have many more experiments to conduct. However, if blood is really the fuel for these runes, you know what that means, right?” 

Goulth’s tone darkened as he asked that.

“Blood magic,” Red answered, noting his master’s grim expression.

There was no such thing as an accepted demonic practice in the cultivation world, but amidst all these evil arts, there was one that stood above all others in terms of wickedness. This was none other than blood magic.

The practice had its roots at the very dawn of cultivation history when humans noticed that the deciding factor behind a monster’s power was its bloodline. It dictated the strength that creature would reach at maturity, and it was something that was passed to its descendants, permitting these beasts to grow stronger without ever cultivating.

This process had its limitations, of course, such as providing the monsters with a power ceiling that was almost impossible to surpass, but such downsides were insignificant compared to the benefit it provided to the beasts at the time, allowing them absolute dominance over all other lifeforms in the world that didn’t have the same ability.

This bloodline power was something that humans sought to cultivate inside their own bodies, and they went about it in various ways. Some tried to infuse these monsters’ bloodlines into their own body, while others tried to elevate the power of human blood itself. All of these methods had their drawbacks, and with time and the development of cultivation, they mostly became obsolete.

This was until thousands of years later, when the first contact between humans and the demons from the infernal realm occurred. Humans were then enlightened to the true power—and horror—of blood magic, and these once antiquated methods came to light once more.

To consume and assimilate. To kill and become stronger.

These were the basic tenets of demonic blood magic. It allowed the person that cultivated its methods to become stronger by killing other living beings and absorbing their blood essence. Such a method of increasing in strength was, and still remained, unmatched in pure cultivation speed. Suffice to say, when it came to light, an era of chaos and slaughter began as blood practitioners spread throughout the world.

There were also enormous drawbacks to the method, of course, but the benefits outweighed the risk in the minds of many cultivators. It was why, even after the downfall of the demonic sects, this was still one of the most popular demonic practices in the world and considered to be the most dangerous for human existence.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time Red had come into contact with this kind of blood magic, and it was why he even thought to use it with the sigil in the first place.

Goulth sighed. “Look, I’m a very open-minded individual. I believe demonic magic is incredibly dangerous and inherently evil, but in the hands of a strong-minded individual, this corruption can be resisted and used for a better purpose. It’s why I decided to not tell the truth to Hector—not only because I am curious, but because I also trust you and I think this kind of knowledge can benefit you a lot in the long run. That being said, there are other dangers to this than just corruption.”

Red furrowed his brows in thought. “What dangers?”

“Kid, think about what you have here,” the blacksmith said. “A completely new Arcane Script system powered entirely by blood magic. Not to mention that judging by that explosion from earlier, the sigils might be even more powerful than the basic Arcane Script! Can you imagine what would happen if this was spread to the rest of the world? Can you imagine if demonic cultivators got their hands on these sigils?”

Red shuddered just thinking about it.

“This is why you need to think about what could happen if you were to continue researching these,” Goulth continued. “It’s not just about you anymore, but humanity at large!”

Red was silent for a long while, unsure of what to even think. “I… didn’t expect this kind of responsibility to fall into my lap.”

The blacksmith laughed. “Of course you didn’t! Still, you are the one who has to decide. That information will always be in your head, and even if I wanted to, I couldn’t stop you from researching it. To be honest, there’s obviously a part of me that still wants to experiment and study these sigils, but to put the entire world at risk while doing it? That makes the decision a bit harder…”

Red frowned. “A bit?”

Goulth smiled. “Of course. But I’m not the one that has to make the final decision in the first place.”

Red went silent in thought. “… I need time to think.”

On the one hand, he had a completely new and exclusive scripture system that could benefit him immensely in the long run. On the other hand, there was always the possibility this system could leak and empower demonic cultivators like never before.

Even if Red was never one to care about the prosperity of humans at large, this was still not the kind of decision he could make lightly. He needed to think.

To think and consider what was most important to him.

Chapter 44

Blood Experiments

Red excused himself to his room. When he arrived there and made sure no one was watching or eavesdropping on him, he sat down cross-legged on his bed and began to meditate.

Soon enough, his awareness expanded, and he reached out towards the mist.

“Did something happen?” Red went straight to the point.

“Her hold… weakens.” A faint voice echoed in his mind.

Her.

Red immediately thought back to one name and a certain image that he’d avoided thinking about for a long time. Even now, he didn’t dare to focus on it for more than a few seconds, but at least he confirmed that his theory was right.

“Does that mean you’re safe?” Red asked.

“No… Never safe.”

“The bone. Were you the one that helped me reach it?”

“Yes.”

Red hesitated. “… Why?”

“Useful… for you.”

“Useful how?”

“Useful.”

This was the only word the being used. Red was still left with a lot of questions on the matter, but he knew from experience that the voice never elaborated on its words.

Perhaps there was another matter it would be willing to clarify, though.

“Were you the one who carved those symbols?” Red asked with his expanded awareness.

“No.”

“Who was it then?”

There was a pause. “… I do not know.”

Why did I expect anything different from this conversation?

With a sigh, Red let his expanded awareness dissipate and opened his eyes. He hadn’t gained much information from this conversation, other than the reinforcement of the fact that the being inside his body had a vested interest in not only his safety but also in his growth.

Red already knew this in the past, but he thought the being’s assistance would be limited to his Crimson Sense and regenerative abilities. To introduce a completely new Arcane Script system to him, though, was already far beyond that realm.

Still, none of this helped Red find the answer to the question of whether he should research these demonic sigils.

In a way, Red was a selfish person to anyone who wasn’t his immediate companions. He didn’t care that much about how his actions might affect those unrelated to him, and he knew that anyone seeking to advance in the cultivation world shouldn’t be concerned with unrelated matters. He would obviously do his best to avoid hurting ordinary people or affecting their livelihoods, but he knew there were bound to be bystanders getting caught up in events, whether he wanted it or not.

Still, it was one thing when his actions affected someone’s career or injured them in a battle. It was another thing entirely when his actions might affect humanity as a whole.

The entire world, possibly at the mercy of this teenage boy who had yet to open his Spiritual Sea.

It was such a ridiculously heavy responsibility that Red couldn’t help but ask himself multiple times whether it was all real. Of course, there was still the possibility the blacksmith wasn’t right about his theory. Maybe there were some other limiting factors that would prevent these sigils from being used in this world. After all, they’d only just started researching it.

Yet Red didn’t think Goulth was wrong, much more so after the being’s reply.

What now?

He had never been so conflicted about a decision before. Perhaps someone else would have tried to justify their actions one way or the other, such as doing their utmost to keep these sigils a secret while using them. However, Red never took responsibility lightly. He couldn’t make this promise to himself and his master without weighing how hard it would be to keep it.

I have already made plenty of impossible promises already.

His thirst for knowledge and power pushed him one way, while the morality and humanity he possessed pushed him the other.

Perhaps there is still a way to reach a compromise.

Red spent the rest of the night considering this question.

When morning finally arrived, he made his decision.

“So, what are you going to do?” Goulth stared at him with a grave expression.

Red was facing his master inside his workshop. From the look on the blacksmith’s face, it seemed he didn’t get any sleep either.

“I will research the runes,” he said. “However, I will put some limitations on myself.”

Goulth raised his eyebrows in curiosity. “What kind of limitations?”

“I will not use the runes unless my life is in absolute danger or until I find a reliable way to mask them in the future.”

This was the compromise Red had reached. After a long night of thought, the idea came to him after a simple consideration: could he bring himself to care about the future of the world if he was just about to die? Red wasn’t that altruistic, and he didn’t think many people in his place would be either. As such, he would keep these sigils and their byproducts as his trump cards and his last line of defense.

Goulth grunted. “That seems like a good compromise. However, just because you aren’t using the sigils doesn’t mean they can’t be leaked. You never know when someone might be spying on you while you’re researching or inscribing.”

Red sighed. “I know, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. After all, that’s not the only thing I have to hide.”

“Well, I’m not here to judge your decision, kid.” Goulth shrugged. “If you’ve thought about it, that’s all that matters to me. I probably won’t live long enough to see the full potential of these runes achieved, and as long as your safety is assured, then I can’t really bring myself to care about what will happen after I die.”

Red frowned. “If you don’t care, why did you bring this issue up to me in the first place?”

The blacksmith laughed. “Hey, just because I don’t care doesn’t mean you shouldn’t! It’s your future we’re talking about here! Either way, now that you’ve decided, let’s get to work. There’s a lot I have been thinking about since yesterday’s experiment…”

Over the next few weeks, Red and Goulth dedicated themselves almost wholly to the research of these runes. Red was afforded this deviation in his Arcane Script studies because what limited him now in building the Parting Storm Formation were resources and time.

Others around the sect noticed the increasing amount of time Red and his master were spending inside the workshop, but since no further accidents happened, no one bothered them. Over this period, he made another visit to the hellscape, during which he memorized four more Infernal Sigils, as Goulth had decided to call them.

They also made some important discoveries in their research.

The first was in regards to blood. The sigils weren’t powered by blood necessarily, and they still used Spiritual Energy. Instead, blood served as a medium through which the power of these sigils could act through. This meant that every effect of these runes used blood to manifest.

The first sigil they discovered, for instance, seemed to transform Red’s blood into a fiery and explosive substance. Another rune they researched made it so his blood would lengthen into a sharp line, while another caused the fluid to harden into a thick substance. Their effects were all similar to normal Arcane Runes, except for the fact that they were more powerful at a base level, and seemingly far more difficult to control.

Goulth attributed this to their demonic origins. Demonic power was a very attractive prospect for many cultivators because it gave them a large upgrade in power compared to that which they acquired through normal cultivation. The downside, however, was that this power was much more difficult to control, not to mention that it was also a corrupting influence.

In the end, pure power wasn’t necessarily superior to technique, and this much was displayed through the fact that most of the demonic sects were destroyed and the orthodox sects had emerged victorious from their war. But it was hard to say how much this principle applied to these Infernal Sigils, considering their true capabilities would only be displayed once they were arranged in a formation or talisman.

Red also discovered that they could use any blood as a medium. Goulth tried to use his own blood as well as the blood of a few monsters to activate the runes, and all of them worked. However, to their surprise, the effects were not as strong as when Red used his own blood.

The man attributed this to the strength of blood essence. This meant that the stronger the blood they used, the better the effects of these sigils would become. Monsters generally had stronger blood essences than humans, so his master suggested that if he needed to use these sigils in the future, he should stock up on some monster blood.

Of course, he didn’t comment on the strange fact that Red’s blood essence seemed to be stronger than that of your average monster, and Red was glad he didn’t need to explain this. He wasn’t about to use his own blood as fuel for these formations. Or at least, he didn’t intend to until they made some calculations.

“It seems like the simplest of formations made with these sigils might require a gallon of blood to work,” Goulth said with a frown. “I can only imagine this number will increase exponentially as the complexity and size of the formations increase.”

“There’s no way I can carry around gallons of blood on myself. Could this be solved by using higher-quality blood?” Red asked.

Goulth grunted. “It certainly seemed like we needed less of your blood to achieve the same effect with those runes. However, the difference didn’t seem to be substantial enough. You would still need a gallon of it to make a basic formation work, even if it’s blood from a Lesser Ring Realm monster.”

Red frowned. “That doesn’t seem sustainable.”

“That’s because you don’t know the first thing about blood magic. I heard there were some cultivators out there who could refine the blood of a hundred people into a single bead. Quantity and space weren’t really a problem for them.”

“Are you suggesting that I should go out and learn some blood magic?” Red asked.

“Well, not necessarily. Maybe you could make a formation that could do this same refining process for you. That way, you won’t need to use demonic magic directly.”

If only you knew…

Red nodded. “It’s a good idea, but it’s still too far away from us right now. There was something else I have been thinking about, though…”

Goulth stared at him with suspicion. “What are you thinking?”

“Do you know how I found these runes on a bone? There was no way to tell if those runes were carved in the bone before or after the… thing it belonged to died.”

Goulth’s expression changed. “You mean…”

“Yes,” Red confirmed. “I wonder what will happen if we try to carve one of these runes on a living being.”

Chapter 45

Chicken Test

Goulth frowned. “You… Don’t you think this might be a step too far?”

“Not at all,” Red replied. “Of course, I’m not suggesting that we take innocent humans and experiment on them, but for the sake of knowledge, what’s the harm in experimenting on monsters we would have killed anyway?”

The blacksmith grunted. “I suppose there’s no harm in it… It’s just that we might be taking this whole blood magic thing a bit too far. I have never experimented on any living beings myself, so I don’t feel too comfortable with the practice, even if it’s a monster.”

“I understand your hesitation,” Red assured him. “In which case, maybe I should use my own body to experiment.”

“Are you stupid?!” Goulth’s eyes looked like they would pop out of his head. “You don’t even know what will happen when the sigil comes into contact with your skin! What if it absorbs all the blood in your body?!”

“So… we should use an animal to experiment?”

“You…” Goulth glared at him. “Look, we can try it on a monster, but it’s not the first time a cultivator has tried to inscribe arcane sigils into a living being.”

Red was surprised. “Did it work in the past?”

Goulth shook his head. “There were some evident limitations in the practice that made it a very inconvenient path. First was the matter of energy conductivity. The runes carved into human skin still needed Spiritual Energy to work, meaning you needed to use Spirit Stones to power them one way or the other, something that made them very inconvenient to use in the middle of combat.”

Red considered his words. “Isn’t it possible to use the Spiritual Energy inside one’s own body if you have opened your Spiritual Sea?”

“It is, but unless you’re in the Spirit Core Realm and are able to condense your Spiritual Energy enough, it will almost always be less effective than just using a Spirit Stone, and even then it might not be worth it for cultivators at that level. This is not to mention the fact that having these runes on your body is likely to cause interference when you are using Spiritual Arts, as the sigil might absorb Spiritual Energy on its own. There are also other problems, such as your body rejecting the inscription inks and materials, or the fact you can’t really cover your body with equipment if you want to use the runes… just to name a few issues.”

Red sighed. “Well, this seems like a very impractical idea. I’m surprised you know this much about it, though.”

“It’s actually not an uncommon subject in the crafting world,” Goulth said. “Every now and then you will hear about a cultivator who has made advancements in the area, but it always ends up as a failure. In the end, Arcane Script is something that can only be carved in non-living and treated materials, and not on living skin and fur.”

“If the study is as fruitless as you are saying, then why do cultivators still insist on it?”

Goulth sighed. “That’s because of the theoretical benefits. You see, for a cultivator to activate a Spiritual Art, they need to circulate the Spiritual Energy through their veins in a certain way, and sometimes even visualize some special images in their mind. This takes a lot of both mental and physical effort, so it’s obvious that a lot of cultivators would want to find ways to reduce that burden.”

“So they want these runes to do that work for them.” Red suddenly understood the benefit of the idea.

“Correct,” Goulth said. “Imagine if you could delegate the hardest part of executing a Spiritual Art to a formation, with your only responsibility being to release the technique. It would change the way cultivators fight in this world.”

Red frowned in thought. “Is that wise? Although it might increase their combat capabilities, I thought it is important for your growth to execute these Spiritual Arts on your own.”

“That is indeed a valid concern. To your point, a cultivator might be able to execute a technique faster than a formation with enough practice, but a formation will always remain the same unless someone improves it.” The blacksmith shrugged. “However, that’s more of a concern for high-level cultivators. You think low-level cultivators would care about comprehension when they could increase their combat capabilities so much?”

The answer was obviously no.

“So, do you think this isn’t a worthwhile pursuit?” Red was starting to have doubts, so he asked his master for his opinion. When it came to matters of cultivation, Red’s knowledge was still lacking compared to someone as old and experienced as Goulth.

Goulth hesitated. “… It’s hard to say. We still don’t know how much these Infernal Sigils differ from ordinary Arcane Script, so maybe they will be more suitable to inscribe on a human’s body. Either way, as long as you temper your expectations, it’s worth trying, I suppose.”

“That’s reasonable.” Red nodded. “So, do you have a test subject in mind?”

“Ugh…” Goulth hesitated. “I suppose I could get a chicken or something.”

“Do you want me to steal one from Domeron’s coop?”

“That depends. Do you think you could take it without getting found out by Domeron?”

Red hesitated for a moment. “I’ll leave it up to you then.”

His master made good on his promise, and the next day he brought back a chicken from the market.

“Here.” Goulth handed the chicken over to Red with a disgusted expression. “Do your thing now.”

“How am I supposed to inscribe it while it’s still awake?” Red asked.

“Just hit it on the side of the head and knock it unconscious.”

“Can you even do that without killing it?”

Goulth threw up his hands, exasperated. “Argh, just wait here for a second!”

The blacksmith walked away before returning with a powdered substance in his palm. He brought it under the chicken’s beak, and it pecked at it with interest. The next moment, its head hung limp, and it stopped struggling in Red’s grip.

The problem now solved, Goulth looked at Red with a self-satisfied grin. “Great, now do your thing!”

Red laid the chicken sideways on the table. He decided it would be best to inscribe the sigil directly onto the animal’s skin, so he chose to pluck away its chest feathers, careful not to awaken it. This revealed a patch of skin large enough to inscribe the sigil on, which, all things considered, was still smaller and rougher than the material Red was used to.

“You should have brought me a bigger animal,” he said. “A pig would have been better.”

“Well, you didn’t say anything about that!” Goulth protested.

“I might not be able to inscribe it.”

“It’s better that you don’t mess it up, or else I’m sending you to buy an animal from the market next time!”

Red sighed and didn’t say anything else before getting to work.

He used the Spiritual Ink Goulth had recently ordered and started to draw the sigil over the chicken’s chest. The symbol they chose was the one that made blood harden into a thick shield—the safest of the sigils Red and his master had researched.

The task ended up being just as hard as Red was expecting, but after almost twenty minutes of extreme focus, he managed to complete the sigil. He took a step back, examining the drawing on the chicken’s chest.

“It looks good to me,” Goulth said. “Now we just need to power it.”

“You do it,” Red replied.

“Why me?!”

“I already drew the sigil. You should at least do something.”

“You… Do you not have any respect for your master?!”

Red stared at him in silence. Goulth just grunted in annoyance before grabbing a Spirit Stone from a nearby table. The man hesitated as he approached the animal.

“Should we wake it up before powering the sigil?” Goulth asked.

Red shrugged. “I don’t see any reason to.”

“Uh… Right. Here we go then.”

The blacksmith carefully brought the stone to the chicken’s chest. The reaction was almost immediate as the sigil started to absorb the energy.

Goulth smiled. “It’s working!”

His smile disappeared as the chicken suddenly woke up with a horrible noise.

“Ah, fuck!” The blacksmith dropped the stone and jumped back in fear.

The chicken got up from its sleeping position, and unlike what the two of them were expecting, it just sat there on the table as the sigil in its chest continued to glow. Suddenly, blood began to seep out of its skin, before converging into a dark plaque that covered most of its chest.

When the process was finally done, the chicken just stood there, looking around in confusion while examining this strange thing attached to its chest.

Goulth smiled, recovering from his scare. “It worked… It really did work!”

Red nodded. “It seems that way.”

They had both been expecting the worst while conducting this experiment, so the fact the chicken remained alive was a pleasant surprise for them.

“We still need to examine it,” Goulth said as he approached the chicken. “Maybe something happened that we can’t⁠—”

“Wait!” Red held him back.

“Huh?” The blacksmith looked at him in confusion. “What is it?”

Red frowned. “Something’s happening to it.”

He felt it through his crimson sense. The chicken’s fluctuation seemed to be undergoing an increasingly fast transformation, even though nothing could be seen on the surface. In fact, Red felt like he recognized what was happening to the animal.

Could it be…

It took just a few seconds for the transformation to manifest. The chicken’s feathers started to fall off its body one by one, and what replaced them were crimson scales. The animal’s eyes also changed in coloration, and it looked over at Red and Goulth with a murderous gaze.

“Demonification…” Goulth whispered in shock.

A moment later, the chicken charged at them with a maddened cluck. It was far faster than a normal chicken, but nowhere near fast enough to take them by surprise. Red stepped forward and grabbed the creature by its neck, holding it in his hand as the demonic chicken continued to struggle to attack them.

He suddenly felt something stir inside his body.

“What are you waiting for, kid?! Kill it, before something else happens!” Goulth said.

Red didn’t respond, instead staring into the eyes of the animal with an intense expression. The chicken seemed to notice his gaze, and suddenly its aggressiveness died down, and it instead began to tremble in his grip.

Once Red was satisfied, he cautiously set the chicken down. The animal didn’t do anything else, just standing at Red’s feet like an obedient pet.

“W-What the fuck did you do to it?” Goulth asked.

“I don’t know. I just did what felt natural.”

Red was being truthful. He didn’t know what compelled him to do this, or how he had done it, but he had some ideas.

“Look, this doesn’t matter right now!” Goulth shook his head with a shocked expression. “Did you see what that sigil did?!”

Red nodded. “It seemed to induce a very quick demonification process.”

This meant that these sigils’ danger had just increased tenfold.

Chapter 46

The Elusive Acupoint

Goulth massaged his temples with a pained expression. “Here I thought this couldn’t get any more dangerous. A demon-making set of runes! Gods, just saying it out loud makes me think this is all just a dream…”

Red’s mind raced. “How is it possible for demonification to happen this fast? Even if it’s just a chicken, it should have been able to resist the transformation for at least a few hours.”

The process of demonification was very much dependent on the strength of the corruption. This was, in turn, tied to the strength of the demonic Spiritual Energy. At least, this was what Red learned.

Now, they used a mere fraction of the energy of a Spirit Stone, and yet that seemed to be enough to transform this chicken into a demon. It went against everything Red knew about demonification.

“This…” Goulth frowned in thought. “Like I said, we still can’t claim to understand these runes completely. We are thinking of them as a blood-magic version of the common Arcane Script, but there is probably way more to them than just that.”

Red was compelled to agree. Until now, he had been doing his research with the same mentality as his other studies, but this wasn’t a wise course of action. As many similarities as these sigils might have with what he already knew, they were still a foreign art from a place where only death and violence reigned.

If nothing out of the ordinary happened in his experiments, Red would have been surprised instead.

“What are we doing with the chicken?” he asked.

“Ah, crap, I forgot!” Goulth slapped his forehead.

They both looked over at the chicken, which seemed to be acting regularly after its initial outburst, walking around the room and pecking at the ground. It looked like a normal chicken if not for the crimson scales growing all over its body.

The blacksmith narrowed his eyes. “It sure isn’t acting like a demon.”

“That’s because I’m close to it,” Red stated. “If we got split up, it would probably go back to how it was.”

“Really?” Goulth raised his eyebrows in surprise. “If that’s the case, then we obviously can’t afford to leave it alive.”

“Agreed.” Red picked up the chicken, which didn’t resist his grip, and twisted its neck with a single motion. The animal didn’t even let out a noise before it fell limp in his arms and its fluctuation disappeared from Red’s crimson sense.

They both examined the chicken’s body for a few more minutes, confirming that the demonification it underwent was total, and there was no part of its body that remained unchanged. Even its organs were modified by the demonification to some extent.

“I think you should shelve this idea of carving these sigils in your skin for now,” Goulth said with a serious expression.

Red nodded. “That much is a given. I have no intention of becoming a demon.”

“You also should avoid transforming any other animals into demons.”

Red hesitated. “… It might be a useful trump card at some point.”

Goulth glared at him. “I can’t imagine the kind of hopeless situation you would need to be in where transforming something into a demon would help you!”

“You’re right. It seems far-fetched.” Although Red said that, he had other thoughts. The blacksmith was right in his ideas, but Red was ever one to look towards the future. What if he managed to induce a demonic transformation into his opponent? That wouldn’t necessarily win him the battle, but Red already proved he could exert some kind of influence over these scaled demons.

It could make all the difference in the end.

There were some obvious problems with this idea he would need to figure out, but he saw merit in it. After all, he didn’t know how long it might take them both to organize and understand how this Infernal Scripture worked, so it made sense to use this sigil in a way that could be promptly useful.

Red didn’t share his thoughts with his master, but judging from the man’s expression, he seemed to have an inkling as to what Red was thinking about.

“I’m warning you about this, kid.” Goulth stared at him with a serious gaze. “Don’t get too lost in these demonic arts. Not only could you attract unwanted attention from demonic cultivators, but you could also get noticed by real demons from the other side… and we both know you already have a precedent for that.”

Red frowned, recalling his encounter with a certain dark mirror pendant seven years ago. He knew his master was right.

“I understand,” Red replied. “But I can’t give up on any advantage I can gain.”

Goulth sighed. “This is why I’m here.” The blacksmith patted his shoulder. “To guide and advise you. As long as I’m alive, you don’t need to tackle these challenges alone.”

Red was unsure how to respond, but Goulth didn’t wait for him.

“Let’s continue our research.” He waved him over. “We still have a few sigils to parse through.”

Red nodded, and they continued their work.

Another week passed by.

The two of them kept researching the runes, but unfortunately, their progress came to a standstill. This was because Red had yet to return to his dreamscape, and they had thoroughly researched all the sigils he had already memorized.

Without new sigils, it was impossible to make progress.

“All the sigils we have seem to be primary sigils,” Goulth said. “We can’t even try to make a prototype of a formation with just what we have.”

Arcane sigils had varied effects, but they were categorized into two different types: primary and secondary sigils.

Primary sigils were the foundation of all formations and runes, as they provided the main effect of the transformation the Spiritual Energy would go through. This meant it could transform ordinary Spiritual Energy into fire, water, and countless other aspects. However, just transforming the energy wasn’t enough to achieve the desired effect, and this was where secondary sigils came in.

These were the sigils that shaped and transported this transformed energy to their desired form and position. They could lengthen an orb of water to form a shield over a cultivator or condense flames into a fireball that exploded upon contact. The process was, of course, a lot more complex than it might seem and involved dozens of secondary sigils, but at the root of it, secondary sigils were the sigils that gave shape and purpose to a formation.

The fact Red still had yet to memorize a secondary Infernal Sigil even while he was picking at random was surprising, to say the least.

“How many different sigils did you see in the bone again?” Goulth asked.

“At least a few hundred and I was still discovering even more before I gave up and tried to memorize the ones closest to me.”

“Gods…” Goulth scratched his head. “At this pace it will take us years to complete this whole thing.”

Red hesitated. “… I can try to visit the dream more often.”

The blacksmith looked surprised. “You can do that?”

“I haven’t tried it before, but there might be a way.”

Goulth frowned. “Would that be safe?”

“Probably not. There’s still a lot I don’t understand about it.” Red was being honest.

“Then you obviously shouldn’t do it! It’s not like the sigils will be going anywhere, and in the future, once you have broken through to the Lesser Ring Realm, you might be more well equipped to deal with them.”

I don’t know if things will be that simple.

Red sought to change subjects. “Since we can’t do anything right now, I will go back to cultivate.”

“Have you opened your last acupoint?” Goulth asked with an eager expression.

“… Not yet.”

“Well, then go cultivate!” The blacksmith waved him off. “You are at such an important juncture, so you should focus on it!”

Red nodded. “Then I’ll be going.”

He excused himself and returned to his room.

The thing he didn’t tell Goulth was how he had already opened his last acupoint, at least as far as the ordinary acupoints were concerned. Red had officially opened all the necessary acupoints to attempt to open his Spiritual Sea, and he could feel the Spiritual Energy around him far more accurately than he had ever been able to in the past.

However, he had yet to open his last special acupoint—the one in his third eye that would contain Moonstone Energy. In fact, Red hadn’t even been able to locate it or verify its existence, no matter how hard he tried.

He felt completely stumped by this. He considered giving up on opening this acupoint to focus on his breakthrough, but he wasn’t sure that was the right decision.

Technically, even after you opened your Spiritual Sea, you could still open special acupoints in your body. This was what many cultivators did, since they might acquire superior techniques in the future that required the use of acupoints they didn’t have open. However, this came with some large drawbacks.

First was the fact that opening acupoints after opening your Spiritual Sea became substantially harder. Cultivators didn’t really understand why this was the case, but most presumed it had to do with the perfect connection established between Spiritual Sea and Spiritual Vein once a cultivator broke into the Lesser Ring Realm.

A perfect cycle and existence would form between these two organs, so much so that they almost became one. It was what allowed the seamless circulation of Spiritual Energy through a cultivator’s body. As such, adding new components to this cycle in the form of new acupoints was like trying to shove an additional floor in the middle of a finished building.

Well, technically, it was still possible in the world of cultivation, as most things tended to be, but it was an arduous and costly task. Even should one succeed, in most cases the opened acupoint would not be as effective compared to if one opened it before breaking into the Lesser Ring Realm.

This was why Red was hesitating. For one, he needed the help of this acupoint to resist the curse, and he also was unsure how viable it would be to open it after he broke through.

Yet, not all hope was lost. Red still had a few ideas to reveal this elusive acupoint.

I can try it during a Full Moon. This was when the Moon would bathe the world in its bright light and fill Red’s body with its energy. Perhaps the acupoint would reveal itself then.

If even that didn’t work, Red still had one last plan. However, he would prefer it didn’t come to it.

I would rather never meet them again.

Chapter 47

Finding a Hideout

The night of the Full Moon was quick approaching, and Red needed to make preparations. First, he needed a proper, isolated place to cultivate.

In the past, he’d gone to the edge of the forest where the shining Moonstone Energy wouldn’t catch anyone’s attention. This was getting harder as the town expanded, and Red was forced to keep searching for places where he could cultivate in peace.

He didn’t want to go too deep into the forest, as that might catch the attention of the necromancer or the Curse Breakers. However, he didn’t know what would happen next with this plan of his, and with so much happening in town, staying close to the settlement wasn’t necessarily a safer option, either.

I need a proper hideout.

This was Red’s first idea. However, this was more easily said than done.

The problem wasn’t finding an isolated place in the forest but rather finding an isolated place where the convergence of Moonstone Energy wouldn’t draw the attention of individuals from miles away. A cave, or something of the sort, was preferable, as the lunar gaze could still reach him even if he was dozens of meters beneath the earth.

However, caves weren’t too common in this forest.

Well, that’s not necessarily true.

There was still the underground cave network the hawk spirit had dug for the trial. It should still be there, even if the entrances were now collapsed. With some effort, Red could find it, but that brought about another question.

Was it wise to wander that place by himself? What if there were still imperial agents down there? It was likely the necromancer was living there, too. It was too risky, much more so since Red wasn’t sure he would be able to defend himself.

Perhaps there’s another place I don’t know about.

Red knew the forest very well, but there was still someone that knew the place better than him. A hunter who spent decades of his life exploring and hunting in this region.

Red decided to ask for his help.

“Why do you want to hide?” Rog asked with a frown.

The hunter was in the process of butchering a boar’s carcass with his knife on a table in the courtyard, but he stopped what he was doing and looked over at Red.

“I don’t want to be found,” Red said.

Rog just stared at him in silence.

Red sighed. “I need to do something that might bring a lot of attention to me, so I need some place to hide.”

“Can’t you do it here? No one’s going to bother you.”

“Maybe a few years ago that would have been the case, but now… We both know it’s not that simple.”

With someone spying on Hector, how would Red dare to cause a big ruckus and draw attention to himself?

Rog’s frown deepened. “You know the forest well.”

Red nodded. “Not as well as you, though.”

“You should still be able to find a good hiding place.”

“In normal cases, I might have been able to. However, what I’m going to do will probably cause quite a commotion.”

“… What kind of commotion?”

“Bright flashing lights against the night sky.”

“Can’t you just find a dark cave for cover, then?”

Red shook his head. “It won’t help.”

There was an extended silence as Rog seemed to consider his words.

Rog grunted. “If these lights can’t be blocked, then there’s no hiding it, is there?”

“Maybe, but there are ways to make my location harder to discern and to give me a better escape route if someone does try to find me through the lights,” Red said. “That’s what I’m looking for.”

“Hm…” Rog scratched his beard. “There is a place like that. A small valley nearly bordering the Great Serpent Canyon. People tend to avoid that area because some monsters from the canyon may wander there sometimes, but other than that, it’s very out of the way and isolated. A perfect place for hiding, if you don’t mind the danger.”

“… How far?”

“Three days travelling day and night.”

Red winced. “I don’t suppose you will lead me there, will you?”

“You think I can just up and disappear from the sect for an entire week?” Rog said. “I have responsibilities too.”

“Like what?”

“Like hunting and uh… other stuff.” He shrugged. “Either way, if you really need my help, I can lead you there, I suppose. But Hector won’t be too happy about it.”

Red hesitated. “… Just point the area to me on a map. It’s better if I do this alone, in any case.”

Rog shrugged. “If you say so.”

The hunter did as he promised and drew the rough location of this valley on a map for Red. It was to the northeast of the town, probably no more than a few kilometers away from the Great Serpent Canyon.

Generally, there was a hundred-kilometer radius around the canyon where almost no human settlements existed. This was due to the fact there wasn’t much of value in the area, and because it wasn’t rare for the canyon monsters to wander around the area.

The town proper had some involvement in mining operations at the borders of the canyon, but these were made in a joint operation with kingdom forces and other rogue cultivators. These people rarely visited the town; mostly traveled directly to the kingdom’s capital if they ever wanted to leave the canyon.

This meant that this strip of forest right outside the canyon was almost uninhabited, and very few people wandered there. Red wondered how Rog had come across this valley he told him about, but the man just shrugged.

“I went exploring when I was younger and a lot stupider. I ended up getting chased by a giant albatross and found this valley I could hide in.”

Red didn’t press the hunter for any more details.

Once he was done gathering the information, he decided to speak to Hector and Domeron.

The three of them gathered in the meeting hall at night and sat around the table.

Hector was staring at Red with a suspicious gaze, while Domeron too seemed surprised.

“What did you do this time, kid?” Hector asked. “You never ask to speak with us unless you screwed something up.”

“It’s not the case this time,” Red promised. “I want to ask for a week’s leave.”

“Hm, a leave?” Hector seemed surprised. “For what?”

“I need to open one final acupoint,” Red explained. “It’s inconvenient to do this here in town.”

The elder frowned. “Is there a need to go that far away from town for it, though?”

Red nodded. “If I want to be safe, then it’s for the best.”

There was silence as the elder reflected on his words.

Domeron was the one to speak up. “You know this isn’t a safe time to make lengthy trips out of town, Red.”

“I know, but it’s not like I have a choice.” He turned around to look at Hector. “Is your friend still around?”

Red’s words had a deeper meaning, and judging by the elder’s ugly expression, he’d caught onto it. Hector nodded. “Seems so. They are very stubborn, and don’t seem concerned at all about hiding their presence. Every time I walk outside, I can feel them staring at me.”

Red narrowed his eyes. “You still can’t find them?”

The elder grunted. “If I could, would we still be having these problems? They are taunting me, and there’s nothing I can do about it!”

Red sighed. “At least they aren’t making a move.”

The presence of this stalker had been ongoing for a long while, but at the very least, they never attacked any members of the sect. Hector also told his sect members to not worry about being eavesdropped, as the elder had a way to stop anyone from listening to their conversations without his notice. Red wasn’t sure how he could keep his watch up the entire day, but Hector never once complained about fatigue, so he let the matter go.

“Either way, this is all the more reason why it’s a dumb idea to go out right now,” Hector said. “I can keep an eye on you and provide assistance while you’re in town, or even close by in the forest, but once you go too far, there’s nothing I can do against assassins or spies.”

“I understand, but as I said, this isn’t something I have a choice in.” Red wasn’t a reckless individual, and his insistence on going ahead with this matter despite the risks obviously left Hector and Domeron troubled.

“You want to go alone?” Domeron asked.

“It’s for the best,” Red insisted.

This way, not only would he put only his own person at risk, but he would also be able to move about unnoticed. When it came to sneaking about, there was no one in the sect who was better than Red.

Not to mention, he had his crimson sense to help him, too.

Hector exhaled and rubbed his temples. “If someone can risk going out there and surviving, it’s definitely you. However, you are not invincible. If you notice you’re being followed or see anything out of the ordinary, then you need to return to town at once. Whatever it is you’re doing is not worth more than your own life.”

Red nodded. “I will do my best.”

He was pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t more resistance on Hector’s part, but then again, he had proven himself over many years of effort and successful missions.

Red excused himself from the meeting room and returned to his room. He made his preparations through the night, gathering a handful of talismans and his weapons. He planned to only carry a few items, forgoing a travelling bag and other supplies.

Someone who had opened all their veins could definitely last a week without water or food, but even that was pushing the limits of their improved body. Red, however, had more than just his Spiritual Veins to help him through fasting. Based on experience, he should be able to last a week without eating or drinking and still maintain close to full strength.

This was all thanks to the improved endurance he gained from the crimson mist, of course.

It was good as well, because Red didn’t plan to stop for even a second before he arrived at his destination. It was the only way he could ensure no one would get on his trail while also shaking off any potential pursuers.

With all his preparations done, Red donned his cloak and walked out of the room, disappearing like a ghost into the night.

Chapter 48

Forest Pursuit

Red was used to sneaking past the guards and crowds, so his exit through the town went without any issues. Once outside, he picked up the pace. He couldn’t feel anyone trailing after him with his crimson sense, but its range was just two hundred meters, and his enemies were probably aware of that already.

He only stopped after he ran for almost ten kilometers at a quick pace through the forest. Red then stopped and took a deep breath.

Still no one.

He didn’t feel relaxed even with this discovery, though. The enemies he was dealing with here were resourceful and skilled, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Red couldn’t discover them. He needed to be sure that no one was on his trail, or else he wouldn’t be able to go through this trip with peace of mind.

Thankfully, Red had another trick up his sleeve his enemies didn’t know about.

Over the years, Red avoided consuming any blood so as to not worsen his demonification. This meant that his crimson sense didn’t increase in power. However, it didn’t mean Red hadn’t been practicing and finding new ways to use it.

He closed his eyes and focused on his crimson sense. The range of his power began to diminish, something that made Red feel naked and blind in some ways. However, this was all intentional.

As the omnidirectional range of his power diminished, Red focused his sense on a specific direction, that being west towards the town, from the area he just came from. His crimson sense stretched towards this limited area, reaching two hundred meters in a matter of seconds, before stretching even beyond that.

This was the new trick Red discovered after a lot of practice. He could retract and shape the area of detection of his crimson sense as he wished. If he gave up on its omnidirectional nature, he could stretch his power far beyond its normal range in a single direction.

By the time he was done, his crimson sense reached around 800 meters in a wide line towards the west. And sure enough, Red’s caution paid off.

There’s someone.

A human fluctuation. Male, in his thirties. At least ten veins opened, probably all twelve, considering he could keep up with Red. Very calm and composed in nature.

It wasn’t someone he recognized.

How is he following me?

Red was confident in his own abilities. He was quicker and stronger than the average cultivator with twelve veins open, in part because of his training and special abilities. No ordinary person at this level could keep up with him.

An imperial agent?

It was the only thing that made sense. Imperial agents were indeed stronger than the average cultivator, and Red knew this from experience, not to mention that no one else had reason or the capabilities to stalk him in this region. However, this only answered why this person had the capabilities of keeping up with him, not how he could track Red through the forest.

Perhaps he has some kind of treasure that allows him to track me.

How that might be possible, Red had no idea. But if that was the case, then he wouldn’t be able to lose the man no matter how far and fast he ran.

That leaves me no choice.

He wouldn’t suffer himself to be stalked on this trip.

Red didn’t act immediately. Instead, he continued to run through the forest, checking behind him with his extended crimson sense now and then.

He did this for another half hour to confirm that no one else was trailing him, and that the man hadn’t called allies to surround him. In the end, it seemed that his pursuer was alone.

Red couldn’t guarantee how long that would be the case, so he decided to act.

That hill will do.

His pursuer was always careful to maintain a distance between 800 and 600 meters, never more, never less. This was a considerable distance even for Red, and if he turned around and charged, the man might just end up escaping.

As such, Red needed to give himself every advantage.

He started to run up a rather steep hill, keeping tabs on his stalker’s progress. Like Red had expected, the man didn’t follow him up. He would be exposed without tree cover given Red’s higher vantage point.

Instead, the man stood at the foot of the hill under the heavy foliage, circling around and presumably ready to give chase in whatever direction Red decided to go.

Red continued to climb up, right to the very top. Then, without hesitation, he crested over the hill and went down the other side, using his downward momentum to push his speed to its limits.

Right at that moment, his pursuer was circling around the hill, standing to the side without moving and ready to continue his pursuit. He wouldn’t get the chance, though.

Now!

Red suddenly changed directions with a single pivot of his feet. He shot in the direction of his pursuer like an arrow, his downward momentum increasing his speed as he dodged trees and other obstacles on the way down with practiced ease.

It took a second for his pursuer to realize what was happening. Red could feel the man’s surprise through his crimson sense and sensed as he immediately turned around and fled. Red had already almost halved the distance between them at that point, and now they were just over three hundred meters apart.

Still, Red’s momentum lessened as he reached even ground, and although he was gaining on his pursuer, hundreds of meters remained between them. Who knew what the man could do before Red reached him?

I need to be quicker.

Red focused on his two leg veins, contracting his muscles ever so slightly. Then he felt a shock run down his spine and through his lower limbs.

All of a sudden, Red’s speed increased substantially as his muscles exploded into overdrive. This was yet another benefit he acquired from opening the special acupoints from the Storm’s Blessing technique—being able to push his muscles beyond their limit with a strange electric energy.

The boost was brief and took a toll on his body, but it would be enough. The distance between Red and his pursuer, now being pursued himself, diminished in a flash, allowing him to glimpse  their visage through the trees.

Not that there was much to be seen. The man seemed to be wearing black clothes to camouflage in the night, not unlike Red, and he wore leather armor beneath his cloak. With his dark vision, Red spotted the glint of a shortsword in his left hand, as well as something else gripped tight in his right.

Red couldn’t tell what this other item was, but he had an inkling.

It’s best to be careful.

A few seconds later, Red was already within a hundred meters of the man, whose fluctuation seemed increasingly panicked. Suddenly, the man turned around and raised his right hand, revealing a masked face as well as a glowing talisman that he pointed towards Red.

Before the talisman could even go off, a swishing sound broke through the air. The man saw a shadow twirling in his direction, but he was too slow to act.

Red’s thrown shortsword lopped his arm off with almost no resistance. The man looked over in a panic, but before he could even register the pain and react, Red was already upon him.

Red’s right arm reached around his opponent’s neck, while his left one grabbed at the man’s remaining wrist, preventing him from using his weapon. His opponent struggled, only to find himself at the mercy of Red’s surprising strength.

Red was quick to put the man in a headlock. Then, in a single motion, he applied force and made a twisting motion.

A sickening cracking sound echoed through the forest. The man fell limp in Red’s grasp, and he let the body fall. The individual’s neck was twisted at an unnatural angle, and his eyes were still open, even in death.

Suffice to say, Red had learned to kill with more than just his sword.

He couldn’t afford to admire his work. With no hesitation, Red looked through the man’s body. There was just a small pouch on his person, in which Red found a handful of talismans and a green, glowing gem. As soon as he touched this gem, his mind was flooded with information.

A mental map formed in his head, showing no information other than the direction and distance to a strange glowing light. This light, right now, was right where Red was standing, and it was glowing with a flaring intensity.

So, they can indeed track me.

Red frowned. There was also a communication talisman amidst the other items, which meant that this person was probably in contact with someone inside of town.

He wanted to take this gem and talismans along with him, but it was too risky. This wasn’t the first time Red stole things from the bodies of imperials, so he imagined they must have learned their lesson and might have even planted some tracking spells on the items.

Red chose to tear the talismans to shreds, before cracking the green gem under his foot. Its glow disappeared as the tracking item was ruined.

This is all I can do.

Red was hardly at ease. Now that he knew these imperials could track him, the entire outlook on their situation in town changed. It wasn’t far-fetched that they could track his companions too, in which case none of them were safe anymore.

In some ways, they hadn’t been fully safe for a long time.

With such worries in mind, Red picked up his sword before continuing on his way. Even if they could still track him, at the very least, Red hoped he had bought himself enough time to get to his destination and achieve what he’d set out to do.

Chapter 49

Canyon’s Borders

Red continued his trip with no interruptions over the next few days. Soon enough, he was approaching the border between Great Serpent Canyon and the forest, and he was forced to slow down his pace in caution.

There are almost no animals around.

Red frowned. This was his first time this close to the canyon, so he didn’t know what to expect. Still, this absence of animal noises or fluctuations was eerie to him, and it took him some time to get used to.

It was said that monsters had an instinctual sense to stay away from dangerous places. The truth, of course, was that they had better senses than humans, and thus could smell the odor of superior monsters and even feel strong gatherings of Spiritual Energy. As such, they chose to avoid such areas out of a sense of survival.

Not seeing any monsters told Red that he was already in a danger zone.

I wonder if I can see the canyon from here.

Despite the danger, Red was still curious. The Great Serpent Canyon was considered one of the forbidden lands of the continent, alongside Skycrown Mountain and a handful of other dangerous places. These were areas where humans didn’t have a strong foothold either due to monsters or extreme natural conditions, sometimes even both. There, Lesser Ring Realm monsters were commonplace, and some of the strongest beasts known to man made their lairs.

Red was reminded of the antlion and the snake he’d met in the trial back then.

Of course, despite the danger, forbidden zones held some of the rarest cultivation materials in the world, and sects often made forays deep into those territories in search of natural treasures.

Red hoped to visit these places one day. As such, he wanted to have a glimpse of what might be waiting for him.

There are no beasts around.

Although this didn’t mean he was safe, Red was willing to take the risk.

He carefully sneaked through the trees, making his way west. A few minutes later, he saw it.

There was no thinning of the vegetation to show the imminent arrival of the canyon. Instead, the foliage was dense right up to the cliff edge.

Red couldn’t help but stare in wonder. This was a long, sheer drop, and hundreds of meters down stood an uneven, semi-arid land that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was such a sudden change in environment that it left Red stunned.

How can this be natural?

It was as if a god had flattened the expanse below, proclaiming it to be its own world. The height of the cliffs surrounding it was consistent no matter which direction Red looked, and at its lowest points the canyon might have been more than a kilometer below him. Even the vegetation didn’t seem similar to that of the forest, and nothing could explain this sudden change from a temperate climate to this semi-arid terrain in front of him.

Nothing he read informed him about this.

I wonder if I could climb down there.

Red squashed this sudden impulse. Although he couldn’t see any monsters or animals, he knew better. This canyon basin had too many caves and crevices where monsters could hide, and Red read that a lot of them even made their home on the holes of the canyon walls. If he tried to climb down, he would probably be snatched by something before his feet even touched the ground.

Still, he couldn’t help but be surprised at the peaceful image in front of him. No gigantic monsters, no nightmarish phenomena. It made him question if this was really supposed to be a forbidden land.

This feeling only lasted for a second.

Red forced himself to look away before making his way back between the trees. Who knew when a giant bird might fly by and snatch him from the ground in an instant?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the earth trembled beneath his feet. His whole body tensed, and he stopped moving for a second. He considered running, but his crimson sense detected nothing, so he decided against it.

A few seconds later, the rumbling ceased like it had never been there in the first place. Red sighed in relief.

It’s better I don’t make any other stops.

The spot Rog indicated to him wasn’t that easy to find. The hunter told him that he had last visited the place over ten years ago, and its exact location wasn’t fresh in his mind. Not to mention that if this valley was as well hidden by hills as he said, then it wouldn’t be easy to find.

Indeed, over the course of the entire day and night, Red wandered the area in search of said valley. Over the course of this journey, he also found quite a few traces of monsters in the area, such as tracks, broken trees, and bones.

Thankfully, he avoided these areas and managed to search without issue. It was only early the next day that Red finally spotted something of note.

Is this it?

He was examining a handful of contiguous hills that stretched for a large part of this area. They were completely covered by the thick vegetation, and as such, it was hard to see if there was a gap in the middle of them where a small valley might be. Still, they fit Rog’s description very well, so Red decided to examine them.

He approached, and sure enough, he saw it—a gap between the tree line indicating an empty space at the center of the hills. Red approached with some caution until he could fully see the area in front of him.

This is it.

A small valley revealed itself to him. It was barely a hundred meters across, and most of it was covered by thick vegetation, but sure enough, the place was completely obscured by the elevated hill terrain around it, such that if Red didn’t know what he was looking for he could have easily missed it.

It was an ideal hideout.

It was, of course, also made slightly irrelevant by the fact people could directly track his location, but the imperials weren’t the only people Red was trying to hide from. As such, he still needed a good hiding place to put his plan in action.

I need to scout the area first.

Red was about to go through a dangerous cultivation session. He needed to assess if any monsters were living in the area, even if his crimson sense couldn’t pick anything up right now.

The valley wasn’t too big, so it wouldn’t take long. Red moved through the trees, searching for any traces of monsters. When he arrived at the other side of the valley, he froze.

A large cavern mouth revealed itself before him. It was at first hidden by the vegetation, but once Red got close enough, he couldn’t miss it. It was a circular opening almost a dozen meters wide, dug right into the ground by the side of the hill, leading to a tunnel that bent out of his view.

Rog mentioned nothing of the sort to him, and Red doubted this was a detail the hunter would have forgotten. In which case, the only explanation possible was that this was dug after the hunter passed through the area.

A monster lair…

Red had spent enough time in the forest to recognize what a monster hole looked like, and a hole of this size could only be made by a very large monster. Still, he had his doubts.

There were no other signs of monsters in this area. A creature of this size, leaving no other traces of its presence behind? It seemed unlikely. Even if this happened over ten years ago, there would be plenty of signs of its passage, whether it be displaced soil or destroyed trees. Yet there was no such thing here. Unless this monster could fly, of course, but Red never heard of a flying monster that burrowed into the earth.

Well, I can’t discount the possibility.

Still, Red started to consider that it might be man-made, even if the cave formation seemed to point otherwise. The whole situation was strange to him, and it immediately put him on high alert.

I can’t detect any life forms with my crimson sense. Perhaps the cave was safe, but Red knew he couldn’t take the chance. He was reluctant to leave, but he also couldn’t be at peace right next to a potential lair of a monster.

He needed to scout it. 

If I never see a cave again in my life, it will be too soon. With such reservations, Red wandered into the cave with his sword in hand.

With his enhanced vision, he didn’t need torches to see in the pitch-black darkness. He advanced with some caution, inspecting the ground around him for animal traces or human footprints. He found no such thing—no paw prints, footprints, bones, or slithering marks. Nothing at all.

Judging by how smooth the cave walls were, it definitely wasn’t a natural formation. The tunnel led down at a rather sharp angle, too.

Is this another one of the trial’s tunnels?

It was quite possible. The network of tunnels extended throughout the whole region and had been hidden by magical means. It’d barely been explored considering that the first few months of exploration yielded hopeful adventurers nothing of value at all.

Yet, Red was soon proven wrong.

The path straightened out, revealing a large, cavernous chamber ahead of him. There was nothing of interest in the place other than an object placed in the space’s center.

Red froze.

Is that… an egg?

Chapter 50

Strange Nest

Red stopped moving as soon as he spotted the object. The shape and coloration left him with no doubt—he was staring at an egg. It was a big one, too, larger than his own head.

The egg was grayish in tone, and other than its prodigious size, nothing stood out to Red at first glance. He drew his gaze away and inspected the rest of the chamber. There were still no signs of monsters, but Red did spot some pieces of what he presumed were broken eggshells around the egg.

This is a nest, or at least, it was at some point.

This much Red could conclude. The weird thing, however, was the fact that other than the egg, there was almost no sign of monster presence here. Even if the beasts were very stealthy, they would still leave traces of their prey and other things if they were making their lair in this cave. Red then thought of another possibility.

Abandoned eggs.

This wasn’t uncommon in nature. Many reptiles, such as snakes, often abandoned their clutch of eggs after laying them. Red imagined this was what might have happened here: a monster dug this hole, laid its eggs in here, and then left to continue living its life. However, this answer wasn’t completely satisfying.

Red hesitated but soon made up his mind, approaching the egg in the center of the room. Reaching it, he couldn’t help but frown. There’s no life in it.

Red could tell this through his crimson sense. He had done a fair bit of experimenting with his power in the last 7 years, and as such, he confirmed that his crimson sense could indeed detect the fluctuations of an unborn young, whether it be a human or a chicken. As such, it just took one glance for him to tell there was no life in the egg.

Red looked around at the pieces of eggshell. There were only a few bits of them, scattered all around the room, which told Red that the monsters that hatched from the eggs probably ate their own shells for sustenance. Either that, or a predator came along.

It was hard to tell, but he estimated there might have been at least a dozen eggs in the cave before.

And yet, this one remains whole.

Monster physiology was a complicated topic. With myriad types of monsters in the world and so many levels of strength, what went as common knowledge for one might be thrown out the window for the other, and this might go even for monsters of the same species. Yet, no monster or living being could escape one truth.

Everything rotted.

Even the corpses of mighty monsters would eventually be consumed by the earth. Even if it took longer than normal for the more powerful beasts, it was still an inevitable truth.

Yet, here Red was, with a dead egg that showed no signs of rotting. Its shell still seemed rigid and whole, and there was also no odor of rot coming from it.

Who knew how long this egg had been here? Months? Years? If one was to judge by the surrounding area, it was most certainly not laid recently, and as such, it should have already begun to rot by now.

Could it be alive?

There was always the possibility his crimson sense was wrong. It had happened before against other cultivators, so it wasn’t impossible that a monster might be able to deceive it. Yet, if this was the case, why was this the only egg remaining in the cave?

He decided to put the egg itself aside for now and look at the bigger picture. Burrowing, laying eggs in the ground, abandoning their young. Just by that and considering where we are, it’s clear this was the work of a reptile monster, possibly a snake.

Yet, why would a snake monster leave the canyon to lay eggs here? Was this a common occurrence with monsters in the canyon? Red wasn’t that well informed about the fauna of those lands, and as such, he couldn’t judge if this situation was abnormal or not.

What about all the monsters that had hatched from the other eggs? Did they return to the canyon or were they still around the forest? Perhaps some of them were still in the general area, and if Red couldn’t sense them, that could prove to be fatal to him.

In the end, this all brought him to a single issue: should he still cultivate here?

Obviously, with all the uncertainty surrounding the area, Red would have preferred to pick a safer place, but he didn’t really have the privilege to keep searching. The Full Moon would arrive tonight, and if he missed that opportunity, he could only try again in a month.

Despite the current circumstances, Red recognized he wouldn’t find a safer place than this one in the canyon, or else Rog would have told him. As such, he thought it better to stay here. He could make some preparations on the off chance that snake monsters suddenly swarmed him in the middle of his cultivation, even if he wasn’t fully confident about what he was dealing with.

Now, what do I do about you?

Monster eggs were valuable materials for cultivators, even the dead ones. Red, however, was concerned about cultivating with this egg around, but he also didn’t dare smash it to pieces, as the odor of whatever was inside could attract unwanted attention to him.

In the end, he decided to leave the egg alone for now and seal the entrance to the cave. If, by the end of his cultivation session, the egg was still there, then Red would take it back with him to examine. For now, he couldn’t afford distractions.

Almost an hour later, Red managed to block the cave entrance with enough logs and rocks. If something popped out of the cave, then these blockades would alert him.

Still not satisfied with his general safety, Red continued to examine the valley and the surrounding region for the following hours with as much thoroughness as he could muster. He found no traces of any monsters or other oddities, but this didn’t make him feel safe. Instead, it just gave him a greater sense of unease.

How did those monsters manage to move around without leaving a single trace?

Unfortunately, no reply was forthcoming, so Red returned to the valley and prepared for his cultivation session. First, he picked the spot he would sit down to cultivate, which was near the center of the small valley. Next, he laid twigs all around the area so that anything wandering through without his notice might potentially make enough noise to alert him. Red then created some rudimentary traps, like tripwires, to create noise and alert him.

He also felled most of the trees in the valley with the help of his sword. He wouldn’t have any ambushers climbing through the tree canopy and bypassing all his preparations.

By the time Red was done, the sun was almost setting. He examined his preparations with a frown. There were many things that these alarms and traps didn’t account for, such as an attack from beneath the earth or from the sky, but it was already the best Red could do with his limited resources.

Maybe I should have tried making an Alarm Formation.

It would have certainly been convenient, but Red knew the idea wasn’t feasible with his limited time and resources. However, he decided to make it a priority over the next few months once he went back.

Finally, Red sat down cross-legged on the forest floor and entered a meditative state. His expanded awareness reached towards the crimson mist being, who seemed agitated.

“It’s time,” he said inside of his own head.

There was no response other than a wave of unease from the mist transmitted into his mind. Despite its otherworldly powers, the being never seemed to be very stable emotionally. Then again, it was a demon, after all.

Red continued. “I will do something reckless this time.”

Still no response.

“I need you to not fight back.”

“… Difficult,” the voice responded, carrying a tone full of anger.

“If you fight back, I die,” Red stated. “If I die, no one else will help you.”

“Be… quick,” the voice said before falling silent.

Red could feel through his expanded awareness that the mist seemed to be barely restraining itself. It was like an animal trying to resist its own instincts, and Red knew that without guidance and force of will, it would have already long since lost itself.

This was, of course, all due to the Moonstone Energy.

As Red opened more of his special acupoints, it became increasingly difficult for the being to ignore this foreign energy entering his body. It sought to convince him to expel this energy more than a few times, but it wasn’t something Red could afford to do.

The mist was then forced to coexist alongside this energy in his body, much to its dismay. Yet, in doing so, it also made one thing clear to Red—harmony wasn’t possible between the mist and this energy.

They would eventually clash with his body as the battlefield, where one would consume the other, and only one would prevail in the end. It was hard to say if Red would survive when it was all said and done.

It was wishful thinking to hope these two otherworldly energies could live in peace inside my body.

This was yet another concern for him, but not a pressing one for now, as the mist seemed to behave as he asked. In the end, to Red, this was just another incentive to find a way to rid himself of this curse.

Night eventually fell, and the Full Moon rose in the sky with all its brilliance. Red looked up and saw the shimmering form of the incomprehensible being on the Moon, in a state of apparent hibernation. Its gaze didn’t appear at all, a sign of what was about to happen.

He got up, and without hesitation performed the Rain Dance vein opening technique. Even now, Red didn’t feel comfortable executing these rather silly movements, but he was more than used to doing it at this point. A few minutes later, he felt an aching sensation within his veins, indicating they were ready to absorb the surrounding Spiritual Energy, which already started to gather inside his body.

With that done, he sat back down again.

Red took out his insectoid core, laid it on his lap, and put a fistful of Vein Opening Pills on his tongue. To consume this many pills at once wasn’t a wise course of action, but he was determined to succeed at all costs.

Just as the medicine started to take its effect, a glowing sparkle of green energy took form in the night sky, converging on Red’s location. The insectoid core in his lap began to glow, and Red knew.

It was time to open his final acupoint.

Chapter 51

The Final Acupoint

A current of Spiritual Energy began to travel through Red’s veins as the pills took effect. A few seconds later, this torrent was joined by the suffusion of greenish Moon energy gathering around his body. The strain in Red’s veins grew, and he gritted his teeth in pain.

One issue he faced was that his Vein Opening Pills didn’t have a clear target, as all his veins were technically opened. That being the case, they didn’t automatically go towards his Third Eye Vein as Red wished, and instead wreaked havoc through his veins without purpose. Added to the Moon energy, this was a recipe for disaster.

He would look like a torch in the dark to anyone capable of sensing Spiritual Energy at this moment. His veins bulged, and a terrible, strained feeling of fullness spread through his body. Yet, this wasn’t the first time he felt something similar. Red remembered when the blob covered him with an overwhelming amount of Spiritual Energy in the underground. Back then, the pain was debilitating, and he could do nothing but twitch on the ground until the feeling was gone.

Now, however, Red wasn’t helpless.

He focused on his veins. The energy from the pills rushed through him with incredible force, and Red tried to direct this raging current inside his body in a specific direction.

Sure enough, the energy responded to his command. Or rather, his veins forced it to obey. It wasn’t a smooth process, and Red felt that if he lost focus even once, the energy would go back to its rampage. However, it still worked, and it was as much influence as Red ever had over Spiritual Energy in his life.

This, of course, wasn’t a coincidence. Once someone opened all their standard acupoints, they would be ready to open their Spiritual Sea, and this was made apparent in the fact that they could now exert some degree of control in the Spiritual Energy inside their bodies. It wasn’t enough to execute techniques, but it was enough to direct it towards their Spiritual Sea.

Red, on the other hand, used it for another purpose. Few people went through a similar experience as him, considering that the third eye acupoint was always the last one they opened, and after that, they would focus on their Spiritual Sea. However, Red needed to open another acupoint in this vein, one he didn’t even know existed.

As such, he could use this partial control to his benefit.

The energy moved as one towards his Third Eye Vein. With nowhere else to go, the energies bounced off his Spiritual Vein walls and cycled back towards his other veins.

Immediately, Red suffered a terrible headache.

He frowned and gritted his teeth, fighting through the pain.

Still nothing.

He hoped under the Full Moon’s influence, this elusive special acupoint would reveal itself. This clearly still wasn’t the case. Even as more Moon energy filled his other special acupoints, no changes happened to Red’s body.

This final acupoint was still nowhere to be seen.

Red started to have some doubts. The Full Moon had been his last hope. Now, no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he was just out of ideas. Either there was no such acupoint, or Red just wasn’t capable of opening it as is.

There was still one option, even if it was an extremely dangerous one. Red looked down at his lap, setting his eyes on the insectoid core. Green Spiritual Energy was gathered around it as the stone absorbed it all in great quantities, glowing with much more power than Red himself.

It was clear the core couldn’t absorb all this power gathered around it at once, and its surface was suffused with Spiritual Energy.

I need to try it.

Red laid his hands on top of the core and closed his eyes. Immediately, he felt the tingle of Spiritual Energy spreading through his skin and without hesitation he focused on it. He focused on his Lower Arm Veins and tried to draw this energy in.

It took little effort. The overflowing Spiritual Energy entered his body with no resistance, finally having found an outlet. This immense torrent of energy entered Red’s veins, and he felt as if he was just about to explode.

His plan was simple. Brute force.

Viran told him that the only requirement to open his special veins was cultivating near a source of Moonstone Energy. Perhaps the reason Red couldn’t open this acupoint wasn’t because it didn’t exist, but just that he didn’t have enough Moonstone Energy.

In the past, he could open his other special acupoints just by cultivating with the core by his side. But what if this one was different? What if he needed even more Moonstone Energy?

Then, what better way to do it than absorbing it into his own body?

This was, of course, a dangerous plan. No common mortal could handle the output of a monster core, not even someone who opened all of their twelve veins. They would most likely just cripple themselves or even explode from the inside.

Yet, Red had something a normal cultivator didn’t have.

Just as he felt his veins were about to collapse, another energy acted upon his body. It seemed to heal his wounds from the inside and ease the burden on his veins ever so slightly.

This was his regenerative power.

It could heal the wounds right as they were happening. However, even with that, Red’s veins were under an unbearable burden. If this energy remained in his body for long, not even his regeneration would be able to handle the damage.

Red gritted his teeth in pain. He struggled to unite the two currents of power inside his body, circling it around his veins to ease the pressure. It did little to help with the pain, but at the very least, he managed to exert some control over this vast energy.

However, the hardest part was still ahead.

Red started to direct this current upwards through his Spinal Vein, which connected to all the other veins in his body. Then, it started to pour into his Third Eye Vein with force, flowing with extreme speed towards the very edge of this vein, located around the middle of his forehead.

Red braced himself for impact.

He felt as if an explosion had happened inside his head. A pulsing pain started to spread through his forehead, and Red had to bite his own lip to retain his focus. His vision darkened, and a ringing sound echoed in his ears.

Still, he held on and concentrated on the inside of his body. That was when he noticed it.

The current of energy seemed to have opened a small path towards something in his Third Eye Vein. However, that path closed in almost an instant.

Red would have thought it didn’t exist at all if not for a huge chunk of energy suddenly disappearing out of nowhere, easing the pressure on his veins. He trembled from the realization.

There’s something there!

Red didn’t have time to examine it, but he was sure something happened. It felt different from the feeling he got when he opened his other veins, but he didn’t have time to consider it.

Red directed the diminished current of energy against his Third Eye Vein again, disregarding the headache he was suffering. The torrent crashed against the vein, and once more, he felt the same small path partially open again before closing just as fast, accompanied by another wave of pain spreading through his head.

He gritted his teeth and fought through it. He looked inside his body again and noticed that the Spiritual Energy had completely disappeared. Three Vein Opening Pills and the power of a monster core, all spent in two attempts to open this strange acupoint.

It’s not enough. Not to mention that he’d seemingly made no progress. Whatever path this power had opened, it closed just as fast, and Red felt no vestiges of it remaining.

This left him with one conclusion. I need to open it in one go.

This wasn’t how normal acupoints were opened, since you could work on a single acupoint over multiple sessions, gradually wearing it down. However, this clearly wasn’t a normal acupoint. Yet, would he even have enough Spiritual Energy to do it? Would his body be able to handle that much power?

I need a constant source.

Red looked down at the insectoid core, which was still pulsing with Spiritual Energy. But the absorption wouldn’t last forever, so he made a quick decision.

He started to draw more energy from the core through his hands, but this time, he didn’t separate his palm from the stone. The torrent of Moonstone energy flowed through his veins uninterrupted, and Red started to direct it all towards his Third Eye Vein.

The current hit the walls of his vein like a waterfall. The pain was overwhelming, ringing through his head as he felt a path start to travel up his glabella. He doubled over, almost collapsing onto the ground. Still, he held on, focusing on directing the energy towards the nascent acupoint.

The path continued to open, but progress quickly slowed down until it completely stopped. Met with a stalemate, not even the energy from the core was enough to open this path.

All the while, Red was on the verge of collapse, starting to feel desperate.

It’s not… enough.

His whole body was under extreme strain, but even with the force of a monster core, he still couldn’t open this acupoint. What more could he possibly need? And even if he had that, could his body handle any more power?

Opening the acupoint wouldn’t get any easier—this he knew instinctively. And if he lost this opportunity, who knew when he would have it again? What if the imperials attacked the next week, or even tomorrow? He didn’t have the privilege of waiting another month.

Red could feel the energy bulging above his glabella. Perhaps it wasn’t that the power wasn’t enough, but rather that it had to travel too long of a path from his palms all the way over to his head. It took too much relative time for the energy to reach the path, and by then it lost significant momentum.

Red needed a more direct connection, but he wasn’t a Lesser Ring Realm cultivator. He couldn’t absorb energy from any part of his body and was forced to use his hand because the acupoints in his palm provide a more direct connection with the core.

No… There is a way.

Red had a sudden idea. Something his master Viran did in his last battle, and something he’d tried a long time ago as he sought to escape the underground. Now that he knew the rough area of where this elusive acupoint was, couldn’t he do the same thing?

Red’s last inkling of hesitation disappeared as he felt the path in his glabella slowly retracting. He gritted his teeth and went ahead with his plan.

He took one of his hands off the core and grabbed a knife from his waist. Then, without hesitation, he made a deep cut right above his glabella, just short of hitting bone, where he felt the path forming. His regeneration powers were too occupied with the rest of his body, so Red didn’t need to worry about the wound closing.

Then, without hesitation, he brought the green core up to his forehead and touched it against his open wound. A flood of energy flowed through his flesh, forming a torrent that poured right into this Third Eye Vein and towards its expanding path.

Red felt his head burn up as blood started to pour down his face at an increasing rate. He couldn’t determine what was happening to him, but there was one thing he could feel.

The path was expanding. It continued to form right up to the middle of his forehead.

Then it hit something. The acupoint opened, and Red felt an explosion inside his head before his entire world went dark.

Chapter 52

Ghostly Visitor

Red didn’t dream this time. When he finally came to, he felt the bright light of the sun burning against his closed eyes. His head was ringing with a constant aching pain, and he felt a sensation of bloat in his Spiritual Veins.

Did I succeed?

Red reached for his forehead and massaged the area above his glabella. The wound he opened with the knife was no longer there, and he felt nothing different in the region. A cursory examination wouldn’t tell him much, so he would need to meditate and examine his own body before drawing any conclusions.

At least I’m not dead.

Once he recovered from his initial surprise, Red sat up and looked around with the help of his crimson sense. It was already daytime, and although he couldn’t tell for certain, he didn’t think he’d been unconscious for more than ten hours. No beasts, necromancers, or imperials attacked him during his moment of vulnerability, so at the very least, he was safe.

I need to⁠—

Red’s train of thought trailed off as his gaze caught sight of something. No, not something.

Someone.

“I thought you had died for certain.”

A woman stood a few dozen meters away, sitting on top of a tree stump with her legs and arms crossed. She wore slim brown robes, like those of a cultivator, and appeared graceful in both style and form. Her features were sharp and elegant, fitting for a true noblewoman, with straight, shining black hair that reached to the middle of her back. The way she seemed to carry herself befitted one’s first impressions. Yet the sheer countenance and air with which she stared at Red with her intense, black eyes spoke of a deep-seated arrogance and coldness, that of a god regarding an ant.

The attitude of a true cultivator.

Red couldn’t help but feel a sense of recognition as he stared at the woman, yet as hard as he tried to recall, he had never met someone like her before. Right now, however, he had other concerns than digging into his memories.

His hand flashed to the side of his waist, drawing his shortsword and jolting to his feet. Red couldn’t feel this woman’s fluctuation at all, which meant that she was probably far stronger than him, yet he wouldn’t stand by and let himself be killed without resisting.

He put some distance between himself and the woman, but she didn’t show any reaction to his movement and simply pursed her lips in annoyance.

“What is the need for this?” She frowned. “You have been unconscious for over half a day. If I wanted to kill you, you would already be dead.”

Red didn’t relax his stance. “Is that supposed to reassure me?”

“No, it is supposed to make you stop acting like a savage and to talk to me like a civilized person.”

He ignored the woman’s request. He kept staring at her figure, and slowly, an odd feeling started to cross his mind. He picked up a rock from the ground before tossing it at her figure. She didn’t move out of the way, and the rock passed through her.

Red frowned. “You’re not real.”

The woman seemed annoyed at his words. “I’m quite real, much to your dismay, I’m sure. My body is just simply intangible to normal matter.”

“Is there a difference?” Red asked.

“You don’t know the first thing about the world, do you?” The woman smirked at him. “It is truly a wonder you were able to live this long with all your secrets.”

Red continued to stare at the woman with a weary gaze. The more she spoke, the stronger this sense of faint familiarity became.

“Who are you?” Red asked.

The woman raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You truly don’t recognize me? Even after I almost killed you and your friends?”

Red’s brow furrowed, and a few seconds later, recognition finally came to him. The mannerisms, the way she spoke. There was only one person that Red met that fit the bill.

Red’s eyes narrowed. “You’re the woman who possessed Narcha.”

The woman smiled. “The very same.”

They stared at each other in silence for a long few seconds. Then, Red’s gaze shifted to the ground in front of him, where the insectoid core lay. He dove and grabbed the core without hesitation, pointing it at the woman in front of him.

It had been a while since Red used the exorcising chant, but he still remembered it perfectly in preparation for a day like this. The strange words came out of his mouth and the core began to glow.

However, nothing happened to the woman.

Red wondered if he needed to get closer, but he suddenly noticed the woman’s expression. She was staring at him with a look of ridicule.

She smiled. “Why don’t you get closer? Maybe try chanting a bit louder. I’m sure it will work that way.”

Red’s chanting slowed down until he fell silent. In his moment of haste, he failed to consider a single fact. If this ghost was still around, then the technique didn’t work the first time. Why would it work now?

Yet Red was still in doubt. “I managed to expel you from Narcha’s body. How are you still around?”

The woman scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious? I allowed myself to lose.”

Red scowled. He didn’t believe her.

She glared at his skeptical expression. “What, do you think a brat like you could defeat me even in the state I was in?”

“So, you lost on purpose?”

“Of course, it was all part of my plan,” she said matter-of-factly.

“What plan?”

“Unfortunately, that isn’t for you to know yet.”

Red sighed. “What do you want? Why show yourself to me now?”

No matter how he thought about it, this whole encounter still seemed too strange. If this ghost really survived their encounter seven years ago, why would she wait until this peculiar moment to communicate?

She shook her head. “I have been by your side the entire time, Red. It’s not me that has shown myself—it’s you that can finally see me.”

Red narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”

The woman shrugged. “It’s as I said. I have been watching your every move for the past seven years. How you cultivated, how you trained, how you killed, how you slept… I dare say, in this world, there is probably no one else that knows you as well as I do at this point.”

Red couldn’t help but feel his blood run cold. The concept of someone watching him through his every living moment and probably knowing all his secrets was enough to send Red into a panic.

Still, he tried to remain calm. “Why should I believe you?”

She smiled. “Whether or not you believe me won’t change the truth. Still, if you must be convinced… Should I mention that bracelet you have? Or perhaps those scales you are trying to keep hidden?”

Red shivered. He had revealed a lot about himself to his companions over the years, but one thing he’d never dared to reveal was his partial demonification. Even after all this time, his transformed eye and the crimson scales growing on his face had yet to disappear, and Red still needed the help of the bracelet the hawk had given him to keep them hidden.

This was something that not even the necromancer knew about.

The only time Red ever took off the bracelet was in his most private moments, when he was sure there was absolutely no one around, and that was only to check if his demonification had progressed. If the woman knew about it, there was only one possibility.

She was telling the truth.

The woman continued. “I must say, you are a scientific marvel. I never met anyone like you with so many strange problems and energies in your body. The mere fact you can still function normally without collapsing or transforming into some kind of horrible monster is a miracle.”

Red fought hard through the surging panic in mind and tried to rationalize the situation. She knew everything, and yet he was still here, free and alive. Either she couldn’t tell his secret to others or she had no intention to. Whatever the case, he needed to know more to assess the situation properly.

“Why can I see you now?” Red asked.

The woman shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I can only imagine it has to do with that thing you created in your head.”

“You mean the special acupoint?”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You still think that what you did was opening a special acupoint? I thought you would know at this point there are no hidden or special acupoints in the Third Eye Vein.”

Red was at a loss. “But I felt a path opening.”

That sensation was always the telltale sign of an acupoint opening, which was why Red pursued it so strongly when he felt it. It was like a growing root of a tree, where at each end and intersection an acupoint would be.

The woman sighed, regarding Red with an expression of pity. “This is what happens when you don’t receive proper education. What you found was indeed a hidden vein path, but that doesn’t mean there was an acupoint at the end of it. You were basically just pumping energy into opening a path with no purpose at all.”

Red tried to digest the information. “Then… what exactly happened to me?”

“That is a good question.” The woman raised a translucent hand to her chin in thought. “I can feel a swirl of energy in your forehead but rather than an acupoint, it’s more like a pocket of flesh swelling with too much energy. I guess we could call it… A tumor? Maybe something less harmful, but I can’t imagine it is good for you, even if it somehow lets you see ghostly forms to some degree. For a definite answer, I would probably need to open your forehead and take a look inside.”

Red frowned, reflecting on this information in silence. Was this the result Viran expected when he passed him his technique? He was compelled to sit down and check the condition of this new “acupoint” right then and there, but there were more pressing matters at the moment.

Red stared at the woman. “You still didn’t tell me what you want from me.”

She smiled. “Ah, of course. But first, it is only proper to introduce myself, isn’t it?” The woman got up and extended her hand towards Red in a graceful manner, as if expecting him to kiss it. “My name is Aurelia, a core disciple of the Amber Saber Sect. A pleasure, I’m certain.”

Chapter 53

An Offer

Aurelia smiled, retracting her hand. “Ah, yes, I forgot you cannot touch me.”

“What do you want from me?” Red repeated his question.

“I want to collaborate, of course,” the woman said. “We are both in unfortunate positions, so it only makes sense that we should help each other.”

“The answer is no.” Red shot her down without hesitation.

Aurelia frowned. “You would deny it without even listening to the proposition first?”

“I don’t need to hear it.” He shook his head. “There is nothing I need from you right now, and it would be stupid of me to collaborate with not only a ghost, but a ghost that tried to kill me before.”

The woman’s expression worsened. “You say that even after your collaboration with the necromancer?”

“If you know about it, then you should be aware it was never willing on my part.”

Red’s concerns were simple. This was a ghost of a cultivator who was potentially very strong when she was alive and was far more knowledgeable than him, making it very likely that he could at one point be tricked and backstabbed. After his experiences with a certain crimson being and the necromancer, Red decided he would never jump headfirst into a collaboration where he was the weaker and less informed party.

There were already too many dangers and volatile factors for him to worry about, and it was unwise to add more to the mix.

Aurelia’s expression suddenly relaxed as her anger faded away. Instead, she regarded Red with an amused gaze. “Well, I can’t say I was expecting a different answer from you. Unfortunately, you don’t really have a choice in the matter.”

Red tensed. “Do you mean to force my hand?”

Although she was a ghost, he didn’t believe her to be completely harmless.

“I don’t need to,” she answered. “Let me ask you this: why do you think I spent all these years watching you?”

Red frowned. “To steal my secrets.”

“Oh, you do have interesting secrets, but what use are they to me in my condition?” Aurelia said. “Do you think I would waste seven years of my time spying on a teenage mortal when I could instead be searching for a way to retake corporeal form?”

Red had to admit this didn’t make much sense, but that was only under the guise that he believed her motivations of regaining her body in the first place. She might have a secret objective he knew nothing about.

Still, he decided to play along. “You mean you didn’t have a choice but to spy on me? How could someone be forced into that kind of situation in the first place?”

Aurelia smiled. “Well, you tell me. You were the one who put me in this situation to begin with.”

“What do you mean?”

The woman didn’t respond. Instead, she started to walk towards him, putting Red on guard. When she was within two meters of him, her form began to shimmer before transforming into a mass of green light that flowed into his hand. Or rather, the object he was holding in his grip.

The insectoid core.

Red almost dropped the crystal out of surprise. When nothing happened, though, he brought the core in front of his eyes to examine. Nothing seemed out of ordinary with the crystal, but upon closer examination, he saw something shimmer on its surface.

A human silhouette.

Red’s eyes widened in surprise, but the image disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

“I’m bound to your crystal.” The woman’s voice came from behind him.

Red turned around and saw she had retaken her form without his notice and was sitting cross-legged again on a tree stump.

He remained skeptical. “How is that possible?”

She smiled. “You were the one who absorbed me into this core. Shouldn’t you understand how this works?”

Red’s expression worsened.

Aurelia shook her head. “They still haven’t explained anything to you, have they?”

“You know the necromancer?” He didn’t really meet face to face with the being over the last seven years, so he knew for certain the woman wouldn’t have seen them while spying on Red.

Aurelia sighed. “You still don’t get it?”

“Get what?”

“It was all planned,” she said. “The floating head attack, the possession of your companions… It was all part of the necromancer’s schemes.”

Red fell silent. Of course, he suspected as much in the past, but it was another thing when someone else corroborated his suspicions.

“Why would they do that?” he asked.

“Because he wanted to force your hand,” Aurelia said. “He wanted you to absorb the ghosts into the crystal so he would have spies at your side that could keep him informed about what you were doing. In truth, what you did wasn’t really exorcise the ghosts from your companion’s bodies as much as it was to bind them to the crystal.”

Red frowned. “Then the other two ghosts I exorcised are also inside this crystal?”

“They were.”

“Were?”

Aurelia smiled. “Yes. I have destroyed and absorbed their essence since then. Although it is hard for me to interact with the material world, the same can’t be said for interacting with other ghosts.”

“So the fight I had with you and them was all an act?”

“Against me, yes. If I wanted to, I could have easily killed you all,” the woman said with an arrogant expression. “The others were mere distractions to not raise your suspicion, so they were not aware of the necromancer’s plan.”

Red was silent for a few seconds. “… You have been informing the necromancer about what I have been doing?”

“A lot of it, yes.” The woman didn’t even attempt to deny it. “Though they seemed to be most interested in your curse and progress in cultivation.”

“Then you informed them about my demonification too?”

Aurelia scoffed. “Would you even believe me if I told you I didn’t?”

Red was, of course, skeptical. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“Because I have a brain,” she said. “Never once did the necromancer ask me anything about your demonification, or peculiar powers, which seemed strange to me and pointed towards them being completely unaware of it. This is not to mention the fact that necromancers and demonic cultivators have never gotten along, so it was even more suspicious. If I told them about it, they might have done something drastic to you, and then what would happen to me, bound to this crystal?”

It was a reasonable explanation, as far as Red could tell, but he obviously would never take anything a stranger said at face value, much more so from a cultivator. “Why did you help them?” Red asked.

“Because I wanted to get out of that damn head, of course,” Aurelia said. “Anything was preferable to that tormentous prison of insane spirits. It took me all my will and fortitude to resist the corruption of the warden and his evil spirits, so of course I took the first opportunity offered to me to leave that place.”

“And then you suddenly decided to betray the necromancer and try to collaborate with me?”

The woman shrugged. “I wasn’t expecting to be able to make contact with you this soon, so it was a convenient opportunity. But no, it was always my plan to seek assistance outside of that necromancer. I would be a fool to entrust my fate to someone like that.”

Red stared at her with a steely gaze. “I assume it would be much easier to rely on someone you could easily manipulate.”

She smiled with an arrogant expression. “You give yourself too little credit. Besides, I am being honest about my intentions, am I not? This is a mutually beneficial alliance. You can’t call it manipulation.”

“It is not difficult to manipulate someone who is not aware of the entire picture.” Red shook his head. “My answer is still no.”

Aurelia sighed. “Red, I know the kind of person you are. Desiring freedom and independence but bound by circumstance to forces beyond your reach and understanding. I can’t have claimed to have ever been involved with both necromancers and demons, but I understand your feeling of helplessness. I was caught up in the political struggles of my sect, and foolishly enough, I thought I could rise above their pettiness and focus on my own growth. I already told you how that ended up, didn’t I?”

“… You were assassinated.”

“Indeed.” She nodded. “Even now I must applaud my enemies’ boldness, but I’ve had enough time to understand where I failed. I underestimated the powers that rule this world.”

Red scowled but remained silent.

The woman continued. “While conflicts raged around me, I sought to ignore them and make my own path. Even if my enemies attacked me, I had the protection of my own faction to assure my safety. Yet, in doing so, I got too arrogant and complacent. I thought myself untouchable, much more so when I was the first of my generation to break into the fourth realm, and distanced myself more and more from these conflicts. That only made me an easier target.”

“So the elders of the rival faction killed you once you distanced yourself from the disputes?” Red asked.

“That is what I’d like to believe, what I’ve convinced myself of in the many years I’ve had to reflect on my own death.” Aurelia narrowed her eyes. “However, chances are that it might have been my own faction that was behind the assassination. Perhaps they saw my distancing as a sign that I joined the opposing faction, or maybe they simply decided to kill me on the off chance I would do so in the future. The mere fact I can’t discard the possibility that my own allies killed me is enough to tell you how ignorant and naïve I was in dealing with the situation.”

The woman got up and started to walk around, waving her incorporeal hand through the tree trunks. “I thought it would be best to distance myself from politics and inner conflict for my own safety and interests. But I was wrong, oh so wrong. The powers that rule this world—the Empire, the sects, even your necromancer—their influence goes beyond the spells they can throw out of their own hands. To think one can rise above their dominion and carve their own path is pure and foolish arrogance. The mere fact you were born in this world means you are already a part of their game, whether or not you wish to be.

“You can’t ignore their wars, their disputes, their interests. You have to play their game, grasp every opportunity you have to rise in both power and influence, and then maybe one day you can be part of the select few that rule this world.” She paused, looking at Red with a deep, meaningful gaze. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Red?”

He didn’t respond.

Aurelia smiled and approached Red, circling around his figure as if appraising an exotic animal. “You are already caught too deep in powers beyond your understanding. This peace you have is a mere illusion. You have no independence. You have no freedom. Not as long as you are this weak. All that allows you to remain living is that you are of more interest to certain powerful individuals alive rather than dead.

“Yet, all it takes is a single move on their part, a simple change in mood for you to die without even being aware of the fatal blow. If you want to stay alive, you will have to throw your lot with someone, to throw away your pride and arrogance and make a bet that will allow you to live another day and find the hope you seek to be free. You need the help of someone powerful and knowledgeable that will protect and guide you until you can look after yourself… You need my help.”

She stopped in front of Red, no more than a meter away from him, and stared at him with a smile that seemed to hide deep intentions behind it.

“I am the only option you have,” she said. “I am the only one that knows your secrets and sees you for what you are. The only one that will not kill or imprison you after finding out your true nature. I am the only one that can help you, and in turn, Red, you are the only one that can help me.”

“What do you want?” Red asked once more.

She smiled. “I already told you before, didn’t I? I want a body.”

Chapter 54

Alliance Discussion

Red frowned. “You want to possess someone else?”

Aurelia laughed. “Oh no, we are long past that phase. It could have worked before I was bound to the core, but now? It’s impossible for me to leave the crystal so easily.”

“So how do you suggest I help you in getting a body?”

She smiled. “It’s simple. You can build me one.”

Red hesitated. “… You’re asking me to use necromancy?”

Aurelia nodded. “It wouldn’t solve the root problem of being bound to the core, but if you use the crystal to build a body for me, then I will be able to possess it and use it as I see fit.”

“I need the core.”

“And you will have it, as I don’t plan on running away. However, in the state I’m in, the help I can provide you is very limited,” she said. “Once I can interact with the physical realm again, then we will be able to accomplish a lot together.”

Red shook his head. “Even if that’s the case, what you’re asking of me is beyond my capabilities.”

Aurelia smirked. “It might be beyond you, but it is not beyond the knowledge of the necromancer that has been stalking you.”

“You want me to ask them for help in making it?”

She shook her head. “You merely need to ask them how to do it. You don’t need to be that obvious about your intentions, of course. However, you have met with them before. They have always been eager to teach you about necromancy in an attempt to pull you to their side. You can use that to your advantage.”

Red sighed. “And in the process, become a full-fledged necromancer, I suppose.”

“You’re already half a demon.” Aurelia shrugged. “What’s one more cursed title on top of it?”

Red fell silent, deep in thought. Almost ten seconds later, he spoke up again. “I need time to think.”

There were so many things he needed to consider and think through about this whole interaction that he didn’t feel comfortable giving her an answer yet. Red would be foolish to believe her at face value, but some of the things she said made him rethink his outright denial, and he now considered what a collaboration between them might entail.

Still, he was reluctant to accept the help of yet another individual more powerful and knowledgeable than him. It was just giving out more of what little sense of freedom he had and adding another dangerous factor in his life.

Aurelia didn’t look upset at his rejection. “I know the kind of person you are, Red. You may look very cold and logical on the outside, but I know you are stubborn to a fault. You want to do things your own way for as long as you can, even if it comes at great risk for your own life. Until you can verify my words through your own experiences, you won’t be fully convinced.”

Red frowned but didn’t say anything.

Aurelia smiled. “Are you surprised? I know you well because I was once like you too, which is why I’m offering you my advice.”

“… I need time to think,” Red repeated.

“That’s fine. However, I am still here at your disposal should you need my help.”

The woman continued to stare at Red with an enigmatic expression and a smile that tried to convey sincerity but only succeeded in making him more suspicious. Still, he wouldn’t say no to her free help.

Now that she mentions it…

“The curse, do you have it too?” Red asked.

“Not in the same way as you. I can feel the energy draining from the core every time the New Moon appears, but thanks to my… helping hand, the rate at which the core can grow is higher than the rate at which it loses its energy. You do not have to worry about the core disappearing, if that’s your concern.”

So that’s why the core has been increasing in strength.

Red didn’t think Aurelia was doing that out of the kindness of her heart. If her existence was tied to the crystal, then as the crystal grew stronger, she would probably benefit even more from it. He’d never heard of a core that could grow in strength outside of a monster’s body, but considering the origins of this one, it wasn’t the strangest thing about it.

There was another matter Red was curious about, though.

“Can you see it?” he asked.

Her whole countenance changed as her expression became serious. “See what?”

He was surprised at this sudden change. “The thing on the Moon, of course.”

Aurelia’s frown deepened. “I haven’t looked, and neither should you.”

Red was at a loss. “Why?”

“Let me just make this clear to you. If I so much as take a glance at the Moon, I am certain that I will immediately die,” she said. “I have felt this since I was bound to the crystal, so I decided to follow my instincts. The fact you do not feel the same is all the more reason for you to be concerned.”

“What is it?” Red asked.

Aurelia’s expression continued to worsen. “I do not know, and I do not want to know. Stop talking about it.”

Red fell silent. He recalled that undead were often connected to the Moon and derived much of their power from it, strengthening as the celestial body waxed. The being on the Moon was the exact opposite, becoming weaker the brighter the Moon became.

He often wondered why that was the case, but he theorized the being might be deeply connected with the existence of the undead, and not in a positive sense. Aurelia’s reaction only reinforced that in his mind, as she seemed unwilling to even discuss the topic.

Red decided this was a good opportunity to test the ghost’s boundaries. “Is this the kind of help you’re willing to provide me? Telling me not to pursue the topic that is of most interest to me and only offering vague explanations as an excuse?”

“If they involve my own survival, then yes, I will reserve the right to not discuss these matters.”

“Then how exactly can you help me?”

“I can teach you cultivation,” she said. “I have a plethora of knowledge from my time in my sect and techniques that will certainly serve you.”

“I have a manual with techniques up to the Spirit Core Realm. I am not in need of techniques or cultivation methods at the moment.”

Aurelia scoffed. “You really think a random cultivation manual is comparable to the techniques I learned in my sect?”

“You have probably read some of the pages of the manual yourself while you were spying on me,” Red said. “You tell me how they compare.”

He didn’t know if the woman was aware of who his master was, but he had absolute confidence in the technique he acquired from the trial. After all, at some point, his master defeated all the sects, so how could his techniques be inferior?

It seemed that Red was right in calling Aurelia’s bluff, as her expression twisted in annoyance. “Just because your manual is useful, it doesn’t mean that the techniques in it will suit you. I know hundreds of techniques from my sect’s vault that I can provide to better suit your needs.”

Red nodded. “That might be the case, but for now, I don’t see the need for them.”

The hawk explained to him that even if Red’s elemental compatibility with the Storm’s Blessing arts wasn’t good, there was a way to raise that in the future, so he wasn’t in a hurry to look for other cultivation methods.

Aurelia looked insulted at Red’s refusal, but she held back her anger. “I can teach you weapon arts, too, which will be more promptly useful. I am certain that the techniques in that manual of yours involve mostly spells, so that is an area you are lacking in.”

Red shook his head. “Domeron is already teaching me weapon arts.”

“You moron!” Aurelia glared at him. “Do you mean to compare a mortal’s teachings to the knowledge I can provide you?!”

“His teachings have served me well enough for now,” Red said.

“You…” Aurelia’s eyes twitched in annoyance. “I know what you are doing, so stop beating around the bush! What is it that you want?!”

Indeed, the knowledge the woman offered in techniques was very tempting, but it wasn’t the thing Red needed the most at the moment.

“Tell me how to avoid the Imperials’ tracking devices.” This was what concerned him. As long as the Imperials could track his location, then Red would never feel at ease to do as he pleased.

Aurelia scoffed. “Is that really what you wanted to know? Why not just ask from the beginning?”

If I just asked, I wouldn’t know how much you were willing to offer.

“Can you help me or not?” Red asked.

“Of course I can!” Aurelia said. “The method they used to track you is called Spiritual Signal detection. It may be unknown to the common mortal, but sects have been using it for thousands of years already.”

“What does it consist of?” As she said, Red indeed never heard of this method before, not even in books.

“It’s simple. Every single living being in this world, mortal or not, uniquely influences the Spiritual Energy around them to a certain degree. That is to say, everyone emits a slightly different kind of Spiritual Energy around them,” Aurelia said. “That means that as long as you know what someone’s Spiritual Energy emissions are like, then you can track them through simple Spiritual Energy detection.”

This revelation concerned Red. “Is it easy to acquire that kind of information?”

“It depends. A strong cultivator can discern and memorize that with a single glance. Mortals can also use the method, but that requires a long period of close observation of the target and the assistance of treasures like the one you destroyed. It is not the kind of method that is readily available to just anyone, but almost all large factions use it to some degree.”

None of these options were good news to Red. It meant that there was either a strong cultivator around town, or he had been more closely monitored than he was expecting.

“How do you counter it?” Red asked.

“Either you use a treasure to mask your Spiritual Energy emissions or cultivate a Spiritual Art that can do the same.”

Red frowned. That would require him to be in the Lesser Ring Realm. “How hard is it to find or make this treasure?”

Aurelia scoffed. “It is most certainly beyond your capabilities at the moment.”

“Just tell me how. I don’t really have a choice but to look into it.”

After all, letting the Imperials know his location at all times just wasn’t a viable option. Even if he couldn’t do anything himself, perhaps Hector would be able to help him acquire such a treasure.

Aurelia waved him off. “You don’t need to worry about it. I have already taken care of that problem for you.”

Red was confused. “What do you mean?”

“I told you I was bound to the core,” she said. “I can’t interact with physical matter, but I can use some of the Spiritual Power in the core to execute some very simple arts. As it so happens, masking one’s Spiritual Energy emissions is not a difficult matter in the first place. The Imperials won’t be able to track you any longer.”

Red fell silent.

Aurelia smiled. “What is it? Not even a thank you? I helped you without even asking for anything in return. If that doesn’t prove my sincerity, I don’t know what will.”

“… You just did it because you don’t want to be caught by the Imperials.”

She laughed. “That too, of course, but it still helped you in the end, didn’t it?”

He couldn’t feel happy about the circumstances. The fact she was able to mask his emissions meant she could also unmask them without his knowledge. He would be at her mercy if she ever decided to betray him, which is why Red would seek one of the treasures she mentioned as soon as he returned.

“Now, don’t sulk too much,” she said. “I know what you’re thinking, but you have to remember we are in this together. As long as I’m bound to this… form, then I need your help to keep me safe. If I fell into the hands of those Imperials or the necromancer, who knows what would happen to me?”

Red sighed. “In the end, you still haven’t really done anything to help me that wasn’t in your self-interest.”

Aurelia glared at him. “You’re the one who isn’t interested in the techniques I want to teach you!”

“I need things that can help me right now, not in a few months or years.”

Just learning a new weapon art wouldn’t save Red from the necromancer or the Imperials if they decided to attack him.

Aurelia scoffed. “Right, then how about this…” She pointed in the direction of the cave Red had blocked off. “How about I tell you how you can use that egg?”

Red’s interest was finally piqued.

Chapter 55

Hidden Snake

“What is inside that egg?” Red asked.

“A monster, of course,” Aurelia replied. “However, it seems like it wasn’t able to develop fully.”

Red was confused. “Does that mean it’s really dead?”

“Not quite. How familiar are you with the breeding habits of Great Serpent Canyon’s monsters?”

“Not very.” Red knew the basics, but again, specific information about those kinds of matters just wasn’t available to the public in general. Why would mortals need to concern themselves with how giant snakes they would never see behaved?

Aurelia turned to look at the cave. “Some monsters from the canyon often decide to lay their eggs in safer areas at the border. They do this because the environment they live in is very dangerous to rear their young, and they can’t really afford to look after them either. Snake monsters in general are no exception.”

“So that is a snake’s nest?”

“Probably, but that’s beside the point. What you need to understand is that nature is cruel, even for monsters. It is not uncommon for even strong species of monsters to die while they are young and undeveloped, so through the ages, some of them have developed instinctual strategies to gain whatever advantage they can get from birth.”

Red frowned. “What is the point you’re trying to make?”

Aurelia smiled, relishing keeping him in suspense. “One of the strategies they often use is to kill and consume their weaker siblings from the moment they are born. This gives them the edge they may need to survive to maturity”

Red was at a loss. “Are you implying that…”

“Yes. The egg you saw killed and consumed all its siblings before they were even born. That is why you didn’t see any traces of monsters coming out of the cave.”

Red was silent for a few moments. “But… it’s an egg.”

Aurelia scoffed. “Are you doubting me?”

“I saw no openings in the egg, and I couldn’t even detect whatever was inside with my power.” Red shook his head. “What you are saying seems absurd, to say the least.”

The woman glared at him. “You think I’m lying? A brat like you who hasn’t even broken through to the Lesser Ring Realm thinks they know better than me?”

“I am just stating facts,” he said. “How could you even know that’s really what happened?”

“Bah, enough!” Aurelia waved him off. “If you really think I’m wrong, let’s enter the cave again and check.”

The woman turned around and walked towards the cave. For some reason, Red was expecting her to move the blockade he set up, but instead she just walked through the obstacle with her immaterial form and disappeared from sight.

This was something Red was still not used to.

It took him a few minutes to remove all the rocks and logs from the cave’s entrance, after which he saw the woman standing on the other side with an impatient expression. She didn’t say anything when she saw him and turned around to go deeper into the cave.

Soon enough, they arrived at the chamber. Red took the environment in and looked around. When his gaze stopped on the egg, he froze.

The egg was still there, with no change in appearance. However, Red noticed it was a few meters away from the place where he last saw it. He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Aurelia smiled, taking pleasure in his baffled expression. “Do you believe me now?”

“How is this possible?”

She laughed. “This isn’t even that weird in the grand scheme of things.”

He continued to examine the egg. “So, the egg is alive?”

“No, the egg is just a disguise,” Aurelia said. “The creature inside it was probably the first one to hatch from its clutch, and after it ate its siblings, it returned to its egg to hibernate and grow.”

“How can someone just reseal an egg? Why did it even return to the egg in the first place?”

“Monsters can do all sorts of things,” she said. “Besides, the egg isn’t for protection, but deception—to hide itself and attract unsuspecting prey. After all, an unprotected egg is a delicacy for a lot of animals, so they would definitely try to break it apart and eat what’s inside.”

Red sighed. “And I suppose it would take that opportunity when they try to break the egg to strike?”

“Correct.” She looked at him with a smirk. “You were smart not to touch that egg, or else you might have been bitten by a very venomous creature.”

Red’s cautious nature showed its merits. There was another matter that confused him, though. “Why can’t I sense it with my power?”

“How would I know? I don’t know how your power works exactly, but if I had to guess, you probably sense things by their blood essence. Some monsters in nature can do the same thing, so it isn’t far-fetched for certain creatures to develop defensive mechanisms for that.”

Red furrowed his brow. He didn’t think his crimson sense worked by simply detecting their blood essence, but it was probably a big factor, as the woman claimed. What made him weary, though, was that this was the second living creature that could hide from his power that he had ever met.

First was that female cultivator from the Crystal Sky Sect. Now, it was this snake that hid inside an egg. Was it possible that his power would become obsolete the stronger and more skilled his opponents became? That would be a huge blow to his arsenal.

There was a way that he could strengthen his powers, but the price he needed to pay was too large for him to consider.

Red moved his gaze from the egg to Aurelia. “You said you would tell me how to use this egg.”

“And I will. But first, you will need to capture the monster.”

Red frowned. “I’m not really equipped to deal with venomous snakes.”

Aurelia scoffed. “It’s nothing too hard. You can do it with your bare hands, and as long as you can immobilize its head, you will have nothing to fear.”

He stared at her. “So you have done this before?”

She scowled at him. “Of course not! You think I would waste my time capturing monsters while I had other people to do it for me? Who do you take me for?”

“How do you know how to capture a snake, then?”

“I read it in a book,” she said with an expression of confidence. “It shouldn’t be that hard to do the real thing. You just need to be careful not to get bitten.”

“... I hope you know that if I die here, no one will come to save you.”

Aurelia snorted. “If you are weak enough to die to a baby snake, then I would rather just be stuck in this place.”

Red didn’t say anything else and started to approach the egg. Now that he knew a snake might just jump out at any moment, he was more cautious. He drew out his blade and examined it.

Aurelia’s complaints came from behind him. “I told you to capture it, not to cut it apart!”

Red didn’t respond and continued to focus on the egg. He kept his right hand free, while using his sword with his left hand to touch the shell.

As soon as he did that, he felt a fluctuation suddenly appear inside the egg. Then, the next instant, the eggshell cracked in the spot where Red’s sword touched it, and an extremely fast shadow jumped out towards his throat.

If Red was caught off guard, then he most likely would have been bitten. However, he was prepared. A sudden surge of electric energy burst from his special acupoints towards his right arm. Red’s hand moved in a flash, and his arm shot up to grab onto the charging monster midair.

The creature immediately started struggling under his grip, and the rest of its body coiled around his arm, attempting to break the limb. Unfortunately for it, Red was someone who had opened all his twelve veins, so he didn’t falter under its assault.

Like Aurelia said, it was indeed a snake. Its scaled body was completely brown with an earthy hue that seemed to serve as camouflage, and it was easily one and a half meters long, with a rather thick body. It looked like an ordinary snake if not for the creature’s six eyes, three on each side of its head.

It had its mouth open at Red, baring fangs that dripped with a dark, oozing liquid. Red didn’t need confirmation to know that this was venom.

“What kind of snake is this?” he asked.

Snakes, in general, didn’t have good eyesight. He couldn’t imagine what use having so many eyes would be for this monster.

Aurelia seemed pensive. “I have never heard of a snake with more than two eyes.”

Red examined the snake. “What do I do now?”

“Give it some food.”

Red’s brow furrowed. “I don’t have any food.”

“Then go look for some!” She looked at him as if he was stupid.

Red was at a loss for words. “Was this your plan, to domesticate this snake?”

“If you were stronger, I could have just taught you an enslaving technique. As you are now, you will need to do it the old-fashioned way.”

“… What is the old-fashioned way?”

“Feed it, train it, and earn its trust!” Aurelia said. “It’s still just a baby, so this is the best time to tame it!”

Red looked over at the snake, which was still staring at him with its jaws open, eager even now to bite him.

He suddenly regretted having ever listened to Aurelia’s idea in the first place.

Chapter 56

Taming the Serpent

Red wasn’t unfamiliar with the process of taming an animal, but all his knowledge came from books. That said, a monster and a common animal weren’t the same, the former potentially requiring much more effort than the latter. It could take weeks, maybe even months of training.

Did Red have this kind of time?

Aurelia seemed to guess his thoughts. “It’s your choice in the end. All I can say is that I have never heard of a snake with six eyes, which means that it must be a rather rare species of monster, or at least a mutated one. If you can rear it into the future, who knows how useful it will be for you once it grows up?”

Red frowned. While he was interested in the idea, it seemed like too much of an investment right now. Not to mention, he didn’t even know if it was going to work.

It just wasn’t feasible. Unless…

Red stared at the struggling snake with a thoughtful gaze. It was still trying to squeeze his arm, despite not being able to even budge it.

There was one curious aspect of the power given to him by the crimson mist that he’d never explored too much. This aspect was the apparent repelling effect the crimson energy had towards monsters in general.

The only two times Red ever saw it in action were when he escaped from the underground and when he was inside the trial. Back then, his power drove even the enormous lightning serpent into a rage, and he was able to cross the misty horde of monsters who all fled before him. However, he failed to achieve such an effect again over the years, probably because his blood lacked the same power it had back then, just after absorbing the lizard demon’s blood essence, and also because the crimson being inside his body was never forced again into action to save him.

However, recently Red had noticed a change. It happened when the chicken underwent demonification, and he was somehow able to pacify it. Even now, he wasn’t sure how he did that, or if this process worked on non-demonic monsters, but it was worth putting it to the test.

Red brought the serpent closer to his face.

Aurelia seemed impatient while waiting on the side. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he directed an intense stare at the serpent, hoping for something to happen. All he got, though, was an angry hiss from the monster.

Aurelia sneered from the side. “Are you going to stare it into submission?”

Red narrowed his eyes in thought. He’d expected some familiar feeling to arise, but no such thing happened. Maybe this wasn’t something he could control, or maybe it only worked on demons like he thought.

Or maybe…

With some struggle, as he only had one hand free, Red pulled back the sleeve on his right arm, revealing the bracelet the hawk gave him a long time ago. Without hesitation, he unclasped it from his wrist.

“What in the hell are you doing?” Aurelia looked at him as if he was an idiot.

Red ignored her protests. “I’m trying something.” 

Once the bracelet was off, he felt a shimmer around the right side of his face. He didn’t need a mirror to know the crimson scales and lizard-like eye were revealed once more.

After that, Red stared at the snake again.

The reaction was almost immediate. The monster’s hiss died in its throat as its eyes trained onto Red’s gaze. It froze, its grip around Red’s arm slackening.

Without the ability to sense its fluctuation, he might have thought the creature dead. A few seconds later, it finally reacted, looking away from Red’s face and closing its maw. Then it just rested there, body coiled around Red’s arms, impassively flicking its forked tongue now and then.

It was impossible for Red to discern the creature’s mood from its expression, but its body language and fluctuation told him that it was displaying some sort of obedience.

Aurelia stared at the scene in shock. “What did you do?”

“I’m not too sure.” He was being honest. He didn’t really feel the same sensation that he felt when he tried calming down the demonic chicken, so he wasn’t sure if what happened between both creatures was related.

Aurelia looked over at him with curiosity. “It must be that eye of yours. It probably thinks you are some sort of superior reptilian creature.”

It was the only thing that made sense.

Not all demonifications were the same, as in, not every demon would sprout out crimson scales and other reptilian characteristics. Depending on the source of corruption, the symptoms of demonification could vary wildly. Red’s own demonification had reptilian characteristics, which were typically correlated with extreme violence, rage, and blood.

As for monsters, they were creatures of instinct. They would naturally submit to beasts stronger than they, as long as they were of a similar species. Red assumed this was what the snake was doing.

Still, looking over this dangerous creature, he didn’t really feel safe letting it go.

He looked over at Aurelia. “What should I do now?”

“Well, it seems you have it tamed, which is the hardest part. Teach it some commands.”

“How?” Red asked.

Aurelia’s expression was full of derision. “Have you never read any books on training monsters? It’s all about positive reinforcement! Give it some food when it obeys you and scold it when it doesn’t!”

Red was at a loss for words. “It’s a snake, not a dog.”

“Just because it’s a snake doesn’t mean you can’t teach it! It’s a monster, first and foremost. It’s smarter than any common animal out there, so it will obviously understand what you want from it.”

Red was skeptical. He looked down at the snake, staring at its unfocused and menacing six eyes which seemed to be gazing at nothing in particular.

“Look at me,” he said in a commanding voice.

The snake completely ignored him.

Red spoke up again, using distinct tones and words to get the serpent’s attention. Nothing worked, and the snake continued staring into space.

In the end, he gave up and looked at Aurelia questioningly.

She shrugged. “Maybe it’s deaf. Either way, I never said it was going to be easy to train it.”

Red sighed. “We’ll try again once I have some food to compel it.”

He clasped the bracelet around his wrist again, disguising his demonification. Then he looked back at the snake.

It remained pacified even after he hid his demonic eye, but Red would be a fool to trust an animal and let it free. He decided to tie the creature’s mouth shut with some pieces of his clothing, so that if it decided to attack him, at least he wouldn’t get injected with some unknown venom.

Only after he was certain the creature’s mouth was shut tight did he let it out of his grip. Unexpectedly, the creature didn’t try to run away, and it instead crawled up Red’s arm, coiling around his neck and shoulder. He was uncomfortable with this position, to say the least, but he could tell through the beast’s fluctuation that it didn’t mean him any harm.

Aurelia smiled. “Look, it’s already this comfortable around you. It will be no problem to train it, and in the future, once it grows up and breaks through to the Lesser Ring Realm, you will have another trick up your sleeve.”

“I hope so. Still, it will be another matter to keep it hidden while I’m in…” He trailed off. The serpent’s fluctuation vanished from his senses.

Red still felt the snake’s weight around his shoulder, so he looked down in a hurry. It had changed colors, completely camouflaged with his black clothing. Even from up close, Red would have almost missed it if not for his dark vision.

“Impressive.” Aurelia looked at the beast with surprise. “Even I need to focus my Spiritual Sense to detect it. If I didn’t know where it was, I definitely would have missed it. It’s a perfect stealthy monster!”

Red frowned. He would be happy with this too if it wasn’t for the fact that not even he could detect the serpent while it was in this state.

He gave the chamber one last thorough search. He peered into the now broken egg, and like Aurelia said, there was nothing inside of it to indicate how the snake had sealed it shut again.

After making sure he didn’t miss anything, Red looked back at Aurelia. “We’re leaving.”

The woman raised her eyebrows. “You know you don’t really need to say that to me, right? I’m a ghost. I can just disappear and reappear anywhere I want as long as it’s within the range of the core.”

Red shook his head. “It’s better for the both of us if I treat it like that isn’t the case.”

Aurelia frowned, but didn’t say anything else.

Red turned around and walked out of the cave. The snake shivered slightly under the sun’s light, which it was probably feeling for the first time. However, it remained calm on Red’s shoulder, or so he thought, since he couldn’t really see it.

He found Aurelia waiting for him outside while sitting on a tree stump.

“Are you going back to the town?” she asked.

Red looked at her. “I plan to, after I recover.”

Aurelia smirked. “That place is too small for you now that you have opened all your acupoints. Your development will be hindered as long as you stay there.”

“I have my responsibilities.”

“Are those responsibilities worth following through if they get you killed?”

“I need some time,” Red insisted

Aurelia sighed. “I’m sure you do. Just be aware that the longer you stay there, the harder it will be when you finally want to leave.”

The woman’s figure suddenly disappeared.

Red knew that she was right. In the past, what bound him to this place was the need for shelter and a peaceful environment where he could cultivate. It wasn’t meant to be a permanent home.

Now that he’d opened all twelve veins, Red outgrew the need for the sect’s shelter. His priority was finding the remaining materials for the Parting Storm formation, something that would most likely be impossible to accomplish inside of this town. However, how could Red just leave his sect?

He’d made promises to people that he intended to see through. Yet, he also knew that the longer he waited here, the harder it would be to continue his cultivation journey.

Red made a mental promise to himself at this time. He would remain in the sect until Allen opened his Spiritual Sea and could look after himself and the rest of his sect members. After that, Red would leave, whether Hector allowed it or not.

He would not suffer the same fate as Narcha in this place.

Afterword

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