Born in Blood



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

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

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

"What kind of rewards?" 

Reye's response sounded prepared.

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

Instantly, Liam's attitude towards the mission changed. 

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

And best of all, a Rank 4 martial art! 

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

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

"Name them," the Headmaster declared.

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

The Headmaster let out a soft scoff. 

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

Liam nodded. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liam couldn't help but feel the same.

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

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

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

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

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

TING!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He zoomed in his retinas to get a better look. 

There were at least 57 men inside the small town that he counted diligently. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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