Born in Blood



Liam's eyes widened at Krel's statement. 

"You can do that?" 

Krel nodded casually.

"Only as a group. Rarely do we hunt, and it's out of necessity. The Rank 4 parts provide a steady source of income for the biggest hideout of the Temple. It's a black-market proxy through which we receive resources and techniques from the outside, otherwise we would have died out a long time ago."

Liam was immediately interested. 

'Elder Aki used something called Vicirum metal, so there wouldn't be any reason for them to withhold the materials. Unlucky.'

Rank 4 magical beast parts were incredibly valuable, and coveted by inscription masters, alchemists and forgemasters alike.

Even in the academy, he didn't have the chance to forge or practice with them.

That privilege was strictly available to year three students.

"Can I come too?" Liam asked. "I'm sure I won't weigh down your group."

Liam wanted to see how his abilities fared against Rank 4 beasts. 

At the very least, a Rank 4 center of power was required to fight a Zenith ranked magical beast on even grounds. 

However, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Liam had several advantages. 

Krel chuckled amusingly. 

"Those hunts are only done between the squadron leaders… but if an Elder vouches for you, I'm sure you can break that rule."

Liam nodded, inwardly happy.

Elder Jax gave him his respect. 

That had to be worth something.

Krel showed him a few more places after that. 

An Armory selling shabby armor and weapons – barely at the peak of Rank 1 – and techniques that weren't really usable for Liam's standards, in addition to a dueling arena and a pill store.

It turned out, the Temple worked with the same merit point system as the academy and every other work-based organization. 

The system ensured the acolytes and disciples worked hard to achieve a higher status within the underground.

Fortunately, the pills would greatly help Liam's progress. 

They were a collection of the items the Temple stole from minor Sects above ground. 

Similar to the hunts for Rank 4 beasts, small, mid or large-scale raids like those happened only with the high ranking members – the Shadows and stronger Disciples – and it only occurred when any suspicion of them was minimal.

"What are the Elders doing right now?" Liam asked as his gaze swept the surroundings. "I don't see why they can't personally hunt the Rank 4 magical beasts or take care of the lower-ranking Clans above."

Shaking his head, Krel grew stern.

"They're in charge of much more important matters. Besides, if a mysterious Zenith came and decimated a Sect, it would attract attention from the Main Lands."

Krel didn't add more, leaving Liam to guess as to what those matters were.

'They're probably figuring out ways to strengthen themselves until the Patriarch's return from seclusion. The pressure from Elder Jane's hall was enough to shatter my mental sphere if I didn't use Thicken.'

Eventually, Liam and Krel arrived at a large base with inscribed mission boards all over them, filled with groups of acolytes and disciples going through the missions. 

In the middle, was a large table set with an ethereal black map of the entire island. 

Amazed momentarily, Liam briefly sifted through the missions and the rewards given upon completion. 

Most of them were resource gathering quests, but here and there, an assassination mission with stern requirements were available. 

With his level and expertise, they were relatively easy to do.

"That's everything. Oh, and before I forget," Krel fumbled around with his ring and took out a parchment paper which he handed to Liam.

"You've been tasked with making three shortswords around the second Rank by the end of this month. They don't have to be inscribed, but if they are, you'll be rewarded greater."

Liam let out a grunt in response. 

The Elders already wanted to make use of him… but he expected just as much. 

He took a look at the parchment, which had a crude drawing of the required shortswords and the merit rewards it came with. 

Since Liam's specialization was with darkness Spirit Beasts, they gave him more leeway with the weapons' rankings. 

'At least it gives me more merits compared to most missions they offer. They were considerate enough not to force me to inscribe for them.'

Though, finding the Spirit Beasts still depended on him. 

Liam stored the parchment and gave Krel an understanding nod.

"Good luck."

Before leaving, Krel gave Liam the date for the next hunt - two and a half weeks.

'I better prepare until that time. I'll ask Elder Jax for permission a few days before the hunt.'

Liam shifted his gaze to the missions again.

The first thing Liam wanted to do was get the tasks over and done with.

'I'll kill two birds with one stone. I can find the Spirit Beasts and use them to make the three shortswords.' 

Though, he wasn't sure if Spirit Beasts functioned the same way as magical beasts did with the Primordial Forging method.

Shifting through the various missions, Liam settled on one and accepted it. 

It simply required him to bring back three Rank 3 Spirit Beasts of any element or type, which fit like a glove for his needs.

Scanning the ethereal map in the center of the room, Liam memorized the layout and arduously made his way out of the underground. 

'Damn it, this walk is too long. The Shadow users have it easy when they can just blend into the ground and teleport large distances.'

When he finally arrived the crevice, Liam grimaced as he saw the same shadow formation that radiated danger.

'Wait, does my token work too?'

Liam gripped his token by the edges and slowly slid it over to the mass of shadows.

As the token made contact, the formation momentarily dissipated. 

Liam instantly left through the narrow gorge and ran towards the wilderness, using Vanishing Steps and Fleeting Foot to increase his speed.

Higher ranked Spirit Beasts weren't that rare where the Temple's main base was, so Liam didn't have to walk far.

'I should stock up on human bodies while I'm at it.'