《The Body Refinement Magus》 1 Freedom A youth was looking at his reflection in the mirror. He just turned 15, and he was the third cherished son of Allan Moonlight and the Queen of the Lunar elves, a tribe of elves that was once a grand race but was reduced to a small tribe of a thousand elves. Allan Moonlight was an infamous knight, who was known for his ruthlessness and terrifying strength, having been recognized in the Great War against the orcs, a decade ago, earning his title of Viscount through blood and sweat. The Moonlight Household was, however, an ancient noble family. It had been founded 300 years ago, by an ancestor who managed to become a Grand Knight, a realm higher than Allan. Knights and Grand Knights are people who can freely use the internal energy hidden within their bodies and make use of it to empower their strength or amplify the sharpness of their strikes. And the best method to become a knight is the practice of a breathing technique. However, only noblemen possess knight-level breathing techniques, not to mention rare Grand-knight level breathing techniques like the Moonlight Household. He had two older brothers, Arthur and Frederick, the former being the Count Faraday''s squire and the other wasting his days and money in brothels or beating up commoners for the adrenaline. Arthur was akin to a hostage for the Count Faraday, who took the Viscount Moonlight as a vassal. Should the latter betray him, then Arthur would not live another day. Since Drake was tested to have knight talents, he became the favoured son, having huge amounts of money to spend, numerous gifts on a daily basis as well as a horde of butlers and maids at his service. It first caused a few rivalries between him and Frederick, but Drake had truly inherited his ancestor''s internal energy talents, being able to sense and condense it at the low age of 14! Furthermore, though he didn''t inherit his mother''s legendary beauty, he did inherit her genetics and agility. Having the blood of lunar elves flowing in his veins, Drake had always been tougher, stronger than his peers, even before he began training. ''It''s been 15 years already, huh¡­'' Fifteen years passed since he reincarnated into this world along with his biochip. For fifteen years, he lived his life to the fullest, never missing a minute of fun, yet keeping training as if he was preparing to fight a war. Eventually, his effort paid off, and the constant usage of his family''s breathing technique enabled him to sense and condense something he initially didn''t believe in: internal energy, a strange for of energy flowing in his body, strengthening his organs, muscles and cells constantly, improving his flow rate, increasing his regeneration rate. His body produced internal energy as if it was producing some kind of rare elixir. It''s not as if he had not seen absurd things since he was born. His father, Allan Moonlight, had been scanned several times by his biochip. The results were completely out of the norm, and the man didn''t go through 84 generations of genetic screening. It was a pure product of constant training, a man who overcame the barriers of genetics. [Name: Allan Moonlight. Age ¨C 45 years. Rank: Knight (Peak) Attributes Strength ¨C 5.5 | Dexterity ¨C 1.3 | Constitution ¨C 5.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 19.2 Skills: Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Intermediate), Porfield Kingdom Swordsmanship (Knight-level, proficiency: beginner), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced), ¡­] Each one of the attributes estimated by the biochip was based on average humans'' standard. Strength - measuring muscular power Constitution - measuring endurance, stamina and good health Dexterity - measuring agility, balance, coordination and reflexes 5.5 points definitely exceeded the norm by a huge margin, which first led Drake to think he had reincarnated as a monster''s child. However, confusion turned into admiration, and admiration turned into effort. Drake put the Grand Knight level breathing technique to use, practicing twice a day, following his biochip''s advices whenever it gave him some. His progress quickly skyrocketed his status to a genius cherished by both of his parents. And the most fearsome trait in this story was the fact that he always hid most of his strength from others. The only ones who managed to witness his full strength were no longer here to talk about it: bandits, wild beasts, thieves all died in a miserable manner. Of course, Drake was far from being able to stand up to an official knight, but he wasn''t very far from a breakthrough. [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ¨C 15 years. Rank: Preparatory Knight Attributes Strength ¨C 2.5 | Dexterity ¨C 2.0 | Constitution ¨C 2.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 4.2 Skills: Lunar Elven Sword Art (Knight level, proficiency: intermediate), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Intermediate), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Advanced), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced)] He was a preparatory knight at the young age of 15, something definitely unheard of. Preparatory knights could sense and condense internal energy, thus being of high value in armies. Though preparatory knights could not manifest internal energy to bring them outburst of strength like knights and Grand Knights, their bodies still overshadowed that of normal human beings. In an army, having a strong general is better than having bigger numbers. The Viscount Allan Moonlight was the prime example of this saying. The Dark Legion, the most loyal and strongest military unit under his command, only accounted for 100 men (120 if you considered the would-be Dark-Legion members in training). Yet, Allan had stepped on numerous armies with nothing but the Dark Legion, sweeping the battlefields with his heavy-infantry troop. Was Drake''s progress solely due to his biochip? Of course not. He had put blood and tears in his training, pushing his body to the very limits of what it could handle. The biochip served to store data, analyse people, the trustworthiness of their words, as well as see his own progression. The last feature was exceptionally helpful in his training, as it enabled him to think of the most efficient training routine for himself. It also helped him know when he had to stop training, and when he could continue to do so. The training was sometimes so painful that even he, who used to be a veteran soldier in the Galactic Imperial Army, cried. These weren''t tears of sadness however, but a myotatic reflex of his body when it was pushed too far. *TOC TOC* A man interrupted his thoughts. "Sir, your father has summoned you. He wished to make you a gift. I will be waiting outside. Please do not make the Lord wait for too long¡­he has a wild temper", Jean spoke in an authoritative voice. "Let''s go then, I''m already ready". It was Jean, the Viscount''s right hand, a Peak Knight through and thorough. Both of them fought alongside each other in the Great war against the orcs, and the Viscount had even gifted him a castle and a land to govern. However, no matter how much he gave, Jean would always refuse and continue to serve the Viscount by his side, supposedly ''paying off'' a life debt. 2 Killing Technique Drake was not very elegant. He always wore a heavy-armour set, even within the castle. It was the most efficient way to train his body to handle a heavy armour on his shoulders. He also kept weapons on his waist, since he spent most of his time training. However, his green eyes flickered with a wisdom and matureness that didn''t match his age. He had an average face, yet his silvery hair definitely stood out as a trait unique to the lunar elves. His father was in a similar attire, wearing a heavy armour and training with a long, heavy Great Sword, which measured over a meter and weighed over thirty kilograms. Whenever Drake looked at his father''s training, he would feel the cold-bloodedness of a battlefield veteran, the simplicity of his moves proved their efficiency. Lying on the ground, over a dozen Dark-legion soldiers were gasping, trying to catch their breath. "Son, do you know why I was never given the title of Count despite the military achievements and merits I have accumulated over the past decade? Our economy is flourishing after we introduced the Moonlight Market in Blackwater City, the capital of our territory. My army possesses more than a hundred elite soldiers in my Dark Legion, and there are also over a thousand soldiers and mercenaries ready to fight on a moment''s notice in the caserns. Politically, my subjects fear me and respect me like a proper lord. Overall, our household is several times more powerful than some declining Count Household." "Obviously, it is because of the Child King of Porfield, Reynold. He is surrounded by ministers and advisors who are corrupted, while the truly competent men can only do so much as reduce the impact on the Porfield citizens. As for rewarding the worthy ones, unless it is a very eye-catching achievement, the Royal Court will not even bat an eye. After all, once you earn a noble title, it is very rare to be degraded. It is something that goes on for generations." "Child King, huh? You could be executed for your words, Drake. Never speak to anyone about the king in such a manner in the future¡­But you are right. Everyone knows it; the Child King is not suit to be a king. I heard he engaged an army of mercenaries and made them slaughter women and babies in broad daylight. These babies were competitors for the throne." "¡­" "Well, my ambitions are certainly very high, but I have never heard of yours. Tell me, Drake. What do you really want? You are good in every aspect. Your tutors have nothing more to teach you and all praised your intelligence. You are hard-working, and you always protect the family''s honour. More importantly, you have huge potential as a knight. But¡­you lack ambition." Drake could only fall silent upon hearing this question. He had been brainwashed into killing mercilessly. In his past life, Drake was a pawn, a killing machine that only followed orders. He was now free, and just being able to choose his own path in his life was a blessing in his eyes. As for ambition¡­Drake didn''t have such a thing. If anything, he wanted to be strong enough to protect what was precious to him, he wanted to make his parents proud, he wanted to reach the legendary immortality that people talked about in tales. After pondering for a moment, Drake made a wish. "I want to become strong, Father. I want to become so strong that no one would be able to tell me what I have to do." "You¡­Haha! I guess that works for ambition. Don''t think I have not noticed your desperate hard work. Everyone praises your talent. They think that you managed to beat one of my Dark Legion subordinates in a duel because you are gifted. But that is bullshit. My men aren''t so easy to bully. You work twice as hard as others." "You praise me too much." "Your mother has returned to her sanctuary with her kind. Her family didn''t take a liking to me a decade ago, and I don''t think they will ever give me a chance to prove that I love your mother as much as her elven family. Today, I want to impart you with one of our family???s secret", Viscount Allan continued. "Everyone, get out of here! I wish to talk to my son alone!" The Moonlight Family''s founder was a Grand Knight who rose from the dirt. Born in a farmer''s family, he proved his talent for killing in a battlefield, after being enlisted in the royal army. Accumulating military merits, he fought alongside the King Joffrey IV in the War against the Phuinem Kingdom, even saving the life of a Duke''s son. As a reward, he was given a noble title. Near the end of his life, he broke through and became a Grand Knight. He fought many wars, conquering the Moonlight Region, which name came from his grandeur. Ultimately, he died of old age. Grand Knights aren''t common. Only one out of ten noble families would have an ancestor who reached the Grand Knight Realm. Preparatory knights can sense internal energy. Drake was a particularly talented preparatory knight. However, even Drake couldn''t compare to knights, who could use internal energy to enhance their strength for a short moment. As for Grand Knights, they were even stronger: they could manifest their internal energy to sharpen their swords or solidify parts of their bodies to block incoming attacks. Grand Knights were powerhouses capable of charging into a city, massacre the soldiers and plunder the wealth of merchants, and come out of this ordeal alive, without sustaining any big injury. In the whole Porfield Kingdom, there weren''t more than a dozen Grand Knight. Hence, having a Grand-knight level breathing technique was the Moonlight Household''s greatest secret, as well as its biggest trump card. The Viscount paused, then continued: "Breathing techniques are invaluable. As human beings, we reach our body limits very quickly after a few years of training. Breathing techniques enable us to get past these limits and continue to progress. If it weren''t for our family''s Grand Knight Technique, I would have not reached the peak of the Knight realm in my lifetime, much less have any thoughts about breaking through. But I can. Because our ancestor left us this technique as his legacy. However, I also managed to find a scroll depicting a knight killing technique a few years after my father''s death." The Viscount then dropped his great sword, and picked up a training cross sword. "In a fight, your body strength is a huge factor on whether you will win the fight or not. But technique also plays a role. Take a look at this." The cross sword was finely crafted. However, in the hand of the Viscount, it became a threatening weapon that could bring death at any moments. Drake felt like the atmosphere changed the moment his father took the sword. Suddenly, the sword began to glow in a pure, blue light. It was a faint glow, yet it seemed to bring destructive properties to the sword. The Viscount cut a 1-meter-tall rock in two halves without showing any exhaustion. Drake was utterly shocked. [Beep! Estimated amount damage dealt by the Viscount: 18 degrees of damage!] Degree of damage was a unit that the biochip simulated after years of data collection. Drake had made many experiments, and the strongest power he could unleash was a charge that only amounted to 5 degrees of damage. To be able to deal 18 degrees of damage¡­the Viscount truly was a superhuman being. "The essence of this killing technique is¡­sheer power. It doesn''t matter whether the enemy wears a heavy armour or a possess a shield. If you manage to land this hit, you can kill your enemy in one shot. Of course¡­you have to master the skill before using it, or else you might injure your meridians!" Drake was excited. He was someone who worked hard on a daily basis to become stronger, after all. "Can I learn it?" The Viscount paused for a few moments, then began to laugh: "Haha! You really think you can use such a skill without even being a knight! Look, it is a technique that average knights would find hard to learn, not to mention you, a puny preparatory knight!" Drake seemed disappointed, but the Viscount cheered him up. ??Watch, and learn. I am going to war, soon. A barbarian King was born in the mountains. I have to renew our truce, and make sure I show them strength, or else they will grow full of themselves and become aggressive. Oh, don''t make such eyes, I won''t die, but if the unthinkable should happen, I want someone to remember this killing technique." And so, the Viscount began to demonstrate the skill over and over again, giving pointers and advices that came from experience, hard work, and life and death battles. Although Drake could not practice this technique without knight cultivation, he still absorbed the knowledge like a sponge. One of the biochip''s benefits was photographic memory. Although it could only make basic analysis and store data, photographic memory was still a huge boost for his progress in swordsmanship. Four hours. The Viscount taught Drake for four entire hours. Everything that could be said about the technique, the Viscount said it thrice. Within Drake, something had changed. It was a minute, unnoticed change that took place in his core. It was as if something awakened in his body¡­part of his bloodline remembering this killing technique. 3 A pleasant discovery The next day, Drake woke up in a hurry. His father had left in the evening with his Dark Legion, an elite troop that was well-known for its full sets of heavy armour, their individual strength and the quality of their skills. Each one of them was personally trained by the Viscount, and some of them had already reached the realm of preparatory knight. Drake resumed his routine. He didn''t have pressing issues, and he was fond of training in the early morning, in the gardens of the Castle. The landscape was magnificent. After all, the Moonford, which housed his family since its foundation, more than three hundred years ago, was built on top of a mountain. From this place, you could see the Capital of the territory: Blackwater, and hear the hustle and bustle of markets, children playing in the street, soldiers patrolling and young men trying to earn the favours of ladies. Blackwater had 4-meters-tall walls, and was built in a fashion that was symmetric and organized. That way, fires would not spread quickly. As for the walls, considering the 500 archers and 300 swordsmen loyal to the Moonlight Family, or the 600 mercenaries and adventurers ready to sell their life for money, the city could be considered a fortress. Even armies of more than two thousand men were unable to do more than scratching the city''s wall in the History. Feeling power from the high gardens, Drake enjoyed practicing his breathing techniques. He could only practice it two to three hours a day depending on his condition and moral. One mistake, and he would enter a bloody coughing fit. One error, and he might be bedridden for days. Such were the consequences of practicing a Grand-knight-level breathing technique as a mere preparatory knight. However, the gains were evident. [Beep! Moonlight Grand Knight level breathing Cycle successfully completed! Expected gains: +0.005 Strength, +0.06 Constitution, +0.003 Dexterity, +0.01 Internal Energy] ''Seems like the higher my attributes are, the less effective the breathing technique becomes. But no matter how I look at it, it is still surprising to see my body attributes go up so much for just 2 hours and a half''s worth of inhaling and exhaling.'' As soon as Drake started to get up, a butler engaged a conversation. The butler was a man in his early thirties, who followed the Viscount in many battles, but ended up captured after falling in the battlefield. Left for dead, abandoned by his companion, he had to go through days of torture. But no matter how many nails were plucked from his fingers, no matter how many cut his body received, he uttered no words about the Viscount''s position, or his army. His left hand and ears ended up cut, as well as his ''private body parts''. The Viscount managed to win the war, and successfully raided the enemy barony, plundering villages, destroying the enemy baron''s castle. And he ultimately found Lewis, who showed utmost loyalty. Very moved by Lewis, the Viscount gave Lewis the choice: either return to the Dark Legion or serve the family as a friend, as Drake''s personal butler. "Sir, in the absence of both of your parents as well as your uncle James, the lord has given you temporary authority of Castle Master. Everything that goes in the castle of some importance will have to be checked by you." "Alright, Lewis. Thanks. Officially, I have authority but truthfully, do you really think anyone will follow my orders? Come on, we both know that is bullshit." "¡­" "Unless I become a knight, no one will recognize me as anything besides a pampered young master. Let''s go to the kitchen, Lewis." Drake started to eat. It was scrambled eggs with sweet vegetables, a rare delicacy in this era. Food was Drake''s biggest hobby nowadays. He bought spices from foreign kingdoms, hired special chefs and spent dozens of gold coins on a monthly basis just to eat his preferred dishes. However, none of these dishes ever produced as much surprise as the one he was currently eating. The taste was heavenly, and he had goose bumps since the first mouthful. However, besides the taste, Drake could feel his energy replenished in an instant. [Beep! Rare Vitamins and nutriments have been ingested! Expected gains: +0.02 agility, +0.02 constitution] [Beep! Rare Vitamins and nutriments have been ingested! Expected gains: +0.02 agility, +0.02 constitution] [Beep! Rare Vitamins and nutriments have been ingested! Expected gains: +0.02 agility, +0.02 constitution] [Beep! Rare Vitamins and nutriments have been ingested! Expected gains: +0.02 agility, +0.02 constitution] "Lewis! Go ahead and investigate what kind of dishes it was, please!" "Oh? You sure have good tastes! The lord decided to make you a gift before traveling to the barbarian mountain. These eggs are not something that average mortals can ever taste. These are the eggs of a strong beast called Yaksha, a flying lizard that is said to descend from dragons. These creatures are quite rare in the Porfield Kingdom, but a decade ago, a horde of Yaksha decimated a city in the Pol Dukedom. Two thousand soldiers lost their lives, including hundreds of knights and a Grand Knight. They could do anything against them." "Then¡­how did anyone manage to find the eggs?" "Your father purchased it from a wealthy merchant. The latter had gotten it from gold-rank adventurers. Do not waste a gram of these eggs, or your lord will scold you, considering the absurd price he paid." Drake felt some sort of warmth inside him. Ever since he was born, he had been loved and pampered by both his mother and his father. Although his mother was rarely present, she still passed down the lunar elven sword art, a rare Knight-level sword art superior to that of the Viscount himself. The Viscount was someone who was well known not to spend a single coin on useless things. Yet, ever since Drake showed a passion for food and gastronomy, his father went to great lengths to acquire new ingredients and dishes, even going to the extent of hiring a high chef who used to work in the royal palace: Henry Lion. "I will resume my training this afternoon. Please notify the Dark Legion Trainees that I will spar with them." "As you command, sir." After a while, Drake finished his dishes in satisfaction. This was paradise. He was in a beautiful world, in a peaceful and rural area, and he had good food. What could he ask more? Of course, Drake was not stupid. He knew that many neighbouring nobles were waiting in the shadow for the Moonlight Household to show weakness to conquer their territory and steal their gold. This is why Drake never missed a day of training since he was 6, a year in which he caught a harsh fever. This dedication allowed him to become stronger over the years, since hard work never lies. 4 Spar Later in the afternoon, Drake went to the Dark Legion Barracks. He could see men and women. They were the Dark Legion Trainees, since all the elites had marched alongside the Viscount. Although none of them were older than 30, their gaze reflected experience. They had gone through many battles, and their individual strength was several times higher than that of normal soldiers. On average, each Dark Legion Trainee could take on two to three normal soldiers at the same time. Some were even more talented, capable of taking on up to five normal soldiers at the same time. Drake was looking at those who were training. They all practiced an incomplete Knight-level sword art, the Kadac Sword art which the Viscount managed to steal from the Kadac noble Household that had waged war against him. Of course, they had greatly underestimated the Viscount''s strength and belligerent nature, and ended up crossed from the map, with only a few survivors alive to spread the tales. It was a sword art which used a one-handed cross sword and a heavy shield. After a few seconds, several trainees started to recognize Drake. Since he wore a heavy armour, the only thing that made the trainees realize his identity was his sword, which was an elven sword made of high-grade and pure alloy of Beryllium, a rare metal that didn''t oxide over time and remained sharp. Although it was unnoticeable, his heavy armour was also incomparably more valuable than that of the Dark Legion elites. His heavy armour had been crafted by a dwarf called Jason, an advanced blacksmith recognized throughout the whole Porfield Kingdom. This heavy armour was not flashy, but its durability was unmatched. It could absorb up to 6 degrees of damage, twice more than the average heavy armours. ''Initiate a scan on everyone here, please!'' Of course, whenever Drake remembers the Viscount glowing chop that dealt 18 degrees of damage, Drake shivered. "Stand up, trainees. I didn''t come here to chat or act as a lord. I want to spar, and I will punish those who do not fight me seriously or let me win. Is there any voluntary?" "Please give me the opportunity to spar with you, my lord¡­", a timid voice emerged from the crowd. "Shut up, Andy. You are one of the strongest trainee-" "Alright, come here Andy. Let''s fight!" [Beep! Scan has been completed on the 18 targets!] [Human Male. Name ¨C (?) Age ¨C 25 years. Rank: ? Attributes Strength ¨C 1.3 | Dexterity ¨C 1.3 | Constitution ¨C 2.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 2.2 Skills: Kadac Sword Art ¡­] [Human Female. Name ¨C (?) Age ¨C 20 years. Rank: ? Attributes Strength ¨C 1.4 | Dexterity ¨C 1.6 | Constitution ¨C 1.2 | Internal Energy ¨C 1.6 Skills: Kadac Sword Art ¡­] [Human Male. Name ¨C (?). Age ¨C 28 years. Rank: ? Attributes Strength ¨C 1.9 | Dexterity ¨C 1.1 | Constitution ¨C 1.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 1.0 Skills: Kadac Sword Art ¡­] All the others had similar attributes. Women seemed more agile, with higher dexterity, and men seemed stronger with higher strength and constitution. As for internal energy, it was quite random. However, two men stood out: Andy and Joy. [Human Male. Name ¨C Andy Age ¨C 30 years. Rank: Preparatory Knight Attributes Strength ¨C 2.2 | Dexterity ¨C 1.3 | Constitution ¨C 2.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 3.0 Skills: Kadac Sword Art ¡­] [Human Male. Name ¨C Joy. Age ¨C 30 years. Rank: Preparatory Knight Attributes Strength ¨C 2.3 (+1)| Dexterity ¨C 1.0 | Constitution ¨C 2.6 | Internal Energy ¨C 2.2 Skills: Kadac Sword Art, Barbarian Strength (+1 Strength)] ''Holy¡­Joy has 3.3 points of strength! This exceeds the realm of what a preparatory knight should possess! It seems like barbarians have some secrets as well. Only Knights can be a match for this Joy guy!'' Drake was never allowed in the Dark Legion barracks before. For sure, he had sparred more than once with soldiers, but Dark Legion was off limit for him. The reason was pretty simple. The Dark Legion trainees and official warriors were not citizens of the Moonlight territory. Most of them are barbarian children that the Viscount took in, and brainwashed into members of his Dark Legion. As barbarians, they had high strength from birth, and the Viscount made sure to engrave the Kadac Sword Art into their brains. However, the Viscount could not allow Drake. After all, the Viscount knew their belligerent nature. Fighting was in their blood. They didn''t crave for power or authority. They craved for blood. Drake could feel it. The tension. The tension of fighting a life and death battles. ''That''s it! That''s the feeling!'' Drake could not breakthrough and become an official knight. After all, his father would never allow him to participate in a battlefield at 15 of age. But Drake was yearning for it. He had lived his entire past life as a soldier. Living a peaceful life was certainly satisfying, but it lacked¡­excitement. The adrenaline felt in a battle of life and death¡­Drake loved it more than anything. He was an adrenaline junky. "Bring it on!", Drake shouted. He didn''t care much about hiding his strength. The Moonlight territory was his hunting grounds. If he were in a war, he would have considered hiding a trump card, but he didn''t care about that. He just wished to have a good fight with this guy called Andy! Of course, the two of them wouldn''t spar with real swords, but rather, with swords made of heavy plumb. These training swords were heavy and weren''t sharpened at all. However, it was enough to see who would have killed the other in a spar, and receiving a sword slash was painful enough to get bedridden for days. Andy let the initiative of the fight to Drake. When Drake began charging, Andy was flabbergasted. He had heard, like all Dark Legion trainees, of the famous prodigy of the Moonlight family. But the rumours were huge understatements of Drake''s true level. Drake''s speed was incredible, considering that he was wearing a heavy armour. Even the most agile Dark Legion Elite might not move as fast as the nimble Drake! Hence, Andy was forced into a defensive position. After a few dozen exchange of parrying and counter attacks, Andy found out that Drake''s strength was about the same as his, one of the strongest trainees in the whole Barracks! *BANG* Eventually, Andy''s stance was flawed, and Drake made sure to exploit it. His sword moved like a serpent and landed on Andy''s back. It was a nasty strike that sent the poor thirty-year-old man flying. Everyone was deadly silent. Had it been a real sword, Andy would have been cut in two. "Next!", Drake shouted. And so, Drake began sparring with the other trainees. At first, he sparred one at a time, but after confirming his advantage in both technical and physical aspects, Drake decided to spar against them pair by pair. At this point, the spars were no longer easy, but rather challenging. Drake only managed to win once out of two fights, though his win rate was steadily improving. He began to experience the benefits of the spar in the evening. The excitement he had felt in the sparring prevented him from falling asleep. He would only manage to do so by simulating combinations of attacks in his mind with the biochip''s help. Days passed in a flash, and Drake eventually returned to the barracks to train once more. This time, he had fully learnt his lesson. Fully committing to offence in a fight against two enemies was the worse idea you could possibly have. After all, you could not attack and defend at the same time, and Drake would rather not rely on his heavy armour''s durability for that. "You came back?", Andy said, obviously striving for a rematch. "Of course! Let''s do this every Monday, alright?" 5 Rebellion A month passed in a flash. Drake spent most of his days in the company of Lewis, though he often went to the Dark Legion Barracks as well, sometimes for sparring sessions, sometimes for expanding his data base. In Drake''s eyes, the Dark Legion men and women were gold mines of information. Watching their moves and their combos enlightened Drake on the way to fight enemies. Average soldiers would not bring any benefit to Drake. Such soldiers are able to wield weapons. They are able to kill, but most of them only went through a few battles. The Dark Legion trainees were different. They had accompanied the Viscount more than once in veritable battlefields. The lessons they were taught in sweat and blood could be seen in their fighting style. Drake took note of that, and learnt from them. Knowledge is power after all. The results were evident. He could now take on three Dark Legion Trainee and come out of the fight unscathed. As for Andy and Joy, none could even last more than a few dozen seconds against Drake anymore. Lewis witnessed Drake''s growth, and he was the most surprised one in the story. Others might deem Drake''s progress as fast, and evaluate him as a genius. But Lewis could see the truth. Drake was progressing because of hard work. He trained over 10 hours a day, and spent the rest of the day planning, eating and sleeping. However, the main reason why Lewis was shocked was Drake''s understanding of the Kadac Sword Art. At first, Lewis thought he was becoming mad. But Drake clearly showed deep understanding of the Kadac Sword Art. He knew it the feints, the weaknesses and the forte of the Sword Art better than the Dark Legion trainee themselves! Lewis was currently in the streets, pondering on his life. He was born a slave, and rose to become the personal butler of Drake. Once the latter becomes a knight, he would become a squire and accomplish his childhood dream. But now¡­Lewis had doubts about himself. In his whole life, he had never felt as powerless as he did at this moment. Even when he was tortured, he felt strong. He had a strong will. But with his left hand being cut, he knew that it would be very difficult to follow Drake in the future. ''The kid will become a Grand Knight surpassing his father in the future. That''s how terrifying his talent and mentality are.'' But, Lewis was already 42. Since he was captured, he never managed to completely recover his peak strength, not to mention that his left hand had been cut. The Viscount gave him a way out. But truthfully, Lewis wished to commit suicide more than once. That is how deep his pride had been hurt. Lewis used to be the Bonecrusher. Although he was only a Dark Legion warrior, his peers knew how fearsome he was in battles. He was extremely strong, allowing him to fight his enemies in a very aggressive manner. He would plummet his enemies with a rain of mace strikes. If he lost his mace, he would use his hands. If his hands were broken, he would use his elbows. Over time, his body had been tempered to ''endure'' his wild fighting style. But now¡­He was not even half the man he used to be. After eating to his fill and recovering, his strength was on pars with that of Joy. His constitution might even be higher. But, as a cripple, he couldn''t allow himself to fight as he used to do. And he couldn''t learn. He didn''t know how to. Lost in his thoughts, Lewis heard a commotion. Upon arriving at the scene, he couldn''t believe his eyes. The commoners were rebelling. Blackwater was a huge city with more than 20 000 inhabitants. Yet, there were only about 800 soldiers loyal to the Moonlight Household. The high taxes and the numerous executions had led the populace to hold a grudge over time. Had the lord been here, there would have been a massacre. But since the lord had gotten away, there was no high-ranking official charismatic enough to repress the rebellion. One man became two. Two became ten. Ten became a thousand. The worst part of the story is that although most of the rebels were citizens who picked up bars of metals, some were mercenaries hardened by the war, possessing true weapons, true skills. Even the likes of Lewis would have trouble facing them, not to mention mere soldiers. Since soldiers were humans, they would not attack the agitated crowd on a whim. They couldn''t afford to do so. If they were caught and judged guilty, they would lose their hands. Or worse still, considering the Viscount''s reputation. Their inaction, however, made the situation worse. There was a man leading them. It was the head of the Silver Wolf Mercenaries, a gold-rank mercenary troop with more than 20 preparatory knights and 50 elite warriors who participated in the war against the barbarians and earned wealth and fame in the process. Years of drinking thinned out their pockets, and now that they tasted the luxury of being rich, they could not bear to be separated from it. As for going back to a mercenary life, none of them wanted such a thing. When the Viscount departed, they planned a rebellion. They assassinated those who spoke too much, and rallied many to their causes. With the Viscount''s regime of terror, it was only a matter of time before people rallied themselves to their cause. Viscount Allan Moonlight was the pillar of Blackwater. With him in his castle, the economy would flourish, and the people would be happy and safe. However, every time he left, there would be great instability, though it was never as big as it was right now. Eventually, the head of the Silver Wolf Mercenaries arrived at the Castle Gate, and shouted. "DRAKE MOONLIGHT! OPEN THE GATES, OR WE FORCEFULLY SIEGE THE CASTLE!" Lewis sighed. It had started. When the lord truly needed him, he was not there to advise him or even help him. No matter what decision Drake made, it would end up badly. If he ordered the soldiers to repress the rebellion, the people would become restless and hostile to their lords. If Drake truly opened the gates, then even the Viscount would have trouble taking the castle back. The mercenaries might have wasted their time and fooling around in bars and taverns, but they still had experience. They participated to siege, and with the people supporting them, they could easily face the Viscount. After all, unless they faced him directly, the Viscount would be powerless. 6 Choice Drake was training with the Dark Legion trainees when the commotion broke out. ''I can mobilize 28 Dark Legion Trainees, as well 50 guards. No matter how I look at it, 78 guards cannot face a hostile crowd of 1000 men and women. Furthermore, I won''t commit a massacre in broad daylight.'' Drake pondered for a while. If he opened the gate, his family''s reputation would greatly suffer. And his family motto was ''Grow strong in honour''. If his family disgraced itself by yielding to mere mercenaries, his father would truly never be promoted. Nobles were petty after all, and honour was something valued by all. If you lacked honour, no matter whether you are a Grand Knight or not, you won''t be accepted in the ''high society''. Drake didn''t care about honour, to be honest, but his father did. And he didn''t want to be the boulder preventing his father from achieving his ambitions. Drake threw away his training sword, and picked up his elven heirloom. In difficult times, heroes emerged. Drake opened the gates, but he also ordered the 50 guards and Dark Legions Trainees to draw their weapons behind him. The crowd was angry, but it wasn''t ready to die for this cause. The glares from the guards or the murderous smiles on the Dark Legion Trainees'' face was akin to a cold bucket of water on them. In this deadly silence, Drake took the initiative. "You want to be heard. ALRIGHT! I will listen to you. But what you just did is treason, punishable by death. I won''t ask you to return to your homes right now, and I am not going to massacre you. I REQUEST A TRIAL BY COMBAT!" Trial by combats. Whenever two parties do not seem to reach an agreement, they can request a trial by combat according to the Kingdom''s law. In fact, trial by combats existed in many kingdoms besides the Porfield Kingdom. The head of the Silver Wolf Mercenaries had two choices: refuse the trial and return to his home, or accept the trial. In a trial by combat, death was a possible outcome. Trial by combats were said to be events in which the gods decided who was right and who was wrong. "MAY THE GOD BE WITNESSES! IF I WIN, YOU ALL GO HOME. IF YOU WIN, I OPEN THE GATES AND ORDER THE GUARDS AND THE DARK LEGION TO STAND DOWN. THAT WAY, THERE WILL BE NO BLOODSHED!", Drake shouted. The crowd nodded. It was a fair proposal. They may have the advantage, but if Drake really wanted to, he could order the archers on the wall to abandon their positions and kill them all. The head of the silver wolf mercenaries grinned. In his eyes, he was going to fight a child. How strong could a 15-years-old pampered young master possibly be? "I accept!", he said, "I, Jonas, swear to abide by the terms offered by Sir Drake Moonlight! May the god be witnesses!" "MAY THE GOD BE WITNESSES", the crowd shouted in unison. On the side lines, everyone was impressed by Drake''s determination. The opponent was not a soldier. It was a famous gold-rank mercenary, a preparatory knight who went through many battles, someone who had killed dozens of enemies, if not hundreds! Drake never killed a fellow human being in his 15 years of existence in Barnolia. But he was ready to do so. His mind entered a strange state of concentration. It had happened several times in his past life: entering a strange state in which 100% of his mind would be focused on one thing, killing his opponent. Drake unsheathed his weapon. He was no longer the kid who was cheering and charming. He was nothing but a swordsman brandishing his sword, about to cut down his target. Jonas was quite surprised, seeing Drake''s composure. However, knowing that he had the upper hand in terms of body strength, Jonas took the initiative. [Beep! Analysis completed!] [Human Male. Name ¨C Jonas Heart Age ¨C 41 years. Rank: Preparatory Knight Attributes Strength ¨C 3.0 | Dexterity ¨C 1.5 | Constitution ¨C 2.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 3.0 Skills: (?)] Jonas had reached the very limits of what a preparatory knight could possibly reach. ''The only advantage I have is speed, but I won''t be able to parry his attacks with such a big difference in strength.'' Drake wasn''t afraid. As long as his opponent wasn''t a knight, he was pretty sure he would win, not to mention that it wasn''t a fight against several opponents, but a trial by combat, one versus one. If he won, Blackwater would return to its original state of prosperity and stability. If he lost, the castle would fall, and he would most likely lose his life in the process. Upon the Viscount''s return, there would be a bloody massacre and that would be it. Drake couldn''t allow himself to lose here. Drake charged, and his speed obviously startled Jonas, a war veteran. Drake managed to land a clean hit, though the man''s armour protected him well. Still, Drake''s thrust pierced Jonas''s shoulder as if it was butter. ''Damn¡­He protected his throat with his shoulder at the very last moment!'' *BANG* Drake parried the incoming strike, yet he still felt like a mammoth had stomped him. His left arm grew numb from the 3.0 points of strength from his opponent. What followed was an exchange between Drake''s strikes and Jonas attacks. The man was fighting was fighting with a sword, yet his swordsmanship was akin to child play when comparing it with Drake. Drake was not the same person as he was in the past. A month ago, he had learnt the full elven sword art, passed down by his mother. But there were flaws in this Knight-level sword art. Over the weeks, Drake managed to earn some insight from learning the Kadac Sword Art. He had done more than merely learning it. He had mastered most of its forms. Of course, some elite warriors might use it better than Drake, but in terms of theory, Drake was better. He then proceeded to alter some moves in his elven swordsmanship to increase the fluidity and lethality of his forms, an unbelievable task for human beings. Changing a sword art would usually lead it to lose a grade in quality, since sword arts were completely different one with each other. But Drake had the biochip. Analysing the weaknesses and fortes of his elven sword art was a piece of cake. He only had to do experiments, and the biochip would analyse them. Whenever a positive result was given, Drake would practice the new form hundreds of times to engrave it in his muscle memory, and the sword art would be enhanced. Of course, he noted down every change, should he ever pass this sword art down. The difference in skills between Drake and Jonas was evident. Drake''s proficiency in the knight-level sword art had already reached the advanced minor realm, while Jonas didn''t even possess a complete sword art. Though these changes were minutes, the dominance of Drake was obvious after a minute of fighting. He had suffered no wound, though he left arm suffered a lot from the repetitive strikes from his opponent. On the other hand, Jonas was riddled with small and large cuts, and after a moment of hesitation, Drake managed to cut his fingers, which made the crowd gasp. A gold-rank mercenary was being pushed back by a 15-years-old boy. 7 Trump Card Jonas was flabbergasted and felt wronged. He had accepted the fight, thinking of an easy win, but now, he would rather fight a Yaksha than fighting this little lord of his. The kid was stronger than him in every aspect. Even his strength, which he had been proud of ever since he became a sell sword, was weakening as the fight continued. ''I have no choice but to use that, huh.'' After successfully parrying a thrust, Jonas kicked his opponent and retreated a few meters back, before taking out a potion and gulping it in one go. It tasted horrible, making him want to puke, but it wasn''t his first time consuming one. His body suddenly changed. Veins became more defined on his body, as if they were going to explode. His heart rate doubled, and his muscles were excited. Though he was bleeding all over his body, the pain suddenly disappeared. His reflexes were never this high, and it was as if time had suddenly slowed. He could now follow his opponent''s movement. Drake didn''t think too much of the potion Jonas took. And it was a huge error. He had once again put into use a feint and struck at Jonas, but the latter surprisingly managed to block his strike. Furthermore, the block was pretty well-done, and Jonas didn''t even budge. Drake felt like he had hit a boulder. The counter attack was especially fierce. Drake was sent flying. [Beep! Host has been hit by an attack that deals 6 degrees of damage! 5 points have been blocked by the heavy armour.] [Beep! Muscle Group B11 has been injured. Suggesting to begin treatment immediately!] This was the first time Drake was injured. For the very first time of his life, Drake felt fear. The man he had utmost dominance upon had transformed in some insane wild beast. Judging by his facial expression and his red eyes, he was struggling not to go on a rampage. ''What kind of elixir is that? I can''t fall right here! It must have been a magical potions crafted by acolytes, or something like that!'' However, desperation didn''t prove to be very useful in this situation. Like a lion toying with his prey, Jonas threw his sword away, and plummeted Drake with a rain of fists and kicks, disregarding Drake''s thrusts and vertical strikes. It wasn''t as if Jonas wasn''t taking any damage. The more time passed, the bigger his injuries became. But Jonas couldn''t feel pain anymore. His body was on the verge of breaking down, but the elixir gave him the illusion that he was invincible. On the ground, blood was flowing, shocking the crowd to the core. Most of commoners never saw a true battle in their lifetime, not to mention a bloody and spectacular fight like this one. *BANG* A heavy swipe hit Drake on the neck. An enormous fatigue overcame him. He knew what was happening to him. He was fainting. ''I CAN''T!'' Drake wanted to shout, but his throat was not responding to his commands. He tried to stand up, but his body was messed up. His left arm that blocked so many strikes was about to be broken and his back was hurting him more than ever. He couldn''t admit defeat, since defeat meant death. Even if he survived this ordeal, this loss would forever remain in his mind. He couldn''t allow himself to fall here! As if his wishes were heard, a huge change happened in Drake''s body. Blue light enveloped him. His muscles, bathing in this light, suddenly became vigorous again, even slightly more than when Drake was in his peak. His mind felt stronger as well, as if a fog covering his thoughts had been lifted. However, the greatest change was energy. Internal energy wasn''t something that could be described with mere words, it was something that all living beings possessed yet so few had awareness of. It was the essence of life, the motor of the body. Internal energy was the pure resource that allowed one to overcome his limits. It was something that allowed knights to defy common sense. And the energy in Drake''s body was unbelievably wild. Every single soldier and mercenary who had gone in a battlefield recognized Drake''s intent. It was pure, cold-blooded killing intent condensed under the form of internal energy. Drake opened his eyes again, feeling more powerful than ever. Jonas, whose senses were diminished ever since he gulped the elixir, started to rush towards Drake. He no longer looked humans, as his teeth became fangs and his posture became that of a wolf. His eyes were shining in a red light. Drake remembered the technique that his father had passed him down. Arclight Chop. A technique that, with the Viscount''s attributes, could deal 18 degrees of damage. Drake knew what happened to him. He had broken through unsurmountable barrier of Knighthood, becoming an official knight. His hard work had paid off. ''I can feel it! I can use internal energy.'' As if it was in his blood, Drake followed his instincts. He didn''t listen the biochip''s warnings and analysis. He focused on following what his body was telling him to do. As if it followed a path that Drake knew from birth, the internal energy condensed in his sword and started to glow in a dim, blue colour. Drake then chopped his enemy with Arclight Chop. It was a sword move his father bothered to replicate over and over again in front of him. There was no sound, and it seemed like Drake''s sword teleported. However, it was just an illusion caused by the sheer speed of this Knight Killing technique. Jonas'' head flew in the air, and blood covered Drake''s armour. [Beep! 9 degrees of damage dealt!] Be it the crowd, the guards or the Dark Legion trainees, everyone felt their heart tighten. They all had a lingering fear in the back of their minds. It was their instincts yelling to them to get out of this place. In the meantime, Lewis had gathered over two hundred swordsmen in the city, some being adventurers hired for this task, others being city guards who weren''t on duty. All had answered to Lewis'' call for help. However, no one could have expected such an issue. Drake then shouted: "Grow strong in honour." The rebels knelt. They felt despair, and utmost fear when looking at Drake, one of the youngest knights in the whole kingdom. In their eyes, Drake wasn''t just a lord. He was a monster. The people, who had been watching until now, from the windows in their houses, from the streets, from the walls all shouted in unison, proud of their lord. "GROW STRONG IN HONOUR." Drake then spoke in a very clear voice: "Make sure that the rebels are sent in prison. Confiscate their belongings. They are the city''s property now. Make sure that the mercenaries are shackled with the heaviest boulders and scraps of metal. The women will be sold in a slave market, as disgraces. The men will become miners and loggers. If they utter a word of protest, send them to the mines. If they show a hint of rebellious behaviour, end their pitiful life. That will be all." Drake then returned to the castle. Lewis and his men started to shackle the rebels. There were no protests. Only sounds praising Drake''s breakthrough. The Moonlight Motto was repeated the whole day. "GROW STRONG IN HONOUR." It was repeated over and over again by all: merchants, soldiers, even commoners who barely knew how to talk repeated this motto. Meanwhile, Drake had returned to his room. He was completely naked, and a pair of twin maids were tending his numerous wounds. Although the injuries were nasties, his body showed incredible vitality, regenerating at a very fast rate. The maids were putting herbs on his body, further increasing the regeneration rate of his body. [Beep! Scan complete! Process of Breaking through the Knight Realm has been successfully recorded and analysed.] ''Run a complete body scan.'' [Beep! Scan completed!] [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ¨C 15 years. Rank: Official Knight Attributes: Strength ¨C 3.2 | Dexterity ¨C 2.5 | Constitution ¨C 2.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 9.2 Skills: Lunar Elven Sword Art (Knight level, proficiency: advanced), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Intermediate), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Advanced), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced) Knight Killing Technique: Arclight Chop (Sword speed: 200%, Damage: [Strength*3] degrees)] [Beep! Strength has increased by 0.8-point, dexterity by 0.4, constitution by 0.6 point. Furthermore, internal energy has undergone a qualitative and quantitative change!] 8 Investigation When Drake woke up, the two maids that tended to his wounds were gone. He was in his bed, refreshed by a night of sleep. His arm still hurt, and his back was riddled with hematomas, but overall, he had mostly recovered from the life and death battle. When Drake arrived in the kitchen, Lewis knelt beside him. "Please forgive me, my lord. I didn''t arrive fast enough to help you. Please punish this lowly one." Drake raised an eyebrow. ''Lewis managed to gather over 200 soldiers on a moment''s notice and saved me the trouble of taking care of the prisoners¡­Why does he feel guilty?'' "What are you talking about? I know you did your best. If I punish those who do their best, there won''t be many people still alive in this castle", Drake said while laughing Lewis smiled. This was the young master he served. Someone who was living life to the fullest. A true genius, a true noble. However, his smile turned grim. "Still, I didn''t manage to notice the rebels before it was too late. Punish me or else I won''t feel at ease." Drake pondered. "So be it. How about you investigate these mercenaries?" "What do you mean?" "I want intel. These mercenaries were wearing brand new weapons. Of course, they might have purchased them a long time ago, but this Jonas guy was not used to handling his own sword. And after taking a closer look to it, I found out that it was made of black iron, a rare ore that can only be found in the Faraday County." "Are you implying¡­" "No. There is no way the Count Faraday, to whom my father swore allegiance to, would do that." "Then who?" "I believe that it is someone close to the Count. The Moonlight territory is quite vast. It has fertile plains, plenty of forests and a few mines of copper and iron. However, the Count has never bothered my father with anything. The Count didn''t ask for a yearly donation, or military men to be sent." "This is because the lord Allan is extremely strong! Each Dark Legion warrior can take on five men of the Count Faraday!" "This might be true, but you are underestimate the power lying behind the Count nobility rank. Although most of nobles do not possess grand knight level sword arts and breathing techniques, those who became Counts often left behind either one of the two. The Count Faraday might not be my father''s match individually, but he possesses over fifteen knights bound to him by oath. My father only has 5 knights under him. You, out of all people, should know that strong individuals in a battlefield make more difference than sheer numbers." "¡­" "The Count left my father alone because of their friendship. They fought together, drank together, and even assisted to each other''s marriages. It is a rare friendship in the Child King reign. People are battling out for the throne and control over Reynold, the Child King, yet the Count Faraday is one of the few powers hidden in the shadow, preferring peace over the tormented political whirlpool in the Porfield Kingdom Capital. The second reason is that the Moonlight Family has been the guardian of the Barbarian Mountain for years already. Blackwater is only a few dozen kilometres away from the Barbarian Mountain Range, and the family has repressed them for centuries already, never once failing to their job." "So instead of the Count, you expect someone hostile to him trying to stir up trouble for him, going after the Count''s vassals directly? This sure is under-handed." "Indeed, but just imagine the outcome if my father lost Blackwater. He would have lost his castle, and his hands would have been full with taking the city back. If they go after each vassal of the Count Faraday¡­then it would truly be disastrous for his household. So please investigate it. It shall be your punishment. Do not disappoint me." Lewis nodded, as if this task had more value than his own life. Such dedication and loyalty made Drake flinch. If Lewis wasn''t crippled, he would have broken through the knight realm a long time ago. In fact, if it weren''t for his hurt pride, he could have broken through. [Human Male. Name ¨C Lewis Age ¨C 41 years. Rank: Preparatory Knight. Status: Left hand crippled. Attributes Strength ¨C 2.8 (+1) | Dexterity ¨C 1.2 | Constitution ¨C 2.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 3.0 Skills: Kadac Swordsmanship (Proficiency: Intermediate), horsemanship (proficiency: advanced), Butler (Proficiency: Advanced), Barbarian Strength (+1 point of Strength), Geography (Proficiency: Advanced)] Barbarians were born strong. This is something the Viscount had fully grasped. By turning them into his army, he became unmatched in the whole region. As Lewis pointed it out, even though the Viscount had a smaller army, his soldiers were individually far stronger. Lewis was the prime example of such a saying. Of course, Allan had trustworthy knights following him: Audis the ruthless, Lara the Viper, Hugo the iron leg, George the flower knight or Kalan, the assassin. All of them could take on tens of soldiers by themselves. But even these knights would be helpless when facing the Dark Legion in formations. If it was led by the Viscount himself, then the formation was even more frightening. No one could stop this army of barbarians. However, unlike normal barbarians, the dark legion warriors possessed skills and refined sword arts, a rarity in the whole kingdom. Drake was grinning. After successfully repressing the rebellion and becoming a knight, Drake felt the satisfaction of holding power in his hands. The high-ranking officials would not look at him as a teenager anymore. They would look at him as a knight. Too much attention was not good, of course, since it could attract jealousy. But to Drake, fame and honour was a resource. With fame, merchants would be more attracted to the area. The economy would flourish even more. With reputation, other lords will be more trustworthy and will try to form amical relationships with you. Commercial routes, military alliances¡­There were many benefits with reputation. Drake aimed at something else, however. He aimed at joining a special organization of the kingdom, a restricted circle that some might regard as a sect. It was a hidden organization of mysterious beings who called themselves acolytes, capable of wielding magic and casting spells. Their leader, a fearsome magus, had protected the kingdom from annihilation more than once, though the river of time slowly made the people forget about these interventions or turned them into legends. Drake, however, believed in magic. It''s not like he wanted to become a magus. He had no such ambition. Living off his days in a peaceful castle, protected by an army, free to pursue the very limits of what a knight could achieve seemed very pleasant. But to do so, he needed a such an organization. A mere rebellion almost caused his family to be disgraced. His father had everything: a strong army, an elite force (the dark legion), a prosperous economy that filled the treasury with more than 800 gold coins per month after deducting the expenditure of maintaining the buildings, the walls and the army, as well as a powerful political force with his charisma and friendships with the 4 out of 5 neighbouring territories, including long-lasting friendship with the Count Faraday himself. The Moonlight Household was only lacking in one field: information. If Drake could enter the Magical Court Organization, he would solve this problem forever, turning his family''s weakness into its forte. Only one territory didn''t agree to form a friendly relationship with the Viscount Allan. It was the Frey House, led by an old Viscount who held a grudge against Drake''s Grandfather. ''Mm¡­Viscount Frey, huh? Seems like a good suspect. He has ambitions, and motive. The only piece of the puzzle that was lacking was¡­the means to do so!'' 9 Plans for the future A month passed already, and the Viscount had reached the barbarian mountain range. The Viscount was not tired despite this one-month march. His legion, however, was indeed feeling the fatigue of moving around with heavy armours and goods in the depths of a harsh mountain. Eventually, the Viscount''s scouts reported a golden piece of information. The Barbarian King was Alkar, a 20-years-old kid with divine strength according to the rumours. He had rallied the Fire Tribe, the mountain giants as well as the cavern men. He was born from the cavern men queen and the fire tribe chieftain, inheriting the former''s innate strength, and the latter''s fire blessing. It seemed that he was able to invoke a flaming sword, something that earned him the title of ''Ancestor'', a rare title. If Alkar wanted to, he could summon over 20 000 warriors in a flash. All of them would not be lacking against a trained soldier of the Viscount. Some would even manage to rival the Dark Legion elites. As for Alkar himself, though the Viscount was quite afraid of this so-called flaming sword, he still thought highly of himself. The purpose in coming to the mountains was not to wage war, but rather to wage peace. He had come with a good sacrifice: holy water, capable of healing wounds and most of diseases. If the barbarians refused his goodwill, Allan planned on requesting help to the King, who had the backing of the Magical Court. However, in the past, the Magical Court had already sent a few acolytes to deal with the barbarians, acolytes who ended up dead. "Let''s teach them a lesson", the Viscount said to his loyal knights, who nodded while grinning. A tough battle was incoming.In the high gardens of the Moonford Castle, Drake was meditating. As the Castle Master, he was treated with respect no matter where he went. The maids would answer every one of his calls, the butlers would give their lives to take an arrow in stead of him, and the soldiers would kneel and serve him like they would do with kings. In his own castle, a lord is a king. Drake was no lord, and not a king either. But he had the authority. Ever since his victory of Jonas, Drake felt more confident. It must be said that breaking through the knight realm truly had opened his eyes. He had underestimated the boost of strength that it provided, and he wasn''t thinking of attributes solely, but in general. His reflexes were enhanced, his thinking process was faster, he could feel the improvement in his sword art on a daily basis! If before, people found him talented, then he was a monster ever since his breakthrough. [Beep! Moonlight Grand Knight level Breathing Technique Revolution successfully completed! Expected gains: +0.003 Strength, +0.04 Constitution, +0.003 Dexterity, +0.02 Internal Energy] [Beep! Consumption of Goldrich Flower detected! Nutriments are interacting with internal energy¡­Deemed as beneficial to the host. Beginning merging¡­22%...88%. The breathing revolution is expected to be 82% more effective on host''s body.] ''Good! Although the breathing technique itself is becoming less effective, if I continue to consume Goldrich Flower as a complement, my growth rate will not be affected.'' "I have good news, my lord", Lewis said as soon as Drake finished his meditation session. "Have you finished dealing with the purchase of Goldrich Flower stocks in the town?" "Yes, sir! I still don''t understand why you are so interested in this beautiful yet venomous plant, but I managed to purchase 72 seeds, and over 40 flowers. The other seeds were of bad quality, so I sent merchants in towns of other territories to see if they could get their hands on some more. The High Gardener Alfred successfully planted them. In a year or two, the seeds will be ready for harvest." "Good job, Lewis!" Drake was truly amazed. In just a few days, Lewis had managed to break down Jonas and the mercenaries, earning precise information on the ''enemy''. Although Jonas himself didn''t see the power within the shadows controlling him and influencing him, Drake managed to link the rebellion with a merchant company called Kad Industries. It was backed by the Viscount Frey, as expected, so Drake led the 200 City Guards to find the culprits. He then executed them and confiscated their belongings, earning himself over 2 000 gold coins and twice this amount worth in weapons, armours and horses. All the weapons were made of Black Iron, and the amount seemed to translate a will to go to war. However, they had landed in Drake''s hands. Over a hundred Medium Armour set, spears, swords and crossbows, as well as shield of the highest quality were in Drake''s hands. It was enough to create a big force, not to mention that there were over a hundred barbarian horses in their possession, a breed that could travel over a hundred miles without resting once. "Lewis, I have decided." "¡­" "I will create my own force", Lewis said, "They will be called the Moon Riders. It will be a heavy cavalry." "You will need loyal men. I am afraid that none of your father''s subordinates can swear allegiance to you, however, since they already swore that to your father." "I know. I am planning on purchasing slaves. High-grade slaves conditioned to fight since they were born. I am referring to the Immaculate." The immaculate army was legendary. The desert riders, famous warriors who plunder for a living, had sieged a city in the past for over a month. The city lord, unwilling to surrender to the people who raped his wife and killed his children, decided to send his most trustworthy men to the immaculate land, and purchase an army of strong, high-grade, slaves, using every single gold coin he could find in his treasury, going to the extent of selling his family''s heirloom, a sword made of Sun Gold. His men succeeded, and returned with an army of 5 000 immaculate men. Trained at the age of 5, only one out of ten survive till adulthood. At 18, they have to go through a trial. They have to face captured bandits in an arena. One versus three. If they win in less than a minute, they are made captain. If they win in less than three minutes, they become soldiers. If they fail to do so, their treatment becomes worse, and they train for an additional year, with harsher training, until they become able to win in less than three minutes. The 5000 immaculate men defended the city''s wall for 18 days. Each immaculate that fell, at least ten desert riders would die. The immaculate commander, the Viper, was especially famous at this time, for having been captured by the enemy, and escaping the hands of a desert rider camps, killing the enemy leader as well as over a hundred desert riders in his path. Unfortunately, his wounds got infected and he died before his heroic acts spread. This event took place a century ago. Drake certainly didn''t have the funds to purchase 5000 immaculate of the highest quality. But with 2000 gold coins, he could at least buy 100 immaculate who hadn''t finished their formation. That way, he would teach them horsemanship himself. The only thing that Drake lacked was a knight-level spearmanship. It was something you could only find such a thing in the Kingdom''s army, or in a noble family. Either case, you couldn''t spread it for your own use, or you would be hunted by the original possessors. Drake thought for a while, and remembered that the Viscount Frey indeed possessed such a spearmanship. It was said to be incomplete, hence the reason why the Viscount himself used a sword, but Drake was still interested. With his knowledge, he already possessed the ability to complete the Kadac swordsmanship into a complete sword art. It would take years, but it was doable. 10 Volantis The Kingdom''s Capital, Volantis, was a wonderful place. No matter how you looked at it, this city was brilliant. The people living in the capital were well-educated, the streets were clean, the order was guaranteed by the royal guard, and many nobles who held no interest in managing lands or waging wars often took long vacations in there, enjoying their days in markets and special establishments of entertainment. However, Volantis had a dark feature as well. It was the refuge of many fallen nobles, and home to many bastards. The Child King, Reynold of the Grand Porfield House, was only 16, yet he was already on the throne, giving out absurd orders. A few months ago, he ordered a massacre, potential enemies of the crown. A few days ago, he burned a few maids for spilling milk on his royal robe. Everyone could imagine the kind of king he would grow up to be in the future: a mad king who would satisfy his every desire at any given moments. However, the Child King was far from being childish. He was very intelligent, to the point that his genius far surpassed the comprehension of his tutors. He was well-versed in History, Mathematics, Geography and Philosophy. His heroes were tyrants who lived a long fulfilling life. It''s not like he did stupid actions on purpose. His character was just wicked and he loved to see others in pain. He had no empathy for his people, something that could probably be linked with his childhood. His brothers and sisters only wished for him to die. So he killed them first. As for the rumours about him killing some commoners to pass time, it was not the accurate truth. He had an instinct for traitors and suspects. He believed that the two maids were spying on him, so he acted first, to give a warning to his enemies. On the surface, he acted as mad, spoiled king. But in reality, he was taking many measures, acting through an intermediary, the prime minister, Lord Baltan, a Grand Knight who swore loyalty to him, a man who saved him several times from death during assassination attempts. With economic reforms lowering taxes, the merchants were more affluent in the capital, and the palace was enriching itself. And the King spent it to strengthen walls, create an army of loyal soldiers in secret. Behind the curtains, he also made many deals with the Magical Court, purchasing the service of several acolytes who wished for the kingdom to flourish, or acolytes driven by greed. "My Grace, I have received an interesting piece of news. Do you remember the Moonlight Household?" "Mm? Of course, I already told you that I have remembered every piece of History in the past five centuries since the creation of this kingdom. The Moonlight Household walked alongside my ancestor, and swore to contain the Barbarian Mountain Range and its savages. In the past three centuries, they only requested help twice from the Magical Court, though the birth of a new Barbarian King might lead them to request help a third time. So, have they asked anything yet, for you to mention them?" "No, my lord. The Viscount Allan Moonlight has departed to the mountain range, to supress the barbarians. It is unlikely for him to fail. I know him from the Great War, he is a sturdy fellow. We never spoke, but he is a man of Honour, loyal to the crown. He is affiliated with the Count Faraday, one of the few powers in the kingdom that isn''t hostile to the crown." "Well, they are prospering in their rural territories, and they have their hands full. These people rose to their position through hard work, and they never stopped being soldiers. I heard the Count Faraday has annihilated an Orc tribe not too long ago." "Indeed." "You must be wondering why I act like a madman, right?" "¡­" "We do not have the full protection of the Magical Court, and the previous three kings didn''t do anything worthy of mentioning besides, except my father who won the Great war and died in the process. We have proof of a horde of Desert Riders in the South forming around a Thraal, some sort of chosen king. Their numbers now exceed a hundred thousand, and they showed hostility when I sent them gifts. They are probably looking forward to raid our lands. In the North, savages are preparing themselves for war. Although they are honourable men, my grandfather killed their king and they do not forget their grudges. I cannot mend this relationship with words. I have to crush them in battle, but if I reveal everything, doing so will be tough. In the West, the Malak Kingdom is fighting desperately against a horde of magical beasts. If they lose, our kingdom will greatly suffer. So I have to kill the useless nobles in my kingdom to come out from these hardships as a winner. If I fail, I die. Thousands will die along with me. And I don''t want that to happen." "I never questioned your acts, my Grace. I am just a humble servant." "I know, I know." "Anyway, the Moonlight Household have grown a lot in this past decade. Their army has reached the 1000-men threshold, and their economy is prosperous. Insiders have confirmed the rumours of their youngest heir, Drake Moonlight, breaking through and becoming an official knight after defeating Jonas Heart, a famous gold-rank adventurer and leader of the silver wolf, who had organized a rebellion." "How old is he?" "15." "This is impressive. Even royal knights only break through after years spent in the battlefield. He must be talented." "He has lunar elven blood flowing in his veins, and his father was very talented as well. Strong lions give birth to strong cubs." "Send him a gift. They have been loyal to the crown, it is time that I reward them. For the cub, give a minor membership to the Magical Court, as well as an elixir of strength. If he continues growing, the kingdom might welcome a Grand Knight in the future. For the Viscount, deliver him 200 high-quality crossbows for his army. The barbarians are strong, but against a crossbow formation, they won''t be able to do much. For the Count Faraday, gift him a ship full of beautiful women. I heard he was quite the lady-killer. He will feel young again¡­" The King was anything but¡­mad. He was akin to a fox, a puppeteer who would eat your soul if you showed an ounce of disloyalty. "Oh, it is time to uproot the Silverith Duke, who has been planning a revolution. Ask support form the magical court and conquer his lands. Afterwards, these lands will become under the jurisdiction of Lord Yol, lord hebert and lord Helmholtz. These three lords are acolytes from the Magical Court, and they served me truly well.", the king said while looking at the ring on his finger. If one were to look closer, they would find out that it was a freshly crafted magical artefact, one that could be used to summon a magnetic field protecting the caster from any incoming damage. Only acolytes could use such artefacts. And the king could use this artefact, better than anyone would think. 11 The Order Under the dim light provided by the moon, most of the guards and soldiers were already sleeping or taking turns to guard the walls. However, Drake was still training. *BANG* Blue light appeared on his training blade, and despite the sword being unsharpened, its still cut through the sparrow. [Beep! Repeat this sword move 1 853 more times in order to increase your proficiency of Arclight Chop to ''intermediate!] [The two-hours-long training session has ended. The training will increase the following attributes over the next 18 hours and 23 minutes of rest: +0.002 strength, +0.002 dexterity, +0.002 constitution, +0.005 internal energy.] Drake was sweating a lot. ''Turns out I cannot use the Arclight Chop 9 times in a row. No wonder my father told me that it was a trump card¡­At this rate, I will probably manage to reach intermediate proficiency in the technique in half a year. It seems pretty good.'' On his way back to the castle, Drake heard sword strikes. ''Who''s training at such an hour?'', Drake thought However, after approaching the scene, he gradually recognized the man. It was Lewis. The man showed signs of bleeding from training. He was trying very hard, and Drake knew the reason why. ''He''s still feeling guilty for the fight I had to go through. Well, the fact that he is holding a sword again is a good thing though¡­I must give him a scolding tomorrow for training too hard''. When Drake returns to the castle, maids took him to the bath. Feeling at peace, he suddenly clicked his tongue upon seeing the two beauties entering his bath, completely naked. He could feel the shyness of the youngest one of the two, who was barely 18. She probably hadn''t bled yet. "My lord, would you care to accompany us on a bath?", the blond girl said. "It''s not like I have much of a choice now¡­" "Haha! I told you he was easy-going! I am Yara, and this is my little sister, Lara." "Yes¡­I am Lara", she said in a low voice. Objectively, the two of them were very beautiful, and any man would feel tempted, but Drake wasn''t an average youth. In his eyes, they were too young. Drake might look like a 15-years-old boy, but in reality, his mind was in his forties. Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Yara asked Drake in a low voice. "My lord, what are you living for? I have been wondering about that. Wealth? Authority? Strength? Or¡­women?", she said, whispering in his ears while embracing his body in a bold manner. In the back, Lara was covering his eyes, fearful of seeing a thing she wasn''t supposed to. Upon contact, Drake felt cheated. [Beep! Race ¨C Lunar Elf Name: Yara. Age ¨C 31 years. Rank ¨C Knight. Attributes: Strength ¨C 3.5 | Dexterity ¨C 2.2 | Constitution ¨C 3.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 5.0] Yara wasn''t a maid. Well, she was, but more importantly, she was a woman sent by his mother to protect him. Lunar elves were a species who could live up to 150 years, and in their culture, 31 years-old-ladies were not considered adults yet. "How would you react if I told you I want the four?" Yara was about to kiss Drake when he said that, but Drake didn''t react as expected. He pushed her back in the bath. "Come on, Yara, you and I both know you aren''t a maid." The pair looked frightened. The lord had found out about their identity! They turned red in a second. After his mother heard of the rebellion, she probably sent the two in the castle to protect Drake in case he ever got in a tough situation again. Of course, it was an act that was bound to attract her some problems, since their village was already lacking forces, but a mother''s love could not be contained by any means. Drake got out of the bath, and wore his secondary set of heavy armour. The ''real'' maids were washing his original one. There were plenty of believers in the Porfield Kingdom: those who believe in Light, an unseen existence supposedly spreading life in the world, those who believe in the Fire, which burns the evil, and those who believe in balance: the Order. The Church of Light was the most powerful, since they had paladins who were as strong as Knights, some even stronger, having reached the Grand Knight Realm. Just in the Porfield Kingdom, there were 8 Grand Knights belonging to the Church of Light. This was force powerful enough to capture a city, perhaps even enough to capture the Capital Volantis. The church of Fire was a bit more special, with some fanatics burning heretics in special ritual. However, History was a witness of its fearsomeness. The Fire King had defeated the undead a hundred years ago with flammable oil and flames. After the battle, people started to hear voices from the flames, beginning a new religion. However, the religion turned into fanaticism, thus being forbidden in the kingdom. The only ones who still practiced it were fanatics, burning criminals in broad daylight, sometimes even burning themselves along with others in an attempt to get closer to their gods. The Order was the most ancient religion that existed in the Kingdom. The believers didn''t believe in gods, but rather believed in balance. The Order was the official name for the organization that spread this religion, the druids belonging to the Order worshipping nature itself. The Moonlight Household has always believed in the Order. And Drake wasn''t the one who would change this tradition. Drake was not very pious, but he was thankful to the Druids who had cured him from a harsh fever in his childhood. It was the same druids who tended to the soldiers'' wounds when they were injured. Druids happened to be scholar as well, and speaking with them always gave Drake insights about life philosophy, something that made him the man he was today, a man of Honour. When Drake entered the Sanctuary, the closest building to the Castle, Gallan was kneeling in front of a dying tree. Fireflies were flying around him, illuminating his old face. He seemed very focused, and Drake saw the tree returning to life. It glowed in a dim light, a green light that symbolized life. ''No matter how I looked at it???it''s magic!'' The Druids were loved by the nature. There were 2 wolves by the Druid''s side, two wild beasts that had been tamed into bodyguards. Of course, it was more friendship rather than taming, but to Drake, it all looked the same. In the end, the wolves were the druid''s servants. "Service as a Druid is a noble calling, one of vital importance to a prosperous kingdom. It is little wonder there are some who refer to the Order as the Knights of the Mind", Drake muttered while looking at Gallan in respect. This old man used to teach Drake. After 2 years, he gave up trying to make Drake into a firm believer. However, Drake surprisingly multiplied the visits in the sanctuary over time. It was not belief, but rather friendship that kept him coming. "Drake? It''s been a while since you last came!" "I apologize, I have been busy with training." "I can see and hear that you had some gains. Are you here to pay your respects to the Order?" "Indeed. It''s been a long time, as you said." "Take off your chest armour, then. It will not take long." Drake obeyed the Druid. He came back a moment later, with beast blood in a pot. Chanting in a low voice, he drew runes on Drake''s body. Drake then prayed. People were supposed to make wishes when doing this ritual. But Drake never made one. He wasn''t a true believer. He only thanked the gods for giving him a second shot at life, a warming family that was prospering. 12 The Lion After a ritual that lasted about an hour, Drake felt refreshed. The chant calmed his spirit, while the blood runes drawn on his body replenished his confidence in his own strength. Every time he came in this place, his mind would feel cleared. When he was worried about his father or his mother, he would often come here in his childhood. It truly lived up to the name of ''Sanctuary''. Drake picked his armour again, and started to pet the wolves who were now used to his presence. He had seen them grow up. When the Druid took them in, he received heavy criticism from the people and from fellow Druids. There were 8 druids, but most of them were either hermits, or healers. They might be druids, but they still hated wild beasts. After all, wolves ate lambs and sometimes attacked humans. It wasn''t surprising for hunters to lose their lives after mistakenly venturing into a wolf den. The Moonlight Territory was pretty peaceful. The bandits were nowhere to be seen after the Viscount had purged them, and besides the barbarians, there were no ''true enemies'' to hate. Hence, most of the unnatural deaths came from wild beasts and diseases. And within the Moonlight territory, there were many forests, hence many wolves. Drake was about to leave, when someone attacked him. A dagger was aimed at his heart, showing clear knowledge of a human''s anatomy. But Drake was a knight. Though surprised at his opponent''s strength, he gripped her throat after disarming her. She was a young apprentice, no older than 13. Yet, her strength had already reached 1.2 point, a truly surprising value! He didn''t know whether she was a knight trainee, or some kind of lady, but she had a grace that was difficult to explain. After taking a closer look to her attire, Drake found out that she had medallion, proof of her apprenticeship in the order. "What''s the meaning of this, Gallan?", Drake said in a cold voice. It might have been harmless, but the girl still tried to kill him. "I apologize, my lord. She is¡­my disciple. I have taken her as a student five years ago, after treating her. She was not sick. She had been starved." "An ex-slave?" "Indeed. You killed the one who saved her from slavery. Jonas, that is. I am not trying to justify her act, I am just asking for leniency, my lord." Drake loosened the grip around the young girl''s throat, while warning her in a very cold voice: "Never, ever do that again, girl. Or else you see the lands of the dead, believe me. Be sure to thank your mentor, he is a good man, and a good man doesn''t deserve grief" Drake then headed out after donating a dozen gold coins to the Order. The Order was vital to Blackwater. They served as healer, but as charity as well. There were no slums in the city. There was no benefit in having lowlife scum in a city. After all, those who grew up in the wrong street would often end up criminals. Hence, Drake''s grandfather decided to donate part of his money to the order, which would help the poor and feed the hungry. It wasn??t paradise for them, the conditions were very tough for the poor commoners, but it was endurable. No one would starve to death, at least. "Use this gold for a good cause, Gallan." "As always, my lord." Meanwhile, a fight was taking place in the Barbarian Mountain Range. With a peak culminating at 8 kilometres of altitude, and rocks that seemed to go on for kilometres, the Viscount and his army was weakening. And yet, when they managed to locate the Barbarian''s King hideout, the moral instantly returned to its peak. Although there was little oxygen in the mountain, the Viscount and the Dark Legion was unaffected. Their training made sure of that. When they entered the Bone Village, as it was called, the Viscount felt fear for the first time of his life. The Barbarian King had asked for a duel. If he won, they would stand down, and stay put for a generation. The tradition had been going on for generations now. His father had won against the previous barbarian king, like his grandfather, and his great grandfather before him. It was finally his turn. It was a sacred task, the most important task of the Moonlight Household. The Barbarian King might not have half the skills of a regular knight, but it could take on a Knight without sustaining many injuries. This Barbarian King was especially dangerous. ''I can feel his aura as a Grand Knight¡­To think that the rumours were true¡­'' "Are you afraid?", Kalan, the assassin knight next to him whispered in his ears. "Of course I am!", the Viscount answered in a hurry. Who wouldn''t be? The Barbarian King was huge, being about 2m50 tall. His hands seemed big enough to crush skulls, and his bone armour made him scarier than a Yaksha. "Good! It means you''re not stupid", Kalan laughed. The Viscount analysed the situation. Although the odds were against him, the Killing technique passed down by the ancestor of the Moonlight Family, Arclight Chop, was enough to turn the tides of the combat if it landed accurately. The Viscount was not of afraid of dying. He never was. His father was very harsh against him in his childhood, enough to push him into near-death situations to make him stronger, to make him worthy of inheriting the household. And it made him the man he was today. Meeting Freya, the Queen of the Lunar elves, changed him to his core. He became more loving, and unlike his father''s beliefs, this love became his power. A man doesn''t grow strong because of toughness. He becomes strong because if he falls, the people he loves and protects fall along with him. And a knight shall not flatter. Be it Freya or his sons, the Viscount couldn''t imagine the world without them. His separation with Arthur was especially harsh, but he knew he was in good hands, in his best friend''s hands. Even Frederick, a good-for-nothing child who fooled around with girls and alcohol, was worth fighting for with his life on the line. "If I fall today, tell my son I am sorry for not keeping my promise." "What promise?" "That I would come back safely." The words were simple, yet full of meanings. The Viscount focused on his fight. He drew his sword, which started to glow in a shining blue light. It was incomparable with Drake''s dim light when he practiced the very same technique. The Viscount didn''t plan on giving the Barbarian King the chance to reveal his so-called magic. He planned to end it all with one mighty strike. The Dark Legion was chanting the Moonlight War Cry, which was also the family''s motto: "GROW STRONG IN HONOUR". As for the savages, they were laughing, mocking the man wearing metal on his shoulders. However, their faces turned sour upon seeing the following scene. The Viscount had used the Knight Killing technique while using a Secret Technique he picked up from a war veteran that used to be his mentor. It was a technique that forcefully ignited internal energy in one''s body, increasing strength dramatically. However, the backlash of this incomplete technique was huge: months of recovery, pain and a risk of losing sanity in the process. Using it also caused his mind to be filled with killing intent. If he didn''t have such a strong will, he wouldn''t be able to keep his humanity. But he had his family. It was a strength that kept him sane. If Drake was here, he would be shocked to see that this technique allowed his father to reach the realm of Grand Knight when strictly speaking about sheer attributes. In fact, comparing the Viscount and the Barbarian King in terms of strength would only lead to shock. The two of them had similar, yet unimaginably high strength: 9 points each. However, the Viscount possessed a knight Killing technique. As if he teleported, the Viscount appeared right in front of the barbarian in a fraction of a second. The Barbarian King, feeling the incoming danger, ignited his sword and blasted his enemy. A huge explosion deafened everyone. When the explosion fumes disappeared, everyone was shocked. The Barbarian King had been halved in two parts, while the Viscount''s armour was in a ruin, his body showing charred skin. However, he had won. He had won the duel in a matter of second, though he was no longer capable of lifting a finger. The backlash was beginning to show its fearsomeness. The savages, shocked and fearful, began to grief the loss of their leaders. The duel was not intended to end with the death of either of the two leaders. But the Viscount couldn''t bear to see barbarians occasionally raiding villages on his territory when the times were difficult. He couldn''t bear to hear, every so often, the attacks on merchants. He couldn''t bear to hear that his wife''s village had been attacked by a barbarian tribe. Hence, he cut down the barbarian king, and took their heirloom: an enchanted weapon. He wasn''t blessed by the gods or something like that. The barbarian King''s mastery of fire came from the sword he held, an enchanted sword that could be recharged in flames and used to emit flames and deal elemental damage to enemies. Unlike magical artefact, enchanted swords could be used by anyone. And in the hands of a knight like himself, this enchanted sword was as dangerous as a magical artefact. An arrow was aimed at his head. It was the Barbarian Queen, who was grieving for the loss of her husband. At this moment, the Viscount realized he had messed up. ''To think that there would be another Grand-knight powerhouse in their tribe¡­'' However, Kalan, the knight assassin that had followed him since childhood, rushed, and managed to block the arrow with his shield. At least, this is what the Viscount thought at first. But the arrow didn''t stop. It pierced the shield, and it pierced Kalan''s torso, before stopping an inch from the Viscount''s eyes. Kalan disregarded his own safety, carrying his lord to the centre of the Dark Legion Formation. The Barbarians started to fight against each other. The might displayed by the Viscount had scared most of them. Only cavern men were still looking for blood. The Fire Tribe revolted, and started to attack the them. In the meantime, the Bone tribe was attacking every single human being on their path, for having weapons. Without the barbarian king, there was no more reason to stand together as barbarians. Unfortunately, the Bone village was full of cavern men, and the Dark Legion had to face thousands of barbarians to escape with their lives. Every few minutes, several Dark Legion Elites, who served the Viscount for a lifetime, died. Of course, for each Dark Legion Elite that fell, dozens of barbarians would die. The Knights following the Viscount also showed high skills, working as 4 to supress the Barbarian Queen. However, the Viscount witnessed another death that made his heart bleed. Audis, taken by surprise, received an arrow in his throat by the barbarian Queen. Lara shot several arrows on her as retaliation, but even with arrow piercing her heart, the barbarian Queen was still breathing. As she was about to escape, Kalan acted. Although he was gravely injured, he knew that leaving a Grand-knight powerhouse, hostile to the territory, would be a disaster. He took out what seemed to be a one-handed scythe with a long chain. He used internal energy to throw it fast enough to hit the barbarian queen''s back, who fell on the ground upon the impact. By a mysterious slight of hand, the chain bounded the Queen''s movement. Although he was just an injured knight, Kalan was managing to bound the movement of a Grand knight powerhouse. As the pressure on his muscles made him cough blood, he started to shout: "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? FINISH HER FOR GODDAMN GOOD!" Eventually, the chains broke, and the queen angrily shot a weapon that killed Kalan on the ground, but at the same time, a dagger slit her throat. George, who was quite concealed until now, had sneaked on her and killed her when her attention was at the lowest. After losing their second leader, the cavern men realized they were doomed. Using the general chaos to escape, the Dark Legion managed to survive, along with the Viscount and part of his men. 48 Dark Legion warriors died, along with two of his most trusted knights. It was a disaster, but the Viscount still counted it as a victory. Ten years. In ten years, he would have an army strong enough to conquer the barbarian mountain range. It was only a matter of time before the greatest threat in his territory was gone. This day, the Viscount earned the title of Lion, for he defeated the Barbarian King, known for his title as the King of Animals. 13 The Immaculate A month passed in a flash. Drake continued to train like a freak, spending most of his days either meditating or swinging his sword around. His workout sessions motivated the guards, who began training in a similar manner. After all, they had all witnessed how far Drake had gone with this rate of training. However, he also spent at least an hour a day within the library, after discovering his father''s hidden collection of books. [Beep! Encycloepedia of Commoner Tongue, written by scholar Arson, has been successfully scanned! Understanding this book will provide host the linguistic perk!] [Beep! Art of War, written by the Lord Commander of the Desert Watch in 44 IC (Imperial calendar) has been successfully scanned! Learning this book and understanding it will provide insight in the following skills: [Lunar Elven Sword Art], [Horsemanship], [Military Tactics].] ''That''s it! This is the kind of books I was looking for!'' "Knowledge is power". It was the Magical Court''s motto. Acolytes pursued truth, and they were strong. Now, Drake knew why the two were linked. He had scanned many books in the castle''s library, but he never truly studied them to the core. After all, most of the books were about legends and superstitions. Some were even about pure fictions. It seemed that his father had kept the important, relevant book for his personal use. Art of War was such a book. Over the past few weeks, Drake scanned and studied these kinds of books and felt his understanding of the world increase by leaps and bounds. It is not like he didn''t know the worth of knowledge. As someone who lived in a futuristic era he was well aware of how useful it could be. Not just spiritually speaking, but in matters of war and personal progress. His biochip too, was more efficient as his database increased in size. However, the world he was living in was not very advanced in terms of knowledge. Or at least, this is what Drake originally estimated. Few knew how to read, much less how to write. Hence, the number of books was pitifully low, and the number of interesting and enriching books even lower. The more Drake read about acolytes, the more interesting he was in discovering their secrets. They seemed to be an elite monopolising high-grade resource and using their magical power to control the tides of the kingdom''s fate from behind the curtain. Drake admired their train of thoughts, their mortal disinterest in face of pursuit of truth and strength. Eventually, guests arrived: Immaculate soldiers that Lewis purchased through merchants and high-ranking officials'' network. A merchant was standing on the Boat''s front, his black skin and red eyes revealing his foreign origins. He belonged to the south indeed, a few hundred kilometres away from the Moonlight Territory, in the Death Desert, a place in which only Desert riders existed. The Kingdom trained the Immaculate by killing Desert Riders. Those who died in battle were unlucky or unskilled, while the survivors would grow stronger from the constant war. Their emotions would eventually disappear and be replaced with pure obedience. When Drake saw them arrive in the giant boat, he couldn''t help but feel a hint of arrogance. As the tradition went, the Immaculate began to show their skills to their future master. The Immaculate were war slaves after all. Loyalty was their greatest trait, but their strength surprised Drake to the core. His biochip immediately began to scan them, and gave really incredible results: [Human Male ¨C Immaculate. Name ¨C (?) Age ¨C 22 years. Rank: Veteran Soldier Attributes Strength ¨C 2.0 | Dexterity ¨C 1.5 | Constitution ¨C 2.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 1.0 Skills: Immaculate Style Spearmanship (Soldier-level technique, Proficiency: Advanced), Shield Mastery (Soldier-level technique, Proficiency: Advanced), horsemanship (Proficiency: Beginner).] [Human Male ¨C Immaculate. Name ¨C (?) Age ¨C 23 years. Rank: Veteran Soldier Attributes Strength ¨C 2.1 | Dexterity ¨C 1.4 | Constitution ¨C 2.1 | Internal Energy ¨C 1.3 Skills: Immaculate Style Spearmanship (Soldier-level technique, Proficiency: Advanced), Shield Mastery (Soldier-level technique, Proficiency: Advanced), horsemanship (Proficiency: Beginner).] [Human Male ¨C Immaculate. Name ¨C (?) Age ¨C 22 years. Rank: Veteran Soldier Attributes Strength ¨C 2.0 | Dexterity ¨C 1.6 | Constitution ¨C 2.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 1.3 Skills: Immaculate Style Spearmanship (Soldier-level technique, Proficiency: Advanced), Shield Mastery (Soldier-level technique, Proficiency: Advanced), horsemanship (Proficiency: Beginner).] Each one of them possessed excellent attributes for soldiers. More importantly, Drake was surprised to learn that each one of them had reached advanced proficiency in both shield and spearmanship. Although soldier-level techniques were incomparably easier to master compared to knight-level technique, it was still something that most of average soldiers would never achieve in their lifetime. It was proof of their potential. More importantly, Drake highly valued the balance in their attributes. Dexterity was especially hard to train in, so after seeing an average of 1.5 pop on these future subordinates, Drake felt very satisfied. 2000 gold coins were a huge amount of money, even for someone like the Viscount. Someone like Drake, who had yet to obtain a single nobility title or any estate, spending this amount of gold coins was definitely unheard of. Even the slave trader was sensing something wrong in the affair. Of course, he did some digging and nodded upon hearing the full story. A rising knight, willing to spend his loot right away for a boost of strength and influence. ''To have this much determination at such a young age¡­He is like my past self!'', the slave trader said. "Greetings! I am Drake Moonlight, third heir of the Moonlight Household. I have heard of your arrival and hurried over to welcome you. I hope Blackwater will surprise you in a good way during your stay, sir", Drake said in the Sand Tongue, a foreign language that was spoken in a very fluent manner, surprising Verdon greatly. "Oh come on, I am no sir! I am Verdon, a mere trainer within the Immaculate Camp.", Verdon said while shaking hands with Drake, grinning. Drake, however, felt like a bucket of cold water hit him when the biochip managed to have a glimpse of the slave trader''s strength. [Human Male ¨C Immaculate. Name ¨C Verdon Age ¨C 93 years. Rank: Grand Knight Attributes Strength ¨C 12.3 | Dexterity ¨C 3.5 | Constitution ¨C 15.6 | Internal Energy ¨C (?) Skills: (?)] Drake couldn''t believe his eyes. Verdon was a powerhouse who could, without any doubt, kill Drake with a single punch. The worst part in the story is the fact that Verdon looked like a febrile and skinny old man. He had white hair, and his skin showed an unbelievable number of scars. His muscles were well-defined, yet his skin showed clear traces of aging. However, the biochip was confident in its analysis: the old man could not be healthier, and would probably live another 50 years without suffering any setbacks from aging besides his appearance. Drake witnessed for the first time of his life the benefits of cultivation. By becoming stronger, your vitality would be enhanced, and your cells strengthened. It would be weirder if life expectancy didn''t change after so many changes. A thirst for strength awakened within Drake. After tasting death once, he wished for a long, healthy life. Immortality was very alluring. "I have a favour to ask", Drake said after making his decision. "What is it?", Verdon asked in a curious voice. Verdon was particularly interested in Drake''s achievements. The latter was so young, yet already a knight. In Verdon''s experience, it was not a possible feat. "You''re strong. Can you enlighten me on an issue I''ve been facing? Breathing techniques are fine, but the stronger I am, the less efficient they become. The same goes for training and sparring. It strengthens me, but eventually, I will reach a plateau." Verdon thought for a while, obviously quite startled that the boy in front of him recognized his true identity in a matter of seconds, and had the boldness to ask him for question when the only connection between the two of them was purchase of Immaculate War slaves: "Alright, then let''s do this. For every question I answer, I get to ask you a question in return." "I''m okay with that, even if you ask me ten questions!", Drake replied, excited. "In order to become strong, the best training ground is the battlefield. Killing enemies strengthens your confidence, the injuries might hurt, but as long as you recover, your flesh become stronger, your bones sturdier, your muscles more efficient. I didn''t become who I am today by sparring or breathing. I became who I am through tears and blood, though it was mostly blood", Verdon continued. "¡­", Drake made sure to note that down. No wonder his breakthrough happened during his first life and death battle. The most efficient way to become stronger is indeed in real, dangerous missions! "Now, it''s my turn to ask you a question. How did you guess my strength?" "I can¡­deduct from contact and analysis the average strength of a person. When I shook your hands, I know you made sure to control your strength, but in reality, it was as if I was touching a mountain that could crush me at every moment. You are the first person to give me such a feeling, to be honest." Verdon pondered, and finally sighed. "Sixth sense, huh¡­I''ve met people like you in the past. Cherish this specialness of yours. One day, it will save your life." "Can you face people with mysterious powers as a Grand Knight, I mean those who call themselves Acolytes? Those from the magical court are mysterious, and never appear in public. They scheme in the shadows, assassinate great figures, construct magical towers, but I never got to meet one." Verdon seemed surprised. Not many people knew about acolytes, considering the secrecy of their organizations. Though nobles usually had dealings with them within the open-minded Porfield Kingdom: "I am a Grand Knight, so of course I can face acolytes. However, acolytes are ranked in three levels: rank 1 to rank 3, with rank 3 acolytes capable of destroying your city''s wall in a matter of seconds. If I face rank 1 or rank 2 acolytes, I would most likely come out of the fight unscathed, but the same cannot be said for rank 3 acolytes, who usually have annoying trump cards. I would need to use secret knight techniques, and I would have to be ready to be bedridden for months if I had to face one. As for Magi¡­I only fought with them once, thirteen years ago. If I can tell you something about them: don''t trust them, ever. They will find your one weakness and exploit it if you have something they seek", Verdon said while frowning upon remembering uneasy memories. "But acolytes do not necessarily belong to the Magical Court. For instance, your Druid of Blackwater, Gallan, is an ex-famous rank 2 acolyte who contributed a lot to-", he continued. However, as Verdon uttered these words, the gentle old man Gallan, who took care of Drake since his childhood, healed his wounds and taught him geography and History, appeared out of nowhere. Gallan was not the same as usual. His old age was nowhere to be seen. His body was old, but his mind was not. Knight of the mind indeed suited his current appearance. Drake didn''t know what was happening, but the two old men were staring at each other. ''So old man Gallan was a rank 2 acolyte all along¡­'' While Drake was analysing the situation, the pair of old men were having a heated conversation by telepathy. Two powerhouses, capable of taking on a small army by themselves, were on the brink of entering a fight. "What are you doing here, Verdon? I heard you swore you would die battling desert riders among your kind." "Don''t you dare look down on immaculate people, Gallan! We fought together, we lost together! The fate of the Porfield Kingdom is no longer up to us, but up to the young generation! Just look at your new lord!" Drake was beginning to understand what was going on. Gallan, however, wasn''t keen on backing down. "Drake, come on, leave this senile old man alone." "Do you know each other?", Drake asked, wanting to know what was going on. "Verdon used to be a war slave. He was bought by the Fireheart Household, and served as a guard. He served his master rightfully for ten years, accompanying him in the battlefield, accumulating merits. Eventually, he became a knight, and was freed. He became a lord, lord Verdon. Immaculate do not have names, after all. With druids on his side, he fought against acolytes and killed hundreds of them. After a combat, he would always be riddled with wounds, after suffering from fireballs, ice spears or acidic spells. The druids healed him, however, over and over again. This, in turn, made his body capable of absorbing part of magical power in the environment. At some point, he became a grand knight. He faced a magus, and almost died in the process." "What happened to the Magus?" "The Magus didn''t even see Verdon as a true enemy. However, Verdon used it to his advantage and manage to land a knight-killing technique on him, after igniting his internal energy to boost his attributes. The land was so terrifying that it was heard from kilometres around. But the Magus all possess defensive field. It blocked most of the damage, but the Magus''s heart was pierced. He didn''t die, according to the rumours, but he probably became greatly weakened after the fight. Of course, the Magus didn''t sit still, and retaliated with a mighty tornado that broke Verdon''s bones, and cut his body over and over again. When we found him, he was no longer breathing. By some miracle, however, our spells managed to heal his body to a point that he breathed again. After recovering, he swore never to fight magi again after having been granted a second shot at life. Instead, he returned to his homeland, among fellow immaculate." "I am afraid I won''t be able to see much of Blackwater. I was only passing by and sending these youths on their way. Treat them well, they deserve it.", Verdon said, "the king himself has summoned me. If you ever lack enemies, come in the South with your army and fight Desert Riders with me. We are in short supply of good men." 14 War Just a few days passed, and yet, Moonford was much more alive than before. The immaculate soldiers were famous in the whole Porfield Kingdom. Their strength was verified many times in History, and their price deeply engraved in the minds of the noblemen. When news of Drake purchasing a hundred immaculate soldiers spread within Blackwater City, everyone was shocked. It must be said that 2000 gold coins represented a fortune. A commoner might not even earn three gold coins after a year of hard work. Even wealthy merchants only had about a hundred gold coins after a lifetime of savings. Armies cost a lot, but compared to Immaculate soldiers, they were very cheap! Over forty Immaculate soldiers were practicing the same move over and over again. It was a thrust that pierced the wind and whistled. Others were sparring in small groups against guards, Dark Legion trainees or Drake himself. Since Drake became a knight, he had trouble finding a good sparring partner. Hence, he decided to use quantity over quality. Taking on a dozen immaculate soldiers by himself, his training became much tougher, and much more fruitful. [Beep! Repeat this vertical swipe 1 288 more times in order to earn +0.01 points of strength!] From times to times, Drake''s actions while sparring would increase his attributes. And yet, no matter how much he exerted his body, it seemed like his stamina had become endless. Even when he was completely exhausted, he could eat a chicken leg and near instantly recover to his peak. ''Becoming a knight isn''t just about having higher control of internal energy, or higher attributes¡­It is a qualitative change in physique.'' However, his training was suddenly interrupted. The Viscount has successfully returned from his expedition. He survived, and even took down the infamous barbarian king, feared by all citizens of the Moonlight Territory, an existence that could wreak havoc on them at any instant with its army. It was the official story, which led the whole territory to be more joyous than ever. And yet, only the high-circle of the Moonlight Territory knew the truth. The Viscount had been gravely injured, and didn''t show any signs of waking up. In a well-decorated room, the smell of wood could be smelled in the air. The old man, Gallan, was shaking his head. Turning to Drake, who was standing and waiting for hopeful words, the old man muttered: "I did everything I could. I even warned your father never to use this technique in his life, but he didn''t listen to my warnings." "What is that technique?" "A Grand-knight secret technique consisting in igniting internal energy for a sudden boost in strength, which was passed down by your family''s ancestor. It was a heirloom forgotten by your family, and which would have most likely been forgotten if it weren''t for your father''s curiosity, asking me to decipher it for him. I never thought that satisfying his curiosity would lead to such a result." "Will he survive?", Drake suddenly asked, unable to avoid the unavoidable question "It will depend on the backlash. It seems that he only stayed in that ''state'' for a few seconds, limiting the strain on his body. I am afraid that even with my spells, he will only recover after a few months of rest." Drake bit his lips. He was feeling, like always, an impeding sense of weakness. No matter how hard he worked, no matter how stronger he seemed to get, he couldn''t avoid the disaster looming over the Moonlight Household. [Name: Allan Moonlight. Age ¨C 45 years. Rank: Knight (Peak) Attributes Strength ¨C 5.8 | Dexterity ¨C 1.5 | Constitution ¨C 5.2 | Internal Energy ¨C 19.8 Status ¨C Gravely Injured ¨C Coma (-100% dexterity, -90% strength, Hibernating state) Skills: Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Intermediate), Porfield Kingdom Swordsmanship (Knight-level, proficiency: beginner), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced), ¡­] Drake analysed the situation. The city was well-guarded, and the knights who returned were more than trustworthy. They followed the Viscount for a lifetime, and wouldn''t betray him so easily. However, heated time were on the horizon. First, the rebellion. Second, the spies that Lewis and the city guards secretly caught red-handed and executed in the deepest parts of the dungeons. Thirdly, the Viscount''s injuries which could spread at any moments. These were the three factors that led Drake''s biochip to give such a result: [Beep! Task completed after 388 hours of analysis and simulations! Odds of a war breaking between the Frey Household (Viscount Frey) and the Moonlight Household exceeding 88%!] Basing its estimations on historical records and the truth provided by the spies and Jonas, the biochip was able to run thousands of simulations on what could possibly happen, with the most likely outcome being war. In the past fifteen years, Drake didn''t have the opportunity to join a battlefield, so he was akin to a beginner when it came to tactics and such. However, he knew one thing: the first party to strike would have an overwhelming advantage. He had an army: over a hundred immaculate, who were tempered since their birth to become elite soldiers, and hundreds of weapons and armours to equip them. He only needed horses to create the heavy cavalry unit he was dreaming of creating. Heavy cavalry was the strongest military force of the kingdom, apart from the mysterious acolytes. After all, heavy cavalry possessed mobility, strength and high survivability. In a charge, the odds of a member of the heavy cavalry unit dying were very low, though injuries were frequent. The battles were often one-sided, the only issue being the cost of raising such a unit in the first place. The soldiers would have the horsemanship skill, something that took up to five years for average people. The horses needed to be strong and well-fed, something that Drake couldn''t currently afford. Last but not least, the weapons, and the soldiers themselves, had to be hired. The Viscount Frey was a Peak Knight, a foe that Drake could not hope to rival. However, the Viscount would not get out of his castle so easily, considering the tensions between his household and that of the Faraday Household. The slightest mistake of the Viscount would lead in the Count Faraday bringing an army and taking back the Frey Castle. As the saying goes, a noble who loses his castle is only an inch away from losing his fame, wealth and power. However, the biochip only confirmed Drake''s suspicions. Since a war was unavoidable, he might as well play his cards well. "Tyrion, let me pass" Tyrion was a 40-years-old high-ranking official of the Moonlight Territory. Born as a peasant, he was well-known for his intelligence and genius when it came to social interactions, maths, and ability to make money. A decade ago, the Viscount Allan recognized his talent and named him Silversmith of the Moonlight Territory. Over the years, he not only managed to revolutionize the Moonlight Territory''s economy, he also made applied many long-term reforms that transformed the daily life of citizens, with trading routes providing more goods at disposal, more security, and less taxes, which paradoxically led to more earnings for the territory. Since the citizens had more money to spend, the earnings coming from taxes increased as well. The low taxes attracted more merchants, which multiplied the commercial exchanges, thus replenishing the territory''s treasury with hundreds of gold coins every month: over 800 on average. It was truly an absurd amount for a mere Viscount like Allan, a sum that would make Counts and Marquis jealous. It was not very surprising to see someone like the Viscount Frey, known for his grudges with the Moonlight Household and the greed of a bear, to be about to start a war. Most of wars had economical roots after all. "I cannot refuse your wishes, young master. But the treasury is not something you can casually walk into", Tyrion said in a low voice. He might have succeeded in life, becoming a model for all aspiring youths in Blackwater. In front of someone like Drake, a true knight, he could only lower his eyes. "Tyrion, you are one of the few people I can only praise. However, you must be aware that a war is unavoidable. It is no secret that my father''s expeditions weakened his troops. I have immaculate. I just need more gears, more funds to create an army and strengthen the territory. I am not asking for the impossible. I will only take 5 000 gold coins." 5 000 gold coins. Tyrion almost fainted upon hearing the number. It was a sum that could bankrupt most of baronies. "You¡­You want 5 000? You must be talking about silver coins, right?" "Tyrion, don''t take me for a fool. You are smarter than that. I have my father''s approval." Drake handed a letter with his father''s seal. It was something that Drake obviously fabricated, but in this context, no one could object to him. The fabrication was simulated hundreds of times and perfectly executed by Drake. Faking a seal was a crime punishable by death. However, it was the quickest way to earn money, considering Drake''s position. Even if the Viscount learnt it one day, he wouldn''t do much about it. Perhaps Drake would get scolded, but the latter had other priorities. Tyrion opened the door, quickly gave Drake a chest full of gold coins, and started to pray. Drake didn''t even look behind him, taking the gold coins and leaving. Little did he know, as his actions would cause his fate to completely shift. Whether this bold act would bring him fame and strength or misfortune...only time could unveil this mystery. 15 Two weeks later The next two weeks passed in a flash. Drake never worked so hard in his two lives reunited. During the day, he would train his immaculate soldiers, and teach them basic formations that all heavy cavalry units should know. He didn''t want his immaculate soldiers to merely know them, he wanted them to master these formations. Triangle formation was used to pierce through the enemy''s ranks, with the fittest and sturdiest soldiers on the front. Square formations were used to face other heavy cavalry units, limiting the damage upon collisions. Sparse formation was used to limit the casualties when the enemy possessed crossbowmen formations or bowmen formations. The Immaculate trained in these formations, days and nights. At this point, even the training in the Immaculate Camp was lighter. Drake knew the immaculate soldiers'' individual limits, so he pushed them to overcome these. He knew that in two weeks, he could not truly turn these immaculate soldiers into the elite he dreamed of, but the improvement was still visible to the naked eye. Their attacks were simpler, more efficient and more lethal. Their horsemanship skills were refined, and their discipline had increased tenfold. After all, the fearsome capabilities of his biochip were being fully used. With the precise help of his biochip, he could analyse his men''s training and point out eventual mistakes or give guidance. Combining his biochip''s analysis, his understanding of fighting and the environment he created, it was only a matter of time before these soldiers became true killing machines. Although they were war slaves, they still needed to acknowledge their master to display their greatest value. And this time, it only took a few days for the Immaculate Soldiers to see Drake as a model. Not just as a human person, but as a warrior. Drake didn''t just order them around. He created an environment in which they could focus entirely on their training. They were allowed to eat to their fill, which included tasting delicacies such as grilled meat, chicken and vegetables, kinds that couldn''t possibly grow considering the harsh droughts in the South. In the evening, Drake would order Lewis around to conduct trades in his stead. It included hiring mercenaries, purchasing gear and horses, slaves and many more things. Hence, in just two weeks, in the North of the Moonlight Territory, a military camp had risen from nothingness. Sturdy wooden walls protected the camp, preventing thieves and wild beasts from entering it. Wooden towers were used to spot any spy, scout or incoming enemies. Inside, about three hundred tents had been set in an organized and near-machinal positions. They belonged to Immaculate Soldiers, Mercenaries and trainees that did chores and tedious tasks, like cooking, feeding the horses, sharpening swords and spears, packing bags etc¡­ Immaculate soldiers were either training, or resting. Drake had purchased over a hundred horses for his army, each one of them being of the Darkalion race, known for their sturdiness, stamina, and strength. These horses were very suited for a heavy cavalry unit since they could carry a lot of weight on their back. [Beep! Darkalion Horse ¨C High-quality mortal mount (Tamed) Strength ¨C 3.2 | Dexterity ¨C 2.2 | Constitution ¨C 3.0] Drake purposefully bought more than a hundred horses so that any loss would not cripple his unit. Furthermore, the horses might reproduce in the future and save him the effort of finding such high-quality horses. However, though the immaculate soldiers might be the strongest force in the military camp, they were far from being the highest in number. Drake managed to hire 3 mercenary troops: Blood Raven, Golden Lions and the Snakes. These mercenaries rallied to his cause, each troop being constituted of a hundred elite soldiers who made a name by selling their swords. As for their loyalty, Drake had no doubt about it. He knew that once they sold their sword, they wouldn''t go back on their words. After all, a mercenary that betrayed his word was a dead mercenary, or a mercenary who would never be hired again. Words spread faster than horses in this world. However, there was still a possibility of betrayal, hence Drake''s plans of using these mercenaries as scouts, meat shields and probes. Inside the Commander Tent, Drake had summoned the leaders: George Hillson, head of the blood raven, Billy, leader of the Snakes, Arson, founder of the Golden Lions. Lewis and the pair of twin lunar elves were also present, acting as Drake''s most influent advisors. They no longer looked like maids who tried to earn the favours of their master, like their original plan made by their Queen, Freya. They had the looks of elven female warriors, infamous for their cold-bloodedness and strength. Both of them were Knights, though their techniques were unrefined compared to the norm of human knights. However, their physical attributes, especially their speed, exceeded that of normal knights, hence giving them an essential advantage, should they face a knight in a battlefield. They were, after all, elite knights chosen by the Queen of Lunar elves, Drake''s own mother. "Tonight, we will march. Billy, you and the rest of the snakes, will plunder the Greenhill Village and burn the farms around. Do not massacre enemies who surrender, and instead make prisoners. After your job is done, escort the prisoners to the military camp, and strengthen the defences. When I come back, I want these structures to be built, along with the traps.", Drake said while pointing to a series of blueprints he made with his own hands, inspiring himself from books he had read from his father''s library. These blueprints were not anything special, but Drake had come up with ingenious traps that complemented well with the geography of the region. The Military Camp, which Drake named Drake''s den in honour to his own name, was located in a plain. If enemies wanted to attack the camp, they could only charge. The blueprints indicated the construction of traps, holes that would render impossible a cavalry attack, and spikes that would greatly reduce the mobility of infantry enemies. As for archers, the high walls already made their danger greatly reduce. However, Drake also planned on construction some sort of miniature siege weapons: ballistae. In the past two weeks, Drake had gathered the materials and drew the blueprints. Only labour was required. "George, you have horses and high mobility. You will thus raid the Clary Town. Capture the inhabitants, steal their gold, destroy the ships, and return to the military camp and aid the Snakes once it''s done. Do it fast, and use the sewers to ambush them in a night raid, which will likely increase your success rate. I have already bought you crossbows, so the guards within Clary Town should not be too difficult to deal with" "Yes sir!", George replied, with proper etiquette. Drake knew George''s story. He was not a commoner, but a fallen noble whose household met a disaster. Bankrupted after losing a war, his household fell apart from both external and internal crisis. Escaping with a few loyal servants and soldiers, George created a mercenary troop that eventually reached a scale that was recognized by nobles. He had served the Viscount Allan more than once, earning himself a spot in the high-circle of Blackwater City. Among the three mercenary groups, the Blood Raven was probably the strongest and the one with the best gear. "Arson, I want you to take half of your forces and capture the Bastard Son of the Viscount Frey, Peterson Town''s mayor. Although there is no proof, my spies have confirmed that the Viscount truly supported the Peterson Town''s mayor over the past years, in the shadows. He meets him on a monthly basis, though no one actually have proof of this. If my intuition is wrong, you will still earn a lot by plundering the town, which is famous for its abundance of trade." "Thank you, my lord." "As for the rest of your forces, order the archers to stay in the Military Camp to defend against potential attackers. 50 archers should suffice, since there are quite a lot of trainees in case it becomes heated. Although they cannot compare to veteran soldiers, some of them have experience in battling, I made sure of that. If you have a wife, write them a letter, for you might not necessarily survive the incoming battles. If you don''t, then you better help the trainees pack their things. Tonight, WE HUNT!" Drake didn''t tell them any of his plans. In his eyes, the mercenaries were pawns that were bought with money. They cost him a fortune: more than a thousand gold coins reunited. They would serve as distractions for the Viscount Frey. Drake''s eyes were set on something much higher. He didn''t care about a few villages, or the wealth of a Port, or the life of a bastard who didn''t even know how to wield a sword. Drake was aiming at reducing the Viscount''s forces. Every single knight who swore allegiance to the Frey Household was on Drake''s killing list. As the orders were spread, a war cry was created. Drake''s own war cry. "TONIGHT WE HUNT" As these words entered his ears, a feeling of confidence, mixed with bloodlust entered his heart. As the three mercenary leaders left, Lewis sighed: "My lord, if you want to try drinking, you might as well try that tonight. You never know what a battlefield reserves you. I have seen people stronger than me falling in battle because they were unlucky, including knights who were loyal to your father." "Thanks for your concern, Lewis but I have more important things to do." No one knew his plans, not even Lewis or the two elven knights. The former was too anxious and too conservative to adhere to Drake''s reckless plans of aiming at thinning the numbers of a strong Viscount''s army with only a handful of mercenaries and a hundred immaculate soldiers recently purchased. As for the latter, they were individually strong, and probably very smart. However, if elven knights were well versed in tactics, they would not have been pushed to near extinction, to a point that the Lunar Tribe which once occupied a kingdom no longer had a land to their name or inheritances to create a new force capable of conquering Barnolia. As the camp was extremely active, Drake no longer had anything to do. ''Training the immaculate soldiers would be detrimental to tomorrow''s battle¡­'' Drake thus decided to complete his afternoon ritual: Meditating, using the Grand-knight level breathing technique left behind by his ancestor. [Beep! Moonlight Grand Knight level breathing Cycle successfully completed! Expected gains: +0.005 Strength, +0.06 Constitution, +0.005 Dexterity, +0.01 Internal Energy.] [Beep! Anomaly has been detected! Host''s body can only absorb 44% of the breathing technique''s true benefits due to the difference in half-elf and humans.] It was a major discovery. Drake always felt like part of his potential was¡­lying dormant. His growth rate was ridiculously fast for a fifteen-years-old boy, but considering his dedication and his supposedly high talent in internal energy control and quantity, it was a bit lacking in Drake''s eyes. ''Turns out that the Grand-Knight Level breathing technique was not even being used to half of its potential!'' Drake didn''t know whether to laugh or cry, since he practiced a flawed breathing technique for over ten years. If he had practiced a grand-knight level technique suited to his body, he might have become as strong as his father by now. Perhaps even stronger. However, with every problem, a solution arose. [Beep! Gathering three sets of breathing technique of knight-level or above is expected to suffice to adapt the Grand Knight-level breathing technique of the Moonlight Household to Host''s body.] ''One more reason to hunt Frey soldiers, I guess¡­'' 16 Battle of Alm 1 The four sub-armies had separated. Golden Lions had set west, while the Blood Raven and Snakes headed east. As for Drake and his immaculate soldiers, they travelled the whole night towards the North. Alm was a beautiful valley. Mountains surrounded Alm like natural walls, and the roads were paved with high-quality rocks. Flowers grew on the soil, and the fertile lands were often used to grow Black Flowers, a crop that was used to make oil. Merchants coming from the South had to pass by Alm, some sort of Check Point in which they had to pay a heavy fee, a place that couldn''t be avoided since there was only one safe trading route leading to the Frey Territory''s capital: Kallian City. Drake was aiming at this place for several reasons. By taking down Alm, the authority of the Viscount in the South of his territory would greatly decrease. Furthermore, the nephew of the Viscount himself, Paul Frey, was stationed there as the overseer, also known as the Brave Knight. Paul Frey''s tales of heroic battles against battles were fairly popular within taverns and cities. It was a sort of propaganda that increased the popularity of the Frey Household, which appeased the angry populace. However, Drake knew the truth. Paul Frey, the supposedly brave knight, was nothing but a coward who had more experience in brothels and taverns than war. The guy was a waste, similar to Drake''s own older brother, who was nowhere to be seen even when his father came back injured from an expedition. There were no defensive buildings in Alm. And yet, Drake''s scouts reported more than 200 soldiers protecting the ''Brave Knight'' and occupying this check point. From a distance, Drake could see about a hundred tents, unprotected. The smell of grilled food, vine and other liquors as well as music was omnipresent. It was extremely early in the morning, as the sun had yet to be seen. And yet, the soldiers of Alm seemed unaware of the Moonlight Household''s hostility. It wasn''t very surprising. News of a successful yet costly expedition from the Viscount Allan Moonlight had reached their eyes, and the only possible threat were a hundred immaculate led by a 15-years-old boy acting as a knight. To the Viscount Frey''s men, Drake was akin to a joke, playing war. Drake was never merciful. He never planned on declaring war openly. He wanted to use whatever advantage he possessed to deal with his enemies. He wasn''t moved by pure loyalty to his household. Drake had his own interest in stakes: Knight-level spearmanship, wealth, and more importantly, knight-level breathing techniques that would solve his growth rate issue. "IMMACULATE, PREPARE YOURSELF TO CHARGE!" Heavy cavalrymen are so called to distinguish themselves from the light cavalry forces. It is not the job of heavy cavalry to pursue enemies. It is their lot to use their speed and weight directly against enemies, battering them into breaking by shock of impact. To this end, they are usually armed with fearsome heavy swords that are quite capable of skewering a man or carving him in two. This role often means that heavy cavalry is held as a reserve by a wise general, so that they can be used to batter a hole in a critically weakened part of an enemy line. Drake completely didn''t abide by the norm, bringing a heavy cavalry to utterly massacre his enemies, still enjoying the festivities. Each one of his immaculate soldiers was wearing a heavy armour capable of absorbing up to 4 degrees of damage, equipped with two spears and a shield of the highest quality, made of Black Iron, sturdier than the norm, and more lethal to enemies. They were the results of talented blacksmiths working for months on these gears. Now, they all ended up in Drake''s hands. As for the Darkalion horses, it was impossible to find better mounts in the whole region. As the sounds of horses galloping approached the camp, some soldiers became aware of the attack. "DRAW YOUR SWORDS! WE''RE BEING ATTACKED" Panic, shock and fear descended on the Frey Soldiers'' party. The sky was still dark, and their bodies were dull from all the alcohol, women and food. Fortunately, their instincts woke them up. They were facing an unknown number of enemies, but judging from the sounds, it seemed like it was a cavalry, either light or heavy cavalry. "TONIGHT WE HUNT" Nevertheless, the Frey soldiers reacted too slowly, and Drake''s cavalry arrived before they could fully prepare a defensive line. Drake analysed the battlefield. The enemies were in poor condition, and his cavalry was in peak condition. Seeing the chaotic ranks of the enemies, Drake was grinning. Drawing his sword, Drake made the first blood, cutting through the two soldiers who seemed to have a higher rank than others, judging by their high-quality armour and crossbows. [Frey Soldier ¨C Human Male Age ¨C 28 years. Rank: ? Status ¨C Drunk, dull (-15% in attributes, -30% reflexes) Attributes: Strength ¨C 1.2 | Dexterity ¨C 1.1 | Constitution ¨C 0.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 0.7 Skills: ¡­] The biochip only confirmed his suspicions. No matter how Drake looked at it, the enemy soldiers were barely above average commoners. They were most likely newly trained soldiers, with no proper skills to speak of or actual foundations making them dangerous on a battlefield. Adding to that their drunk and dull status, they didn''t pose a threat at all. The only reason they could be called soldiers was their gears. They were all wearing armours and shields. On the side lines, the Immaculate soldiers were wreaking havoc on the Frey Soldiers. Each one of them possessed about two points of strength, high dexterity and advanced proficiency in Basic Immaculate Spearmanship. Every few seconds, a thrust of an immaculate soldier would pierce a Frey soldier''s throat or heart, ending their pitiful lives in a matter of seconds. As the battle went on, the number of Frey Soldiers was decreasing at a very fast rate. The lethality of a heavy cavalry could be seen. Adding to their individual strength, the Immaculate soldiers made perfect use of the horses'' speed. Even when the Frey Soldiers tried to block the incoming thrust, they would be impaled. The Immaculate soldiers proceeded to successive charges. Each time, their enemy would either die or be gravely injured. And being injured meant death on a battlefield. Meanwhile, Lewis only had one sword left, yet his achievements in the battle were not low. He had cut down twelve enemy soldiers already since the beginning of the battlefield. However, the enemy knight, Paul Frey, hit him in the leg, causing him to lose balance and fall on the ground. Paul Frey might not be the hero who was depicted in tales and songs, but he was still a knight. His body has undergone a qualitative change, hence being much stronger than preparatory knights, not to mention that as a noble knight, he knew a sword art, though he had yet to master a knight killing technique. Like all Frey heirs, Paul Frey wielded a spear, making it very difficult for Lewis to get out of his predicament. Paul Frey didn''t give him a chance, unleashing a flurry of spear thrusts that pierced Lewis'' body over and over again. Experience enabled the latter to avoid lethal injuries, but as the cut multiplied, he felt his life escaping his grasp. ''At this rate, I am gonna bleed out!'', Lewis was thinking, fearful and disappointed in his fate. As a Frey Soldier saw the fight between Lewis and their lord Paul Frey, he rushed to accumulate merits. For Lewis to be surviving against a knight for so long, he sure was someone important to the enemies. Killing him meant earning a lot of merits. Hence, several soldiers rushed and tried to land a strike on the sturdy one-handed barbarian, Lewis. *SPLASH* Lewis was no pushover, however. As the three soldiers charged him, he parried the incoming spear thrust from the knight, and slashed three times in one second, each slash beheading the Frey soldiers. His barbarian blood had made his body much stronger than what a preparatory knight could handle. This, in turn, enabled him to face a newly advanced knight like Paul Frey. After a minute of continuous exchanges, however, the difference in attributes and skilled were obvious. Exhausted, injured, and crippled, Lewis was about to be killed. Unwilling to die, he stood up. "GROW STRONG IN POWER" This war cry, motto of the Moonlight Household, gave him strength. Energy revitalized his body¡­he was breaking through the knight realm. Drake, who was watching the whole exchange from the side lines, while cutting the foes as if they were grass, intervened. He waited for Lewis to reach his limits and breakthrough. After living with Lewis for so long, he knew him better than Lewis himself. If it weren''t for his phobia of war, his inferiority complex and his shattered conscience from the days of tortures he endured when he was captured, Lewis would have broken through the knight realm five years ago. The Barbarian blood was especially thick in his body. Sensing that Lewis was breaking through, Drake didn''t hesitate to order his horse to rush towards Paul Frey. A formation of four spearmen were preventing enemies from intervening in the duel, but Drake disregarded them, blocking the incoming thrusts with shield bashes and counter attacking with chops, which landed on their necks, torsos and eyes respectively. Three out of four would not live past the next hour with such severe injuries, while the last one would have to live the rest of his days as a blind man, should he survive this battle by some miracle. When Drake arrived at range, he used his horse''s speed and burned his internal energy to cast an Arclight chop. His blade illuminated the battlefield. Drake looked like a true noble. As his war horse neared Paul Frey, the latter reacted swiftly. Sensing danger, he tried to block the attack, using a shield on a soldier wearing his blazon. However, upon impact, the shield exploded in dozens of pieces, while his arm was cut. Drake didn''t stop at this, cutting Paul Frey''s second arm, ordering his horse to charge once again towards Paul Frey. *BANG* Paul Frey wasn''t yielding. He threw throwing knives towards Drake and his war horse. Unfortunately, these throwing knives only dealt three to four degrees of damage, unable to pierce through his heavy armour or his horse''s plate armour. Eventually, Drake''s sword halved Paul Frey''s body. Seeing their leader fall in battle, the moral of Frey soldiers, already low, reached the bottom line. The twin elven girls were reaping lives as easily as cutting grass. Every few dozen seconds a head would fly after being cut by their elven swords which seemed faster than the wind itself. With such bringers of death, the moral of Frey Soldiers couldn''t be any worse. At some point, some started to throw away their weapons. "Capture those who surrender, and kill those who resist", Drake ordered in cold blood. It was time to savour victory. 17 Battle of Alm 2 It was a complete, successful victory for Drake and his immaculate soldiers. The worst casualties were Immaculate getting lightly injured or damaging their weapons. As for the gains¡­they were truly incredible. Drake came with a butler, and returned with a squire. Lewis became a full-fledged knight in this battle, though he had fainted not long after the fight after breaking through. If not for Drake, he would have died after all. No matter how strong-willed you are, such an experience was not so easily swallowed. The loot was pretty fruitful as well: there were over 200 sets of weapons and armours, enough to equip a small army. ''If I equip the hundreds of trainees in Drake''s den, my military camp, I will earn another 200 men capable of fighting. That''s good.'' Drake was about to return to Drake''s den and rest with his army. By taking down Alm, he had completed his goal of weakening Viscount Frey''s influence in the South of his territory. More importantly, he had showed everyone that his Household was full of lies. Their most famous knight, the Brave Knight as they loved to call him, had fallen in front of a 15-years-old newly advanced knight and an army that wasn''t even accounting for half of the forces of the Alm soldiers. The looting took a day. It was one day too long. The Governor and his army had been scouted nearby, marching towards Drake and his men at a barely conceivable speed. They had 300 men, and unlike the Brave Knight Paul Frey and his subordinates, these men were the real deal. All of them were on horses, qualifying as an elite light cavalry force. There was no escaping the battle. Even if Drake made use of his men''s horsemanship, with the loot and the heavy armour of the Immaculate, it was utterly impossible to win a light cavalry force with speed. Even if he did, their victory would have been useless. Neither Drake nor his trusted advisors could have expected the Governor of the South, the Knight Berret who always stayed in his castle and sent his men to do his binding instead of himself, would suddenly march South with the entirety of his army, leaving the Alm castle barely defended. "How can this be?", Drake asked He had analysed the battlefield over and over again, and he knew that the Alm checkpoint was an undistinguishable weak point in the enemy''s territory. He had analysed the historical records, and gathered testimonies on the individual Knights so that he could come up with the most solid plan. He even went through the trouble and expensive pain of hiring 3 companies of mercenaries to stir up trouble in three different towns, wealthy towns that were all strategic points and economical pillars of the Frey Territory. Meanwhile, Alm was just a checkpoint. Drake chose Alm as his hunting ground to utterly defeat his enemies. He didn''t seek wealth, or fame by attacking Paul Frey and defeating him in battle. He sought blood. He wanted the Viscount Frey to suffer a blow in his face. He wanted the Viscount to be afraid. Little did he know; his plans had been seen through by the Viscount. And the man seemed to have planned to end Drake''s conquest right here, at the roots. Drake was biting his lips. Blood was flowing on his chin, and his green eyes, flickering with guilt and hatred, seemed hungry for revenge. Drake thought for a while, not listening the pledges of the elven girls who advised him to run away, using his immaculate soldiers as bait. In their eyes, it was a pretty normal occurrence for a lord to run away using such a method. However, Drake wouldn''t do this. These immaculate soldiers swore an oath of loyalty to him, swearing to die for him if the need arose. And he swore to use them wisely. He couldn''t just send them to sacrifice themselves. They were immaculate soldiers, war slaves: they weren''t pigs. Drake suddenly had an idea. "Instead of running away from the enemy, we will charge them." Everyone around Drake was shocked. It wasn''t a suggestion, it was an order. "My lord, with all due respect, no matter how strong a heavy cavalry can be in front of a light cavalry, the difference in number is too great. The only reason why we won against the enemies last night was because they were drunk, untrained and taken by surprise. Today, the tides are reversed. Our soldiers are tired, and the enemies is hungry for blood, driven by revenge", Lewis said, trying to reason Drake. "My decision is made. We will not sacrifice my soldiers as pawns. We will fight bravely.", Drake continued, "but I am well aware that charging blindly into the enemy''s ranks will only lead to a massacre." Drake always based his decisions on data. His biochip ran simulations, and based on the probabilities, he would make choices. It wasn''t a perfect way of leading an army, but at least, he could make the best choices in any situations, unless a variable was put in his way, like the very variable that pushed him in this predicament. [Beep! Simulations run. Probability of winning a direct confrontation: 12%. Probability of surviving in a direct confrontation: 88%. Probability of running away safely by sacrificing the Immaculate soldiers: 99%.] The odds were favouring his escape by sacrificing his immaculate army. The biochip was only a tool. It ran simulations whenever told to do so. But it couldn''t think by itself. It only obeyed Drake, and besides data storage and basic simulations, it was unfortunately unable to come up with helpful plans. But Drake didn''t fool around in the past 15 years. He wasn''t a scholar, but his knowledge in tactics and historical battles far exceeded the norm of royal strategists, not because he read a lot, but because he lived two lives, one being immersed in a battlefield. No matter the creatures attacking him, they all shared a trait: weakness in front of fear. "Cut the tongues of the prisoners, make them drink a lot of wine so that they are drunk. I will act as bait in the incoming battle. I will fake a surrender. When they stop their army to check the truthfulness of my surrender, you will ambush his men. Focus on the commanders and leaders. As for the Knight Berret himself, I will kill him by surprise. No one expects a 15-years-old boy to master a knight-killing technique after all", Drake revealed his plan. "The moment he enters my attack range is the moment he dies." What followed was an endless series of dissuasion attempts headed towards Drake. In the end, Lewis was forced to accept Drake''s orders, and so did the elven twins. The Immaculate Soldiers might have been trained to follow orders blindly. But they weren''t blind anymore ever since Drake purchased them and treated them well, training them into intelligent and skilled soldiers. Drake didn''t want stupid subordinates. He wanted elite soldiers who could think for themselves, who could adapt in a battlefield. They were aware of their fate when the enemy light cavalry was scouted only a few hours'' from reaching their position. They couldn''t escape, and any attempt to battle directly would result in a bloodbath for both camps, a bloodbath that was unlikely to result in a win. They expected the lord to run away from the battle. He was only 15 years old, he was just a boy with no proper experience of fighting. And yet, their predictions turned out to be wrong. When they heard the news from the anxious Lewis and the infuriated elven twins, they knelt. They knelt in front of Drake, while repeating these very words: "TONIGHT WE HUNT!" It was a clear, bloodthirsty war cry that had more meaning that it seemed. The Immaculate soldiers felt a warmth in their heart, a warmth that was felt for the first time in their lifetime. It was the feeling of being protected by their lord. It was the feeling of being treated as soldiers. This was the feeling of being valued by their commander. It was a feeling of¡­fulfilment. 18 Battle of Alm 3 Drunk, shackled, and tattooed to imitate the Immaculate soldiers, the 68 captured Frey Soldiers really looked like Immaculate soldiers who were surrendering. They looked like war slaves who lost their use. With their tongue cut and their mind not functioning properly because of the pain and the liquors, Drake wasn''t worrying about any of them informing the enemies when the moment would come. A few kilometres away from Alm Checkpoint, three groups of around thirty Immaculate soldiers was preparing for a coordinated ambush that would pierce their enemies'' ranks. Each was led by a knight: Yara, Lara and Lewis respectively. The Immaculate soldiers'' moral couldn''t be any higher. Each one of them was prepared to fight gods if their lord asked them to do so. Each one of them was ready to die. And elite soldiers ready to die were the scariest in a battlefield. Eventually, after a few hours, the enemy cavalry arrived in Drake''s field of view. Three hundred and twenty-one mounted soldiers could be seen, galloping in confusion towards him. All of them were incomparable with the Frey Soldiers he had crushed in the morning. This light cavalry was an elite force, one that had gone through countless battles together, an elite force that had secured the South of the Frey Territory for decades already. Bandits, barbarians and mercenaries had been crushed by this very army. The Governor, also known as the Knight Berret, approached Drake in a low speed. None of them expected such a sight. "Drake Moonlight, huh. Seems like you live up to your reputation. Judging by the mountain of bodies around you, you killed quite the number of Frey Soldiers this morning. You never expected me to have the support of the Magical Court, right?", the Knight Berret laughed. ''Magical Court?'' Drake began to analyse his enemies at a crazy speed. [Frey Soldier ¨C Human Male ¨C Light Cavalryman commanded by Knight Berret Age ¨C 28 years. Rank: ? Status ¨C Healthy, Peak. Attributes: Strength ¨C 1.5 | Dexterity ¨C 1.1 | Constitution ¨C 1.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 0.7 Skills: ¡­] [Frey Soldier ¨C Human Male ¨C Light Cavalryman commanded by Knight Berret Age ¨C 25 years. Rank: ? Status ¨C Healthy, Peak. Attributes: Strength ¨C 1.9 | Dexterity ¨C 1.1 | Constitution ¨C 1.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 0.7 Skills: ¡­] The individual strength of the cavalrymen was huge, though Drake internally smiled upon confirming that they were still inferior to his immaculate soldiers. However, the attributes of Knight Berret made him frown. He was called the Governor, so Drake expected an old man, with wrinkles and a deteriorating body, someone who would be even inferior to Paul Frey. His estimations had been off. He couldn''t compare humans and knights. Though normal humans would become weaker with age, the same wasn''t true when it came to knights who practiced breathing techniques that revitalized their cells on a daily basis. In fact, the older the knight, the more skilled and stronger he would be. [Knight Berret ¨C Human Male Age ¨C 60 years. Rank: Knight Status ¨C Healthy, Peak. Attributes: Strength ¨C 3.5 | Dexterity ¨C 1.1 | Constitution ¨C 3.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 5.7 Skills: ¡­] As for the mysterious support of the Magical Court, it explained pretty much everything. The Magical Court had sent an acolyte to the Viscount Frey, and the latter probably noticed Drake''s attacks by some sort of divinations. [Mysterious Acolyte ¨C Human Female Age ¨C 23 years. Rank: Rank 1 acolyte Status ¨C Healthy, Peak. Attributes [CANNOT BE SCANNED BECAUSE OF A MAGNETIC FIELD] Skills: (?)] This mysterious acolyte was the only lady in the enemy''s ranks. Of course, there were female soldiers among the light cavalry. However, all of them were wearing armours, hence their gender was pretty much unnoticeable. However, this mysterious girl was wearing nothing but a red robe, looking like a priestess of the Fire Church. She had tomes hanging on her horses, a wand and countless rings and jewelleries on her body. Obviously, she was confident in surviving this encounter. It seemed that her divination skills were pretty limited as well. Otherwise, Drake''s plans would have been seen through already. It was pretty simple to imagine, after all. The bigger the variables, the more difficult it was to predict the future. Drake saw the future as a chaotic system that was ever-changing. Hence, predicting an event like a war was pretty easy. Predicting an ambush, that Drake only thought of in the last four hours¡­was much more difficult, if not impossible to prophesize. "I surrender, lord Berret. I have already shackled what remains of my immaculate soldiers. I did a mistake by trying to attack the Viscount Frey, and I am ready to pay the price. If you let me return to Moonford, my father will surely reward you with your weight in gold." The knight Berret laughed. "You won''t survive another day. You are too dangerous. Don''t blame me, but the girl next to me has seen a glimpse of the future. She is only a beginner acolyte, but for mortals like us, she is similar to a god''s chosen one. She has seen you, ravaging these lands. She has seen you using your army of immaculate to take the entirety of the Frey Household. Don''t blame me, you are just too much of an enemy. Breaking through at 15 didn''t suffice you. You wanted more, you wanted to defeat a Viscount by yourself. This was stupid of you. Perhaps, if you had taken your father''s army and his infamous Black Legion, you would have stood a chance against the Viscount Frey. But it''s too late to grief", Berret said. He then suddenly shouted: "TWO HUNDRED GOLD COINS TO THE ONE WHO GIVES ME HIS HEAD! MASSACRE THE IMMACULATE SOLDIERS! MASSACRE HIM! BLOOD SHALL FLOW TONIGHT!" However, as his shout pierced the sky, the sound of a charge could be heard from a distance. Lewis, Yara and Lara had begun their charge. Drake never expected this scenario. Usually, nobles were treated as precious prisoners by the enemy, since ransoms were pretty lucrative. ''1 minute¡­I have to survive for one minute!'' Drake suddenly took off his cape, revealing a heavy armour and his elven sword and shield. He retreated a few steps back and started to mount his war horse. Drake no longer looked like a surrendering enemy, but rather like a proper knight. His Darkalion horse was obviously superior to the enemies, but unfortunately, it was unable to outrun several hundreds of enemies blinded by greed. After a few seconds, a dozen enemies had caught up with him, trying to poke his armour with spears. Drake parried in the incoming strikes, but he could already feel the pressure. He suddenly stopped his horse with incredible horsemanship, and the cavalrymen who were following him, unable to stop their horses in such a fashion, ran towards Drake. Bashing the incoming spear thrusts and cutting the enemy''s head, Drake managed to kill six cavaliers in a matter of seconds. Eight cavaliers managed to survive by turning around in desperation. Drake didn''t stop there, taking out throwing knives and injuring them. However, when Drake thought he had a window to breath, he saw over forty cavaliers rushing towards him. Drake couldn''t believe his eyes. The acolyte woman was flying in the air, commanding the cavaliers and telling them how to trap Drake in his current position, while preparing of formation to properly defend against the coordinated attack of Lara, Yara and Lewis. At this rate, the ambush was not going to be successful. The Knight Berret was among Drake''s pursuers. Killing intent was radiating from his body. Drake readied himself. He entered a state of full concentration, focusing on one thing: cutting down his enemies. He couldn''t just focus on surviving. At this rate, his immaculate soldiers were about to be completely massacred by the enemy''s numbers. They had been trained for cavalry fights. They might not have the advantage against a heavy cavalry, but with their numbers, it wasn''t much of a problem. Drake faked an escape, then turned around to charge at the knight Berret, shocking pretty much every pursuers he had. Drake was charging at full speed against the Knight Berret. If Drake received a single couched spear, death would be inevitable. He knew that better than anyone. However, he still charged. He had a heavy armour set, and a shield, as well an unbelievable confidence. Unnoticeably, his sword started to shine in a dim light. From a distance, the acolyte seemed to have sensed something wrong. She was about to say something, but Yara, having identified the biggest enemy threat, shut her up with a rain of arrows. She was an elf after all. She knew how to use a sword, but she had mastered archery a long time ago. The arrow didn''t kill the acolyte, however. It seemed like the air stopped the arrow. The defensive spell seemed to have cost her a lot of energy, however, as she lost control of her flight, and fell on the ground, screaming in pain as her arm was broken in the process. Several men started to tend to her wounds, but she was pointing at the Knight Berret, trying to warn him¡­in vain. *SPLASH* Drake''s sword cut through the wind and sliced Knight Berret''s horse along with his body. The other pursuers, too shocked to understand what had just happened, were killed a similar fashion. Drake varied his strikes with thrusts, cuts, slice, vertical slash, horizontal ones. Each one of his moves was unpredictable, and his enemies were being cut down by the minute. With the fall of the Knight Berret and the female acolyte, the Frey soldiers were confused, and didn''t know how to react facing the unbelievably fearsome army of Immaculate soldiers. At first, they didn''t look very intimidating with their numbers, however as they became closer, they could see heads of their fellow brothers hanging on their waist. The sight terrified them. *CRASH* A bloodbath took place. Lewis was throwing axes at his enemy, and beheading those who came closer, creating a veritable hole in the enemy''s formation. The breach only got wider as the triangle formation taught by Drake took effect. The immaculate soldiers'' charge unmistakably killed over thirty men upon impact. Yara was having a bit more problem, having trouble piercing the formation. An archer shot an arrow at her horse, which made her fall. She thought she had failed her lord, but for some reason, the immaculate soldiers weren''t affected at all. They continued to charge, and pierce a hole in the enemy''s formation by themselves. Even when they fell from their horses, the immaculate soldiers were just as fearsome. Parrying strikes with their shields, and thrusting whenever their opponents showed an opening, they thinned the enemies'' soldiers at a crazy rate. As for Lara, she had perfectly fulfilled her role of commander, using her two swords to cut down the enemies. After successfully piercing the enemies'' ranks, she, jumped on the ground, killing the enemies, moving like a shadow, stealthy and lethal. Drake continued to strike his opponents, until the moment a man managed to land a spear on his shoulder, impaling him. Three more spears impaled him, but Drake didn''t stop, killing those who injured him. He killed the eight remaining pursuers, before falling on the ground¡­bleeding a lot, yet smiling. He had single-handedly killed over thirty soldiers, including a knight. This battle was a complete victory¡­if he survived, that is. 19 The Capture of Alm Castle 1 The battle of Alm ended shortly after Drake fainted. Yara managed to pick Drake up, and started to treat him right away. After all, the elven bodyguards sent by the Queen were born in the lunar elven alchemist family Eldrick, and healing wounds were the first step to become a proper Eldrick heir. After the battlefield calmed down, the Immaculate soldiers began to rest, and heal up their wounds, while looting the fallen enemies. After their lord got injured, the Immaculate showed little mercy, and as if they entered a berserk state, they managed to overcome the odds and win the battle. Both their prowess and rage, along with the fall of the Knight Berret crushed the Berret army''s morale. It was a complete bloodbath More than a hundred soldiers surrendered, and the rank 1 acolyte which was the main cause of Drake''s near-death state was successfully captured. At first, the immaculate soldiers wanted to behead her, or plunge their spears in her throats. In their whole life, only one master showed them good will: Drake. In their lives, only one master trained alongside them, charged alongside them and cheered alongside them: only Drake did. If they could, they would have gladly taken lethal hits so that their lord would survive. 60 Immaculate soldiers were injured in the charge, and more than 20 died. It was a complete victory. They were barely 100, and they won against three hundred enemies. However, no one rejoiced. Because Drake was on the brink of death. Three spears had pierced his belly, and he had suffered a nasty injury on his shoulder which didn''t seem like an injury that would heal over the years. "How is he?", Lewis asked. Yara, focused on her work, muttered: "I have never seen someone who has as much vitality as our lord. It''s a miracle that he is still breathing. However, even with my treatment, it is still unclear whether or not he will survive." "Use this, Yara", Lara said. She took out a small vial. Inside, a liquor glowed. It seemed like a magical treasure, and it indeed was. Anyone who knew what it was would feel greed upon seeing this treasure. It was a lunar elven elixir, something that couldn''t be created anymore. "Vitality Elixir¡­Something that all warriors would seek, something that caused war and immense losses in our tribe¡­The last alchemist capable of refining this elixir died a hundred years ago! How did you get your hands on it?" Lara simply shook her head. There was only one way to get such an elixir: The Queen had used her authority. However, it didn''t matter. No one had to know. The only thing that mattered was the fact that she could help Drake. The twin sisters came from the illustrious Eldrick Family, and they served the Queen as loyally as they could. When they were sent to protect the heir, Drake Moonlight, a mere half-blood, they were disappointed. It was clearly a waste of their skills. Both the twins had reached the knight realm, and easily qualified as one of the best warriors in the entire elven tribe. However, this distasteful task turned out to be a novel experience. They found out that Drake was not the useless half-blood that was despised by inhabitants of her tribe. He was a young man full of vigour, already stronger than most of elite elven warriors. In fact, he was perhaps even better. His mastery in the elven sword art was second to the royal guards only, and his internal energy seemed endless, a truly mysterious trait for humans who were known for their lack of vitality. Single-handedly, he managed to kill over thirty enemies, with no support, after throwing himself as bait to maximize the odds of accomplishing the seemingly impossible feat: winning the battle. "It doesn''t matter. The only thing that matters is the fact that I can save him. We swore to protect him, and I have the means to do so." Yara nodded, and then proceeded to apply the elixir on the wounds directly. She didn''t waste a drop of the shining elixir. Just from applying the medicine, Yara could feel the potency of the medicine. It was something that knights would wage war for. Traditionally, in the Lunar elven tribe, only the Hand of the Queen, captain of the royal guards, could get a mouthful of this elixir. The Lunar elves hoped that by handing the elixir, they would welcome a new Grand Knight that would allow the tribe to expand their territory and regain their former glory. However, no such thing happened in the past three hundred years. The Hand of the Queen indeed became stronger than any knight, but he was stuck in a realm between knights and grand knights. He reached the half-grand knight realm, but it was not potent enough to make him break through. In History though, dozens of lunar elves became grand knights in such a fashion. If it were someone like Drake who consumed the elixir¡­with the foundations, talent and strength he had¡­Then the benefits would be tremendous. It would further increase the odds of him becoming a grand knight in the future. "We ought to move, fast", Lewis said, "Knight Berret is a very influent person in the Frey Territory. In fact, he was probably the third strongest individual among those affiliated with the Viscount Frey. It is only a matter of time before our actions reach the Viscount Frey''s ears. It is a heavy blow in his face. The Viscount Frey may have a lot of soldiers, but most of them are armed farmers to scare bandits. Most of them lack experience, but Knight Berret and his men were elites. After his death, the Viscount will be wary, and probably send hundreds of soldiers to kill us. We could only face the Knight Berret because of our lord''s personal strength, his tactics and leadership. None of us can match him in any of these fields, unfortunately." "We will capture Alm Castle", Yara said. "What? The vast majority of immaculate soldiers are wounded, or utterly exhausted from the two consecutive battles! They''ve killed enough. They can''t go through another battle!" Yara stared at Lewis: "You''re just a squire, so act as a squire. You might have broken through as a knight, but your mind is still that of a soldier. Look at the big picture. What do you think the lord marched here? To kill a puny rural knight? I don''t think so. I think he had a much better goal, and Knight Berret''s castle, Alm Castle, was built on the highest mountain of the Frey Territory. This castle is famous throughout the whole Porfield kingdom, to the point that even I, a lunar elf, have heard of it. Although the castle itself is not difficult to access, marching with an army is incredibly difficult. The roads are small, but since it is in high altitude, the soldiers are easily out of breath. When the weather is humid, the mist drives any hostile army crazy." "What''s your point?" "The Alm Castle has been left undefended. Knight Barret summoned all of his army to attack Drake. Obviously, there are probably some remaining guards protecting the Barret family, but they can''t face us all", Yara explained to Lewis. "I don''t trust you", Lewis said while cold-bloodedly staring at Yara, "I don''t trust you, Yara Eldrick. You lack empathy and you have always shown inappropriate behaviour around me and the lord. But my lord trusts you, so I will comply with your suggestion. However, I won''t obey you. I would much rather let Lara lead this capture." "Me?", Lara asked, in a timid voice. Since the start of this conversation, she only listened. After all, her sister had always overshadowed her ever since she was born. She was far from being Yara''s match as an elven knight, and she really possessed little talent in music and dance. In all fields, her sister Yara overshadowed her entirely. The inferiority complex had thoroughly turned her into a timid, anxious lady. "You are more than qualified. I am just a warrior, and your sister will kill the entirety of the Immaculate soldiers if it benefits her. You are a good woman, I know it because you are very similar to the Viscount''s wife, your queen. Lead us. Do it for the lord." Lara''s facial expression changed. It was the first time in her life she felt such a responsibility. "We will march tomorrow morning. We will let the immaculate soldiers rest and heal the injured. If we are smart, we will be able to capture the castle without many casualties. The problem is that we need guides", Lara said. She no longer looked like a timid lady. The change surprised Lewis, and utterly shocked her sister Yara. Since when did Lara hide such an intimidating aura? "Oh, don''t worry about that¡­We have about a hundred prisonners. I am sure that those who aren''t too traumatized by this battle will joyfully guide us if it means getting out of our hands alive", Yara said, loudly as if she wanted to be heard. A corpse suddenly twitched. "Please¡­Water¡­", a despairing voice wailed. "Oh, I found my first guide!", Yara said while laughing. 20 The Capture of Alm Castle 2 The next day, Drake''s army reached Alm Castle. If Lara was successful in capturing it, it would be only a matter of time before the entire Alm Valley belonged to Drake, a territory which accounted for a good third of the Viscount Frey''s territory. However, the true worth of the Alm territory couldn''t be seen as merely the size of the lands. Its true worth was the trade routes and numerous tin and copper mines. Over the past few hundred years, the mines attracted many famous, unknown and apprentice blacksmiths who created an organization: the Alm Blacksmith association, loyal to the lord of the Alm Castle. With tin and copper within their reach and at a very cheap cost, the skills of these blacksmiths increased very fast, and their mastery in manufacturing bronze weapons and armours rose really fast. With such an influent association, many merchants arrived and eventually, a town in the Alm valley was created: Sholis, built a few kilometres away from the Alm castle. Lara considered raiding Sholis, but decided against it in the end. After all, to conquer the Alm Valley, Drake would need the support of the people, and if they plundered Sholis, it would be turn into a very difficult situation. Dragging a hundred prisoners, the army of immaculate soldiers and the three knights leading them were truly intimidating. The Alm Castle guards could feel true fear. They expected a glorious victory from their lord, Knight Barret. Not only did he die, his army had also been thoroughly crushed, with more than a third ending up being captured! "WE WILL NOT SURRENDER!" The guards loved to scream these words on top of their walls, ready to die for their fallen lord. Such loyalty was something rarely seen. It was commendable, but in this situation, it was pure madness indeed. However, the guards were not all feeling the same way about the enemies at the gates of the castle. In fact, as many as half of the guards felt like surrendering. After all, the guards had no way of knowing that most of the immaculate soldiers were in reality injured and thus incapable of fighting! Having underestimated the Alm Castle''s guards, Lara felt a bit down. From what they could see and the prisoners'' words, there were slightly more than a hundred guards within the castle. Most of them were not elite soldiers, however, but rather old veterans or young trainees. After settling down for a while and trying to negotiate with the stubborn guards, the evening eventually came. While the guards'' minds were occupied of negotiating and drawing arrows on the spokespersons, Lara had thought of a plan. She would infiltrate the castle with Yara and ten of the best immaculate soldiers in order to open the gates of the castle. Having too many soldiers would bring too much attention, so she only took ten immaculate soldiers with her, the finest warriors among Drake''s troops. "This is madness¡­", Lewis kept muttering. He knew how difficult it was to enter a castle. However, he had greatly underestimated the twin elves'' means. They didn''t use siege towers, or a ladder to climb into the castle. Instead, they shot an arrow linked with a rope which they attached to a sturdy rock, then used to climb on the walls in a matter of seconds. The walls of the castle looked like obstacles meant for children when the pair of elven twins reached the top. ''What fearsome athletes¡­'', Lewis muttered in a shock Elves were different from humans physically. Humans were said to be balanced beings, but the reality was that they didn''t excel in any area. Lunar elves were different. Lara and Yara were living proof of that. Their dexterity, flexibility and agility were much higher than that of other species. Jumping several meters high was an easy task for these nimble women. As for using a rope to climb a mere wall, it was akin to child play in their eyes, which is why elves never bothered to create castles in the first place. From an elven perspective, castles are nothing but rocks piled up one on another! Two guards were near the spot Lara and Yara landed. Hearing the arrow land, they tried to take a closer look, suspecting an enemy attack. However, before they could alert the other guards or even realize the extent of the danger, their throats were slit by the two elven women. Making hand signs, the immaculate soldiers sneaked and started to climb, using robes that Lara was giving. Lara wasn''t timid anymore. From a distance, a guard heard some noise and he was about to alert other guards but while Lara was helping the immaculate soldiers to climb, Yara made sure to ''silence'' the guards. They were falling one after the other. Yara wasn''t using swords or daggers, but a bow. Each one of her shot caused a guard to fall on the cold ground, lifeless. After helping the immaculate soldiers to climb, it was only a matter of time before the castle was successfully captured. One after the other, the immaculate entered the castle. *SPLASH* Muffled screams of agony as well as the sounds of spears piercing flesh could be heard. Every few minutes, an immaculate soldier would manage to take a guard by surprise and kill him by thrusting his spear in one of his target''s vital points. At some point, an immaculate soldier was spotted by a veteran soldier who went through many ambushes in his life, managing to ring the alarm bell. Unfortunately for the defenders of the castle, they realised the attack way too late. More than thirty guards had perished by this moment, and while they knew there were enemies, the latter were still managing to sneak on the guards and kill them! Average immaculate soldiers were not assassins, and thus lacked the stealthy skills which were required for the task. However, Drake had imparted with them some basic knowledge of sneak attacks and such. Who would have thought that these skills would come in handy at such a crucial time? Of course, Lara and Yara played a huge role in the capture, killing a guard every few minutes. When the morning came, the door of the castle opened. Dozens of guard corpses were lying on the ground or on the walls. It was truly surprising. With just ten soldiers, Lara and Yara had managed to capture the castle in the matter of one night! The Alm Castle had fallen in the hands of Drake Moonlight, third heir of the Moonlight Household, a fifteen-years-old knight. In the morning, the Moonlight''s family motto reverberated over and over again in the castle, while the news spread throughout the Porfield Kingdom: "GROW STRONG IN POWER" "GROW STRONG IN POWER" "GROW STRONG IN POWER" "GROW STRONG IN POWER" Meanwhile, the Golden Lions, the Snakes and the Blood raven mercenaries were fighting for their lives, trying to complete the tasks handed by Drake. However, trying to do so, the Snakes had been annihilated by an unexpected army which ambushed them. The Blood raven company managed to retrieve the Frey bastard in secret, and escorted him to the Alm Castle, after they received news of Drake successfully captured it through messenger crows sent by Lewis. However, they didn''t heed Drake''s orders to support the Snakes, and instead withdrew from the war. They heard of the Snakes'' fate, and decided against following Drake anymore. As mercenaries, they kept their promises and completed their tasks in a brilliant manner, but they wouldn''t march towards their deaths. The viscount had sent the Knight Harrold specifically to defend Greenhill after all, and everyone knew that Knight Harrold was the strongest power besides the Viscount in the Frey territory. Unfortunately for the Blood Raven, Knight Harrold managed to spot their camp thanks to a group of farmers who were loyal to the Frey House. What followed was a bloody massacre. The man was known to be violent and brutal, and he truly lived up to his name. After hearing about the loss of Knight Barret and the mysterious rank 1 acolyte lady, Knight Harrold vented his anger and rooted out the mercenaries that distracted him from going against the ''big fish''. The Blood Raven and Snakes, as powerless as they could be seen as upon facing the army led by the Knight Harrold, still succeeded in thinning the number of Frey Soldiers. As for the Golden Lions, they had successfully plundered Clary Town, and destroyed the ships that were left unguarded. They massacred the soldiers loyal to the Viscount Frey, and literally sacked the town. They didn''t touch the women or harmed the children though. The head of the Golden Lions, George, had a noble background and wouldn''t allow these acts in his presence. Out of the three companies of the mercenaries, two had been annihilated. After hearing about it, George didn''t return by Drake''s side, instead taking the plundered wealth with him. With the gold coins he had gotten, he could probably reinforce his mercenary troop and turn it into a proper army. Within a few months, with proper weapons and armours as well as new recruits, he would have enough influence to take back a castle and get revenge on those who massacred his family and stole his lands. Unfortunately, Drake had never trusted these mercenaries in the first place. He had expected them to betray him, should the tides of war turn unfavourable to the Moonlight Household. He thus ordered the Blackwater City''s guards, composed of hundreds of swordsmen and archers personally selected by the Viscount Allan, to kill any mercenary that entered the town without Drake''s authorization. Since the mercenaries had families in Blackwater, they would naturally make at least one stop at Blackwater if they betrayed Drake. This was their greatest and last mistake. When they came back, they were slaughtered like pigs and their heads were hanged on spikes as a means of deterrence to future disloyal mercenaries. The Moonlight family had never been merciful with traitors, especially in times of war. A week later, Drake recovered. He still had trouble moving around, but he could feel a great change in himself, to the point that it was impossible for him to properly grasp the changes in his body. It was¡­as if he had transformed into a better version of himself. [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ¨C 15 years. Rank: Knight Status: Injured (Recovering, -50% dexterity, strength, and constitution. Internal energy cannot be used to use knight killing techniques) Attributes: Strength ¨C 3.6 | Dexterity ¨C 3.0 | Constitution ¨C 3.2 | Internal Energy ¨C 13.2 Perk: Mutated Heart (+200% base recovery rate) Skills: Lunar Elven Sword Art (Knight level, proficiency: advanced), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Advanced), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Advanced), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced) Knight Killing Technique: Arclight Chop (Sword speed: 200%, Damage: [Strength*3] degrees)] [Beep! Host has ingested a very nutritive solution that has been fully absorbed to heal host''s wounds. The solution has led host to develop 23 mutations beneficial to the body. As a result, strength has increased by 0.4-point, dexterity by 0.5 point and constitution by 0.4 point. Internal Energy has increased by 4 points, most likely a result of a mutation that transformed host''s heart into a pump of internal energy, that increases the recovery rate of host and the flux of internal energy.] 21 Lady Evangeline Upon waking up, Drake was briefed on the latest event. Looking at his subordinates, Drake could only feel pride. Although there were many more casualties than originally expected, Drake smiled. After all, he had nearly lost everything, including his life, in the latest battle. And after waking up, he looked around him and found himself in the prestigious Alm Castle! After recovering for a few more days, Drake planned on conquering and establishing himself in the Alm Valley. The quicker he would do that, the better it would be. After earning enough influence in the region, money would flow in his treasury in a matter of years, and he would probably earn a noble title. As for finishing the war, the Viscount Frey couldn''t possibly take back the Alm Castle unless he left his own castle undefended. As for Knight Harrold, the consecutive battles against the Blood Raven mercenaries and the Snakes had weakened his army to the point that the old man was no threat at all. In fact, if Drake could locate him, he could easily march towards his army and crush them with his heavy cavalry and suffer little casualties in the process. However, Drake''s mind was rather focused on the harvest of the war: over 8000 gold coins coming from the Barret family''s treasury, a Frey Bastard worth hundreds if not thousands of gold coins of ransom depending on the Viscount''s fatherly love, over a hundred war prisoners that Drake planned to use against the Viscount if he came forward to negotiate. Drake never planned on thoroughly crushing the Frey Household in the first place. He wanted to show everyone that the Moonlight Family''s momentary weakness linked with the Viscount Allan''s injury was nothing but rumours. And he indeed succeeded in it. Of course, everything didn''t go the way he wanted to, and the Battle of Alm had left some scars in his belly¡­and his fighting spirit. His talent, and breakthrough had led him to overestimate his own strength. He thought that with the help of his biochip, he would make the best decisions, and he indeed followed probabilities and tactics recorded by books, but in the end, theory and reality were too different. There were too many variables to solely base one''s decisions on probabilities and experience. "We managed to capture the acolyte who was the cause of this¡­unexpected enemy in the Alm region. I remember that the Knight Barret talked about her being able to predict the future before falling in battle.", Lewis said in a low voice. "Oh? Do you believe him?" "When I was young, I didn''t believe in magic, sir. However, the Viscount ended up encountering one in a war, six years ago. I witnessed everything, from the acolyte''s fearsome fireball and magical shields. Hence, I do believe in her ability to predict future, though I am not sure of the ''cost'' of such magic." "What do you mean?", Drake was interested. It was the first time he heard someone talk about magic so openly. Most of people who were aware of the magic''s existence were either acolytes themselves who hid their powers similarly to Gallan, or war veterans. However, magic was kind of a taboo in this world, for some reasons. "Everything comes with a price, and divination is probably a field that is very demanding. I witnessed the acolyte who was casting fireballs on the Dark Legion burning himself up. His momentary slip up allowed Lord Allan to behead the poor old man." "I am curious though¡­Are acolytes so common that you can find them in some rural wars?", Drake asked, truthfully interested in the matter. "The Magical Court has been known to support the crown for generations, and most of their members are actually heirs in influent noble houses. Hence, if these noble houses are threatened, the acolytes belonging to these noble houses intervene, though the Magical Court never dispatches acolytes officially when it comes to internal fighting." "I heard that the Golden Lions have been thoroughly eliminated and their loots confiscated by the city guards. It should suffice to pay back my debt to the Blackwater''s treasury." "My lord, I don''t think the Clary Town''s raid can amount for the five thousand gold coins you¡­" "Whatever. At least, the silversmith Tyrion will appreciate my gesture, and since I have won the battle, nobody will go against me, don''t you think?" "Yes¡­my lord." "I wish to talk to the acolyte. As for Lara and Yara, summon them to the throne room after I''m done with the acolyte.", Drake asked. "Right away, my lord", Lewis answered a clear voice. He whispered a few words to the guards and then started to walk alongside Drake. In the Alm Castle''s dungeon, hundreds of chained men and women were peeking at Drake and Lewis. It must be said that most of the prisoners were either soldiers that Drake captured or criminals who broke the law in the Alm Territory and apprehended by Sholis'' city guards. Only one woman seemed to have retained her grace: the acolyte woman. She obviously had a noble background, judging by her elegance and grace. She had blond hair, and her eyes were flickering in a yellow light. "A truly supernatural being, huh?" She was a beauty, but rather than looking at her as a woman or a lady, Drake preferred looking at her as an acolyte. Nothing more, nothing less. "I am Lady Evangeline Hurlier, and I evoke the 6th law of the Porfield Constitution: I demand proper treatment for a noble like myself, the acolyte spoke. Drake was surprised, but then smirked: "You''re in my dungeon. If I were to open this door and tell these prisoners to go and murder you for freedom, they would do it. Do you really think that the kingdom''s laws matter in this place?" "Judging by her pale face, she must have some intelligence. She does understand threats, huh!", Lewis said, in a very overbearing voice. Nobody talked in the dungeon. The dungeon guards were people that Lara hired herself: very arrogant and dangerous people who possessed the charisma required to settle an atmosphere of fear in the prisoners'' minds. Most of these guards were actually from Blackwater City, veteran mercenaries, criminals who repaid their crimes through service as city guards as well as some retired adventurers. All 11 dungeon keepers knew how to deal with these prisoners and how to make them¡­oppressed. "Don''t you have any moral? Treat her with respect!", a prisoner suddenly shouted, obviously angered at Drake''s threat. Drake suddenly winked at Lewis. It was time for some mental test. "Huh? Lewis bring me a dagger. This man said something distasteful. And I heard that humans lose their usage of words if they lose their tongue!", Drake said in a loud voice. Drake didn''t plan on torturing the prisoners. He did plan on torturing the acolyte''s mind until she answered his every question. With her lady-like appearance, she was bound to have a virtuous mind, and she would definitely not approve of barbaric acts of torture. As expected, a voice reverberated through the cave. "Don''t you dare torture this man in front of me! If you do that, I will commit suicide and the Magical Court will hunt you down!", she shouted, hoping that the name of the organization she belonged to would plant some fear in the young lord standing in front of him. "Mm? This is not how it works, though. The Magical Court would never intervene in such a¡­mortal matter. Furthermore, the King himself seems to have granted me membership to the Magical Court!" "What? How is it¡­Only prominent counts and upper nobles possess membership to the Magical Court! How could a mere Viscount heir acquire one?" Drake then picked up a sigil out of his pockets, a sigil that represented the magical court. Astonished, Evangeline closed her mouth while feeling true despair. "I have a deal", Drake said in a clear voice, while looking straight in Evangeline''s eyes. "Can I refuse?" "Well, if you want to die, along with every Frey Soldiers and those I am going to march against as soon as I hire more soldiers. With my heroic victory despite being outnumbered, many mercenaries will prefer to side with me rather than the old, outwitted Viscount who cannot get out of his castle because of the Count Faraday''s hostility." "¡­", Evangeline looked down, similar to a weakened, injured puppy. "I will spare you¡­and treat you as a proper lady until the Viscount Frey gives me the gold coins for the ransom. I won''t be too difficult either, only asking for a thousand gold coins for your person, even though I could ask for far more than that. I won''t kill or torture the other Frey soldiers either. I will ask for ransoms as well and treat them¡­as proper war prisoners. In exchange, you will offer me your guidance on magic knowledge, and answer every single one of my questions without lying or without any intention of doing me or my Household''s harm. Last but not least, I also want you to be my voucher so that I can attend the Magical Court Academy and learn magic." Evangeline pondered for a while, before saying: "This is too good to be true. Don''t you think you deceive me so easily! I am an acolyte after all. You can torture me, and you don''t have any morals, from what I have seen of you today. I''ve always been a good judge of characters." "Indeed, I could torture the answers out of you and force you to vouch for me this way. Torture has always been a very good means of getting answers¡­", Drake said, "But I want right answers and a proper voucher. And providing you with what you want will guarantee me exactly that. Thus, I am once again asking you to consider my offer. Be aware that a Moonlight always keep his promises. Honour has always been one of our virtue." Evangeline looked at Drake in a new light. She always knew that he wasn''t your average 15-years-old nobleman. But who would have expected such...a scheming mind to actually exist in a noble heir! The conditions were fair, and she wasn''t exactly in any position to negotiate. She looked at Drake''s squire, Lewis, who played his role perfectly. He was toying with the Frey soldier who spoke up for her, sniffling him as if he were meat, and making frightening grimaces to torment the mind of the poor Frey soldier, who was barely in his twenties. At some point, he peed on himself, releasing a bad stench in the whole cell. ''Indeed, Lewis wasn''t called The Bonecrusher for no reason¡­'', Drake secretly rejoiced in his mind. A few seconds later, Evangeline gave in: "Fine, I will teach you everything I know on magic, explain the books I had in my possession with the best of my abilities and answer every one of your question, as long as you keep your words. But you need to be aware that even if I vouch for you as a member of the Magical Court, you will still have to go through a certain number of tests, most of which will require magical talent. If you don''t have enough affinity with magic, then even if I were a Magus, there would be very little I could do for you." "I know I have magical affinity. Ever since I woke up, I can feel...someting different. The air is the same, the smell is the same, my eyes are the same, but for some reason, I can grasp my surroundings much clearer. I am a well-read man. I know that it means that my spirit has awakened" Evangeline continued: "Alright, since you have the confidence to say so, I shall become your voucher and satisfy your curiosity. I, however, will need to see the prisoners at least once a day. Please allow me to write a letter to my family, so that they can convince the Viscount to pay as soon as they can. The quicker you have the money, the better it is to you, right?" "Your first request, I will allow. As for the second, I need to see how you act before agreeing. If I give you everything, won''t you be able to just play around and waste my time on useless things and go back on your words?", Drake smirked. He might look like a 15-years-old boy in his current body, but mentally, he was still a war veteran. Negotiating with the enemy wasn''t his forte, but he still had plenty of experience, at least enough to deal with a twenty-years-old shut-in mage-like woman like Lady Evangeline. 22 Helios, the Magical Court Academy Surprisingly, the journey to Helios, the Magical Court Academy, was short and besides a small pack of wolves, there were no troubles at all. The closer Drake was to Helios, the more excited he was. After all, ever since he had ''awakened'' his spirit, meaning that he could feel the mana in the air, his dreams of casting spells and become even stronger than he currently was could become true. Drake didn''t take many soldiers with him. Actually, he only took two of his best immaculate soldiers and Lewis, his loyal squire. As for his other subordinates, he gave them specific orders to follow over the next few years. With the biochip, thinking a few years ahead was not that big of a deal, and with his father supporting the twin elves, his territory was bound to flourish, even if he were absent. Helios was magnificent. It was truly a magical sight. It was an academy, yet from an outside point of view, it looked like a city. There were over a dozen towers with strange floating orbs orbiting around them. Walls of magical rocks surrounded Helios, and their sturdiness was something that even Drake with no magical achievements could feel. "This is Helios, my lord", the usually silent Lady Evangeline said, "These twelve towers you see, belong to the twelve different masters of Helios. All twelve of them have reached the terrifying Magus realm, something that all acolytes yearn to become." "Yeah, you said to me that magi possess enormous power and only a handful of acolytes manage to reach the magus realm. However, you said that out of the thousands of acolytes who live and study in Helios, only twelve managed to become magi in the past hundreds of years?" "Actually, there were exactly 38 magi in History. However, although magi are strong, there are not invincible. They have a longer lifespan, about three hundred years, and their combat power is completely ridiculous. However, they can be killed. But in Helios, there are indeed only 12 magi. According to the rumours, there are eight other magi belonging to the Magical Court, but they were sent on special missions to defend the kingdom." It was obvious that the Porfield Kingdom was much more powerful than expected with the backing of the Magical Court. However, it was also much larger than ther other thirteen kingdoms in the continent. Some were saying that it could conquer the world if the magi wanted to. And indeed, over the past hundreds of years, the Porfield Kingdom increased in size and power by a dozen folds. The system in Helios was complicated. Only a handful of acolytes had established a master and disciple relationship with a magus. For the thousands of acolytes with no master, they could only rely on missions to earn magical crystals, the currency of magi, and knowledge points, the internal currency of Helios, required to read books and magical tomes. "In Helios, your treatment depends on a few things. If you are strong, you will earn the respect of others. You might think that you''re strong with your achievements in the Battle of Alm and your knight physique. But you aren''t. Among the 2 830 acolytes in Helios, there are hundreds of knights and the vast majority of them have forsaken knight training." "Why would they?" "Magic is a field which the most intelligent scholars failed to grasp in a lifetime. For everyone in Helios, the goal is to become a magus. You can continue training as a knight, for sure. But¡­even if you are successful, what are you going to be? Grand Knights are powerful, I''ve met a few of them. They can also live up to 150 years according to some rumours. But compared to magi, they lack in strength, fire power and lifespan." "What you are saying is that most people cannot reach the magus realm, but still decide to pour all of their effort in one path, the magus path?" "Indeed. Furthermore, once you witness the powers of acolytes, you will be obsessed by the idea of becoming a magus. Believe me." Drake smirked. He had witnessed the powers of acolytes. To be honest, even though there were many bards talking about his heroic performance in the Battle of Alm, he didn''t feel bravery or courage upon seeing the 300-men army of Knight Barret ambush him. He felt true fear, with his primal instincts yearning for him to run. How come someone managed to see right through his plans? He wondered for several minutes. Turns out they didn''t. They only relied on some prophecy made by the girl next to him. If anyone asked him, he felt true respect for anything related to magic. However, would he truly forsake the knight path after training for a lifetime? There was simply no way! Even if knights were a bit inferior in History, he had seen Verdon''s attributes. He had heard about him going toe to toe with a magus. If he could ally the physiques of knights and the magical powers of acolytes¡­ When Drake''s group reached the gate, a huge humanoid sculpture began to talk. It was a gargoyle, and scanning its attributes made Drake truly scared. [Beep! Scan complete!] [Name: Gargoyle. Age ¨C 210 years. Rank: Mineral Life form (Rank 3 Acolyte Realm) Status: Peak. Attributes: Strength ¨C 9.8 | Dexterity ¨C 5.0 | Constitution ¨C 10.2 Perks: Attacks below 15 degrees of damage are nullified by the forcefield of its mineral body.] The Gargoyle was a true monster. Even if his father, Viscount Allan, used his most terrifying attack, he would only be able to scratch the beast. No wonder the Magical Court always controlled the Porfield Kingdom behind the curtain. They were actually this powerful! Lady Evangeline spoke in a foreign Language, and then the Gargoyle stepped down, returning to a deep slumber. It seemed that the older it was, the most powerful the Gargoyle became. On route, Drake''s group met with a few other Gargoyles, but their strength and age were way below the first one they met. "You must be wondering what these creatures are. They are living creatures, mineral life forms. They were crafted by one of the twelve Magi, Grand Master Lenz. These gargoyles have the strange property of absorbing mana from the environment and strengthen their minerals with them. The Magical Conduits in their body allow them to summon immense strength, comparable to that of true Grand Knights. They can also cast a few spells, though they have never been in action in the past hundred years, and the Magical Court does its best to restrict this kind of information, so I don''t really know about that. However, anyone can guess that it must be pretty powerful, since the walls of Helios have never been breached since its creation", Lady Evangeline began to explain. Lady Evangeline had no master, but she belonged to a faction of Helios: the Arcane Order, the biggest faction, representing the authority of the twelve magi. It had the biggest number of acolytes and also three of the strongest ones: Arthur Bane, the Fire Sorcerer, Albert Coalition, the master of Golems, and Lizzie Abbe, the plant demoness. The three of them had reached the 3rd rank acolyte realm, being only a step away from becoming true magi. However, this step was also the most difficult one. It required dozens of years of studies, as well as luck and the appropriate resources. There were only slightly more than 10 rank 3 acolytes in the tower. As for the rest of acolytes, the majority was stuck in the first rank like Evangeline, while about a hundred reached rank 2. "Your subordinates are allowed to stay in Helios, but you will have to tell them to show extra carefulness around here. Although most of acolytes are calm by nature, and seek nothing but knowledge, there are a few ones full of frustration. These ones sometimes pick up on mortals with no magical power to vent their frustration. Furthermore, the laws in Helios are ambiguous. Most of these pushy acolytes usually get out unscathed after paying a fine", she explained. Drake nodded. Helios was indeed a city. As his group were travelling through the city on the back of the best horses he possessed, he was contemplating the hundreds of shops in the alley, with acolytes and commoners arguing about prices. The hustle and bustle of this city was much different from what you usually heard though. "Three blood replenishing pills for one magic crystal! This is a huge discount for a must-have item for long expeditions and small expeditions alike!", a woman in a blue-clothed robe was shouting. Besides the shops, there were also a lot of sculptures and spiritual temples. Acolytes worshipped no god, but they meditated on a daily basis. What they worshipped was not a divine entity, they worshipped knowledge. "Knowledge is power" was a common saying, a motto for acolytes. Helios was not popular however for commoners and knights, because acolytes were¡­quite xenophobic and didn''t see non-awakened people as their equals. Well, even the majority of knights felt that way since they were much stronger than the usual folk, so it wasn''t very surprising for acolytes to be the way they were. And yet, ever since his entrance in the city, Drake managed to scan over a dozen knights, mostly city guards hired by the Magi. They were wearing very fashionable and sturdy armours. They were the ''Sentinels'', an infamous legion belonging to Helios, rivalling or perhaps even surpassing the royal guard. After all, these knights had access to acolyte-related markets. They could thus strengthen themselves with cheap toxins and strengthening potions. Furthermore, by selling their services to the sentinels, they received a low-grade Grand-knight level breathing technique and a knight-level swordsmanship. According to Evangeline, the Sentinels were over 400, with half of them being knights and the head of the sentinels being a Grand Knight. The dress code was pretty strict in Helios. Azur and blue robes were reserved for rank 1 acolytes. Commoners were restricted to dark clothes while rank 2 acolytes were usually wearing red robes. As for rank 3 acolytes, they were very few in numbers and wore golden robes. "Acolytes usually come from noble Houses, but it isn''t necessarily true", Evangeline suddenly said, "Some awakened their spirits and became acolytes upon going through successful experiments made by an acolyte or a magus. Well, those who went through failed experiments often ended up dead so don''t be surprised and don''t accept whatever is thrown at your face", she suggested. Drake gulped. He had heard about beastmen in the past. Turns out this species was actually a failed experiment of Magi. They had created them to mess with a hostile kingdom. However, not only did the beastmen conquer the said kingdom, they created another one in its place. The Magi thought them to be sterile, but it turns out there were a few weeks during the year in which they could mate and reproduce themselves. After merely a decade of fighting, the beastmen had created an empire. This is how the Beastman Kingdom came to be founded. 23 Affinity Tes After some time, Evangeline arrived in front of an old establishment named [The Bear Tavern] "Remember, don''t be aggressive and do not look disgusted by her appearance, alright?", Evangeline warned once again before opening the door. Inside, there were five tables and many chairs, though there were no client whatsoever. After taking a closer look, Drake found out that there was someone. A ''woman'', if she could be called so. Her face was completely scarred with burns, and a giggle of insanity could be heard. As she realized that her friend Evangeline arrived, she ran and hugged her. "Evangeline! You are the first person I''ve seen in this past month!", she said in a creepy and fragile voice. Drake would have taken her for a disabled person if it weren''t for her red robes. She was obviously a rank 2 acolyte, part of the elite of Helios. "I brought you a few clients. He is the knight who beat me thoroughly in battle yet treated me and my subordinates with respect. In exchange, I have sworn to help him settle in Helios and vouch for him at the tower", she said without leaving a detail to her friend. The woman started to stare at Drake, and started to scrutinize him. Anyone, especially a noble, would have felt wronged at her rudeness. However, she was a rank 2 acolyte, so Drake couldn''t say much, not to mention that he was also scrutinizing her to gather some data for his biochip. "Hi, I am Drake Moonlight, first heir of the Moonlight Household. I am a knight who recently awakened, hence my presence in Helios", Drake broke the ice, "These two spearmen are elite immaculate guards, Black Rat and White Rat, and this brute here is Lewis, my squire" "Hi¡­I am Felicia Mayflies, a rank 2 acolyte. Since Evangeline vouched for you, I won''t charge you for your first two months in Helios. Thereafter, you will have to pay one magic crystal per room." "Thank you, Felicia", Drake answered in respect. She was doing him a favour after all. After settling a few issues and catching the latest news, Evangeline then accompanied Drake to one of the twelve towers: The Tower of Grandmaster Kayle, a shut-in magus who spent most of his days concocting potions according to Evangeline. Upon entering the tower, Drake could feel the density of mana in the air increase by a significant amount. It was truly¡­breath-taking experience. After crossing the hall, the duo appeared in front of an old man. Evangeline spoke: "I am Evangeline, rank 1 acolyte. I have come across a promising acolyte, Drake of the Moonlight Household. He has earned minor membership to the Magical Court through the King himself, and I''ve confirmed his awakening. He has the potential to become an acolyte. I will pay for the affinity test." The old man, who looked like a mummy, took a look at Drake, and then smirked. He wore golden robes, meaning that he was a rank 3 acolyte, a true powerhouse. However, he also seemed bound to the tower, for Evangeline never mentioned him. "Alright. It will be ten magic crystals." The old man approached Drake with a orb radiating blue light. [Beep! Insufficient data to appraise the item] "Put your hand on the orb, and interact with the mana within it", he said in a low voice. "How am I suppose to know how to interact with it?", Drake said, astonished at the old man. Drake knew he had awakened his spirit, hence his presence in Helios. But, he had never used mana per se! "You will know when you put your hand on it. Don''t worry. Even grade 1 talent can do it, and if you''re not even a grade 1 talent, you have nothing to do in the most prestigious Magus organization in the continent." Drake nodded and listened to the flustered old man. He put his hand on the orb, and at first, Drake felt true fright. Nothing was happening. He could feel the mana within it¡­but interacting with it felt like an impossible task! However, as the old man started frowning, Drake felt a force calling for him. Listening to his instincts, Drake managed to feel the mana, and more accurately, interact with the white magical particles within it. Evangeline was looking at the orb, in awe. The orb was releasing air as if it was wind. It was¡­unconceivable. ''I remember when I did the test¡­it only brightened slightly as proof of my affinity with divination magic. For the orb to release such huge amount of air, he must be at least a grade 3 talent. Perhaps he is even a grade 4 talent!", Evangeline thought. She had never witnessed an affinity test besides hers. Most of her time in Helios was spent either in meditation or missions. She had become an acolyte six years ago, when she was about Drake''s age, after awakening. She had been tested with medium grade 2 talent, enough to qualify as above average within Helios. She was even pretty popular among acolytes, since her divinations were extraordinary insightful, even if she was just a rank 1 acolyte. She could not glimpse into the future as many thoughts, but she could get a general feeling of which place would be extraordinarily chaotic, like a battlefield, or an ambush. If her life was in danger or that of her friends, she would feel a bad omen. This is how she survived despite taking dangerous missions, and this is how she earned her magical artefact. The old man''s face made a 180¡ã turn upon appraising the results. Grinning, he exclaimed: "Lower Grade 5 Talent in the wind element! Haha! How many years has it been since the last grade 5 talent appeared in Helios? Come with me, lad. Our lord Kayle will talk to you personally." Everyone in the room was in awe. They all knew how discriminating talent was in Helios. Not only would highly talented people get treated with utmost care, their growth rate was also extraordinarily fast! Talent meant higher growth rate, easier manipulation of mana, and thus faster casting speed. Usually, high talent also meant high comprehension of magic, but it really depended on the person. Before he could say anything, the old man gripped his hands, and despite being a knight, he couldn''t even resist as he was dragged in the sky. A minute later, Drake was facing one of the strongest powerhouses in the whole continent: Grandmaster Kayle, a water-elemental magus who reached unparalleled mastery of alchemy, providing Helios with countless high-grade potions. Drake was in his laboratory. Inside, he could see hundreds of vials filled with all kinds of greenish liquid and solutions. There were also plenty of transparent boxes filled with pills as well as herbs. It was shocking. Drake didn''t know the individual value of these potions, but he knew that since a magus treated them with such care, they were probably invaluable. The Magus seemed pleased with the news, as he was showing a rare smile, which rather surprised Drake who had heard the rumours of Magi being apathetic. Grandmaster Kayle then began to speak: "Drake Moonlight, huh? I have heard of your House before, a few hundred years before. There was a Grand Knight leading the family at the time. Who would have thought that one of his descendants would show such talent in magic!" "You praise me too much, my lord", Drake said while feeling the tremendous pressure of the man who was merely speaking to him. His mind was cloudy, as if a terrifying beast was preying on him. "You can talk to me despite not even being a rank 1 acolyte? Oh¡­I see", Grandmaster Kayle muttered while appraising Drake, "And you''re already a knight with so much vitality despite being so young. To surprise me twice in a day, you are quite something. I will not beat around the bush. I want you to sign a contract." "What contract?", Drake said, while frowning in suspicions. "Don''t worry, it will not be harmful to you. In fact, by signing the contract, you will earn a scholarship of 100 magic crystals since you are a grade 5 talent. Furthermore, since you have earned my acknowledgement, I am even willing to grant you a wind-elemental spell I acquired not too long ago. It is of higher quality than what is usually found in markets, so grasp this opportunity. In exchange, you will become a treasured member of the Magical Court, bound by its principles and its laws", Grandmaster said while handing a scroll. On it, a dozen laws were written down, but the man quickly reassured Drake: "Even though these laws are written in black ink, only one matters: strength. You might be talented, but the path of knowledge is very difficult. Luck and background plays a huge role in this." Drake read everything carefully, and nodded upon seeing laws such as not killing fellow acolytes belonging to the Magical Court, or not killing innocents belonging to the Porfield Kingdom. If not for these laws, there would be a huge civil war nobles and acolytes. However, there was one law that really bothered him: [Article 13: In case the acolyte fails to abide by these laws or betray the Magical Court, the Kingdom will use every means at its disposal to pursue and destroy him.] It meant that if Drake betrayed the organization, it would get revenge by using all of the kingdom''s means. His family might even be used as bait to force him to come out. Despite feeling uncomfortable with It, since the biochip didn''t manifest any displeasure. Furthermore, as a grade 5 talent, he had access to a special benefit: [Article 29: For grade 5 talents and above, upon reaching the peak of the rank 3 realm, acolytes may receive restricted knowledge and personal guidance from a magus to breakthrough. Furthermore, a special elixir called Volcano potion will be granted to increase the odds of breaking through in exchange for twenty years of service from the newly advanced magus.] Drake nodded. Everything seemed fair, so he signed. "Good! You are now officially a member of the Magical Court! Take this sigil. With it, you can have access to the lower levels of the magical library without having to pay a fee. Remember to always abide by the Magical Court Principles, and its motto: Knowledge is power. Good luck, and don''t waste your talent. Let''s meet again." Drake then fainted, as the magus looked into his eyes. "Take him to his friend and send him the things I promised. Hopefully, he won''t disappoint me", he said to the old man. "Yes, sir." 24 Loophole 1 The next day, Drake woke up in a confused state, but a joyful piece of news cheered him up: [Beep! Grand-knight Level Breathing technique has been fully optimized to meet the host''s body and genetics. Please insert a name.] Drake thought for a while and looked at the technique''s description. Every step of the breathing technique was detailed, and Drake could see that his biochip had fully transformed the originals. It seemed like his biochip had mixed his Moonlight family and the Helmholtz family''s breathing techniques, yet it was deviating a lot from any of the two. It was a new grand knight-level breathing technique altogether, one that was suited to Drake solely, adapted to maximize the benefits of practicing it with Drake''s genetics, frame and own limits. Breathing for 20 second straight, condensing internal energy in the belly, then exhaling for 10 seconds straight¡­Breathing in¡­Breathing out¡­After a few minutes, Drake''s face was flushed, his whole-body sweating buckets. In his training room, the whole environment was being warmed by Drake''s actions. Practicing a breathing technique was more exhausting than it seemed. Not only did the breathing technique spent a huge amount of internal energy, utmost focus was required whenever you practiced it. The slightest mistake would result in backlashes that were awfully painful and detrimental to the practitioner''s body. Hence, mental fatigue was often a secondary effect of practicing such techniques. With this technique, Drake felt completely exhausted, not just mentally, but physically as well. Unable to understand what was happening to his body, he checked his body temperature, which had somehow rose to 40 ¡ãC upon using the technique. The biochip found out that the gains were maximized when the temperature of the body rose to such heights. If it were anyone else than Drake practicing it, they would most likely die from a fever or sheer exhaustion. But Drake was no longer a normal human. He clearly remembered talking to the illustrious Magus Kayle before he suddenly fainted. On his night table, there was a magical tome and a pouch filled with a hundred magical crystals. He had yet grasp the value of these ''gifts'', but since it was from one of these legendary Magi, it was bound to be extremely valuable. The Magical Tome was called [Wind Bindings], but after reading the first pages, Drake realized that he was truly an ignorant. He didn''t understand anything! Hence, Drake decided to have breakfast with his subordinates. Upon descending, he found out that Felicia, the scarred acolyte, was smiling and thus engaged conversation: "Have a good night in there, heh? You should have seen Evangeline''s face! She was in awe. As a grade 5 talent, don''t forget your friendship with me when you become an illustrious man, aye?" Drake smirked and started to eat. Lewis suddenly asked him: "I have been gathering information when you were away. There are several crucial areas you should visit during your time at Helios, my lord." "What are they?" "First, the magical library is the most popular place for acolytes. However, since it cost knowledge points to merely stay in the library, it is ironically very difficult to access. Next is the market place we crossed with Lady Evangeline. Although there is always a risk of being swindled, some have very good reputation and are thus quite trustworthy. Furthermore, the prices are usually below what is proposed by the magi who take advantage of acolytes. Finally, there is an organization of guards, mostly composed of knights, who call themselves the sentinels. Although the acolytes and sentinels sometimes work together, they rarely interact with them in a close relationship. However, doing so would provide you access to amazing training rooms. I''ve seen these men spar among each other¡­they are very talented and stronger than average knights", Lewis said in a low voice. However, Felicia barged in the conversation and instantly corrected Lewis: "I''ve been living in Helios my entire life and there were indeed a few men and women who frequented the sentinels. However, most of these people walked the path of body refinement, using magic to strengthen themselves and improve their defence to match spiritual beasts. However, most of these people end up stuck in the first¡­or sometimes the second acolyte rank. It is very difficult to find the time to strengthen the mind AND the body at the same time, while still spending sufficient amount of time on learning spells and expanding your knowledge on magical theories. Well, I wouldn''t recommend you to walk down that path." Drake, however, was very interested in becoming a body refinement acolyte. After all, he had always been considered as a genius after breaking through at a young age and mastering the sword art of lunar elves. Furthermore, he had mastered a knight killing technique that dealt an absurd amount of damage, which probably matched the might of a rank one acolyte''s spell. If he used other spells to further increase his attributes or improved his defence, then he would definitely have a distinct advantage over other acolytes. As for not having enough time to invest in both paths, Drake was confident because the biochip could do most of the work for him. Although it could not learn the theories in his stead, it could still filter the useless or inaccurate pieces of information and even synthesize it to make it faster and easier to learn. Adding to that his grade 5 talent which seemed to be a great deal, he was confident in excelling in this path. "Can you tell me more about that, please?", Drake said upon showing the sigil that Grandmaster Kayle had gifted him as a form of acknowledgement. "¡­", Felicia had mixed feelings upon seeing this treasure. After some time, she began to speak while trembling: "This is the sigil representing Magus Kayle''s acknowledgement. With it, you can access the first floor of the Magical Library for extended period of times without paying any knowledge point, and you won''t have to pay for meditation rooms in the tower. Meditation rooms cost one magic crystal per session of three hours, and although they enable you to progress twice faster, few can afford them¡­Don''t show this sigil to anyone, unless you want them to feel extremely envious." "Oh¡­Thank you, Felicia", Drake said while feeling a bit apologetic. Just because he had been tested with high talent, he was given everything on a silver plate. It was no secret: he was bound to progress much faster than others with all of these benefits. "Don''t worry about it. You should be more arrogant with your talent. Otherwise, people will use you", she gave an advice. "If you ever run low on magic crystals or knowledge points, there is a floor in Helios'' Hall, the huge building in the centre of the city, called the Mission Floor. There are literally tens of thousands of missions issued by noblemen, merchants or even neighbouring kingdoms. Most of them pay very generously for tasks that are sometimes fairly easy to complete, just like some pay you measly for utterly dangerous missions." Drake nodded and exchanged pleasantries on his way out to Helios. Drake was truly thankful to have made an acquaintance like Felicia. She lacked manners and was physically repulsing, but she was truly kind-hearted, giving him all kinds of advices. Of course, it might be her looking at their relationship on the long term, making Drake owe her one, but even then, Drake could feel her good intentions. After listening to Lewis'' reports and lists of rumours while strolling in the streets, Drake considered purchasing artefacts or enchanted armours in the market. However, since he had no accurate knowledge of the prices and effectiveness of the said items, he decided to head towards the library first, not to mention that magic crystals seemed incredibly valuable, based on Evangeline''s grimace upon handing the 10 magic crystals the previous day. With a sigil with such privileges in hand, Drake was actually thinking about abusing the system. When the Magus Kayle gifted Drake with his sigil, he expected the latter to go and search for a few books here and there amongst the thousands of magical tomes sorted in the giant library. It must be said that the library had 4 floors. Each floor had a surface of over a square kilometre, accounting for dozens of thousands of books each, if not even more. Drake suddenly had an idea. Instead of searching for bits of information here and there, every few days, Drake was about to do something crazy¡­His idea was simple-minded, yet quite daring and probably never done before: scanning every single book found in the first floor of the library. By doing so, he would not only expand the database of his biochip, he would also get access to a real-time appraiser: Upon encountering a beast, he would immediately know of this or that feature. Upon encountering a rare magical resource, he will not fail to pick it up because of ignorance. Drake made up his mind: he wanted to become a walking library! This was going to be the greatest heist of the Magical Court History. Dozens of thousands of books, perhaps even hundreds of thousands of books would be Drake''s eventually. Even if they were merely the lowest quality books with most of them being basics rather than proper theories, they were still the results of hundreds of years of accumulations, with books who were sometimes written on research which lasted for decades! 25 Loophole 2 Between two shelves, a man was crazily turning the pages of a magical tome which had the name of [Sage Ephir Research ¨C The Theory of Mana Nodes]. Although the book itself was about something which was already done by over a dozen so-called sages, Drake scanned the book with utmost excitement. After finishing the task, Drake looked at himself in his reflection the metallic bar. He was smiling, yet fatigue was beginning to wear him down. However, he couldn''t be any more joyous. Two months passed already. He had finally finished scanning the 113 842 books and scrolls within the library. It was¡­mind-opening. His biochip''s database expanded so much that Drake felt like he had once again access to the futuristic empire internet network. Anything he wished to know, he would ask the biochip and it would provide a synthesized yet extremely precise answer. Even if Drake only comprehended a fraction of what he had scanned with the help of his biochip, the percentage never ceased to rise with the biochip feeding him summaries and interesting theories whenever he had the courage to do so. Furthermore, the ''fraction'' he understood was a fraction of 113 842 books and scrolls, meaning that it was more than an average rank 1 acolyte would ever grasp in a lifetime. Unfortunately, the first floor of the magical library was filled with¡­useless information. Hence, most of what Drake had scanned proved to be utterly garbage with no use whatsoever. It was especially the case when authors spoke about their lives and travels. Though the experience and encounters were interesting, the authors somehow emphasized on their luck, their courage or their personal skills instead of describing in detail the monsters and such. Compared to these biographies, the Encycloepedia and bestiaries were much more valuable in Drake''s eyes. This ''knowledge trip'' had only begun for Drake, yet his mind had improved a lot. What differentiated acolytes was not the number of spells they could cast, of the damage of their spells, but rather their ''spirit''. Spirit was an attribute which represented the power of the mind, and it was related to mana, the resource consumed to cast spells, a resource that was omnipresent in the air and replenished itself during meditation. 4 points of spirit was the beginning of the road. By reaching 4 points in the spirit attribute, something that could be measured thanks spirit measuring stones, one would be acknowledged as a rank 1 acolyte. Rank 2 acolytes possessed 8 to 14 points of spirit, while rank 3 acolytes possessed 14 to 20 points of spirit. As for magi, they possessed over 21 points of spirit. They truly were extraordinary. In just two months, Drake''s spirit value reached 5.9 points, thus qualifying as a rank 1 acolyte. It truly was a huge amount for someone who spent very little amount of time meditating compared to fellow acolytes. Instead, Drake focused on researching magic, and it considerably improved his efficiency upon meditating. Most of people didn''t meditate properly, and thus tried to absorb the magic particles of their choice into their body, stressing their mana pool similarly to a knight who would work out to stress their muscles in order to strengthen it. However, most of acolytes did it the wrong way, since this method was way too slow. It was akin to work out, but instead of stressing your muscles as hard as you could, you stressed your muscles by doing the workout program meant for elderly persons. Drake put into practice theories that were repeatedly evoked in scrolls. The most common method to increase the efficiency of meditation was to go into regions with higher density of mana. With more magic particles to absorb, your growth rate was bound to increase. This is why Felicia had been in awe upon seeing that Drake obtained the sigil granting him free access to the meditation room. However, even this method was insufficient to maximize the gains. Instead of breathing the magic particles like people usually did, Drake controlled his pores and opened them to the wild environment of the tower. Instead of just breathing the magical particles to absorb them, he was absorbing them all over his body. In a word, he was ''Breathing'' with his whole body, thus earning the same gains as other acolytes who spent over ten hours in the meditation room, except that Drake only spent slightly over an hour. The main setback of this technique is that it required utmost concentration, thus making it difficult to concentrate after such a session of meditation. Hence, Drake usually meditated in the early evening, and spent the rest of the evening practicing the Grand-knight level breathing technique to increase his physical attributes as well. [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ¨C 15 years. Rank: Knight, Rank 1 Acolyte Status: Peak Condition. Attributes: Strength ¨C 4.8 | Dexterity ¨C 3.4 | Constitution ¨C 3.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 15.2 Spirit ¨C 5.9 | Mana ¨C 5.9/5.9 Perk: Mutated Heart (+200% base recovery rate) Skills: Lunar Elven Sword Art (Knight level, proficiency: advanced), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Advanced), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Peak), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced), Original Meditation Technique (Proficiency: Peak) Knight Killing Technique: Arclight Chop (Sword speed: 200%, Damage: [Strength*3] degrees) Enchanted Heavy Armour Set ¨C Absorb up to 12 degrees of damage.] The gains were evident, yet Drake felt like he had wasted a lot of time over the past two months. If he couldn''t cast a spell, then it didn''t matter if he had a lot of magical knowledge. Furthermore, it wasn''t as if he didn''t have any spell at his disposition: the Magus Kayle had gifted him a magical tome containing a high-quality spell. Unlike commonly spread spells which could be found on markets, the spell contained in Kayle''s tome had been researched by a Magus and enhanced. Spells were of extreme complexity, to the point that even his biochip, with all the computing power and data at its disposition, would take years to simulate a stable yet inferior spell matrix. Finding a spell required trials and errors, and unfortunately, there was no messing up when it came to magic. For instance, Felicia burned herself from head to toe after failing to mentally construct the spell matrix in her mind, after a rogue acolyte attacked her mind with a mental spell. [Beep! Analysing [Great Air Breath]¡­55%...100%! Analysis complete] [Beep! Simulating learning method to hasten host''s mastery of the spell¡­Based on the rich database concerning wind-related spells, host''s comprehension of magic theories and host''s spirit, the task will take 25 days, 22 minutes, and 33 seconds. Current Progress: 0%. Estimated timeframe for host to master the spell: 14 to 21 days.] ''I can definitely wait for 25 days!'', Drake thought in excitement. It must be said that most of acolytes spent over two years meditating and practicing before learning to cast their first spell. Of course, once an acolyte learns a spell, the timeframe usually drastically decreases to six months. When Drake came back to the Bear Tavern, Felicia reminded him that he would soon have to pay for the food he ate and his rent. After all, he had been relying on her kindness for two months despite having a huge fortune. However, in fear of being stolen or news spreading, Drake concealed his wealth, and only spent a little here and there. Out of the original 100 magic crystals scholarship handed out by Magus Kayle, 64 remained in Drake''s pouch untouched. As for the rest, Drake had spent 25 magic crystals on an enchanted heavy armour set which could absorb up to twelve degrees of damage, either physical or magical. To get an enchanted item for merely 25 magic crystals, Drake was truly lucky, as they were usually sold for twice this amount. Fortunately, it was an auction mostly attended by acolytes, and apart from body refinement acolytes, very few sought such an extravagant and impractical piece of armour. It must be said that unless one had over four points of strength, moving around with this enchanted armour would be challenge. Although it provided an impressive defence, qualifying as a half-artefact, it was too impractical to be called a real magical artefact. As for the other 9 magic crystals, Drake bought magical herbs and used his status as a grade 5 talent to coerce an alchemist into doing him a favour and concoct over a dozen vials of toxins. Although these toxins were detrimental to his body and decreased his constitution, they improved his strength by a huge amount. He used a toxin vial every two weeks, giving enough time for his body to recover. [Beep! Toxin injected in host''s system! Expected effects: +0.3 point of strength, -0.15 point of constitution.] However, he had recently discovered a way to minimize the detriments of the toxin: twilight flower. [Beep! Twilight Flower powder has been ingested¡­Neutralizing the damage done by the toxin¡­Expected effects: Backlash of the toxin decreased by 55%.] Knowledge is power indeed. 26 The Bet 1 In the Bear tavern, Drake and his men were eating around a square table. The food was excellently cooked with spices coming from all over the world. Life in Helios was beyond expensive, since the majority of customers were often noblemen. Although magic crystals were the main currency for Magi, acolytes were often forced to pay in gold coins, since most of what they bought wasn''t valuable enough. Drake looked at the Bear Tavern''s weekly rent: three hundred gold coins for just Drake, Black and White rat and Lewis. This was madness. However, in Helios, it was a very good deal, a ''friendly deal''. Drake and Felicia were not that close, but the former was a newcomer who isolated himself while the latter was ashamed of her horrible scars. Both found comfort in talking to each other. They were indeed friends. Drake had received many invitations over the past two months: newly founded factions and deeply rooted factions alike. However, Drake rejected them all. After all, these factions granted little benefits besides getting an easier time finding partners to complete missions with. Since Drake had yet to complete a single mission, there was no benefit whatsoever in joining one of these factions. He could make use of his status of gifted acolyte to earn favours from people who had lost hope in breaking through. Of course, if you contributed to a faction, you would receive pointers from higher-ranked acolytes or get opportunities to join generous expeditions with plenty of rewards. But most of the time, acolytes were just exploited and pressured into joining a faction. And if a faction war burst, then every single member of the faction would have to participate in it. No matter how Drake looked at it, it wasn''t a risk worth taking. Another benefit of factions would be access to exclusive meditation rooms as rewards. However, with Magus Kayle''s Sigil of acknowledgement, Drake could spend days in the tower without having to pay a single magic crystal, hence his reluctance to join a faction. The alchemist Fred who Drake swindled into making him free toxins was a prime example of that. Drake was lost in thoughts, but Felicia suddenly interrupted his wild imagination. "Drake, I have managed to talk the sentinels into giving you a chance to spar with them." "Really?", Drake was overjoyed. He had asked Felicia for contacts and get to train with the knights. He hoped to earn insight on knight killing techniques and swordsmanship in general. He seemed to have reached a bottleneck in the technical aspect. Of course, he had long since exceeded his own father in terms of sword attainments, but Drake didn''t wish to become a mere knight. He wanted to become a strong body refinement acolyte. However, no matter how many times he practiced the Arclight Chop, he couldn''t find any way to improve it. Furthermore, the biochip estimated the time to improve the technique through simulations to be around four years, so he gave up this idea until he gathered more data. In this aspect, the sentinels were a golden mine of data, so he gave it a shot, talking to Felicia for contacts. Little did he know, in a few days, she had managed to convince the Sentinels to let him, a newcomer, join their training! Drake hugged Felicia before heading to the Sentinel Training Camp, a usually restricted zone for acolytes. It was a safe zone for non-acolyte people. Drake''s arrival was met with two sentinels, who were obviously stronger than your average guards. [Sentinel ¨C Human Male Age ¨C 58 years. Rank: Knight Status ¨C Healthy. Attributes: Strength ¨C 3.4 | Dexterity ¨C 1.1 | Constitution ¨C 3.8 | Internal Energy ¨C 10.7 Skills: ¡­] [Sentinel ¨C Human Male Age ¨C 56 years. Rank: Knight Status ¨C Healthy, Peak. Attributes: Strength ¨C 3.8 | Dexterity ¨C 2.0 | Constitution ¨C 3.5 | Internal Energy ¨C 16.7 Skills: ¡­] These two knights were in their fifties, yet their hair was brown and their faces showed no signs of aging. Obviously, strengthening potions and toxins reinforced their bodies and battles hardened their constitution. After years of service, they became knights who could proudly call themselves elite knights. "Who are you? Acolytes are not allowed in the sentinel casern. Please do not cause trouble, young man", the oldest spoke. Drake frowned, feeling troubles coming his way: "I am Drake Moonlight, and my friend Felicia from the Bear Tavern just told me that your higher ups allowed me to attend your training. I walk the path of body refinement, and a few months ago, I was still a knight. I won''t let you down." The other sentinel showed an apologetic face upon hearing Drake''s politeness to them. After all, most of acolytes treated them like sub humans. However, someone had insisted in troubling this young man, and they couldn''t offend this ''someone''. "I am afraid you will have to ask your friend a letter of recommendation. No one can pass this gate without one. This is the law. Even if your words are true¡­I cannot let you enter just like that", the other man said. Drake frowned. He was originally excited to the point that he ran all the way down from the centre of Helios in which the Bear Tavern was located to the outskirts, where the Sentinel casern was located. For two months, the only ''knight'' training he did was practicing his Grand Knight level breathing technique and swing his sword in the air occasionally, when he needed to vent out his frustration. For the first time in the past two months, he was about to spar with someone. He was about to fight. He didn''t enjoy killing people, but fighting was something that defined him, as if fighting made him alive, as if it gave him a purpose in life. Of course, he still feared death. The Battle of Alm still evoked some lingering fear in his heart. But for instance, sparring would often bring him joy. And yet, these two old men wouldn''t budge or let him pass. However, in a contest of stubbornness, no one could beat Drake. "Article 8: Corruption is punished by 10 magic crystals, 200 gold coins and 50 lashes in the Sun Place", Drake said as he quoted the Sentinel Code, which all sentinel members swore their life to abide to, "Article 7: A sentinel must act with violence only when violence is needed. If there is a peaceful way to end a conflict, it must be privileged, even if it is not in the personal interest of the sentinels. Article 23:¡­" "What are you¡­Why are you quoting our code?" "I mean, you make trouble in the middle of the day. I wonder what your higher-ups will say when they hear you gave troubles to their esteemed guest¡­", Drake threatened. The two old men were sweating, as if they could already feel the lashes they would be given. "I will talk to the captain and see¡­", one of them muttered in a low voice. However, a bystander who was watching the scene with interest suddenly came out, and complained: "You sentinels are truly good-for-nothings. Fine, feel free to tell your captain whatever you want." Drake titled his head in surprise. He couldn''t understand. He was a newcomer, and he had done nothing in the past two months besides scanning books and eating in an unpopular tavern. If anything, he was talented and someone was jealous. ''Was it because I refused to join one of these second-zone organizations which sought to exploit me?'' The man revealed his attire by coming out of the shadows. He had a blue robe, proof of his rank 1 acolyte status: "I am Franklin, a body refinement acolyte. I have joined the Magical Court four years ago, and I completed one mission after another. I sweat a lot, I bled a lot and I can''t even count the number of times I nearly died in a battlefield. Last month, I was in an expedition and lost a finger in a battle." "What does it have to do with me?", Drake thought out loud. He had done nothing offensive and he followed Evangeline''s advices by staying low key these past two months. And yet, his efforts proved to be insufficient. Furthermore, the one seeking trouble with him was a rank 1 acolyte. "You¡­managed to purchase the enchanted heavy armour set I had my eyes on! I have been for an opportunity to buy a half-artefact like that for years, but treasures body refinement acolytes are scarce in Helios. If only I wasn''t injured and forced to purchase a potion in order to avoid lasting injuries, the heavy armour set would have been mine!", the man complained out loud. "I know it is a treasure, that''s why I bought it. Since I bought it, it belongs to me. End of the story. Listen, I don''t want any trouble. If you want an apology, I will give it to you, but I won''t part with something I rightfully purchased just because you wish to possess it." Franklin gritted his teeth and took out a pouch: "There are thirty magic crystals in there. I want you to sell me the enchanted heavy armour set. I was there when you bought it at 25 magic crystals in the street auction. You will thus earn 5 magic crystals out of this deal. I know you are a newcomer. Life in Helios is difficult, and very expensive. Spells cost at least 20 magic crystals, and I am not even accounting for the meditation room rent¡­" "Oh, come on!", Drake exclaimed out loud, "You think you can trick me like that? The auctioneer made a loss by selling it at 25 magic crystals. Even if you propose 40 magic crystals, I won''t change my mind. I might be a newcomer, but I know that the market price is around 50 magic crystals. The enchantment is sturdiness, thus complementing with any body refinement or even a knight''s fighting style. I wouldn''t be surprised if someone bought it at 70 or even 80 magic crystals." Enchanted artefacts were often known as half-artefact, because although they couldn''t compare to the true magical artefacts in terms of effectiveness, or possessed tough requirements, they were still extremely valuable. Drake was no longer the ignorant bumpkin he was upon coming in Helios. With the first floor of the library scanned in his biochip, these analyses were pretty easy to come up with. There was no way he would part with his heavy armour set for a measly 30 magic crystals. Franklin seemed uncomfortable with so many people approaching the scene out of curiosity. In a matter of a few minutes, over a dozen bystanders were surrounding him, some making fun of him out loud for his swindling attitude. The pair of sentinel guards, unable to accept to take the fall, withdrew from the commotion: "I am sorry, Franklin. You did save our lives in the last month, but we won''t throw it away just because you say so. We listened to your request, so now we are even", the oldest guard said while running away. Franklin, flustered, said: "You exaggerate too much¡­" ''Yes, I do, but who will the crowd believe? Me or a swindler?'' In fact, although the heavy armour set was indeed worth a fortune, it wasn''t exactly in pristine condition: the enchanted heavy armour set he had purchased was obviously worn for years. Thankfully, the rune ''sturdy'' provided extraordinary durability to the armour, but it definitely wasn''t as sturdy as it originally was. Drake estimated the original defence power of the armour to be around 15 degrees of damage, which decreased to 12 degrees of damage over time. But there was no way of telling unless you appraised the heavy armour set in details. Enchanting was a rather lucrative business, but it required tremendous amounts of resources and restricted knowledge. In Helios, there were only a handful of people who managed to dive into this art. As a matter of fact, this handful of rune masters belonged, without exception, to the wealthiest individuals in Helios. 27 The Bet 2 The commotion escalated and now, over sixty individuals came to witness the scene. These fights happened on a daily basis in Helios. To the acolytes, knights and merchants, these fights were the entertainment required not to go crazy from the deathly boring routine of their lives. "I challenge you to a duel", Franklin said out loud, "If I win, I earn the heavy armour set for free." "What if you lose?", Drake said while scanning Franklin. After a moment, he compared his attributes with that of Franklin. [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ¨C 15 years. Rank: Knight, Rank 1 Acolyte Status: Peak Condition. Attributes: Strength ¨C 4.8 | Dexterity ¨C 3.4 | Constitution ¨C 3.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 15.2 Spirit ¨C 5.9 | Mana ¨C 5.9/5.9 Perk: Mutated Heart (+200% base recovery rate) Skills: Lunar Elven Sword Art (Knight level, proficiency: advanced), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Advanced), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Peak), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced), Original Meditation Technique (Proficiency: Peak) Knight Killing Technique: Arclight Chop (Sword speed: 200%, Damage: [Strength*3] degrees) Enchanted Heavy Armour Set ¨C Absorb up to 12 degrees of damage.] [Name: Franklin. Age ¨C 18 years. Rank: Rank 1 Acolyte Status: Slightly Injured (Strength, Dexterity decreased by 20%), Impulsive behaviour due to over consumption of performance-enhancing drugs Attributes: Strength ¨C 8.0 | Dexterity ¨C 2.4 | Constitution ¨C 7.6 | Spirit ¨C 6.2 | Mana ¨C 6.2/6.2 Perk: ? Skills: ? No apparent artefacts or enchanted items found on target''s body.] As if everything became clear, Drake nodded. Toxins and strengthening drugs were not without any side effects. Some had direct consequences on health, and some had effects on hormones and brain. Franklin abused these substances, and became overly emotional and impulsive, completely harmful to his acolyte path. Naturally, acolytes can be bold. It might even be one of their advantage, a reason why their enemies fear them. After all, if you are just another hermit seeking peace and harmony, people will take advantage of that. However, being rash was harmful. Acolytes must think first, and act later instead of rushing towards danger. Seeking knowledge and using it always remained one of their virtue. Franklin wasn''t bold. He was just impulsive and impatient. Looking at the stats of the hostile body refinement acolyte, Drake nodded. He was indeed a strong acolyte. Although Franklin was much stronger than he was in terms of raw attributes, his dexterity was quite lacking, mostly because he was a mass of muscles, probably weighing over two hundred pounds with little fatness. The norm for rank 1 acolytes was to deal 10 to 20 degrees of damage. However, Franklin seemed to be slightly above average. Even if he wasn''t a knight per se, his attributes were on par with half Grand Knights. He could probably deal over 20 degrees of damage with his two-handed war hammer. Hence, even if Drake possessed a heavy armour set capable of absorbing a lot of damage, he had no confidence in surviving against this human beast if he were to take a full strike. A more pressing issue was that he had yet to master a spell whereas Franklin was already an acolyte for years. It wouldn''t be surprising if he knew one or even two spells. No matter how he looked at it, his odds of winning the duel were pretty small as he was right now. Franklin gritted his teeth, before taking a scroll out of his pouch: "This is a soul-capturing scroll I borrowed to a friend, which is worth a fortune. The scroll is incredibly restrictive. If the slave does something while knowing it is detrimental to the master, the slave will experience tremendous mental pain that will paralyse him for a while. It will provide the master with a tremendously loyal slave." Many gasped. Everyone knew of the soul-capturing scroll. It was a very popular item yet the supply was extremely low, thus selling for around fifty magic crystals. Be it rarity or value, it indeed matched Drake''s half-artefact. Many used this item to tame spiritual beasts and earned fame thanks to it. Some acquired strong mounts like that, while others relied on these beasts to fight, as they focused on support spells. The latter were called taming acolytes, as part of their spirit was assimilated in the contract. Drake pondered for a while, before disagreeing: "Although I really enjoy this whole charade, it is not fair. I''ve only been an acolyte for two months, and you''re someone who has been training for years. Furthermore, I have no use for this item. Even if I win, I will just sell it to the highest bidder!" Franklin felt dispirited and handed out his most precious item, a treasure which would make any body refinement acolyte turn green in envy: "How about this?" [Beep! Analysis in progress¡­88%...100%!] [Beep! Item: [Meteorite Jatu Piece]. Found by a wandering Magus, the Jatu Meteorite was harvested by a tribe of orcs. However, thanks to exposition to the meteorite, the orcs had strength on par with Grand Knights and a rarely seen innate magical resistance to spells. After leading hundreds of acolytes to deal with the orc tribe, the wandering Magus managed to capture the Meteorite Jatu and destroyed it into pieces for marketing purposes, making a fortune. Estimated price of the rock: 60 magic crystals based on market prices, though it might be sold over 80 magic crystals in an auction with body refinement acolytes. The main issue is acquiring the Meteorite Jatu piece, since it has become a lost material, with only a handful possessing a piece.] [Beep! Meteorite Jatu Piece can emit radiations that are beneficial to host''s [Strength] and [Constitution] Attribute, and the following 22 experiments might result in host developing an innate magical resistance to spell. The following 22 experiments are-] Drake thought for a while. ''The man is obviously driven by his greed. If I can my hands on this meteorite Jatu piece though, I will truly become stronger¡­However, if I fight him with my current lack of spells, I am unlikely to win. "Alright, I shall agree to that. For the sake of fairness though, how about we postpone the duel in half a year?", Drake proposed. Even if Drake would lose the opportunity to fight Franklin when he was injured, he would also get the time required to fully grasp and master the superior spell he had been gifted by Magus Kayle. Furthermore, he would have six months to find ways to reduce the gap in attributes between him and Franklin. "Fine. Six months. No more, no less. I will register at the arena, and both the fight and the bet will be overseen by the authority of Helios." The arena was a very popular place in Helios. Located in its northern outskirts, every duel was brutal and showed the fearsome powers of acolytes. Some observed those fights for the sake of expanding their fighting knowledge, while others just enjoyed the brutal violence displayed in there. ''Well¡­so much for staying low-key. But I guess this is an opportunity I cannot afford to lose.'' Drake pursued his original plans and entered the Sentinel Casern. A man greeted him and felt extremely apologetic upon hearing what happened: "I am Rey. I am deeply sorry for the shameless behaviour displayed by the two guards. I can assure you they will be punished harshly." "Do not worry about it, sir. If you truly want to help me though, I would appreciate it if I could spar in the Sentinel facilities for the next few months. It would help me improve my swordsmanship." The captain readily answered: "Of course! Richard! Come over here and fight with this acolyte. Don''t underestimate him, he has battled in a knight war just like us. I knew your name was familiar, Drake. You''re the one who won the Battle of Alm, right?" "Indeed. I didn''t know the news would reach Helios, though", Drake said while feeling goosebumps at the thought of the Battle of Alm, battle in which he nearly died. Richard was a forty-years-old knight, on par with Lewis. [Sentinel ¨C Human Male Age ¨C 40 years. Rank: Knight Status ¨C Healthy, Peak. Attributes: Strength ¨C 3.0| Dexterity ¨C 1.5 | Constitution ¨C 2.9 | Internal Energy ¨C 6.7 Skills: ¡­] A few sentinels stopped training to see how the fight would end. However, to their greatest surprise, Drake only needed to unsheathe his elven sword, and strike thrice. Making full use of his higher speed and strength, Drake struck twice with all of his strength to push Richard into a defensive stance. Instead of striking a third time only to be parried, Drake feinted and rotated his body to slash horizontally, which hurt Richard''s ribs pretty badly. Everyone was shocked. It had taken less than a minute for Drake to overwhelm Richard, a knight with a pretty good reputation in the camp. The Captain was under shock, but quickly called a few more¡­promising sentinels, if only to regain honour for his unit. Three more sentinels sparred with Drake. Unfortunately, none of them were able to match Drake and ended up moaning on the ground after receiving harsh hits in the ribs. Drake was slightly disappointed. Although these knights were superior than average knights in terms of pure attributes, they were a bit lacking in terms of fighting proficiency. None of them were on par with Viscount Allan for instance, who was a peak knight in flesh and bones. Well, that was Drake''s assessment of the sentinels before fighting the captain. When the man decided to spar with Drake, his attitude completely shifted. His face, apologetic, vanished and turned into a completely focused expression. Taking out a Great Sword made of black iron, which seemed to weigh over fifteen kilograms, he charged towards Drake. It was a simple charge, yet Drake could feel that each one of his step was filled with confidence and experience. Drake felt trapped, as if he knew his opponent would be able to strike him no matter what he chose to do. ''The captain is truly on a higher level'', Drake assessed. However, upon seeing his attributes, Drake felt like there was room to overpower Rey. [Sentinel Captain Rey ¨C Human Male Age ¨C 48 years. Rank: Peak Knight Status ¨C Healthy Attributes: Strength ¨C 5.0 | Dexterity ¨C 2.5 | Constitution ¨C 4.5 | Internal Energy ¨C 16.0 Skills: ¡­] Drake didn''t move from his original spot, and decided to make use of his higher dexterity to overwhelm Rey with thrusts and dodges. Because of Rey''s great sword, even if he decided to dodge or block, he would hold a disadvantage, whereas dodging provided him with enough room to counter attack. Although he managed to dodge the incoming chop, his thrusts were not powerful enough to give Rey a hard time, as he continued to swing his great sword, with ever increasing momentum. Drake knew that if he took one of these hard strikes, he would go down and get bedridden for a while. Furthermore, each strike complemented the precedent one, leaving less and less room for Drake to dodge. It was obviously a knight-level swordsmanship being displayed, or perhaps even a Grand-knight level technique. After more than a dozen exchanges, Drake managed to hit Rey more than twenty times, but just as he thought that Rey would go down, he received a powerful fist which was filled with internal energy and sent him flying. [Beep! Thirteen degrees of damage received, 9 of which have been fully absorbed by the heavy armour set. 4 degrees of damage have penetrated host''s defence, due to it being of internal nature.] Drake felt a tremendous pain all over his torso, but it must be said that the sentinel captain was not faring much better, as Drake''s thrusts were backed by 4.8 points of strength, something on par with the very strongest peak knights of the casern. And he had received over 20 of them¡­ The both of them groaned, and shouted to intimidate each other. However, they didn''t manage to scare the other. Instead, they gave a fright to the whole crowd witnessing their duel. Everyone looked at the duo while muttering: "monsters¡­" And indeed, the two of them were monsters. Disregarding their pain, they went for another round. In the evening, Drake was riddled with shocking wounds. And yet he was in a state of epiphany. He had earned insight in a new knight-killing technique, one that would be sufficient to surprise his future opponent Franklin! Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 28 The Sentinels 1 After being nagged by Felicia for the whole evening, Drake was given healing herbs and stuff to recover faster. Although his wounds would have normally taken days to be healed, his heart had mutated and granted him a 200% boost in recovery speed. Adding to the healing herbs provided by Felicia, a night rest was sufficient to close most of the external wounds. Although he had some lasting injuries which should take a few more days to be healed, Drake decided to ignore them since they were mostly superficial. At the Sentinel Camp, everyone looked at him with respect. After all, Rey, the sentinel Captain, was one of the few peak knights. Rey had been acknowledged by the Head of the Sentinels, the Sword Saint Sillius, a Grand Knight with impressive abilities. There were only twelve sentinel captains. And yet, Rey didn''t manage to win against Drake. It was a complete stalemate that other sentinels had to put an end to in order to avoid heavy injurie and material damages in the casern. "You''re up pretty early in the morning, heh?", Rey suddenly exclaimed upon seeing Drake rushing in the casern. "I could say the same about you!", Drake replied "I am afraid I won''t be able to spar with you like yesterday. I am not sure whether you are aware of that or not, but you somehow dislocated my shoulder yesterday!" "My apologies, I was caught up in the moment. I was wondering though¡­could you teach me this fist technique you''ve attacked me with yesterday?", Drake suddenly asked. Although he could probably ''steal'' the technique based on observation and simulation, his biochip was unfortunately busy with analysing the Wind Bindings spell handed out by Magus Kayle. Furthermore, the stolen version of the skill would never be as good as the one he would learn if Rey was willing to hand it to him wilfully, carefully explaining the steps. Hence, he could only resort to ask Rey for a favour. "Mm, I am afraid I cannot. It was a knight killing technique of my temple back in the days." ???Temple?", Drake suddenly asked. "Yes, the Porfield Kingdom is in the centre of the continent, and probably the most powerful out of the thirteen great kingdoms. There are two neighbouring kingdoms at the east, which us eastern folks call provinces. Although there are officials overseeing the provinces and ''royalties'', the true powers of these provinces are temples, who have the support of the people and strength to defend against enemies. I come from the Liu Province, and I lived 30 years in the Sky Clear Temple, in which I learned many things, including the knight killing technique you seek." Drake understood Rey''s reluctance to teach this art. After all, these arts were restricted techniques that weren''t supposed to be spread. In History, a northern kingdom had tried to spread Grand-knight level techniques and Grand-knight level spearmanship to every single inhabitant so that the populace would get stronger and able to defend themselves against raiders. For years, the kingdom entered a golden age, and they were able to repel the raiders. However, a harsh winter descended and famine broke out. The angry population gathered and led a revolution that destroyed the kingdom. Although techniques and strength were useful, they were also very dangerous. This is why ever since this kingdom''s fall, nobles monopolized these techniques and swore to hunt down any attempt at spreading the techniques. Rey was no exception. He wouldn''t commit such a crime. Even if he was in Helios, he wouldn''t betray his hometown. "Yeah¡­I figured so. However, I guess you can give me some insights on how you managed to attack me through my heavy armour. I have never seen something like that", Drake asked sincerely. Rey smiled and thought in horror: ''To be able to grasp my fist technique''s secret by experiencing it just once¡­He truly is a monster'' "I am not asking you to give me this intel for free. In exchange, I can give you an advice on your Great Sword Art. I might not be a master of Great Swords, but I know you are lacking in a few areas. If I point out, you may become much stronger than you currently are." Rey pondered for a while, before accepting. The two of them walked together to a secluded room. It was a personal training room, a privilege that was unique to sentinel captains. There were several dummies, weights to lift, sculptures to meditate and naturally, plenty of weapons to train with. Rey suddenly put a sturdy plank in front of dummy, and used his knight killing technique once again, yet this time, he controlled his strength as not to destroy the plank. However, the dummy behind broke, as if it was pierced by Rey''s punch. Drake could not comprehend what was happening. It was too overwhelming¡­as if Rey was using magic! "It''s not magic", Rey corrected, "I trained my fist technique for three decades. This is the result of my training: I can freely control the internal energy in my fist, and releasing it can pierce through defence layers and deal nasty internal damage. Honestly, I went soft on you yesterday." Drake was shocked¡­To be able to control internal energy so proficiently¡­It was indeed worthy of being the result of decades of training. Usually, only Grand knights could do it, but nothing was absolute. Rey was a living proof of that. In a way, Drake''s Arclight chop was similar, except that he required a medium: his sword with which he always fought with. He embedded his sword with internal energy, producing a blue light which increased his sword''s sharpness and power. If he could learn how to release internal energy at the same time¡­the knight killing technique would be considerably enhanced! "Can you do it once more?", Drake asked And thus Rey performed. "Once more?", Drake asked once again, with a sorry face. After practicing the technique over a dozen times, Rey ran out of internal energy and collapsed on the floor while massaging his shoulder which Drake injured the previous day. "I cannot do it anymore, sorry", Rey said. "Don''t worry, it''s already impressive you did it twelve times in a row", Drake said while thinking about what he had witnessed, "it''s time to uphold my part of the bargain" Drake picked up Rey''s great sword, and imitated Rey''s sword art: "When you swing your great sword this way, you expose you right flank. If I used all of my strength yesterday, you would have broken ribs by now and not just a dislocated shoulder. Furthermore, although you mastered your sword art, you lack adaptability. You always strike the same way, and move the same way. If anything, your charge was by far your best move, since you studied it." Rey nodded, as he was well aware of these shortcomings of his. The Head of the Sentinels had said the exact same things to him. Drake wasn''t just inventing the stuff he was saying. His father, Viscount Allan, was an adept of Great Swords. The Moonlight Sword art was very strong, and well suited for two-handed swords. "This is why you need to think while fighting. I''ve seen your eyes, constantly staring at my next move. However, you only think of what your opponent is going to do. You never think about what you have to do. And while it grants you better reaction time, it also cripples your adaptability", Drake said. By the time the two of them finished exchanging pointers, it was evening. Mostly, they spoke about techniques, breathing methods and ways to get stronger. After this long session, the two of them seemed like they had gone through some advancement. The next day, Drake secluded himself in Rey''s training room for hours. [Beep! Arclight Chop landed on target! 15 degrees of damage dealt. 1 point of internal damage dealt! Practice the move 112 more times to increase your proficiency in releasing internal energy to enhance the Arclight Chop technique!] ''112 times to go, huh. I should be able to do it in a few weeks, aye.'' And thus, going in the sentinel casern and going for knight training became an every-day routine. Drake would spend the morning his Arclight chop technique and spar with knights eager to test themselves against him. As he gathered more data and pointers with peak knights, his proficiency in both his sword art was improving by leaps and bounds. The Sentinels were far from being a homogeneous group. While some joined the Sentinels for honour and opportunities to access markets that would enable them to get even stronger, it was also a place where knight-level criminals were sent to, as a way to redeem themselves. Some of the people Drake talked to used to be bandits, mercenaries or even murderers. After decades of belonging to the sentinel, with constant training and fighting, these men and women no longer thought of committing atrocities. They focused on one thing: becoming stronger, since strength was the only thing that would keep them alive. In the afternoon and the evening, Drake would usually focus on his magical studies, as well as meditation. He would also practice his grand-knight level technique occasionally, as to improve his attributes, if only slightly. At some point however, the Captain and Drake''s relationship became that of close friends, to the point that Drake was offered to join the Sentinels. It was a crazy offer, because the Sentinels were probably one of the strongest factions within Helios, considering the number of knights they had. Besides the arcane order which was known to be pacifist, the Sentinels had enough men to utterly outnumber other factions. Artefacts, spells and enchanted armours didn''t matter if dozens of knights unleashed their strongest techniques on you. Drake considered the offer. He walked the path of a body refinement acolyte. No matter how he looked at it, the most knowledgeable people when it came to body refinement were not acolytes, but the Sentinels. Furthermore, the data Drake could gather by staying with them would be priceless. Perhaps with his biochip''s help and the data gathered, he would be able to improve his swordsmanship to Grand-knight level! Other factions proved to be quite lacking in benefits. He had no need for guidance from higher-rank acolytes with the wealth of knowledge in his mind, most of which was acquired in the first floor of the library. He had no need either for immediate backing, since he had no enemies to speak of. As for the truly good conditions, the factions involved in Helios didn''t like the thought of investments. After all, even if you possess high talent, it didn''t mean that you would become a strong acolyte. Becoming one required talent, for sure, but it also required luck, resources and will. If any of these four factors was lacking, then becoming truly strong would be either exceptionally long, or filled with difficulty. Hence, before Drake could be truly someone worth investing, the factions which reached out to him were not really worth joining. They were either desperate or unappealing, whereas the Sentinels were strong, honest and straightforward. Furthermore, there was no better protection than that of a Grand Knight. After a deadly silence, Drake suddenly spoke the words with firm confidence: "Alright, I will join you" Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 29 The Sentinels 2 Upon joining the sentinels, Drake was taken to the Sword Saint Sillius, the Grand Knight who led the Sentinels and backed them. He was also the one who taught the 5 sentinel generals, all of them being Half Grand-knights. Although he seemed slightly old, his vigour and strength seemed to be higher than ever. In fact, the man was probably in his peak form, considering that Grand Knights had a lifespan of over 150 years. [Human Male ¨C Sentinel''s Head | Name ¨C Sillius | Title ¨C Sword Saint Age ¨C 72 years. Rank: Grand Knight Attributes: Strength ¨C 16.3 | Dexterity ¨C 5.0 | Constitution ¨C 18.0 | Internal Energy ¨C (?) Skills: (?)] Drake only came across two Grand Knights in his life. The first one was the immaculate leader Verdon, whose name spread across the continent when he beat a Magus by taking him by surprise. However, Verdon was older and injured, whereas Sillius was in his peak form, having access to many resources to further strengthen his body. The two of them were not your average Grand Knights. They were on par with below-average magi. He had never witnessed actual magi fighting, but he had read about them in the library. And both Sillius and Magus Kayle were able to scare him with nothing but a stare. The sheer presence of Sillius was enough to make Rey nauseating and Drake completely frightened. It was as if he was standing in front of a primordial beast. In fact, Sillius could be considered a real beast, based on his attributes. A beast that knew how to wield a sword if one trusted his title. "So you are the acolyte who wishes to enter the Sentinels, huh? There were people similar to you in the past. Acolytes who sought to seek allies in the sentinels. Most of them were naturally body refinement acolytes, but really, they were nothing surprising. I must warn you: you won''t find any treasure or ground-breaking technique among us sentinels." "Yes, sir. I am aware. I must also point out that despite my wish to become a body refinement acolyte, I was a knight before awakening. My whole life has been about wielding a sword, and upon awakening, I was tested to have grade 5 talent" It was Rey''s turn to be utterly surprised. Most of body refinement acolytes strengthened their bodies because they lacked talent in spell casting and magical affinity, either because they lacked talent or intellectual capabilities to mentally picture the spell matrixes. They would rather spend their days consuming toxins and strengthening potions as well as train their body to turn their bodies into that of human-shaped beasts. If they became strong and lucky enough to find a body refinement method, their body would become similar to that of spiritual beasts, absorbing mana continuously, thus stimulating their spirit and increasing their odds of breaking through a higher rank. "Why would you seek to join our faction? Most of acolytes look down on us. If you seek missions, most of what we do is patrolling around Helios or participating in wars against monsters. We don''t have meditation rooms to offer, or restricted tomes of knowledge to reward you with if you made incredible contributions." "Indeed, but the sentinels are knights, or Grand knights, and since I want to become a body refinement acolyte, there is no faction more suited to me than the Sentinels. I am not asking you to treat me the way factions want to. Otherwise, I would have joined the arcane order a long time ago, if only to benefit from their network. I don''t have any interest in Helios'' politics. I seek strength, and sentinels can guide me on which potions are efficient, their prices and share their experiences with me." Rey interrupted Drake: "If I may speak, Master Sillius, Drake has shown incredible talent in knight techniques. I am afraid I cannot match him in single combat." "Oh?", Sillius was surprised. Rey was by no means a weak person. He was probably one of the strongest knights among sentinels, otherwise he wouldn''t have been promoted to sentinel Captain. "Alright, then. Drake, here is our emblem. Since Rey vouched for you, I will accept his request and hire you as a Sentinel Captain. You will be paid a Sentinel Captain''s Salary as an acknowledgement of your acolyte status: three magic crystals a week. However, considering your lack of experience, you will join Rey''s unit and participate in patrols for the time being. I am sure you heard that the Western Kingdoms are falling as we speak. Their armies are mostly destroyed, and tribes of orcs and wild beasts invade the Porfield Kingdom as a result, threats that average armies cannot face. Helios has a duty to keep the kingdom safe. You might encounter spiritual beasts, or orcs who possess higher strength than Knights. Injuries are frequent and deaths are common. Do you still want to join?" Drake smiled. Obviously, he knew the Sentinels'' role before coming in Helios. Although Sillius talked about weekly patrol in borders, most of the patrols were without danger to the sentinels. "Yes, sir", Drake replied. After all, the Western Kingdoms weren''t as weakened as they appeared to be, not to mention that plenty of acolytes were stationed there and weeded out the strongest monsters reported in the border. Sentinels took care of the small fries. Three magic crystals a week was definitely a huge salary, on par with generously paid missions meant for rank 1 acolytes. Of course, it was dangerous, but it was still a huge amount for Drake''s current skills. More importantly, it was a steady income. The pay was this good because a Sentinel Captain was in charge of the expenses of his team: better gears, healing potions and rewards. After all, if the Sentinel Captain didn''t take care of that, then his team would often be injured, and more likely to die, considering that average sentinels possessed a measly salary of 100 gold coins a month, and five magic crystals on a yearly basis. Drake''s instant promotion to Sentinel Captain was bound to lead to jealousy, but it''s not like anyone could contest Drake''s strength and abilities. The only people higher than Sentinel Captains in hierarchy were the Sentinel Generals, and they were only 5 of them. Each one of them served the Sentinels for decades, and possessed strength equivalent to that of Half-grand knights, probably on par with Franklin, perhaps even slightly stronger than him. After leaving, Rey accompanied Drake to the market area. After all, he had a lot of money to spend, and a duel to win at all costs. If he lost the bet, then he would truly lose out on a great opportunity. The Jatu Meteorite wasn''t something that could be bought in any markets. It was the kind of items that appeared in auctions at a well above market price. Furthermore, losing his most valuable item, his enchanted heavy armour set, would be a huge setback. "The markets are plenty, but most of the people using the streets are actually swindler who take advantage of newcomers'' naivety or old acolytes'' plights. They are the kind of people who would suddenly increase the price of healing potions after seeing someone bleeding out on the cold ground", Frey explained, "Us sentinels do not have many contacts, but over time, we hunted many magical beasts. The corpses and materials harvested are especially valuable to acolytes, and by signing a contract with the witch called Roxanne, a rank 2 acolyte, we earned large discounts over a variety of items. Sometimes she doesn''t even make benefits by supplying us with strengthening potions. However, she does make a lot of dough by having access to the fresh materials we grant her." "What is this contract?" "Well, since you didn''t sign it, you aren''t bound by it, so don''t worry. The contract only says that as long as she has business, we have to sell our game to her first before selling to others. That way, she has a monopoly over the rare items we get her." "Does finding rare items frequent?" "Actually, it is not. But when we hunt down a magical beast, we sometimes sell its corpse for dozens of magic crystals. Unfortunately, hunting a magical beast often come along with deaths and injuries, so most of it is spent on hiring healing acolytes or compensation to their families." Drake pondered. He had never thought that hunting magical beasts could be this valuable! However, since even the Sentinels wearing heavy armours and possessing knight physiques died often, it was probably even more dangerous to rank 1 acolytes who barely mastered one¡­or perhaps two measly spells! No wonder that acolytes didn''t wish to join the Sentinels. At rank 1, the dangers were just too high for the benefits and at rank 2 and above, they possessed strength to complete missions with less danger and more benefits! Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 30 Preparations Drake and Rey finally arrived at the [Witch Shop], as the name indicated. Entering this eerie place located in the outskirts of the market area of Helios, Drake felt Goosebumps all over his body. There were organs stocked in jars and conserved in a greenish liquid. On the shelves, there were scrolls and magical tomes about necromancy and dark magic. Obviously, this Roxanne was an acolyte walking down the path of forbidden dark magic. In ancient times, dark magi were looked down upon. However, with the number and quality of acolytes decreasing over generations, the Magical community decided to unite both white and dark magi to fight against the ever-stronger monsters invading Barnolia. There were rumours that the Thirteen Kingdoms and the continent they lived on was actually just an island in the giant world of Barnolia. However, since nobody came back from expeditions meant to explore the world due to submarines magical beasts, no one believed in such tales¡­except a few people, including Drake. He had read over a thousand records of civilization and dozens of thousands of mentions of another Magus community living in a far away island. However, these records were usually 300-years-old, and forgotten. Drake, however, believed in in them. It actually made much more sense, since the spell matrixes were of extremely high quality and stability despite their complexity. "Oh, Rey, it''s you. I thought you would never bring a customer in my establishment, yet here you are", the old witch said in a low voice. "It''s Drake, an acolyte who decided to join the sentinels", Rey said nonchalantly "Oh? Mm, you are a body refinement acolyte, huh. There were a few people like you, defying the odds and joining the sentinels." Drake was surprised at her comment, and remembered that Sillius mentioned them as well. Hence, he asked out of curiosity: "What did they become?" "Some died in patrols, others left the sentinels after another faction contacted them and made them some offers they couldn''t refuse. Wait a second¡­You said your name was Drake, right?" "Indeed, I am Drake" "You are the one who challenged Franklin? Haha, my boy, you are out of luck!", the witch mocked in a horrible voice. "What do you mean?", few people knew Franklin, and Felicia had never heard of him for instance. Drake didn''t know a lot of people in Helios. Besides Fred, the alchemist who did him a favour, the sentinels, Felicia and Evangeline, Drake had no contacts, thus no information whatsoever on Franklin. At least, it was the case until he met this witch¡­ "Franklin is a training freak. He was born a farmer, and killed a bunch of people in a revolt, thus getting noticed by an acolyte in a mission. At the time, he didn''t have any training, just brute force. And he was just 14 at the time. In Helios, he was tested to have a grade 1 talent, which crushed his hope. After all, months of meditation would barely show signs of improvements. However, he didn''t fall into despair. He took easy missions at first, and after seeing the rewards, he then followed by taking the harshest missions meant for rank 1 acolyte. I heard he killed a bunch of bulls with his bare hands recently. He is probably one of the strongest rank 1 acolyte you can find in Helios, truly living up to the fame of body refinement acolyte. You, on the other hand, are someone I have never heard about, a newcomer if I may believe Rey." Drake was quite surprised. It wasn''t everyday that you could encounter someone with no backing whatsoever thrive in Helios, not to mention one who had so many fighting achievements. "Do you know if he learnt spells?", Drake asked. "Well, you''re quite the smart fellow. I will give you valuable information if you can give me something in exchange¡­I happen to have an experiments ongoing and I was looking for a test subject of acolyte-" "He will participate in none of your experiments, Roxanne. Come on, just tell him what he wants on account of my fidelity", Rey interrupted her, with a grim face. Rey had heard of the witch''s misbehaviour. She had killed many people for the sake of alchemy in the past, and even though her shop had been exiled to the outskirts of Helios, she didn''t seem very affected by the punishment. Wherever she went, innocents would end up dying. Villagers, farmers or bandits. It didn''t matter. For the sake of harvesting souls or blood, she had no boundaries. As for someone like Drake, with acolyte blood and knight physique¡­she probably had many evil uses for his body. "Alright, alright. He has learnt one spell actually, which is pretty good considering his grade 1 talent. It''s called [Stone Skin], as the name indicates, it turns his skin into sturdy elemental stone. I am afraid that unless you can win a war of attrition and wait for him to run out of mana, you will die trying to break his defence." Drake cursed. Out of all spells, Drake feared that Franklin would learn some defensive spell. Drake was pretty much sure that he would be able to break through whatever defence Franklin would have prepared, unless it was a spell after all. The latter had no defensive artefacts, and besides a magical spell, there were not many things likely to block Drake''s killing technique. [Beep! Stone Skin ¨C Acolyte Spell. Common spell. Type: Defensive. Consuming mana, casting the spell turns the acolyte''s skin into an elemental layer of stone, adding a damage absorption property to it, absorbing up to [Spirit] + 8 degrees of damage on average, based on the mentions of spell found in 335 sources.] Considering Franklin''s spirit attribute value, Franklin would be able to absorb about 14 degrees of damage, which was definitely a huge amount, enough to block off all of Drake''s normal attacks. Even Arclight Chop would barely be able to graze him. If he wore an armour on top of it¡­then unless he had some kind of breakthrough here, he would lose the fight. For a moment, Drake felt pretty confident in winning the fight. With his talent and his current growth rate, he was bound to considerably reduce the gap between them. He had higher dexterity, so he could definitely use speed at his advantage. Even if he was slightly weaker in other attributes, Drake had obvious advantages in terms of sword proficiency for instance, or combat experience. Although Franklin went through missions, Drake spent his childhood in sparring, and the last year fighting one battle after another. Even if Franklin had learnt offensive spells, Drake felt pretty confident in blocking them with his shield and enchanted armour. Unwilling to miss such an opportunity, Drake decided to use everything at his disposal and prepare as much as possible before the duel. He still possessed 64 magic crystals. He knew the value of this scholarship handed out by Magus Kayle. Drake had his eyes on numerous things: enchanted swords, artefacts and perhaps even learn a craft with so much money. Enchanted swords were definitely to his liking, but because it is popular, it was in short supply. The odds of Drake finding one were pretty low. As for artefacts, they cost at least a hundred magic crystals, which was way too much for Drake''s current finances. Seeing that Drake was lost in thought, Rey spoke: "My friend was interested in strengthening potions you might have gotten your hands on. Especially the¡­good-quality ones, not what you usually sell to my men." Roxanne was a bit taken aback. She never expected a newcomer like Drake, whom she had never heard about, to be wealthy enough to afford such pricy goods. Walking like an old hag, she went to her warehouse and reappeared with a bunch of potions, all of them stored in dark vials. "I am an alchemist, and one of the 16 disciples of Grandmaster Aegon. These are my best achievements: Soul nurturing potion, Ghost Poison as well as this potion called Death Liquid." [Soul nurturing potion ¨C Grade 2 potion Main Component: Souls of a thousand dead men and women. Expected effects: Increase spirit attribute by 0.8 point at the cost of 1.5 point of constitution. Side effects: Nausea, as well as nightmares for a duration of 3 days.] [Ghost Poison (8mL) ¨C Grade 2 alchemy good. Main component: Ghost Soul. Expected effects: Upon contact with an individual''s blood, the ghost poison will spread throughout his body and paralyse it. The duration is based on the target''s constitution and the amount of ghost poison used. Damage: 3-5 degrees of damage every 10 seconds, depending on the target''s constitution.] [Death Liquid ¨C Grade 3 Potion Main component: blood of an ancient mummy. Expected effects: +1.6 strength, +0.6 dexterity considering host''s current attributes. Requirements: Less than 6 points of strength and 4 points of dexterity. Otherwise, the effects will be halved. Side effect: Exhaustion Curse for the 8 hours following consumption. This curse can be nullified by acquiring the mummy''s totem. Side effect: 6% Death energy corruption based on host''s current attributes. If the corruption reaches 100%, host will die. Death energy corruption will decrease lifespan and decrease constitution attribute over time. It can be healed over time, and hastened through sweating.] Drake pondered for a while, and couldn''t turn his eyes away from the Death Liquid. He was well-aware of the side effects and price: 50 magic crystals, after applying the discount. It was the equivalent of six months of training, perhaps even more! All for the relatively low price of 50 magic crystals. The only issue was the curse and death energy corruption which would further decrease his constitution. However, the boost in strength and dexterity were exactly what he needed at the moment. Perhaps it would cause unbalance in his attributes, but he didn''t care anymore. After all, there were dozens of ways to use the Jatu Meteorite piece to increase his constitution attribute value by leaps and bounds. "I will purchase the Death liquid and Ghost Poison", Drake finally said. "It will cost you 60 magic crystals", the old witch said while rejoicing. It wasn''t everyday that she could make such a sell. She mentioned being one of the 16 disciples of Aegon, a dark magus who was well-versed in necromancy. However, she never mentioned that she was also part of the black list of the arcane faction, after killing a few dozen members in so-called ''experiments'' when she was still a newly advanced rank 2 acolyte. Rey only earned discounts and such below-market offers because many people feared her and didn''t want to offend the arcane faction. The latter was outraged: "60 magic crystals? You can''t be serious! My sentinel unit has always sold its game to you. It didn''t matter if the corpses were that of orcs or that of Blood eagles. Sometimes, we even preferred to sell the corpses to you instead of going straight to the auction, despite knowing we could have made a greater benefit." "And I am thankful to you, hence the discount. I am selling a grade 3 potion and grade 2 poison to your friend for a measly 60 magic crystals, and you still want me to decrease the price? I am not a charity!", the acolyte said in an angry voice. Just like acolytes were divided in ranks, an alchemist''s level was measured by the grade of his products. Capable of brewing grade 3 potions, the witch Roxanne was a pretty good alchemist. Selling these potions for merely 60 magic crystals, she was indeed doing them a favour. Drake, however, would not refuse saving a few magic crystals. "I will be part of his unit too¡­By selling them to me at a lower price, you would actually make a great investment!", Drake said. The witch looked like she wanted to cry, and then added in a firm voice: "I will add an energizing pill in the lot to make up for the potion''s side effects. Are we good?" Drake smiled and answered: "Yes, pleasure to do business with you!" Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 31 Patrolling Mission 1 Two days passed since Drake purchased the potions and consumed the grade 3 Death Liquid. After falling unconscious and gasping for air an entire day, and feeling like he was dying for the following day, Drake was now in his peak condition, feeling much stronger than usual. Drake just finished completing a meditation cycle and followed his training by completing a few revolutions of his Grand-knight breathing techniques. No matter how he looked at it, his growth rate was astonishing. One might forget that he was barely 16 years old. [Beep! Meditation cycle completed! Expected benefits: +0.005 point of spirit] [Beep! Grand-knight level Breathing Revolutions completed. Expected benefits: +0.008-point constitution, +0.004 point of dexterity, +0.004 point of strength. Consumption of Goldrich flower increasing the benefits by 48%.] ''If only I could practice my breathing technique on a daily basis¡­I would be unbeatable by now'', Drake complained. His breathing technique indeed provided incredible benefits. Ever since his proficiency reached peak, the benefits were maximized and since it was adapted by the biochip to suit his own body, its efficiency was actually several times higher than that of normal Grand-knight level techniques. However, it also came with a drawback: practicing it on a daily basis would surely increase his attributes, but his body would grow used to the stress it provided, similarly to how you reach a plateau by always doing the same workout. Hence, Drake could only practice his breathing technique for a limited period of time per day, or complete an entire revolution and let his body rest for a few days. The obsession of getting stronger, along with the training and analysis of his biochip had led him to utterly surpass his own father, at the young age of 16. It truly was a huge achievement. In less than a year, Drake managed to breakthrough and reach the peak of the knight realm. Of course, going to Helios was probably the most benefitting trip he ever made. [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ¨C 16 years. Rank: Knight, Rank 1 Acolyte Status: Peak Condition. Attributes: Strength ¨C 6.5 | Dexterity ¨C 4.1 | Constitution ¨C 3.3 | Internal Energy ¨C 15.3 Spirit ¨C 6.0 | Mana ¨C 6.0 Perk: Mutated Heart (+200% base recovery rate) Skills: Lunar Elven Sword Art (Knight level, proficiency: advanced), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Advanced), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Peak), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced), Original Meditation Technique (Proficiency: Peak) Knight Killing Technique: Arclight Chop (Sword speed: 200%, [Strength*3] degrees of physical damage, 2 degrees of internal damage). Enchanted Heavy Armour Set ¨C Absorb up to 12 degrees of damage.] ''I guess it will depend mostly on my new spell¡­'' Drake was still a few days away from fully analysing the spell. Afterwards, he would have to spend a few weeks to master the spell. Even if it was a high-quality spell, [Wind Bindings] would only bind his opponent''s movements. At best, it would further increase Drake''s advantage in terms of mobility. At worst, Franklin''s strength would completely nullify the spells effects, though Drake was quite confident in its effectiveness, since it was an enhanced spell gifted by Magus Kayle. Drake returned to the Bear Tavern and had a bath. Thereafter, he ate breakfast. It was still early in the morning, yet Felicia was loyal to her punctuality, and already prepared it. "Tell me, Felicia. If I were to bring you meat from a magical creature, would you be able to cook it? I mean, not a whole magical creature, but the best pieces, like its liver", Drake asked out of curiosity. "Of course. In fact, if it weren''t for the lack of clients, I would cook such high-quality meals on a daily basis in exchange for magical stones. Why? Oh right, I forgot you were a body-refinement acolyte. Indeed, eating the flesh of strong creatures are bound to complement your training sessions and strengthen your body. After all, even us normal acolytes would benefit greatly from eating it" "Mm, I may have joined a faction", Drake confessed. "Really? It took you a long time. If I were you, just reading the conditions they offered would have made me go crazy. Access to the arcane laboratory labs, or the Shadow mercenaries'' network? Even your family would benefit from you joining a faction!" "I actually joined the sentinels." "What?" "I joined the sentinels. Come on, don''t look at me like that!", Drake said upon seeing Felicia''s dumbfounded expression, "The deal is great. I get to go on patrol missions and acquire experience for free, and I even get access to their training facility. Rey even introduced me to a witch who gave me a huge discount. She was a grade 3 alchemist, for fuck sake!" Felicia was a bit reassured upon hearing Drake''s arguments. Still, it felt like a waste for someone like Drake, a grade 5 talent, to walk down the path of Body Refinement. However, whenever Drake felt a hint of doubt in his choices, he would stare at his attributes and grin. His knight-killing attribute sufficed to match a peak rank 1 acolyte''s strongest spell. As for his dexterity¡­just his sheer speed made it difficult for an acolyte to follow his movements. As for casting a spell on him, Drake knew that it would definitely be difficult. "Whatever, it''s your choice. It''s not like you are entirely wrong. When I was injured, my faction, the Fire Sisters, kicked me out when I was in my lowest. This is why I joined the Arcane Order. In Helios, you cannot trust anyone but yourself. Since you already reaped some benefits, it''s good for you. And if you are so set on walking the path of body refinement, I am sure you will greatly benefit from their facilities and experiences", Felicia said. "Well, thanks for the meal, I have to go in a patrol mission with your contact Rey. Thank you for introducing him to me, he really was helpful." "Rey, huh?", Felicia said absent-minded, "To be honest, I didn''t exactly know him. I ran into him in a mission and saved his life, so he owed me one. It''s a good thing he looks after you." "Well, I owe you one now", Drake said while leaving. On his way, he gave his immaculate soldiers and Lewis a new task. Although they were great warriors, their use was beginning to fade as Drake became increasingly stronger. Hence, Drake decided to give them a shot at becoming stronger by giving them access to the sentinels'' training ground. They would get to compare their skills with fellow preparatory knights and knights from the entire Porfield Kingdom, spar with true powerhouses. If they became strong enough, they would definitely become useful in hunts and patrol missions. On the back of his horse, Drake found out that he was slightly late, being the last to arrive. "Oh, you are here! Let''s go!", Rey said in a hurry They were exactly 15, including Drake and Rey. All of them were knights, though Rey was probably the only one who had mastered a knight killing technique. When they arrived at the gate, Rey only needed show his face to the guards and his sigil to the gargoyle in order to leave. He had that much influence among sentinels. Although Drake shared the same rank, it was only because of his acolyte status, and not because other sentinels acknowledged his strength. If he wanted to prove himself, he had to perform exceptionally in patrol missions like this one. "We are heading to the Western borders, like usual. This time, will have to watch out for a rank 1 flaming bear. If we do encounter it though, we will be able to use the stationed acolyte''s support. We just have to report its location to the stationed acolytes if we manage to track it down. Doing so will grant us a bounty of three magic crystals.", Rey said. Every knight sighed upon hearing that. It wasn''t a sigh of disappointment, but rather, a sigh of relief. To them, magical creatures were monsters. Every time they fought one, someone would suffer greatly from injuries or even death. Each year, a dozen sentinels would die this way. The slightest mistake determined whether they would survive or not. A second of inattention could turn into a death sentence at the borders. It was a well-known truth among sentinels. Drake had only heard of magical beasts in his life. Yaksha, flaming bears, thunder wolves, blood eagles¡­There were so many magical beasts in the Porfield Kingdom, and so many of them were perfectly described through the numerous books he had read in the library. And now, he got to meet one in real life. It was both an exciting and frightening thought. 32 Patrolling Mission 2 Helios was located in the Western Region of the Porfield Kingdom called the death plains, because all around Helios, only the strongest wild beasts and bandits survived the constant come and go of acolytes and sentinels. In fact, there were even plenty of semi-magical beasts, attracted by the higher density of mana which resulted from the agglomeration of thousands of acolytes and twelve magi. Travelling on horses, they would reach the area they had to patrol in only take five to eight days. Although the sentinels were tasked on patrolling on Western Borders, Sentinels were usually in the backline, so as to avoid unnecessary casualties. The travel was pretty smooth, since bandits knew better than attacking groups of sentinels, and pack of wolves usually picked up on lonely preys instead of large groups of strong humans. "Captain Rey, do we have to head in the Blue Forest again?", one of the men said upon seeing the far away forest zone. It was a normal forest, except for the fact that the trees were way taller and the magical beasts higher in numbers. The trees were also of blue colour, a mutation which enabled the trees to absorb mana in the environment to provide for their growth. The average height of these trees was over 80 meters, and its diameters was about four meters. To the Sentinels, the Blue Forest was one of the many danger zones they rarely ventured into. Although they may receive bigger rewards to the higher density of mana, and thus higher concentration of magical herbs and beasts, the risks were also quite high. However, among the numerous danger zones, namely Black Desert, Orc Mountains, Goblin mines, and Wyvern Nests, the Blue Forest was probably the least dangerous one. The magical beasts were similar to wild beasts in terms of intelligence, even if their strength varied between rank 1 and rank 2. There were rumours about the tallest tree of the Blue Forest being a rank 3 magical creature, a Treant to be more accurate, but there were no proof of these rumours. No sane man would approach it however. "Indeed, though we will only venture in its outskirts. Don''t worry, we are actually getting lucky in this patrolling mission. We do not have to eliminate some goblin tribes or locate a nest full of magical beings. I chose an easy mission because our newcomer, Drake, has to acquire experience. We just have to locate the Flaming Bear and report it to the stationed acolyte" Drake tilted his head upon hearing these words: "How do we contact the stationed acolyte?" Rey smiled and showed a magical device called communication orb. It was dyed in red, and seemed pretty neat. The Magical Court was indeed the true power of the Porfield Kingdom. To think that their technology was so advanced! Drake nodded in agreement. It seemed like Rey had truly picked an easy mission out of kindness. Although easier missions meant easier time, the higher ups ranked the Sentinel Teams based on contribution points. The units with the highest number of contribution points were given additional rewards: Exclusive strengthening resources, rare knight-level weapon arts, guidance from Sillius himself¡­ As for the team with the lowest amount of contribution points, the salary of its members would decrease by a whole 40%! It was a vicious circle. The strong teams became increasingly stronger thanks to this system of contribution points, whereas the weak were becoming increasingly weaker due to the malus. However, the Sentinels indeed became stronger in a whole thanks to this system. Only by setting such a pragmatically vicious environment, did they manage to establish themselves as a strong faction within Helios. As time passed, the blue forest was becoming less distant. However, right before entering its outskirts, a group of lizardmen was seen by Rodrick, the team''s marksman. Rodrick was a knight, yet he was a half-human, just like Drake. However, his ancestry was that of an eagle beastman, which granted him a far superior vision compared to his human peers, and thus a much higher aim whenever he was shooting bolts with his crossbow. Rey''s team was quite strong. Drake had faced most of his teammates already during sparring. Richard, the first sentinel Drake beat, was also part of Rey''s team. However, none of Rey''s subordinates could compare to Rodrick, who was a crucial member for the missions'' successes. Rodrick whispered: "There are 11¡­no, sorry. There are 13 lizardmen hiding in bushes and trees, probably out hunting for preys. What should we do?" Rey replied in a very low voice: "I say we hunt them and get it done. As for the corpses, I believe that Roxanne mentioned their brains being valuable to her, so we will only harvest that. Everyone is fine with that?" Everybody nodded in agreement. Although it wasn''t stated in the missions, all monsters the sentinels encountered would result in additional rewards. It was a bounty system based on the monsters'' strength. Most of the time, the rewards were magic crystals and gold coins, but sometimes, it was exclusive strengthening resource. Furthermore, it granted a few contribution points to the unit. "Here is what we will do", Rey ordered, "Richard, Paul and Rodrick, you focus on shooting them down, while the rest of us will play baits. Be ready to draw your swords and defend yourself. No shots until they attack us, alright? It will be pretty annoying if one of them manages to escape and returns with his whole tribe." The twelve knights approached the forest as if there was nothing unusual, and the lizardmen, pretty well hidden actually, rejoiced. However, as soon as they came out of their hiding, bolts were shot at them. It must be said that this lizardman group was not used to interact with humans or their terrifying weapons. Lizardmen were primitive and lived in tribes, feasting on weak magical beasts. Although they possessed stronger bodies than humans in general, Rey''s team was by no means ordinary. All of them were knights. [Adult Lizardman Warrior Age ¨C 11 years old | Lifespan ¨C 40 to 50 years Status ¨C Healthy. Attributes: Strength ¨C 1.9 | Dexterity ¨C 1.1 | Constitution ¨C 3.8 Skills: ¡­] [Adult Lizardman Warrior Age ¨C 12 years old | Lifespan ¨C 40 to 50 years Status ¨C Healthy. Attributes: Strength ¨C 1.6 | Dexterity ¨C 1.3 | Constitution ¨C 3.4 Skills: ¡­] [Elder Lizardman Warrior Age ¨C 34 years old | Lifespan ¨C 40 to 50 years Status ¨C Healthy. Attributes: Strength ¨C 2.9 | Dexterity ¨C 1.1 | Constitution ¨C 4.8 Skills: ¡­] The lizardmen warriors were without any doubts strong. Their constitution allowed them to endure knight attacks pretty well, and unless they were beheaded, their sheer vitality allowed them to survive. Furthermore, although their strength was pretty low, they could use their tails to bash the knight with terrifying might. Fortunately, even with such high constitution, a bolt in the brain and they would drop dead. Similarly, beheading them was pretty efficient. Drake confirmed this theory after sneaking behind a lizardman warrior and beheaded it with a horizontal slash. It was clean, simple and too easy. However, as the lizardmen were falling in numbers, the elder lizardman roared and entered a berserk state, increasing all of its attributes by 20%, a pretty terrifying skill. ''It looks oddly similar to Grand Knight Secret Techniques who ignite their internal energy to increase their attributes¡­However, this lizardman berserk state seems superior, increasing all of his attributes by 20%. There were no mentions of this in the library¡­They must have moved it to a higher floor'', Drake appraised while blocking the elder lizardman''s warrior charge. Even in a berserk state, the elder lizardman warrior was far inferior in terms of attributes compared to Drake if you ignored constitution. Wanting to end it pretty quickly, Drake broke the elder lizardman''s balance by blocking the strike and kicking the lizardman in the legs. While it was falling, Drake feinted a horizontal slash before actually thrusting his sword in the elder lizardman''s throat. Even knights, familiar with sword arts, would find it difficult to escape the lunar elven swordsmanship which relied on mobility and balance to overwhelm their opponents. A mere lizardman, unfamiliar with it, had no chance of surviving an encounter with Drake who had long since reached the advanced proficiency in it. In fact, he had been stuck in a bottleneck for months already, and couldn''t find any way to improve his skills, but ever since he joined the sentinels, he could feel that he was making progress again. As he cut another lizardman, he found out that there were no longer any enemies to kill. The sentinels were doing pretty fine. Surprisingly, Rodrick had managed to shot down 2 lizardmen in the trees, three hundred meters away from his target, which was as many as Richard and Paul''s kill counts reunited. Only one man had suffered slight injuries, but thankfully, the armour they wore could absorb up to 5 degrees of damage, enough to protect them from any casualties in skirmishes like this one. It was Drake''s first fight among sentinels. And it was truly mind-opening. Each knight fought with bravery, yet everyone supported each other. It wasn''t at a level of formations, but all of them fought together against their enemies. They didn''t individually charge them. ''Strong'' was the only assessment available. 33 Patrolling Mission 3 "That was a good fight", Rey exclaimed while cleaning the blood from his sword with the hide of the lizardmen. It wasn''t just a habit of cleanliness and hygiene to avoid catching diseases. Although knights were humans with high constitution, they would still be bedridden if they suddenly caught a fever. Cleaning the blood on one''s weapons was actually necessary to avoid the corrosion of the blade. By oxidizing the metal, the blade would become dull too. Drake followed their example, and nodded. As the men were dissecting the lizardmen for their brain, Drake took out a small knife. It was an ordinary knife, yet in the hands of Drake, it became a very threatening weapon. Drake used it to cut the Elder lizardman''s body. He scanned its anatomy and the biochip made a pleasant discovery: [Beep! Elder Lizardman Warrior Core! By eating it raw, host''s constitution will increase slightly. Another use of the core would be to create lizardmen puppets] Drake had no interest in lizardmen puppets. He wasn''t a puppeteering acolyte who relied on crafts to fight for him. Drake was a body refinement acolyte, and it seemed that the lizardman''s core was pretty beneficial to his body. [Beep! Nutritious ingredient has been ingested¡­] [Beep! Expected benefits: Satiation, Recovery rate increased by 8% for the next sixty hours, +0.005 Constitution.] Drake was flabbergasted. He had never expected the core of a humanoid monster to be this beneficial to his body. However, his excitement quickly cooled down upon realizing that only the Elder Lizardman Warrior possessed a ''core''. Magical beasts all possessed cores. Considering that the Elder Lizardman Warrior possessed a core, it would have turned into a magical beast and evolved into a rank 1 Magical Beast in a matter of years. However, because the lifespan of lizardmen is so low, it is actually pretty rare to see real powerhouses within their tribes. It truly was blessing to have joined the Sentinels. The deeper they went into the Blue Forest, the more uneasy Drake felt. With his biochip''s analysis, he could actually catch details and tracks of over a dozen magical beasts. Most of them were harmless, like Horned rabbits and Spectral Stags, but some of them were terrifying rank 1 magical beast which preyed on humans, such as Red-furred wolves. Fortunately, the tracks were a few days'' old, meaning that Drake''s group was unlikely to be attacked. Apart from these uneasiness, Drake''s pouch was slowly being filled with useful herbs and plants he found. Since the Blue Forest was an extremely dangerous place, very few dared to venture in it. The density of mana being higher, it not only favoured the birth of Magical Beasts, it also favoured the evolution of plants and herbs. [Blue Forest Wild berries ¨C 3 pounds. Value: 200 gold coins. Particularity: A sweet, energizing food that can be either cooked or eaten raw.] [Rare Itchweed ¨C 1 pound Value ¨C 0.5 magic crystal Uses: Alchemy (1200 mentions in database) Particularity: Cause an itching sensation upon contact with the skin. Also increase recovery rate at the cost of an itching torment.] [Fire weed ¨C 4 pounds Value ¨C 2 magic crystals Uses: Medicinal Bath Particularity: Increase the effects of meditation for fire-elemental acolytes] Apart from these three most valuable herbs found, Drake had gathered over twenty varieties of herbs and plants which had much less value yet some hidden benefits, either being used as spices, or useful for medicinal baths which would increase the benefits of knight training similarly to the Goldrich Herb which Drake bought in bulk. Seeing Drake picking up herbs and eating wild fruits, the sentinels laughed at him at first, thinking that he was some kind of city bumpkin who had never seen wildlife in his life. However, after Rey asked him why he did that, Drake started to quote the things he had picked up, and the sentinels'' mind turned blank. They were going in and out of the Blue Forest for years, and there were so many treasures lying right before their eyes! Unfortunately, they didn''t have the knowledge to recognize these treasures. Realizing that they might have come across a treasure in the past and failed to harvest it out of ignorance, the group felt frustrated. "We still need to march for a few hours before reaching the safe Sentinel hideout. Hopefully, there won''t be another unit since it is pretty small", Rey said to boost his men''s moral. "What is a Sentinel Hideout? Did you actually build a camp in the wild?", Drake asked out of curiosity. "Actually, there is a military camp in the middle of the Blue Forest. It is protected and inhabited by acolytes, so that they would be able to provide support to any Sentinel or fellow acolytes in distress quickly, which decreased the casualties. However, what I am talking about is merely a safe spot, a cave we found and marked on our maps. Ever since a group of sentinels was wiped out after being ambushed by a group of antmen, the Sentinels have been seeking hideouts and recorded them on maps. They are available in the tactician library in the Sentinel Casern. You can take a look at them since you are a Sentinel Captain" Drake nodded. He didn''t expect the Sentinels to build a library in their casern though. Obviously, Helios and its acolytes had some influence in it. Once you have tasted the benefits of holding knowledge, it is hard not to pursue the path of truth. It didn''t matter if you were an acolyte, a knight or a scholar. Knowledge is power, for whoever use it wisely. After reaching the hideout, the men were telling each other stories, some about women they met back in Helios and neighbouring villages, others of monsters they supposedly fought in their life. Meanwhile, Rey was looking for any suspicious movement, or signs that would indicate they were being attacked. Drake tried to sleep this night, but had little success. The omnipresent noises and dangers made it very difficult to rest. It was the total opposite of the safe and calm environment provided by Helios. However, the travel had been exhausting and they fought, so Drake eventually slept a few hours. When the sun arose, everyone woke up. After a quick meal, the group rode their horses. Although it wasn''t very fast due to the presence of trees, riding a horse was still less exhausting than walking in the forest. Furthermore, these horses were better than any horse Drake ever rode. It was a species that an acolyte managed to breed after ironically failing an experiment. The experiment aimed at creating a magical beast mount, but ended up with a strong species of horse instead. He opened a stable though to recover from his debts and over the decades, a new species was born and tamed. The sentinels purchased it afterwards. Because sentinels became the owner of the stable, these horses were given the name of Sentinel Horses. It wasn''t very original, yet another proof of the Sentinels'' influence in Helios. These horses could carry over four hundred pounds on their back, and could be ridden for days without resting. However, their greatest characteristics was their health and vitality. Normal wild predators such as average wolves would have trouble killing a Sentinel horse. Hence, Drake''s group moved pretty fast. Unfortunately, the first patrol was unsuccessful. They found nothing but dead bodies and no traces of a flaming bear whatsoever. They did run into a magical beast: a blood eagle. After escaping in a stroke of luck, the group decided to call it day after reporting the nest''s location to the stationed acolytes. Ironically, only Drake was happy from the day, after gathering over a dozen unknown herbs, which the database had no mentions of. If anything, the prospects of studying newly evolved herbs was exciting. He also found another batch of fire weed, to the point that it felt odd. ''With so many fire weeds in the area¡­It''s not possible for¡­'', Drake gasped upon realizing something. "Rey. We are not looking in the right direction." Everyone titled their head in confusion. Rey had served as a sentinel captain for decades. Drake explained: "These herbs are called fire weeds, and they are incredibly useful to acolytes with fire affinity. I don''t know much about fire bears, but it''s common sense for any magical beast to eat any resources that would increase their spirit. And fire weeds can do that. However, just today, I managed to gather over 2 more pounds of these weeds. It means that the bear hasn''t come here in the past days, or perhaps weeks. We won''t find any tracks if we keep looking in areas he didn''t go." "What do you suggest then?", Rey asked. His method of searching was not really well-thought. He only searched for tracks following a path they had walked numerous times and knew the dangers of. If the patrol was successful, then they would return empty-handed. It would only mean that either the bear was dead, killed by another predator, or it headed to other places. Anyway, with the contribution of reporting the Blood Eagle''s nest, they would still earn a pretty hefty amount of contribution points, though it was a pity to miss out on the rewards for finding the Flaming bear. "We can head deeper in the forest. It is unlikely for the bear to head towards the outskirts of the forest if he can seek better zones with high mana density", Drake said. The sentinels frowned. They knew that they would be more likely to find the bear by heading deeper in the forest, but it also meant danger. After a quick vote, the sentinels decided to follow Drake''s suggestion. Although nobody noticed, Drake had thoroughly become a sentinel in their heart. 34 Patrolling Mission 4 After spending the night in the hideout, the group headed deeper in the forest, exploring pathways they had never stepped upon in the past. Everyone was tense. Furthermore, after a few hours of deadly silence and no relevant discovery, the group found something quite eerie. Rodrick approached a tree, and noticed claw marks. Unfortunately, these claw marks didn''t look like bear claws, but rather¡­wolf claws. "Looks like we unknowingly stepped into a wolf territory¡­No wonder we didn''t encounter many animals on our way here, the beasts knew better than stepping into this danger zone", Rey cursed out loud. However, by the time they realized their mistake, the sentinels found themselves completely surrounded by a pack of wolves. To their surprise, there weren''t five or six wolves, but over fifty of them! Fortunately, these wolves were not magical beasts. Naturally, since they occupied a big territory in the Blue Forest, home to many magical creatures, these wolves were not average: they were called iron wolves since their fur was similar to iron, and difficult to pierce. This layer of defence was similar to armours, and many sentinels dropped dead facing such packs of wolves. [Adult Iron Wolf Age ¨C 8 years old | Lifespan ¨C 20 to 30 years Status ¨C Healthy. Attributes: Strength ¨C 1.9 | Dexterity ¨C 3.1 | Constitution ¨C 1.8 Perks: Iron fur (absorb up to 6 degrees of damage) Skills: Bite (Deals [Strength*2] degrees of damage).] [Adult Iron Wolf Age ¨C 12 years old | Lifespan ¨C 20 to 30 years Status ¨C Healthy. Attributes: Strength ¨C 2.3 | Dexterity ¨C 3.5| Constitution ¨C 1.9 Perks: Iron fur (absorb up to 6 degrees of damage) Skills: Bite (Deals [Strength*2] degrees of damage)] A wolf stood out: the Alpha Wolf, leader of the pack, a mutated beast which seemed to have reached the rank 1 realm. However, unlike regular magical beast, it didn''t possess overwhelming attributes or particularly strong features. It seemed like the Alpha Wolf provided support to his pack. Its rank 1 magical beast status seemed to have rendered the Alpha wolf more intelligent rather than stronger. Being over a meter and a half long, with blood thirsty eyes and a cunning expression, there was no doubt about it: this alpha wolf was incredibly dangerous, perhaps even more than the Flaming Bear they were tasked to hunt. "Stay calm, everyone. I want Rodrick and Richard at the centre, providing support with the crossbows. Use your special piercing crossbow bolts to your heart''s content. If you don''t use them now, we will all die. Everyone, form a circle around Rodrick and Richard. I don''t want anyone dying. A single hole in our ranks mean a complete wipe out. Do you understand that?", Rey shouted orders For some reasons, the wolves seemed overly cautious, circling around the group, closing the distance over time. The wait was terrible. Unwilling to let them get closer, Rodrick made the first blood upon seeing a wolf entering a ten-meters range. *SPLASH* It was a clean headshot. Although the target was close, Rodrick had managed to shoot the bolt in the Iron wolf''s vital point: its eyes. Without fur to protect its eyes, even a regular bolt would greatly injure an iron wolf, not to mention these black iron bolts crafted by the best blacksmiths of Helios. Richard, following Rodrick, also shot a wolf nearby in the opposite direction. However, his accuracy was slightly off as the bolt only dealt crippling damage to its target, injuring the wolf''s neck. Surprisingly, the wolves didn''t come all at once. The moment the iron wolf touched the ground, over a dozen wolves attacked the formation from all directions. Each sentinel had to take care of one or two iron wolf at the same time. Feeling the impeding charge of an iron wolf with more than 3 points of dexterity, coming at him with an impressive speed, Drake readied his shield and blocked the strike. Even though he had over six points of strength, Drake''s body was still pushed back, mostly because he didn''t weigh a lot. However, his advanced proficiency in the Moonlight Shield art allowed him to bash the incoming iron wolf while blocking, stunning it for a fraction of a second. He then exploited this opening to thrust his sword into the wolf''s eyes. It was a clean hit. After quivering for a few seconds, the wolf dropped dead. Two more wolves were charging at Drake, not leaving him the time to think about the danger he was in. Readying his sword, Drake dodged an incoming bite and counter attacked by kicking the wolf in the belly and sending it flying, while slashing the other wolf''s neck. It was a brutal beheading, that surprised the other wolves, and perhaps even made them fearful. After all, the iron wolves were used to take advantage of their natural armoured fur to rush into the enemies in all-out charges, without consideration for their survival. However, Drake''s display of strength was extraordinary. Each one of his attacks dealt about 150% of his strength attribute in physical degrees of damage, which accounted for about 9 degrees of damage, perhaps even ten. Even if the iron wolves could block up to six degrees of damage, Drake''s sheer strength allowed to cut through their fur. After charging at the wolf he had kicked and thrusting his sword in its vital spot, Drake confirmed that his side had been taken care of for a few moments. Given a few seconds to breath, Drake looked around the battlefield, and felt pretty guilty. The sentinels were fighting to the best of their abilities, yet the formation was being pushed back. Except for his side and that of Rey, the other knights were being bitten over and over again. Although the wolves were suffering injuries as well, Drake could see over twenty wolves rushing to their sides. It was the second wave of wolves, likely to crush the formation. There was no other way around it. Drake made hand signs to Richard, who quickly took his place in the formation. Readying his sword and inhaling a vast quantity of air, Drake grasped his sword tightly, and began to charge. With more than 6 points of strength and four points of dexterity, Drake could no longer be considered a mere knight. He was a body refinement acolyte with incredible swordsmanship. In a matter of seconds, Drake''s speed reached terrifying values, and he used the momentum to slash his way through the numerous wolves on his path. Every few seconds an iron wolf would drop dead after meeting Drake''s elven sword. *SLASH* After cutting over six wolves in a row, Drake found himself in front of the Alpha Wolf, which seemed shocked at his performance. Drake was about to charge and kill the Alpha Wolf, but the latter howled and released sound waves over 150 decibels, completely stopping Drake''s charge. Drake''s vision became blurry, and he was suffering from incredibly painful headaches. Yet, as soon as the Alpha Wolf stopped howling, Drake found the energy to stand up again and swing his sword. Unfortunately, the howling innate spell of the Alpha Wolf didn''t just aim at stopping Drake. It also called over a dozen wolves to rush and help their leader. Drake''s sword didn''t meet the Alpha Wolf''s neck: it cut an iron wolf semi-adult which sacrificed itself. Following this unfortunate failure, Drake received the charge of several wolves and bites. If it weren''t for his enchanted heavy armour set, Drake would have died at this point. From the sentinels'' point of view, Drake was sacrificing himself to leave room for the sentinels to regain their spirits and survive the incoming wave. And he had been successful, as the Alpha Wolf''s howl called back the attackers to deal with Drake first. Seeing Drake falling after being charged by over a dozen iron wolves, the sentinels grasped their swords. There was no need for words. They knew what they had to do. Their thirst for blood was higher than ever. In a matter of seconds, the sentinels finished dealing with the remaining iron wolves of the first wave and started to charge at the Alpha Wolf in order to save Drake. Led by Rey, the sentinels had somehow adopted a wedge formation. The iron wolves which seemed to be invulnerable to their attacks seemed to become weaker as the knights cut through their hides and kicked their out of their path. Driven by unyielding spirit, the charge seemed unstoppable. Drake''s sacrifice had completely transformed them into berserk warriors who fought disregarding injuries. Richard felt especially guilty, as he knew what Drake was about to do when the latter made hand signs for him to take his place in the circle formation. As a giant iron wolf charged at him, Richard readied himself to continue charging. The collision allowed him to slash and deal a nasty injury on the giant iron wolf''s back. However, the giant iron wolf also managed to land a bite on his left hand. The damned beast had severed three of his fingers in the collision! However, Richard didn''t stop. He had to continue fighting, if only to save Drake. After a minute of charging and cutting through the iron wolves, Rey''s unit finally reached the Alpha wolf. Unable to run away because of a leg injury made by Rodrick''s crossbow, the Alpha wolf was actually hiding behind six giant iron wolves, probably the oldest individuals of the pack, as well as the strongest ones. These wolves were terrifying, and their attributes were on par with that of regular peak knights. However, not even Richard, who was a newly advanced knight and injured, felt a hint of hesitation upon charging towards them. It was a brutal, one-sided charge. As Rey kept manifesting his internal energy to land powerful fist knight killing techniques, the charge was incredibly efficient. After killing four of the giant wolves, the sentinels were only a few meters away from killing the injured Alpha Wolf. As it was about to open its mouth and cast its howling spell once again, Rodrick''s beastman instincts had the better of him, and as if they were driven by a supernatural force, his hands picked up the crossbow and landed a surprising shot on the Alpha Wolf''s throat, interrupting the spell. If not for Rodrick, the spell would have sufficed to utterly wipe out Rey''s charge. After all, without spirit to handle the mental attack of the alpha wolf innate spell, most of the knights would have fallen unconscious and succumbed to the remaining wolves'' attacks. Upon reaching the Alpha Wolf which was emitting weird sounds in pain, Rey plunged his fist in its body. His fist pierced the Alpha Wolf''s back, all the way through the heart. After a few moments, the Alpha wolf dropped on the ground, lifeless. Seeing this scene, the remaining wolves scattered. Meanwhile, Drake had rolled down the hill after being charged at by dozens of wolves. Even though his heavy armour absorbed most of the damage he received, a portion would still reach his body and deal tremendous amount of physical damage upon time. Hence, Drake relied on his footwork and nimbleness to dodge the incoming attacks, occasionally using his shield to defend his blind spots. Forced to retreat as to avoid fatal injuries, Drake found himself cornered at what appeared to be a cave, probably the wolf''s den. Drake saw an opportunity upon reaching the cave. It was not very stable, and the rocks seemed heavy enough to crush the wolves. After baiting the 11 wolves hunting him into the cave, Drake jumped above them while releasing a terrifying Arclight chop on the ceiling of the cave. [Beep! 14 degrees of damage have been received! Ten degrees of damage have been absorbed. Four degrees of damage have rendered host''s left arm unfunctional for the next 188 minutes.] It caused the cave''s entrance to completely collapse, killing half of the wolves in the process, injuring the rest of them. Drake''s left arm seemed to have been injured, as the numbness prevented him from moving his shield. However, his enchanted heavy armour had blocked most of the damage. Grasping his sword once again, Drake beheaded the injured wolves whining on the ground, without showing a hint of mercy to these bloodthirsty beasts. It was a complete slaughter. 35 Glorious Return After dealing with the Alpha Wolf, Rey and his unit rushed towards the wolf''s den after hearing a huge tremor. Witnessing the wolf den collapse on the wolves, and then Drake finishing the injured wolves without mercy, the whole unit felt a chill. To be honest, once they saw Drake being charged at by about a dozen wolves and him falling down the hill, they all thought he was a goner. However, not only did he survive, he also managed to kill over eleven iron wolves by himself, including two giant iron wolves! Arriving at the scene, they were¡­flabbergasted. On the walls of the wolf den, or at least what remained of it, there were drawings and what appeared to be a wolf language, using claw marks. It meant that the Alpha Wolf was intelligent enough to create its own language and teach it to its fellow wolves. It certainly looked primitive, yet it was frightening to think that some beasts had such intellectual powers. The iron wolves had also prepared food reserves for the incoming winter, hundreds of wild beasts killed and stocked in a hole filled with salt as to avoid putrefaction. It was yet another shocking discovery. "It doesn''t make sense¡­Do you think beastmen used to live here and taught these wolves?", a sentinel asked However, no one could answer it. Amidst the corpses, Drake managed to find a particularly big bear¡­with residual flame magic particles on him. It was the flaming bear they were chasing! There was no doubt! Following the places where the fire weeds were eaten was indeed the right answer, as it indeed led their party towards the flaming bear! The sentinels had mixed feelings. Two sentinels died in the battle, four suffered from heavy injuries and the rest had light injuries all over their body. Be it bites or claw marks, it would take a while before they would be able to go on patrols again. As four horses died in the battle, the group couldn''t go back to Helios riding. They would have to march to a nearby stable, two days away from the Blue Forest, and then ride to Helios. However, it wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. After putting tight ropes around the bodies of the flaming bear and the Alpha Iron wolf, the group cleared their way out of the Blue Forest, with a huge harvest. Most of the merit could be attributed to Drake, hence Rey asked: "I think everyone is okay with giving up half of the rewards we will earn to Drake? After all, if it weren''t for him, we would be either dead or agonizing." Everybody nodded. Although they felt slightly angry to lose two of their companions, they were also incredibly thankful to Drake''s act of bravery. If it weren''t for him, they would have been wiped out by the second charge of Iron Wolves. It was a fact. Giving up on half the rewards was really a big gesture, but this time, their rewards would be a dozen times more valuable than usual, with two magical beasts as harvest. "Of course. Even in Helios, few acolytes can afford the meat, though. Are you sure you want to do that? With its intelligence and strength, I am sure Roxanne would give you over 20 magic crystals for the body though." Everyone gasped and felt excitement upon hearing the value of a magical beast. They all knew that the prices varied greatly, and they also acknowledged the fact that they would have to split the rewards. However, twenty magic crystals were still a huge amount, no matter how they looked at it. Hunting a magical beast was not frequent among sentinels. After all, they didn''t have spells to hunt them down and only took the risk when there are no options available, like being ambushed by iron wolves. In his time serving the sentinels, Rey had only managed to come back to Helios after patrolling missions with a magical beast body in such pristine condition a handful of times. Most of the missions available in the tower were dangerous, like harvesting materials or hunting. Even if there were several acolytes coordinating their attacks, it was useless when facing a magical beast with attributes on par with Half-grand knights or even on par with Grand knights. Hence, the death rate was pretty high in Helios, despite the measures taken by the Magi. Because there were thousands of ways to use a magical beast''s body, namely necromancy, cooking, rituals, dark blood magic, bloodline studies etc¡­, their value was extremely high. 20 magic crystals were indeed a sum that Drake found extremely attractive, but eating the alpha wolf would grant him additional benefits, such as slight increase in spirit and bodily attributes. In a way, eating the nutritious meat of this wolf would provide him with the same effects as an elixir, except that he would take days to eat it and consume it. The return trip took 8 days, mostly because they had to march and drag the magical beast''s body, as they lacked a caravan. Arriving at Helios and passing the gate, the onlooking acolytes were shocked. A group of sentinels had managed to hunt down not one but two magical beasts. It was something that hadn''t happened over the past years. As the news spread in Helios, sentinels gained yet even more fame. Drake didn''t head back to the sentinel casern. Instead, he dragged the Alpha Wolf''s corpse to the Bear Tavern. Upon returning, he saw Felicia behind the bar, as always, despite the lack of clients. "Hey, Felicia! I am back!" Turning her head, she smiled and was shocked to see a 1.5-meters-long iron wolf with lingering magic particles floating around it, carried by the muscular and injured Drake. As her confusion was at its peak, Drake merely smiled and said: "If you could cook it, I would really appreciate it. I can''t bear the hard bread and butter given out by the Sentinels¡­Even if it is free food, I just can''t eat another grain of it without feeling nauseated!" Meanwhile, in a dark Alley of Helios, Franklin listened to a frail rank 1 acolyte who trembled while spouting the following words: "Franklin¡­I saw Drake, your target, head back from the patrolling mission¡­" Franklin was quite shocked to hear that Drake had gone a patrol mission! They were quite hard and although they provided good rewards, they often resulted in injuries. To body refinement acolytes, injuries were annoying since it would directly hurt their growth rate. "And? Was there something interested?", Franklin asked in an annoyed voice Feeling Franklin''s blood thirst, the rank 1 acolyte felt tears on her cheek and said: "I¡­I am sorry, Lord Franklin. But, Drake and his group managed to hunt down two magical beasts!" Franklin''s anger reached its peak upon hearing these words. With his 8 points of strength, he punched the ground and produced a huge crater with it. Looking at the female acolyte, he began to smile sadistically, and started to vent his frustration on her. "Please, lord Franklin¡­It hurts! What are you doing?", she exclaimed as Franklin began to tear off her clothes. "THAT''S ENOUGH!" A dark-clothed man shouted, unable to stay silent upon seeing Franklin''s unsightly behaviour. Judging by the man''s influence and aura, he was a rank 1 acolyte who was on the verge of breaking through. Feeling the anger and blood thirst of this ''guest'', Franklin stopped and pushed his subordinate on the wall. "What?", Franklin said, even more annoyed than before. "The boy probably had luck. However, knights alone aren''t capable of taking down two magical beasts. He must have contributed a lot¡­even if it is impossible for a newcomer who joined Helios three months ago to grow this much. I investigated, and it turns out he has grade 5 talent. I never expected him to be so talented¡­", the man said while considering the options. "Why? Do you really think he will become strong enough to catch up to me in merely half a year? There are plenty of talented acolytes who challenged me, and I beat them all despite being a mere grade 1 talent. Of course, talent means a lot, but the only things that matter in a confrontation isn''t your growth speed. It''s your current strength", Franklin exclaimed, seemingly even more angered at Drake, who had everything he hadn''t: talent, enchanted armour¡­ "Did you forget who gave you this Jatu Meteorite piece?", the man said, annoyed: "We will force him to duel with you in the following days. My family has been supporting me, and my father is a count with plenty of influence and allies. I can ask him to attack the Moonlight territory. If Drake refuses to duel you, we will crush his family." "His father is a strong peak knight. Even if your family has a county, your Household''s power has been declining a lot since they poured all of their benefits into grooming you instead of grooming an army. On the other hand, the Moonlight has never been stronger, and Drake himself has conquered the Alm Castle a few months ago. Even a Count wouldn??t be able to take such a famous castle, don''t you think?", Franklin said. "Don''t underestimate the strength of a Count Household. My father has a personal army of over a thousand men. Furthermore, they don''t need to actually attack the Moonlight Territory. They just have to pressure the Viscount." "Then, yeah¡­He will have no choice. Haha, I knew I could let you do the thinking. You''re smarter than I could ever be." "Even if he is a knight and possess a few tricks, I don''t think that he is at your level. With your [Stone Skin] spell, not many acolytes can take you on and come out of the fight alive." Although the female acolyte faked being unconscious, her eyes radiated a rarely seen rage. She had been mistreated by her boss for years, and now that someone angered the latter, he was about to take everything from her, even her honour? She didn''t have a strong background. Her father was a mere baron and thus could not pay for her studies in Helios. The only reason she managed to join Helios was a fortuitous encounter in a banquet, in which she met another acolyte who found out about her talent. Everything cost magic crystals in Helios: tomes, access to the library, access to meditation rooms, access to laboratories¡­Until she could pay for a spell, which usually cost twenty magic crystals, she had no choice but to play the servant girl, running errand for measly pay and mistreatment. She was so close to her goal¡­yet Franklin was just too much. A woman''s revenge ought not to be underestimated. 36 Secre In the Bear Tavern, Felicia had cooked part of the Alpha Wolf, as promised. In exchange for her kindness and cooking, Drake gave her a few pounds of fire weeds, which were beneficial to fire-elemental acolytes such as Felicia. Since the products were very popular, it was actually the first time Felicia got her hands on such a small treasure like that. Drake was savouring the delicacy of Felicia''s masterpiece-like cooking. [Beep! Extremely nutritious ingredients have been ingested! Spirit +0.005, Strength and constitution +0.006] [Beep! Extremely nutritious ingredients have been ingested! Spirit +0.005, Strength and constitution +0.006] [Beep! Extremely nutritious ingredients have been ingested! Spirit +0.005, Strength and constitution +0.006] However, just as he thought he was in heaven, someone entered the tavern. It was pretty odd, since most people avoided the Bear Tavern, since it was just an ordinary tavern with an ugly barmaid. Furthermore, since no one visited the tavern, rumours spread about the building being haunted. In an era where curses and dark magic are real, these rumours utterly crippled Felicia''s business. Only Drake and Evangeline still frequented Felicia''s. It was a bit sad, considering that she was a rank 2 acolyte, though she seemed to have sustained harsh wounds in the past. Drake didn''t notice before, but now that his spirit had increased over 6 points, his perception had increased, along with his thinking speed. As a result, the data that his biochip could gather had also improved considerably. Although Felicia was a rank 2 acolyte, her body was in a constant struggle of life and death. Her spirit was polluted and if not for the consumption of rare medicinal herbs, she would have been a goner already. That''s why she had handed medicinal herbs without thinking too much when Drake returned injured after sparring with Rey, and why she was so touched when Drake handed her rare fire weeds, which were likely to stabilize her spirit and eliminate part of her spirit injuries. The uninvited guest was a woman as well. Her eyes were full of rage. "Are you Drake Moonlight?", she asked. "Yes, indeed", Drake replied. The more he thought about it, the more bizarre it felt. Drake knew very few people in Helios. And sentinels had very few contacts with acolytes. So this person in front of him was a complete stranger, and it wasn''t like he was famous. Although he was a grade 5 acolyte, few actually noticed it. And he didn''t accomplish anything grand, besides completing a patrol mission. While returning to Helios with two magical beasts was an extraordinary feat for his current level, there were dozens of acolytes doing so on a daily basis, either because they were in teams, or because they had reached rank 2. With plenty of strong spells at disposition, taking care of rank 2 magical beasts was pretty easy. Drake ran a search in his database, and indeed, she was right, though they neither spoke or even glanced at each other. "What do you want?", Drake asked, feeling something was fishy. "I am Franklin''s subordinates-" Drake and Felicia''s hostility instantly covered the room, making Lewis and the two immaculate soldiers extremely uneasy. "I don''t mean any harm! I came here to help you and warn you about a scheme!", she said, "They are going to threaten your family so that you advance so that they can advance the duel. Franklin and rank 1 lord Prio fear that you are growing a bit too fast and since they invested a lot in the bet, they want to assure their victory." Drake pondered for a while. It indeed seemed likely. "But the Count Prio, Lord Prio''s father, who will attack the Moonlight Territory, are unlikely to be sufficient to wage an all-out war against your household. They most likely want to scare you and pressure you into accepting their offer." Drake had heard news of his father recovering through letters, and even though Gallan had healed him thoroughly, he was lying low while faking injuries to attract enemies and utterly crush them. Who would have known that his scheme would have deceived Drake''s own enemies into entering a wolf''s den?" Thanks to this woman, Drake could warn his father. If it was indeed true, then his father might defeat the Count using the element of surprise and benefit greatly. The worst part in the story was that the Magical Court wasn''t allowed to intervene in such internal conflicts. At best, the acolytes and their closest acquaintances would return home and support their families, but they wouldn''t be able to summon a Magus for instance or hire other acolytes to defeat Porfield nobles. It was against the rules. Acolytes were not like knights. Although they could release terrifying spells, their stamina was extremely limited at rank 1. Usually, a spell cost one to two points of mana. Even if they were strong, they would only be able to cast up to 8 spells in battle, unless they had mana potions, which were beyond valuable. Although 8 spells would kill dozens, it wasn''t enough to turn upside down the tides of war, though a rank 3 acolyte might. "Why would you tell me that?", Drake asked. It didn''t seem right though. Why would an enemy tell him such an important scheme? Betrayals required motives. "Franklin¡­is a violent man. In the years I followed him, there wasn''t a day I wasn''t hurt, either verbally or physically. It''s just a way for me to pay him back", she said in a tragic tone. Drake squinted. After receiving the biochip''s confirmation though, he believed her. He looked into her eyes, and he could see that she wanted nothing but revenge. [Beep! Target lying probability: 1.8%.] She was either trustworthy, or she was an excellent liar. Drake had no personal vendetta against Franklin to be honest, and if he wanted to torment his subordinates, he had no say in it. However, for him to aim at his family¡­ ''I will definitely destroy them'' It was no longer about the bet. It had gone personal. And Drake would do anything in his power to defeat them. After finishing his meal, Drake headed to the Sentinel''s casern. Since the duel was taking place earlier than expected, he''d better train harder and more efficiently. To be honest, with the consumption of magical beast meat and his progress in his spell studies, even if the duel would take place three months earlier, Drake was confident in winning. Furthermore, there was no way for Franklin to expect Drake to master a spell in merely three months, as it took Franklin years to learn a single spell. Grinning, Drake was happier than ever. He was going to strike it rich! 37 Wind Bindings Organizations related to magic were rare, but not as rare as normal folks might believe. Just in the Porfield Kingdom, the Church of Fire and Church of Light had some acolytes as priests, individuals who could cast spells. They lacked versality, but they were strong nonetheless. Paladins were similar to Drake, allying spells with strong knight cultivation. The Order, which was the main and oldest religion in the Porfield Kingdom, also possessed druids capable of interacting with nature and tame wild beasts, sometimes even magical beasts. Galan was a living proof of that. However, because most of druids lived as hermits, they didn''t have as much influence as others. The eastern kingdoms possessed monks capable of casting sealing spells and some martial artists integrated mana in their special arts, though it was entirely different from the spell matrixes the regular acolytes cast. Western kingdoms used to have an organization like the Magical Court, even though it was being destroyed by the magical beast invasion. Southern riders had prophets and witches, while northerners tamed magical beasts as mounts. However, none of them was on par with the Magical Court, which had centuries of legacy and research, as well as 12 magi. In fact, there were rumours about two more magi wandering the lands for research purpose, but no one could confirm these rumours. Enhanced spells were the trademarks of such organizations. If Drake suddenly spread this enhanced spell, Magus Kayle would be the first one to chase him and torture him for centuries. It was all too valuable after all. [Wind Bindings ¨C Control type spell ¨C Enhanced Version Cost ¨C 1 point of mana Effects - Produce terrifying shackles made of air elemental particles and drain the target''s stamina while considerably crippling his movements. Additionally, it deals [Spirit] degrees of damage over time. Duration ¨C Depends on target''s constitution, spirit and strength.] For a control type spell to not only drain the target''s stamina and deal substantial damage over time, it indeed lived up to its name of enhanced spell. With this spell as a trump card, his odds of winning against Franklin had considerably increased. As expected, Franklin sent him a notice to advance the duel, threatening his family with Count Prio''s marching army. Although his mother was bound by the orders of her council, which was composed of old elven men and women who still abided by the overly xenophobic and restraining elven laws, she would still wage war against a kingdom, if it meant saving her son. Drake never really got to know her because he grew up away from her, but he could always feel her warmth. Drake didn''t plan on being bullied though. If someone attacked you, it was only natural to strike back. Furthermore, his father had the advantage in military might, individual strength as well as possessed the element of surprise. Hence, he agreed to the letter while secretly sending a letter to his father warning him and suggesting to ambush Prio''s army. Just like a snake, he was wearing down his enemies'' suspicions and whenever he would have the chance, he would utterly crush his enemies. The Prio Household was nearing its end, while Franklin would be facing a crushing defeat soon enough. [Beep! Iron Wolf Core consumed! Expected benefits: +0.003 constitution after digestion.] Eating iron wolf cores on a daily basis, before and after training, Drake''s weakened constitution was slowly but surely increasing along with his other attributes. His training regime was barely human. His body was constantly stressed and healed through medicinal herbs, providing benefits and growth that was thrice as fast as normal. His internal energy seemed to be stuck in a bottleneck, unfortunately, but It was only natural. If internal energy could reach 21 points merely by practicing a grand-knight level breathing technique, there would not be a shortage of Grand Knights within the Porfield Kingdom. They would be as numerous as acolytes, to say the least. After returning to his room, Drake looked at his status to evaluate his current strength and compare it to Franklin''s. He now possessed an enhanced spell, high attributes, as well as a knight killing technique on par with a peak rank 1 acolyte now that he had enhanced it by inspiring himself with Rey''s fist knight killing technique. [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ??? 16 years. Rank: Knight, Rank 1 Acolyte Status: Peak Condition. Attributes: Strength ¨C 6.8 | Dexterity ¨C 4.2 | Constitution ¨C 4.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 15.9 Spirit ¨C 6.3 | Mana ¨C 6.3 Perk: Mutated Heart (+200% base recovery rate) Skills: Lunar Elven Sword Art (Knight level, proficiency: advanced), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Advanced), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Peak), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced), Original Meditation Technique (Proficiency: Peak) Knight Killing Technique: Arclight Chop (Sword speed: 200%, [Strength*3] degrees of physical damage, 3 degrees of internal damage). Spell: Wind Bindings (Deals [Spirit*2] degrees of damage over time, drain target''s stamina and cripple its movements ¨C Cost: 1 point of mana). Enchanted Heavy Armour Set ¨C Absorb up to 12 degrees of damage. Wealth ¨C 13 magic Crystals.] Since the biochip had finished analysing the spell and he was beginning to master it, Drake ordered it a new task. ''How is the research going?'' [Beep! Enhancement of [Lunar Elven Sword Art] into a Grand-knight level sword art. Progress: 13%. Be aware that ordering fewer auxiliary tasks and gathering more data about knight-level and grand-knight level sword arts will speed up the process] After a night of rest, Lewis woke him up and said: "It is time, my lord" Drake''s green eyes flickered with fighting spirit. It was time to crush Franklin. 38 Duel 1 In case someone died, the consequences would be extremely severe, unless you were related to one of the twelve Magus either in a family relationship or in a master and disciple relationship, in which case the rules could be bent. The two body refinement acolytes were facing each other, in the centre of the arena, feeling the pressure of the stakes. Furthermore, there were hundreds of spectators watching them with interest. Some of them were sentinels who were curious about the newly promoted Sentinel Captain, others were acolytes with a lot of interest in the famous Body Refinement Franklin, since the latter had quite the reputation among rank 1 acolytes, while the rest was mostly visitors and merchants who came for the show. Franklin and Drake might both walk the path of body refinement but they were very different. Franklin was a typical strongman, who spent years focusing on increasing his strength and constitution solely, taking toxins and potions which ultimately harmed his control over emotions. The results were visible to the naked eyes: Franklin was a giant mass of muscles, over two meters-tall and wielded a two-handed war hammer with ease despite the weapon weighing over forty kilograms, twice the usual weight. On the other hand, Drake looked like a noble and elegant ancient knight depicted in the Great War. Wearing his enchanted heavy armour set, a sword in his right hand and a shield in his left, he exuded a terrifying pressure. His techniques seemed deep and his footwork unfathomable. However, people were still betting on Franklin. Since both were body refinement acolytes, it was unknown as to who would emerge victor of the fight. Franklin obviously had more fame and many had witnessed his performance in the arena. He was quite the bully, it seemed. Nevertheless, it wasn''t as if Drake was a nobody anymore. He had been recruited by the Sentinels, something that hadn''t happened over the past years, and he also returned to Helios with two magical beasts, a considerable harvest, considering that he was only accompanied by knights. Feeling the terrifying tension of the two challengers, the crowd cheered in excitement. The Arena Master was a middle-aged woman wearing gold robes. She was obviously a rank 3 acolyte, and before announcing the start of the fight, she made sure to remind both challengers of the rules: no killing, no cheating. After seeing both Drake and Franklin nod, she struck the Gong. As soon as the duel started, Franklin charged towards Drake. It was a frightening charge and for a moment, Drake felt like he was being charged at by a bull. He was in awe with Franklin''s powers. The war hammer he was wielding was by no means ordinary, as it created a two-meters crater on the ground after missing Drake. [Beep! Estimated Damage of the War hammer strike: 16 degrees of damage] It was a simple attack, yet it had dealt twice as much damage as Drake''s basic sword moves, and Drake had reached the peak of advanced proficiency in his lunar elven sword art. ''I guess blocking these strikes are not an option'', Drake muttered. However, before he could think of an actual plan, Franklin charged at him once again, rotating his body and swinging his war hammer once again. Dodging as well as he could, Drake felt extremely pressured. If he could just cast his Wind Bindings spell, he would gain the advantage. However, Franklin''s unceasing attacks made it impossible to cast the spell which demanded 2 to 3 seconds to properly create a mental image of the spell matrix and thus cast the spell without suffering from a backlash. If he suddenly stopped dodging to cast the spell, then his head would become brain paste. However, the same went for Franklin, who couldn''t cast [Stone Skin] either. At some point, Franklin''s eighth swing landed, and although Drake managed to rise his shield at the moment, he was sent flying to other side of the arena. [Beep! Three degrees of damage received! Left Arm is numb but still functionable.] It was indeed a clean hit. However, before he could catch his breath, Franklin was already next to him, readying his weapon again to strike him. This time, however, Drake grinned. Over the minute of fighting with Franklin, Drake found countless openings in his fighting style. It was wild, and unrefined. It was certainly efficient and dangerous, since Franklin possessed more than 8 points of strength. However, Drake''s biochip could find many holes in his guard, making him vulnerable whenever he swung his war hammer. By doing so, he exposed his liver, and the liver was a vital organ to the human being. Without any mercy, Drake thrust his sword in Franklin''s liver with all 6.8 points of strength he had. It was a massive, bloodthirsty attack. And yet, his sword didn''t manage to pierce Franklin''s skin. Only the sound of metal striking a giant boulder could be heard. *CLANG* What followed was Drake feeling the weight of Franklin''s war hammer on his body, once again sent flying in the air. "I cast [Stone Skin] before the fight, dumbass", he said in a mocking voice. Drake felt completely frustrated. It was unfair to cast a spell before the fight actually begins, especially a defensive spell like [Stone skin] which lasted for dozens of minutes! Furthermore, Drake felt like an elephant had crashed onto his body. This strike had hit him pretty good. If not for the enchanted heavy armour set, he would have most likely died. Furthermore, with the armour Franklin was wearing, there was simply no way for his biochip to discover it. Drake sighed, and feeling the threat of being defeated rise, he felt like he had no choice but to reveal his first trump card: Arclight chop. His sword suddenly shined in a blue light. It was a knight killing technique obviously, yet Franklin showed no fear. He once again swung his war hammer, but Drake nimbly took advantage of his 4 points of dexterity to move around Franklin and slash his back. [Beep! Arclight Chop has landed! 16 points of damage have been absorbed by an unknown skin structure¡­2 physical damage hits the target; 3 degrees of internal damage pierce the target''s defence and deregulates blood slow. Target is expected to feel nausea and a blurred vision for the next 6 seconds.] Blood splashed and Franklin was forced to kneel out of surprise of the pain he was experiencing. It was the first time he felt so pressured against a rank 1 acolyte! Even magical beasts would not be able to pierce his defence, yet Drake managed to do it with ease! Taking advantage of his weakened state, Drake began to cast Wind Bindings. It was a smart move because he could not hurt Franklin with regular attacks, and though his knight killing technique was efficient, it still had a 12-seconds-cooldown to stabilize his internal energy. Furthermore, if he truly wanted to win, he had to save as much internal energy as after a dozen seconds of rest he could, and each Arclight chop cost him 2 points of internal energy. After a second, Franklin stood up and was shocked once again upon seeing Drake casting a spell. It was yet another shocking and demoralizing discovery! Since when did spells become so common? ''Didn''t he join Helios three months ago?'', Franklin thought with frustration. As he was about to charge once again at Drake, shackles made of air suddenly enveloped his four limbs, sucking his energy and preventing him to move! Everyone in the arena gasped. They knew how rare and difficult to learn control-type spells were. Furthermore, Drake''s spell was powerful enough to restrain a strong body-refinement monster like Franklin without much difficulty! If they knew that the spell also dealt damage¡­they would probably go mad from jealousy. It was quite shocking. Drake didn''t really have the time to test his spells besides using it on Lewis, since the duel was forcefully advanced. However, the gap between Lewis and Franklin was like the gap between heaven and earth! Nevertheless, it''s not like he could find magical beasts for his experiments. [Beep! Wind Bindings have reached the target. Expected time of immobilization: 5.6 seconds left before the chains break considering target''s 8.2 points of strength. 5 degrees of Damage nullified due to enemy''s skin structure, 1 degree of damage dealt due to host''s previous attack which breached his defence.] Drake made an interesting discovery. It seemed like if he could pierce Franklin''s body, then it would create a hole in his defences! With the biochip''s help, the longer the fight went on, the more data he would have and the more efficient his attacks would be. Engaging in a war of attrition with Drake was nothing short of a foolish decision. 39 Duel 2 [Ghost Poison (8mL) ¨C Grade 2 alchemy good. Main component: Ghost Soul. Expected effects: Upon contact with an individual''s blood, the ghost poison will spread throughout his body and paralyse it. The duration is based on the target''s constitution and the amount of ghost poison used. Damage: 3-5 degrees of damage every 10 seconds, depending on the target''s constitution.] At this point, Wind Bindings would only be effective for 2 to 3 seconds. Drake then proceeded a flurry of thrusts and slashes. Each one of these attacks were aimed at the small the cut he had inflicted with his enhanced Arclight chop. Although these attacks were regular, they were still backed by 6.8 points of strength, which was superior to peak knights. [Beep! 8 degrees of damage dealt to the target! 0.7 mL of Ghost Poison has reached target''s blood system] [Beep! 6 degrees of damage dealt to the target! 0.4 mL of Ghost Poison has reached target''s blood system] [Beep! 7 degrees of damage dealt to the target! 0.2 mL of Ghost Poison has reached target''s blood system] ¡­ Although these attacks would have been deadly to any normal human being, Franklin had around 8 points of constitution, making him as tough as a magical beast. Drake''s thrusts couldn''t even pierce his muscles deep enough to allow his sword to reach his heart. However, the duel was more or less won at this point. As the Wind Bindings stopped having effect, Drake retreated over ten meters away, curious as to how Franklin would react upon feeling the unfamiliar Ghost poison in his system. Surprisingly, his veins turned green, and although he stood up, it seemed like he was on the verge of falling to the ground, lifeless. After waiting for a few seconds, Franklin realized that he was poisoned However, Ghost Poison wasn''t your average poison. It was a Grade 2 Poison, a small treasure that cost him 10 magic crystals. Even a body refinement would suffer from it. Feeling that his strength was vanishing from his body, Franklin tried to speak out and concede the fight, but another wave of pain pushed him to the ground. He collapsed and lost consciousness. The golden-robed acolyte took a second look at Drake, who had somehow won against Franklin. ''Wasn''t he a newcomer?'', she thought. However, it didn''t matter. Because: "DRAKE MOONLIGHT HAS WON!" From a distance, the peak rank 1 Prio acolyte who had been in cohort with Franklin knelt in despair. His investments and most trustworthy subordinate vanished¡­Despite using cheap tricks such as advancing the duel and using the [Stone Skin] spell before the fight actually began, Franklin was defeated. However, after putting some thoughts into it, Drake considered Franklin to be a threat. He didn''t know a lot about him, but since the latter had gone to the extent of threatening his family, he became a threat. In a way, the ghost poison was a way for him to utterly cripple Franklin while respecting the arena''s rules. There was no killing, but if he wanted to stay alive, he would have to pay over twenty magic crystals for the antidote or healing spells strong enough to neutralize the poison. Even if he somehow recovered from the poison, his body was already greatly weakened and each second that passed was millions of his cells dying. His constitution and strength attributes were decreasing at a fast rate at this point. Even if he recovered, Franklin would regress from a strong rank 1 acolyte to an average acolyte with a body of a peak knight at best. It would take years to return to his condition before the duel. By this time, Drake would have risen to much higher heights. From a distance, Drake was muttering: "Prio¡­you are next on my list" These were simple words, yet they were prophesizing an impeding doom on the Prio Family. After receiving first-aid wound treatment from the arena free of charge since he was the winner, the golden-robed acolyte approached him with a small transparent box made of transparent crystal: "Greetings, Drake. Oh, I am quite rude, I didn''t introduce myself. I am Marianne Deville, arena master and granddaughter of Magus Jackal Deville, Array Master and owner of the Thunder Tower." ''Mm, having the backing of a Magus indeed affects one''s strength. Since I received an enormous gift from Magus Kayle just for being talented, it is no wonder that a family member would receive enough resources to reach rank 3 at a young age'', Drake appraised while looking at this woman in her early thirties. "Greetings, Miss Deville. I guess this was the prize of my bet with Franklin?", Drake asked "Indeed. The Piece of Jatu Meteorite was deposited by one of Franklin''s acquaintances¡­Anyway, this is quite the treasure you got your hands onto." "Indeed, such high-quality body refinement material isn''t something I can find on regular markets. Even if I did, I wouldn''t have enough magic crystals to afford one. I must say that this bet was quite a harvest", Drake admitted. He knew that this rank 3 acolyte had taken interest in him, and it was a good opportunity to get closer to her. Such opportunity rarely presented themselves. "I heard that Magus Kayle provided you with a scholarship. It was a wise choice to sign the contract. Grade 5 talent yet walking the path of body refinement with promising results¡­I must say I am impressed. However, I came to warn you. Do you know why there are so few body refinement acolytes in Helios?" Drake pondered, and Felicia definitely had this talk with him many times. "Knowledge, inheritances and materials found in Helios are more suited to elemental acolytes, I suppose. Furthermore, it is usually better to focus on a single path instead of strengthening both the mind and the body." "You are right, but at the same time, you fail to see a crucial detail: While body refinements are strong and benefit from a fast growth rate in low levels, it also has limits. Why do you think the Porfield Kingdom is actually submitting to Helios'' authority despite possessing so many knights and Grand knights? Grand Knights have limited potential. Once they reach this realm, they cannot grow any further. Even the Sentinel Head, Sillius has more or less reached the limits of what a Grand Knight can achieve." Drake nodded. Body refinement acolytes would benefit from the inheritances from knights, but after reaching the Grand Knight realm, he would lack methods to continue to grow his bodily strength and physique. "I didn''t come here to mock your choices, Drake. I am sure you have considered this before, and you surely exceeded my expectations by defeating Franklin. More importantly, you learned such a strong spell in just 3 months¡­You indeed live up to the reputation of grade 5 talents." "Your arguments are very logical, and I appreciate your advices. However, focusing solely on magic seems like a waste. I¡­happen to have eidetic memory", Drake lied. There was no way he would reveal the extent of his biochip''s abilities. However, eidetic memory was a good way to explain his unnaturally growth rate concerning studies. Furthermore, it was bound to increase Marianne Deville''s evaluation of his person. "Once I read something, it will forever remain in my memories. I have memorized every single wind-elemental theory in the first floor of the library already. If you want to test me, just ask me a question." "Oh? What about Higgs'' Studies on Sky Eagles?" "To summarize, he found out that sky eagles could use wind elemental particles to further increase their flying manoeuvrability and speed. He then postulated the premise that humans could use the cores of Sky eagles in order to further increase their mastery of wind spells. And he succeeded by creating a Wind Sorcerer Array using 192 Sky Eagle Cores" "Impressive! You even know about the number of Sky Eagle Cores he used. Unfortunately, all crafts related to magic are located in the second floor. I bet you would make a fine array master, though you lack the patience to become one¡­If what you say is true, then¡­How many books have you memorized from the library? It should be great to memorize books after reading them once, right?" "Unfortunately, just because I remember them doesn''t mean I can comprehend them. For instance, I don''t have the slightest idea of how he came up with this idea or how does he managed to use the Sky Eagle Cores to succeed in his experiments. Furthermore, it is quite boring. If I were patient enough, I wouldn''t have agreed to Franklin''s duel after all", Drake answered. The more Drake talked, the broader the smile on Marianne''s face was becoming: "Mm, you look like the right one?" Drake titled his head in incomprehension. "I will lead an expedition to a recently discovered ruins. According to my Grandfather, it used to be the laboratory of a wandering Magus in the past. Since he cannot go there itself due to some ongoing research, he gave me authority over 50 knight-level beastman slaves and enough magic crystals to hire acolytes. I planned on hiring acolytes from the Black Magician Orders. Although they are quite disgusting and practice forbidden spells, their strength is the real deal. However, none of them have the potential to be as useful as you do. You would be able to memorize the findings of the ruins by looking at them. Even if I hand them to my grandfather, you and I will be able to share this magus-level information together!" It was a huge offer¡­Earning magus-level information was certainly attractive, but it would also mean putting himself in danger. "I am afraid I am not-", Drake tried to refuse. He was certainly patient, but once this rank 3 acolyte earned what she wanted, if she wanted to kill him to monopolize the information, he would have no way of surviving it. "I will provide you with two wind spells of your choice, as well as restricted knowledge in one topic. I can ask a favour from my grandfather for that purpose. How about it?" Drake fell in a dilemma¡­Two wind spells suitable of his choice was equivalent to 40, perhaps even 50 magic crystals. As for restricted knowledge¡­it was even more valuable! Seeing Drake frowning, Marianne added more rewards: "I know what you are thinking. It is too good to be true! She is probably not as kind as she looks like! But to be honest, I have absolutely no reason to hurt you. In fact, we will even go through a Mana Contract. This way, you will not share the magus information we earn in the ruins with anyone else, and I won''t try to hurt you as long as you don''t go against me. I will even add 20 magic crystals for the risks within the ruins. Well, it''s not like I can force you. I live in the Guardian Tavern, room 988. If you want to accept these conditions, you know where I live." Drake could feel her honesty. And yet, he didn''t know whether he should take the offer or not. It would surely hasten his growth by a big margin, giving him funds, restricted knowledge, perhaps even a magus inheritance. Adding to the fact that she wouldn''t try to hurt him when bound by the contract¡­It indeed looked trustworthy. At the same time, the ruins seemed dangerous and he knew that if she broke through the Magus Realm, she would not be bound by the contract either. ''What should I do¡­'', Drake kept muttering. 40 Blood Ritual Owning Magus Kayle''s badge, Drake could access these laboratories without paying anything. It was yet another benefit of being a genius talent. Drake had seen the records in the first floor of the library. In the past century, the stats didn''t lie. Although the talent grade of acolytes has been declining over the past century, the proportions were more or less accurate. With the Magical Court gaining more influence, more acolytes joined Helios however, and most of them were lacking talent. 50% of acolytes possessed grade 1 talent, the worst talent possible. Learning spell would be difficult and manipulating mana to cast actual spells would prove to be extremely difficult. That''s why most of them stay rank 1 acolytes their entire life. Of course, some encountered unexpected treasures and rewards and rose to fame, like rank 3 acolyte Water King, a water elemental acolyte who used to have poor talent who managed to reach the infamous rank 3 after eating a legendary Sea Fruit, which increased his spirit by one entire grade. Furthermore, the fruit increased his affinity with the water elemental, allowing him to break through the rank 3 realm after a decade of meditation and missions. 30% of acolytes were grade 2 talents, which was actually not bad. They were the most active folks in Helios, and many of them managed to reach rank 2. However, because of their slow growth, rank 2 is often a limit they would never be able to overcome in a lifetime. As for the rest, about 15% were grade 3 talent and 4% were grade 4 talent. As for grade 5 talents¡­they could be counted on one''s hands. If you considered those who weren''t descendants of Magi, then Drake was probably the only grade 5 talent. Magical affinity was rare. However, high magical talent was even rarer. Being a descendant of a magus definitely increased the odds of having high magical talent, but it wasn''t like it was a written rule. As for Drake, a half-elven youth, son of a peak knight¡­It was definitely something rare. Drake was stuck in Marianne''s dilemma. If he joined her expedition, his life would definitely be put at risk. Even if the [Contract] she talked about was something absolute and fair, the expedition would be a laboratory of a wanderer Magus. There were naturally golems or perhaps even creatures guarding it, and they would most likely be rank 2 or rank 3 lifeforms. In any case, it was very dangerous for Drake to accept the deal. On the other hand, getting Magus-level information was bound to be extremely profitable. In fact, he might even benefit more from this information than Marianne herself, or her Magus Grandfather thanks to his biochip. He could use the Jatu Meteorite Piece to improve his strength and constitution by absorbing its radiations on a daily basis, but it proved to be a slow process. Furthermore, the Jatu Meteorite Piece was fist-sized. The biochip estimated that the benefits of using such method to increase his bodily attributes would only result in a +0.8 point of strength and a +1.2 point of constitution after two years of continuous absorption. However, there was a shortcut available: Blood ritual. Using the blood of the fearsome rank 2 Vampires, magical creatures of darkness born in the Northern Kingdoms, it was actually possible to absorb the Jatu Meteorite Piece in one''s blood. Acquiring rank 2 Vampire blood was not easy, but Felicia somehow managed to find someone who owned some of it in the Arcane Order. It was an old man stuck in the rank 1 for years. After making a loss and buying one litre of rank 2 Vampire blood for 5 whole magic crystals, Drake rushed to Magus Kayle''s Tower to make the blood ritual. The worst part of the ritual besides gathering the material was the fact that it could cause the vampire blood to contaminate his own blood system, causing diseases of all sort. If he was unlucky, he could even turn into a [Blood Slave], a creature bound to obey vampires'' commands, akin to a soul brand. Since he knew the risks, Drake naturally prepared counter-measures, and it turns out that completing the ritual after consuming a [Soul Empowering Potion] almost nullified the odds of the side-effects of the ritual. However, this potion cost him an additional 5 magic crystals, leaving him in a state of depravity, only owning a measly 3 magic crystals. It was common for rank 1 acolytes to have few magic crystals, or even having none. However, Drake used to have 100 magic crystals. In a few months, this giant sum had vanished into thin air. It truly showed the costs and opportunities in Helios. [Beep! Ritual has reached Phase 32¡­Beginning Phase 33. Host must practice the Enhanced Grand Knight Breathing Technique to further increase the effects of the ritual!] After drawing the magic circles on the ground like the books suggested, one would normally just lie on the ground and wait for the ritual to take effects. However, Drake''s biochip found ways to reap even more benefits from such rituals. By practicing his enhanced breathing technique, he could actually refine the Jatu Meteorite Piece at a faster rate as well as filter out the impurities. The price to pay was not small: agonizing pain, nausea and insomnia. The Blood ritual was simple. By using vampire blood as a medium, the Jatu Meteorite Piece was diluted in Drake''s blood system. Thereafter, the radiations would tear apart his body, while the vampire blood would speed up his recovery. As for the Grand-knight level breathing technique, it further increased the effects. Every few dozen minutes, he would hear a mechanical voice: [Beep! Beneficial radiations enhancing host''s body¡­+0.002 strength, +0.001 Dexterity, +0.008 Constitution] [Beep! Beneficial radiations enhancing host''s body¡­+0.002 strength, +0.002 Dexterity, +0.006 Constitution] ¡­ After 72 hours of agonizing pain and exhausting over-exertion, Drake felt like his body was crumbling down. However, the ritual was¡­a complete success. [Beep! Blood Ritual has ended¡­] [Beep! Fatigue, Overstressed and Weakened Status obtained for the next 48 hours due to over practice of Breathing Technique and absorption of radioactive materials.] However, when Drake looked at his status page, he felt nothing but complete joy. The Jatu Meteorite Piece was indeed a treasure worth over 50 magic crystals. It didn''t ''improve'' his body. It transformed it into a superior body altogether. His strength and dexterity significantly rose. However, the biggest change was his constitution. Due to the lack of toxins, his constitution was a bit low compared to his strength. Hence, the blood ritual had the most impact on his constitution. Furthermore, his internal energy also overcame the bottleneck that stopped him from progressing further on the path of knighthood in the past months. It leaped to 19.9 points. The results were incredible¡­ The Blood Ritual had transformed him into a Half-Grand Knight. Blood Rituals used to be forbidden by regular Magi. However, the Magical Court accepted both Dark Magi and White Magi, focusing on nothing but one goal: knowledge. If necromancy was used for good purposes, then not using it would be a waste of skills. Magi were pragmatic. Evil, righteous¡­These moral rules didn''t apply to them. These were way too subjective. "Knowledge is Power" was the Magical Court''s motto. Blood Rituals were not forbidden because of their evil nature. After all, vampires were intelligent and strong creatures and hunting them was not necessarily the best thing to do in an era where humans were starting to lose their position in the Continent. Out of the Thirteen Kingdoms, two were falling and the rest were being weakened as time passed. Blood Rituals were forbidden because a failure usually ended up as a death. They were too dangerous to be completed. However, the Magus Tower had prepared measures in case he failed his experiment, with all details shared with a magical golem who would kill Drake without hesitation, should he turn into a Blood Slave. Fortunately, it was a success, and a huge one. [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ¨C 16 years. Rank: Half-Grand Knight, Rank 1 Acolyte Status: Fatigue, Over-exertion (Impossibility to move too much), Weakened (All attributes decreased by 30%) for the next 48 hours. Attributes: Strength ¨C 8.4 | Dexterity ¨C 5.3 | Constitution ¨C 7.0 | Internal Energy ¨C 19.9 Spirit ¨C 6.3 | Mana ¨C 6.3 Perk: Mutated Heart (+200% base recovery rate) Skills: Lunar Elven Sword Art (Knight level, proficiency: advanced), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Advanced), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Peak), horsemanship (proficiency: Advanced), Original Meditation Technique (Proficiency: Peak) Knight Killing Technique: Arclight Chop (Sword speed: 300%, [Strength*3] degrees of physical damage, 4 degrees of internal damage). Spell: Wind Bindings (Deals [Spirit*2] degrees of damage over time, drain target''s stamina and cripple its movements ¨C Cost: 1 point of mana). Enchanted Heavy Armour Set ¨C Absorb up to 12 degrees of damage. Wealth ¨C 3 magic Crystals.] By Breaking through, his bodily attributes had gone up by approximately 1 point, and his constitution increased by 3 whole points! It was truly an incredible increase. Furthermore, becoming a Half-Grand Knight proved to have some effects as well. With his internal energy going through a qualitative change, his Arclight Chop was enhanced. The sword speed increased further, and it would now deal 4 degrees of internal damage instead of 3. With Half-Grand Knight strength, rank 1 acolyte cultivation, Drake had thoroughly stepped in a new realm of strength. People often compared knights and acolytes in the past. 41 Rune Craftsmanship Usually, the knights focused on body strengthening elixirs and such things, and Roxanne didn''t have that many clients to begin with. However, she was still a rank 2 acolyte. "Do you have anything that might interest acolytes like me?", Drake asked out of curiosity Roxanne grinned in a terrifying manner. She was always wearing a veil, only showing her mouth. She didn''t seem to be old, but as a witch, appearances were deceiving. "Of course, I do. What don''t you take a look to the backstage of my store? There is plenty of stuff I accumulated throughout the years, when I studied ruins. Unfortunately, most of the useful knowledge has already been sold. I suppose there remains some encrypted information and partially damaged books, but I can''t promise you will find what you seek" Drake was a bit thoughtful. The potions he could purchase with his 30 magic crystals were not worth buying. After all, ever since Drake became a Half Grand knight, his attributes were so high that the toxins wouldn''t have any effect on him. Only his Grand-knight level breathing technique adapted to his body showed some signs of increasing his bodily attributes. Drake took a look at the scrolls, but unfortunately, he couldn''t just scan them. They were protected by some kind of array that prevented someone from stealing the information or part of the information contained in them. However, just the title was sufficient for Drake to purchase the 8 scrolls contained in the shelf. [Barbarian Research ¨C Runic Tattoos, written by Rune Master Polis] Runes. The reason why Grand Knights held so much status despite not having magical power and having limited potential was the fact that they usually owned enchanted items. Using enchanted armours and weapons, they could unleash a fearsome power dealing both physical and magical damage, sometimes dangerous enough to threaten newly advanced Magi. ''This¡­Runic knowledge? This is a great deal! How come she gave up on learning it?'' [Beep! The book is written in Ancient Babylonian Dialect. Furthermore, the Rune Master Polis encrypted the scrolls, probably making it near impossible for someone who doesn''t have the key to understand what he has written] ''Can you decipher it?'' [Beep! Depending on the level of encryption and method, it will take 3 to 18 hours to thoroughly decrypt the 8 scrolls] Had it been anyone else, these scrolls would have been utterly useless, but Drake possessed a trump card regarding analysis: his biochip. "I would like to buy these scrolls?" "Ten magic crystals", Roxanne said Roxanne sighed. She knew all too well the difficulty of breaking an encryption. Sighing, she said: "Considering that you spent over sixty magic crystals to purchase me potions last time that allowed me to conduct a few experiments, I will make you a discount, and sell them to you at 5 magic crystals. Even if it is complicated, it is still rank 2 acolyte knowledge, perhaps even rank 3 acolyte knowledge." "3 Magic crystals. I want to read them out of curiosity. I don''t really think that I will gain anything" "4 Magic crystals!", Roxanne replied Drake thought for a while, and accepted: "Alright. It seems like we have come to an agreement" Later in the day, Drake returned to the [Bear Tavern], and secluded himself in his room. After six hours of studies, a notification woke him up. [Runic Barbarian Tattoo ¨C Rank 3 acolyte information By using the blood of a magical creature and 27 magical ingredients, it is possible to create a runic barbarian tattoo increasing the strength, agility and constitution of the target by up to 2 points in each attribute. The increment is permanent, and a person can only have one tattoo at the same time. Getting rid can be done fairly easily by destroying the runes meticulously with a [Rune Engraver] tool, though it is time-consuming.] ''Amazing¡­'' Some people might disregard this runic knowledge as inferior, but in the eyes of a body refinement acolyte, it was pure gold. ''Not only will I be able to strengthen myself greatly¡­I might even be able to raise a unit of peak-knight subordinates within the sentinels!'' [Beep! Resuming analysis of [Wind Blade] and [Wind Barrier], as well as research on [Grand-knight level Sword Art]. Respective progress: 12%, 13%, 44%. Estimated time before completion of the respective tasks: 1 week, 8 days and 24 weeks] ''Good!'' On his night table, there was a missive. He was currently reading a letter from his household. Drake had been exchanging letters with his father in the past weeks, learning great news. The secret of his father''s recovery on top of getting his hands on the barbarian king two-handed claymore capable of releasing flame made him joyous. With his father''s peak knight cultivation and this enchanted weapon, it was only a matter of time before Count Prio would be fully conquered. The war had just started, but the Viscount Allan had already crushed two sub-armies of the Count with very few human losses. Meanwhile, Drake had heard of the son of the Count, acolyte Jean Prio, preparing to meddle with the war. Drake could not attack him in Helios because of the laws. If he murdered him in daylight, there would be endless waves of problems. Furthermore, it would bring tremendous problems to the Sentinels he had joined as well. But Drake had already planned a scheme. 42 The Fall of Jean Prio 1 "Are you satisfied?", Drake asked. It was the first time he had practiced the [Runic Barbarian Tattoo] engraving art. It was not very complicated, but it required perfect mastery of the human body''s anatomy. With the biochip''s indication and advices though, it was very easy for Drake to perform such an experiment, not to mention that any of his mess ups would not hurt someone as tough as a Half Grand Knight. He made a simple deal: authority and resources in exchange for this tattoo. Drake earned a lot in this deal. 15 magic crystals worth of resources, massive amounts of contribution points as well as a promotion to Sentinel General, on par with the man in front of him. General Liu Bu, an eastern elder who had reached the Half-Grand Knight realm a long time ago, and travelled to Helios in hope of breaking through, to no avail. He did get stronger over time, and accumulated a lot of achievements, patrolling and taking care of rebelling acolytes who performed mass sacrifices in the Porfield Kingdom. But compared to the power up he had received after striking a deal with this sentinel newcomer¡­ "I am more than just satisfied, fellow General Drake. You have respected your words, and I can sense you are very much knight-like. Had it been other acolytes, they would have never proposed to strengthen us sentinels, in fear of their status decreasing, especially a half-grand knight!" [Name: Liu Bu. Age ¨C 58 years. Rank: Half Grand Knight Sentinel General Status: Tiredness (-10% attributes) Attributes: Strength ¨C 8.0 (+2.0) | Dexterity ¨C 2.4 (+0.4)| Constitution ¨C 7.6 (+1.6)| Perk: Runic Barbarian Tattoo ¨C Sky Eagle Blood Runes (+2.0 Strength, +0.4 Dexterity, +1.6 Constitution) Skills: (?)] ''Impressive! Even though the blood runes were only engraved with 76% of its potential, it is already that strong¡­And Sky Eagles are only Rank 2 average beasts. The higher the grade of the magical beast, the more potent the blood runes would be. I truly wonder what would happen if I strengthened myself with Rank 3 magical beasts such as a Wind Boar King¡­'', Drake appraised upon scanning the man in front of him. Authority. Drake didn''t make this deal for magic crystals, though it was a tremendously good reward for an experiment that only lasted for 18 hours. He was even given tremendous amounts of resources from the Sentinel Warehouse that would allow him to perform a dozen more sets of Blood Runes on his subordinates. Since the blood runes were this effective, Drake planned on putting a fa?ade of difficulty, even though it was truthfully easy to complete. His biochip couldn''t take over his body to perform the surgery, but it could pinpoint areas where he had to engrave the runes. By using cheap sleeping powder, there was no risk of Liu Bu messing up the experiments because of pain either. Performing the runic surgery would have been extremely difficult, because there were 1128 different runes to inscribe on the back of a man. Just memorizing them was difficult enough, but writing them was even more complex, since it was a foreign, mysterious language that most people never read or heard about. Runes were mysterious, but since Drake''s biochip had stored them all, he only had to practice on ink paper for a few days to completely master them. As a knight, he wasn''t afraid of blood either, so engraving the blood runes was surprisingly easier than expected. "I''m glad you enjoy your newly found strength. Do not overstress your body over the following days, and avoid revealing that I possess rune arts. Otherwise, there will be no end to sentinels asking me to perform such an experiment on them", Drake asked "Of course! But I''m sure that if you strengthened every knight in the Sentinels, we would become a faction on par with the Arcane Order, perhaps even better", General Liu Bu said with anticipation. The Sentinels possessed authority and a lot of investments from the Magi. In a way, they were the counter power of acolyte factions that allowed merchants and non-magical beings to wander in Helios with a feeling of safety. However, behind the curtains, sentinels were always looked down on, including the Half-Grand Knight generals, who had strength on par with rank 2 acolytes. Because of their limited potential, the acolytes never treated them on equal footing. Acolytes could become magi in the future, if they were lucky. Even if their odds of becoming a magus, acolytes had unlimited potential. There were records of rank 3, even rank 4 magi in the ancient History. As for Grand Knights¡­That was the end of the road. With Drake performing these blood runes, it would enhance the strength of sentinel greatly. Most of rank 1 acolytes would find themselves unable to deal with a team of knights if they were strengthened by blood runes. But Drake couldn''t just accept that. If the sentinels wanted him to perform these runes on sentinels, then Sword Master Sillius would have to come forward, with enough resources to persuade him. The more he waited, the better the rewards. And to increase the value of his rune mastery, Drake planned on raising a unit loyal to him: Rey''s team alongside White Rat, Black Rat and Lewis. He would complete missions that were previously deemed as impossible for sentinels, capture strong magical beasts and spread news of his team''s absurd strength. In other words, Drake planned on advertising his runic skills by accumulating achievements. At some point, every single sentinel would beg for him to perform these blood runes experiments on their body. But first, he had to make use of his new status. He wasn''t just a sentinel captain anymore. He was a General. And Generals had the power over the laws and investigation in Helios. This was Drake''s plan to deal with Jean Prio. 43 The Fall of Jean Prio 2 Jean Prio and two of his acolyte subordinates were staring at Drake and his sentinel subordinates with hatred. "You can''t just arrest me on a whim! Although the sentinels possess authority in Helios, you can''t just arrest an innocent man in the middle of-" "Jean Prio, you have been accused of 34 crimes, depicted by 8 different acolytes who have given their testimonies. You have used forbidden blood rituals six years ago, killing 238 citizens of the Porfield Kingdom, and covering your lies with a supposedly [Blood Imp] you killed. Average people would have believed you, but I know for sure that you never encountered a blood imp, who has gone extinct for centuries. Furthermore, a Blood Imp indeed is a rank 1 magical beast, but it always travels in horde. Even magi would have trouble dealing with Blood Imps, not to mention a rank 1 acolyte like you" "What? That''s not-" "Four years ago, you have used the authority of Helios to strengthen your household. While it isn''t forbidden, the fact that you used a plague to deal with your enemies is a crime in itself. You have killed 1238 citizens of the Porfield Kingdom, and turned a Town into a ghost city by your actions, allowing goblins to invade the Kingdom" Drake continued to list over a dozen crimes that Jean Prio committed, some of which he had indeed done, some of which Drake had invented out of nowhere. But since Jean Prio''s past was so dirty, who would people believe? Drake Moonlight, the new General of Sentinels who had bested the infamous Franklin, or Jean Prio, who was known for his overbearing temper and cruelty? Jean Prio gave up on defending himself at some point. After glaring at Drake, knowing very well that he couldn''t escape being framed for crimes he had done in the past, and some he had not committed, he decided to fight. Even though Sentinels possessed authority, they couldn''t just attack them on a whim. The reason was simple: they didn''t have the strength to enforce their authority. He started to cast a spell: [Negative Shadow Bolt] But before he could chant the incantation and visualise the spell matrix, five crossbow bolts hit his hands, legs and belly. At first, people thought that it was nothing. After all, all acolytes possessed some kind of defensive means: protection gloves with above-average resistance, chain mails and such things that weren''t heavy to wear yet still provided as much protection as a heavy armour meant for a knight. Although they were costly, it was worth it. Crossbows were powerful, but they were not enough to threaten an acolyte¡­Or at least, this was the bystanders'' point of view before Jean Prio''s limbs were pierced and his body sent flying on a wall, crippling his movements. "ARGHHH" Obviously, the crossbows were not average, and so were the knights who had shot these bolts. ''Peak knights? They seem even stronger¡­'' This was everyone''s analysis of the situation. [Beep! Bolts have a piercing power of 15 degrees on average] It was on par with an average rank 1 acolyte''s spell! It didn''t make any sense! [Name: Alfred ¨C Human Male Age ¨C 38 years. Rank: Knight Status ¨C Healthy. Attributes: Strength ¨C 3.4 (+1.6) | Dexterity ¨C 2.1 (+0.5) | Constitution ¨C 3.8 (+2.0) | Internal Energy ¨C 10.7 Skills: Grand-knight level Sentinel Swordsmanship (Proficiency: Beginner), horsemanship (Proficiency: Advanced), Tracking (Proficiency: advanced), Persuasion (Proficiency: Advanced), Shadow Crossbow Art (Knight-level, Proficiency: Expert) Perks: Barbarian Runic Tattoo ¨C Ghost Deer (+2.0 constitution, +1.6 strength, + 0.5 dexterity)] [Name: Rey¨C Human Male Age ¨C 49 years. Rank: Half-Grand Knight Status ¨C Healthy Attributes: Strength ¨C 5.2 (+2.0) | Dexterity ¨C 2.7 (+0.2) | Constitution ¨C 4.5 (+2.0) | Internal Energy ¨C 16.0 Skills: Grand-knight level Shadow Great Sword Art (Proficiency: Intermediate), horsemanship (Proficiency: Advanced), Tracking (Proficiency: advanced), Persuasion (Proficiency: Advanced), Northerner Blood (Resistance to cold: 10%), Knight-level Original Shield Mastery (Proficiency: Advanced) Knight Killing Technique ¨C Blazing Fist, Cleave. Perks: Barbarian Runic Tattoo ¨C Earth Bear (+2.0 constitution, +2.0 strength, + 0.2 dexterity)] Using the resources Drake was provided by General Liu Bu, Drake performed the Blood Runes surgery on his subordinates. He was now the leader of the [Fifteen Dragon Wings], the unit that swore an oath of loyalty to him in exchange for the strength he provided them with. 5 of them were excellent crossbowmen, but Drake went further by purchasing a Grand-knight level swordsmanship and a knight-level crossbow art to his unit of sentinels. Each one of them had strength on par with peak knights, except for Rey, who was now as strong as a Half-grand knight. Alfred Deep was also a strong newcomer, with tracking expertise and crossbow mastery far exceeding the average. The whole team shared their savings and bought the best crossbows from dwarven smiths, and this was the result of their purchases, training and blood runes. Extraordinary might. Seeing their leader get sent flying over two meters and nailed down to a wall while screaming an agony, the two-acolyte subordinated to Jean Prio started to cast [Fireball] and [Earth Spike] respectively. Crossbowmen with peak knight strength were indeed as strong as rank 1 acolyte, but it came with a downside. It took about three seconds to recharge the crossbow. And a spell incantation lasted for this much. However, three wind blades came out of nowhere and cut their arms. It was Drake''s newest spell: [Wind Blades], an attacking spell that was definitely above average, qualifying as an enhanced spell. It summoned three blades made of elemental wind particles, that dealt 17 degrees of damage each. "Alfred, go forward and shackle these troublemakers with the red steel shackles. Rey, take three men and confiscate the rebelling criminal acolytes'' belongings! As the FIFTEEN DRAGON WINGS, WE WILL MAKE SURE TO PUNISH THESE CRIMINALS" For the first time in Helios'' History, sentinels had showed enough potential to enforce their policy in the city, a decrease the corruption of merchants and acolyte minor factions. Fear, relief, Joy, Sadness, Hatred¡­All kinds of emotions were directed at Drake and his unit, who had somehow shattered their common sense. However, it was the beginning of the [Fifteen Dragon Wings] series of achievements. As for the Prio Household, news about a flaming knight called Allan Moonlight would soon spread as he successfully ambushed the Count Prio''s main army, piercing the ranks of so-called elite Prio soldiers by charging and killing them all. There were no prisoners this day, no mercy. All of them died, including the Count Prio himself. The tales of Viscount Allan Moonlight, wielding an enchanted claymore of the Fire Church, soon spread throughout the kingdom. A few weeks later, Viscount Allan would be promoted to Count by the King himself, in awe of the Moonlight Household''s rise of success. 44 The Fifteen Dragon Wings "Hey, have you heard the latest news?", a rank 1 acolyte asked his peers "Nah¡­I''ve been stuck in the library trying to understand this superfluid theory for my alchemy experiments¡­", the pale man wearing glasses said The pale man was none other than the alchemist who had brewed toxins for Drake as a favour. Although he was just a rank 1 acolyte, he was treated as a rank 2 acolyte and had access to restricted knowledge from the second floor of the library because of his talent in alchemy. Many tried to be his friends ever since he became a rank 2 alchemist. However, when he heard his friend''s voice telling him the news, he was shocked: "You know Drake Moonlight, right?", the other man said "Yeah, this annoying guy made me work for him for free. But I guess I know him, he is a rank 5 acolyte after all. This is the kind of people you want to connect with if you want to climb the social ladder in Helios" "Oh, really? Well, he joined the sentinel a few months ago, and he had been hunting magical beasts ever since then, after gathering a team of super-strong knights! Jean Prio, Franklin¡­All of these infamous acolyte bullies who used their fighting strength as a means to extort us in markets and such are now crippled. There have been some rumours that Jean Prio''s family was wiped out as a result¡­" "¡­", an eerie silence settled in the tavern Drake''s rise to prominence had instituted a lot of fear from regular rank 1 acolytes. It wasn''t as if rank 2 acolytes didn''t have any fame, but most of them were just old men who would rather spend their last years in a laboratory conducting experiments instead of going in dangerous missions. Acolytes walked the path of knowledge. Going to the library, making experiments in laboratories, gathering in some acolyte salons to discuss research, such was the daily life of rank 2 and rank 3 acolytes in Helios. With their rank and status, they could live an extravagant lifestyle, using their faction''s resources to strengthen themselves without having to go outside and risk their lives. Some of the most extreme acolytes hadn''t left Helios for decades, preferring the calm and comfortable life they were going through. Respect, flatteries from rank 1 acolyte had rendered the upper hierarchy dull and inactive. Ironically, it was a bit disappointing to see them so afraid of risks. Knowledge was important, but the best way to turn knowledge into power was practice. Life and death battles, hunts, missions, expeditions, investigations¡­These were the things that stimulated an acolyte''s potential. With such comfort and such a lifestyle, it wasn''t very surprising for the number of magi decreasing over the years. It was not a secret. Everyone knew that completing missions would grant them more funds, and strengthen them at some point. But how many would risk their lives to get slightly stronger when a few months of meditation and research could have the same effects? Drake understood their point of view, but he had too much ambition to follow the examples of his peers. Statistics were enough for him to follow his heart. The Magi''s autobiographies shared one common point: they were freaks who had both talent and the guts to go risking their lives in missions. Since Drake''s goal was to become a magus, he didn''t think twice before raising this little sentinel elite unit of his and go on patrols. Unlike before, he wasn''t under the jurisdiction of the acolytes dispatched in the areas he went to, but instead, he was an independent hunting team. The more monsters he hunted, the more magic crystals he received as a reward. He sold about half of the valuable organs from magical beasts he harvested with the Fifteen Dragon Wings, and used the rest for his personal research. "Shadow Crossbowmen, focus on the Blood Vulture''s wings! Cripple its movements!", Drake shouted. Immediately, 5 bolts were shot at a terrifying speed, finding their way into the Blood Vulture''s nerves. After awkwardly failing to stabilize itself, the blood vulture fell on the ground with eyes radiating hatred. It suddenly opened its mouth, and a dark red energy was being condensed. [Blood Ray], a spell that was enough to destroy an army of fifty soldiers. Drake felt goose bumps upon sensing the amount of mana that was being condensed in this medium-sized bolt of dark red energy. "Everyone, Turtle formation!", he then shouted while casting [Wind Barrier]. The blood ray then reached Drake and his 14 subordinates, breaking through the wind barrier. His spell succeeded in absorbing more than 70% of the blood ray''s destructive power. It was to be expected, since Drake was just a rank 1 acolyte. It was all part of the plan. As soon as the wind shield broke, Rey and 4 of the strongest peak knights of the [Fifteen Dragon Wings] moved forward and formed a line of defence, carrying huge rectangular shields of the finest quality, enhanced with the [Magical Resistance] rune. The remaining of the blood energy didn''t even force the 5 knights to step back. The blood ray was dispelled as soon as it contacted the shields. "CHARGE!" Drake said as he moved forward, followed by 4 peak knights carrying Great Swords. It was a cold-blooded hunt. The Great swords descended on the Blood Vulture and reached its vital organs. Drake''s sword was suddenly illuminated in blue light. Sharpness, strength, technique¡­The blade descended on the Blood Vulture''s neck and beheaded the 6-meters-long Blood Vulture. This was a rank 2 magical creature, but they had succeeded in chasing it down and killing it. Four days of chase in the Scorching Desert. This is the time they spent chasing this beast. But seeing it lying on the ground, lifeless, everyone felt pride. They had, after all, succeeded in taking down a rank 2 creature, something that could destroy cities, decimate an army and even kill someone as strong as a careless Grand-Knight with its [Blood Ray] spell. As Drake proficiently cut down through the thick skin of the monster, he rejoiced. [Blood Vulture''s Magical Core ¨C Grade 2 Material] Something that couldn''t be bought on the market due to the low supply and high demand. A Grade 2 Magical Core. With this material in hands, it was only a matter of time before he would become a rank 2 acolyte. After rejoicing for a while, Rey approached Drake and said: "Congratulations, boss! We have taken down this monster! To be honest, when you came up with this plan, I didn''t really believe in it. Even though I am fully aware that we possess enough strength and experience to take down one, everyone has heard of their tendency to fly away the moment they feel threatened" "Well, it''s thanks to everyone''s hard work!", Drake congratulated Rey and the others. Although he suddenly became an acolyte, and a promising one, he didn''t forget his roots. Knights were due respect, and he just gave them proper treatment. After all, his subordinates would take arrows for him if the need arose. They were more than just a team, they were the [Fifteen Dragon Wings], the strongest sentinel attacking force. Drake looked at the 5 Grand Roman shields he had enchanted. This was his biggest achievement in the past month. [Grand Roman Shield ¨C Grade 1 Enchanted Gear Absorb up to 8 degrees of magical damage, and up to 12 degrees of physical damage] It was really lacking when compared to his enchanted armour set, but the book and materials to craft these five shields only cost him 70 magic crystals. It was expensive, but he was ready to compromise. There were only two weeks left before he joined Marianne''s expedition. Looking at the Magical Core from the beast he just took down, Drake''s eyes flashed with anticipation: ''With this in my hand and the materials I purchased in the past month...Hehe, becoming a rank 2 acolyte before Marianne''s expedition is looking pretty feasable!'' 45 Breakthrough & Research In fact, this encounter made Drake pretty satisfied, since one of these insects was worth half a magic crystal. After he captured 28 of them, the insect queen probably understood Drake''s intentions and ran away pretty fast. Roxanne was pleasantly surprised, and the trip was pretty bountiful: 92 magic crystals in total for a week of hard work. Even rank 2 acolytes might not make as much as this in a month! After some thoughts, Drake gave his subordinate a much-needed break. He planned on bringing them along in the incoming expedition to the laboratory of the wandering Magus. He was currently standing in his own room in the [Fire Tavern], surrounded by an array that concealed his aura and the enormous waves of mana. This array was a one-time use tablet he bought at the market for ten magic crystals. Although it was tremendously expensive, he didn''t want to raise any suspicions from other acolytes. He was a grade 5 talent, but his growth rate was too abnormal. Reaching the second rank of the acolyte realm usually took decades, perhaps just a few years for grade 5 talent. And yet, not even half a year passed and his spirit had already reached 7.9 point, the bottleneck that many ranks 1 acolytes were stuck in. It''s not like he did anything out of the ordinary, or consumed expensive spirit-raising potions that came along troublesome side effects. It was just a result of his above-average meditation technique that allowed him to raise his spirit faster, the mana theories he thoroughly memorized and analysed as well as the benefits from continuously killing magical beasts and fighting. The World Consciousness. At first, Drake dismissed this higher existence that was often quoted in the books he read, but after seeing himself grow this much, he could only accept its existence. It wasn''t a god or a super-powerful being, like many religions pictured it. The world consciousness was just the result of billions of beings'' belief, life and death. The world was extraordinarily grand, and the continent Barnolia seemed to be nothing but a small part of it. There were many legends about the ocean being endless, though Drake''s past world knowledge allowed him to adopt a cynical point of view about that. Anyway, the World consciousness was the concrete face of the planet he lived on, a fantastic result of mana and higher energy as well as millions of years of existence. It regulated the world, and favoured some species over others, always regulating a certain form of balance. By killing the magical beasts, Drake was recognized by the world consciousness. Drake''s arms were moving very slowly, and terrifying mana waves were being released from his body. The whole room he had rented was being destroyed, but fortunately the tornadoes that came off his body were being repressed by the sturdy array he had purchased. [Beep! Host''s brain is undergoing mutation¡­Thinking speed has increased by 12%, memory abilities increased by 24% and frontal cortex density of neurons has been multiplied 2-fold! Expected benefit: Learning speed, reflex and multitasking will be greatly enhanced] [Beep! Host''s spirit has increased by 1.6 point!] Drake was covered in blood and in his hands, something like looked like a heart had withered. In order to breakthrough, acolytes usually went on missions and stimulated their spirit for a breakthrough, but some people preferred to use elixirs or blood rituals for a faster breakthrough. However, most elixirs came with a significant decrease in vitality, and Drake''s goal was immortality. Unless there was no other way, he wouldn''t resort to such means. Another way would be to wait and continue to meditate, but Drake had an ominous feeling about the incoming expedition, and wished to become stronger before he risked his life. It was a fairly popular blood ritual: [Magical Beast Conversion], a rather common way to strengthen the spirit, using a high-rank magical core from a rank 2 magical beast and 64 low-grade materials. Since it was very incredibly dangerous to absorb the raw magical powers from the heart, only heirs and magus disciples used such methods to raise their spirit. Even if the growth in spirit was quite significant, the acolytes who used such methods had to refine and cleanse their spirit later on, thus wasting most of the benefits. In the process, they might even suffer from a magical disease, or a bloodline corruption that would result in a great backlash at best, and death at worst, if a mistake occurred. High risk, few gains, not to mention the long research required before attempting it. However, many were desperate enough to go through it to improve themselves, Drake included. But in the hands of a grade 5 talent, raising his spirit forcefully was much easier and refining the spirit proved to be less dangerous than normal. After the long ceremony, he rejoiced: ''As expected of the biochip¡­This is like an upgraded version of a reactive elixir, minus the side-effects!'' In fact, Drake felt more alive than ever, as if his senses had been sharpened in the ceremony. 250 magic crystals. This was the fortune he spent in this blood ritual. However, when Drake looked at his biochip''s analysis, his excitement increased even more: [Name: Drake Moonlight. Age ¨C 16 years. Rank: Half-Grand Knight, Rank 2 Acolyte Status: Healthy Attributes: Strength ¨C 8.8 (+2.0) | Dexterity ¨C 5.5 (+1.2) | Constitution ¨C 8.3 (+2.0) | Internal Energy ¨C 19.9 | Spirit ¨C 9.5 | Mana ¨C 9.5 Perk: Mutated Heart (+200% base recovery rate) Barbarian Runic Tattoo ¨C Death Mantis (+2.0 constitution, +2.0 strength, + 1.2 dexterity)] Skills: Enhanced Tornado Sword Art (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Intermediate), Moonlight Shield Mastery (knight-level, proficiency: Expert), Moonlight Breathing Technique (Grand-Knight level, proficiency: Peak), horsemanship (proficiency: Peak), Original Meditation Technique (Proficiency: Peak). Knight Killing Technique: Arclight Chop (Sword speed: 300%, [Strength*3] degrees of physical damage, 5 degrees of internal damage), Arclight Thrust (Sword Speed: 500%, [Strength*3] degrees of physical damage, plus 5 degrees of internal damage). Spell: Wind Bindings (Deals [Spirit*2] degrees of damage over time, drain target''s stamina and cripple its movements ¨C Cost: 1 point of mana) Wind Barrier (Absorb up to [5 + Spirit*2] degrees of damage. Cost ¨C 2 points of mana) Wind Blades (Summon three wind blades that deal [Spirit*3] degrees of damage upon contact at high speed. Cost ¨C 1 point of mana) Wind Blessing (Individual buff spell that enhanced the target''s dexterity by [1] + [Spirit/10] points. Cost ¨C 1 point of mana) Enchanted Heavy Armour Set ¨C Absorb up to 12 degrees of damage Enchanted Grand Roman Shield ¨C Absorb up to 8 degrees of magical damage, and up to 12 degrees of physical damage Enchanted Orcish Sword ¨C Increase sword-related damage by 30%, sharpness and odds of inflicting haemorrhage status to the victim. Wealth ¨C 132 magic Crystals] Grand-knight level sword art, 4 spells that complemented his fighting style, a grade 2 enchanted heavy armour set, a grade 1 enchanted shield, a grade 2 enchanted sword as well as attributes that nearly qualified him as a grand knight. Of course, he was still far from being enough to rival a Grand Knight because there was a qualitative change between a Grand Knight''s internal energy and that of a half-grand knight, yet it was enough for Drake to have confidence in his abilities. Even if people looked down on his choices, he was now a rank 2 acolyte. A sixteen-years-old rank 2 acolyte. Furthermore, he managed to conceal this from everyone. Not even Marianne would be able to discover this hidden advancement. There were still a few days left before he would be forced to go in the meditation. Drake thus decided to head to Magus Kayle''s Tower, in a laboratory he had rented for the year. Inside, there were all kinds of organs preserved in blue and yellow solutions of ionized water, perfect conservative. Research. All acolytes would resort to research at some point of their life. Fame, money, strength¡­By researching, any of these goals could be reached. Drake was not researching anything great, but he had his interests in absorbing the vitality of magical beasts, that were dozens of times stronger and sturdier than average humans. These organs were sorted and linked to a tube that sucked the magical force. A purple liquid was dropping in an Erlenmeyer every few minutes, while Drake was taking notes. By his side, Roxanne was excited: "You¡­Are you really willing to let me take credit for this discovery? It was your idea, and you could have taken any grade 2 alchemist to do it! Why would you ask for my help?", Roxanne asked. It was too good of a deal. She signed a contract with Drake that was in her favour despite him possessing the advantage. Ignoring her excitement, Drake only replied: "That was the deal. Do whatever with what you have found. Make a fortune out of it if you want, but remember that 30% of the profit you make will go to me. Anyway, when do you think the first three samples will be ready?" Roxanne laughed: "They already are ready! I didn''t sleep last night, and decided to surprise you!" "Good. I shall look forward to our future cooperation, Roxanne", Drake said in an overbearing and mysterious voice. He wasn''t afraid of Roxanne at all, despite her hideous looks behind her veil, or her wicked aura. He was a rank 2 acolyte now. After making some research and using his biochip, Drake discovered a way that was likely to increase the vitality of humans dramatically: Sucking the vitality of magical beasts'' organs. Drake introduced Roxanne to a variety of theories, and after guiding her for a month, the first samples were ready. It wasn''t as if potions were rare or difficult to refine. The true difficulty in an alchemist''s career was to find new recipes. Recipes were monopolised by Helios, and spreading them was utterly forbidden. The cheapest potion recipes either cost hundreds of magic crystals or required extremely rare ingredients that prevented the elixirs from being mass produced. But the vitality potion exceeded the worth of any recipe Roxanne knew, because besides a few herbs that could be bought with gold coins, the only valuable ingredients were Magical Beast''s hearts. Of course, magical beasts were not something you could buy in markets, even in Helios, because they were very big and hunters just took the most valuable out of their bodies, but Drake had a dozen peak knight subordinates following him. Carrying beasts that weighed a ton was not much of a challenge. [Vitality Potion ¨C Grade 2 Elixir A massive amount of mana and vitality is contained in the liquid. Drinking it will bring extreme benefits to the body. Expected benefits: +0.5 [strength], [constitution] Requirements: At least 4 points of [Constitution]] The gains were small, but considering Drake''s high attributes, it was a marvel that a grade 2 elixir could provide him with such boosts. Drake drank a potion without waiting too long. There was no pain, and it was even a bit sweet. ''No wonder Roxanne got excited¡­It is truly a great elixir'' The deal was simple: Confidentiality, three elixirs per month for free, 30% of the benefits and Roxanne keeping the recipe to herself for the next 20 years as well as 150 magic crystals, most of which he spent for the blood ritual. The deal might seem harsh, but it was in reality very appealing to any alchemist. Finding a recipe was one of the requirements to become a certified rank 2 in the Magical Court, and probably the most difficult one. It was more than just a title, it was a status itself, that granted authority beyond that of average rank 3 acolytes. Access to pristine equipment, restricted knowledge from Magus Kayle himself, eventual guidance from Magi themselves¡­Becoming a rank 2 alchemist was the dream of any alchemist in Helios. And Drake was handing out the key requirement of it to Roxanne, for the sake of a few magic crystals, a steady source of income, as well as a supply of body-strengthening elixirs for free. But it was worth it. Anything that made him stronger was a good decision in his mind. Meanwhile, Roxanne was also very satisfied: ''Fool! You may be intelligent, but handing me the credits for such an extraordinary recipe is like handing me a gold mine. The status, resource and treamtent I will receive as a rank 2 alchemist greatly surpass that of normal acolytes! After all, they are only three rank 2 alchemists in all Helios! Becoming one will instantly propel me to the higher echelons of the magical court! Haha! To think a talent like him would be blinded by immediate strength...'' However, she ignored that Drake had used this opportunity to ''guide'' Roxanne to learn alchemy for free! Usually, an alchemist would need to be taught carefully, step by step, but Drake could rely on his biochip to replay the sequences he had stored in his biochip over and over again to just learn the basics. Once he practice enough, he would become an alchemist himself, not needing to pass by an intermediary like Roxanne. Fortunately, he managed to blind her sight and sharp senses with overwhelming opportunities and benefits. 46 Expedition 1 Fifty beastmen were standing in a formation, wielding battle flail and shields, wearing chain mails as well as red steel helmets. There was no doubt about their loyalty or individual prowess, since they were strengthened by Grandmaster Jackal himself, an infamous Magus who had killed thousands with his thunder spells in the past. ''Red Steel? Well, it seems like Magus Jackal invested a lot in this project!'', Drake appraised. [Beep! Red Steel ¨C Grade 1 alloy. Although red iron is not very difficult to fine, red steel is very difficult to fine. Only Grade 1 blacksmiths are able to refine such alloy. As for crafting objects with it, it requires a furnace capable of heating above the fusion temperature of red iron, which is exactly 728¡ã Celsius. Red Steel is famous for its sturdiness and more importantly, its natural property of being very clean. If the Red Iron used was pure, it can also absorb slight amount of magical damage.] Magus Jackal was pretty infamous in Helios. He was one of the rare wandering acolytes who rose to success without relying on Helios'' strove of knowledge and appealing support. He used to belong to a Dark Magus Organization that focused on stealing resources from other acolytes. Helios accepted both Dark Magi and Light Magi, but Magus Jackal never really abided by Helios'' principles. He only joined the Magical Court for its benefits, and cared little about the laws and rules. He was at the top of the food chain, and since he had the strength to do so, he was akin to a wild dog. Once he set his eyes on something or someone, he would always find a way to get it. He entered in conflict with several magi in the past, but they all backed down in the end, most of the time after a pretty destructive and mighty duel from which he always got out victorious. However, seeing the man in real life¡­that was quite something. He didn''t look like very dangerous from the outside. He was pretty old, probably over a hundred years old. However, for magi, it still young. After all, magi could live up to 300 years, rivalling with high elves and some ghost existences. However, it was just the tip of the iceberg. Magus Jackal was suppressing the mana waves so that he wouldn''t hurt the acolytes going in the expedition. After all, the mere presence of a Magus released terrifying radiations that could turn normal folks into a state of great fear. Not only there would be physical repercussions over time, the mental damage was even worse. Magi were that terrifying, and that was definitely something Drake aspired to become one day. People usually couldn''t notice an acolyte''s level based on their mana waves. After all, they were very chaotic and irregular. Depending on one''s emotions, the mana waves emitted by an acolyte could vary greatly. However, most of his biochip''s resources in the past month were used to develop this detection program, that estimated an acolyte''s strength. It was not exactly accurate, but with the amount of data collected in the past months in Helios, with hundreds of walking data samples, the research was done in a surprisingly short amount of time. Of course, Drake wanted more precision, so the research was still ongoing. "Hi! I am Drake Moonlight, rank 1 acolyte", Drake lied blatantly, "I have brought my unit of sentinel, and I have received the support of Grand Knight Sillius in joining this expedition" The acolyte in front of him answered in a cold voice: "I am Jack. Don''t cause any trouble, and don''t let your subordinates cause any problem. Since you are their leader, any trouble they cause, you will have to compensate for it." ''Why is he so cold? Is he holding contempt towards me?'', Drake thought, outraged. Jack was a rank 2 acolyte without any doubt, and because of his relationship with Magus Jackal, it wasn''t as if Drake could offend him lightly. "Marianne Deville mentioned you many times¡­I do not understand her decision to make you, a complete stranger to the Thunder Tower Faction, her advisor in the expedition, but I will keep any eye on you" Jealousy, suspicions¡­Jack was indeed a loyal subordinate. ''No wonder he doesn''t like me, I basically stole his place. Meh, whatever'' Drake dismissed this as childish behaviour, and it''s not like he would hold a grudge from just this. After all, the man was still in his twenties. Everyone made mistakes in this age range, not to mention that in other people''s eyes, he was just a rank 1 acolyte. Nevertheless, although he had tried to hide his hunts, news still spread throughout Helios about his unit, the [Fifteen Dragon Wings]. Even though the acolytes in Helios only found out about a fraction of the magical beasts they had hunted, it was still enormous in comparison to other acolytes. It was especially impressive since Drake wasn''t even a rank 1 acolyte a year ago! Many were jealous of him, but most people looked up to him. Besides Jack, Drake instantly became quite popular after discussing with a few acolytes. After bringing a few magical subjects, Drake''s profound understanding of knowledge that came from months of studying the biochip''s tips, advices and summaries of highly-complicated magical theories finally shone. "This is impressive? So do you understand why Magus Ulrick brought the topic of String Mana Nodes in his theory of Negative Energy?", a frail acolyte asked. Despite his look, he was a rank 1 acolyte who had reached 7.9 points of spirit for a long time. Drake could see that he even possessed a golem, a magical being artificially made and possessed high strength and regenerative property. Such golems were incredibly difficult to make, as well as very expensive. Drake considered getting a golem but abandoned the idea pretty quickly after finding out that it cost several hundreds of crystals to attempt to create just one golem, not to mention actually succeeding in creating one. "Well, Magus Ulrick is an elemental magus, so it doesn''t really make sense for him to bring up the controversial topic of String Mana Nodes. However, just like Light Magi successfully implemented their theory of Pure Light Energy to create divination spells in the past, Dark Magi have actually managed to increase the deadliness of their spells with Negative Energy, by using string nodes to corrupt the mana they used. It is a bit tricky, but any rank 2 acolyte who are familiar with Shadow-elemental spells use negative theory", Drake explained patiently. Among acolytes, Drake doubted that there was anyone with a culture and understanding of magic as deep as the one he had. Some rank 3 acolytes might have some insight that came from intensive research, but even then, the vastness of their knowledge couldn''t even compare to Drake, who had the whole first floor of the Helios library in his mind. Unlike before, Drake didn''t just memorize the knowledge. He now understood it, and even deepened some theories with the help of his biochip during meditation sessions. With the basic and awkwardly questions that the rank 1 acolytes asked him, it was not really surprising to see Drake become popular, considering their hunger for knowledge. It was quite the novel feeling for Drake, who spent his whole life above others. He never really had a friend. He only had superiors and subordinates in his past life, and because of his noble status in this life, people both respected him and feared his father. No one, besides Lara Eldrick perhaps who was hundreds of miles away from Helios, treated him as an equal. Seeing that the swarm of acolytes asking Drake questions only seemed to get bigger, Marianne Deville squinted from a distance and intervened, with a smile on her face. "Drake! I am quite happy to see you. How about you share the carriage with me? The expedition will last for around six months, so it will get pretty tiresome out there", she asked openly, as if she was showing her ''dominance'' to the other acolytes. Many bit their lips. Drake was a walking Encycloepedia. In less than ten minutes, a few sentences had sufficed to turn well-known bookworms in deep thinking, probably giving them an enlightenment that was worth several months of brain wrecking studies in the library. However, Marianne was a rank 3 acolyte and the leader of the expedition. They just didn''t have any right to complain. Furthermore, Drake smiled as well and exclaimed: "Greetings Marianne! I will gladly accept your offer. It''s not every day you get to enjoy the company of a rank 3 acolyte!" And so began a 6-months-long expedition. Magus-level knowledge, resources, alchemy recipes, magical artefacts¡­The number of opportunities he could encounter by exploring an ancient wandering magus was limitless. Many joined the expedition to earn the favour of the Thunder Tower and perhaps accumulate enough merit to receive a considerable amount of magic crystals. But some had deeper ambition. Be it Marianne, Drake or the three rank 2 acolytes from the Thunder Tower Faction, each one of them wanted to get their hands-on extraordinary treasures. 47 Expedition 2 Khors were reptilian beasts with magical affinity. Although they couldn''t threaten acolytes and were vegetarian, they could use mana to run faster, and this allowed Khors to exist and survive for millions of years, escaping predators while having an easy time wandering in plains and forests. Ever since acolytes appeared in Barnolia, Khors were tamed and used as proper mounts. "So, what do you think?", Jane asked Jane was another rank 2 acolyte from the Thunder Tower Faction. Unlike Marianne, she didn''t have any motives to befriend Drake. If anything, she was similar to him and sympathized. She was born in a baron household, and was recognized in a knight tournament. Unlike Drake, she abandoned her knight cultivation and decided to focus entirely on Thunder-elemental studies. Her talent was self-explanatory: [Name: Jane Elderwood. Age ¨C 28 years. Rank: Rank 2 Acolyte Status: Healthy Attributes: Strength ¨C 4.0 | Dexterity ¨C 2.4 | Constitution ¨C 3.6 | Spirit ¨C 13.2 | Mana ¨C 13.2/13.2 Perk: Traces of non-human bloodline (Better genetics and disposition to knight training) Skills: ? No apparent artefacts or enchanted items found on target''s body.] Obviously, she was very strong. The limit in spirit for rank 2 acolytes was 14 points, and she had already reached 13.2 points, meaning that she was only a few steps away from reaching the infamous rank 2 bottleneck. For many people, it didn''t matter whether you consumed a reactive elixir or not. If you didn''t have enough talent, you would have to search for even more potent solutions: Magus-level blood, transplantation of magical beast organs, deals with devils, blood rituals¡­ However, judging by her appearance, current strength and age, Jane Elderwood seemed to be quite promising, probably a grade 4 talent. Drake was confident in beating most of rank 2 acolytes in Helios, because he had more experience in wars and missions, most of it coming from the past few months of hunting. However, he had no idea of his odds of victory against someone as mysterious as Jane. In melee, there was no way he would lose, but if it was a long-range fight, then he would probably end up beaten up badly. As for the two other rank 2 acolytes, Arthur and Jack, these two were far inferior, lacking in spirit and attitude. They were rude, and if it weren''t for Marianne being present in the carriage, they would have already gotten into a fight, either against each other, or teaming up against Drake. Their hostility was pretty funny, however. Drake was proficient at using words, and the two men could only glare when they lost in a battle of wits. Even a Duke would bow down to a rank 3 acolyte in fear of having his household wiped out, not to mention a group of wolves driven by their bestial instincts and hunger. "Indeed¡­She mentioned being a disciple of Magus Aegon, though her living condition and obvious lack of support must have been related to a dispute. Do you know her personally?", Drake replied "Well, I have been running errands for my grandfather ever since I awakened my spirit at 11. After becoming a rank 2 acolyte, we visited many ruins¡­We found a lot of skeletons that were stronger than average peak knights. I observed your subordinates fighting yesterday, and the ones with the crossbows seemed extremely strong, perhaps even as strong as my beastman legion. Did Roxanne pass down something to you? Your subordinates have glowing runes on their body that have an impressive resemblance to the runes on the skeletons we fought a decade ago" "Indeed, she failed to decrypt scrolls she had picked up, and sold them to me. I was able to gain a few insights, though I had to make a few trips to the library and search for the specific knowledge. It''s a pity that there is so little information about enchanting runes, or else I wouldn''t have had to spend weeks of research in my lab!", Drake lied. He had obviously decrypted the content of the scroll in no time, but since Marianne only knew of his supposedly eidetic memory, lying about struggling with runes made more sense, especially considering that he had spent a lot of time in Magus Kayle''s laboratory for the sake of developing the Vitality Elixir. "Well, enchanting bodies, huh? This is quite the news. If you engraved these runes on the sentinels, I am afraid that acolytes¡­" "Oh, you don''t need to worry about it. There are severe requirements about these runes. Not only do they require magical beast cores, they are also very exhausting. I''ve spent the three past months to strengthen my subordinates, but I don''t have the courage to do one more. I neglected my meditation because of it", Drake complained. Indeed, he thought many times of using the runes to strengthen his faction. If he was lucky, Grand Knight Sillius would have passed down some extraordinary knight killing technique to him. However, it was too long of a process. A complete tattoo would take Drake around 16 hours. Unless it was an important favour, he would rather go and hunt some magical beast. As for earning magic crystals, with the deal he made with Roxanne, he would not be lacking funds for a long time. "Mm, I feel you", Marianne nodded. She began to grasp Drake''s character. His behaviour was quite odd. Unlike most of acolytes who lived their lives in calm, Drake seemed to enjoy danger. And her judgement was quite perceptive. Except for one mistake: Drake never neglected knowledge. It''s just that the best way to acquire data was raw data, fighting data and such. If not for the numerous hunts Drake went through with his unit of sentinels, he would have never managed to improve his sword art to Grand-knight level, or create the knight-killing technique [Arclight Thrust], based on [Arclight chop]. "I''ve noticed that the crossbow has a firepower similar to rank 1 acolyte''s spell. How is that possible?", Jane asked out of curiosity. Drake had turned into the main source of entertainment for these two fearsome women. Bored, they just didn''t stop asking questions. But of course, Drake wasn''t someone who could be ''used'' freely. "Indeed. The crossbows are a special command, but one has to be at least a peak knight to use one. Furthermore, the accuracy and the firing rate of these crossbows are low. However, since I have been hunting magical beasts, there is nothing better than these weapons to take down flying monsters", Drake bragged, "But enough of me. Miss Jane, you were talking about Wandering Acolytes earlier, right? Are there many of them?" Jane Elderwood smirked: "Are there many of them? There must be a dozen times more acolytes than there are in Helios! They are everywhere, from high positions as lords, to lowly commoners. The most secretive ones create their own laboratories, and those with high ambitions create small settlements. However, unless it is backed by a rank 3 acolyte or a magus, these settlements of wandering acolytes usually end up being wiped out by acolytes related to Dark-Magi" "Why don''t they come to Helios?" "Well, it''s not like they don''t want to. However, not everyone wants to give up their life of luxury for a life filled with danger and pressure. I believe that nobleship is something that someone can devote his life to, and have as much influence as a magus, if not more. As a matter of fact, did you know that the King himself is a rank 2 acolyte belonging to the Magical Court? When I heard-" "Jane! This is classified information! How can you just disclose that?", Jack suddenly screamed. "That''s okay, I already knew he was an acolyte", Drake said. He had memorized the names of all 1685 acolytes registered in the Magical Court. Some had disappeared, others had attended long-term missions or returned to their past lives, but the Library in Helios kept a trace of them. Drake was pretty surprised as well when he read the name of Reynold Porfield, nicknamed the Dumb King. It was just a front, probably a scheme to see who was loyal to Thirteen Kingdom Alliance, and expand the Porfield Kingdom''s territory. The Porfield Kingdom was already the biggest kingdom in Barnolia, and obviously the most powerful. There were over 100 000 soldiers from the Royal Family only, and among them, there were around a thousand knights, though they were far from being as strong as the sentinels. However, if you considered the 5 Grand Knights affiliated in the army as well as the King''s personal strength as a rank 2 acolyte, no kingdom could even come close to the Porfield Kingdom in terms of military strength. The same went for social, economic and religious power as well. Rather than a kingdom, it would be much more accurate to call it an Empire. "¡­" After an awkward silence, Drake asked some more questions. Unlike the rank 1 acolytes in Helios, these rank 2 and rank 3 powerhouses were disciples of Magus Jackal. The amount of knowledge at their disposal far exceeded normal members of the Magical Court. They were talented, and their potential was fully stimulated by the teachings of a real magus. If Drake didn''t take advantage of this, he wouldn''t be able to look at himself in a mirror. The end of the trip really turned into a sea of incomprehensible for gibberish for Jack and Arthur, who were naturally quite intelligent as acolytes who followed the guidance of Magus Jackal, yet not nearly knowledgeable enough to follow the conversation between Marianne, Drake and the surprisingly well-educated Jane, who seemed even more knowledgeable than Marianne. At some point, Drake found it even suspicious, but didn''t show any sign of displeasure. In fact, it was enjoyable. In terms of gathering data, this trip certainly could not compare to Drake''s month of intense scanning in the first floor of the library, but it still expanded the database by leaps and bounds, especially in terms of highly classified mana theories. But since they didn''t have anything else to do besides meditating and eating food in the carriage, it was a pleasant surprise. Be it Jane, Marianne, Arthur or Jack, they could only keep muttering and asking ''dumb'' questions. They spent their lives among other acolytes who lacked the basics. They were the people who were looked up to, admired by many and treated as geniuses wherever they went. But the higher you stand, the more painful the fall. From times to times, they would ask questions that made them ashamed: "Who is this Sage Ephlor?" "What does [Superfluid] mean?" "Elemental semi-particles? Do they really exist?" "What is the theory of cause and coalition?" "Mana links?" Somehow, in three months, Drake thoroughly proved what a real genius was to these four disciples of a Magus. He was a grade 5 talent, and he didn''t waste his potential. He was a freaking walking library. Had they known about Drake''s breakthrough, his extraordinary contribution to the discovery of the Vitality Elixir, as well as his mastery of 4 spells despite having awakened merely a year ago, not to mention his achievements in sword play and body refinement¡­ Drake was an existence that couldn''t be measured by common sense solely. In his eyes, Jack and Arthur were rocks he needed to step onto, and Marianne was like the mountain he had to overcome to reach the sweet prairie. They weren''t exactly enemies, but it would take genius actors to hide their hostility from him after three months of constant interactions. If before, Drake just trusted his instincts in becoming cautious around Marianne, he now felt real danger. She wasn''t just after his talent. She didn''t just want to keep his mouth shut. She was planning to kill him. And yet, no matter how he looked at it, she was bound by her contract. But¡­these three months allowed him to catch a loophole in the contract, the one loophole that Marianne used behind his back: ''What if¡­she hired people to hurt me before signing the contract?'' The moment Drake figured it out, he no longer considered her as an acquaintance, or even a human being. In his eyes, she was someone he would definitely get revenge on. Her backing made it impossible for him to retaliate yet, since no matter how strong he was, he just stepped into this world of magic a year ago. If he wanted to take revenge, he would have to endure whatever was thrown at his face, and more importantly, survive at all costs. Once he broke through and became a magus, she would receive what she deserves. Meanwhile Drake distracted their minds with highly complex mana theories and point of view, Drake had been planning his next steps after returning to Helios. 48 Expedition 3 The sun was shining brightly, and they had reached a forbidden region called Blackened Hill, a place that all travellers avoided on purpose, be it merchants, mercenaries or even armies. The environment was unbearable due to the high temperature, and there were many insects that were lethal to normal human beings. Fortunately, beastmen had unique constitution and tough skin that greatly reduced the harm they could get from these insects. However, these weren''t your average insects. They were called Batchus, some sort of mosquitoes that had mutated due to the high concentration of mana. A single sting was enough to fall severely ill. If you had less than three points of constitution or suffered from special conditions, your odds of survival upon stepping in the Blackened Hills were close to zero. Three rank 1 acolytes died in their sleep, stung by one of these Batchus insects that were classified as rank 1 magical beast despite their small size. For some reasons, these insects tended to avoid strong acolytes. It was as if they were afraid of the truly powerful ones. Drake''s lies might deceive Marianne and the other acolytes, but it couldn''t deceive the instincts of these insects. They avoided him like the plague, preferring to feast on the harmless acolytes that were helpless and panicked at their sight. One''s weakness is another''s strength. The more damage Marianne''s expedition team received, the better it was from Drake''s point of view. It meant that even if the expedition was successful, the less likely she would become a magus. If she became a magus before him, she would be able to break the contract and only suffer a minor backlash. If that happened, it would be the end of his journey, even if he flew to the outskirts of Barnolia. "How many?", Marianne said in an overbearing voice. The Beastman captain, who had Half-grand knight cultivation, said in a frightened voice: "Thirty-two, my lady. I am afraid that only 32 beastmen, including me, will be able to participate in the laboratory raid. But if we proceed and enter the laboratory, I am afraid that those who are ill will not survive with the magical beasts wandering around-" "Who am I?", Marianne simply replied "You are¡­the leader of this expedition, my lady" "Indeed, I am. If I say to leave them to die, you leave them to die. Focus on leading your useless subordinates, and let us hurry and finish this. We have lost too many already. If we delay this expedition, the losses will only grow", she said. This decisiveness, this cold bloodedness. It was pity to have turned her into his enemy, but it would only make the victory more satisfying. A fitting opponent indeed. "Jane, have figured out how to open this freaking door yet?", Marianne asked in a gentle voice this time. Although she was frustrated, she would never treat a fellow disciple of her grandfather like the beastman she just humiliated publicly. Drake''s subordinates were watching from the side lines, in horror. They had grown a bit confident after following Drake, but they had never seen someone as strong as the Beastman Captain being subdued and mistreated like that so openly. ''She is on a whole new level¡­'' Marianne Deville indeed lived up to her infamous nickname: the Devil. "Yes¡­I already did break this puzzle once¡­I just need to focus a bit more and I will remember the combination!", she replied in a nonchalant voice. Drake squinted. Over the past three months of talking and interacting with the disciples of Magus Jackal, Drake gathered a list of suspicious behaviours and slip-ups from them. Despite being a rank 2 acolyte, a young one furthermore, her attributes were very high. Drake mistook her for a grade 4 talent at first, because she had extensive knowledge and incredible mastery over her spells. However, he later on learnt that she was just a grade 2 talent, and didn''t even encounter some ''extraordinary'' opportunities, like consuming a heavenly grass or drinking a divine elixir that raised spirit. She somehow¡­suddenly became someone much more knowledgeable and stronger. It was as if she became a new person, one day. Drake then found out that despite meditating on a daily basis, she didn''t make progress and instead relied on a very strange method that consisted in her doing a witch ritual every time there was a full moon. After every ritual, she would experience tremendous pain even though she never screamed, and her spirit would be enhanced. Next, her sudden interest in his background, childhood and stuff???It was as if she was more interested at his existence rather than his talent or knowledge. And now, she was talking about remembering something¡­ This was enough to confirm Drake''s suspicions: She had reincarnated. Because no one realized it before and because she fit in Helios so well, to the point of being taken in by Magus Jackal, Drake thought that she had reincarnated into her own past self. He ignored what level she had achieved in the other timeline, but it seemed like she only inherited part of her memories and future personality. And now, she was struggling on a typical grade 2 magical lock. Drake approached Marianne: "If you gave me some sort of magical artefact, as I said two days ago¡­I could always open this door to you!" Two days had passed since they arrived at the location, and every day, there would be a few deaths, mostly from beastmen, but acolytes were starting to succumb to the insect swarms now. It couldn''t go on. Magical artefact cost at least 150 magic crystals, but in reality, even if you had twice this amount, you wouldn''t necessarily get your hands on one. Magical artefacts were fundamentally different from enchanted items. It was something crafted with magical materials, by a magical craftsman, either a high-rank acolyte or a magus who devoted decades of studies in their respective fields. Magical artefact could be used by acolytes solely. For example, Marianne had four artefacts on her: A spatial pouch that allowed her to store enormous number of items. It was some kind of a warehouse-sized plane that allowed her to put whatever she wanted in it. The second artefact she had was a medallion that could release a defensive forcefield that would dispel most of rank 1 spells, and partly absorb rank 2 spells. Of course, it wasn''t invincible, so the medallion probably had a mana limit so it wasn''t like it allowed rank 1 acolytes possessing it to be invincible in their rank. The third artefact was a ring that decreased the time of her casting. And the forth artefact was a dagger that Drake knew nothing about. He only recognized the other items because they were recorded in the [Artefact Encycloepedia] in the first floor of the library, which listed about 40 000 artefacts along with their effects. But the dagger seemed to have been purchased through black markets, since it wasn''t recorded anywhere. It wasn''t like people didn''t know how to craft magical artefacts anymore. But in Helios, there were not even ten people who knew how to craft magical artefacts. There were more than a hundred alchemists, and about three dozen individuals who knew how to engrave runes to create enchanted items, including Drake. But there were not even ten men and women capable of crafting a magical artefact. It told a lot about the rarity of these items. Furthermore, these items usually used rare materials, so they couldn''t be mass produced either, except for a few famous items like the spatial pouch, a must-have item for Magi. "You¡­I thought we signed a contract!", Marianne said in a very aggressive voice, releasing her mana waves to scare Drake off. Feeling the tension, Drake''s fourteen subordinates stood up and rushed to his side, their hands on their swords, ready to cut down any enemy standing in front of their boss, even if it meant fighting those terrifying beastmen or this incredibly frightening woman. "Now, now! Everyone, calm down! Marianne, I apologize if you feel that way, but I only spoke about¡­our ''deal'', remember? If I help you here, you will save many acolytes'' lives. I don''t know what kind of experiments your grandfather did to these poor beastmen, but I can tell that they are far stronger and more intelligent than regular ones. This must have cost a lot of resources. If you let them die¡­I am afraid they will-" Marianne took off her ring, and threw it at Drake. "This is called an [Arcane Ring], one of the few ''common'' magical artefacts. This is usually a treasure passed down to those who make enough contributions to the Arcane Faction and are promoted to elders. Rank 3 acolytes, heroes who completed Red-grade missions for the purpose of retrieving grade 4 materials to the faction, alchemists who earn the [One-star] certificate from Magus Kayle''s Tower¡­Only these people get to wear this ring. Open this door in the next hour. If you don''t, I will have to cut your finger-", she was about to said, but remembered the contract and screamed in anger, "Just do it already" Drake was ecstatic. An arcane ring! It was his first magical artefact, and a very good one! [Arcane Ring ¨C Grade 3 Magical Artefact Reduce the casting time by 8%] 8% in casting time didn''t look like a lot, but it could determine the tides of a battle. If he caught his enemy by surprise and managed to cast the [Wind Blades] spell before his victims could cast a barrier, it would grant him instant victory. Unlike him, most acolytes had weak bodies. One mistake, and they would die. Drake''s spells usually took 2 to 3 seconds to cast, depending on his focus at the time. Although he had a biochip, it was utterly useless in the process. It helped him master the spell, giving him advices whenever he practiced, but it didn''t simplify the process of creating a mental image and everything. Be it rank 1 or rank 3 acolytes, it didn''t change anything. Once you mastered a spell, it didn''t matter whether you were a grade 5 talent or grade 1 talent, a spell that was mastered only took as much time as you required to create the spell matrix in your mind. 8% of casting time meant 0.2 to 0.3 second. It was definitely enough to make a change in a life and death battle. Drake ignored the enraged rank 3 acolyte in her golden robes dirty from the trip. He walked up to the gates. It was pretty well hidden, in a tunnel under a hill. Despite the high temperature, the hill was quite full of trees and animals, mostly magical beasts that survived after mana mutations or those who sought high density of mana. The Gate was 8-meters-long, and runes were carved in the golden-coloured alloy. It was a mana lock supported by grade 2 runes. Unless you were familiar with runes and the theory between mana locks, breaking into this laboratory was impossible. Even a rank 3 acolyte with terrifying thunder spells like Marianne Deville would be helpless, unless she dried the mana resources of the gate by firing spells for years at the gate until it was destroyed. That was her idea at first, but she soon gave up after realizing that the gate retaliated by sending back inferior versions of the spells it dispelled. Drake approached and closed his eyes. He was using his [Mana Sense], something that all acolytes innately possessed upon awakening their spirit. It was another sense, just like taste, hearing or touch, yet it only provided information based on mana. That''s how blind individuals rose to success. By supressing your other senses, your mana sense would grow tremendously, allowing some to increase their talent grade. Few were crazy enough to attempt to raise their talent this way, but Magus Aegon, Roxanne''s master, had succeeded in doing so. He was a Dark Magus who used to have a grade 2 talent, and desperate enough to cut his eyes to break through. After becoming a magus, he transplanted a medusa''s ocular that granted his vision back. To open the gate, you had to form a certain key with your mana. Unless you knew the key, you could only study the runes and decipher their meanings to discover it. For a normal acolyte, it was an impossible task or one that would take years. For a magus familiar with runes, it would take days. This complexity¡­was rarely found. Even Helios'' City warehouse that was full of high-grade materials didn''t have a mana lock half as good as this one. ''I don''t know if it''s a good thing or not¡­but this lab is definitely full of treasure!'' However, Drake had the biochip. He didn''t have to try keys in a brutish manner. He could decipher the runes with his biochip. [Beep! 192 runes scanned!] ''Decipher and estimate the 5 most probable keys!'' [Beep! Task initiated! Estimated time: 16 minutes. Progress: 1%] 16 minutes. This was the amount of time that a task that would turn an army of scholars helpless was worth. Sixteen minutes later, Drake approached the gate again, and used his mana to condense the most probable one. It was pretty tough to do since it was meant for rank 3 acolytes and magi to do, but Drake still managed to condense it. *CLICK* The golden gate that was filled with runes suddenly shut down. And the gates opened by themselves. Drake had succeeded. Marianne opened her mouth, as if her jaw was about to drop. Jane almost fainted from the shock, probably because she knew how terrifyingly difficult it was to open it, and the other acolytes just sighed, relieved that they could finally escape the swarm of bugs attacking them. "I told you I would open it right?", Drake smirked and returned next to his subordinates. However, he was not exactly smiling. With such terrifying mana lock, this place was probably more than an abandoned laboratory. There was obviously important research being kept hidden. A mana lock had two uses: keep intruders from breaking into the laboratory, and keep abominations kept inside from escaping to the surface and wipe out a city or a kingdom. ''What will it be? A golden strove of treasures or an apocalyptic abomination?'' Whatever it was, Drake was excited. Though the risks were pretty high, he was no longer a weakling. 49 Expedition 4 "You¡­Who are you?", Jane asked. For some reason, Marianne treated Jane on an equal footing, whereas she completely saw Jack and Arthur as her underlings. It only strengthened Drake''s conviction that Jane somehow returned to the past as a reincarnator, or was a prophet who experienced a possible future. "Well, I don''t know what you''re expecting me to answer. I validated the deal, so I get to keep this ring. You''re fully aware of how knowledgeable I am. Do you really think that breaking such a simple mana lock is above my abilities? My spirit might be lower than yours, but it doesn''t mean that I am not strong", Drake said. In truth, his growth in the spirit attribute was extraordinary. It was mostly thanks to his grade 5 talent, but his original meditation technique as well as his constant hunts that earned him the goodwill of the world consciousness had thoroughly multiplied his potential. But none of his interlocutors were aware of his rank 2 acolyte status. Inside their heads, everyone had different thoughts ''A monster¡­'' ''A wisdom fitting a grade 5 talent¡­'' ''He must really be killed as soon as he serves his purpose'', Marianne thought while hiding her killing intent behind a broad smile After a while, she said: "Let''s move in the laboratory. Let the beastmen scout the area. Even if you see a treasure, notify me before you touch anything. We don''t know how meticulous the wandering magus used to be. There might be traps or monsters we don''t know about. Upon entering, Drake scrutinized the walls of the endless hall that seemed to lead to the gates of hell. It didn''t take long for the party to discover the identity of the Wandering Magus who used to conduct research in this laboratory. Every few meters, skeletons of powerful Magus-level creatures, as well as some ghouls could be seen stored in huge tanks of a whitish liquid filled with an enormous quantity of mana. It was like there was an army stored in these towering devices. The original owner of this lab was a Necromancer. The hall went on for about several miles, and the more they walked, the deeper underground they were heading to. From times to times, there would be jars filled with extraordinary treasures. To any acolyte who could appraise them accurately, it was a marvel: [Negative Energy sterilized fluid ¨C Grade 3 Magical Material] [Strengthened Ghoul ¨C Rank 3 Magical Creature] [Ghoul ¨C Rank 1 Magical Creature] [Skeleton Warrior ¨C Rank 1 Magical Creature] [Skeleton Knight ¨C Rank 3 Level Creature] [Poison Ghoul ¨C Rank 2 Magical Creature] [Skeleton belonging to a deceased rank 1 magus] [Enchanted Pendants ¨C Grade 2 Enchanted items] ¡­ However, no matter how valuable these items were, no one dared to touch it. They were not in some light Magus laboratory. These items were most likely cursed and considering their low constitution and resistance to negative energy, they were not suicidal enough to touch them. The ghouls were terrifying creatures, but since the laboratory had been proven to have been created more than two thousand years ago, they were most likely dead. At the end of the hall, there was a huge room, as big as a feasting room of a very wealthy lord. However, the room was filled with magus-related research devices, tube tests filled with unknown liquids, enchanted items, magical artefacts¡­ However, all of the acolytes'' eyes were drawn towards a table "This is¡­", Marianne muttered upon coming across a table. 138 scrolls and 24 grimoires were carefully stored on a table. The sheer size of the books was incredible. It was more than what an average Magus could write down in a lifetime. Without any doubt, this ancient Magus was very capable. But he died alone, judging from the Magus-level humanoid skeleton lying on a chair, lifeless. An acolyte wearing a skull pendant who couldn''t bear it anymore was about to pick up a book: it was Magus-level knowledge, one that fit his path perfectly. But Marianne didn''t stop him. Upon touching the book, the rank 1 acolyte was overcome by greed and started to read it as if his life depended on it. A few minutes later, he began to twitch and scratch his head increasingly harder. At some point, blood began to pour out of his eyes and his pores while screaming in agony. Exactly 8 minutes and 58 seconds after he picked up the book, he died. "These items are cursed, Marianne", Jane said in a low voice, "I already told you so" Marianne smirked: "Whatever, I wanted to see it by myself. I guess you have a way to dispel them with your special¡­status, right?" Jane answered: "My memories might not be complete, but I wouldn''t have come to you and asked for help if the only thing I knew was the location of this laboratory. We won''t be able to transport these items unless I dispel the curses on them individually. It will take several days, at the very least." Marianne nodded and then shouted: "I FORBID EVERYONE FROM TOUCHING ANYTHING IN THIS ROOM! FROM NOW ON, THIS LABORATORY IS THE THUNDER TOWER FACTION''S PROPERTY." Marianne didn''t have to say it twice. After seeing the horrible death the bold rank 1 acolyte suffered, everyone had a lingering fear to touch any stuff in this room, a fear that would most likely never be forgotten. Jane then proceeded to pick up the book and drew a magical circle around her after casting a spell that made her hand glowing. The magical circle was a complex hexagram that used otherworldly runes and expensive materials that were monopolised by the Church of Light, usually used to heal people. Drake recognized [Holy Water ¨C Grade 3 Material], a glowing liquid that seemed divine. ''Record everything¡­'' [Beep! This is most likely a holy array which is the most efficient way to dispel a curse. The Holy Church has mainly been tolerated in the Porfield Kingdom by the Magical Court because its priests are not aggressive and their magical power can mostly be used to dispel curses, heal and create miracles. Since they were not a threat, they have even been supported by the Magical Court at some point, making the Light belief the most widely spread in Barnolia. This is at least a grade 3 holy array.] The mana waves were quite extraordinary, to the point that most of the rank 1 acolytes were experiencing headaches. Marianne seemed quite eager to get her hands on it, and so was Jane. Unfortunately, the mana waves had somehow provoked an unwanted phenomenon after a dozen minutes: The Ghouls and skeletons that were stored in the Hall broke the glass. Their eye sockets were flickering in a red, murderous way, and they started to slowly march towards the research room. Everyone was shocked. More than two thousand years passed since the laboratory was created. Even if the magical reserves of this hideout were huge, supplying ghouls and skeletons with mana required a proper necromancer acolyte controlling them with a spell. If there was no necromancer, then these were undead beings, but once again, even undead beings would gradually grow useless after two thousand years. If undead could be roam freely without acolytes or magi controlling them, then Barnolia wouldn''t be brimming with life. It would have turned into a graveyard a long time ago. Even in the books and memoires Drake scanned, there was no mention of such a phenomenon. There were mentions of undead beings becoming independent after awakening their own soul, but this was usually the result of a forbidden ritual made with a lich or something like that. Or a result of¡­a necromancer''s research. Ruins were sometimes protected by arrays that controlled undead beings, but Drake knew that it wasn''t the case here, since he didn''t notice any rune inscribed on the walls or the undead''s body. Drake''s suddenly flashed with anxiousness: ''Don''t tell me¡­the [Negative Energy Fluid] they were stored in made them stronger and prevented them to wither over time?'' Something unprecedented was happening. [Beep! Danger! The defensive mechanism of this laboratory has been activated. According to the corpses and skeletons recorded in the hall, Host''s party is likely to have to fight 182 Rank 1 Skeleton Warriors, 24 Rank 2 Poison Ghouls, 16 Rank 2 Earth Ghouls and 6 Rank 3 Strengthened Ghouls] The ground started to tremble. It was the sound of an army of undead coming to attack them. Three acolytes cast [Earth Wall], in an attempt to stop the monsters, but how could a weak rank 1 spell possibly stop such an undead army? After a few dozen seconds, the Earth Walls crumbled. "What are-", an acolyte tried to shout but before he could finish his sentence, an axe struck his head, thrown by a skeleton. Obviously, these beings had their own sentience, and possessed a weapon mastery far exceeding the average knight. None of these things made sense. It was probably the most dangerous situation Drake encountered until now. 50 Battle against the undead [Fireballs], [Arclight Ray], [Frost Spike], [Earth Blast] ¡­ A multitude of spells were being cast every few seconds, with the goal protecting the party or killing a few undead each time. However, rank 2 Poison Ghouls were not beings that could simply be killed with a single spell that dealt less than 30 degrees of damage. Only a minute passed since the undead skeletons began pouring into the research room, yet already 3 acolytes lost their lives, and 13 beastmen were on the brink of death. Fortunately, the beastmen''s armours and attributes allowed them to take on a certain number of rank 1 skeleton warriors without necessarily suffering major injuries. Compared to magical beings, undead were much weaker. However, they were very numerous, and often possessed mastery over a certain type of weapons, most likely what they retained from their past lives. This allowed beastman peak knights to fight on an equal footing with two or even three rank 1 skeleton warriors, thanks to their superior gears and skills. Marianne noticed a [Strengthened Ghoul], which was about to wipe the expedition party. However, Marianne belonged to the Magus Family Deville, and her grandfather was one of the strongest Magus of the Magical Court. She had a trump card: [Thunderbolt], a powerful enhanced rank 3 spell that dealt 68 points of damage, a force that could threaten a newly advanced Magus who was careless. The strengthened ghoul was unbelievably strong, but it was very weak to the thunder element, just like fire elementals were weak to water spells. Upon contact, it was reduced to a pile of ash. Jane was taken aback, but retained her calm at this unexpected trial of death. She then cast [Thunder Enhancement] on the beastmen, which provided a small buff of thunder damage whenever their flail hit the skeleton warriors. It wasn''t a huge buff, but it still provided 4 to 5 degrees of thunder-elemental damage to their attacks. As it was cast on more than twenty soldiers, the effects were huge. If before, the beastmen peak knights were capable of repelling the endless waves of skeleton warriors, they were now crushing them. However, Jane was currently defenceless, and the burden on her mana pool seemed to be quite heavy, as she had to consume a mana potion to replenish it every few dozen seconds. Drake was quite shocked. Each mana potion cost over twenty magic crystals, yet all the thunder tower faction acolytes seemed to have prepared a dozen of them. ''You can never underestimate a big faction''s reserves¡­'', Drake thought as he noted down this information. Marianne then looked at Drake, and ordered: "Drake, use your subordinates as meat shields if you have to, but protect Jane while she cast the spells. I heard you have managed to hunt a rank 2 magical beast, so even if poison ghouls attack your group, you should be able to take care of them!" Ever since she began casting her zone buffing spell, the skeletons seemed to have made her a target. Fortunately, the beastman formation was rarely breached. Drake signalled his team to move and proceed to a turtle formation surrounding Jane and the crossbowmen. Meanwhile, Rey and the other knights with enchanted shields started to tank the blows of the enemies, while the 5 peak knights wielding great swords attacked them. Every time a rank 2 poison ghoul appeared, Rey would switch his Grand Roman Enchanted shield for his great sword and cleave it. He might not be an acolyte, but his fighting prowess was on par with the beastman''s commander, if not superior. He was a proper half-grand knight. However, these ghouls were not weaklings either: [Name: Poison Ghoul Rank: Rank 2 Undead Being Status: Weakened (Originally a rank 3 undead being) Attributes: Strength ¨C 6.9 | Dexterity ¨C 2.4 | Constitution ¨C 5.6 | Spirit ¨C 10.9 | Mana ¨C 10.9 / 10.9 Perk: Bound to the laboratory Skills: Poisonous Bite (If the target''s blood system is successfully corrupted, deal [Spirit] degrees of damage every few seconds unless an appropriate antidote is taken, or the poison taken out of the blood system)] [Name: Earth Ghouls Rank: Rank 2 Undead Being Status: Weakened (Originally a rank 3 undead being) Attributes: Strength ¨C 7.2 | Dexterity ¨C 2.8 | Constitution ¨C 6.5 | Spirit ¨C 11.2 | Mana ¨C 11.2 / 11.2 Perk: Bound to the laboratory Skills: Boulder Smash (Rank 2 spell), Earth Aura (Defensive Rank 2 Spell)] Drake supported his team, taking care of the weakened sides, using his vastly superior agility to destroy the strongest and most dangerous foes, mostly Earth Ghouls who were too tough to be taken care by mere peak knights. The turtle formation and the months of hunting together allowed the Fifteen Dragon Wings to enhance their strengths and make up for their weaknesses through coordination and incredible teamwork. The acolytes who were daring enough to take a look to Jane''s well-being could only gasp in shock upon seeing such efficiency upon dealing with the undead. Even rank 2 ghouls were being destroyed in a matter of seconds. As for the rank 3 ghouls, Marianne made sure to fight them. After killing two more rank 3 strengthened ghouls with her thunderbolt spells, the remaining three rank 3 ghouls closed the distance with her. Obviously, they had deemed her ability to fight in close combat to be non-existent. It was their mistake. Marianne unsheathed her magical dagger, and proficiently stabbed it into their bodies. She didn''t have high agility or anything, but the magical dagger allowed her to momentarily boost her attributes to half-grand-knight level, in addition to burn her opponents with an abyssal fire. Once they were stabbed, the ghouls screamed in agony. The fire burned them without showing any signs of stopping. [Endless fire]. This was the magical dagger''s effect. As long as the victim was alive, an endless fire would burn the wounds. Eventually, as the number of stabs increased, they were reduced to charred corpses. "Shadow Crossbowmen, shoot the rank 2 ghoul at 6 o''clock" Drake didn''t fail to notice that the battle was looking in their favour. The skeleton warriors were being destroyed, and the rank 3 creatures had been dealt with by Marianne. Drake smiled, while secretly taking advantage of the fact that everyone was focused on the enemies to put a few Grade 2 magical cores from the rank 2 ghoul corpses in his pouch, while continuing to cut through the undead. ''What a bountiful harvest¡­'' *SPLASH* The more Drake observed the rank 1 acolytes, the more surprised he was becoming. Unlike an army of knights who were homogenous and practiced the same set of sword art, the acolytes were incredibly diversified. Drake knew about acolytes'' versality, but seeing it first hand was something else entirely. Golems, arrays, scrolls, parchments¡­The acolytes were using their trump cards one after the other, sometimes managing to save their lives, sometimes their trump card being insufficient. Drake saw many ranks 1 acolytes deal with rank 2 Earth Ghouls by using their trump cards, a very surprising fact. It was quite unbelievable. [Fireball Spell Parchment ¨C Grade 2 Consumable] The most common trump cards the acolytes used were parchment, on which were inscribed a spell matrix. You didn''t have to know the spell in order to use a parchment: only mana was required. This had tremendous potential. By using the parchment, an acolyte who had no knowledge of the fireball spell for instance, could cast it with a strength exceeding his realm. Drake had encountered this kind of treasures more than once on the market, since it was one of the key items of the [Arcane Faction] backed by Magus Kayle, Magus Mayrose, Magus Tunnel, Magus Heister and Supreme Magus Helios. As for the golems, Drake spotted at least 5 of them. [Iron Golem ¨C Grade 2 Magical Construct Attributes: Strength ¨C 8.0 | Dexterity ¨C 1.2 | Constitution ¨C 10.0 Perk: Made of Iron (Invincible unless the golem core is destroyed, high defence), Regeneration (Damage can be healed by supplying mana) Skills: Smash, Punch, Charge] It was truly impressive, and every few seconds, dozens of skeleton warriors would fall, alongside a ghoul. The Alm Battle had once made him realize that he wasn''t invincible. This undead battle made him realize that no matter how ''weak'' an acolyte was, he could unleash terrifying destructiveness. The rank 1 acolytes'' trump cards really picked his interest, but even more so, Marianne''s own strength frightened Drake. After one hour of constant battle, the laboratory became calm again. Out of the 20 rank 1 acolytes, only 6 survived. Out of the 50 beastmen who joined the expedition, only 12 survived, and all of them seemed to have been poisoned with a lethal poison. Considering their constitution, their odds of survival were close to 10%. As for Drake''s faction and the 4 disciples of Magus Jackal, it seemed like they had survived no casualty at all. There was a deep silence. Marianne Deville was on the ground, gasping for air as she was suffering from the backlash of using her magical dagger. Jane passed out after overusing mana, while the Arthur and Jack were pouring their wounds with healing potions as they groaned in pain. The six acolytes who survived were naturally above-average: an old man could control two iron golems at once, the other had a surprisingly mind-blowing mastery of an illusion spell that created mirages, while the four others had used several extraordinary spell parchments and strong elemental spells to survive. Obviously, every single acolyte who survived this battle had survived because of their own strength. Luck wasn''t enough in this battle. However, as the expedition party thought that it was over, the sound of a skeleton marching sent chill to everyone. "Hohoho¡­Ants waking me up from my sleep and destroying my creations! How disrespectful!" It was the skeleton belonging to the deceased magus lying on the chair. It waved its hands, and a terrifying volley of arrows suddenly rushed towards every single human and beastman being in the room. *SPLASH* A [Rank 3 Lich] had entered the place. Turns out the undead ghouls and skeletons were not mutant undead who somehow awakened their own souls. Since the beginning of the battle, the lich was controlling its underlings and forced the acolytes to use their trump cards! Now that everyone seemed to have entered a state of weakness, it appeared and planned on supressing this threat. 51 Lich Drake didn''t have time to cast a spell, and thus blocked the spell with his enchanted armour and enchanted shield. [Beep! 8 degrees of negative energy received] Drake coughed blood. Despite perfectly blocking the negative energy arrow, Drake was sent flying to the wall. It would have been a deadly hit, if it weren''t for his 10.8 points of constitution. "NO!", Drake shouted as 4 of his subordinates lost their lives. Fortunately, Rey and the 4 shield bearers had reacted and protected the crossbowmen with their lives. But those who used great swords were unable to survive the 26-degrees-of-damage arrows, and ended up dying on the spot. Even though the shield bearers wore heavy armour sets and possessed enchanted shield, the arrows still wounded them critically. Drake took a look at the others, and he was instantly met with a hint of despair: Arthur and Jack had died, unable to cast a barrier at time because of the lich''s surprise attack, while 5 of the rank 1 acolytes died. Marianne was a rank 3 acolyte, and possessed a defensive magical artefact, and she used it to block the arrows targeting her and Jane. As for the beastmen¡­they were already injured. They all died, except for their commander, who had a surprisingly high constitution as a half-grand knight. But since he had already lost a lot of blood, he was no longer conscious and if nothing was done to heal him, he was bound to bleed out. "Kekeke¡­You dare trespass my domain! This is what you get for your arrogance!", the lich laughed awkwardly. Marianne started to cast a spell, but a lich was an undead spellcaster who had unlimited supply of mana within its domain. The amount of shadow elemental particles in the laboratory was unusually high to begin with, and furthermore, a lich was a being that could live eternally. Their mastery of dark spells was something that exceeded humans'' understanding. Before she could finish constructing her spell matrix, the lich disrupted her by using a mental curse. [Beep! The lich can cast a spell in 0.8 second. It probably possesses a magical artefact that decreases the casting time of mental curses!] Drake''s biochip analysed the lich in a fraction of a second. [Name: Lich Age ¨C More than 2000 years Rank: Rank 3 Undead Being Status: Weakened (Originally a magus-level being) Attributes: Strength ¨C 1.9 | Dexterity ¨C 0.4 | Constitution ¨C 5.6 | Spirit ¨C 20.9 | Mana ¨C 20.9 / 20.9 Perk: Bound to the laboratory Skills: (?) Possess at least 3 artefacts on its body] As Marianne screamed, she suddenly took out a vial and drank it, dispelling the curse. She then rushed towards the beast half-grand knight and chanted a few words. What followed thoroughly shocked Drake. ''What the¡­'' However, the beastman then rushed towards the lich at a speed exceeding Drake''s own dexterity, something that Drake had never witnessed in his life. Ever since he had successfully engraved the runes of a rank 2 death mantis on his chest, he could reach a speed that was unheard of. Even Grand Knights, who possessed higher attributes and the ability to ignite their internal life force to become momentarily stronger, faster and sturdier, could not rival him in terms of sheer speed. But, the beastman commander, or more accurately, the creature it turned into, was moving at an unbelievable speed. ''how is that possible¡­?'' But Drake''s could already guess the answer. The beastmen were the results of Magus Jackal''s years of careful grooming and experiments. As a result, they were as strong as peak knights, but he had most likely implemented a way for them to unleash a power surpassing their realm at the cost of their lives. Drake could sense that the beast''s internal energy was being forcefully ignited, and in addition to this, Marianne had activated a mana spell in the back of his consciousness, which increased his attributes dramatically by circulating mana in its meridians. Since it hadn''t awakened spirit, doing so was bound to be lethal, but for the moment, it granted the beast attributes surpassing a real Grand-Knight. The beast charged the lich over and over again, and even though the lich managed to defend every single time with a wall of bones, it was being pushed back over time. Anyone could see that. *CLANG* *CLANG* Of course, it wasn''t like the lich was letting itself being pushed back without retaliating. However, because of the beast''s speed, the lich always failed to connect its spells and curses on it. *CLANG* *CLANG* The beast''s diversion allowed Marianne to prepare a spell. It wasn''t the [Thunderbolt spell]. It was something¡­much more potent. Drake could feel terror just by staying nearby, feeling the enormous power from the mana waves it released. Drake cast [Wind Barrier] as a means to save himself from the incoming damage, while shouting his subordinates to escape. He ran. This level of strength had already far exceeded his acolyte realm, his real acolyte realm. He was running for his life. But¡­how could the lich possibly allow itself to be destroyed by Marianne? After chanting a few words: [Khallan Drodur Poli KHAR] Souls began to materialize, and form a wall of wailing faces in front of the lich. These souls were screaming in agony, forcing Drake to kneel and cover his ears despite his high constitution and spirit. His subordinates were doing even worse, as they suddenly fainted upon hearing the words. Marianne, however, seemed to be protected by her magical medallion providing her with a halo of light which neutralized the evil sounds, most likely a one-time use ability that would result in the destruction of the magical artefact, judging from the chaotic waves of mana it released. Adding to that, Marianne was finishing her spell cast. ''Such instability¡­How is the medallion still in one piece?'', Drake thought After what seemed to be ten seconds of casting, a magical circle appeared between Marianne''s palms, a mighty magical circle, from which a huge beam of electricity came out. The beam then targeted the Lich, and broke through the wall of souls as if it was mere paper. The Lich tried to survive by tearing a parchment that summoned a wall of Ice, but it didn''t even succeed in slowing down the beam of electricity. *BOOM* The ground started to tremble, and the lich was no more. There wasn''t even a pile of ash remaining. He had been thoroughly vaporized. Only two magical artefacts had remained intact, most likely well crafted. *BOOM* Marianne then walked towards Jane and used a transparent health potion to heal her. "Eh¡­so you survived, huh", Marianne said upon seeing Drake with eyes full of terror [Beep! [Beam of Electricity] enhanced spell recorded. Estimated amount of damage: 80 Degrees] Drake had heard that rank 3 acolyte spells were usually limited to 60 degrees of damage. And yet, Marianne''s spell had reached 80 points, something that only Magus-level individuals could unleash usually. Drake checked on his subordinates. ''Damn it¡­'', four of his subordinates had died, and all the others were unconscious. Even if they would recover, it would take months based on the injuries they had suffered from. "Don''t make such a face!", Marianne exclaimed, "Look at me. I lost an army, used all of my trump cards and two of my grandfather''s disciples" Drake looked at her: "Why are you smiling, then?" "Everything in this room is ours to take! Magical artefacts, enchanted items, magus-level information. As long as we keep it a secret from my grandfather, we will be able to strike it rich!", Marianne said. Jane then opened her eyes, and nodded. "I¡­I didn''t expect a lich to defend this place. I apologize, my information was wrong", Jane said in a low voice "Don''t worry. The lich was weakened, and only equal to a rank 3 acolyte in terms of fighting power", Marianne answered, "Just focus on dispelling the curses!" Jane then bit her lips: "I¡­It looks like the curse vanished the moment you killed the lich, Marianne. A normal human being would be able to pick up the books and stay healthy¡­" Marianne''s eyes flashed with greed: "Then¡­tell me why I should keep you alive?" Jane felt true terror at the moment: "You¡­you can''t do that! We have written down a contract. You can''t do me any harm!" Drake felt goose bumps upon seeing Marianne''s decisiveness Marianne looked at Drake, titling her head towards Jane, who had suffered too mental fatigue to even lift a finger. "It''s indeed true that I am not bound by the contract", Drake said while standing up with difficulty. Had he been a rank 1 acolyte, he would have fainted like his subordinates, but he was a rank 2 acolyte. The recoil from the wail of the souls was much lighter. "You can''t do that!", Jane screamed, "I am Jane Elderwood! I¡­Don''t you think that she will do the same thing with you?" Drake then said: "I have my own uses. As long as I have a use for her, she won''t kill me, or else I will turn into a ''failed investment'', right?" Marianne clapped her hands in joy: "You''re smart! Really smart!" Drake then proceeded to walk around the room, and approached the lich. Obviously, it wore the best magical artefacts. Unfortunately, only two out of three magical artefacts had remained intact: [Minor Arcane Orb ¨C Grade 3 Magical Artefact Amplify all offensive spells with [Arcane Amplification], adding 6 degrees of magical damage. Requirements: 8 points of Spirit] [Lich Cape ¨C Grade 2 Magical Artefact Neutralize the mental curses received by the wearer by 20%, and improve the effectiveness of curses cast by the wearer by 6%. Requirements: 4 points of spirit. Note: The effects will likely decrease if the opponent is a Magus.] As Drake was about to head towards the other 8 magical artefacts piled up on a wall behind sturdy glass, Marianne shouted, seemingly outraged at Drake''s endless greed: "That''s enough! Don''t test my patience" Drake shuddered slightly. "Lady Marianne! Look at the big picture. I can see over 30 enchanted weapons, each one of them worth over 50 magic crystals. Of course, their research value is much higher than that, but let''s say they are worth 50 Magic Crystals, it would still be enough for you to call this expedition a success!", Drake negotiated, "Let''s make a deal, alright? I appraise the other magic artefacts free of charge, as well as the enchanted items. In exchange, I get one more magical artefact. Or I can just stop and you will be forced to share a portion of your earnings to your fellow disciple because of the contract you signed. Or you can kill me, but you won''t have a way to get access to-" Marianne grumbled, but said: "Fine!". She was probably taken aback by the events. She never expected all the acolytes she had hired to be killed alongside the beastmen and Jack and Arthur, who were praised by Magus Jackal as real talent. Although they had yet to fully exploit their potential, they would have reached the rank 3 acolyte realm in less than twenty years. They were proper grade 4 talents. As Drake was resuming his actions, Jane was spouting nonsensical words: "I¡­can give you the secret of Reincarnation! You may not believe me, but I have¡­memories of an alternate future! That''s why I am so strong despite having a shitty talent! I can do a lot of things! My family will reward you generously!" Seeing that Drake didn''t even frown an eyebrow, she continued to beg: "You can enslave me if you want! I am a peak rank 2 acolyte! I will be extraordinarily useful to you if you let me stay alive!" But Drake wasn''t a hero. He was someone with goals, and his most profitable course of action was to get advantage of Marianne''s contract that bounded her. Drake''s suspicions were also confirmed. Marianne was evil, and as he figured it out, she had probably planned his assassination before even signing the contract. She was that much of an evil personality. But it was yet another reason to get stronger. Drake didn''t mind colluding with Marianne herself. As long as he didn''t ''go against her'', as indicated in the contract, her success wouldn''t threaten him. But it''s not like there are not any holes in the contract. She could not even hint someone to kill him, because of the contract. Since he didn''t know when he would be attacked and who would be the opponent, the easiest way to solve his existential crisis was to get stronger. In his situation, the quickest way was to get a hold of magical artefacts, something that was nearly impossible to purchase with magic crystals solely with his lack of network and access to high-circle auctions. Drake scanned the artefacts. [Hell Crown ¨C Grade 3 Magical Artefact Increase Shadow elemental spells'' effectiveness by 16% Requirements: Shadow Affinity (Grade 4 Talent)] [Mechanical gauntlet ¨C Grade 2 Magical Artefact Can be used to cast [Mechanical Blast], a rank 2 acolyte-level offensive spell, once a day, free of mana cost. Requirement: 6 points of spirit.] ¡­ Although the majority of the artefacts didn''t suit him, there was one that matched his close combat fighting style, most likely something that: [Ghost Pendant ¨C Grade 2 Magical Artefact Can be used to capture enemies'' souls. By consuming a soul, you can heal your wounds. The more powerful the enemy before dying, the more effective the healing will be. If the enemy is very strong, then his soul will only enter a state of weakness before being able to be used again. Souls stored: 4 875 Requirements: 8 points of spirit] As Drake approached Jane, he scanned Marianne and hesitated for a while. She was in a weakened state, and taking care of her right now would lighten his burden in the future by a huge margin. But¡­then he remembered that there was a fearsome magus backing her and being her closest family kin. Drake unsheathed his sword, and beheaded Jane despite her begging and crying. He used to be honourable, when he was still a knight. His father tried to raise him as a honourable knight. And he did succeed at some point. It looked like a year in Helios had changed his mindset. He only sought strength now. Because the weak were getting killed. Really fast. And if he didn''t take advantage of the opportunity in front of him, only death awaited him. Marianne successfully plotted Jane''s death by herself, without lifting a finger. And Jane was someone who was a disciple to a Magus, who stood at the peak of the rank 2 acolyte realm, someone whose buffs changed the tides of the battle a few minutes ago. Even though Marianne was strong, she would have never survived the lich''s encounter if it weren''t for Jane. She would have been thoroughly exhausted after dealing with the ghouls and skeleton warriors. But instead of showing Jane any gratitude, she plotted her death, hinting at Drake to kill her. Because of the contract, she could not say a word about it, or even write a piece of paper explaining the situation. And yet, she managed to hint Drake to kill Jane. *SPLASH* Three magical artefacts and privacy about the magus-level information. Even a saint would have been tempted. Magic artefacts allowed rank 1 acolytes to display a fighting power equal to that of rank 2 acolytes, sometimes even greater. In a war, magical artefacts could be stacked, with their effects becoming more and more evident as their number increased. Even Magi would often wear several grades 2 or grade 3 magical equipment to strengthen themselves, even though their effect was diminished on Magus individuals. This showed how valuable magical artefacts were. Drake noticed Marianne take out a dark-coloured gem. Sensing Drake''s curiosity, she exclaimed: "What? Did you think I would let her die before she revealed her secrets of reincarnation? She was a magus once, yet she managed to reincarnate. Obviously, the side effects are pretty huge considering that she didn''t sense us coming, and there is also the problem of incomplete memories. But she still is a Magus! I will be damned if I don''t learn all of her secrets!" This dark-coloured gem was none other than a soul-capturing gem. Marianne truly was evil-minded. She probably planned on torturing Jane''s soul. 52 Harves On the surface, Marianne was met with a pleasant surprise. 6 beastmen peak knights had successfully recovered from their illness, though the rest died. Her cold-bloodedness was now rewarded. It then took an entire day to transport the ghoul magical cores as well as the skeleton warrior''s bones to the carriage. Although most of what they transported was grade 1 magical material, it could still be sold for dozens of magical crystals. Drake made sure to get his share as well, claiming two water tanks filled with grade 3 body strengthening fluids for himself, something that would easily cost 800 magic crystals if he just purchased the ingredients. But to get it, he would have to find an alchemist who knew how to brew it for him. As for purchasing grade 3 body strengthening fluids on the market, raw, it would cost him easily thrice this amount. Furthermore, it would take decades to find such an enormous quantity of body strengthening fluids. Each water tanks contained about 75 litres of body strengthening fluid. It would easily last for years of daily use. Marianne looked at him but said nothing. If not for Drake''s subordinates, she would have never taken so many valuable resources, much less carrying it. Furthermore, Drake didn''t show any interest in the most expensive stuff: rubies, magical gems used by craftsmen, Fallen Iron, a grade 3 material used to construct magical towers, arrays, enchanted weapons, magus-level research devices that belonged to an ancient and superior era, extinct plants and seeds that were searched by many Magi in Helios¡­ The total value of what Marianne was transporting was overwhelming, if Drake''s says were accurate, and after three months spent in the same carriage as him, she knew better than putting into question his knowledge and shrewdness when it came to money: 16 882 magic crystals. And it was the amount she would get without counting the magical artefacts, or the extinct seeds and plants earnestly sought by Magus Kayle and others! If they scavenged the remains, the party would probably be able to gather about 300 more magic crystals, but compared to what they had already gotten, it was just scraps. However, a war emerged between light and Dark magi, which caused both sides to severely decline, with their legacies incomplete. Furthermore, taking advantage of the magi''s internal strife, the nobles slowly raised an army of Grand Knights, seeking advice from druids who lived as hermits and advocated The Order. A second war emerged several centuries later, further destroying the magus inheritance, with the birth of Grand-knights, weapon masters and possessing bodies capable of threatening the Magi. In fact, their dangerousness didn''t come from their high physical attributes. If they just possessed high physical attributes, rank 3 acolytes would be sufficient to deal with them, and at the time, rank 3 acolytes were just promising youths, completely unlike now, where rank 3 acolytes were treated as almighty geniuses, right-hands of magi themselves. Grand knights were extraordinarily dangerous because after breaking through into this realm, they could freely use their internal energy in their body and ignite it to boost their attributes. It wasn''t surprising for a Grand Knight to increase their strength by 60% for a few minutes using mysterious techniques. Considering that their strength was already on par with rank 2 and rank 3 beasts¡­They were just becoming monsters themselves. The trip to return to Helios was a far more perilous, mostly because the magical treasures couldn''t be hidden from magical beasts. And since the group was only defended by a handful of beastmen and peak knights, arrogant bandits who possessed over 200 underlings thought they had struck gold. But the ancient laboratory only made Drake''s subordinates stronger. Lewis, for instance, was enlightened. His internal energy increased and his physical attributes were enhanced to the point that he had reached the peak of the knight realm without the runes. With the runes, he was probably on par with half-grand knight. It was truly an amazing growth, considering that he only broke through the knight realm a year ago, slightly after Drake. His talent was nowhere as good as Drake in terms of internal energy, yet this life and death battle was similar to a sparkle that thoroughly burned like a divine fire and turned him into a stronger version of himself. Second Awakening. Most of Half-grand knights reached their levels by having a second awakening, with the first awakening referring to the knight breakthrough. However, in theory, a second awakening could be received anytime. Some geniuses even skipped the knight realm and dived straight into the half-grand knight realm in the past according to historical records. Half-Grand Knights were individuals who were too strong to be called peak knights, since their strength usually exceeded 8 points, yet too weak to be called a Grand-Knight. Only body refinement acolytes like Drake and wasteful heirs would reach the half-grand knight realm through the consumption of magical elixirs, magical beast meat and using runes, which were mostly external means. It wasn''t like it was a bad thing. As long as it strengthened you, any means was good. And Lewis getting stronger really made Drake joyous. [Human Male. Name ¨C Lewis Age ¨C 41 years. Rank: Half-Grand Knight. Status: Left hand crippled. Attributes Strength ¨C 6.8 (+3.0) | Dexterity ¨C 2.2 (+0.4) | Constitution ¨C 6.0 (+1.6) | Internal Energy ¨C 19.1 Skills: Improved Kadac Swordsmanship (Knight-level, Proficiency: Expert), horsemanship (proficiency: Expert), Butler (Proficiency: Expert), Barbarian Strength (+1 point of Strength), Geography (Proficiency: Advanced), Tactics (Expert), Trading (Proficiency: Advanced), Running (Proficiency: Expert)¡­ Perk: Runic Barbarian Tattoo ¨C Sky Eagle Blood Runes (+2.0 Strength, +0.4 Dexterity, +1.6 Constitution)] Bandits could not scratch what remained of the Fifteen Dragon Wings. As for magical beasts, Drake enjoyed killing them for his consumption. The stronger he was becoming, the bigger his appetite, to the point that it was abnormal. Very few acolytes would dare to eat rank 2 magical beast meat after grilling it slightly and seasoning it with some high-quality spices. After all, most of rank 2 magical beast meat would be poisonous to normal human beings. Unless it was cooked following a very specific method that neutralized the toxins, it would be quite harmful for a human to consume it. But Drake could no longer be considered a human. He possessed 11 points of constitution, which was just a step away from the Grand-knight realm. [Beep! Research has been halted to analyse Magus-level knowledge stored in [ancient laboratory books and scrolls] folder! Progress: 3%] As the group reached Helios, Drake was grinning. In less than a year, he would have finished decrypting this magus-level information, something that Marianne and Magus Jackal would most likely fail to achieve in decades. Ancient Magi were on a completely different level compared to those who lived in Helios. They fought their way to the top, stomping on geniuses to reach their level. Anything they found, they would find methods to conceal it from others. After all, if Magi were known to be sharing, the Magus Community would have never decayed over the years. Drake felt a bit apprehensive upon returning to Helios. "Marianne, would you make me a favour?", Drake asked hesitantly. Marianne squinted, not trusting Drake anymore. If before, she had some thoughts of stopping his assassination to turn him into a loyal subordinate, she only wished for the trip to end quickly. She had experienced how terrifying he was at rank 1, so she didn''t want him to grow. The quicker he died, the better it was. Be it breaking the mana lock in a matter of minutes, or his ruthlessness to get stronger by killing Jane, he was too smart for his own good, he was too similar to herself. "What is it?", she said in a bored voice. The trip was long and boring. Besides the few encounters with magical beasts, it was dull and since Marianne was injured, she mostly meditated to recover from the recoil of her extraordinarily potent spell. "My achievements¡­will you reveal them to your grandfather? Just like I promised you not to tell a soul about Magus-level information, I would like you not to reveal the ''mana lock'' incident'' to your grandfather, or our special agreement" "You didn''t promise me anything. You signed a contract. But even if you didn''t ask, I would have barely mentioned your name to my grandfather, since it would attract his attention. I don''t want him to sniff around our expedition. Anyways, with the harvest we got here¡­I think he will just grin and pat me like a good granddaughter I am!" Writing down the content of Magus-level information would be nearly impossible. First and foremost, it was written in an ancient language called Death Words. Just copying nonsensical characters would take more than a few months. Furthermore, the true worth of these books and scrolls was the spiritual energy stored in the writings. Each word would most likely trigger an epiphany from the lector, something that would be lost in a copy. But Drake could memorize them and decipher this long-forgotten and encrypted language. This was the difference between him and normal humans. Drake could already guess the content of the books: Necromancy, Ghoul Creation, Skeleton Warrior manufactory, controlling an army of undead¡­While these fields were very attractive, Drake lacked the Shadow element affinity that was the bare requirement to turn this knowledge into strength. However, it was still a mind-opening research, and the biochip was probably going to benefit a lot from this. Drake was actually looking closer to a specific scroll that was mostly deciphered by the biochip: [Phantom Doppelganger], a very ancient method that consisted in raising a ghost doppelganger of oneself, in a pure spiritual form. By doing so, the user would earn a loyal subordinate that would be mostly insensible to purely physical damage. The growth rate of the Phantom Doppelganger seemed to be limitless, thought it was incredibly costly to create and raise. It required souls and magical cores, but the higher the talent of the user, the faster its growth rate. ''Amazing¡­'' It truly was. 53 Long term mission "How?", Sillius asked in a suspicious voice, "How did 10 sentinels survive the expedition when all 20 rank 1 acolytes as well as a few disciples of Magus Jackal met their end in the ancient laboratory?" Drake could only half-hesitantly reply: "I¡­performed a physical-enhancement experiment on my subordinates, which turned out to be successful, though quite wasteful in terms of funds. General Liu Bu has experienced it first-handed" "I am fully aware", Sillius replied. As the Grand-knight and the leader of the sentinels, he was basically aware of everything that happened in Helios, "But the enhancement is not that good. Don''t beat around the bush. You just lost 4 promising youths, good lads who would have reached General Liu Bu''s level in time if it weren''t for your tendency to take risks." Drake bit his lips. He never planned on letting them die either. However, even if it was an ancient laboratory, there shouldn''t have been any defence mechanism left, much less hundreds of undead beings, including a rank 3 lich which possessed a power rivalling the strongest rank 3 acolytes! Even Magus Towers would only remain dangerous for a few hundred years. The traps and defence mechanisms would then grow deficient after the erosion of time. Magic rarely stayed put. "I mean, I am a half-grand knight and a grade 5 talent. If I didn''t have a few abilities of my own¡­", Drake said, unwilling to divulge his rank 2 status yet. The only certitude Drake had was that Marianne had already planned his downfall. Fortunately, he didn''t have to use any magical spell during the expedition, or at least, any spell that stood out. Hence, Marianne still ignored that he was a rank 2 acolyte, though she knew he was a strong half-grand knight. This meant that his opponent would most likely be rank 2 assassin, perhaps several rank 2 assassins considering her meticulousness. "¡­", Sillius stayed silent, not knowing how to deal with this situation. Drake said: "This is the first time a sentinel has joined an expedition and played a major role. I already told you that without me, the expedition would have been for naught" "¡­" "I am not asking for a monetary reward. Judging by the lack of enchanted weapons and the overall weakness of sentinels, I can easily guess that you simply don''t have the funds to support promising talents" "I want you to give me a special and confidential mission, far away from Helios, which would last for several years. I might have offended a few people, and I wish to grow stronger before returning to Helios for good", Drake asked "Why? There is no safer place than Helios!", Sillius said, "Furthermore, as a general, you shouldn''t have any troubles when it comes to authority" Drake didn''t agree: "Wrong, every few years, a few acolytes drop dead and no one has been able to identify the causes of deaths, much less the culprits themselves. Sentinels might be quite strong, but they are clueless when it comes to acolytes'' cunningness" "Are you here to mock us? You are a sentinel now. Insulting us is akin to insulting yourself!", Sillius said in anger. "I am not mocking you. I am simply stating the truth. You know Roxanne, right? Rey''s vendor. She has developed a shockingly potent grade 2 elixirs. It''s only a matter of time before she sells it. It will not only be cheap, she will be able to manufacture it in bulk with the right materials. Sell her magical beast corpses, and use the magic crystals to purchase this purple-coloured potion", Drake said while showing a vial he got from Roxanne''s. Sillius looked at it, and nodded. He had seen many elixirs in his life to reach his level, and this elixir definitely seemed like a treasure. Sighing, he said: "Alright¡­You want a confidential, long-lasting mission, right?" "Yes." "I will write you a letter of recommendation to the Evergreen''s mayor. A horde of orcs has been spotted. The city must not fall.", Sillius said firmly, "They have been refusing help from the Church of Light. You might wonder why Evergreen is under Helios'' jurisdiction despite being located in the West, right? Well, Evergreen has always been treasured by Magi, because it has been excavating a rare ore called Astral Stones. It can be used to travel to otherworldly planes in the multiverse and harvest their lands. I can''t tell you more, since I already overstepped my contract by telling you about it." "Evergreen is one of the 16 Free Cities of Barnolia, capable of rivalling the weakest nations in terms of military and economy? How come they are struggling against orcs? I heard the walls were taller than giants, a result of two hundred years of work. The Maester who tutored me in my childhood sure loved to brag about Evergreen''s power." "There are about 20 000 soldiers, some of them being immaculate soldiers. It''s only natural for them to be strong. Over 60 000 mercenaries also joined Evergreen to defend the walls, but this horde of orcs is a bit special. It is led by an Orc King leading them, a rank 3 creature. It can strengthen those he commands through war cries, thus making an orc warrior as strong as a knight, perhaps even stronger. Furthermore, scouts have reported their numbers to be ranging between 30 000 and 35 000." "So¡­you want me to defend Evergreen City against a rank 3 Orc King leading an army of thirty thousand orcs? Evergreen is doomed, unless Helios dispatches hundreds of acolytes. Are there any acolyte in the city?" "No, they have always refused the Magical Court''s help in the past. Unless it is a magus, they would usually close the gates. I think they hold suspicions to magical beings because of their bad feud with the blood witches'' sect in the past, who murdered innocents. The Magi know their plight but ignored them, wanting to take advantage of their despair to get a monopoly on their astral stones. I planned on completing it by myself, since I am much stronger than average grand knights. Killing the orc king would save the city, and I have the power to do so. But¡­if it is you and your subordinates, you might do better than that and defend the orc army leading the mercenaries and soldiers. You''re already a half-grand knight, and this mission might play a huge role in your breakthrough." Drake pondered for a while: Evergreen was known to have six Grand Knights. Completing this mission would take years, and because it is confidential, he would not be attacked unless there was a leak. The quicker he left, the better it would be. It was definitely a good opportunity. Sillius'' last words made him expectant. Surely, there was a secret in Evergreen City about knights and grand knights. Although there were over 30 000 orcs, Evergreen still held a numerical advantage. On a plain, it would have been an impossible mission to win with just 80 000 soldiers, but Evergreen possessed giant walls, as well as ballistae that could threaten rank 3 magical beasts. Unless they were broken, it was unlikely for the orc king to go in an all-out war. It would probably focus on sieging the city, preying on merchants, and taking advantage of its species'' reproduction rate. The longer the siege, the higher their numbers and the better their equipment. "What are the rewards of the mission?", Drake asked. "Evergreen has promised six pounds of astral stones to Helios, unique resources as well as a seat at the [Powerful Thirteen Elders] of Evergreen for the one who completes the task. If you earn this spot, getting your hands-on astral stones, which are highly valued by the Magi, should not be too difficult. But the reason why Magi haven''t completed the task themselves is pretty evident: no one would want to waste years to complete this mission. Evergreen doesn''t even want one orc to survive the ordeal. It might take a decade to complete it. Even Magi would find it hard to waste ten years of their lives just for materials. That''s why they wait¡­They wait for them to fall into despair and improve the reward" Drake nodded. Such was the mindset of magi: apathy to the point of cold-bloodedness in face of a population of million human beings threatened. "I will take on this mission. Do you think I could get a merchant permit?", Drake asked "Don''t worry about it. Since you want a cover, I will provide one for you. From now on, you are called Marius Dayne, a famous merchant from the Silver Guild. You will lead eight caravans filled with weapons, seeds to survive the siege for your group to last for years", Sillius said, "Take this pouch: it contains 150 000 gold coins, enough to last you for a while in Evergreen. I have a family in Evergreen, save them for my sake" Drake understood everything¡­Marius Dayne. It was Sillius'' deceased son. He heard General Liu Bu mention it once. He was an illustrious merchant. A genius who couldn''t hold a sword properly, but could make a king kneel through mere words. But he died from a disease. No one knew about his whereabouts, or his deceased status. No one but the sentinel generals and Sillius himself. "Don''t worry. I only bet when the odds are in my favour. The higher the stakes, the better the odds when I take the bet. And the stakes in this bet are high¡­unbelievably high" Planes, multiverse, astral stones¡­Drake ignored the secrets lying behind these words. But since it interested the Magi themselves, he didn''t need to think twice before nodding and accepting the mission. Furthermore, earning one of the 13 elder spots in Evergreen would most likely result in his father being protected by its authority. "I will head out this evening. Please spread the words that I enter seclusion with my men. This way, my enemies will not know about my whereabouts", Drake asked "Don''t worry. They won''t go after you. Not all magi are aware of this mission. I don''t think you offended some magi, or else you wouldn''t be standing here¡­", Sillius replied, "Present this letter to any of the six illustrious Grand-Knights. I have fought, cried and laughed alongside them. They are my brothers-in-arms, and they know my family. Protect Evergreen, if only for the Sentinels" 150 000 gold coins was an enormous sum. Even Dukes would not be able to come up with such an amount of gold coins. It could not be transferred in magic crystals, or else you would be swindled, but still, even if Drake went to a bank, he would earn several hundreds of magic crystals, perhaps even more! Drake met with Roxanne, and told her he would enter ''seclusion'', and used this excuse to get 40 Vitality Elixirs, enough for his consumption for the next three years. She obviously complained, but Drake didn''t care about it at all. He then left the city, not as Drake Moonlight, but as Marius Dayne. 54 Travel 1 ''Such efficiency¡­Indeed, Sillius does possess a lot of influence in Helios'' Unlike the Magi who stayed in seclusion for their research, Grand-knight Sillius was famous for his achievements. He completed many missions that acolytes did not dare to take. In a few hours'' worth of time, he had prepared six caravans full of goods, with a small dozen of real merchants who would handle the trading. They only heard of Marius Dayne, and could thus be considered trustworthy. Drake came in a beautifully crafted ebony carriage, something that was used by the Northerner High Nobles. It was quite spacious and filled with luxury ornaments and comfortable beds. Drake only let Lewis stay next to him, and the rest was filled with stashes of vitality potions, the two water tanks containing the grade 3 body strengthening fluid as well as some dried meat from magical beasts cooked by Felicia herself, probably the only ''friend'' Drake had in Helios. "Greetings, Marius Dayne!", he said, "I am glad to finally meet you!" It was a fat youth, wearing silk robes and jewelleries. However, Drake noticed that it wasn''t a nobody. This youth had awakened his spirit. "You are¡­" "I am Donald Ball, two-star merchants of the Silver Guild! I also happen to possess the status of a rank 1 acolyte, but I am only a grade 1 talent. After learning a spell, I decided to return to my old lifestyle of merchant to make a fortune. Who knows, I might get my hands on Primordial grass and break through the second realm. Evergreen has been under attack, which is why I and 8 other merchants decided to join you in supplying the city. 30 sentinels will accompany us, but I didn''t expect you to bring another 10 peak knights. Getting past the orc lines will be tough, but a group of adventurers is awaiting us at Brosis, a village located south of Evergreen City. They will lead us safely.", he said excitedly. Drake nodded. When you weren''t talented, obsessing yourself with becoming stronger would only yield frustration. Donald''s mindset and decisiveness were enough to earn Drake''s respect. [Beep! The Silver Guild is a merchant organization that holds extraordinary influence in economical exchanges throughout Barnolia. One-star merchants can purchase and sell grade 1 materials, elixirs and weapons. Two-star merchants can purchase and sell grade 2 materials, elixirs and weapons, etc¡­Each permit can be bought at a high price: 10 000 gold coins for a one-star permit, 100 000 gold coins for a two-star permit. Host has been gifted with a three-star permit] "Welcome, then. I will travel in a separate carriage. If you need anything, talk to my butler, Lewis. He will take care of all matters. He is a half-grand knight" Drake didn''t say other word, and returned in his carriage. Rey and the other 8 sentinels were escorting the carriage on the back of the finest horses that could be found in the sentinel stables. With Rey in the front, and White Rat and Black Rat in the back, any potential threat would be taken care swiftly. White Rat and Black Rat had abandoned the spear for the sake of wielding the enchanted shields and defending against enemies. Under Rey''s teachings, they also learnt how to wield great swords and surprisingly reached the intermediate proficiency in less than six months. Although they rarely wielded the great swords in combat, they were extremely strong and they had already learnt how to use [Demonic Cleave], a knight killing technique that Rey created in an epiphany. Lewis then entered the carriage after talking a few words with Donald: "My lord, I have been briefed by Grand Knight Sillius earlier: here is the report I have made" Lewis had learnt how to trade in the past months besides training. By running errands on Drake''s behalf and negotiating on behalf of other sentinels, he had developed this skill and I surprisingly came in handy. It would make the identity of ''Marius Dayne'' much easier to bear. Drake scanned it and tossed it aside. Lewis was used to this behaviour, and he had long since suspected Drake''s eidetic memory since he was 8. It wasn''t strange anymore. Rey ordered the other caravans to follow their leads, and eventually reached the gates of Helios in the middle of the night. A group of sentinels guarding the gates nodded upon seeing their fellow brothers escorting the caravans, and sweated slightly upon seeing the name: [Marius Dayne] on the sigil. Everyone ignored his whereabouts, yet he surprisingly appeared once again in Helios! Meanwhile, Drake was already entirely focused on strengthening himself. Although it was his goal all along, he could not use his special strengthening methods around Marianne. Drake didn''t drink the fluids directly, like common sense recommended it. Drake entered the water tanks and bathed in it, while practicing the Grand-knight level breathing technique and his original meditation technique. Each dive would not only strengthen the body, but also the mind. This method was impossible for normal human beings to do. It required tremendous concentration and the ability to multitask for extended period of times. Normally, he was not able to meditate for more than half an hour, since his meditation technique enabled him to absorb elemental particles at an abnormally fast rate, as if he was meditating like regular acolytes in areas extremely dense in terms of mana, like a Magus-level meditation room. To do so, he opened his pores and absorbed the raw elemental particles like a madman. It''s not like nobody thought of that, but the risks were too great. A single mistake would result in very painful side-effects, with a risk of bursting the blood vessels of one''s body. But Drake''s 11 points of constitution allowed him to reduce these side effects and his mutated heart perk increased his recovery rate. Adding to that, bathing in the body strengthening fluid basically replenished his vitality every few seconds. With grade 5 talent, grade 3 body strengthening fluid at his disposal and these methods¡­He was basically growing stronger at an incredible rate. In fact, a single day of such cultivation was enough to match an entire week worth of training if he didn''t use this method. His growth rate was so quick that it almost felt like he was cheating. ''Is it really alright to progress so fast?'' Meanwhile, the merchants were discussing among themselves: "Is he really Marius Dayne?", a man asked "He is really wealthy and a legend in the Silver Guild¡­but from what I have heard, he disappeared a decade ago, not giving any signs of being alive or whatsoever", a woman called Jennifer answered. She, too, was an acolyte seeking opportunities in Evergreen. But Donald quickly intervened: "I have seen his sigil, and although he always wears this knight helmet, I saw him hug Sillius. You must know that he is one of the Great Seven Commanders of Evergreen. The man would never let anyone approach him, much less hug him. I believe he has been training his body during this time. Everyone knows him as a merchant, but as the son of a Grand Knight, he must have a crazy aptitude for knight training, right? I mean, look at how strong his subordinates are!" Jennifer then nodded. Indeed, even if Marius was wealthy and had a Grand-knight father, he wouldn''t have been able to subdue a Half-grand knight warrior such as Lewis without having strength himself. Even Sillius only had 5 half-grand knight subordinates, 5 generals who were known throughout Helios. Half-grand Knights were respected in all thirteen kingdoms. You could become a Count if you were a half-grand knight, perhaps even higher with proper achievements. Mystery, strength and extraordinary wealth. Without doing it on purpose, Marius had become extremely respected without lifting a finger. 55 Travel 2 A week ago, a heated conversation had burst: Donald was shouting: "Come on! Even if we want to reach Evergreen City, it only matters if we reach it in one piece! It''s one of the many Death zones of Barnolia, and you want us to step in there? A small detour will only increase the duration of the travel by a month! If we travel during the knight, it might not even take 6 months to reach Evergreen City! Why would you want to-" "Our lord has spoken. He possesses ownership of 5 out of the 6 caravans we are transporting. He thus has the executive power the make the following decision. Do I need to elaborate???, Lewis asked. Lewis was much more cunning than he used to be. He had barbarian blood flowing in his veins, but he had grown up on the streets, killing bandits since he turned 14 under Lord Allan Moonlight''s orders. His sheer aura was enough to intimidate Donald. As soon as he increased the intensity of his voice, Donald would feel tremendous pressure, even though the latter was a rank 1 acolyte who had learnt a spell. "But¡­" Eventually, Donald gave up and until now, they had yet to encounter a single group of bandits. But¡­the day came. An army of 200 preparatory-knights armed with swords and hammers, led by 6 knight-level individuals blocked the road. Another 150 archers came out of the forest surrounding the Bandit High Roads, ready to shoot a few arrows with their bows. Sensing the threat, Drake came out of his carriage, followed by Lewis. "White Rat, Black Rat. You have not been slacking off on your training, right?", Drake asked in an overbearing voice. It was the first time since they left Helios that he spoke a word. "No, my lord!" "Good. Now, go ahead and bring me the heads of the knight-level powerhouses. Shadow crossbowmen, kill the archers. Rey, protect the carriage. Sentinels, protect the caravans, and focus on defending!" After issuing these orders, Drake closed his eyes, cast a wind barrier on himself, and terrifying wind started to surround his body. Acolyte! Marius Dayne was an acolyte! A rank 2 acolyte nonetheless! No wonder half-grand knights were respecting him! Drake then cast an alternate version of [Wind Blades]. Over his 2 weeks of meditation, he found out that he could continue to supply a spell with mana to maintain its form, similarly to how [Wind Barrier] was protecting him for an extended period of time. The three wind blades turned into lethal blades that swept through the bandit army. Drake was controlling the three wind blades independently, and each one of them targeted vital spots of the enemies, while avoiding to hit allies or impeding with the shadow crossbowmen''s attacks. The merchants were terrorized, the sentinels flabbergasted at this display of strength and the acolyte merchants, namely Jennifer and Donald, were utterly shocked. How was that a mere rank 2 acolyte? His attacks¡­they were on par with a rank 3 acolyte! [Minor Arcane Orb ¨C Grade 3 Magical Artefact Amplify all offensive spells with [Arcane Amplification], adding 6 degrees of magical damage. Requirements: 8 points of Spirit] His magical artefact allowed him to amplify his [Wind Blades] with an additional 6 degrees of damage. Each one of his blades dealt around 42 degrees of damage, which was indeed on par with rank 3 acolytes. This was the power of magical artefacts. Meanwhile, White Rat and Black Rat were cutting through their enemies at high speed, using their Great Sword Art, not decreasing the speed of their charge despite the formation of enemies standing in front of them. Some said that Magi were not invincible. And it was true. But to kill a magus, you needed at least a Grand Knight, because otherwise, the army you brought would just get decimated by the Magus'' spells. Drake wasn''t even a magus, yet this army of bandits was taken care of in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, White Rat encountered two bandit knights. One of them took him by surprise and sent a blinding powder in his eyes. As a result, White Rat was forced to close his eyes for a while. The two enemies took advantage of his vulnerability and charged at the now incapacitated White Rat. But as soon as they unsheathed their swords to cut him, White Rat roared and cleaved in front of him, accurately halving the two enemy knights alongside three bandits who stood in the way. Sight is nothing but one sense. Who knew that Drake''s harsh training would have such an effect? White Rat had long since been accustomed to use his hearing in addition to his sight whenever he fought. A few meters away, Black Rat also finished swiftly three knights, the only one left being a white-armoured peak knight who had a very unusual elegance. It was as if he was dancing instead of fighting. The more ''Black Rat'' exchanged blows with him, the more confused he seemed. He obviously had the advantage in terms of physical attributes, and his techniques were definitely not lacking. ''What is it?'' Ever since he met Drake, he swore to serve him to the best of his abilities. Less than two years later, Black Rat had reached an impressive level of strength, not just in terms of physical attributes, but also in terms of techniques. Drake taught him personally for a long time, giving him guidance and advice on his practice. He suffered a lot, but the pain only made him stronger. ''Am I falling behind?'', Black Rat screamed in his mind. He couldn''t believe that a mere peak knight was standing in his way. His lord had already reached such heights. He could only follow by sprinting, and training more than anyone else. The more he wielded his great sword, the more pressured he felt¡­But similarly, he felt a beauty in the white-armoured knight''s swordsmanship. Black Rat was wielding his sword with the sole intent to kill whereas his opponent¡­seemed to fight for something greater. It was the true path of knighthood. Rather than fighting to kill, knights originally fought to protect the loved ones standing by his side. Fighting to protect. This was it. This was the white-armoured knight''s choice. Black Rat stopped for a second, allowing the sword to reach his throat. But as if he was suddenly enlightened, an enormous amount of energy spread in his body. It was a breakthrough. Just like Lewis, Black Rat was experiencing a ''second awakening'', a breakthrough that couldn''t be explained in mere words. This breakthrough was much more meaningful than a simple increase in physical attributes. His sword art mutated. Just like that white-armoured knight, Black Rat made a choice. He wouldn''t wield his sword just to kill an enemy. He would fight till his last breath for his lord, the one who showed him the true beauty of swordsmanship.