Edwin’s sword rose and fell, decapitating a monster that looked like a cross between a lion and an eagle. The beast had a massive beak instead of a muzzle, and wings protruded from its back. Near him, Jimmy slumped into a tree trunk, painting. Chris was already defiling the monster to harvest the Beast Core. This was their thirteenth kill of the day. Even with all the preparation the three of them had done, it surprised Edwin how many monsters the three of them killed in a single day. If someone had told him that they could kill so many monsters in a single day, he would have laughed at the silly joke. “That went better than I expected,” Chris said. Edwin nodded in agreement. Chris sat next to Jimmy after harvesting the core. ‘Now, we have enough blood cores to help him advance.’ Edwin didn’t know if Jimmy advancing by a single realm could help him, but it was the only option they had. He knew learning to fight for a couple of months won’t be enough for Jimmy if he truly wanted t
The Blood Core before Londen shattered to dust, and he knew his prowess had increased once more, even if by a small margin. "Now that you have learned to listen to the Rhythms of Fate at will. You will need to get accustomed to Fate Shadows," Riot said. "Fate shadows?" Linden said. "You have never listened to fate in the presence of others, have you?" Lindon looked at Tim, who was standing at one of the corners of the room, still as a statue. "He doesn't count," Riot said. "That man never moves, so it doesn't help." "So what should I do then?" "You should go out and explore." Linden gave Riot a reproachful glance. The shameless spirit coughed twice before speaking again. "What I mean is you should go out to places filled with people and listen to the Rhythm of Fate. Then you will understand what the Fate Shadows are. You must get used to them before you go up against real opponents." "My progress would be much better if you did not talk such rot every time." Riot sniffed lou
The woman Tim came back with was someone at the peak of the Epic Realm and was also a vampire, preparing to advance to the Body Transition Realm. She walked into the room and bowed to Linden. "Someone at Elementary Realm challenging someone at the Epic Realm rarely happens. I hope I did not insult you with my action." Linden said. "It is not an insult, young master, but an honour to have an opportunity to duel with you. There are things you can learn, even from someone below your advancement level." "That is good to hear." Linden raised his sword. "Shall we begin then?" "Are there any rules?" She asked. He thought about it for a while and nodded. "No vital techniques." A vital technique enforced the body. And Blood Law was best at it. The woman already was two realms above his advancement. If she also used a vital technique, he would not stand a chance even with the help of Fate Shadows. Besides, he had yet to learn any Vital Cultivation Techniques. His Drogen had just unlocked a
The forest had many sounds, the leaves, the animals, the insects. Jimmy, however, cared little about them. The world around him was still deafeningly silent to him. Even after all these weeks, the world that was not filled with echoes constantly ringing—was still alien to him.Jimmy watched Chris sitting next to the cart filled with the carcasses of the beasts. They could sell the carcass of each beast for a few gold coins, which was apparently not much. Coins were the smallest of the denominations. Ordinary and primary gold, silver, or even copper had little value. Yet the same metals invested with enough of Drogen to advance beyond the primary were too valuable to be used as currency.It had already been two hours since Edwin left them. It was already late. The sun had almost disappeared. They did not open the Tribe gate during the night. And he had no intention of sleeping outside if he could help it. His stupid brother always found himself in trouble—he did not need to.Jimmy was s
Jimmy gaped, bewildered. Others in his group were also astonished. They had spent the last hour gossiping, and they hadn’t noticed the changes happening around them.Hundreds of tents, furniture, and other supplies of the Aether Tribe had vanished into thin air. Where was everything? As far as he could tell, no one was carrying anything that indicated tents, furniture, and other such things.Amazed discussions took place among all the recruits. Jimmy’s group was one of them.“I may be wrong. But as a Scripter, I have an inkling about what happened,” Rina said, at last.Chris eyed Rina. “You do?”Chris’s doubt was apparent in the tone of her voice. Why couldn’t Chris get along with the woman? Her bantering was beginning to irk his nerves. If this continued on, he might shout at her, which Jimmy didn’t want to.Rina snorted. “Of course, I know. It’s common knowledge where I came from. There are artifacts out there that can act as an anchor to store items in pocket dimensions. One such a
Since the next morning, the days went by—by travelling and the nights by camping. Monsters never bothered them. At night Jimmy had to drink Sigmund’s potion to fall asleep, and each time sleep came a little later than before. Aside from his sleeping problem, the travel went on smoothly.On the third day of their travel, Jimmy finally finished cultivating with all the Blood Cores they had collected. Rohkov, his Metal Spirit, congratulated him. His advancement went smoothly. Nothing explosive happened. There was no explosion or burst of Drogen coming out of his body. He did not feel the rush of power. The only thing that changed was his core. It seemed just a tad brighter, if even that. It could just be his imagination. Jimmy opened his Stats just to make sure he had advanced.[Name: Jimmy Wright][Race: Vampire][Spirit: Hidden Metal—Rohkov][Spirit Ability: Metallic Push and Pull (Attract and Repel Metals)][Greater Realm: Foundation][Lesser Realm: Elementary][Realm Stage: None][Adv
A miniature figure, no bigger than his palm, zipped around across his vision. She screamed, and it was the same scream he had heard before. It was his name that she screamed in a tone that was frantic. Linden could not understand why, but somehow that scream seemed to rent at his heart. He should recognise that voice, he knew, but whenever he tried to reach for that recognition, it seemed to slip away from him as if he was trying to grasp at the air. It was so difficult to think. Memories faded. Memories he knew were dear to him. "Tim, you must hurry," The tiny humanoid figure said. "He won't last much longer. Linden, Please. You must not give up. You have to hold on, Linden. LINDEN." His vision faded, and with it, the pain. With the darkness came relief. Relief from the pain, relief from the responsibilities. He did not know he could fulfill. His relief seemed to last only for an instant, like a teaser to something you could never have. It was like a sick joke of a madman. Pain wre
Linden stood before his father's study. His father was in a meeting with an important person. Visits during such occasions by anyone were frowned upon. However, a visit by the Sect Master's son during emergencies was acceptable, especially when he was almost assassinated. He entered the room, and the guards announced him. His guard did not follow him. This room was a mirror to his mother's study. Back at the Tribe Hall. The room was a small one, considering it was used as a workroom by the sect master. A table sat in front of one wall, stacked with important documents. A self neatly occupied by books, scrolls, artefacts, and some burnished ornaments stood behind the table. Tapestries that captured the great heroic deeds hung on every wall. A golden green carpet with intricate embroidery covered the floor. "I cannot accept this," His father said to his guest holding a sword hilt that had no blade. They sat on a sofa that surrounded a glass tea table. His father looked up at him and