Born in Blood

Liam let out a low grunt while rubbing his bloodied knuckles. A little skin had shaved off when he punched the boulder, but his hand wasn't broken despite taking the brunt of the attack.

His gaze shifted to the scattered rock and he couldn't help but smile.

The 'Ora' within Liam's arm disappeared, and only a few minute traces of it remained.

Lloyd giggled like a child watching someone fall, before clearing his throat and explaining:

"Absorbing 'Ora' into your body is like a sponge, strengthening it considerably. You can absorb it and use it straight away — losing it in the process — or allow it to nourish your body. Doing so allows your body to slowly move up within the subsection stages, such as lower, middle, upper and peak stages within each rank."

Liam listened intently, taking mental notes.

'Cultivation is so vast. I wonder how much I don't know about this world.' Liam imagined.

"Now that you've learned how to absorb 'Ora', try using it with your first martial art form."

Liam's face lit up as he remembered his martial art forms. His proficiency with it had grown well enough that he mastered the first form of the sun & moon arts.

He spent the next moments absorbing enough 'Ora' to store inside his body, before taking out his blades.

He had already memorized the form and its instructions. Without delay, he assumed a stance, raising his katana over his head and manipulating 'Ora' to his hand.

'First form... Lunar Eclipse.'

Liam's silver blades glew gray as he slashed vertically, a moonlight silver arc shooting out from his katana's edges.

The arc of light cut through the air with a whistling sound, eventually colliding with a tree and forming a shallow but smooth cut on its trunk.

Liam's lips curved to a wide smile.

"Now, try hunting a Rank-1 magical beast." Lloyd proposed, and Liam eagerly nodded.

.

.

.

Liam hadn't actually ventured that deep into the Ucladd forest, since magical beast packs would increase in both number and strength.

Rank-0 beasts weren't too powerful once he gained a bit of experience, but Rank-1 beasts required at least one center of power in the first rank to fight against.

Eventually, Liam stopped amidst a smelly area, claw marks and urine staining the surrounding trees.

He climbed over a thick tree branch as his gaze was fixed on the mammal right below him, a Rank-1 bear type magical beast called the Earth Bear.

Liam had already memorized the beast's description in Lloyd's bestiary.

The Earth Bear had dense gray fur that was stained with dry blood, large black eyes that radiated strength, and a muzzle that contained a jaw as large as an adult thigh.

It gently rested by an oak tree, its purring vibrated through the air, unaware of the hidden figure looming above him. Liam had tracked it for nearly an hour.

He had waited until the bear had a full stomach before he began his attack, giving him the element of surprise and the advantage of speed.

Liam silently sprung his legs and leapt into the air, his blades pointing right towards the skull of the beast as he fell towards the ground.

Nothing stopped Liam's trajectory as he headed for the bear's head, and just as he was about to pierce right through its brain, the magical beast changed sleeping positions last second and Liam's blades punctured only the side of its body.

'Welp—'

A thunderous roar shook the surroundings. Liam swiftly yanked his blood covered blades out of the bear's body and created distance between him and the beast.

The giant mammal perked up and began to scoff and deeply growl, looking around angrily to find who dared to disturb his sleep.

When it spotted Liam, it let out another roar aimed right towards him, longer and even more ferocious than before.

His eardrums rang painfully, but Liam didn't lose focus. With his blades by his side, he waited for the beast to make its move.

Just as Liam expected, the bear charged right at him with murderous instinct.

As Liam dodged, its soft fur brushed right past his arms, while his sword and shortsword dragged across its body.

Right after causing two gashes to appear on the bear's body, Liam took a step back to avoid the giant claw, simultaneously shooting out an arc of silver light at its eye, blinding it.

The beast growled in pain, but only increased in anger. Its remaining eye glowed with fury, while its body seemed to pulse, growing in size.

Liam took that as his cue to run as fast as he possibly could.

Looking over his shoulder, he wasn't surprised when it began furiously charging through trees just to get to him.

The sounds of trees breaking and falling echoed throughout the forest.

Nonetheless, Liam maintained a safe distance, jumping from tree to tree branch.

The Earth Bear's reckless rampage continued for a few minutes, before he appeared to slow down. its breathing became irregular and raspy, like it was difficult to inhale, while its movements turned sluggish.

'About time.'

Liam found an opening on the beast and didn't hesitate to take it.

He used his blades like a piton to quickly climb a nearby tree, then pushed himself off with both feet, propelling him towards the mammal's head with his blades in hand.

The bear was weakened, making a poor attempt at blocking Liam's steel blades from severing its neck.

Blood spurted from where the beast's head once was, while a blood-red mist stained the air.

The bear's body thudded on the ground, a stream of blood flowing from its separated head, wetting Liam's shoes.

"Well done." Lloyd whistled as he watched the gruesome scene. He shifted his gaze to Liam.

"I reckon that's enough explaining, you pretty much know everything. Now that you're a cultivator, you can apply for a guild membership."

The guild system was quite simple.

Guild members could complete missions, and accumulate merit points in return. With those points, they could purchase techniques and spells.

Hunters, mercenaries, body guards, etc... The guild offers multiple options to choose from. Some of them paid more than others, but the higher one earned, the more difficult the job would be.

"What do you want to be?" Lloyd questioned.

Liam's expression turned pensive as he recalled the many jobs the guilds offered.

'Becoming a hunter is the best bet at the moment. I've already garnered enough experience with magical beasts as well.'

There were three options Liam could currently choose from.

Option one was a hunter specialized in magical beasts. The second was to become a mercenary, and the third, a scout.

Mercenaries were the most versatile of jobs, since their work contained escorts, hunts, and more.

'Becoming a hunter is the best bet at the moment. I've already garnered enough experience with magical beasts as well. Though, won't becoming a mercenary allow me to fight with other cultivators and gain more battle experience?' Liam pondered for a few moments, before eventually concluding.

'I can always hunt on the side.'

"Can I become a mercenary?"

Lloyd nodded with an approving look.

"Say no more."