Born in Blood



Liam shifted his attention to the map in his hands.

That mountain chain was called the Endless Peak. Past it, was a small city by the name of Velrich.

At the same time, Rank 3 beasts were prevalent in those areas, but nothing Liam couldn't avoid or kill.

'I'll head there next and sell techniques and spells I don't need.'

It took him some time to arrive at the mountain chain, especially since he took multiple detours and evaded the magical beast packs.

He climbed on the tallest peak of the mountains, a gust of wind brushing past his body and fluttering his wild hair.

In the spur of the moment, Liam spread his arms and shut his eye, basking in the warm rays of the setting sun.

Freedom!

That feeling… Liam would never let mere mortals like himself deny him of his liberty.

As the sky flowed with countless shades of vermillion, Liam's eye scoured the distant city – Velrich.

It wasn't as big as Ucladd or the major cities, but looked quite wealthy by itself, judging by the many carriages entering and leaving through its gates.

With that plan in mind, Liam found a small cave amidst the mountain to camp in for the remaining night.

Of course, there was a Rank 3 Mountain Bear living in that spot with its cubs, but Liam swiftly exterminated the pack and took over.

Meanwhile, as Liam cultivated in silence, his organ slowly but steadily expanded.

Abruptly, his core slightly trembled.

With a slight panic, Liam instantly inspected his lower abdomen fearing the worst, but his brows were raised a second later.

The gaseous 'Ora' within his core grew incredibly moist, flaring with dark world essence that swirled together.

A moment later, it condensed, forming beads of liquid 'Ora' on the walls of the core.

By the end of the process, there was no more gas within Liam's core, but a tiny drop of liquid 'Ora' that accumulated on its bottom.

'Did I just… advance to the liquid stage?' Liam wondered incredulously, inspecting his core once more just to confirm.

Liam instantly started to absorb 'Ora' into his abdomen to test out his new capabilities.

His core contents were no longer gaseous, but pure liquid.

After filling it up a considerable amount, Liam took out his blades and activated the first form of his Purgatory Night arts.

Liam's katana and wakizashi burst into violent dark flames, and the black smoke was visibly more concentrated and deadlier. 

Much, much more deadlier.

Liam took out the Rank 3 bear he had just killed from his ring and laid it before him.

Using Dark Rend, he swung once at the bear's midsection.

Liam could only watch in surprise as the dark flames consumed the bear's flesh and muscles, leaving a raw wound that revealed the skeletal interior.

For a second, the dark smoke still clung to the bear's corroded fur before eventually puffing out.

'Just one sub-advancement and I've already grown much stronger. I can even double the amount of martial art forms I can do.' 

Liam grinned ear-to-ear.

Upon some further testing, Liam also realized his manipulation with world essence had improved exponentially.

'...Maybe I can try using my second element?'

Testing his limits, Liam's attention fixed to his second element within his core. 

Although he tried many times already, he just couldn't get the damn thing out.

Trying once more, the strain Liam felt when pulling out that crimson energy was considerably less.

He manipulated a strand of that unstable essence and made it exit through his finger, barely a nail-sized amount.

Liam watched in slow motion as the red element lingered in the air for a split second, chaotic and unstable, before it exploded in every direction.

A slight shockwave echoed over the cave walls as it did so, causing Liam's ears to ring in the process.

'Just what is this damn thing?' Liam wondered, his gaze conflicted and confused. 'Just with that amount it caused my ears to ring…'

Liam paused pensively for a moment. Calling his second element, 'second element' was not ideal. 

Thinking of its destructive and violent nature, Liam instantly thought of a name.

'Chaos.'

Although he wanted to test it out some more, it was time for him to head towards Velrich and sell his items before resuming his journey.

'I'll figure out what it is soon enough.'

Instantly, he covered his head with a covert hood.

Naturally, there were guards at every gate leading to the city, but Liam had no intention to show his face.

Like every monarchical location, there would be an entrance fee and a short inspection, but there were methods to avoid that. 

…At least, methods Liam knew from his time as an assassin.

Liam perched on top of a tree located right about one of the carriage routes leading into the city.

Not long after, a small sized merchant's carriage appeared in the distance and rapidly approached.

As soon as it passed below the tree, Liam jumped and landed on the carriage roof with a lithe step.

"What was that?"

A panicked voice rang out from inside the car interior, ordering the coachman to stop and assess what just happened.

The coachman did exactly that… but found nothing wrong after an extensive inspection.

Shortly after, the carriage started moving once more.

Liam clung to the carriage's bottom like a spider, his hair an inch away from the muddy road.

Soon enough, the carriage approached the city gates, entering through after a brief inspection and talk.

As Liam assessed his surroundings from under the car, he couldn't spot anything special about the city.

Like the peasantry, there were brothels, bars and taverns the common folk could indulge in, but some wealthier accommodations could be seen further along.

Right when the carriage passed by a dark alley, Liam leaped from the bottom and rolled out.

In a swift series of movements, he propelled himself over a building to get a better view of the city.

'There it is.'