Born in Blood



Liam's gaze was stuck to a well guarded shop in the distance. 

It was the only establishment that looked vastly better and more polished than the surrounding buildings, and Liam knew it had something to do with the contents they sold.

Before he could delay himself any further, Liam approached the shop.

Instantly, the two guards spotted him and grew weary, their hands tightly gripping to inscribed spears.

"State your name and business," one of the two demanded, his tone laced with predetermined battle intent.

"Nick. I just have a few items I want to sell," Liam responded, flashing the many space rings on his fingers.

It didn't help that the hood and unkempt appearance made him look more like a vagrant than a rich noble.

The two guards slowly eased up, making way for him to enter.

"Thank you." 

Liam entered the shop, noticing the countless inscribed weapons and pieces of armor displayed. 

'Rogan would kill me if he saw me entering one of these.'

As he inspected the katanas and blades, a woman's voice rang out, soothing and warm:

"Can I help you?" 

A black robed woman appeared behind the counter, smooth dark hair fell over her sharp shoulders, complimenting her amber eyes and full lips perfectly.

A warm air surrounded her, and her lips curved upwards to form a dazzling smile. 

"I'm Sheila, the shop owner," she introduced. "I take it you have some things to offer me… Nick?"

Liam nodded, approaching the counter and taking out various techniques and spells. 

Obviously, he left out any items that could link him to the tournament.

Sheila took the various techniques and began inspecting them. 

"Where'd you get such a large haul?" she asked, her gaze still on the spells.

"My late father's inheritance," Liam replied briefly, remarking Sheila's nonchalant nod.

In truth, she couldn't really care less where the boy got it from. She wasn't obliged to report any criminal activity she saw, not that she would in the first place.

"Do you have any more? I can buy your spells in bulk, no questions asked," Sheila offered, and Liam paused, assessing her.

A moment later, he took out a few more spells, but not all.

"Must be one rich father," Sheila laughed, but didn't add anything else. "All of this will amount to… 4,502 'Ora' Stones."

Liam nodded, and Sheila smiled.

She stored all the items in her ring, before transferring the sum of money for Liam to store.

"One more thing, lad… you wouldn't be intending to take the academy test, would you?" Sheila asked with a slight worry in her tone.

Liam lingered, then nodded firmly. 

"Anything I should know? Mainly, what cities can I take the test in?"

A long sigh escaped Sheila's lips.

"Many things you should know. Firstly, avoid meeting with, or offending any nobles on the way there," said Sheila, her gaze tense. "You don't seem like a noble to me, so I'll tell you now."

"Countless young men and women without a family backing get lost around those cities. It's obvious what happens to them, but no one can do anything against these people."

Nobles.

"...As for which cities allow peasants to participate, it's mainly Rosht, Borocot, and Talross, to name the nearest few."

Liam lingered pensively for a moment. 

He had his own methods of keeping a low profile, mainly hiding his presence with mental energy. 

…Though, if someone with Samuel's level of mental and physical strength were to target him, Liam would undeniably be killed.

'I'll have to be extra careful then.'

"Thank you."

Sheila waved a dismissing hand. 

"It's nothing. Good luck, lad. You'll need it."

Once again, Liam began his journey, killing beasts, cultivating, taking short breaks in between before repeating the whole process.

He decided on taking the test in Talross. It was the furthest from the two cities Sheila mentioned, but the route there would be considerably safer.

'I still have time. Three months worth. Not to mention, I haven't used any of the pills or elixirs from those three rings.'

Liam was saving those items for one arduous session of cultivation, but only when he got to a safer location.

One month passed.

Liam had gone past the first city, Rosht. On the way, he had seen the ruins of multiple carriages, including a few old corpses here and there.

It was disturbing how young those dead men and women were, but such was the relentless world of cultivation.

Liam was currently in a tree cavity, bitterly enjoying the taste of raw, dried badger meat. 

His hair had grown long past his shoulders, unkempt and filthy, just like the rest of his attire. He hadn't stopped for a bath since his journey began.

The rain helped wash away the blood, but that was pretty much it.

'I smell… horrible.'

Not to mention, Liam's provisions had run out long ago, leaving him to use his vampiric nails and strong tolerance to raw meat for nourishment.

Another month passed, and Liam passed by the second city, Borocot, as well. 

The amount of random corpses he'd seen had doubled, since the date of the entrance exam was steadily approaching.

'I have to increase my speed! Spending the remaining month in Talross would be wise. I've done enough to cover my tracks.'

Just as Liam thought that, a faint rustling sounded behind him, followed by a glimmering throwing knife shooting at his back.

Liam unsheathed his blades with a grimace, deflecting the knife mid air before activating Fleeting Foot and dashing away.

Behind him, three hooded men chased, all wielding longswords. One was of the water element, another of fire, and the last of wind.

Their presences were hidden – even from Liam – meaning they were trained soldiers whose prowess could easily match Liam's own.

'Damn it! I underestimated them!' 

His chasers weren't slow by any means, which indicated powerful Rank 3 bodies. 

Liam managed to get an edge on speed from his usage with Fleeting Foot, but he couldn't maintain the spell for much longer.

Dashing through the endless tree line, Liam's gaze turned hard.