《Malevolent Warlock: Sin Of Eternity》


 Chapter 1: A thousand years inside the void.

    <h4>Chapter 1: A thousand years inside the void.</h4>


    "Another round?"


    A faint voice echoed as the radiant, unclothed body of a young man drifted through a frigid void. As these words left his lips, a brilliant surge of light pierced the darkness, revealing the sudden emergence of skull-faced spectres materializing from the shadows.


    "Ahhhhh, a new soul," one of the eerie apparitions hissed.


    "Sniff, this one smells vile," another chimed in.


    "Hehe, we love the wicked souls the most. They are harder to break," the third spoke up.


    Whispers of the specters filled the void in no time, while their fingers left subtle but painful marks on the young man''s skin, causing him to bleed from these scratches.


    However, the young man remained unfazed, his countenance unchanged. To him, this was natural. He knew what he was getting into when he chose this path and had no regrets. His life was well-lived in his book.


    He had been a bad person in his previous life,mitting many evil deeds. He always knew he would end up in hell if it truly existed, but he wouldn''t change, even if he could turn back time. On the path to glory, he could never falter.


    "Be gone!!!" Suddenly, a thunderous roar resonated from within the void, causing the specters to turn into smoke and dissipate.


    Startled by the voice, the young man raised his head and gazed at its source.


    "Hmm?"


    Raising an eyebrow, the young man observed a bruised and battered demonic creature resembling a whale. It appeared half-dead, but its eyes brimmed with vitality.


    "It looks like I am in luck...."


    Though its mouth didn''t move, the whale-like beastmunicated telepathically with the young man.


    "Do you want something?" The young man raised his eyebrows, genuinely surprised. After his unfortunate death, he had been sent to this void, which he presumed to be hell, where he was tortured by various creatures. However, he had never encountered anything like this before.


    "I want a lot of things, kid. Sadly, the universe couldn''t care less about what I want..."


    Pausing briefly, the creature reminisced about its life. It had once stood at the peak of its race, their sole protector. Unfortunately, ambition had led to its banishment to the void.


    "I sense an evil cruelty in your heart, young man. I can''t quite wrap my head around it, but you strike me as one who has seen through the vestiges of life....." The whale-like creature remarked, its gaze fixed on the young man''s unflinching expression. For some reason, it felt drawn in this direction. It didn''t expect to find someone here.


    "Tell me, young man, what is it you desire?"


    The creature finally inquired, intrigued by the cruelty and sheer willpower it sensed in the young man''s heart, something it had been missing all its life. Maybe understanding the young man''s state of mind could have saved its race.


    "I desire a lot of things, strange creature. Sadly, the universe couldn''t care less about what I desire...."


    The young man''s reply mirrored the creature''s previous words. It wanted to know his desires, and that seemed rather suspicious.


    "Ah... so it''s like that?" The creature smiled, appreciating the young man''s unapologetic nature. He was an old monster who had lived for thousands of years, and no one had ever spoken to him in such a way. Strangely, he liked that about this guy.


    "Sigh, what a shame, but since I''vee across you in my dying moments, I can only take it as fate. I will grant you my legacy and a new opportunity at life. I have failed in my duties as the progenitor of the Warlocks. On your path, you will meet many of them. Please save them from harm''s way. Of course, if you choose not to, then I can only consider myself unlucky to have met you in myst moments."


    As the creature finished speaking, a golden light appeared out of thin air and shot into the young man''s forehead.


    He was a staunch believer in fate; finding a young man in the midst of the void couldn''t be a mere coincidence. Maybe his entire life had led to this moment, and perhaps this young man was more significant in the grand scheme of things than he was. The creature, at the edge of its life, wanted to leave onest mark on this world.


    "By the way, what is your name?" The creature asked, wanting to know to whom it had given its legacy.


    "Badur," the young man replied.


    "Ah? Strange, there''s this folktale in my world about a beast that will devour our world; its name was something like that..." The creature found the name a bit surprising, but when it turned to look at the young man, he was gone, vanished into the void.


    "Sigh, whatever. I wish you good fortune in your future endeavors, Badur," the whale-like creature said softly as its body floated through the void, fading into obscurity.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "There is no way I''m risking my life by carrying this burden along!!!"


    "He is our son. I will not leave him behind."


    "No son of mine will be a cripple. You just want us to die here alongside your crippled son!!"


    The sound of a couple arguing filled a small, dim room. In front of them sat a young man with brown hair in a wheelchair, his sickly body drooling unconsciously at the corner of the room. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.


    "Hmmm, where am I?"


    As the young man pondered, a robotic voice sounded in his mind, and not long after his thoughts were flooded with memories that didn''t seem to be his own.


    He quickly realized what was happening.


    "Please take me with you. I promise I won''t be a burden!!" The young man spoke aloud, panic evident in his eyes. Immediately, the man who had been arguing rushed over.


    "Oh my god, You can speak?!" The old man rushed towards the young man in the wheelchair and hurried checked him.


    The doctors had told him this was possible but the chances were miniscule, he couldn''t believe it.


    "Yes, Father, please take me along with you," the young man said with a distressed look.


    "Don''t worry, I will not leave you behind," the old man assured him, pushing the wheelchair toward the door. He couldn''t lie that he was shaken by this sudden change, but there was no time to think. They has to leave now


    His female counterpart sneered at the scene; clearly, she didn''t want things to turn out this way.


    Authors note: if you have any problems with the novel at any point please let me know in thements so I can take into consideration....thanks7

 Chapter 2: Being Hunted like dogs

    <h4>Chapter 2: Being Hunted like dogs</h4>


    ¡ªDumm


    The sound of a wheelchair being loaded onto a carriage reverberated, following which, a resounding horn blew in the distance.


    ¡ªPuuuuu


    Simultaneously, several carriages revealed themselves all over the city and raced frantically in the same direction¡ªtowards a vast forest, as if fleeing from an impending threat.


    "Let''s go."


    A man in his old age, perched atop a specific carriage, urged the horse ahead of him forward with a whip, propelling his carriage along.


    "So this is what he meant...."


    Within that carriage, a young man in a wheelchair gazed out the window, deep in thought. On the outside, soldiers and armed men chased down the carriages behind them, striking them down ruthlessly.


    It was a brutal scene. Merely moments ago, a storm of information had been uploaded into his mind concerning this world and his current circumstances. He had been reborn.


    In this new life, he was named Leon. His mother had died during childbirth, and a few yearster, he had suffered an ident that left ced him in a halfatose state, with only some basic body functions like breathing working. His father had remarried, and for the longest time, he had been at the mercy of his stepmother and stepsister.


    They had consistently mistreated him, from depriving him of food to mocking and even poisoning him, leading to the death of the previous soul and allowing Badur to reincarnate into this body.


    "Brace yourselves; we are about to enter Devilwood Forest."


    From atop the carriage, Leon''s father''s voice resonated. They were approaching a dark forest it was theirst lifeline.


    They were a family of Warlocks, one of the most despised races in their kingdom. Decades ago, they held considerable power and influence, but it had been abruptly overturned in a single night, leading to their status as the pariahs of society. They had even beenbeled as evil, as per his father''s political rants.


    "Charge!! Follow them into the forest; do not let them escape!!!!"


    From behind them, a group of hunters and vers, led by a particrly beautiful knighteddy, relentlessly pursued them. Their aim was to eliminate the Warlocks or enve them for profits.


    ¡ªVOOM!!!


    Not long after, their family carriage sped into the forest, navigating numerous trails and trees. Their pursuers, however, remained relentless, following them in their quest to capture as many Warlocks as possible.


    "Hmmm, the hearts of men are wicked, no matter the world."


    With a slight smirk on his face, Leon observed the outside of the carriage, there he witnessed many Warlock families being bound by ropes and captured. These hunters were like wolves, waiting for any one of their own to fall so they could feast on their corpses.


    "Blood Serpent n!! With me."


    All of a sudden, A young woman in her mid-thirties bellowed from the front of the carriage she rode toward the rear of the fleeing carriages on horseback.


    ¡ªZoomm


    She swiftly passed Leon''s carriage and engaged with the leader of the hunters, followed by several others.


    "The new n matriarch."


    A memory appeared in Leon''s mind, introducing the woman who had just confronted the hunters and vers. She was called Liana, the new matriarch of the Blood Serpent n, and she wielded great power, particrly for her age. If anyone could secure their escape, it would be her.


    "Phew, we are saved."


    Leon''s stepmother sighed in relief, also relieved to see the matriarch. At least she would buy them enough time to escape.


    Seeing this, Leon turned his head away and sighed in relief. It seemed they would indeed survive this ordeal.


    "Treasure."


    Leon closed his eyes and projected himself into his mindscape, where he found a massive pagoda.


    [The host may call me an SS GRADE TREASURE.]


    The system announced in his mind.


    "What functions do you have?"


    [The system has a multitude of functions:


    Sea of Wisdom: The system possesses vast archives of knowledge from the Warlocks'' primogenitor, His Grace "Altor." The system can also acquire new knowledge by scanning data.


    Insight Compass: This allows the host to perceive lucky or unlucky encounters of others during a set period.


    His Grace, the primogenitor of the Warlocks, left a spell for the host: Heal - a spell that allows the user to heal any and all injuries on themselves or others.


    Other functions will unlock as the host begins to climb the pagoda.


    Current position on the pagoda: Floor 1]


    Listening to these functions, Leon couldn''t help but smile. Many of these functions were essentially like cheats.


    [The system also has a preset goal from the previous user.


    Save the Warlock race.


    Does the host wish to keep this goal?]


    "Hmm, no, change this goal."


    [Please input a new goal.]


    "Attain true immortality."


    [New goal set: Attain immortality.]


    In his past life, he had desired power, but no matter how much power he attained, there was always a greater peak to scale. After experiencing death, he was determined to avoid it at all costs. He didn''t care for reasoning or philosophy; he wanted immortality, and he would attain it, because that was what he desired..

 Chapter 3: World Traversing Serpent

    <h4>Chapter 3: World Traversing Serpent</h4>


    A few dayster.


    "Gallop gallop!!!" The sound of a horseing to a slow stop sounded.


    "n meeting!!!"


    From the distance, a young man shouted while walking forward into a patch of grasnd that covered the entire area.


    After they escaped the hunters and vers, the Warlocks made their way through devil wood forest And came to a stop in this location at themand of the matriarch.


    ¡ªBoom!!


    Leon''s Father''s pushed his wheelchair down from the carriage and began rolling him towards the direction of the n meeting.


    "Hmp!!" The two females sneered from behind as they watched the old man push the crippled Leon towards the meeting area. What was he going to do in the meeting ? He was only a cripple.


    But the old bastard insisted on taking him along, there was Nothing they could say.


    "We should go to White Mountain Kingdom, our brothers still have massive influence there. At least we won''t be chased by random mages and good for nothing sorcerers"


    "Hm? That''s a dumb suggestion, white Mountain kingdom is still ruled by other races, plus the Wind Eagle n will hunt us down if they catch a whiff of us. We would be better off moving north"


    "Moving north? You must have failed biology when you were a child....."


    From within the tall grasses, Leon and several other members of the blood serpent n watched, as several well-built men and elders of the blood serpent n argued among each other. They all had different ideas of where was safest for their n.


    Naturally, a few of them were suggesting Areas where they would have the most advantage. This was simply because, even though they were in danger, the n could not simply leave behind theirpetitive nature.


    Everyone wanted the upper hand


    "Enough!!"


    A domineering shout echoed, causing the assembly to be quiet all of a sudden.


    This voice...it belonged to the matriarch.


    "Liana"


    The genius of the blood serpent n, she was chosen as the matriarch purely because of her power. Her parents were gone, and she was an orphan, but her extraordinary talent was something that could not be ignored.


    After many schemes and blood soaked battles, she managed to not only defeat herpetition but several well established elders of the n finally emerged as the new matriarch.


    "This is not the time to fight," calming herself down, thedy Liana''s eyes trailed across the field where the n members stood.


    "Myself and first elder have already decided that we will be heading to blood rock. We will need to regroup before anything."


    She causally announced.


    Blood rock was their homnd, it was like the holynd for their n. Over the generations, they had migrated to different parts of the world, but they would never forget where they came from.


    "But...."


    One of the Elders tried to intercede, but was quickly shot down by the matriarch.


    "This is not up for debate....now, How should we go about the mode of transportation?"


    After shooting down the elder who had tried toin, the matriarch Liana continued with the decision-making on how to get to blood rock.


    She didn''t care for their constant ramblings, she was the n head and her decisions were final.


    soon they began discussing on their options of transportation, itsted few minutes and several words and concepts were spoken about that Leon didn''t understand, but at the end, they decided to give out responsibilities.


    "Sir Thane, your craftsmanship is well known throughout the n, I trust you will be able to work on building the world traversing serpent.


    "Yes, matriarch, " a man responded from among the n members in the grass field.


    "The Alrune family will be of great help in making study wheels...."


    "The Talmut family will also help in this endeavor"


    "The Artus family is well known for their metal works, you can also help....


    The matriarch began distributing responsibilities to different families with special skills and eventually....


    "I belive sir Alduwin is one of the prominent wood works Warlocks in the n, can we trust you and your family to help in the construction of the world traversing serpent?"


    The matriarch spoke, but this time she was looking in the direction of Leon and his Father.


    "Hm? Alduwin? The guys with the crippled son?"


    "Ah? Is it, that slut phoebe''s family name?"


    "Hehe, this is surprising..."


    Numerous Whispers echoed throughout the field, as the members of the n threw snide remarks filled with Mockery. They were talking about Leon''s family.


    Their family had a bad reputation in the n, all this was because of Leon. In all Warlock ns, there was a sigma against weak and crippled members, the believed that weakness was a result of weak bloodlines and people like these were a source of contamination in the n.


    "Matriarch, I am honored to do so, but as you can see, my child is crippled and I can only do so much....."


    He was refusing, there was no greater shame than turning down the opportunity to work for the n''s wellbeing. However, what could he do? He didn''t have the strength to habdle it.


    "No, I can do some work."


    A voice resounded from in front of Leon''s father. For a brief moment, he didn''t know where it wasing from.


    At least that was until he saw a figure raising up before him.


    "We are honored to take some of the responsibility."


    It was Leon, His body was still skinny and weak, but he was able to stand up. It shocked everyone here. They knew Leon, at least they had seen him during n meetings.


    He was always drooling while seated in his wheelchair, it was absolutely disgusting. But the person in front of them was quite different. Even though he looked skinny and sickly, there was this look of unfathomable arrogance in his eyes. Just that was enough to make them give him a second look.


    "This is also good, but for assistance, let''s attach one more family to the construction."


    The matriarch looked at Leon''s build with some skepticism and decided not to depend too much on them


    ....


    And just like that, the other warlock families set off towards their carriages to prepare and also have some rest.


    "Be careful"


    Leon''s father walked beside him while cautiously trying to support him. His son could walk, he was absolutely thrilled, but his body was still fragile, he didn''t want him to injure himself.


    "Don''t worry about it, father, I can walk by myself"


    Pulling himself away, Leon smiled at the old man. The old man was trying so hard, it was touching.


    "Are you confident?" The old man looked at Leon standing straight and spoke, to which Leon answered with a simple nod.


    "Okay, I will go prepare some things, have fun with your legs...."


    He could understand why Leon wanted to walk by himself. It must be a very stimting to have his legs back, he wanted to enjoy it.


    "Sigh" the smile on Leon''s face disappeared, reced with a neutral one expression. He looked towards a hill on the far side of the grasnd and began walking towards it.


    Upon reaching, Leon looked around to make sure no one was around. Seeing that he was alone, he spoke.


    "Treasure"


    Just then his consciousness was pulled into his mindscape where a massive pagoda stood.


    "Show me the sea of wisdom" Leonmanded. And not even a secondter, the pagoda pulled his spiritual body into it. Abruptly he appeared on the first floor where there was a massive library filled with countless books.


    [Wee to the sea of wisdom


    Ask any questions, and they shall be answered by the system, also books pertaining to your questions will be provided.


    Speed -20x


    1 minute in the real-world Is 20 minutes in sea of wisdom.


    ]


    "Give me a book on unique energies and sources" Leon said and magically a book on one of the shelves shook and flew towards him.


    "Hmm, Energies of Finor world by igotatoothpick"


    This was the name of the book. Leon then proceeded to sit down and read.

 Chapter 4: Energies Of Finor

    <h4>Chapter 4: Energies Of Finor</h4>


    Inside his mindscape, Leon smiled as he examined the contents of the book he had been reading. The information here was not only vast but also exhrating.


    This world was filled with various types of energies, from arcane energy used by witches to spiritual energy harnessed by sorcerers, but the most abundant was mana. Mana was a versatile energy source that could serve as a substitute for other types of energy, making it incredibly valuable.


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    Leon closed the book, and his spiritual body returned to reality.


    "Let''s give it a try." He settled into a lotus position, closed his eyes, and concentrated.


    "Badur''s Gate."


    Suddenly, a significant amount of mana began to gather around Leon. In his previous life, he had transitioned from being a schr to a powerful figure, and it was during this journey that he discovered the concept of negative energy. Now, he was attempting to summon Badur''s Gate, a potent skill from his past.


    "Wang!" An eerie iron gate materialized behind Leon, exuding a dark and ominous aura. It seemed to corrupt the very ground beneath it, giving off an unsettling feeling. Whatevery beyond this gate appeared to be something malevolent, and the phenomenon was bizarre.


    However, the gate''s existence was short-lived, and it soon faded from reality.


    "Heh," Leon exhaled heavily, realizing that he wasn''t yet strong enough to fully summon or open Badur''s Gate.


    "At least it''s possible." A grin of excitement appeared on his face. Badur''s Gate was a skill of great importance from his past life, and he had hoped to be able to use it in this world. But he understood that he needed time to grow and develop his abilities.


    "One step at a time," he mused, closing his eyes once again. He needed to heal his malnourished body and immerse himself in mana. Luckily, the primogenitor had left him with a spell for just this purpose.


    [Ding... the host has activated the heal spell... processing spell circle.)


    The system sent the instructions for the heal spell into Leon''s mind, and not long after a magic circle materialized beneath him.


    Even though he wasn''t physically injured, the spell was working to rejuvenate his body, restoring vitality and repairing the effects of malnutrition.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    A dayter


    "Yeah, bring that one over," Leon''s father directed while holding a hammer. Before him stood several carriages lined up in a row, he was working on the World-Traversing Serpent.


    "Okay," Leon reached for a stack of plywood and lifted it effortlessly. He had spent time healing himself with the spell from the primogenitor, and the results were evident in his newfound strength.


    His father couldn''t believe the transformation he had witnessed in his son. He was genuinely thrilled about it. But two other individuals nearby held a very different sentiment.


    They watched Leon with a mixture of disdain and disgust.


    "Don''t worry, I''m almost done with this part. After that, I''ll attend a meeting with the n elders. You can head back home then," his father assured, addressing Leon, his wife Caroline, and their daughter.


    "Hmp! Don''t pretend to care, just go and let us do all the cleanup in the carriage," Caroline, Leon''s stepmother, responded with disdain. She expected him to also clean after doing all this work. She felt so much more important than anyone else.


    "He-he...." The old man didn''t answer her, he only decided to finish his work and head out. And he did just that. "I''ll be backte, get some sleep."


    Before leaving, he advised Leon. Then he left.


    "Finally," Phoebe, Leon''s Stepsister said, annoyed. She moved toward their carriage, and Caroline followed.


    "Ah," Leon muttered, shaking his head, he then proceeded to follow them. Both Caroline and Phoebe had been pampered by the old man, which led to them feeling entitled and scornful. This was one of the reasons they resented Leon; the old man sometimes prioritized Leon, as such he became a source of their frustration.


    ¡ªClick.


    The carriage door opened, and Leon entered. Inside, Caroline and her daughter sat side by side, upied with painting their nails. They hardly noticed Leon''s arrival as he entered and took a seat in a corner. There he entered a meditative state, the most critical task for him at the moment was strengthening his physical body, and he had to do so fast.


    "Hey!"


    However, his meditation was interrupted by an obnoxious voice forcing him to Slowly open his eyes and located the source of the voice. It was Phoebe, his stepsister, who bore the appearance of a stereotypical high-school cheerleader bully. Her attire matched her demeanor.


    "Mother said you need to stop beingzy and take out the waste bucket," Phoebe voiced then obnoxiously ced a bucket full of waste in front of Leon.


    They had to shit in the carriage bucket as the stepmother and phoebe refused to it do just openly in the forest, but they also didn''t want to throw them away. So his father had always done it. Today, with the father absent, they expected Leon to take on the task.


    "Hm? That''s your waste. Why don''t you take it out?" Leon looked genuinely confused.


    Shaking her head, Phoebe dangled her finger close to Leon''s face as she spoke. "That''s none of your business. You have to do it because Mom said so."


    "Oh? What if I refuse?" Leon responded coldly.


    "In that case... I''ll tell Mom, and she''ll punish you!" Phoebe dered defiantly, raising her voice to make it sound as though she was the one being wronged. Her actions attracted Caroline''s attention, as she had been pretending to be absorbed in her thoughts.


    (You think you can say no? Mom will force you to do it you freaking loser)


    Phoebe thought in her mind


    "What''s going on?" Caroline inquired with a condescending tone, turning toward themotion.


    "Leon said he won''t take out the waste bucket." Phoebe stomped her foot, speaking as though she were a victim of bullying.


    "Is that true, Leon? I can''t believe this... after all the sacrifices we made while you were unconscious? You can''t even perform such a simple task?" Caroline asked, seemingly disappointed. They were insinuating that they had taken care of Leon while he was in hisatose state. Which was a tant lie.


    In reality, Leon had been continuously bullied by them when he was in aa. They had humiliated him, believing him to be brain-dead. Now they were pretending as if they had taken care of him, which was far from the truth.


    With a nonchnt expression, Leon stood up and headed for the carriage''s door, opened it, and stepped outside.


    "Hu," he exhaled, feeling exasperated. Afterward, he used both hands to pull himself onto the top of the carriage. There, he assumed a lotus position and continued his meditation.


    He had no time for their nonsense.

 Chapter 5: Pitiful Old Man

    <h4>Chapter 5: Pitiful Old Man</h4>


    ¡ªClick.


    Early the next morning, Leon''s father cautiously opened the carriage door and slipped outside as if not wanting anyone to notice him


    "Morning..."


    However,a voice suddenly sounded from above causing him to smile wryly, while clutching a bucket filled with feces and urine firmly. He intended to dispose of it sneakily after Caroline reprimanded him all through the night, but he didn''t expect Leon to catch him.


    "Ah, Leon, what are you doing up so early?"


    Smiling wryly after realizing that Leon had caught him, the old man scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He could tell that Leon disliked him doing such demeaning work, but what choice did he have? They were family, after all.


    "Hmmm."


    Leon didn''t bother to respond. Instead, he leaped from the top of the carriage to the ground.


    ¡ªBoom!!


    For a moment, the old man stood in shock. Just a few days ago, Leon had been malnourished and skin and bones. Now, he was performing such feats effortlessly? To im that he wasn''t bewildered would be a lie. However, this confusion didn''tst long. He was Leon''s father, and all he wished for was his son''s sess. How he achieved it didn''t matter to him.


    Leon walked toward the old man with tattered clothes and extended his hand to take the bucket.


    "No, don''t worry about it. This is my responsibility; I''ll carry it myself. But if you''d like to apany me, I wouldn''t refuse."


    Pulling the bucket back, the old man prevented Leon from taking it. He didn''t want to degrade Leon any further. He was the one at fault for their circumstances, so he would bear the humiliation.


    "Okay."


    Leon nodded, and soon they both left, side by side, into the open grasnd. Along the way, the old man rambled about the kingdom''s political situation, a subject that the previous Leon had been exposed to throughout his life. However, this Leon found it informative and enjoyed the conversation.


    "Honestly, if the Warlocks don''t unite in time, we''ll be wiped out."


    Finally arriving at the woods, the old man discarded the bucket and sighed. "There''s only so much we can do as individuals,"


    The old man seemed delighted talking about these matters; at his age, he didn''t have many people to converse with, and his wife was difficult to deal with, so moments like these were special to him. Leon''s awakening was also a big boost to his moral, he hadn''t felt this happy in a while.


    At least that was until he spotted a familiar silhouette on a patch of grasnd not too far away.


    It was his daughter Phoebe, she was resting on the chest of a young man who was inappropriately touching her ass.


    "Again?"


    His face darkened with anger immediately after seeing this. he soon started stroding forward with annoyance in each step. The old man''s usual cid demeanor was gone the moment he witnessed his daughter''s inappropriate behavior in public.


    "Byand! How many times have I told you to stay away from my child?!"


    The old man''s shout echoed across the field, alerting not only Phoebe but also Byand. Byand was a strong young man who had been assigned as a n guard, this alone stood as testament to his strength.


    But, the young man was a yboy. He went around the n having his way with beautifuldies and was generally considered a leach. And for some absurd reason his daughter found Byand to be attractive, and always went close to him.


    "Let go of her now!"


    The old man retrieved his work hammer and surrounded it with a blood-red energy.


    Warlocks could use Mana, but they could also use another type of energy: life-energy, this energy could be derived from their surroundings, but Warlocks mainly relied on the life-energy of their bloodlines.


    In the case of the blood serpent n, it was blood serpent attributed energy. For the wind Eagle n, it was wind Eagle attribute energy


    "Blood serpent work: coating enhancer," the old man struck toward Byand with all his might.


    The blood red energy congregated around the tip of his hammer. It seemed like a single blow from his hammer could easily break bones.


    ¡ªngg


    Unfortunately, the guard easily deflected the strike; he was too powerful.


    "You dare attack a protector of the n, old man? Are you nning to rebel?!"


    Quickly pushing Phoebe aside, Byand drew his sword and swung it at the old man.


    ( this old bastard thinks he can attack me and go scot-free? He wishes!! I won''t let it slide.)


    Byand thought to himself


    "Shit!!"


    Seeing the sword cutting towards him, the old man dodged to the side. He didn''t expect to be attacked by a junior of the n, so he didn''t have the time to block.


    "Hmp!!"


    The guard, after missing the first strike, pulled himself up and prepared for the next one, and once again the old man dodged.


    However, before he could try again, he felt a chill across his neck, like it had been split open by a de.


    "Shit."


    Terrified, he touched his throat but noticed no blood. Abruptly, He turned to see a skinny young man with a calm expression.


    (How did he get here?)


    Byand thought to himself. The scene puzzled him. How had the young man approached without being noticed? and what was that feeling at his neck?


    "Go home," the skinny young man said calmly. Though his voice was tranquil, it conveyed a sense of dread.


    It wasn''t just a threat; it was a warning, the kind that one could only hear once before their life ended.


    "I... don''t have time for this," with beads of sweat on his forehead, Byand quickly turned around and left. This fear was An irrational one, he easily eclipsed this brat, but he couldn''t help but react this way.


    "Senior Byand, please don''t go without me," Phoebe called after him, but he paid her no mind and departed without a second thought.


    "Hmp! It''s all your fault," Phoebe barked at the old man before running off toward the carriage.


    "You bettere back here!" the old man shouted, but she didn''t listen.


    "Sigh!"


    Taking a deep breath, the old man sighed with regret. He had truly spoiled the child. She didn''t even respect herself, talk less of respecting him.

 Chapter 6: Family and Clan

    <h4>Chapter 6: Family and n</h4>


    "Are you alright?" Leon squatted beside the old man, who was currently on the ground.


    "Sigh." The old man rolled over and sat on the ground while looking in the direction of the fleeing Phoebe.


    "You know, she''s your sister..."


    The old man spoke timidly, trying his best not to look Leon in the eye. He was aware of everything that they had done to Leon over the years, and even though he tried to stop them, they were too persistent. Plus, he was not at home all the time.


    He felt ashamed, but what could he do? He was old and frail. He could only ask Leon for help.


    "Just look out for her when you can."


    The old man stood up and began walking away, leaving Leon staring from behind.


    Back at the carriage, Caroline and Phoebe stood outside in well-made dresses, as if they were heading somewhere.


    "Ahhh, my beautiful husband, wee back."


    Seeing the old man''s arrival, Caroline ran forward and greeted him as a noblewoman would greet her noble husband. This caused him to frown.


    "What''s wrong?"


    Caroline had mostly been snobbish ever since Leon gained the ability to move, but now she was greeting him so politely, clearly she wanted something.


    "Ah? Does there have to be something wrong before I greet my lovely husband?"


    A wronged expression briefly appeared on her face as she looked at the old man, did a wife really need a reason to be polite to her husband? No, but for Carloline, it really did seem out of ce.


    "Sigh. Since you brought it up, there''s the matter of food; we''re running out. Luckily, there''s a small underground market being held by some elders. I wanted to see if we can get anything."


    Caroline spoke without a trace of shame.


    "Hmmm, has Phoebe told you what happened today?" The old man asked. He had caught their daughter being inappropriately touched by a guy. This was a very serious matter they needed to handle.


    "No, but the market doesn''t stay open for long. Let''s talk about itter..."


    Caroline shut down the old man immediately. She didn''t seem to care that her daughter was behaving improperly. In fact, it seemed like she was supportive of Phoebe''s actions.


    "Sigh, here."


    Sighing in disappointment, the old man handed over a bag of coins to Caroline, which she epted with glee. Following this, she and Phoebe chose a direction and began walking off.


    "You want to go along with them?"


    As they both walked away, the old man turned to Leon and asked if he would like to go with them.


    "You can get whatever you need from the market; just keep an eye out." Tossing a bag of coins toward Leon, the old man spoke.


    He was basically bribing Leon to keep an eye on them.


    "Hmmm, who am I to refuse?" He needed to go shopping anyway; his clothes had worn out, and there was a particr event he had to prepare for.


    Leon then began to follow Caroline and Phoebe as they made their way down the line of carriages.


    At this point, the carriages had been connected like the cabins of a train, bound by wood, metal tes, and ropes. Most of all, they had a magical feel to them that made them imposing. This was the World-Traversing Serpent, which would facilitate their movement from here to Blood Rock, the homnd of the Blood Serpent Warlocks. It was magnificent.


    Soon enough, they entered the market area, where a low-key congregation of several people stood around with their wares on the ground.


    Even though the matriarch had sent a clear warning that no one was allowed to exploit the current situation to make money, people still went ahead and did so, including the elders. They were all money hungry, even the poor families.


    ¡ªKnock, knock.


    Upon reaching a particr carriage, Caroline and Phoebe stopped and knocked on the door. A few secondster, the door opened, revealing Byand, the guy they had caught Phoebe with earlier.


    It seemed like Phoebe hade to apologize alongside her mother. Apparently, she didn''t care for the old man''s opinion, and wanted to continue their rtionship with Byand


    "Oh well, that''s none of my business." Seated atop a small hill a hundred meters away from the carriage, Leon shook his head. They weren''t his real family; if they could go against their own blood, who was he?


    "Hey, you there, you want some wares?"


    While Leon was gazing into the distant grasnd, a voice resounded from behind him, causing him to quickly turn back. A kid around 16 stood looking at him with shady eyes.


    "You are?" Leon asked. The young man had been hiding on the hillside even before he got there, so Leon had noticed him. It was quite out of ce, but there was no other hill with a better view than this, so Leon decided to stay.


    "It doesn''t matter who I am; what matters is what I''ve got. Check it out."


    While looking over his shoulder, the young man opened his coat, revealing an arsenal of weapons and other items.


    "I''ve got machetes, daggers, leather armor... if you have any special requests, I can check my other shop. What do you need?"


    This guy was a businessman. In a situation like this, where they were in danger, he chose to deal in the sale of weapons and armor. Profiting off of people''s fears, Other than a shrewd businessman, what else could he be called?


    "Look at this one...pact and narrow, looks like one short sword, right?"


    The young man pulled out a short sword with an elegantly designed hilt and dangled it in front of Leon. Then he proceeded to pull at one part of the hilt, and it suddenly split apart, revealing that it was, in fact, two swords.


    "Awesome, right? I''ve got things like these and many more... for example."


    The young man continued talking about his wares, attempting to lure Leon into buying one.


    Meanwhile, inside the carriage...


    Caroline and Phoebe sat at a round table filled with various drinks. Surrounding them were burly men and some elderly individuals in luxurious clothing.


    "Elder Taiyun is such a jester. How could I be in love with that weak man? Look at himboring around the camp with his frail body. How could he handle someone like me?"


    Caroline said happily while downing a bottle of booze. She was intoxicated at this point.


    "Hehe, don''t worry, my beautiful mistress. When I''ve solidified my position as thew handler, I will throw him and his good-for-nothing son off."


    Beside her, an old man with white hair said casually while rubbing his hand all over her waist and backside.

 Chapter 7: hunters

    <h4>Chapter 7: hunters</h4>


    "Hmm."


    ying with a dagger in hand, Leon looked on with focus. The dagger was shaped like the fang of a massive creature, it was green in color, and gave off the vibe of a saber-tooth tiger''s tooth and viper fangs.


    Thinking back, Leon could remember the description of this weapon he received from the dodgy youth.


    "This one is special; it fell off the carriage of one of the Elders of a massive n. I was lucky to have picked it up during the chaos... also, I think it has some poisonous properties, so be careful how you throw it around."


    The dagger had been stolen during the chase from the city. Apparently, several Warlocks went around stealing treasures from fallen families at that time, and now they were selling them on the ck market. It seemed, like there was much more than meets in eye in this n.


    "It will do," Leon said before sheathing the dagger into its scabbard on his waist. He had spent all his money on it.


    "Yeeeee... that wa... some good wine..."


    A drunken slur resounded in front of Leon as two females staggered about. Clearly, in a drunken state. It was Caroline and Phoebe.


    "Sigh," Leon shook his head while looking at them. He had started following them immediately after they left the carriage for the ck market. However, they were already so drunk that they couldn''t even recognize that he was right behind them.


    Not long after, they made it to their carriage, where they saw the old man working on some repairs.


    "Hm?" Noticing their approach, the old man immediately left what he was doing and looked over at them. They were moving like zombies, and the smell of alcohol was unbearable.


    "What happened?"


    The old man rushed forward and tried to hold them both in ce. He was beyond bothered. The mother had a drinking problem, yes, but he had never seen Phoebe drunk before.


    "What happened?" The old man turned to Leon and asked with panic in his eyes.


    "I don''t know. They entered one of the Elder''s carriages, and when they exited, they were like this." Shrugging his shoulders, Leon exined. He didn''t go into the carriage with them, and he doubted that if he had tried to stop them, they would have listened.


    "Why didn''t you stop them?" The old man looked at Leon with some panic. He had sent Leon there to make sure they were all right.


    "Hm? What was I supposed to do? Go in there and fight?" Leon tilted his head while asking this question. Even though he had improved a lot, he was still considered weak. Facing off against an elder or their guards was asking for humiliation.


    "That..." The old man understood that Leon was right. He was still weak and frail, even more so than him. How could he stop them? He shook his head and grabbed his hammer; he was going to cause trouble.


    Next day:


    "Ouch!"


    The old man winced as a wound on his forehead was being cleaned by a hot towel. The day before, he ran into the ck market area, and attempted to attack one of the Elders. However, he was quickly surrounded and nearly beaten to death.


    But with the good graces of the matriarch, he was spared and allowed toe back home.


    "If I don''t do it, the wound will only get infected."


    Leon pressed the hot towel on his head more. He had witnessed the whole thing and couldn''t help but shake his head. The old man was weak and was constantly under the oppression of the other nsmen. No matter how he struggled, there was no way he could win.


    "Serves you right. I don''t know what got into you, attacking an elder like that. You''re lucky to be alive..."


    From the side, Caroline sneered. She went out to have a good time, and the old bastard went to cause trouble because of it. It was very embarrassing for her. Her ''husband'' was beaten to a pulp by a mob.


    "Shut your mouth. This is all your fault. You''ve spoiled your daughter and made this family theughingstock of the entire n. Don''t think I don''t hear what they call you..."


    The entire n looked down on their family, and Caroline was only worsening it by behaving like a sl*t. He couldn''t take it anymore.


    "What? What is it that people call me? A wh*re? Of course, they do. Isn''t that why you married me? Because I was easy to get into? Don''t you dare make me the viin here!"


    Immediately, Caroline responded. She wouldn''t ept that she was at fault, no matter what.


    "I regret getting married to such a shameless woman like you," the old man responded. Their dislike for each other had reached the breaking point. He could no longer take the disrespect, and she would not back down because she also looked down on him.


    They argued for hours, and it resulted in the old man storming off into the grasnd, and Caroline locking herself indoors.


    "What are you looking at, you good-for-nothing cripple?"


    Sneering at Leon, who was at the side, Phoebe walked up into the carriage and locked the door as well.


    "Too much drama. I need to heal up fast."


    Leon shook his head and sat on the floor. He closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.


    At the same time, at the edge of the Devil Wood forest, a many face-first on his horse, slowly making his way out. In his back were several arrows sticking out, and his body was bloodied.


    "Hm?"


    As the horse made its way into the camp, numerous people noticed the peculiarities. Who could have attacked him, and what must have happened? Their questions would soon be answered, though, as a man fell from his horse and to the ground in front of the Aldwin family carriage.


    "Help... the hunters."


    As soon as the word ''hunter'' left his mouth, he was surrounded by several nsmen.


    "What happened?"


    "Are the huntersing?"


    "Speak, man!"


    "Any healers around?"


    "Get the Elders!"

 Chapter 8: An accusation on the move

    <h4>Chapter 8: An usation on the move</h4>


    "What''s going on?" Caroline and Phoebe stepped out from inside the Aldwin carriage, inquiring about themotion outside. They had started hearing sounds of panic, so they decided to investigate, only to find a crowd of people surrounding their carriage.


    "Let''s check it out," Caroline urged, and they began walking toward themotion.


    "Is there anyone with medical knowledge here?" One of the men tending to the injured warlock inquired. He had some knowledge on how to treat a wound having seen many battles, but it wasn''t enough to stabilize the seriously injured man. The injuries were just too severe.


    "I do..." A feminine voice sounded from the back of the crowd, and people turned to see Phoebe, a bit shaken. She had received some training at her father''s bequest, but she hadn''t taken it seriously. Still, she had no choice but to help now. At least it was better than doing nothing.


    "Okay, please take charge!" The man tending to the injured warlock urged Phoebe. and She hurriedly rushed forward and did her best to bandage him and stop his bleeding.


    "It''s already happening, huh?" To the left of the crowd, a young man with brown eyes and a skinny build mused while observing the scene. It was Leon, and he remained unshaken, even in the midst of themotion.


    A few minutester.


    "He''s bleeding too much."


    The crowd looked panicked, not because they feared the man''s life was in danger, but because they didn''t know the message he hade to deliver. They didn''t know whether to start running or stay. Phoebe tried her best to stop the bleeding, but it only got worse with time. Some even started specting that she had no idea of what she was doing.


    "He might not make it."


    She had tried over and over again and there were no results, she had started to regret volunteering.....


    "Maybe I can give it a shot"


    All of a sudden a voice echoed from behind her causing her to turn back in a hurry. She was scared that this guy might die in her hands and bring her trouble, if someone else could do it she would dly step back.


    However she didn''t expect that the person who had just spoken was none other than Leon.


    "You? This isn''t a joke Leon, how can you take care of these injuries with your weak body? Stop constituting a nuisance and away"


    Staring at him fiercely, phoebe berated. the good for nothing thought he was some kind of saviour because he took care of the old man''s wounds? That was like the difference between a mountain and mole hill.


    "Yeah kid I don''t think this is the ce to joke around, go take a seat over there and let the professionals work '''' one of the men in the crowd urged after taking a long look at Leon.


    He was skinny and looked pale, there was no way in hell that he would be able to do anything to help.


    "Do you believe that you can save him?" Leon ignored the man who had just spoken and asked Phoebe this question.


    She had been working on him for a good few minutes now and he was still bleeding like a yed rabbit, she had failed and even the people in the crowd had noticed it too, but they just didn''t want to say it.


    "I...." phoebe didn''t know what to say, he was right. What she was nning to do a minute ago was dump the responsibility on someone else, but as soon as she saw that it was Leon she got triggered.....


    "Let me do it, if he dies I''ll take responsibility." Leon reaffirmed. This time phoebe could only nod her head and step aside.


    Then Leon proceeded to sit beside the injured man in a lotus position. His move was strange and he didn''t do anything for close to 10secs causing the crowd to worry that he was a quack too.


    But in the next second.


    "Heal"


    Leon streched his had forward and a magic circle appeared in front of it enveloping the man and pouring down mana, the immediate effect was that the man began to heal.


    Slowly but surely, the wounds began to close up, stunning the crowd. It was extraordinary to see Leon, who had been frail and weak all his life begin using healing magic. This was one of the most valuable and rare skills in their world, especially one that could heal Warlocks.


    Outwardly, they were happy that the man was healing, but inside, they there were thinking the same thing


    (How did this frail poor fool get his hands on a healing spell?)


    "Out of the way!!!!"


    Several guards pushed through the crowd and reached the injured man.


    "You? Is that healing magic?"


    One of the guards was taken aback when he saw Leon using healing magic. He knew Leon well and couldn''t believe he could use magic, let alone healing magic.


    "Not now. Let''s get him to the Elders first."


    Another guard urged them to transport the injured man And just like that they moved him to where the matriarch lived.


    Thirty minutester, word came from the matriarch that they had to abandon any carriage that hadn''t been incorporated into the World Traversing Serpent and start moving.


    Panic ensued, and the n members of the Blood Serpent n were packed into cabins of the World Traversing Serpent like sardines.


    Not too long after, The World Traversing Serpent started moving, crushing trees in its path like they were butter.


    Inside the World Traversing Serpent.


    "We are moving."


    "Yeah."


    Whispers echoed inside a particr cabin. They had started moving so abruptly, there could be only one exnation for it: the hunters were catching up.


    "Hello, Brother Leon. Can I sit next to you?"


    Amidst all the noise, a voice reached Leon. It was Phoebe, and she wanted to sit next to him, of all people.


    "Hm?" Leon looked up and frowned. It was unusual for Phoebe to choose to sit next to him. "Is everything okay?" Leon questioned.


    Phoebe didn''t answer. Instead, she squeezed herself next to Leon and leaned in to whisper in his ear.


    "I know you stole that healing spell from one of the Elders. I won''t let anyone know, as long as you let me take a look at it..."


    In Phoebe''s mind, there was no logical exnation for how Leon obtained such a valuable skill. He was a cripple, so she suspected he had stolen it.

 Chapter 9: Accusation?

    <h4>Chapter 9: usation?</h4>


    "You know we are family, and family should always share. It wouldn''t make sense if you had something and your little sister has nothing..."


    Caroline tried to guilt-trip Leon into sharing the healing spell with her. She had some training in medicine, but a healing spell would be a game-changer for her.


    "Oh? What if I don''t want to share?"


    Leon asked Phoebe with a tinge of Mockery. She was only just now realizing that Leon was her senior brother? She forgot all the times she had treated the previous Leon poorly? Now she wanted him to share? That was absolutely stupid of her!!


    "Don''t be stubborn. You know my boyfriend, Byand, is part of the guards. If I let them know you stole from an elder, they will punish you."


    Byand wasn''t really her boyfriend but, Phoebe said this, knowing that Byand could be used as a form of pressure to get what she wanted. She was determined to obtain the healing spell by any means necessary. It was a unique spell that could elevate their family''s status. It couldn''t be left with a former crippled fool.


    "You''re threatening me?"


    Leon smiled widely, it was a normal smile but for some reason it felt like it held a bulk load malicious intent. She immediately felt startled. Never had she felt like this before.


    "It''s not a threat Leon, It''s merely a warning"


    From the door of the cabin, Caroline walked in and said. Behind her were a group of guards in leather armor.


    "Ah? I see"


    Leon looked on and shook his head, this talk, he knew it was from Caroline if not phoebe wouldn''t dare ask him for something like that. It was Caroline''s wish.


    "Come with us."


    Two guards approached Leon, and without waiting for his response, they grabbed him by the arms and lifted him. His scrawny body made it difficult to struggle.


    "Hey, let go of him!"


    Leon''s father who was seated randomly at the side, stood up and prepared to stop the guards. However, tworge figures blocked him and held both of his hands.


    It was Byand''s senior brother and Byand himself, they were here to ensure that no one interfered.


    The guards carrying Leon brought him to the center of the cabin and stopped there.


    "Is that the boy?"


    From the cabin they had juste out from, an elderly and majestic man walked out. He had long gray hair and a mustache. His mere presence caued a stir in the cabinThis man was not ordinary, He was the fourth elder of the n.


    "Yes, Elder."


    Caroline bowed toward him. She had gone to call him, knowing that Leon would not willingly part with the spell. Her n was to force him to do so by involving the elder. With the elder''s authority, the spell could be removed from Leon''s possession, and he would be punished.


    "Much more skinny than I imagined."


    The elder walked around Leon, observing him. Leon still had a skinny build and some paleness in his skin. He was nothing special in all honesty.


    "Tell me, where is this healing spell from?"


    The elder tilted his head and asked Leon, but Leon remained silent, asionally looking out the window.


    "Ah, are you shy? Let go of him, boys. Leon is our friend, and I''m sure he will cooperate."


    The elder ordered the guards, he didn''t want to approach this matter carelessly. They knew what they were doing was wrong. Byand had described how Leon used the healing spell earlier, and the elder understood that it was not from anyone in the Blood Serpent Warlock n. In the whole n, there were only two healing spells, and he knew them both.


    The boy must have picked it up from another Warlock n during their escape. This was a good thing though, as a new healing spell meant a new opportunity to gain a better position in the n.


    "I understand how you must feel, kid. It''s not your fault that your family is filled with so muchpetition and hate. Tell you what, I can help you punish those who offended you, but you must show me the healing spell..."


    The fourth elder spoke aloud, causing Caroline and Phoebe to be momentarily shocked. Did they hear that right? The fourth elder was willing to throw them under the bus to get the spell?


    "Hehe, I can make you powerful and influential in the n. You want the power to make women like her grovel? I can do that. You want luxury? I can provide that. All you have to do is hand it over and pledge to be my underling."


    The fourth elder made so many promises that even the people in the room who had nothing to do with it felt envious. They wished they had found a spell on the road like Leon had, as it would allow them to curry favor with the fourth elder.


    "Really? So, if I asked you to throw both of them off board, would you do it?"


    Leon asked, looking at Caroline and Phoebe mockingly.


    "Haha, why not? Byand, throw the wh*re off the train for being such a bad stepmother."


    The fourth eldermanded Byand, and immediately Byand sprang into action, grabbing Caroline. To them, both Caroline and Phoebe were not as important as the spell.


    "What the hell? You can''t do this!"


    Caroline struggled, but Byand was too strong. Even Phoebe tried to stop Byand but failed.


    "Okay, you can stop. I don''t want to kill them yet."


    Chuckling, Leon shook his head and asked Byand to stop. He just wanted to have a goodugh, as he knew the fourth elder would throw them under the bus for the sake of profit.


    "Okay, Byand, drop her."


    The fourth eldermanded Byand to let Caroline go. He then looked back at Leon and smiled. This dark sense of humour fitted the fourth elder''s personality, he had begun to like Leon.


    "Okay, Leon, tell me, do we have a deal?"


    The elder looked at Leon and waited for his answer, as they attempted to strike a deal. Leon decided to y along.


    "Why not? Just give me a moment."


    Leon took a few steps back, but suddenly, he stopped and grabbed a pole in the middle of the cabin.


    "Hm?"


    Seeing Leon''s strange action, the elder frowned, unable to predict what would happen next.


    ¡ªPheeeeee, Boommmnm!!!!!!!!!!!!


    A massive light shone, and in an instant, the cabin was sliced in half and torn from the main body of the World Traversing Serpent.

 Chapter 10: Seige On The World-Traversing Serpent

    <h4>Chapter 10: Seige On The World-Traversing Serpent</h4>


    "You....."


    The fourth elder slowly opened his eyes and focused on a blurry figure of a young man with an older oneying on his shoulder. This figure belonged to Leon.


    A few days after they entered the grasnd area, Leon had begun to see digital boxes hanging over the head of several memebers of the blood serpent n. They read


    "Dead in 5 days,"


    "Crushed by carriage parts"


    "Captured in 12 days"


    He immediately questioned the system and it let him know that these status windows were from the systems special function.


    Insightpass


    [ insightpass: allows host to presive the lucky/unlucly encounters of others during a set period of time


    ]


    This function was overpowered. It basically allowed Leon to sneak a peak into the future of certain individuals. However, it wasn''t like it didn''t have limits. People of considerable strength couldn''t be seen through and it was up to the systems discretion who''s encounters it would show.


    This was a clear indication that if he didn''t use it well, he would be the one who ends up suffering. But in this particr circumstance, he knew what to do.


    ¡ªBoomm!!!!


    All of a sudden another explosion sounded in the distance as another section of the world traversing serpent was torn off by a massive beam of energy. The hunters had caught up to them and they were using all of their might to stop them from escaping.


    Leon saw this and frowned, with the old man on his back he immediately dashed into devil wood forest leaving Caroline and phoebe to fend for themselves.


    "Men, Prepare yourselves!!!"


    After watching Leon dash into the forest, the fourth elder decided to pull his men togather. They couldn''t all run away like Leon, some had to stand and fight, but if an opportunity to escape arrivester, he wouldn''t hesitate to leave.


    On the opposite side of the grasnd.


    Ady with long luscious blonde hair sat on her horse staring down at the carnage infront of them. They had been tracking the blood serpent n for several days now, finally they had caught them. It gave her a sense of relief. She knew what their superiors would do to them if they failed.


    "I want them captured alive!!!"


    Beside her was a bulky man in high-grade Steel amour and behind her were a host of men and women on horse back. They were the hunters.


    "Charge!!!!"


    Not more than a few secondster, the whole troop of men spilt into two and dashed towards the two sections of the world traversing serpent that had been cut down. They were going toy seige to them.


    "Hmp!!, stay close"


    The blonde spoke to a young man beside her, then she pushed her horse forward and proceeded to rush towards the cabin section that Leon had been in.


    "Hold your ground, if you can use fighting spells use them, if you can heal do so. We need to stick togather or we will be hunted like dogs."


    After readying his men the fourth elder riled up the other ns men. he hade with several guards and the likes of byand and his big brother were very good fighters. With the help of the other ns men they might be able to hold the hunters long enough for them to escape.


    "Extermination light"


    The first group of hunters reached the carrige and attacked, immediately after they were countered by Byand and several guards. Meanwhile the fourth elder assisted from the back.


    ¡ªBoom!!


    ¡ªng!!


    ¡ªng!!


    The fight had begun abruptly but strangely, the Warlocks had the upper hand. If Leon was here to see this he would be shocked. Byand was actually very powerful.


    Himself and his brother used a spell that enhanced their bodies by leaps and bounds making them seem like monster. With a single swing they could cut down 2 or 3 men.


    "Hold your ground!!" Byand shouted as he swung his de to cut down another batch of hunters. The men were riled up seeing the berserker brothers taking down scores after scores of hunters.


    It filled them with hope, however.


    "This isn''t right" the fourth elder looked to the side and frowned. The hunters hand lots of low ranking fighters, yes, but they also had high ranked ones too. Strangely there weren''t any in this seige....unless


    ¡ªGallop gallop


    Not too far away, the sound of horses resounded, and they were getting closer....it was another wave and it was massive.


    "Shit" the fourth elder who was momentarily stunned shook his head and in that split second, he decided to run. This fight.....he didn''t believe that he could win.


    "Where do you think you''re going to?" All of a sudden a sh of light appeared in the corner of the fourth elders eye. a de came barreling towards him out of no where.


    From his left was a bulky man and on his right was a blondedy with luscious hair and apact suit of amour....the real power houses had appeared.


    "Hmp!!, Serpent Blood Work : Serpent Blood Extensions"


    The fourth elder took in arge breath of air and activated a spell and suddenly.


    ¡ªng!!


    They collided, but the fourth elder was not moved, two apparitions of snakes appeared from his back and streched forward. One of them blocked the iing attack from the left and the other blocked the one from the right.


    "Let me show you why they call me devil snake zhang"


    The fourth elder said with an evil smile, he was the fourth most influencial person in the n not because he was lucky, no, it was because he was truly strong.


    "Ah? You''re devil snake zhang? Looks like we caught a big one..." The bulky man looked excited, they hade fishing for minnows and caught a shark. Devil snake zhang was a top ranking elder of the blood serpent n. He was on their list of priority targets, who knew that they would get him on a random cabin at the back of the world traversing serpent?


    "You aren''t powerful enough to be my captors..."


    The fourth elder said and immediately pushed both of them away. However, they didn''t let up. In a sh the blonde riled up horse up and rushed the old man. Her swords glistened with bright light as she swung at the fourth elder.


    The advantage the elder had right now were his extra appendages. She needed to distract him so the bulky man would take advantage.


    With her first swing she forced the fourth elder to dodge, with the second swing the elder blocked, with the third one he was cut a little on the cheek, it looked like she had the upper hand In the exchange.....


    Unfortunately, she didn''t think too deeply about her moves...


    "Inexperienced!!" The fourth elder sneered. she came at him with too much confidence, she wasn''t cautious at all and in battle only a split second was needed to determine life or death.


    One of the blood red snake streching from the Elders back moved in a zigzag manner directly biting the neck of horse the blondedy''s was seated on....


    ¡ªNeighhh!!!


    This brutal attack caused the horse to scream and throw the blonde up into the air.


    "Hu"


    Looking down she could see the fourth elder smiling mockingly at her error.


    However he was mistaken.


    ¡ªPhew,


    ¡ªPhew


    Two daggers cloaked in darkness flew from the back of blondedy and pierced towards the fourth elder. As it shed forward the elder immediately used his palms to redirect the trajectory of the projectiles. Still, this was not good enough.


    Because behind the daggers, the hidden de of the blonde lurked.....


    ¡ªsh!!


    With that surprise attack she was able to cut of one of the Elder''s arm''s causing excessive bleeding.


    "Sneaky b*tch!!"


    The fourth elder cursed, he didn''t expect such a youngdy to be this apt at battle....


    "Hmmmm"


    While the fourth elder cursed, the blonde looked over at bulky man who was supposed to back her up. He was currently engaged in battle with Byand and his brother.


    "Annoying" she sneered, she knew very well how powerful the man was. Fighting against these two was something he could finish in a matter of seconds....he was doing it on purpose so she would have to fight the elder alone.


    Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


    Please leave a review no matter how small I''d really appreciate it xxxxx

 Chapter 11: He Knew All Along

    <h4>Chapter 11: He Knew All Along</h4>


    Meanwhile, inside the depths of devil wood forest, a tall, slim shadow could be seen dashing around the forest with exceptionally speed, even though it seemed to be carrying something on it back, it was steady and fast.


    "Woosh, whoosh"


    With subtle movements, this shadow was able to dodge trees and jump over obstacles, its movements resembled that of renowned assassins, it would be hard to ept that just a few days ago this person was a paralyzed cripple.


    That''s right, this shadow was Leon''s.


    After finding out about the attack with the help of the system, Leon prepared to leave. He investigated the weak points of the world traversing serpent, so he knew where was safest. He got a weapon for surviving in the wild and most of all, he created a situation where guards would appear to distract the hunters.


    By using the healing spell which he knew was very rare in front of Caroline and phoebe, he created greed in their hearts. Greed that would push them to use their trump card, Byand and his backer. It was a massive gamble, but it worked.


    "There"


    Leon sighted a massive rocky formation in the middle of the woods, this was his destination. He had chosen several locations from on top a hill in the grasnd and depending on where they got attacked, Leon chose where was best to hide.


    "Ssh"


    Leon slowed down and stepped in a puddle of water in front of the rocky formation. There was a small opening to the side.


    "It''s better than nothing"


    Leon moved quickly and squeezed himself through the cracks with the old man still on his back. And a few secondster, he was inside a small hallow area in the rocky formation.


    "Right here,"


    Leon ced the old man on the ground slowly and proceeded to pick up a handful of soil from the ground.


    "St!!"


    The began painting the old man''s body and face in hopes of hiding his scent. However, his actions also happened to wake the old man up.


    "What??!!"


    The old man took a few steps back and scoured his surroundings, he was still trying to make sense of what happened to the carriage. It was just too sudden....


    "Calm down, old man, you''re out of danger." Leon stretched his hand forward and calmed him down. Upon hearing that, the old man indeed calmed down, though the next words that came out of his mouth agitated him once again.


    "Where are phoebe and Caroline?"


    The old man looked around, he remembered the wreckage and how their cabin fell into the woods. Naturally, he understood that they were in danger, but Leon saved him and only him?


    "They are back there, I couldn''t help"


    Shaking his head, Leon exined. Forget the fact that he didn''t care to go through that much trouble, he couldn''t do it even if he wanted to.....


    "No, you have to save them please, I understand your feelings towards them are sour, but they are still family." The old man started pleading for Leon to go back and save them. However, Leon could only stare at him with a nonchnt gaze.


    "How long have you known?"


    Suddenly, Leon spoke. His words, although vague, sent a chill down the old man''s spine. It was just a question, but it startled the man. This was simply because even though his words wouldn''t mean anything to an outsider, it meant something to him.


    "I.... Since you began speaking...."


    The old man responded with a bit of shame and sadness. He knew all along that this person standing before him was not his son Leon, from the very first moment he looked into those boundless eyes he knew this, but he was in denial.


    "But, that doesn''t change anything, My blood still runs through your veins" The old man hurriedly spoke, trying to appease Leon.


    "you''re a very perceptive father. This is good. However, you''re mistaken if you think I feel the need to belong to your broken family..... I have lived in the void for thousands of years. I''ve endured the kind of loneliness you could only imagine. The only reason I saved you is that you did the same for me, but now that debt has been paid...."


    Of course, this wasn''t the only reason. He was once a family man, so in a way he understood the plight of the old man. But seeing what the man had gone through made him realize why the family life wasn''t for him. He only stayed to watch out of impulse.


    "Please save them,"


    The old man knelt down and kowtowed to Leon, even if it meant that he would lose his soul to this demon that had possessed his son, he would do it. Even though they were unfair to him, they were his family, and he wanted to save them.


    "You are not qualified to make a deal with me, old man, you have nothing i want. Just try to survive.....or dont its your decision "


    Him staying all the while with the old man was a type of heart tempering.


    (There''s only one badur I guess)


    Leon thought to himself, then he stood up and slowly walked out. Not surprisingly, the old man stayed in the cave and didn''t follow. He was all talk, he couldn''t go out to save his family but wanted Leon to do it. He was a hypocrite.


    "Hm?"


    Immediately after, his foot touched the ground. Leon felt a gaze fall on him from inside the forest. There, a young man with pitch-ck hair looked on at him with predatory eyes.


    Leon was his prey.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Back at the site of the crash


    "What do you mean by he went into the forest?!!"


    The blondedy hunter held on to one of the hunter''s clothes threateningly. She had been left alone to fight against an elder of the blood serpent n by herself. She was injured and poisoned.


    However, this wasn''t what bothered her right now. Apparently, her boss''s son had decided to chase after the Warlocks that managed to escape into the forest with no backup. She couldn''t imagine what would happen if he got hurt.


    "You had better get started looking for him, after all you are his personal guard....."


    The bulky man in heavy amour stepped forward and said to the blonde. He was basically unscathed, the fight was easy for him.


    "Hmp!!" The blonde sneered and jumped into the forest. Even with her injuries and the venom from snake bites. She had to find that crazy son of a b*tch

 Chapter 12: The Hunter becomes the Hunted

    <h4>Chapter 12: The Hunter bes the Hunted</h4>


    ¡ª©\Puuu


    An arrow flew through the sky and pierced a tall pine tree. Following this, the body of a young man shed by that same tree at an incredible speed. This young man was Leon, and his assant was a young man with pitch-ck hair and amour of the same likeness of the hunters.


    "Don''t run away, little bunny, I only want to pet you on the head!!"


    The young man chasing Leon said with a slight twisted smile on his face. He was enjoying the chase very much. Back in their territory, he would usually hunt wild boars, and He was well known in their territory for his hunting talent.


    However, if there was something he wanted more than anything? It was to hunt actually humans. He had begged his Lord father many times, and eventually, he was allowed to join the campaign against the Warlocks. But because of his pesky bodyguards he didn''t have much fun, so any opportunity he got, had to be savored.


    "Annoying kid"


    Leon muttered while running through devil wood forest. This guy had popped out of nowhere and began chasing him, it wasn''t part of his n, and was the fault of the old man for dying him.


    ¡ª Puuu


    Another arrow came flying, it cut through the nket of the night and flew towards the back of Leon''s head, threatening to impale it.


    ¡ªzoom


    This time, Leon used the force of his momentum to grab the trunk of a nearby tree to circle around the tree and grab the arrow from behind before flinging himself to apletely different direction.


    "Hmm? That was good, not gonna lie"


    The young man praised. Leon was much better than anything he had ever hunted, Leon was able to easily dodge his arrows while maneuvering through the terrain of devil wood forest. This wasn''t something just anyone could do, unless, they were used to being hunted.


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwoosh


    Leon kept dodging and ducking, escaping every single arrow thrown at him. In his past life, he had been hunted down by countless people who sort to end his journey. This was not so different, he only needed to survive once again.


    ¡ªShooooooo


    On the horizon, Leon heard the sound of water rushing violently, causing him to smile. A stream was in front, the best way to wash his scent off from pursuers was to go through a stream. All he needed to do now was to lose this guy then proceed to cross the stream, at that time he would be home safe.


    "Follow me," Leon smirked before increasing his pace by 2 folds. This change in speed caused the young man to frown. "He still has some hidden strength?"


    After all this running and dodging, Leon still had strength? That didn''t make sense, or was he a powerful Warlock of the blood serpent n?


    "No, that''s impossible...." Shaking his head, the young man put that possibility at the back of his mind. He had used a special treasure he got from his father to scan before chasing Leon, and it revealed that Leon could barely use magic.


    "Hmp!!, you''re only making if more entertaining"


    The young man sneered and continued his chase, but even with his asional shots of arrows. Leon was able to dodge every single one with little effort


    However, this didn''t mean it was going ording to Leon''s n, Leon''s main goal was to lose him before crossing the stream, but with each passing moment, it seemed more and more difficult to achieve this.


    ¡ª Woosh


    With one push, Leon jumped out from the shroud of bushes and trees that was devil wood forest And onto the bank of the stream he had sensed.


    ¡ªShoooo


    The stream of glistening water resounded in Leon''s ear, and the cold from the water sshing on rocks chilled his skin. It had been a long time since he saw running water, it was very nostalgic. Though, he didn''t really have time to take in the atmosphere.


    This was because he was still being chased by a hunter. A second of inactivity could lead to his death.


    ¡ªWoosh


    Leon rushed towards the stream in an attempt to cross over before the hunter could catch up. However, he was a bit toote....


    ¡ªPuu


    An arrow came flying past him and struck the ground in front of him. "This guy" Leon turned his head and looked up at one of the trees In the distance. There the hunter sat with his bow drawn, on his face a look of delightful bliss.


    The speed Leon assumed on thisst sprint nearly threw him off, it was astonishing for someone who looked so frail and weak to be so fast and nimble. However, it was over now. Leon had reached a dead end.


    "Dead-end rabbit," the hunter smiled and drew his bow, Before Leon could sessfully pass the stream he would be impaled by arrows.


    "No choice" Leon smirked bitterly, then Before the hunter could react, he dashed back into the forest and directly into a dense pocket of shrubs and leaves.


    "Hm? Futile!!" The hunter quickly trained his bow On the dense pocket of leaves. As soon as Leon exits, he would pierce him with his arrows.


    Unfortunately, that was not Leon''s n.


    ¡ªshhh


    The sound of a de being unsheathed rang from the opposite side of the tree the hunter was standing on.


    "Huh?"


    A sh shone across his eye, making him flinch. An arrow had just narrowly grazed his left eye. He didn''t have time to think at all, as soon as the arrow flew past him, a slight breeze blew across his neck, this instinctively made him jump backwards onto a tree beside him.


    "Huuu, huuuu" The hunter breathed heavily


    Within a brief few seconds, he had seen his life sh before his eyes twice. The first was from the arrow head and the second was from Leon, who was currently standing with a dagger in his hand on the tree he had just jumped from.


    Leon had used the arrow to distract him while he used the opportunity to climb onto the tree and attack him.


    "You f*cker!!!" The hunter immediately drew out another arrow.


    But to his surprise, his bow had been split into two by Leon''s previously attack.


    "This person....."


    He was stunned as he realized this.


    (This person isn''t normal, from stealing one of my arrow heads, so he could distract me to cutting my bow in two the first moment he got.....he must be a seasoned fighter)


    The hunter couldn''t help but be serious after having this thought. Leon was thinking 3 steps ahead of him, it was terrifying. This wasn''t the normal boar fights he was used to.


    (You wanted to y, right? Let''s y.)


    Leon thought in his mind beforeunching himself at the tree the hunter had retreated to. "Hmp!!" Seeing Leon''s action, he pulled out a short de adorned with elegant designs from his waist.


    (You think you can defeat me head on because you could get a few sneak attacks in? Keep dreaming!!)


    ¡ªng!!


    The first strike came in with Leon aiming for the hunter''s head, but that strike was easily blocked. The second strike soon shed forward, cutting at the hunters'' Arms. Again, it was countered abet it being a closer call.


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    In just a few seconds , several attacks were exchanged between both parties. Each showing a great level of close quarter attack prowess.


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    However, at the end of the day, there had to be a winner. And not surprisingly, the person with the most attacksnding was none other than.


    Leon.

 Chapter 13: Beautiful, Blonde, and Dangerous

    <h4>Chapter 13: Beautiful, Blonde, and Dangerous</h4>


    The hunter stood facing Leon with cuts and bruises all over his body, his clothes had been cut into shreds and several parts of his leather amour had been pierced.


    "You are smiling like this is over"


    The hunter said to Leon with gritted teeth. He was the hunter here, Leon was only a lowly warlock, how dare he look at him like he was some sort of loser?


    "Having a hard time epting defeat? You really are a brat"


    Leon couldn''t help but chuckle. What did he think this was? A game? He didn''t even think of the possibility that he might actually lose this fight?


    "Defeat? This is only getting started!!"


    With a crazed look on his face, the hunter announced, he then proceeded to jump backwards, meanwhile his hand reached into a pouch on his side where he pulled out a small bottle with a murky red liquid inside.


    "Gulp gulp"


    Immediately after hended, he started gulping it down like it was some sort of juice. Surprisingly, his wound soon started closing up. It happened like a sh, his body was healing before Leon''s very eyes.


    (Thank god for the healing potions I got from father, if not I''d be dead right now. I have to find an opportunity to run)


    The hunter thought in his mind, if not for the potions his father gave to him before departing, he would have bled to death, but the showed one thing though, Leon could not be trifled with. He had to run the first chase he got.


    (Hm? Healing potions? Looks like you''re a big fish.....)


    Leon mused, anything that had to do with healing was considered valuable in any society, especially so for societies like these, where death and injuries were amon urrence.


    "Are you ready for the second round?" As soon as he healed uppletely, the hunter stood up and said to Leon. Of course, what he had in mind was to run away at the first chance he got, but... before he could.


    "Blurggg"


    He spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with a greenish substance, it was murky and came out with some of his lunch, followed by a bad stench


    This was poison.


    (It worked? Nice)


    Leon watched as the hunter rolled around the ground frantically while spiting out blood from his mouth. This was the work of the dagger he got from the dodgy youth in the ck market.


    It was filled with a special poison that caused minor internal bleeding to whomever it entered. It was fairly potent, however with Leon''s meddling, he was able to find some herbs around the camp to amplify its effects by several folds.


    "Disgusting" Leon left a casual remark before approaching the now lifeless body of the young hunter who was on the floor of the massive tree branch they were standing oh.


    The healing potion had closed his wounds but the poison still remained ravaging his internal organs, he struggled, while spitting out blood, until eventually, he died.


    "Might as well take these valuables off your hands" Leon said casually before reaching towards the young man and plundering some of his valuables.


    He took some silver coins, the kid''s dagger and several other items, but the most useful in Leon''s eyes were the healing potions. With a single gulp, he would heal his injuries instead of using the heal spell which took time.


    "This will do...." taking the guys'' clothing or amour would only cause troubles if people recognized them on the road. As it seemed like this gentleman had a powerful background, it was best to avoid anything that ties him to his death.


    What he needed to do now was to cross the river and find the nearest town where he couldy low.


    ¡ªRustle


    But, Just as he was preparing to leave, he heard a bit of Rustling in a nearby scrub. following which two projectiles pierced through the air approaching him rapidly.


    "Shit"


    Leon immediately responded by doing a backflip andnding into the dense pocket of bushes below the tree.


    ¡ªDing


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    But he couldn''t escape so easily as immediately hended the sound of weapons shing started echoing, soon two figures could be seen fighting their way out of the dense pocket of leaves into the river back.


    "Haaaa ahhhhh"


    Heavy breathing filled the air as two parties stood facing each other on the open river bank.


    "you??"


    In front of him was ady with blonde hair and a beautiful countenance. She was the definition of a cold beauty. Another thing that stood out were several bite marks leaking blood from her arms to shoulders, it seemed like she had been bitten by snakes.


    "You killed the Dalriss boy...." with a look of calm on her face, she immediately used Leon of the most dreadful crime known to man


    murder.


    Of course, she was right, but there was no way in hell Leon would admit to it.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about, I''m only trying to get away from this mess"


    Leon gave his defense, he was just a random guy trying to get away from the fighting. As if that made any sense.


    "Hmp!! Do you think I''m blind? I can smell the blood on you from a mile away. Besides, You even look guilty"


    Thedy spat out with much vigor, causing Leon to pause in shock. He was guilty because he looked guilty? What kind of argument was that?


    ¡ªshing


    Within the brief moment which Leon was using to rationalize thedy''s reasoning, a sh of sword light came barreling down towards him, threatening to cut his neck.


    "Shit!!"


    Leon dove to the side while simultaneously unsheathing the dagger on his waist. Thisdy was ruthless and precise. She saw an opening and struck at Leon with the intent to kill.


    (This one is dangerous)


    Leon thought to himself before raising both his dagger and the one he had gotten from the young hunter up to guard himself. Thisdy, whoever she was, was very dangerous.


    ¡ªCough cough


    "Cough.....You should give up" The blondedy said to Leon. He was easily distracted just then, If she had attacked with her full strength, he would be dead by now.


    "We will see about that" Leon smirked and raised his daggers up.

 Chapter 14: A Deal

    <h4>Chapter 14: A Deal</h4>


    ¡ªDing!!


    ¡ªDing


    ¡ªng


    The sound of swords shing in the shadow of the night resounded on the open bank beside a rushing river. Two figures, a male with a skinny/sickly build, was fighting against a blonde female who seemed to have been injured in several ces.


    "Arg!!" The female groaned before jumping backwards to avoid the iing attack.


    "Annoying" she held on to her shoulder with a vexed expression. There was a lot of snake venom in her system, but unlike the young hunter, she was mighty and used all her power to slow down the spread.


    However, fighting with Leon was causing it to spread faster. It would be a disaster if she died because of venom.


    "You should really get that checked out, blood snake venom is nasty when it mixes with your blood...." Leon mocked her by the side, but he was clearly no better than her at this moment, during their exchange Leon was able to gauge the power of thisdy, and it shocked him.


    If she were fully healed, he would have died by now. Fortunately, that was not the case.


    "I will do so when I have your corpse in my hand"


    She spat at the floor and raised herself up, then she entered an attacking posture. Seeing this, Leon frowned, even with the threat of dying by poison she was still preparing to fight?


    "Oh well" Leon shrugged then reached into a pouch to retrieve a bottle filled with a red liquid.


    ¡ªshing


    Just as Leon made this movement, thedy lounged at him again. The liquid was the healing potion Leon had stolen from the young hunter, she couldn''t let him heal up while she kept degrading.


    ¡ªwoosh


    But she was toote, the distance between herself and Leon was too much and with a simple leap backwards, Leon was able to create enough space to down the bottle of healing potion.


    "Ahh, refreshing. Let''s continue" Leon threw the bottle to the ground and prepared himself for thedy. The cuts and shes on him could be seen slowly healing.


    "Die!!"


    With a simple swing of her sword, the surrounding wind picked. She was about to use magic. She had been trying to avoid using it from the start because of the venom in her system, but seeing Leon get back to his full health, she knew she had no other choice. she knew she could not limit herself.


    (Self harm just to take me down? He-he the pride of this one is top grade)


    To capture or kill him she was willing to do herself in, she couldn''t handle failure. If not pride, what else could this be called?


    "Wind work: ravaging de"


    Just as she said it, a gust of wind circled around her and the sword in her hand. And in a few seconds.


    ¡ªwoosh


    She flew forward with blinding speed, cutting directly at Leon. "Shit!!!" Leon screamed while he sessfully dodged the attack by a hairs'' breath.


    However, it seemed like there would be no rest. As soon as Leon regained himself, she attacked again.


    ¡ªwoosh


    Once again, Leon dodged.


    ¡ª


    Once again, she attacked. This process repeated over and over again, she was too powerful for Leon to defeat in this state, but she could also not kill Leon in her state also. It was a stalemate.


    At least that until.....


    "Wait!!!!"


    Leon said out loud causing her to pause and look over with some skepticism. As she was about to restart, she noticed Leon sheath his daggers.


    (He''s giving up?)


    She thought to herself, but looking directly at him for a while, she noticed him shaking his head.


    "The venom has gone too far, honestly, if we keep on going you will die. Of course, I also know that this is not your strongest attack, I am sure you''d use it as ast ditch effort and leave both of us as corpses"


    "I don''t like that oue''


    Leon could see her veins were being corrupted by the second. If it got to her heart, she would most likely die or attempt to take him down with her.


    "So what do you propose?"


    Leon was right, she was already fast approaching her limit. The only option would be to give up, but if she did, Leon might use that opportunity to kill her, so the only option was mutual destruction.


    She didn''t want that either, she still had a lot of things she wanted to do, dying here was not an option.


    "A deal" Leon said with a calm expression, neither of them could get out of this unscathed, so it was best they made a deal.


    "What kind of deal?" with a frown on her face, the blondedy asked.


    "I believe the kid you''re using me of killing has some sort of unique background, and I believe that you''re adamant on capturing me is because you want to escape death."


    The young hunter had a unique background, and she was his bodyguard, she would be put to death, if they found out, he died on her watch and she couldn''t capture his killer.


    "What if that isn''t the case, what if he''s not dead"


    Leon''s words made her frown. The kids'' lifeless body could still be seen from this spot. He was deader than dead, so what was Leon getting at?


    "Here''s my proposal, we work together. When you got here you met the kid fighting against me, but when you came in to capture me you were blocked by several powerful Warlocks of the blood serpent n. They captured the young man and made a run for it. But you risked your life and captured one of their own. Me"


    Leon then paused and added, "I''ll act as a decoy while your higher-ups go on a wild goose chase"


    "So you''re going to sacrifice your life?" The blondedy said with some skepticism. From her brief exchange with Leon, she was able to determine a lot of things.


    He seemed to be very strong-willed and cunning. His killer instincts were also top grade. However, what stood out the most was his survival Instinct. So why would he put himself in danger like this? What would happen to him after the Warlocks were captured? He would let himself die?


    "Of course not, during the period that I''m in your custody, you''ll allow me free hand to attempt to escape 5 times. You won''t chase until I''m a hundred meters away....if I get away sessfully at that time, you can only me yourself...."


    (This person is crazy)


    Thedy thought to herself, what Leon had just proposed was crazy. Even if she gave him five opportunities to run around headless, he would still be in a camp of hundreds of hunters. Where would he go?


    "You don''t need to worry about me, princess, I can handle myself"


    Leon said with a smirk in his face. He could definitely get away before they caught up to the world traversing serpent. This wasn''t his first rodeo.


    "Okay, but why would I trust someone like you? How do I know you won''t Stab me in the back the first chance you get?" Arian asked with a look of contempt

 Chapter 15: An Oath by death

    <h4>Chapter 15: An Oath by death</h4>


    "And how do I know you won''t stab me in the back the first moment you get?"


    If Leon wanted to risk his life by working with her, he was wee. However, she wouldn''t trust Leon farther than she could throw him; he was clearly a conniving devil.


    "What? you can''t trust me, even though I''m the one at a disadvantageous position here?" Leon asked with a visible irritation on his face. However, this irritation quickly vanished, as if it had never been there, in the next second.


    "Hmmm," the blonde girl looked at Leon with disdain; he was trying to mess with her head.


    "We can swear an oath," Leon spoke calmly. An oath was the only way trust could be established, and these oaths could not be broken without attracting dire consequences.


    "Do you think I''m stupid? I''m not swearing a blood oath with a Warlock from the blood serpent n" the blonde spat on the floor before tightly gripping the sword in her hand.


    A blood oath with someone from the Blood Serpent n was the stupidest thing anyone could do. The Blood Serpent n was notorious for breaking blood oaths, which was one of the reasons people hated them so much. They could easily break blood oaths, and at the same time, they were proficient in making them. They could never be at a disadvantage when it came to oath-taking.


    "Sigh, you''re putting me in a tight corner here,dy. I''m putting my life in your hands, and you won''t even take a simple oath... it''s too much," Leon shook his head with some disappointment in his eyes. Of course, he didn''t know about blood oaths being easily broken by his nsmen, but from her reaction, he was able to decipher it.


    (Might be useful in the future), Leon thought to himself. Then he looked back up at the blonde.


    "Okay, let''s do something else. Have you heard about Fu Shu energy before?"


    Leon ced his hands behind his back and said, looking at the corpse of the young hunter in the distant tree.


    (Fu Shu? Isn''t that old devil magic?)


    She didn''t know exactly what it was, but she remembered reading something about this vile energy. Fu Shu was magic from Devils, so bad that using it caused all it''s practitioners to die with time, slowly fading into obscurity.


    "Yes, so what? Don''t tell me you''re going to create a Fu Shu oath; you do realize that even using Fu Shu energy can kill you, right?"


    She spoke with certainty, but of course, Leon didn''t pay attention to her. He stretched his hand forward, and before her very eyes, a dark ominous aura rushed from the young hunter''s body towards Leon''s hand like fire to petrol.


    This dark ominous energy was Fu Shu energy, also known as Negative energy.


    Negative energy could be obtained from a variety of sources, sometimes from deep, dark regions, sometimes from the depths of the sea, and strangely, sometimes it could be obtained from corpses.


    This world had seen negative energy before, but they lost it. They couldn''t control it, but Badur could, and so could Leon. His arrival in this world marked the rebirth of negative energy. It embraced him like a child embraces its long-lost father.


    "That''s..." stepping backward, the blonde was a bit shaken. The long-lost art of Fu Shu... this crippled Warlock could use it?


    "Don''t be scared; we will write the contract togather."


    Noticing her movements, Leon turned to her and smiled. Fu Shu energy was the safest type of energy to swear with because no one could manipte it.


    It was non-discriminatory; it would usually leach off the life-force of its own user sometimes. Some say it''s an embodiment of death, and no one can cheat death. Once you swear on it, you gamble with your life.


    "Okay, lets do it" the blondedy nodded before pulling out a piece of paper. After which she sat on the ground and began writing.


    It wasn''t like she trusted Leon or anything, she just didn''t want to die. There was no other option, it was either this or they both die here and now.


    A few minutester.


    "Oh, you''re called Arian?" Leon said, holding the piece of paper in his hand. The contract had been drawn; what remained was the swearing of oaths.


    "I find the terms agreeable. Now let''s begin," Leon said before tossing the paper into the ball of Negative energy in his hand.


    "By the heavens, by the earth, by Death, I swear, my life on the line, I so dere... I, Arian Fiy... I, Leon, swear to abide by my oath, and if I break it or attempt to taint it, may death embrace me in ultimate despair."


    A young man in tattered clothes and ady in elegant battle armor echoed their oaths loudly by the side of the riverbank under the cover of the night.


    Arian didn''t know this, but she had just made a deal with a scheming thousand year Demon. One that had gained the name contract devil in this past incarnation.

 Chapter 16: Hunter/Slaver Encampment

    <h4>Chapter 16: Hunter/ver Encampment</h4>


    A few dayster,


    ¡ªTaa!!


    ¡ªTaa!!


    ¡ªTaa!!


    The sound of a whip shing against the bare skin of a young man resounded in the air, apanied by subtle groans of pain. The young man was currently being dragged along by a chain attached to a white horse in front of him.


    "Will you stop that?!! What will i do if you kill the prisoner with that whip? What am I supposed to tell the higher ups?"


    Thedy on the horse dragging the young man along turned back and barked at the man with the whip. She was a blonde beauty with stunning curves and a prideful look on her face, This was, of course, Arian, and the young man none other than Leon.


    After swearing the oath by Death, Leon allowed himself to be captured by Arian under the pretext of their n. Leon could remember the scene very vividly. Arian stood her ground while insisting that what she said was true and the other hunters had no choice but to ept it.


    They didn''t like it, but they had to ept it. After all, she was the only one there.


    "Hmp!! He''s only a lonely warlock scum"


    Clearly displeased by Arian''s word the man said with some annoyance. He then proceeded to put his whip on his shoulder and paid no more attention to them.


    "We are here..." Arian said with a smile.


    In front of them was a gigantic camp of tents stretching out as far as the eyes could see...it was a magnificent scene to behold.


    "Move you Filthy Warlock"


    Arianmanded Leon with a slight yet pushy tug of the chain binding Leon''s hands. Not long after they entered, the Camp, Arian chained Leon to a stand before proceeding to enter one of the big tents of the encampment.


    "Sigh!!"


    Leon''s Sighed before dropping to the ground and groaning in exhaustion. Even though he was able to pull off so many feats during his escape, his body was still weak and frail. The entire thing had exhausted him a lot.


    "So many Warlocks"


    Leon''s mused, all over this camp there were different cages full of people. Of course, this was a hunter/ver camp, they were bound to be ves. However, all the guys Leon observed as far as he could see were all Warlocks from different ns.


    Leon was able to identify them because Warlocks had distinct eyes that could easily be seen through by other Warlocks. Of course, this was closely tied to the use of life energy...there was also a way for none Warlocks to see through them too, abet it being moreplicated.


    "I''m not surprised, though, these guys are efficient." Leon said while shaking his head slightly.


    The hunters were tasked to capture or kill any warlock they found, so they were well-prepared. Be it the blood serpent n, the seven scorpion n or whatever. They were ready for them all.


    ¡ªWhoop


    The big tents Arian had just walked out from opened, and she walked out with an ugly look on her face. She looked directly at Leon and began walking towards him.


    "We have a problem, there''s someone inside there bringing trouble. I hope you can think your way out of this one, else we both die" she cast a subtle whisper into Leon''s ear before unhooking him from the stand. She then proceeded to drag him into the tent.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "I''m not going to give him such a flimsy excuse, you can do it yourself!!"


    " Why should I do it? I''m not a Dalriss. Take some responsibility, he''s your blood man"


    "Enough of that, they''re already here"


    One old man with wrinkly skin said, causing the room to be quiet. Beside him, the two other elders simply kept shut while staring intensely at the new arrivals.


    "What is your name, warlock boy?" The wrinkled skinned man who seemed to be the authority in this situation asked. His words were casual and calm even in this chaotic environment.


    "Leon Alduwin of the blood serpent n" Leon replied humbly. His eyes firmly glued to the man''s smiling face. This was basically an interrogation, why was he trying to be nice, or was he about to start the whole good cop, bad cop thing?


    "You know him?" As soon as Leon finished saying those words, his eyes fell towards a dark, conspicuous corner of the room. There ab old man with a missing arm sat helplessly in chains.


    "Hmmm" Raising his head slightly, his eyes fell upon the figure of Leon who stood there in momentary shock. It was the fourth elder of the blood serpent n. He, too, had been captured.


    (This is bad, this guy knows me)


    Leon thought, naturally, his encounter with the fourth elder was something to be worried about. If not for that, he could lie all he wanted, but the old man knew who he really was and that he had no real connection to the higher-ups of the n.


    "The Alduwin boy? " The fourth elder said out loud showing that he indeed recognized Leon. However, there was a tinge of disrespect in his words that could be felt by everyone. The fourth elder didn''t seem to like Leon.


    "Yes, he''s the one we were referring to. The one your higher-ups worked with to kidnap the young master of the Dalriss household." The man in the lead exined.


    "I highly doubt it, he''s just a good for nothing nobody, I can''t think of a single situation where he would be of so much importance that the higher-ups would work with him."


    The fourth elder spoke disdainfully. Clearly he didn''t like Leon, but he was right. There was no way in hell that Leon had anything to do with the higher-ups of the blood serpent n. Who else to prove this point better than a member of the higher-ups themselves.


    "Hehe, lord fourth elder is always so funny. He believes the whole world revolves around him sometimes. But reality is, more often than not, quite different from his delusions"


    Leon said in a mocking tone before turning to look at the old man.


    "Tell me, old man, are you by chance the only one that had eyes in the entire n?"


    Leon said in a mocking tone before turning to look at the old man.


    "Fourth elder, how is it that you know about a lowly peasant like myself?" Leon looked over and said to the fourth elder.


    "Hmm?" The fourth elder was confused by this line of questioning but then again. It made sense.


    He was the fourth elder of the n, he shouldn''t know or having anything to do with cripple, but he did. And he couldn''t say that it was through Lance''s stepmother. He was banging her that was all there wasn''t a need to know him.


    "The healing spell?" The fourth elder said out loud causing the hunters to knit their brows in interest.


    Healing spells were special and would usually only be given to people of high status in warlock ns. Was the fourth elder saying Leon had one?


    "A paralysed cripple starts walking miraculous out of the blue, must be a miracle. A fate defying miracle...but of course you don''t believe in Miracles huh fourth elder?" Leon continued speak and with each word that left his mouth it seemed like he was hinting at something.


    "It is unwise for someone of your status to attribute everything to luck and miracles, elder. Somethings can be simply attributed to powers bigger than you and me"


    Leon''s words held meaning, from him miraculously walking to the healing spell that appeared out of nowhere. It made no sense. In a matter of fact healing spells from a different warlock n could hardly be practiced by another n. Getting one that could was too lucky or was because of something else.


    "The matriarch...." The fourth elder gritted his teeth. He suspected the matriarch, she was probably grooming Leon and several others to stabilize her position.


    (The f*cking b*tch was always scheming in the shadows.)


    He fourth elder thought in his mind


    Even himself as the fourth elder couldn''t pretend like he knew all of her trump cards. If she wanted a secret hand in the n someone like Leon was the best candidate. A person she could slowly groom under the radar of the top Elders.


    " if you have connection with her, then why are you standing here now ? Why aren''t you with her?" The fourth elders face looked ugly while he asked this question. But his eyes stared and Leon with utmost attention. He wasn''t filled in on the entire situation and wanted more info.


    "Pretty simple really, she no longer has any use for me and has disposed of me. I can only fend for myself now by helping our friends here" Leon turned over to the bench of hunter elders and said with a mischievous smile.


    The matriarch no longer had any use for him so she threw him to the dogs. It was exactly how she was.


    "Oh" the fourth elder took in arge breath of air and suddenly felt overwhelmingly weak. This was truly the nature of the matriarch. He should know, she had done the same to him.


    "Hmp!! I don''t believe a word thates out of their mouths, I suggest we torture them till they give us the answers we need" the elder to the far left of the bench said aggressively. He looked fat and plumpy but his words were filled with malice and hate.


    "No, I can not allow you to torture my only lead to death. The Dalriss family will have my head if I do" Arian refused adamantly. She couldn''t let harm toe to Leon during the period of their hunt. It was part of the oath. Plus if he wasn''t able to escape before the duration he would take the fall for what happened to the dalriss boy.


    "You think im giving you a choice?" The plumpy elder stood up and looked Arian in the eye. He didn''t need her permission to do whatever he wanted.


    "Sit down brother Juan. You don''t want trouble with the dalriss family, if you act, she will just hang it on your neck when We get back." The lead elder raised his hand to defuse the situation.


    "Kid, just make sure you keep that thing in check. We don''t want him going around causing trouble. If we get the chance to negotiate with the blood serpent n. We will get fyran Dalriss back. You''re dismissed."

 Chapter 17: The Need To Become Stronger

    <h4>Chapter 17: The Need To Be Stronger</h4>


    ¡ªWhoop


    Leon alongside Arian walked out of the tent freely. They had seeded. Who would have thought that the fourth elder''s low self-esteem would actually work to their advantage.


    He believed Leon''s lie because deep down he felt like the n had alienated him from their deepest workings, so it was easy to convince him that this was just one of the many schemes he wasn''t aware of...


    "Stay close, we Don''t want you being mistaken for a runaway" Arian pulled Leon''s chains tighter and closer to herself while she kept on walking forwards into the camp.


    "Help!!!"


    "Please stop!!"


    "You brother, If you can help me out of here, I can give you my hidden treasures"


    While she brought him through the tents, Lance would asionally see cages and poles where Warlocks were strapped and confined in. They screamed for help as some of them were being whipped and others were just desperate to leave.


    These prestigious nsmen from the Warlocks race were turned into this state. The prideful golden haired lion n, the typhoon fish n. In the normal setting of society, they were the cream of the crop, the most influential. However, here theyid asmon ves and prisoners.


    It was humiliating.


    After roaming through the camp, they arrive at a small tent somewhere in the middle of this forest of tents and cages.


    ¡ªng


    The sound of Leon''s chains dangling resounded as Arian pulls him into her tent. She then proceeds to tie Leon to a pole in the middle of the tent.


    "Stay put" Arian said to Leon casually before walking to towards her bed. There she takes a seat and sighs in exhaustion. "Sigh" it had been a long day for her. With the raid, the previous night and now having to defend herself in front of the Elders. She was exhausted.


    "Hmm" Leon saw the expression on her face and couldn''t help but sigh as well. It was very stressful indeed. But in the next second the scene changedpletely, catching Leon off guard.


    Arian began taking off her amour, revealing her sulent skin. She started with her boots, revealing clean snow-white feet untainted by the filth of this world.


    Then she took off her breastte amour, allowing her sweat drained undercloth to dangle. following which she took off her belt Holt. It didn''t stop here though, she soon stood up and took off her top, revealing a surprisingly nice set of breasts hanging from her chest. Even though she was facing away from him, The scene could make any man go mad.


    But what really caught Leon''s eye wasn''t her beautiful figure, no, it was the bite marks on her skin. It seemed like the bite marks on her were much more than Leon and expected. If they had continued fighting back in the forest, she would have really died.


    (This girl is crazy, she knew....)


    She definitely knew that she would die if they continued fighting, so why did she? Was there something he wasn''t getting here?


    "Unless you don''t want your eyes anymore, I suggest you close them"


    While Leon was in a bit of a daze, he noticed Arians look and couldn''t help butugh bitterly. She thought he was lusting after her.


    "You''re right, I don''t want them anymore. I''ve seen all I need to see in this world" Leon made a slight joke, but of course Arian wasn''t having it as her eyes remained glued on Leon with an intense irritation.


    "Okay okay, I''ll keep my eyes shut" Seeing the look on her face, Leon had no option than to close his eyes. She couldn''t kill him they had a contract, but also he understood she was vulnerable at the moment.


    (You''re the least of my problems'' sweetheart)


    Leon thought in his mind. Before closing his eyes and projecting into his mind scape where the giant Pagoda stood. He focused and was soon pulled into it.


    (Surrounded by enemies, weak and powerless. This is bad, I have to prepare)


    Seeing someone as powerful as the fourth elder bound in chains, Leon understood that this ce was much more dangerous than he originally thought. However, he didn''t really have a choice.


    He had to be stronger, at least he had to break through from a level 0 Warlock and be a full-blown level 1 warlock.

 Chapter 18: Hunters must Hunt

    <h4>Chapter 18: Hunters must Hunt</h4>


    ¡ªHuuuu


    The sound of wind blowing filled the tent as a young man seated cross-legged in the middle of the tent could be seen absorbing mana effortlessly.


    The energy congregated around him and slowly sipped into his very essence. It didn''t only seem to strengthen him, it also improved his general bodily functions.


    "Sigh!!" but, After a while, the young man blew out a mouthful of fresh air and cked his seating position. This was none other than Leon.


    For the past few days, of being here, Leon had been trying his very best to break into Level 1, but it was to no avail. At first, he tried using his bloodline, but found out that it was too weak to even advance his strength.


    The Warlocks depended on the purity of their bloodline to break through. The purer, the easier it was to aplish this, and of course, different people start with different levels of purity. For those with good purity from birth it was smooth sailing until they reached their bottleneck, and for those with bad purity, their search to improve the purity of their blood would happen earlier.


    "They didn''t work..." Leon''s eyes trailed to the table beside him. There, several bottles with residue of a red, murky liquid could be seen. One of the methods to improve the bloodline of Warlocks was by absorbing life energy from external sources. The healing potions were a good source for that cause. However, they weren''t enough.


    Leon now had to rely on mana to make even the slightest improvements. It wasn''t as effective as life-energy, but in its absence he could only make due.


    ¡ªWhoop


    While Leon was seating in a state of total immersion, the curtains to the tent opened up and Arian walked in causally with a bowl of food in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other.


    She went straight past Leon and sat on her bed, paying him no mind. However, not even a second after she had her seat, she heard a sound drawing her attention.


    "Grrrrrr" this sound wasing from Leon''s stomach. He was hungry.


    "Sigh" Arian looked at Leon with some annoyance before tossing the loaf of bread in her hand to the ground he was seated on.


    But Leon didn''t seem to care about that. He raised his hands upwards, causing the chains around his wrists to dangle in front of Arian. He was hinting that he wanted to be released.


    "Take them off" Leon said casually. In the oath that swore there were several uses and requirements, for example, Leon had the opportunity to escape a total of 5 times. Him asking to be uncuffed signalled that he was going to attempt to escape, but then again, he could just choose to roam around, but it was a signal for Arian to stay alert.


    ¡ªng


    The chains fell to the ground, and Leon stood up and picked the loaf of bread from the floor.


    "Hmmm" he immediately stuck it into his mouth hole while wandering around the tent like it was his personal seating room. His movements were causal and peaceful, but Arian couldn''t help but cautiously keep an eye on him through the corners of her eyes.


    "You''re staring at me like a high-schooler with a crush....tell me, are you in love?"


    All of a sudden, Leon looked over at Arian''s corner eyes and said jokingly. This made Arian frown. High-schooler? What was that?


    "Ah, yes, I forgot.....oh well, never mind" Leon said while walking causally towards Arian. "Boom" he sat right next to her, leaned in and said into her ear.


    "Your people don''t seem to like you very much, do they?"


    Leon''s wordspletely diverged from his original line of questioning. However, this didn''t change the ufortable situation In the slightest. Leon''s words struck a cord in her heart. His words were true.


    In this camp, no one seemed to like her. From the different factions to even her team. They would barge in whenever they wanted and demand for the most absurd things, even going as far as trying to treat her like a servant.


    Of course, in each of these instances she was able to chase them away very easily, but there was clearly a dislike in this camp she couldn''t hide. For someone as prideful as her, it must be very annoying.


    "Hmp!! Learn to mind your business" Arian snorted and picked up her sword holster before proceeding to walk out of the tent.


    "Shit!!" Immediately after Arian did this, Leon tensed up and immediately started following behind her at full speed. Just as he was able to use the oath to his advantage, she was also able to do the same. One of the uses of the Agreement stated that Leon had to be within at least 100 meters of her at all times when he''s uncuffed, if not, it would be considered as him escaping.


    As soon as they were a hundred meters apart she could go over and capture him, just like that, he would lose one of his chances to escape. He had to keep up.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Leon walked side by side with Arian, dodging tents and cages. And not too long after, they arrive at their destination. It was a massive tent, at least 10x the side of Arian''s tent.


    "Let''s go" Arian walked inside the tent and Leon followed.


    "No way!! We were the ones who cut those animals to this size, we did all the work, I won''t let you guys steal our glory"


    "If you call capturing their cows and low-level fighters cutting down, then sure!! But this isn''t your fantasy world, and I''m not a whimp you can push around."


    "You shit for brains!!!"


    The sound of arguing filled the room as soon as Leon entered, he noticed the sheer number of people in this tent was huge. And in the middle of it was a big map.


    It was a strategic war tent.

 Chapter 19: Alliance of Warlocks

    <h4>Chapter 19: Alliance of Warlocks</h4>


    Inside the tent were about 40 people of different statuses. Even the guards at the entrances of the tent had quality amour that could strike awe into the hearts of themon man. These were powerful men in this tent.


    Among them, a few stood out. The Elders. Carrying an air of dignity and nobility, stood in the forefront of the group.


    ¡ªBump!!


    While Leon was observing the camp and its inhabitants, a massive body bumped into him, causing him to stagger backwards a little


    Turning back to see who he had hit, the man frowned at the sight of Leon. He turned to Arian and spat out, "Put that thing in chains"!


    He didn''t know what she was thinking by bringing a lowly warlock into the war room. Just the sight of Leon pissed him off. If he wasn''t so busy, he would have thrown Leon out himself.


    Of course, he would have to go through Arian first. She didn''t really give the man an audience, only keeping her focus on the talk from the higher ups.


    "4 n have been surrounded along kn mountain here, our troops effectively pushed them into the same location, so we can finish them. But the unexpected has happened. The gray smander n, the seven feet ground mole n and two others have formed an alliance".


    In the middle of the room, a strategic analyst stood with a cane in hand exining the situation. An alliance between these warlock ns was very rare, most of them had ancestral hate between each other and would rather die than work together. Their alliance was unprecedented.


    "What''s the rush? Our forces still outnumber them, plus, do you really believe that these savages can maintain an alliance? Once one side falls, they''ll tuck tail and run." an elder in the crowd spoke. He had a short cane in his hand and a look of carefreeness on his face. He was confident that they could wear the Warlocks down and minimize loss of lives.


    "Yes elder, this is indeed the case with the disgusting Warlocks. However, this is not what we are worried about. From the intelligence we gathered, they are currently building a passage through the mountain with the help of the ground mole n."


    "Our men are enough to block them off at this part of the mountain, but if we spread ourselves to the other side we will be annihted, or worse some would escape. We need to act now."


    The strategic analysis exined. They couldn''t take them down slowly, If they didn''t act at this moment they might as well let them go.


    "Hmm... reasonable, but if we mobilize everyone, who''s going to look after the camp?" The elder inquired. They weren''t the only hunter/ver alliance searching for Warlocks. If they left the whole ce without guards, all their hard work would be stolen.


    "Elder is wise. As you said before, hit one of them hard enough, the others will run. We have already started attacking the iron frog n hard. All we need now is to mount small attacks on each side, forcing higher-ups of the ns to take action"


    "Then our honorable elders will swoop in and end it. After all, we don''t want to kill them all, we still need to make profits from our campaign." The strategic analyst finished with a simple smile. These words brought them great joy and happiness.


    Profits!!


    Apart from that, there was no other reason for them to risk their lives.


    "Greed at its finest," Leon muttered. Just looking at their eyes, Leon was able to see the unsurmountable greed in them. From Leon''s reading in the pagoda, he was capable of understanding a few things. This wasn''t the first time something like this had happened in this world.


    In a matter of fact, the warlock race had been party to one of these cleansing before, and they behaved just like the other races then. Greedy for profit, now it was their turn, and no one would pity them, it was purely business.


    "Sigh" Leon could only shake his head and sigh


    Meanwhile, to his side, a young man with light blue eyes that seemed to ze like a super nova could be observed staring him down with viciousness.


    The young man sat in the middle of several hunters of good status and background, but even then, he was treated like their superior. So, then, why would someone of such high status care for Leon?


    Leon didn''t notice this out of ce scene up until the meeting reached its climax.


    They hade to an agreement. Arian''s group would be responsible for handling the gray smander n. They were to head over immediately.


    "Let''s go" Arian said causally while she walked past Leon and existed the tent with various memebers of the group.


    Seeing this, Leon quickly followed.


    Outside the tent, several horses were already saddled and ready to move out and join the attack on the warlock alliance.


    "Shu shu shu" Arian grabbed the reins of the horse in front of her and soothed it down. Then she looked over at Leon.


    "Chains or no chains" Arian spoke calmly, yet her eyes were filled with some worry. Leon had two choices, and whichever he chose would either make this mission easy on her or hard.


    If he decided to stay in chains then by their oath, he wouldn''t try to escape while she was left the camp to go on her mission.


    But if he decided the other option, he would have to follow her into battle and with any given chance, he could try to escape, forcing her to abandon everything and go after him.


    It was a troublesome situation.


    "Hehe, I''ve been so bored in the camp. I think I would like to get a good stretch in"


    Leon''s response was simple, but it would cause Arian alot of trouble. She couldn''t help but dread what kind of trouble Lance might cause her on the battlefield.

 Chapter 20: Troublemaker

    <h4>Chapter 20: Troublemaker</h4>


    ¡ªGallop


    ¡ªgallop


    Inside a forest densely popted by trees. A hoard of horse riders could be seen galloping down a cleared path. Among them were Leon and Arian.


    Arian was in the middle of the horde, meanwhile Leon was seated behind her, closely pressed up against her back.


    "Hmp!!" To the side, several of the hunters of the tamlin group expressed their displeasure with the scene subtly.


    In actual fact, Arian was a very good-lookingdy with beautiful and proportionate curves. If not for her prideful attitude, a lot of the men in the group would be constantly fawning over her beauty. So seeing Leon pressed up against her was bound to stir displeasure in their hearts.


    They even asked her to leave Leon back at the camp, but she gave the excuse that she wanted him in her sights at all times, as such, they had no choice but to ept. After all, if Leon escaped, it would be her facing the music.


    "It''s up ahead" at the front of the troops,


    a man with blonde hair and blue eyes shouted.


    This caused Leon and the rest to gradually slow down, and eventually, they came to a halt in front of a small slope. "There" Down the slope was a massive opening devoid of grass, there tents could be seen pressed up against a mountain.


    "Okay, de troop, you''re with me, we''ll press into the mountain area and attack the enemy. Meanwhile, the rest can clean the pests in the outer region"


    The blonde huntermanded. He was the leader of this expedition. In terms of strength though, Arian and him were equal, but in status it was not the same, so he could naturally put her on clean up duty.


    "Charge" straightening his back, the bulky blond Knight pointed his sword forward andmanded. From inside the troops, a particr set in ck iron amour Rode out with full force.


    "Sigh, follow" Arian said to the remaining men, and they slowly approached the camp of the warlocks.


    Currently, there were several teams of hunters from the tamlin group attacking the gray smander n, meanwhile to the side, another faction from the tamlin group was attacking the Jakel n.


    It was a united attack. And they were just the finishing party.


    "Brace yourself" Arian said to Leon calmly, while they rode forward. The de troop was a special group of level 1 mages, they had initiated the first charge and cut through the warlocks like butter before proceeding deeper into the camp. Arian''s group couldn''t let the Warlocks attack from behind.


    And so Arian''s level 0 troops rushed forward and engaged the enemies, unimportant skirmishes like these usuallyprised of level 0 fighters and warlocks. Those who didn''t really have power.


    "Calnor, your turn" Arian said causally while her eyes stayed glued to the back of the enemy troop where a man her age stood with a blue leather amour on. That was her opponent. A level 2 warlock


    "Okay" the person Arianmanded nodded before signalling his little team to prepare. They were the second wave, although they weren''t much, being around 16. They could pack a serious punch because they were level 1 mage warriors. Elites in these types of battles.


    The difference between level 1 and level 0 was like that between ordinary people and those with superpowers. A spell from a level 1 mage could be devastating to any level 0 fighter.


    "Formation!!!" The man called Calnor raised his voice while moving forward simultaneously. Soon he was apanied by his men and they formed a triangr formation.


    "Shit!! They still have their level 1 mages" the leader of this troop of the gray smander n knitted his brows. In the first wave, his level 1 fighters suffered a clean blow before the enemy went into the camp.


    He thought that group which was made of level 1 fighters was the only group of level 1 fighters they had. He didn''t know they still had this much.


    "Fine!! I kill them myself" Pulling the reigns on his horse, the leader moved forward with lighten speed. His target? Calnor and his men.


    But just as he moved.....


    "Hold tight" Arian cautioned Leon. She saw the enemy movement and was prepared to respond in kind at the moment''s notice.


    ¡ªwoosh


    Arian''s horse breezed past calnors group in seconds, even though they started moving before her.


    ¡ªshhh


    Like a domineering gust of wind, Arian''s sword cut through the air and shed directly at her opponent.


    (Crap!! Where did shee from?)


    He hadn''t even made it out of the battlefield where the level 0 fighters were engaging each other and Arian, who was way over there a few seconds ago, had already gotten so close to Him?


    It was absurd!!


    However, he didn''t have the opportunity to make sense of it yet, he had to defend himself from Arians iing attack.


    ¡ªng!!


    Removing a scimitar from his back, he hurriedly blocked the iing attack.


    "Hmp!!" Arian sneered. He managed to block her, but his scimitar had been cut into two because of her momentum, and he was pushed back.


    "F*cking b*tch!!" The man screamed before pulling out a second scimitar and thrusting towards Arian.


    ¡ªWoo


    Arian easily swung to the side and dodged. She was skilled at horse riding, so when she dodges her horse would usually be in a position where it couldn''t get hurt.


    But for a split second, she forgot something important. Her passenger.


    "Hmm??" Arian hurriedly turned back to see if Leon had been attacked. But to her surprise, he waspletely gone.


    Around 40 meters away from her, Leon could be seen walking leisurely around the battlefield. Acting like this battlefield was his sitting room or something.


    "You fucker" grinting her teeth, a look of annoyance appeared on her face. By leaving her side, Leon had put her in a delicate situation. If he began running right now, she would have no choice but to chase him with her full strength. But then again, the person she was currently shing with was not a joke. He, just like her, was in level 2, A single mistake and she would be dead.


    "Puuu" with a casual look on his face, Leon whistled while walking around meanwhile maintaining a good distance from Arians battle.

 Chapter 21: pillaging the battlefield

    <h4>Chapter 21: piging the battlefield</h4>


    ¡ªBoom


    ¡ªBoom


    ¡ªBoom


    The battle between Arian and the warlock caused the low-level fighters to keep their distance. The shock waves were so much that it caused many of them to fumble and die as a result. so, many of them created distance from their battle.


    Of course, this didn''t change the fact that the battle here had been brutal. Bodies of both Warlocks and hunters could be seen littered all over the ce.


    This sight was miserable.


    Around 60 meters away from Arian


    "Hmm? What''s this?"


    Leon bent down and picked up a bottle of a gray liquid and examined it, it gave off some faint mana and smelled Fragrant. He couldn''t quite put his finger on what it was exactly, but it seemed nice.


    "Cool" Leon, After examining the bottle for a few seconds, put the bottle into a bag that was hung on his shoulder. He then proceeded to walk forward and stopped before another body.


    " Ah? A Warlock scroll..." Leon reached downwards and picked up a rolled up parchment of paper on the side of the warlock.


    "Yh....notpatible" After a brief examination, he threw it to the side. Not all Warlock scrolls could be practiced by other warlock ns, they were mostly tuned to their specific bloodline. This was one of the reasons the healing spell Leon got was so surprising to the fourth elder. It was also the reason he waster easily convinced that the spell was from the matriarch.


    ¡ªzoom


    ¡ªbang


    ¡ªwhoosh


    ¡ªboom


    Meanwhile, Arian and the warlock from the gray smander n were still locked in the heat of battle


    ¡ªng


    Arians sword struck the Warlock''s scimitar, causing him to be pushed back.


    "Annoying" quickly regaining himself, the warlock spat and in the next second he disappeared into the corner of Arians left eye.


    Warlocks from different ns had different abilities and spells tuned to their bloodlines. for this warlock, it seemed to be a sort of optical illusion kind of magic that allowed him to disappear into the blind spot of his opponent. It was a very useful technique/spell in any battle. It was like fighting a ghost.


    "Wind tempest"


    Seeing the move from the warlock, Arian activated a spell and all of a sudden, a tempest of wind blew around her, pushing numerous objects away from her vicinity, one of which was the warlock.


    And the sound of him falling to the ground drew her attention to his figure right behind her.


    If she hadn''t done that, he would have sneak attacked her and might have even killed her.


    "This girl is troublesome" the warlock said while kneeling on one knee. This technique of his was normally very effective when it came to sneak attacks, but she didn''t even need more than a few seconds to counter it. It was like she was bred for battle.


    ¡ªDung


    While the warlock was in deep thought, a fist - sized rock flew through the air and hit him on the head out of nowhere.


    "Hm?" Startled by this, he looked backwards and noticed a young man staring him down in a daring manner.


    ¡ªCrunch!!


    The sound of bones breaking sounded from beneath the feet of the young man.


    "You??" After a brief moment, he quickly noticed that the young man was currently stepping on the face of one of his nsmen, slowly attempting to crush his skull.


    "Stop!!!!" Filled with a sudden Intense rage. The warlockpletely forgot about Arian and dashed at Leon in an attempt to stop him.


    He couldn''t stand to watch the corpses of hisrades get disrespected in this manner. It was unbearable.


    "Wooshh" He was fast as lightening and within a second, he appeared in front of Leon


    "die!!!"


    He swung his scimitar at Leon''s rib area, but before his strike could connect with Leon, Arian appeared right in front and took the attack.


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    "Hehehe," Leonughed mischievously at this scene. Arian had no choice but to stop him. As per their contract, she couldn''t let him die during this period of time, so she had to keep him safe no matter the circumstances.


    As for the reason Leon had hit the Warlock with a rock? It was very simple. The 100-meter distance was too small, and all the good stuff on this part of the battlefield had either been piged by him or were useless to him.


    It was time to go deeper into the camp, but he couldn''t do so without Arian being in the vicinity. Now that he had drawn her close he could continue with his piging.


    "Puuu" Leon started whistling, meanwhile making his way slowly into the main camp.


    (I''ll make sure I kill you myself!!)


    Arian screamed in her mind at the sight of Leon walking deeper into the camp. She understood the logic behind his actions, but did he need to cause her this much trouble just because he wanted to pick up some treasure?


    And again, there was another problem. Leon was strolling into the camp that was filled with tents and blind spots. She not only needed to keep this Warlock at bay, she also needed to make sure her eyes stayed glued on Leon inside the mess of the main camp.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Puuu" Leon whistled while strolling through the camp, there were several carriages and tents around the area, some were on fire, others had been flipped over by hunters. It looked nothing like the camp of the blood serpent n. These guys had been beaten and bruised before being forced to this corner.


    But this perilous situation gave them the chance to build up their camp in a more standard way. However, it was all futile. They were still burnt to the ground.


    "Nice boots" Leon picked up some boots, meanwhile around him the sound of battle intensified the deeper he went into the battleground.


    "Need more time" Leon frowned. He was gathering supplies for a purpose just as Arian was nning to keep him here, he was constantly thinking of ways to get the upper hand.


    "System scan this potion and tell me its properties. ." Leon said, and the system window came up.


    [Ding


    Reptilian Darthna : soothing potion, it helps reduce the stress of using bloodline spells and improves mental resilience once taken.


    Additional properties


    Increase health.


    Refresh stamina.


    Contains life energy.


    mmable.


    ]


    The system resounded in front of Leon.


    "This world is really filled with some fantastic stuff" Leon said while looking at the window in front of him with some glee, a potion to remove exhaustion. He didn''t have such in his past life, they had to learn stamina management like everybody else.


    While Leon was marveling at the properties of the loot, he noticed something at the corner of his eyes.....


    "Hm? Interesting" a young warlock could be observed running towards him, apparently being chased, so Leon slipped in-between the corner of two tents standing side by side.

 Chapter 22: Dragon Salamander

    <h4>Chapter 22: Dragon Smander</h4>


    A few meters behind the young man, a group of teenagers could be seen chasing the warlock furiously. In the lead of these young men was a young man with bright blue eyes, the likes of an exploding supernova.


    "Don''t let the bastard escape!!!" The young man looked angry. The one that they were chasing apparently had a treasure in his hands. However, he was just too slippery, try as they did they couldn''t catch him.


    ¡ªWoosh


    The young warlock dashed through the camp, avoiding his pursuers with maximum effectiveness


    "If he gets away I''ll fry all your assess" the blue-eyed young man shouted at his subordinates, causing them to go into overdrive.


    ¡ªswoosh


    ¡ªwhoosh


    ¡ªwhoosh


    Unknown to them though, they had actually ran past their target because as soon as he made a particr turn, he was grabbed by an invisible hand and pulled between two tents


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "You....."


    With his back to the ground and a knife to his neck, the young warlock couldn''t help but drip with sweat.....


    "You''re a warlock?" The young warlock looked at Leon''s eyes and spoke with confusion. He was able to pinpoint Leon''s identity as a warlock immediately after setting his eyes on him.


    "Yes, yes. Is that a problem?" Leon raised his eyebrows, meanwhile his dagger was still pressed hard on the young man''s throat.


    "So you shouldn''t be holding me hostage" The young manined immediately about Leon''s actions. They were in the middle of a battlefield. Petty situations like these shouldn''t be happening.


    "I am holding hostage. Me being a warlock has nothing to do with it" Leon mocked the young man. Did he think Leon had some sort of camaraderie in his heart? Laughable. Leon couldn''t care less.


    "What do you want then?" Staring deep into Leon''s eyes, the young warlock understood that Leon was dead serious. He didn''t care that they were both Warlocks.


    "What do you have?" Leon responded with a slight chuckle. Greed shone in his eyes


    Clearly this was a robbery. Leon didn''t care for whatever struggle the Warlocks were going through, all he wanted were benefits.


    "I swear, I don''t have anything on me. I barely escaped with my life, talk less of treasure"


    The young warlock immediately denied having anything on him. But naturally, this was a lie, if not the hunters wouldn''t be chasing after him like they were.


    (theres no way in hell he''ll be able to find it in my stomach)


    The treasure he stole was in his stomach, unless Leon had x-ray vision he wouldn''t be able to see through him. Even if he suspected him to be lying.


    "Hmm? So you don''t have any smander familiar eggs ?" Leon asked while his eyes werepletely focused on the pouch on the warlocks belt. Inside of it was a small ball-shaped egg.


    Warlocks could derive life-energy from bloodlines, but these bloodlines also had origins with specific ancient creatures in nature. So they tend to take in monsters who shared the bloodlines of these ancient creatures to strengthen their own.


    And the best way to tame them was through eggs, the monsters in this world were very stubborn and could hardly be tamed. Unless, you start taming them from a young age, i.e. eggs


    "This..." The young man struggled, he didn''t understand why Leon wanted his egg. He was worked hard and spent his life savings to get one. Even though it wasn''t as important as the treasure he had in his belly, he still didn''t feel good letting it go.


    "Can....we sort something out?" The young warlock tried to negotiate. He didn''t understand why Leon wanted his smander egg, even though he could sense that their bloodlines were a bit simr, it was still clear that they were not from the same n.


    " No we can''t work anything out, give it up, or I''ll take it by force" Leon shook his head indicating that he would not negotiate.


    "Sigh!!" seeing that all his efforts were futile, the young warlock reached into his pouch and brought out a ck peble-sized egg and handed it to Leon.


    " You might not understand this yet, but I''ve done you a great favor, go that way and enter the forest. There, you''ll see a stream, follow it, and you''ll be safe" Leon said to the kid before tucking the small egg into his robe. He then stood up, allowing the young warlock to do the same.


    "Hmp!!" The young warlock sneered at Leon before rushing off in the direction Leon told him to go to. He had no choice.


    But just as he made it past the tents in front....


    ¡ªpuuu


    An Arrow flew out from nowhere and periced the young man in the head. Ripping his life.


    "Sigh" Leon couldn''t help but sigh while caressing the egg in his robe. When he saw the young man eariler, a status window appeared on his head.


    It read


    " future dragon rider king "


    After hatching a dragon smander, the dragon rider will be born. King level threat: chance of achieving this : 30%


    " end "


    This wasn''t the first time Leon had seen this kind of status window. Sometimes it would point out miraculous encounters and sometimes unlucky ones. All of which had different possibilities of actually happening. But this guy''s was the highest he had seen. So as soon as Leon saw it, he decided to take action and steal the egg.


    Of course, there was a possibility that this wasn''t the exact one, but he took the chance.


    It didn''t matter now though, the kidyed before him lifeless. On the outskirts of the camp, several huntersid in ambush, if anyone tried to leave they would kill them. These were their orders.


    The world was cruel, even the treasure the kid was trying so hard to protect was gone just like that.....


    Even Leon would find it hard to leave here if he tried.


    "Oh well" Leon proceeds to walk out from in between the tents. This monster egg was a good enough trophy for his little looting expedition. He would rather not overdo it.


    "You, what are you doing here?"


    However, Leon didn''t expect that his journey here wasn''t yet over. In fact, it was far from it.

 Chapter 23: Real Powerhouses

    <h4>Chapter 23: Real Powerhouses</h4>


    "You are..." Leon knitted his brows in confusion. in front of him were a group of teenage hunters being led by one with blue eyes.


    They were hunters about his age and probably knew who he was. So why were they questioning him.


    "You think you should be the one questioning me? Who the hell do you think you are?" The leader of the young hunters questioned with an obvious look of annoyance.


    "You had better apologies to the young master, kid, this is young master Anan Dalriss of the honorable Dalriss household. Show some respect" one of the young man''s cronies stepped out to protest Leon''s attitude. How dare this good for nothing prisoner speak to their boss like that?


    "Oh? A dalriss?" Immediately after hearing that name, Leon froze. That name, it was the only reason he was in this predicament right now. Captured and treated like a prisoner because he killed someone with the surname Dalriss.


    "Hehe, now you know who you''re messing with. Apologize" with a sly smile on his face, the cronie said to Leon. They made it a point of importance to engrave the names of the top hunter families in the minds of their ves. They would beat them, hang them upside down and torture them in the name of noble families so, whenever one heard those namese up, there would be fall into uncontroble fear.


    (Hmp!! The Dalriss name should strike a chord in your heart, you beastly peasant)


    The cronie felt very proud, sending fear down the hearts of others. It was a kind of thrill for them. It made them feel important.


    "Ha!! I had no idea that honorable sir was from the dalriss family. I humbly offer my apologizes sire" Leon didn''t act arrogantly, he gave a simple bow and an apology. There was no need to create a mountain out of a molehill in his opinion. If they wanted to feel big, then he would grant that to them.


    Leon had seen and been through alot of situations like this in his past live, he understood that sometimes there was a need to take a step back. Unnecessary conflicts would breed Unnecessary problems.


    "You are the one who fought against my big brother to a standstill?" Instead of epting Leon''s apology, the kid Anon asked Leon this awkward question.


    The brother he was referring to was none other than Fryn Dalriss. The young hunter Leon had killed. Anan was his little brother.


    "I wouldn''t call it a standstill....." Leon responded humbly as if trying to show subservience but, His words had a double meaning. If Arian were here, she would read it as Leon saying he had ended Fryan''s life. But to Anan, he would see it as Leon admitting that he was inferior to his big brother.


    "Hahaha, good decision. I advise you to let go of this narrative being spread by you and that b*tch Arian. Let go of it and we will be okay..." Anan didn''t like the rumors. Plenty of people looked down on his brother because he liked to overemphasise on hisckluster talent at hunting. He believed he was the best at it, but was really trash.


    Even though he knew his older brother was a wannabe prodigy. He couldn''t let the family name be aughingstock in front of others so he had to keep Leon in check.


    "Sure," Leon responded with a bow, then proceeded to turn around in an attempt to leave.


    However


    ¡ªshingggg


    Before he Could, a bright light shone as a chain coiled through the air, threatening to wrap Leon by the neck. Anan was not going to let Leon leave.


    ¡ªduum


    Fortunately, in the next few seconds, Leon was able to dodge, resulting in the chain hitting the cloth of a tent beside him.


    (Lunatic!!!)


    Leon screamed in his mind, he had bent his head down just now, so why was this guy attacking him out of the blue????


    There was no time for thinking, though. He had to run away as fast as he could. He didn''t want to fight a battle where he was outnumbered at this point.


    ¡ªwoosh


    "Get him!!!" Ananmanded his men as soon as Leon began running away. And just like that, the chase had begun once again only, this time, Leon was the target.


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwoosh


    Leon ran at his top speed, desperately dodging Anan and his cronies. During the past few days. Even though he had not sessfully entered level 1, he had improved by leaps and bounds. His physical body had improved, abet it maintaining anky structure. He was able to easily avoid Anans cronies.....


    Of course, Anan himself was an entirely different case.


    ¡ªBang!!


    Anan was an absolute beast, For a kid his


    Age. His chain maniption skills were topnotch and seemed to be following Leon like a ma.


    ¡ªBoom!!


    No matter where he went, the chain would follow. It was a wonder how the gray smander kid was able to escape Anan.


    (This kid is a pain in the ass)


    Leon was pissed off, Anan was spoiling his fun. He thought he would have the opportunity to continue piging the battlefield, but this bastard had dash away all his ns.


    "I have no choice" Leon''s eyes trailed onto a distant silhouette who could be seen asionally looking his way, meanwhile facing off against a warlock.


    With a mischievous smile on his face, Leon immediately dashed towards the silhouette.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "F*ck I can''t draw this out for much longer"


    Arian was pissed by the insistent warlock.


    She had even given him several opportunities to escape, so she could focus on what Leon was doing, but the fool couldn''t take a hint.


    "I hate this!!" With rage in her eyes, Arian kicked up a cloud of dust with a swing of her sword. Then she pushed her mana to the limits.


    "Sword rain"


    A massive amount of mana erupted from within her and rushed to the sword in her hand, causing it to be longer all of a sudden.


    ¡ªPU


    ¡ªPU


    ¡ªPU


    ¡ªPU


    Small and subtle sounds whizzed through the air suddenly and when the dust cloud finally settled, the two figures previously standing in the open battlefield had turned into one figure.


    Arian had won.


    It seemed like a swift and simple battle. In fact, Arian barely had any wounds, but those who knew, understood that Arian had used a spell that was too expensive. It could visibly be seen from her shaky hands.


    "Stop there!!!"


    While she was in this state, she heard a voice sound from beside her and Leon''s figure could be seen rushing towards her.


    "This bastard." Arian spoke through her teeth. She had just finished a battle with someone who was clearly of a higher rank than her, and now Leon wasing here with more trouble??


    "Don''t look at me like that, they started it" Leon gave a smug response while hiding behind Arian''s figure. In front of them were Anan and his cronies, who had apparently been badly beaten.


    "This...." Arian looked annoyed. If Leon was going to run away, then he should have run away. But now that he had attacked these guys, it was a entirely different ball game.


    "Hand over the ve!!!" Anan shouted at the top of his voice. Although he wasn''t injured, his subordinates had received the back end of the stick.


    It was embarrassing, especially with the fact that Leon didn''t actually send any attacks their way. He just went throughplicated terrain in such a way that they couldn''t keep up and ended up hurting themselves. He was unable to imagine what would happen if people heard about that.


    They got battered and bruised from just chasing? What kind of hunters would injure themselves when chasing game?


    "Why? What did he do?" Arian frowned her brows and asked. She hadn''t seen the whole thing, but she knew Leon didn''t actually hit them, only the way they looked.....it was miserable, and it wasn''t like she could prove that he didn''t touch them.


    "It doesn''t matter what he''s done. Just hand him over!!" Ananmanded once again. He couldn''t say the reason out of shame, reporting it would be worse. He just wanted to kill Leon.


    "I won''t"


    Arians voice sounded without a trace of hesitance. There was no way in hell that she would hand Leon over, it was tantamount tomitting suicide.


    ''You....." Anan was speechless, his interactions with Arian were limited as she was his big brothers'' bodyguard, so he didn''t expect this response....he was basically nobility to her, how dare she?


    Unfortunately, Before he couldin.


    ¡ªkaboommm!!!!


    From the mountain side, a massive explosion erupted, drawing the attention of not only Arian and Anan, but also Leon who was calmly hiding behind Arian.


    "F*cking hunters!!!!" In the sky, an elderly figure with ethereal wings stood triumphantly in the air. He looked angered.


    "That''s...." Arian was in shock. The whole n was to siege the warlock camp and capture prisoners, while the hunter elders entered the mountains to fish out the top Brass of the warlock alliance. However, it seemed like things had changed.


    The person standing in the sky was powerful, but he was definitely not from any of the ns in the alliance that they knew about.


    This was an ambush!!!


    Immediately, Arian tensed up and grabbed Leon involuntarily. She was preparing to flee.


    Fortunately


    "You''re so nosey old ghost....what do you think we mages are weak?" Another voice sounded as another figure appeared in the skies right in front of the winged figure.


    "Stupid question, of course you are. If that wasn''t the case, then exin how I''m able to do this?" The winged figure raised his hand and formed a bloodline magic circle.


    "WingedDevil bloodwork: feathers of wind"


    A line of magical feathers formed from thin air and lunched at a crowd made up predominantly of hunters.


    ¡ªUUU


    ¡ªpuuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    The feathers flew through the air, causing a deafening sound that made the hearts of the hunters grow stiff. Just from the sound, they knew that if the attacknded they would cease to exist.


    "Hmp!!" In thest minute, another elder from the human hunters rared his head and directly countered this attack with a massive chain thatpletely consumed the attack.


    "A worm can never win against salt" the elder who blocked the attack looked prideful. The Warlocksunched an ambush, but they managed to counter it easily.


    "Two on one? Why not?" The winged elder felt no fear. He spread his hands outwards and weed them.


    "Hehe we will apany you" The elder standing opposite the winged elder nodded to his partner on the ground, signalling for him to meet them in the skies.


    "This battle is over, round up the prisoners you could get and head back to the camp" the elder who used the massive chain said to no one In particr before slowly flying to the sky.


    Their battle was over, now it was time for the true power houses to fight

 Chapter 24: Level 1 Warlock

    <h4>Chapter 24: Level 1 Warlock</h4>


    "Shut up you beast"


    ¡ªTaa!!


    ¡ªTaa!!


    ¡ªTaa!!


    The sound of whipsshing down on the bare skin of Warlocks sounded in the background, from where Leon sat.


    "Stupid monkey!!"


    "Dumb animals"


    "Annoying beasts"


    Coupled with theshes, curses also rained down on the warlocks. After the events from earlier today, the hunters became angry. Apparently, the higher-ups of the hunters had been ambushed by the warlock alliance, with the help from some other rogue Warlocks on the run.


    A lot of hunters had died, and the alliance higher-ups were able to escape with some others. There was no other avenue to relieve their anger other than punishing the few prisoners they could get their hands on.


    "Let''s go" Arian walked out from the main tent and took grabbed Leon''s chains before leading him away from the area slowly.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Sigh"


    Arian dragged Leon through the camp and finally into her tent, where she proceeded to cuff his hands and head straight to bed.


    She was exhausted.


    The hunt wasn''t easy, the person she had fought against was of a higher level than her, plus his skills were tricky. She had to resort to using an advanced spell to win, and it cost her alot of energy. Then there was the evacuation of the remaining hunters.


    As a level 2 mage, she had to be responsible for evacuating her subordinates, even with her weakness from the previous battle. It was normal for her to be this tired.


    "Hmmm, she hasn''t fully healed" Leon stared at Arians exhausted face and shook his head. The fourth elder of the blood serpent n had done a real number on Arian. Even with the help of healers from the mage camp, there were still traces of venom in her, hindering her.


    "Oh well, let''s get down to business" shrugging his shoulders, Leon proceeded to stand up and walk towards a table. There he began pulling out several potions and herbs from a hidden pouch ced in his raggedy clothes.


    Vitality potion


    Vr flower


    Xryngo liquid


    Veeez nuts


    These items were all Leon''s spoils of war. He had picked them up during the chaos of the battlefield, usually Arian would limit his use by just taking whatever she wanted from his pile. However, this time she couldn''t.


    She was just too tired.


    "Down the hatch" Leon smiled and began dumping these items directly into his mouth without a care in the world. And the reason for this is quite simple.


    Each and every item on this table had one thing inmon. They contained a bulk load of life energy. As his bloodline power was a bit on the poor side, Leon needed treasures like these to refine it.


    More so than ever after witnessing the battle between the level 3 elders of both the mages and warlocks. They could fly!!!


    In Leon''s previous world, he had been more powerful than these guys, but the ability to fly was something only a select few could achieve. However, in this world it looked like he could achieve this if only he could reach level 3.


    "Gruuu"


    Feeling a warmth around his belly, Leon hurriedly sat in the lotus position and started circting the medical essence through his body. This wasn''t the first time he had done this, but this time was a bit different because of the number of items he could keep. He had to make full use of this opportunity.


    As this energy ravaging through Leon''s body, he managed to stay calm and tranquil, pushing it through his vessels and capiries. Wherever it went, his body and blood absorbed them.


    But


    It didn''t seem to be enough, as Leon soon started feeling bloated. The life-energy was too much, and for some reason he wasn''t breaking through. This was the disadvantage of having an impure bloodline like Leon''s.


    "Second cirction" Leon muttered and continued pushing the energy through his body, even though it was ufortable he kept on pushing...


    ''Third cirction"


    "Fourth cirction "


    "Fifth cirction"


    Slowly but surely, Leon''s saw great improvements in refining his bloodline power. The number of herbs this time really made the difference. However, it just wasn''t enough.


    Soon the cirction came to a halt and couldn''t move a single step.


    "Shit, This isn''t good" Leon muttered while beads of sweat slowly dripped down from his forehead. He had previously thought that the reason he was failing to breakthrough was because of in sufficient life-energy...however, it seemed like he was mistaken.


    "Spit it out!! Spit it out!!"


    In his mind, Leon''s subconscious screamed. The amount of energy he was working with before now was small, so the bacsh from failing wasn''t too much and could easily be ignored. But this time was different. If he did spit it out, he would suffer heavy injuries.


    But If he didn''t, he might die.


    "I have no choice...." Leon sighed, he had to spit it out.


    ¡ªpop!!!


    However , in thest minute, a small explosion sounded from his back as a gust of foul air was pushed out from the pores of his skin.


    "Uhhh..." Leon involuntarily took in a massive breath of air. Immediately after that sound erupted, Leon felt the energy in his body begin flowing again.


    In fact, at this point, it no longer needed him to push, it seemed all too natural.


    "I''ve broken through"


    Leon''s eyes widened in absolute shock. He had broken through just like that? He didn''t even do anything special. How was that possible?


    Leon wasn''t the only one in shock, though. On the bed opposite Leon. Arians eyes shone with surprises and doubt, but also there was a trace of something else in them.


    Killing intent.

 Chapter 25: Unexpected

    <h4>Chapter 25: Unexpected</h4>


    Leon breaking through to level 1 was bad. Very bad. At first, she believed Leon to be a formidable opponent with unparalleled talent, but as time went on, and she saw him fail to break through to level 1 time and time again.


    This made her feel at ease. So what, that he was talented in battle and could use the legendary fu shu energy? Without talents in magic, he was just a waste of space. But oh was she feeling a bulk load of regret right now for that sentiment.


    Leon had broken through. Their fight before was because she was severely injured, and could easily defeat him now, but if she let him continue his improvement, she didn''t know what might happen.


    (I have to kill him, but how?)


    Arian thought in her mind.


    Meanwhile, Leon was still in shock from his sudden breakthrough. From what he could infer, there was no reason at all for his breakthrough right now. He at least needed to do the same thing sessfully 3 more times before he seeded from his estimate.


    "So how? " Leon said quietly.


    There had to be a special variable. Things don''t just happen, there was no such thing as luck.


    ¡ªwissss


    All of a sudden, Leon felt a fleshy mass wrap around his pinky finger and crawled into a ring.


    (Where did youe from?)


    Leon frowned. A small white snake had wrapped around his pinky finger like a child would cuddle up to its mother. It was strange, in this world creatures were usually hostile to other races except for certain circumstances.....


    "The monster egg???" Leon reached into his robe and to his surprise...it had hatched.


    (The unseen variable.....)


    Leon mused. The Snake was the only variable he could think of, it conveniently hatched when he was breaking through? What other hints did he need?


    "Still doesn''t make sense, isn''t it supposed to be a smander type egg?"


    He had gotten this monster egg from the kid who was fated to be the dragon rider. Fine, the possibility of it actually being the actual dragon smander was quite low. But this wasn''t even rted.


    This was a wimpy snake, the size of and oversized worm.


    (Maybe it''s special in its own way. I mean, it did help me breakthrough....)


    Leon thought in his mind.


    The egg wasn''t the legendary dragon. That was disappointing, but it seemed to be special if it was able to help him breakthrough.


    "Hm?"


    While Leon was musing over what had just happened. He felt a gaze behind him threatening to tear a whole through his head.


    He turned back, immediately met the vicious gaze of Arian.


    ¡ªpuuuu


    For a brief few seconds, they stared at each other awkwardly...


    "What? Is there something between my teeth?"


    Leon asked with a sly smile on his face.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    In a luxurious tent made with the finest cloths on the opposite side of the hunter''s camp. About six young men, with bruises of different degrees, could be seen seated around treating their injuries.


    "Ouch!!! That hurt" one of the young menined while he was being treated, by a nurse.


    "Shut the hell up, and don''tin you piece of trash!!" from a bed in the middle of the tent a voice sounded as a youth with eyes akin to that of a supernova could be seen visibly boiling with anger.


    His men had been brutalized in the most humiliating fashion he could think about. Leon made them feel like they were the ones doing the chasing, meanwhile he subtly created situations that caused them great harm.


    "Sorry boss" Seeing the anger in the Eyes of Anan, the young man shut his mouth and stoppedining. What happened, was truly humiliating, they had their assess handed to them by a filthy warlock.


    ¡ªWhoop


    As the young man apologized, the curtain to the tent swung open and a brutish man in metal amour entered the tent.


    "You called for me sire?"


    Immediately after the brutish warrior entered the tent, he fell on one knee in the direction of Anan.


    "Yes, I did" Anan nodded his head meanwhile maintaining his look of annoyance. Normally acts like these would cause him to be very satisfied, but he was in an absolutely foul mood at this time.


    "Then I am here to serve" raising his head to look at Anan the face of the brute was revealed. It was a man in his mid-twenties. He had a bit of ck and gray hair hanging from his scalp, but what was most revealing about him was a massive gash on across his face.


    It was an eyesore.


    "You and that Arian b*tch have a past, right? " Anan asked the brutish man, Unknowingly striking a string in his heart. Immediately after hearing Arian''s name, his mouth grew sour, and his face became ugly.


    "Hmm!!" Among everyone in the hunter''s camp, he was the most confident and handsome among them, he could never find someone that matched his grace and beauty, so he remained aloof half of the time.


    At least, that was until he set his eyes on Arian for the first time. He couldn''t control himself. He went straight to her and started to court her.


    This proved to be a big mistake as on a random asion while he was teasing her, she suddenlyshed out and entirely ruined his beauty. Ever since then, his life has taken a drastic turn for the worse.


    "How long do you think you can hold her down for?" Anan said while looking intensely into the brutish man''s eyes.


    "I am not called Tamlins number one tanker for no reason, sire. Just give me the go ahead, and I''ll hold her down as long as you like"


    With an ugly smile on his face, the brutish man Affirmed to Anan that he was capable of doing his bidding. He just needed the go ahead.


    "Good, then I want you to stay by my side for the next few days. I have something special in stall for that b*tch and that filthy Warlock."

 Chapter 26: Restricted

    <h4>Chapter 26: Restricted</h4>


    "Yawnn!!!"


    Leon''s figure could be observed walking a few meters behind Arian who was holding on to a bunch of chains tightly.


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    There were about 5 chains binding Leon at this point, one on his neck, two around his hands and two more on his feet. Because Leon had broken through to and became a level 1 warlock. Arian saw it necessary to increase the number of chains binding him.


    But even with that, Leon was able to break the chains effortlessly on several asions, so she had to get something special to keep him in ce.


    "Stay put and don''t cause any trouble." Arian said to Leon before leaving him next to a cage in the middle of a small market in the camp.


    "Sigh," Leon sighed. Arian has dragged him out this early in the morning because of her paranoia. She was always so scared that Leon would escape, even though it clearly stated in their oath that he couldn''t attempt to do it without hinting it to her first.


    Of course, she wasn''t wrong to distrust Leon. Over the past few days, he had found so many loopholes in the oath that she couldn''t help but be cautious of all his movements.


    "Won''t be long now." Leon muttered while causally looking around the market. One part of his goal wasplete. He had gotten stronger after breaking through, at least he didn''t need to be cautious of every Tom, dick and Harry he meets.


    Now what he needed was to begin the second phase of his n...


    "Hey boss" While Leon was in his state of thought, a voice sounded from behind him, causing him to look back cautiously.


    It wasing from Inside the cage.....


    "It''s you?" Leon raised his eyebrows and asked. The person who had called his name just now was someone he was familiar with.


    It was the dodgy youth he had bought his poison dagger from when he was still with the blood serpent n. He had been captured too.


    "Weren''t you on one of the front carriages of the world traversing serpent ?" Leon frowned. He could have sworn that he saw this guy bribe his way unto the carriages at the front of the world traversing serpent.


    "Ahhhh boss, you don''t know? The world traversing serpent was destroyed a few days ago. Only the higher ups and a few others are still on the run....." The dodgy youth exined to Leon.


    The hunters had suddenly decided that the blood serpent n was a top-priority target, and they were being ruthlessly hunted down day in and day out.


    "Ohhhh so that''s the case" Leon quickly understood what was going on. The hunters were trying to rescue the Dalriss boy....this was definitely not a good situation for him. After all, the chase was just a wild goose chase.


    (Looks like I have to work faster)


    Leon said in his mind. Time was running out. If he didn''t work fast to escape, he would be done for.


    "Boss, why don''t you put in a little word for me for your master there, maybe she''ll have pity for me and allow me to serve...." The dodgy youth rushed to Leon''s ear and whispered.


    He wanted to get out of this smelly ce as fast as possible. He didn''t mind very, he was quite savvy and could easily make it work for him. It was this ufortable cage that he couldn''t handle.


    "Ah? I wish I could.....but as you can see, I''m in a bit of a bind too myself" Leon said while dangling his chains for the youth to see.


    "Ah? It seems so....." A bit disappointed by this response, the youth shook his head and leaned backwards.


    "Hmmm, I do have something else that might interest you though" After looking around cautiously, Leon''s whispered in a hushed voice.


    "Oh really? What might that be?" The dodgy youth''s interest was peaked as he proceeded to lean towards Leon once again...


    Meanwhile,


    In a dark corner of the camp, a young man in luxurious red clothing could be seen nervously standing between two massive carriages.


    "Don''t be worried, everything is already handled. You just have to make a little bit of trouble, and we can take it from there" a dark unknown voice sounded in the ear of the young man in the luxurious clothing.


    Even though they exined it like this to him, the young man couldn''t help but feel like he was being used like a discardable card. However, he knew that there was no choice here. He had to do what he was told.


    "Uhhhh" he took in a mouthful of air and proceeded to walk out from between the carriage and directly into the market.


    "What? Do you think gold coins can be picked from trees? Don''t you try to swindle me, old fool"


    As he approached, Arians voice sounded as she was haggling prices with a vendor in one of the makeshift stores.


    "I promise you that these prices are good. Just take it" the store owner said, not giving Arian an inch of ground. High-quality chains that could hold level 1 Warlocks were strictly controlled by the Elders. Getting it on the market needed a lot of money.


    Normally, Arian could get it from her team leader, but she didn''t want anyone to know that Leon had broken through and became level 1 warlock on her watch. It would be a disaster.


    "I''ll take 5 silver pieces off the original price deal? "


    Arian seemingly conceded after seeing how adamant he was. But in thest minute.


    "I''ll take those chains off your hands at twice the actual price"

 Chapter 27: I’m a prisoner, you’re a prisoner too, Mrs jailer.

    <h4>Chapter 27: I''m a prisoner, you''re a prisoner too, Mrs jailer.</h4>


    Arian turned to look at where the voice wasing from, and her eyesnded on the young man in red luxurious robes.


    "Twice the price? Sold!!!" The shop vendor paid no mind to Arian anymore. He went straight forward and packed up the chains to deliver to the man in red luxurious clothing.


    "Hmp!!" Arian sneered at this scene. The vendor didn''t have a tinge of manners, he was just consumed by profits.


    But she had no choice. The store owner had the right to sell to whomever he deems fit. Even if it didn''t sit well with Arian.


    "I''ll take my business else where then" Arian left a snide remark before turning around and heading to an entirely different store.


    However, the youth may in the luxurious clothing immediately followed behind after paying for his chains.


    "I''ll give you a discount...2% off. What do you think" in the new store, the vendor was more business savvy and could easily amodate Arian''s haggling, But once again, this didn''tst long...


    "What ever she wants to buy, I''ll double the price and take it off your hands" the voice of the young man in luxurious clothing sounded again...


    "Hm?" From the cage at the other side of the market, Leon noticed this scene and frowned. Someone was trying to antagonize Arian so openly????


    "What''s wrong boss?" The dodgy youth who had noticed the change in Leon''s countenance asked worriedly. They were discussing something very important, but it seemed like Leon had been sucked into a deep thought.


    "Nevermind, as I was saying..." Leon knitted his brows and dismissed what was going on. Only he knew what he was thinking in his mind.


    "Hehe, you guys keep selling to a filthy wench like her, and you expect your business to flourish? Tell you what, anything she buys, doesn''t matter from whom. I''ll double the price and take it off your hands."


    Standing in the middle of the market, the youth in red luxurious robes announced to the whole market. It was clear that he was targeting Arian, but for what reason?


    "Hey, prettydy. I''ve got some high-quality perfumes here. You can check them out. I''ll give you a discount"


    "You look like a warrior. What''s a warrior without a great sword? Check this out. It has been passed from generations to generations in my family"


    "Hey!! I have more chains in stock"


    Immediately after the youth made that announcement. The entire market began frantically calling Arian to bargain, so they could sell their goods at double the price to the rich youth.


    "Hmp!!" Arian knew this and wasn''t ready for any more humiliation. She walked over to Leon and picked up his chain while preparing to leave. But could she leave just like that?


    "That''s right, run away like a scared cat. Like father, like daughter"


    The youth said these words with some hesitance. Actually, he didn''t know much about Arians background, but he had been prepped by Anan and his new friend to say this. It was supposed to spark a reaction from Arian.


    "What did you just say?" Arian paused and slowly looked back at the young man with eyes filled with ill intent.


    The look on her face immediately send a chill down the youth''s spine. From what he had heard, Arian could be very explosive when she got mad.....he was afraid.


    (This is bad)


    Leon, who stood beside Arian, could see the change in her. She was not only releasing a bone chilling aura, there seemed to be a bountiful amount of mana congregating around her at the moment.


    She was going to lose control!!!


    "I..." The youth froze with fear. He didn''t want to go along with it, but there was an invisible hand pushing him from the shadows. He had no choice.


    "Die!!!" Arian turned back and suddenly a gust of wind blew from around her, threatening to end the life of the youth in front of her.


    But


    "Enough!!!" An elderly voice sounded from the distance as an aged man in ck amour suddenly appeared in between Arian and the youth in luxurious clothing.


    This man was a protector. They were responsible for maintaining the peace in the camps.


    "Pheww" the youth who was causing trouble blew out a breath of relief. A secondter and he wouldn''t doubt that he would have been severely injured or maybe dead.


    "This is the third time, Arain. How many times have I told you to watch your temper!!" The elderly man immediately started by berating Arian. Although he could clearly see that she was the one who was being antagonized. He couldn''t stand for her actions.


    The little boy didn''t know, but that strike from Arian would have definitely ended his life if itnded.


    "Protector Talsi" Arian gritted her teeth. This person was a big hypocrite. He would frequently act like he was one who stood for justice. But that was not the case, half the time he would side with those with influence.


    "Sigh, I don''t know what to do with you....." The protector shook his head in disappointment.


    "Community service sentence: you are to bring back 20 tons of wood by tomorrow to the supply line. You there, take her to Section c"


    The protector didn''t waste anytime before dishing out a sentence. Arian had broken the rules by fighting inside the market, and she had to serve out her sentence. He was doing her a Favor even because If he wanted he could hold her in detention.


    "Yes sir!!" A guard who had seeminglye out of nowhere stepped forward with a pair of chains and cuffed Arian.


    "Come with me" the guard showed no emotions as he pulled Arian forward.


    Seeing this turn of events, Leon hurriedly followed behind. There was too much he didn''t know about Arian''s circumstances. But from the way these guys were treating her. It seemed like there was really no difference between herself and him.


    They were both prisoners in this camp


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    If you''re enjoying the book so far please leave a review

 Chapter 28: Hatred born from nothing

    <h4>Chapter 28: Hatred born from nothing</h4>


    "Timber!!!!!"


    ¡ªbang!!!!


    The sound of a tree falling to the ground echoed in the depths of the dark woods. Currently, there were two figures standing before the felled tree.


    One was Arian and the other was, of course, Leon. After Arian was sentenced tomunity service, they were dragged to the forest behind the camp to cut down wood for the use of the hunters.


    "Hmm" Arian stepped forward and swung an Ax in her hand upwards and....


    ¡ªcrackkk!!!


    In one swing, she cut a huge part of the tree in two. Then, like it was paper, she lifted it effortlessly and ced it on her shoulder, all the while ignoring Leon.


    After a short while of walking, they came to a clearing with stacks upon stacks of chopped wood ced on the ground. This had been done by Arian and Leon.


    "You''re So hardworking, I wonder why these guys treat you like this" Leon gave a casual remark while looking at the piles of chopped wood. Arian had been working since morning with no breaks, even though it was humiliating, she just sucked it up.


    But Leon could tell that In her heart, there was probably a storm brewing.


    "You really need to learn how to stand up for yourself or else they will keep walking all over you. Anyway, it''s their loss, if we were on the same side, I would never treat you like that" Leon kept speaking while Arian carried the trunk of wood across the opening.


    ¡ªBoom!!


    When she got to the particr distance, she threw the trunk to the ground and proceeded to walk towards Leon.


    ¡ªclick


    ¡ªclick


    ¡ªclick


    She removed several keys and started loosening Leon''s chains. After that, she handed him the Ax and said.


    "Chop wood and keep shut"


    After saying these words, she walked to the side and sat on a log of wood. She was exhausted from all the work and decided to let Leon take the wheel. As for Leon''s sentiments about her situation, she didn''t want to think about it.


    "Hmmm, I''m here to serve" Leon picked the Ax and walked up to the trunk of wood and began chopping.


    His breakthrough to level 1 had improved his physical strength by several folds, so he chopping wood was like child''s y to him.


    ¡ªchop


    ¡ªchop


    Leon got down to business, the faster they got this done, the earlier they would be allowed to go back.


    Unfortunately, things were much moreplicated than they seemed on the outside.


    ¡ªwhoosh


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwoosh


    In the dark veil of the night. Several shadows cloaked in darkness could be seen sneakily approaching the clearing.


    "They are here"


    Leon said causally, while the corner of his eyes focus on a seemingly empty space inside the forest.


    "I know" Arian had an ugly look on her face. Someone was out to get her, that much was clear. But who? She had offended quite a lot of people, but to the point of creating this whole facade to get her? That was too much.


    "I''ll handle it myself. Butt out" Arian said to Leon after seeing him tightly gripping onto his hidden dagger. She didn''t want Leon involved, the fact that he had already entered level 1 was still a secret. If her enemies caught a whiff of it, they would try to use her of ipetence.


    ¡ªshhh


    She drew out the sword on her waist and slowly began walking towards the forest....


    ¡ªboooo!!!


    A gust of wind picked up all of a sudden as a brutish figure cloaked in the ck dashed out of the forest, approaching her very fast.


    A momentter.....


    ¡ªng


    They shed


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªcing


    ¡ªshhh


    In a brief few seconds, they exchanged a furry of attacks, causing the sound of iron striking iron to reverberate throughout the forest.


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwoosh.


    While Arian and the brutish man were going at it, about six other figures emerged from the darkness, equip with chains and slowly surrounded Arian and the Brutish man.


    (It''s them, huh?)


    Leon was able to quickly identify the identities of their attackers from their movements. It was Anan''s cronies.


    ¡ªwoooo


    From behind Leon, a chain cloaked in the darkness barreled towards him, aiming directly for his neck.


    "Hmp!!"


    But it couldn''t escape Leon perception,


    Leon looked back with the side of his eyes and...


    ¡ªWoosh


    With a simple side step, Leon was able to dodge the attack sessfully.


    About 30 meters away from Leon, a shadow stood covered by the shade of the night. But even with the darkness, Some of his features still stood out.


    His build, the arrogance in his stance and his choice of weapon. However, all these couldn''tpare to the most recognizable feature of the young man.


    His eyes, they were akin to that of an exploding supernova. It was peculiar and strange, most of all, it was beautiful.


    The person who had sneaked attack Leon was none other than Anan.

 Chapter 29: vs Anan

    <h4>Chapter 29: vs Anan</h4>


    (Rottened brat!!)


    Leon screamed in his mind. Although a lot of people disliked Arian and Leon in the camp, there was only one that would be willing to go the extra mile to kill them.


    Anan


    He had deep hatred for Leon. Leon had not only defeated his elder brother, bringing shame to the family. He had also embarrassed Anan and his cronies when they tried to capture him. Sooner orter, the Dalriss name would be aughingstock.


    All this was because of Leon, so why wouldn''t he hate him?


    "You won''t give up, will you?" Leon calmed himself and asked Anan. Anan was a pain in the ass, he was so adamant on capturing or killing Leon, and for what? Because Leon didn''t allow himself to be tortured by him. The gut was a spoilt brat.


    "Hmp!! Give up? That would imply that I was trying in the first ce. You have only seen the tip of the iceberg, you Filthy Warlock. I''ll show you what the Dalriss names stands for!!!"


    ¡ªWang!!!!


    Just as those words left Anan''s mouth, he threw the chain in his hand at a blind speed towards Leon.


    "Hmp!!" Leon smirked and swayed to the left before entering a mad sprint. However, unlike before when Leon would just avoid him...


    This time he headed straight for Anan


    "Hm? Foolish!!" Seeing Leon dash towards him, Anan became furious. Was Leon dumb in the head? What kind of prey would go head first towards a predator?, but he didn''t really believe that Leon was stupid.


    Leon knew when the odds were against him and knew when to run as he did thest time, so he couldn''t be considered stupid. There had to be another reason, and just thinking about it made Anan mad.


    Leon wasn''t stupid, for him to head towards him in full force meant that he believed that he could take Anan on.


    "You are nothing but a ve!!! Now put on your chains!!!"


    Anan''s eyes became intense, he drew the chain in his hand backwards. The recoil was massive, causing the chain to move extremely fast, threatening to hit Leon from the back.


    Leon dodged and dodged, but for some reason Anans chain seemed to be picking momentum. His technique with the chain was definitely exquisite.


    "Shit!!"


    Soon the chain became so fast that Leon could not dodge it, it took a magical U-turn and started heading for the back of Leon''s head. In a split second, it was already too close. But, who said he needed to dodge it?


    ¡ªng!!!


    Seemingly out of nowhere, Leon pulled out a dagger and shed at the chain head barreling towards him. The force of the attack was so much that the chain couldn''t even wrap around the dagger, it just pushed it back.


    This scene was surprising, the level of technique it took to make a chain bounce off its target was astounding. Anan had never seen it being done. But instead of admiration, Anan became Angry.


    Unknown to him, what Leon would do next would make his Anger reach the roof in one swoop.


    ¡ªng


    Leon dashed forward and grabbed the chain with his left hand. He then proceeded to hold it tightly.


    "This....." Anan looked on with shock. Leon grabbed his chain? What kind of move was this? He had never been in this situation before, mainly because of how fast his chain movement was. But Leon was able to slow it down long enough to grab it.


    "It''s over, give up" Leon said out loud. Anan had no other weapon than his chain, Leon depriving him of it was as good as depriving him of his means of defense.


    "Hmp!! You must be joking!!" Anan shouted resolutely, he wasn''t going to back down.


    He let go of the chain and pointed outwards with his fist.


    "me work: Ether Javelin"


    Magic!!


    Anan didn''t want to use magic on a nobody like Leon, but he had no choice. This was just too humiliating. Not only had Leon disarmed him, he was trying to insinuate that his chain was nothing to him. Anan couldn''t let this slide.


    ¡ªWuuuu.


    From thin air, a javelin made of fire appeared out of nowhere and


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    It sped towards Leon with blinding speed, threatening to rip him into two.


    "Shit!!"


    A ssh of blood sshed in the air. Leon had been hit!!


    "Fucker!!" Leon''s eyes became red with rage. His cheek was bright red as a small sh wound appeared on it. He had been hit by Anans attack.


    "This guy....."


    Unlike Leon''s sentiments on the attack hitting him. Anan felt genuinely shocked. Leon was able to dodge the attack he aimed straight at his chest? This attack was a magic attack fueled with mana.


    How could a level 0 warlock do this?


    Of course, he wasn''t aware that Leon was no longer in level 0. But he would soon find out.


    ¡ªBoom


    Leon sted off from this location at full speed, leaving a trail of dust behind him. He wanted to circle Anan.


    "Hmp!!" Quickly noticing this movement, Anan prepared himself.


    "me work: Ether Javelin"


    "me work: Ether Javelin"


    As Leon ran around, Anan shot out spell after spell hoping to prate him. But each one of them failed. It was bing evident that Leon was not as weak as he thought he was.


    "This can''t be the speed of a level 0 warlock...." Anan became worried. Leon was proving to be a hard target. He was just too tricky.


    Meanwhile, Leon, who had created a good distance between himself and Anan had a smirk on his face. His full strength as a level 1 warlock was astonishing.


    He was moving at speeds several folds over what he could before . It was thrilling.


    But he knew he had to end this battle fast. Arian was entering a bad situation on the other side.


    "Where did he go?!!"


    Anan said with panic. While shooting at Leon, he watched with his very eyes as Leon disappeared from his field of vision. He couldn''t make sense of it at all. So he immediately went into a panic and rushed into the distance.


    This was a mistake on his path. Because as soon as he did so.


    ¡ªShinng


    A sh of light shone from within the darkness and flew towards him. He dodged, but another followed right behind it, it was a dagger, one that was aiming for his forehead.


    "Huuu" a light shone around him, securing him from the abrupt attack.


    "Damn" Anan held on to his chest. That attack would have taken his life if not for the protection treasure he got from his father...he now understood that running after Leon in the dark was a big mistake.


    Unfortunately, Leon didn''t give him time to think of a way to leave.


    ¡ªWoosh


    Leon threw a rock at Anan this indicated that he was out of sharp objects, but what followed behind was another unexpected move.


    It was his chain!! It flew out of nowhere and wrapped around his neck.


    "AHHH"


    Leon had mysteriously appreared behind Anan, and he was using Anan''s favorite weapon against him

 Chapter 30: More Than Meets The Eye

    <h4>Chapter 30: More Than Meets The Eye</h4>


    ¡ªbang!!


    Leon drew Anan with the chain and smashed his face in with his feet with just one pull.


    "Good night princess" Leon said mockingly. Anan thought he could win over Leon with his magic spells, his outlook on what power really was, wascking.


    Magical spells weren''t enough, the ability to use them wisely also mattered a lot. Having one and not the other was begging for failure.


    "I really need to get one" Leon mused while looking at Anan''s body on the floor. He hadn''t been able to get any fighting spell throughout his stay in this camp. It was about time he got one. If not, he might end up like Anan soon.


    "Hm?" Leon raised his head and his eyes fell on the light show out in the darkness. There Arian was currently engaging in a heated battle with several opponents, and she was in a bad situation.


    "Hmmmm" Leon couldn''t help but muse on how prideful Arian was. Even though she was surrounded, she didn''t seem like she was nning to escape. Leon couldn''t wrap his head around why this was the case.


    She was pretty smart, so why would she risk her life like that?


    At the same time on the other side


    ¡ªsh!!


    "Hu, hu ,hu" Arian could be seen breathing heavily. On her side, a part of her clothes had been ripped, and she looked exhausted. Fighting against this brute was one thing, but with the constant interference of Anan''s cronies, made it infinitely harder.


    "Give up and be my bitch. I promise to please you all night until I''m bored with you" opposite Arian the brutish man mocked Arian. This felt good, he could remember how Arian destroyed his face before and there was nothing her could do about it. But now things were different.


    He had the upper hand now.


    "Ptuu, Dorian, you are full of yourself," Arian spat at the floor. From their exchange, she was able to quickly identify who the person in front of her was. He was Dorian, a leacherous bastard that tried to court her a while ago. When she turned him down, he resulted to cursing her family then she attacked him out of fury.


    This, of course, created an Air of hate between them. She didn''t want to lose to this guy no matter what.


    "Hmp!! You don''t have a choice, I''m going to enjoy breaking you apart..." Dorian said with a sly smile on his face. He was going to go all out.


    ¡ªDang!!


    He swung his mighty great sword into the ground and entered a fighting pose. Arian responded in kind and soon....


    ¡ªwoosh!!


    They were at it once again. With the first swing, Dorian threatened to cut Arian in two, but she was nimble and managed to dodge it, to which she then responded with a kick directly to Dorian''s knees.


    "Arg!!" Itnded, and Dorian stepped back and groaned in pain. Arian followed up with a causal swing to Dorian''s neck, but she was blocked by an invisible force emitting from him.


    This was a defense spell and was what Dorian was known for, he was called the tank of tamlin because he could take massive attacks without being injured. All this was because of his defense skills.


    ¡ªBoom!!


    After Arain''s attack failed, Dorian swung his sword once again, pushing her back by up to 10 meters.


    "A$$hole!!" Arianined while rubbing off a trace of blood from her lips.


    As she was doing this, a chain in the darkness coiled forwards, aiming directly for her sword.


    ¡ªWoosh


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªWoosh


    The chains were numerous and each seemed to threaten to restrict several important parts of her body.


    (, I can''t let myself be held down by these guys)


    Arianined before moving dexterously Dodging the attacks with every fiber of her being.


    This was very exhausting and hard. Not only did she need to keep dodging, she had to be wary of Dorian, who was stalking her Constantly.


    (Do I really need to escape?)


    With an incredibly worried look on her face, Arian frowned her brows. She dreaded the thought of running away with her tails between her legs.


    ¡ªng!!


    While she was contemting her next step, a chain that was previously barreling towards her fell to the floor abruptly.


    "Hm?" Arian looked at the direction from which the chain wasing from, only to see the faint silhouette of a skinny young man hovering over one of Anan''s cronies.


    "It''s him" Arian looked puzzled


    Why on earth was Leon helping her? This was the perfect chance for him to run off. She wouldn''t be able to follow him even if she tried, but he was helping her?


    Of course, Leon had his reasons she probably wouldn''t understand, but Leon knew exactly what he was doing.


    ¡ªwoosh


    Leon''s silhouette shed as he headed for the second chain user. One by one he was going to cut them all down, leaving Arian enough room to handle Dorian.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Deep inside the forest.


    Four elderly figures stood atop a tree in the middle of the forest, spectating the fight in front of them.


    Among them were the Elders of the tamlin group that oversaw Leon and Arians trial as for thest person.


    It was an old man around their age. However, it seemed like he had aged worse than all three, as the skin on his bodies had many more wrinkles than the rest.


    "It''s possible," one of the eldersmented as he watched the battle in front.


    They all questioned Leon''s ability to defeat Fryan riss, but seeing what he did to Anan. They understood that he was no joke. If he was at level 1 before he engaged Fryan in battle, Fryan would be dead.


    "Good, they''re both strong enough. They shalle along with me" the wrinkly elder said.


    "Yes....it seems so" Sighing with some regret, the elder in the lead looked at Arian with pity. It would have been better if she were weak in this battle, or even if she ran away.


    But the level of strength she showed meant she would have to participate in the old bastards schemes.


    "Good, I want the warlock toe along too. He will make a good bargaining chip" the wrinkly man said with a twisted smile on his face.


    Only the gods knew what was going through his mind.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Meanwhile, back at the battlefield, Arian had seeded inying out Dorian and had rendezvoused with Leon.


    "What do we do with these guys?" Leon asked Arian from the side.


    There had to be a way to stop them from attacking them on a whim. If not, their lives would be a living hell with these guys constantly pestering them.


    "The disciplinarymittee will work on them" Arian said.


    They were rules, she was givenmunity service for nearly fighting. These guys would face a worse punishment for attacking them.


    Of course, they would have to get them to camp first for that to seed.


    But before they could....


    ¡ªWoosh!!!


    A shadow sped past them in the blink of an eye and picked Anan and Dorian up before flying into the forest.


    "That....."


    Arian looked at the shadow with some shock.


    Flight!! A level 3 hunter/mage had just acted.


    It seemed like this was much moreplicated than it seemed

 Chapter 31: Drafted Into The Death Squad

    <h4>Chapter 31: Drafted Into The Death Squad</h4>


    "These guys are really out to get you" Leon''s voice resounded as he stared glumly at a piece of paper in his hand.


    It read


    "Arian Finley, third luitenantmander of the Tamlin hunter group. Due to the current situation of our campaign against the blood serpent n, we are forced to seek more man power. As such, we would like to invite you to join the "Death Corp team" in the Mission to retrieve our honorable young master Fryan.


    Signed by


    Commander ric


    This was a big problem, it was just yesterday Leon found out that the world traversing serpent was destroyed, and now today Arian was being drafted to join the attacking party? There was definitely something to it.


    "I don''t think we have a choice, do we?" Leon said in a calm voice. If they refused, it would immediately cause issues, especially with the Dalriss family members. They could even ce them under arrest.


    "I know" Arian looked like she was in deep thought. She knew there was a massive scheme in the shadow. The death squad was not only one of the most powerful squads in the tamlin group, it was also the squad with the highest mortality rates.


    Getting drafted into this squad was synonymous with signing your death certificate. Even Arian at this point thought running away wasn''t too bad of an idea.


    However, that was impossible because.....


    ¡ªWhoop


    The covering to her tent pped open, and four heavily armored men stepped into the room.


    "Miss Arian Fiy, your presence is needed at the death squad main tent" one of the heavily armed men announced to Arian. Armed to the teeth with amanding voice, and this was supposed to be an invitation?


    "Okay..... I wille along with you" Arian responded with some struggle. Naturally, she didn''t like this situation, but she knew that there was Nothing she could do.


    And not long after, she and Leon were made to walk in front of the heavily armed men through the encampment. It was like they were prisoners being transported. It was embarrassing.


    Soon enough, they happened upon a section of the camp at the very edge of the encampment, this ce covered entirely with tents made from pitch-ck cloth. Its atmosphere was eerie as the ce looked like it waspletely devoid of humans.


    "There" one of the heavily armed guards announced, in front of them was a massive tent, it wasn''t as big as the main tent, but it was pretty close. This ce seemed to be important...


    ¡ªWhoop


    One of the guards stepped forward and opened up the tent, allowing Arian and Leon to enter.


    "Ah? Bloodlust?" As soon as Leon stepped foot in the room, he felt an aura far too familiar to him.


    Bloodlust


    It was actually normal to feel bloodlust from a ce like this hunter camp, after all, all of them had killed one time or the other. This one was different, though. It wasn''t emitting from a person alone. It felt like the ce was contaminated by this kind of aura from people constantly releasing it in here.


    "Hmp!!!"


    While Leon was trying to get the feel of the ce, a voice sounded, drawing his attention to the front of the tent.


    There an aged figure with silky long ck hair could be seen seated on a throne chair made of rusty iron. His face looked twisted and malevolent, and the aura he emitted was in prefect unison with the bloodlust in the room.


    "You should learn to keep your dirty pet in chains more often, else they will start believing themselves to be equal to you."


    The man in the main seat said causally while fiddling with a coin. Even though it seemed like he didn''t care and was just advising Arian.


    In the next second, chains miraculous found their way around Leon''s arms and legs. Looking to the side, he realized that Arian was the one responsible for this action.


    She had a look of caution on her face and gently shook her head, indicating that Leon should notin.


    The man in front of them wasmander ric. One of the most ruthlessmanders in the entire tamlin group. He was well known for being the man with the most kills in the entire group, this was exempting the number of troops of the tamlin group he had killed with his own hands.


    He was especially impulsive, that was why Arian cuffed Leon so fast. Who knows? He might decide to kill Leon on a whim.


    "Hmm good, it''s best we keep these dirty animals in their ce." Commander ric said before lifting his eyes to stare at Arian.


    His eyes were still filled with nonchnce, but Arian knew that whatever this was, it would not end great.


    "Fiy child....do you know how many men have died because of you?" Themander asked.


    "Sire? What do you mean?" Arian replied with a question.


    "I''m talking about the number of troops in the death squad that have fallen chasing the blood serpent n because you lost the Dalriss boy....do you think because we are called the death squad, then by divine providence we must enjoy seeing our brothers die?" This time, the tone of themander changed from one of nonchnce to one of annoyance.


    Clearly he didn''t like being the one to clean up Arians mess. She lost a member of the Dalriss family and his squad had to find the boy. It was annoying.


    "I....." Arian didn''t know what to say. It was true, she was at fault for what happened, and the death squad shouldn''t be responsible. But then again, it was fruitless for her to go on a wild goose chase.


    After all, she knew for a fact that Fryan Dalriss was deader than dead.


    "Hmp!! Anyway, the good news is that we found them. They werest seen heading towards heaven devourer mountain, I assume they are heading to blood rock" after finishing those words, themander''s eyes trailed unto Leon.


    "You and your prisoner are to get ready and follow us while we go fix your mess and hopefully rescue the Dalriss boy"


    It was precisely what Leon was thinking, these guys were already on the blood serpent n''s trail and wanted Arian and Leon there, so they could capture or kill them immediately if they found out that they were lying.


    "Take them back, we leave tomorrow" with an evil sly smile on his face themander directed.

 Chapter 32: Heaven Devourer mountain

    <h4>Chapter 32: Heaven Devourer mountain</h4>


    "Isn''t that overkill?" Inside Arian''s tent, Leon''s voice resounded as he looked at Arian with amusement.


    Arian not only wore her armor, but she also concealed countless knives and weapons all over her person¡ªfrom boots to belt to a hairpin holding her hair together. She was loaded with weapons.


    "Funny," Arian looked back at Leon and mocked.


    He too was fully equipped, wearing leather armor with two daggers, one by his waist and the other hidden. However, the most eye-catching thing about Leon wasn''t that¡ªit was what he had in his bag.


    Healing potions! Dozens of them were in his bag.


    "You can never be too prepared, Boss." To the side, a voice sounded, supporting no one precisely.


    "Hmm, you''re right," Leon smirked before patting this person on the back.


    This guy was someone Leon was very familiar with¡ªthe sly youth from the Blood Serpent n, called Gunta.


    Leon had made Arian buy him a ve, and he didn''t need to manipte her or anything; she was the one who proposed the circumstances that led to him buying Gunta.


    "Cough, cough," Arian coughed slightly.


    She understood that joining the Death Squad was very sensitive, but most of all, what she couldn''t afford was Leon causing trouble or working with the Blood Serpent n to escape.


    She had to ce a tight leash on him, so as soon as they left themander, she suggested the oath be altered a little bit. She asked for the safe distance between her and Leon to be shortened from 100 meters to about 40 meters and that Leon couldn''t spill the beans of their contract even if they were found wanting.


    It was asking for too much, yes, but Leon surprisingly agreed. He had his demands, though, and one of them was for Arian to buy Gunta.


    "You ready?" Leon, after tightening his armor, looked over at Arian and inquired. Arian responded with a nod, and Leon turned back to Gunta and nodded.


    ¡ªWhoop


    Leon and Arian emerged from the tent where about 2 guards stood guard. These guys were their ''escorts''; of course, this was just a name. What they were here for was to make sure Leon and Arian didn''t try to escape this responsibility.


    "Lead the way," Arian voiced, and the guards began moving.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Neighhh!!!" The sound of several horses neighing echoed in an open field next to the forest. There, a toon of hunters and carriages huddled together.


    In the middle of the group, a majestic carriage of elegance stood tall. It had silver engravings at the bottom, and the wheels were sturdy and reinforced with something that seemed to be magic.


    "This one is yours," the guard pointed to a carriage just behind the main one. This one seemedckluster, just like a normal transport carriage.


    "Let''s go," Leon and Arian proceeded to walk towards their designated carriage. The carriage was surrounded by men of the Death Squad. Each one of them gave off a feeling of dread; they had seen battle, and their very essence emitted a form of battle readiness.


    Soon, Arian and Leon arrived before their carriage. But before they could get on, two figures caught their eye from the entrance of the main carriage.


    One was a brute covered in pitch-ck armor with a greatsword by his side. The other was a young man with bright blue eyes and a chain around his waist.


    "It''s them," Arian muttered under her breath.


    These two were Anan and Dorian¡ªthe two who had schemed and attacked them previously.


    ¡ªClick


    The door to the main carriage slowly swung open, and Anan proceeded to walk inside. Meanwhile, Dorian, who was right behind Anan, turned and looked over at Arian with a sick twisted smile on his face.


    "Hehe," heughed mischievously at Arian before turning around to follow behind Anan.


    It was clear that something fishy was going on. Immediately after defeating Anan and Dorian, they were sent an invitation to join the Death Squad, and now Anan and Dorian had appeared.


    If this whole thing wasn''t suspicious, then she didn''t know what was.


    "Go inside; we are about to set off," one of the guards who had led both Arian and Leon here said as he rode his horse over to the side of the carriage.


    "Hm!" Arian nodded and entered the carriage, and not long after...


    "Set off!"


    From the very front of the troops, a voice filled with amanding tone sounded as a man in silver armor directed the Death Squad to set off.


    They had their target and were fully prepared to take them down; all they needed to do now was actually make it to the location before their targets would have the chance to run off.


    As for their destination, it was a ce called The Heaven Devourer Mountain.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    I''ll be leaving the reason for Leon following Arian around in the next chapter keep your eyes open. Also votes are nice

 Chapter 33: The Seed Of The Seven Deadly Sins

    <h4>Chapter 33: The Seed Of The Seven Deadly Sins</h4>


    The heaven devourer mountain. This was an ancient mountainous formation on the western side of Eldoria (the name of the kingdom) there were two legends tied to this mountainous formation.


    The first was that it was the birthce of an ancient world devouring snake called Lorthinram the creature was said to be one of the ancestors to which several snake species were born from. Not only that, this creature was said to have been as big as the entire mountain range.


    Some even went as far as to insinuate that the mountain range was the body of the creature.


    As for the second legend.....it was a more vague one. It stated that the mountain had a portal to hell or something along the line of a Demon emerging from it.


    "Halt!!!" At the front of the toon, the man in silver amour gave amand, to bring the whole toon to a gradual halt.


    "Set up camp!!" Hemanded for camp to be set up. They had been riding for about two days now and most needed some rest, so setting up camp was the best, they couldn''t face the enemy while being exhausted.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Later that night,


    The men of the death squads were very effective. In a matter of moments, the camp was set up and a camp fire was lit.


    "Once a knight of considerable reputation, now a good for nothing drunk with a passionate love for his cock. The famous Knight soon became a scorn to the eyes of his masters....so one day he was stripped naked and made to run down the streets of the Duan Royal city....."


    In the front of the camp fire, Dorian stood with a guitar in hand and sang the song and tale of a great Knight who fell from grace.


    This man was a famous Knight with a big backing, but because he fell for the wrong woman, he was dishonored and betrayed. She turned him into a pariah.....it was truly sad.


    This story was not too different from what this previous owner of the body, was going through.


    "Sir Dorian, please enlighten us with the name of this "mighty" knight"


    From inside the crowd, a young man from the Death squad asked with genuine intrigue. There were death soldiers, matters of knighthood could never be in their preview as they were always on the battlefield.


    However, that didn''t mean that they didn''t enjoy hearing about the scandals with knights and the nobility.


    "He-he, I''m afraid if I called his name, the princess would throw a tantrum and destroy you and me!!" Dorianughed out loud while the corner of his eyes trailed to where Arian was seated.


    Noticing the gaze of Dorian and the other members of the Death Squad, Arian turned around and looked away slightly.


    This puzzled them all, especially Leon. What did the shamed knight have to do with Arian? And why was she behaving like that?


    (The mystery gradually unwraps)


    Leon thought in his mind while staring at Arians back. He then proceeded to stand up and walk up towards the carriage where she was seated.


    ''Are you good?" Leon asked.


    "Hm!!" Arian nodded with a cold and expressionless face. Her pride didn''t allow her to show any emotions, but Leon saw right through her.


    (She''s the perfect candidate)


    Leon thought in his mind before walking to the side of a tree. There he took his seat and assumed the lotus position.


    "Treasure!!?


    Leon muttered under his breath, and in the next second his consciousness was pulled from reality into the pagoda in his mind.


    "Sea of wisdom" he spoke once again and was pulled into the sea of wisdom where he was surrounded by a library of books.


    "Hmmm" he turned around and walked all the way to a particr part of the library devoid of books.


    There, a pir of light shone upon a ball-shaped object hanging in the air.


    [Ding!!


    Host has appeared before special grade object designated: seed of the seven deadly sins. ¡Á 1


    Description: seed of the seven deadly sins object is presented to host every time he ascends on the ss grade pagoda. It is the embodiment of all sin in the world.


    Once injected into a specimen, it creates a powerful being embodying and controlling one of the seven deadly sins and a loyal servant/subordinate for the host.


    Prerequisite for transformation:


    1. candidate must be brimming with one of the seven sins,


    2. Candidate must ept the seed willingly,


    ]


    The seed of the seven deadly sins. Leon got this function as soon as he broke through and became a level one warlock.


    It was intriguing and immediately caught Leon''s eyes because there was a perfect candidate right beside him.


    Arian!!!


    All he needed was a time and a ce, and he would strike and bag himself a being of incredible potential.


    All he required was time.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    The next day, the death squad packed up their camp and headed out once again, And too not long after they set off, they arrived before a massive encampment not so different from theirs.


    This one was a bit different though, as its sheer size was multiple times the one they were from.

 Chapter 34: Much Needed Spells

    <h4>Chapter 34: Much Needed Spells</h4>


    "Halt!!!" As the troops of the death squad approached the encampment, a few men emerged from inside the bushes and stopped them in their tracks.


    They went forward and spoke to the leaders in the front, and soon they were let through and proceeded into the encampment.


    The encampment was huge and bustled withmerce and trade. As they rode down the street, this was quite evident. There were people from different factions of the humans all over the ce, and all of them came here for their own purposes.


    Some were here to sell their good, some were here to buy warlock ves. But most of them were here to hunt.


    This encampment was very close to the heaven devourer mountain range. Forgetting about the myths and legends surrounding this mountain range, it was also the border between Eldoria and the great Wilderness...this meant that it was a major escape route for fleeing warlocks.


    " Stock up on supplies, we are in it for the long run" themanding officer of the death squad announced.


    After a few minutes, they reached a stable where they parked their carriages and horses. Their search for the blood serpent n brought them to this ce and they would make sure they were victorious before leaving.


    But first they had to stock up on materials, least they get stuck without water or food inside the mountain range.


    "Yes sir!!" The men saluted and not long after, they dispersed info the crowd and bustling market of the encampment.


    At that moment, Arian and Leon were also preparing to stock up on supplies. But right behind them were about 4 guards watching them closely.


    "Let''s go" Leon said with a big smile on his face, he seemed to be delighted. But contrary to what Leon was feeling, Arian looked annoyed.


    Forget about the fact that she didn''t want to be here, she was being followed like amon criminal and it really pissed her off. Then there was Leon, smiling like a four-year-old child.


    "Mm!!" Arian nodded and started moving towards the market alongside Leon and her ''personal guard team''.


    "Good day misses, what may I help you with today? " Arian and came to a halt near an inconspicuous store in the streets.


    "Do you have any cleansing wind balm?" Arian inquired from the store owner.


    "Ah? Why yes, we have the high-quality ones in stock. It''s about 50 silver coins" the store owner said with a smile on his face. A richdy had appeared before his store with her ves and bodyguards. This was his lucky day.


    However, he couldn''t have predicted what woulde out of Arian''s mouth next.


    "Hm? What? Do you take me for a fool? I wouldn''t buy a bottle of cleansing balm for 50 silver coins even if you held my first son hostage!!" Arian threw a tantrum immediately. She was usually cold and prideful in her dealings, but whenever it came to matters having to do with negotiations. She would be shameless.


    She didn''t even have a child, but here she was throwing him under the bus for 50 sliver coins.


    Even the guards behind couldn''t help but take a step back when Arian began bargaining, as if trying to show that they had nothing to do with her.


    Leon could only smile at this scene...he watched as they walked from store to store bargaining for different items and services.....and soon enough they arrived at a store that piqued Leon''s interest.


    "Store owner, I need warlock spells of the blood and serpent variety. Nothing too strong should typically hover around level 1 or level 2"


    This store was a spell shop, it dealt with the sale of spells for magic users, as such, the store was quite extravagant.


    "Hm? Don''t speak to me, you ve. Have some respect or else..." Seeing Leon make such a demand of him annoyed the store owner.


    Forgetting the fact that this person was a warlock, why on earth would a kid like him speak to someone of his standing? Spells were the backbone of Any magic user, so he as a supplier of these spells was an essential worker.


    "Hm? That''s..." when Leon heard the reply, he froze for a minute. But soon after he understood. He might have left the Tamlin camp, but that didn''t mean he was free. He was as much a ve here as he was in the tamlin camp.


    "Miss, keep your pet in check, if you want to get something useful for him, you should order it yourself and don''t bring shame to us" the store owner looked over at Arian and said.


    He could tell she was Rich and influential, but he could also see that she was young. It was normal for a spoiled noble like her not to understand certain innuendo of society at this point.


    "Hmm, give him what he asked for. " Arian said calmly, not bothered by the store owners'' words. She couldn''t give a caring damn if he felt disrespected.


    "Hey!!" The store owner wanted to react, but the sight of the big blurry figures behind Arian made him shrink back.


    "Hmm," having no choice, the store owner went back into his store and brought out 4 spells manuals.


    "This is all I have for the blood and serpent categories"


    Most of the warlock spells they had were ones stolen from captured Warlocks or directly from the tongues of the warlocks.


    "The first one is called Wind Snake Arrows. The name speaks for itself, it enables you to create little wind snake apparitions and use them as arrows. It''s around middle grade level 1"


    "The second one is called Anaconda Grip. It allows you to put restrictions on your opponent. Basically, makes your opponent feel like they are being gripped by an Anaconda. It''s also Around middle grade level 1"


    "....."


    "Last but not the least, we have Blood Rage. This is basically an enhancement spell. It increases overall body strength and agility at the cost of your blood. It''s quite dangerous, but from what I''ve heard from the previous user. Even though it''s early grade level 1, it can scale all the way to peak-stage level 1 depending on how much blood you''re willing to sacrifice."


    They all had their upsides and downsides. Of course, some more than others, but the gist was pretty clear.


    "I will take these three" Leon didn''t hesitate as he picked three out of the four spells presented to him.


    He had beencking spells for the longest time and getting some was very necessary at this time. So immediately Arian suggested the altering of the oath. Leon added this to the new agreement.


    She would buy him any spell/spells of his choosing as long as it wasn''t overkill.


    So, in truth Arian would be the one to foot the bill for these spells

 Chapter 35: Whereabouts Of The Blood Serpent Clan

    <h4>Chapter 35: Whereabouts Of The Blood Serpent n</h4>


    "Hmp!!" Arian looked annoyed, while walking down the market streets. The spells had burned a massive hole in her wallet, all because of Leon.


    He didn''t even let her bargain, he just took it and asked her to pay. It was frustrating.


    "Wind snake....." meanwhile, Leon''s eyes remained glued to the spell manual in his hand. He didn''t really care that Arian had to pay so much for it, what he cared about was how he would learn the spells fast.


    The Warlock race was able to use spells from other ns as long as it had the same attributes, so even though the old man didn''t have any blood serpent spells the ones he had were okay.


    What Leon needed to do now was to learn to use the spell before setting off.


    But before he could do that, someone caught his eye.


    "Listen to me!!! The heaven devourer is about to wake up, we have to leave this area immediately!!!"


    "I saw it with my own eyes, it had eyes the size of small hills and fangs as sharp as des. If it leaves the mountain, we will all die!!!"


    On the side of the street, a man in his mid-40s stood ontop a bucket and spoke hysterically about his experiences inside the heaven devourer mountain range.


    However, not a lot of people seemed to be paying attention to him. The little that did pay attention were just there to make jest of him.


    They all believed that the man had a couple of screws loose...


    Deep inside the mountain range.


    A gigantic serpent with eyes as ck as night slizzard through a tunnelwork underneath the mountain range.


    It was so big that it could barely fit inside the massive tunnel. But it didn''t seem too bothered by the cramped space, it just went about its business like the situation was normal.


    About 100 m behind the snake''s tail, 4 carriages followed slowly behind doing their best not to alert it.


    "This is too dangerous, isn''t it? What if it notices us?" In front of the carriages a young manined.


    It had been a week now, and they had been following this serpent through the tunnelworks. They had gotten lost, but then they found this gigantic creature, so they followed it hoping it knew the way out.


    Unfortunately, it didn''t seem to, and they had been stock following it since then. They couldn''t go back for fear of getting more lost, and they could pass by it as it was too big.


    "Shhh, that''s not our call. You better keep your mouth shut before the n leader hears you" Beside the young man a guard retorted, meanwhile looking at the carriage behind them with some caution.


    On top of the carriage was a beautiful brte in leather amour with eyes as fierce as a monster.


    Thisdy was Liana, the current n leader of the blood serpent n...that''s right, these guys were the members of the blood serpent n. At least all that was left of them.


    They already made it to the heaven devourer mountain range but had gotten ''lost'' now they were stuck going in circles.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    A dayter, at the hunter encampment next to the heaven devourer mountain range.


    Leon sat on the floor of the carriage with his eyes closed. He seemed to be absorbing mana.


    Mana could generally be used by any race. But different races would typically use it for different reasons.


    One prime example was the Warlocks use of mana. They would usually use it for causal attacks. But when the fighting really bes desperate they would use life energy as their spells were more inclined towards life energy.


    "Blood Serpent work: Wind Snake Arrow"


    Leon muttered under his breath. Following this, an ethereal snake formed beside him in the middle of air. It had a pair of wings and a head straight as an arrow ready to pierce through its target.


    It didn''t stay so for long though, as it quickly began fading into non-existence.


    "Huuuu" Leon blew out a breath of hot air when this happened. Learning how to use warlock spells was not as easy as he predicted. It took him a whole day to materialize one wind snake.


    He was Uncertain about the duration required for to make more wind snakes, let alone employing them in battle, Leon found himself facing a challenge in gauging the timeline for both creation and practical implementation in battle.


    (If only I could use negative energy attacks.


    .)


    Leon thought in his mind. Actually, this wasn''t impossible, only to use negative energy properly he had to fulfil certain prerequisites. Sadly, he couldn''t fulfil them right now.


    ¡ªclick


    While Leon was in deep thought, Arian opened the door to the carriage and stepped inside.


    "How did it go?" Leon looked over at Arians figure and inquired.


    They had called Arian and a few other level two magic users over to see themander, ric. Naturally, Leon quickly came to the conclusion that something was about to happen.


    "It''s confirmed, there was arge group of blood serpent Warlocks that forced their way into the mountain range''s entrance. The n is to split into several teams and enter the range...."


    Commander ric had killed and captured most of the members of the blood serpent n, and he knew that there was no one left as powerful to force their way into the mountain range than the leader of the blood serpent n Liana.


    "You should get some sleep tomorrow is going to be hard" Arian looked at Leon''s serious expression and advised.


    There were about to enter a very serious hunt for his ns men. He needed all the sleep he could get.

 Chapter 36: Tamlin’s Silver Death knight

    <h4>Chapter 36: Tamlin''s Silver Death knight</h4>


    ¡ªclop


    ¡ªclop


    ¡ªclop


    The sound of horse hooves hitting the ground echoed inside a forest. About 15 men on horses could be seen making their way down a long path.


    "Atcheww" on a particr horse, Leon sneezed before casually looking around.


    The death squad had been separated into several teams and tasked to track down members of the blood serpent n.


    "Hmm, this stinks," Leonmented with some annoyance. He thought he would be given free rein during this escapade, but unfortunately, Dorian and Anan were in the same team as him, and they had instigated the team leader to force Arian to keep him in cuffs.


    "Speak silently, we don''t need any more trouble," Arian said coldly to Leon. It was not in her hands; the leader of this team was a strict guy, and she didn''t have any sort of rtionship with him.


    "Hmm," Leon understood her and nodded.


    "Why doesn''t he fly and scout the area? Seems like a waste of resources if you ask me," Leonmented in a hushed voice.


    The person leading their team was none other than the man who had led the entire squad here. It was the man in the silver armor, and surprisingly, he was a level 3 magic user.


    Themander knew they were going to face powerful members of the blood serpent n, so he knew to bring the best of the best for this escapade.


    "I don''t know much about level 3; the circumstances surrounding flight are well hidden so...." Arian exined.


    There might be a limit to flight as a level 3 magic user or maybe he just didn''t want to; she didn''t know for sure.


    "But, don''t you have someone in your family of that level?" Leon asked sneakily.


    "Hm? Mind your business,"


    When Arian heard those words from Leon, she sneered and pulled her horse forward a little. Leon was always trying to pry into her private life. She didn''t know what kind of mind games he was ying or what his ultimate goal was, but she knew she had to be very cautious of Leon.


    "Hehehe," seeing Arian''s reaction, Leon smiled and shook his head. The story of the shamed knight really had him intrigued. Forgetting his rtionship with Arian, there were several other points in the story that drew his attention.


    However, before Leon could continue pressuring Arian, a voice abruptly sounded.


    "Halt!"


    From the front of the trail, the knight in silver armor raised his hand, forcing the group to a quick and abrupt halt.


    "Hmm," he looked at the patch ofnd in front of him. They had been moving on this path for about 2 hrs, and there were no problems.


    This, in itself, was strange; the forest was not only full of hunters looking for Warlocks, but it was also crawling with wild monsters. It didn''t make any sense for him not to see even one.


    "HMMM..." The silver Knight squinted his eyes and looked to the back to call over one of his men.


    "Here, take my shield; I want you to ride at full speed towards the opening in front. Keep your guard up," The silver knightmanded. And without the slightest hesitation, the death squad member took the shield and rode off at full speed.


    What did he have to fear? The shield of the silver knight was basically imprable. It would take a level 3 attack to destroy this shield.


    ¡ªpuuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    Of course, he was right, because as soon as he entered the clearing, he was besieged by several arrows, and none of them sessfully broke through the shield.


    It was truly imprable. However, the man wasn''t. A massive arrow had pierced through his head, and he was nowying on his horse lifeless.


    "Hmmm, it''s as I thought," seemingly not caring about the death of his subordinate, the silver knight stretched his hand backward and grabbed a g beside one of his men.


    He then proceeded to ride into the opening with his g stretched outward in front of him.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,


    At a distant cliff, a group of hunters with heavy equipment and hwacha arrowuncher equipped with massive arrows.


    "Fucking retards!! Prepare another volley!!" One of the hunters, an aged man with white hair, said with anger. The previous volley was to tell them that this path was a no-go zone, but apparently, these guys didn''t know what was good for them.


    "Boss, isn''t that the Tamlin Death squad banner?" One of the aged hunter''s subordinates noticed the g marking and questioned the decision.


    "I don''t care if it''s the Red Riot party''s banners, the kill is ours. We aren''t letting them take it!!" The aged man berated. They had been in the forest for days, creating the right circumstances to get themselves a blue-horned Rhinoceros. In fact, he had men chasing the creature to this location at the moment, and they had prepared booby traps in that location.


    And now these guys wanted to pop out of nowhere and ruin it? Fat chance!!


    "Hmm, Prepare another volley," Hearing the reasoning from his superior, the hunter understood.


    Their jobs as hunters were to catch creatures. Because the Warlocks had been given this designation a lot of hunters changed their preview to attacking them.


    That didn''t mean they wouldn''t switch back when given the opportunity.


    "Hm?" Meanwhile, the silver knight who was currently standing in the open felt a vibrationing from the forest.


    He wasn''t the only one who felt the vibration, though; Leon and the others felt the same, so they hurriedly looked back.


    There, a massive Rhinoceros with a blue horn and mutated legs could be seen madly sprinting down the path Leon and the rest were standing on.


    "Fuck!!" Leon and the other members of the Death squad immediately went off the path into the uneven terrain of the forest. They didn''t want to be minced meat, so they got out of the way.


    However, one person remained in the way.


    The silver knight.


    "Hmp!!" He sneered at this scene before him. While staring at the blue-horned Rhinoceros with disdain.


    "Boom!!!!"


    He pulled out his sword and collided with the Rhinoceros. One man on a horse versus a Rhinoceros about 3 times their sizebined, but neither of them gave any room for weakness.


    "Hehe, stupid beast," the silver night slimed. His sheer force was able to stop the massive Rhinoceros running at full speed. This was an inhumane feat.


    "Take this"


    The silver knight reached forward with his left hand and punched the base of the Rhinoceros'' horn, causing it so much pain that it involuntarily stepped back.


    Using this opportunity, the silver knight pulled back his sword and shed at the Rhinoceros'' horn.


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    With each attack, the Rhinoceros would squirm in pain. The horn was its biggest weapon, but it was also its delicate spot. It was really painful being hit like that.


    Back atop the small cliff, the aged man had a look of dread on their face. The situation in front of them unbelievable, even they had to organise a troop of about 30 men to torment this monster day and night before they were able to redirect it to this path.


    But this guy was able to cause it to suffer to the point that it felt like running away in just a few seconds.


    "I knew that I recognised that guy. Its Tamlin''s Silver death knight!!" One of the subordinates of the aged hunter pointed out with dread.


    The Tamlin group was basically just an Alliance of a couple noble houses of the kingdom for the purpose of military action and hunting escapades. It was mainly formed by low level fighters and the high level ones were usually nobles.


    But sometimes, from inside the ranks of these low level fighters some talents would appear. A great example of this was The sliver death knight.


    He was nothing but a lowly foot soldier but his battle prowess and ruthlessness was superb, enabling him to climb the ranks very fast.


    Soon he got the name Tamlin''s Silver death knight, second only tomander ric when it came to ruthlessness.


    "Hmp!! Got you" The sliver death knight pulled his hand back and punched the horn of the blue horned Rhinoceros, causing it fo Snap off like a twing.


    "Roarr!!!!!!" The pain was unbearable. This guy has ruthlessness pounded on its defense mechanism until it copsed. He was the definition of a ruthless brute.


    "Hehe, that''s more like it" the sliver death knight smiled while looking at the horn in his hand. This was the most precious part of the monster and he had snatched it, leaving the creature half dead.


    "Eggh hhhhhh" the blue horned Rhinoceros squirmed with weak breathes. There was no way to fight off this pain, it was unbearable.


    "I''ll let you be, men!! Let''s go" looking at the state of the creature the sliver knight couldn''t help but shake his head. There was no thrill in killing it now, so he packed up his men an set off towards the mountain range.


    Surprisingly the hunters on the cliff not too far away didn''t do anything. Not because they didn''t want to, no it was because they couldn''t. their own leader was only at peak of level 2. They couldn''t wouldn''t dare act.


    At least he had left the body of the creature for them. They would manage.

 Chapter 37: Under The Heaven Devourer Mountain Range

    <h4>Chapter 37: Under The Heaven Devourer Mountain Range</h4>


    After leaving the forest area, the troops were led down the open path and after about 15 minutes of riding they reached one of the entrances of the heaven devourer mountain range.


    "Signal them" the sliver death knightmanded casually and from behind him Dorian rode forward with the Tamlin g and waved it.


    After about 10 seconds, there was no response, but the sliver knight didn''t seem bothered. He just began moving forward once again.


    The waving was only a formality, the people guarding the entrance had received prior orders to let the Tamlin group and several others into the mountain range to search for the blood serpent n.


    The blood serpent n''s matriarch was a big target, not just because she was the leader of the n. Apparently, she had cooperated with numerous other ns after their escape and done heavy damage to the hunters. Just like what the old Winged Devil did with the blue smander n.


    "Follow" Dorian waved the g again, signalling for the others to follow into the mountain range. And so they followed each other into the mountain range closely.


    The terrain of the heaven devourer mountain range was quiteplex, it was shaped in a zigzag manner. It looked like snakes had formed most of the paths, but they were educated enough to know that it was just natural formations.


    Another thing to note about the mountain range was its barrenness, not even a single creature could be observed on its surface. And the reason for this was simply because all these creatures were underground.


    "We''ll enter from here" the silver knight soon came to an abrupt stop before a small cave tunnel.


    The blood serpent n was their target, but there hadn''t been news of them for a while now. That meant there weren''t on the surface, if not they would have been spotted.


    They had definitely gone underground.


    "Stay close" Arian said to Leon as they tied up their horses and went into the cave entrance by foot.


    At the same time, several other members of Tamlin''s Death squad slowly made their way into the underground tunnel systems under the heaven devourer mountain.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "I will take point guard in case of any threats from the front, who would like to cover the rear ?"


    Inside the underground cave, the Silver death knight could be seen giving orders to his subordinates on how they would defend themselves inside the cave tunnel.


    The monsters of the heaven devourer mountain wouldn''t typically stay in the mountain range during the day, so most times they were underground. As long as they were in the tunnels, fighting against monsters was inevitable.


    "Sir Kilian, I suggest Arian Fiy take the rear, not only is she very talented, she also holds a pseudo level 3 spell" from the front Anan suggested.


    They had been put in the same team as Leon and Arian because they wanted to cause trouble for them, and what better way than cing them at the rear?


    The sliver death knight was taking the front and Arian was taking the back, both would see an equal level of danger, but could Arian bepared to the sliver death knight? She would probably die if a powerful monster appeared.


    "Fiy? You''re the daughter of the Shamed knight?" The silver death knight asked Arian with a raised eyebrow.


    He knew the Shamed knight. He was a powerful knight in the royal capital, sadly, he was pushed to depression andter to insanity by schemes. This was one of the reasons he didn''t like the idea of going to the cities. There was too much scheming going on there.


    "Yes sire," Arian said with gritted teeth. Anan and Dorian were at it again.


    "Hm, this is good. I hope you be as powerful as him one day so you can carry his name on. Dorian join her in guarding the rear." The sliver death knight kilianmended Arian before going forward to attack Dorian to the rear.


    "Wait that''s not right...." Dorian wanted to protest, but he was soon shot a re that made him freeze.


    There was a reason why peoplebelled the silver death knight number two in terms of ruthlessness in the Tamlin group. It was because he could hold a grudge to the grave over the smallest things.


    "Hehe, as siremands" Dorian smiled and gave a courtesy bow and proceeded to head to the rear with an attach¨¦.


    Dorian and Arian were the only two level 2 mages here. They naturally had to take some responsibility.


    And so they proceeded to move through the cave tunnel. They didn''t know whether it was still day or night in here, all they could do was persevere in the search for the blood serpent n leaders.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Meanwhile, deeper underground in a cave tunnel that seemed to have been recently made.


    "Why isn''t it moving anymore? Don''t tell me it went to sleep..."


    "Can''t be, we''ve been following it for a long time now, and it has never slept in such a cramped space."


    "So what''s going on?"


    Several members of the blood serpent n could be seen inspecting the massive snake that was previously leading them.


    It had stopped moving abruptly and it raised concerns. Its behavior was strange and there was no way they could go back the way they came.


    "Turn the carriages around" from atop the carriage at the very front of the line, a feminine voice resounded.


    This voice belonged to Liana. The matriarch of the Blood Serpent n. Why was she asking them to turn around?


    "Hm?" Before the others could fully understand what she meant, a sound resounded from in front of them.


    ¡ªcrackkkkkkkkk


    From out of nowhere, the wall beside the lead carriage cracked open and a massive mouth appeared out of nowhere.


    "Run!!!!" Immediately, panic ensued. The Serpent in front of them had taken a turned and burrowed through the soil to face them.


    It was a disaster.


    "BloodSerpent work: Blood maniption"


    As soon as the serpent''s head emerged, Liana stood up and stretched her hand forward.


    Soon her body became a bit pale as blood seemingly seeped from her pores and formed a long spear.


    "Wuuu"


    Before anyone could see it, she hadunched her spear directly at the serpents head.


    "Krrrrrrrr!!!!!"


    The serpent screamed in excruciating pain as the blood spear pierced its right eye directly.


    It tossed and turned in pain because this blood spear didn''t only injure it, it seemed like it was poisoning its right eye, infecting the region and stopping it from healing. It burned like acid.


    "Ride!!!" Lianamanded her men, meanwhile she proceeded to copse into her seating position above the carriage.


    She wasn''t so weak to fall off, but she wasn''t good either. The spell she had just used was dangerous for her already weakened self.


    "Hissss" While she sat in this position, a red snake slithered out of her clothes and bite into her neck.


    However, it didn''t seem to be sucking blood or poisoning her. On the contrary, it seemed to be giving her blood!!!

 Chapter 38: Under The Heaven Devourer Mountain Range — 2

    <h4>Chapter 38: Under The Heaven Devourer Mountain Range ¡ª 2</h4>


    At the same time


    "Hold your ground!!"


    On the other side of the tunnel, where Leon and Arian were, a heated battle had also begun.


    "Die!!"


    At the front, the silver death knight Kilian could be seen swinging his sword and cutting through severalrge cave wyrms.


    These creatures had started appearing little by little, first it was one, then it became two and now there were dozens of them popping out from the cave walls.


    They had entered a wyrm hole, and getting out was bing harder the deeper they went. But for some reason, Kilian didn''t order their retreat.


    He just went on killing As many wyrms as he could find.


    "Wind work: Wind de"


    He wasn''t the only one busy fighting, though. Arian and Dorian were at the very back, taking down the pockets of Wyrming from the back.


    As the only level mages in this group, they had to fight. This was only natural.


    "BloodSerpent work: Wind Snake Arrow"


    Leon too was present and abet being in chains, he was still able to help Arian from afar, with the asional wind snake arrow spell.


    He was already getting good at it, even being able to summon up to four at once. There was enough time to practice, so it was only natural for him to improve vastly.


    "Metal work: Tempered steel"


    Opposite Arian, Dorian activated a spell that engulfed his body in a metallic glow. Just then a volley of arrows came flying towards the wyrm in front of him skewing it instantly.


    "Nock your arrows!!" From behind, Anan directed the members of the death squad to assist those on the front line. Of course, this didn''t include Arain and Leon.


    They were left to fed for themselves.


    "These guys are increasing, what the hell is he thinking!!" Leon screamed in his mind while slowly stepping backwards. The deeper they went, the more corpses appeared on the floor courtesy of the sliver death knight. But could they keep this up forever?


    Contrary to their panic, Kilian the silver death knight was pretty m. There was a principle, most experienced fighters of their level knew that low-level fighters wouldn''t.


    It was the same as the principle of GU creation. Wherever there''s a gathering of monsters of the same type, there is bound to be something special.


    And from this distance he could already tell that it was close. He wouldn''t give up now because he cared for these weaklings. Worst turns to worst, he could just take Anan Dalriss and Arian fiy before escaping.


    "Keep pushing!!!" He screamed at the top of his voice before proceeding to take out a potion and downing it.


    "Roar!!!!" His eyes became blood-red then he continued shing through the Wyrms.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    30 minutester


    "Hmm, this should be it"


    In front of a cocoon wrapped in a white Web-like substance, Kilian looked on with a smile on his face.


    He had taken off his helmet, revealing red luscious hair on his head and a face that didn''t look to be above 30.


    "What''s that? Some kind of life-form" Anan squinted his eyes while with some confusion.


    This man had gone full maniac mode and cut down at least a hundred wyrms for whatever this was in front of them, so he wanted to know what it was.


    "No, it''s a treasure that''s about to ripen. If it had gotten ready before we got here, they would go at each other until one of them remains"


    "The victor would then proceed to eat it and see whether it can evolve"


    Monsters in this world were willing to do anything and everything to evolve and be greater creatures. And most times they relied on naturally urring treasures to achieve this. It made sense that this congregation was because of such a treasure.


    "So do we just take it and leave ?" From behind the group, Leon asked with some skepticism.


    They had killed so many wyrm but Leon couldn''t pinpoint where they came from, there was a big possibility that more of them wereing.


    "No, we can''t leave now. The treasure isn''t ready yet...." The silver death knightmented casually before proceeding to take a seat next to the numerous wyrm corpses.


    "At least let me defend myself during the next wave" Leon looked at the Silver death knight with some annoyance before proceeding to ask for his release.


    "Know your ce, filthy warlock, we have already done away with the Monsters." Anan looked back at Leon and snorted.


    Leon thought he could givemands here? He was just a good for nothing warlock ve. They would not release him.


    However,


    ¡ªng ng


    In the next second, Leon''s chains fell to the ground. He was uncuffed.


    "You...." Anan felt some momentary shock. Even Arian wouldn''t dare to free Leon in front of sir Kilian so who would dare.


    He slowly turned around and looked towards where the strike that release Leon came from, and surprisingly, his eyesnded on Kilian figure.


    "He''s right, the second wave hising. Do well to keep them at bay" The sliver death knight said causally before turning around to look at the treasure on the wall.


    The treasure wasn''t gone, so it would continue to attract wyrms. Naturally, they had to fight them off.


    "Hmp." Leon sneered at Anan before pulling out his two daggers from his waist.


    ¡ªkrrrrrrrrrr


    From the sides of the walls, more and more Wyrms started emerging from the walls. This fight was far from over.


    Unknown to them, most of the new wave of Wrym didn''t actuallye here for the treasure. No, in fact they were just running for their lives because, deep underground a massive creature was currently throwing a tantrum.


    Its rage alone scared most of the lifeforms away while it chased down the blood serpent n members.

 Chapter 39: Under The Heaven Devourer Mountain Range — 3

    <h4>Chapter 39: Under The Heaven Devourer Mountain Range ¡ª 3</h4>


    ¡ªsh


    ¡ªBoom


    ¡ªpuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    In the depth of a dark tunnel in the heaven devourer mountain range, four distinct figures could be seen dashing around taking the lives of Wrym- like beasts with massive and numerous teeth.


    "Bloodserpent work: Wind Snake Arrows."


    One of them was Leon.


    "Wind work: Wind de."


    The second was Arian.


    "Metal work: Tempered steel"


    And thest two were Dorian and Anan.


    Anan couldn''t stand seeing Leon and Arians taking all the glory of killing the monsters in front of them. He was from the glorious Dalriss family and would not be shown up, so he decided to join in and quickly this whole thing desolved info apetition of the sorts.


    ¡ªkrrrrrrr


    Leon stabbed a Wyrm with his poison dagger and looked forward. They had been going at this for close to an hour now and there seemed to be no end...contrary to what Anan was thinking, Leon wasn''t trying to show them up.


    He just didn''t like the idea of seating around to be Wyrm food.


    "Keep at it, the man with the most kills will get a reward from me!!!"


    At the back, The silver death knight said with a bigugh. He looked like a middle-aged drunk enjoying a sports match or something.


    He seemed to havepletely forgotten why they were actually here.


    Simultaneously, the rest of the cave systems were in a horrible state. Even some of the hunters in them had hurriedly escaped because of the shaking. Of those who didn''t leave were three distinct groups.


    The first were the ones who hadn''t felt the shaking like Leon''s group. The seconds were those trapped and lost, andst but not the least were the crazy ones like themander ric.


    "Push forward with everything you have!!! We must kill the beast, " in the eyes of themander was a look of utter excitement. They had been on the move for a while now, and there was no sign of the blood serpent n yet. It seemed like it was going to be another boring escapade.


    But fortunately, the gods had favored him. He spotted this marvelous beast in front of him.


    A jade tail swallow snake.


    This was a very rare and valuable beast, If he could kill it and extract resources from it, he would be rich in no time.


    However, he was certainly mistaken about whatever he thought the creature in front of him was, this creature spanned for about 2 kms and was so big that its main body was nearly touching the ceiling of the cave.


    It was a powerful creature and the only reason it hadn''t burrowed through the earth to attack him yet was because, it was currently being bombarded with volleys of arrows from another group of people in front.


    It was being attacked from the front and back, but the difference was that the ones attacking from the front included someone who had blinded its right eye.


    The matriarch of the Blood Serpent n, Liana.


    "There''s a crossroad at the front, we have to split up!!" One of the Elders of the blood serpent n eximed while hanging from the side of a carriage.


    The snake was actually after Liana after she blinded it, there was no reason for all of them to die because of her. It was the best idea if they went separate ways.


    "Hmp!! You can go if you like, just don''te bothering me in the future!!" Liana said with annoyance, meanwhile her eyes remained glued to the crossroad in front.


    The n was always like this, they would be with you when you''re powerful and would scurry away when you were in a disadvantageous situation.


    "Hmm!!" The elder pulled his head back into his carriage and nodded to his counterparts. They were going to leave Liana as soon as they got to the crossroads.


    ¡ªvooom


    And they did just that. Not surprisingly, the snake went after Liana and let them go.


    "Why are you still here?" Liana looked to her side and questioned.


    Beside her was a rtively fat man with a goatee looking calmly into the distance. Even though this man looked innocent and harmless, he was actually one of the most scheming people in the entire blood serpent n.


    The first elder.


    Everyone left, he stayed. It was a beautiful show of loyalty.


    "I want to see what you are seeing" the first elder said calmly. He didn''t know Liana to be illogical at all, if she made a move, she must have thought it out thoroughly.


    His underestimation of her was the reason she became n head in the first ce, he couldn''t let it continue.


    "Haha, I''m afraid you''re mistaken this time, old bastard. I really don''t have any ns. I''m just winging it" Liana said with a causalugh. The old man had fallen into her schemes so many times that he had PTSD.


    "I don''t believe one word thates out of you, let''s move on" the first elder held firmly to his belief. Even if he died, he wouldn''t regret, after all, he was already too old.


    "Suit yourself" Liana gave a causal smile and faced what was in front of her. An empty, dark tunnel stretching for who knows how long.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Hmmmm a crystal essence fruit. Makes sense" back at the Wyrm hole, Kilian held open a wooden box with a crystal shaped fruit inside it.


    This kind of fruit was special and was for the sole purpose of evolving and strengthening the bloodlines of monsters. Even though it had no use to him, he could sell it to a beast tamer and get some good money from it.


    "Eh hem" Anan coughed to call the attention of Kilian. Clearly he wanted his "reward"


    "Ay yh, the reward...." Kilian nodded his head before pulling out a small pill.


    "This one is good for level 1s, I figured we keep thepetition between the lessers" The Silver knight said while looking at Dorian and Arian to make such they were cool with it.


    "The winner is...let me think, carry the four, multiple by oh? It''s the warlock boy?"


    He said with a knowing smile.


    "Hey that''s not fair, we counted. I clearly won" Anan protested .


    However, Kilian shut him down immediately.


    "When he was assisting hisrades to kill as many wyrm at the beginning, what were you doing?" The silver death knight said to Anan.


    He couldn''t care less about Anan''s disapproval. He didn''t particrly like Leon either, but the rules were the rules. If anything, it was Anan who brought shame to himself.

 Chapter 40: Chase

    <h4>Chapter 40: Chase</h4>


    "Hmm, " Leon held in his hand a small purple pill the size of a peanut.


    This pill was given to him by Kilian as a reward for killing the most wyrm. this caught Leon by surprise, but then again, who knows what usually went through the minds of strong people like him.


    Leon didn''t know that Kilian couldn''t care less about him. The pill was a trash pill to him, what he had gotten was a 100 times better than that puny pill.


    "Hmp!!" Anan sneered while he causally walked past Leon. So what, that Leon had gotten the reward? He was a dead man walking anyway.


    Once this whole thing was over, he would torture Leon to death himself.


    "Something''s wrong" While they walked down a particr tunnel they found. Arianmented. The ce was too quiet, the area was once crawling with Wyrms and even though they had dispersed after the treasure was plucked. There was no reason for them topletely disappear.


    "Most definitely," Kilian responded with a callous confidence. There was absolutely something wrong, but he could tell that they were already too deep inside to avoid whatever it was.


    After a few minutes of walking they came upon a tunnel 10x the size of theirs, and couldn''t help be stare In awe. What kind of creature should create something like this?


    It was so big that they could probably fit in a building in here, and the way it looked made them believe it was burrowed by a creature, but what kind of creature could do this?


    ¡ªDumdum dum


    While they were in shock at the sheer size of the tunnel, a small quake shook their feet, following which a carriage zoomed past them from nowhere.


    ¡ªZoom!!!


    On the carriage there were two figures, one was ady In leather amour with brown hair and the other was a chubby elder with a goatee. Leon was able to recognize both.


    The first wasdy Liana, the matriarch of the Blood Serpent n, and the other was the first elder of the blood serpent n.


    These were the two most powerful individuals of the blood serpent n and the target of the Tamlin group. However, the speed at which they ran was too much for them to even react. They looked like they were running from something.


    ¡ªRoar!!!!!


    Soon enough, they found out the reason for this level of heist. As a Massive serpent who''s body nearly touched the ceiling of the tunnel came slithering past them at lightening speed.


    "Shitt!!" Anan and several others immediately took a few steps back, shocked by the size of this monster. They had never seen something like this in their entire lives. It was shocking to the core.


    "This..." The sliver death knight had a look of shock in his eyes too as he watched the serpent speed past them. It didn''t even act as if it noticed them. Only focusing on going after its targets.


    He was at a lost on what to do. The matriarch had dashing away before his very eyes, and she was immediately followed by this colossal creature. What could he even do?


    "Kilian, jump on!!!"


    While he was in this state of shock and confusion, he heard a voice resound from the down the path that the colossal serpent hade out from.


    "Is that?" He immediately looked outside and saw the figure of a bearded man in long robes standing on top a carriage staring him down while the carriage Zoom towards them.


    "Let''s go" he didn''t think twice, he grabbed Leon and Anan before leaping into the air andnding atop the moving carriage.


    He wasn''t the only one who moved, Arian and Dorian executed the exact same move. This carriage belonged to themander of the death squad,mander ric.


    He was following the serpent closely to kill it, little did he know that his main targets were just in front of this serpent.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    A few minutester.


    "Are you sure ?" ric asked with a frown forming visibly on his face. Kilian had just exined to him that in front of the massive serpent, Liana and the first elder of the blood serpent n were currently speeding off.


    This brought him some momentary excitement, but then the next words that came out of his mouth made him frown. The serpent in front of him was not a jade tail swallow snake.


    In a matter of fact, Kilian himself didn''t know what species it was. All he knew was that this creature was absolutely not normal.


    "Mentain this distance and stop the attacks" themander, ricmanded and Kilian immediately rid it.


    This monster was a massive question mark. They had to tread carefully, but they couldn''t just let Liana go like that. They had no choice. The chase had to continue.


    Meanwhile, Leon, who was seated at the top of the carriage with Kilian, ric and Anan looked at a pill in his hand.


    "Down the hatch, I guess?" Leon stilled himself and threw the pill into his mouth. He had taken his time, had thoroughly investigated the pill. It didn''t seem harmful, so he downed it.


    Whatever they would face when they got to Liana wouldn''t be easy. He had to be strong enough to survive.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    At the front where Liana sat.


    "The tunnel is bingrger" the first elder of the blood serpent nmented.


    The walls of the tunnel were bing wider and the ceiling further, they were about to enter a big pocket in the mountain range.


    "Yes, Prepare to increase speed" Liana said seriously.


    The cave bing wider meant the serpent would have more room for movement, it would soon bing faster.


    Of course, the space didn''t only benefit it, it also gave them more room to maneuver. If they yed their cards right. They might survive this.

 Chapter 41: Ontop The Giant Serpent

    <h4>Chapter 41: Ontop The Giant Serpent</h4>


    "Krzzzzzz!!!!"


    ¡ªBoom!!


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    The serpent''s sides collided with the walls of the tunnels as it made its way down the tunnel. With the extra space now, it could twist and turn easier. This in turn made it 2x faster than it was previously.


    Now it was catching up to Liana''s carriage at an unprecedented speed.


    "Are we really going to do this ?" The first elder asked Liana with a fair amount of skepticism. What she had just proposed was the wildest thing he had ever heard, and he was someone he had lived so long that not a lot of things could shock him.


    "Having cold feet huh, old man?" Liana mocked the first elder while strapping her leather amour tighter. She was about to do something very dangerous.


    "Hmmm, I hope you know what you''re doing, little girl. Slow the carriage down, " the first elder shook his head amanded the carriage rider. They were slowly descending into a more open area, but before that, Liana had something else in mind.


    Soon the carriage became slower and slower. It was inching closer to the giant snake by the minute. This excited the giant serpent.


    His prey was getting weak and sumbing. Soon it would get its revenge.


    ¡ªhissssss


    As it got close enough to the carriage, it opened its mouth wide, as if wanting to devour Liana whole.


    What it didn''t expect was that as soon as it opened its mouth, Liana jumped into the air and threw out a blood spear directly at its other eye.


    ¡ªswoosh


    Seeing Liana make this move, the serpent immediately turned its head to a certain angle that allowed the blood spear to miss its eye and pierce the ground beside it.


    However, it was mistaken as, this, was not Liana''s original goal. Just as the spearnded on the ground, Liana''s figurended on top the serpent''s head.


    ¡ªkreeee


    The moment the serpent noticed this, it went berserk with anger. Liana had tricked it.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "BloodSerpent work: Blood maniption"


    While standing on top of the serpent, Liana summoned a javelin made from her blood. She then proceeded to look around.


    "Hissssss" the snake soon began throwing a muchrger tantrum. It started hitting the walls harder in hopes to throw Liana off, but try as he may, Liana still stuck to him like glue.


    "Hehehe, let me see if I can tame this beast" Liana had a crazy look on her face while caressing the back of this serpent that was trying to throw her off.


    Everyone feared the monster, but not Liana. She thought she had a good chance of taming it.


    And to that effect, a red snake slithered out from her amour and directly pierced into the body of the giant serpent.


    "Slow and steady" Liana smiled


    Oblivious to her, she wasn''t the only one who had boarded the serpent. From the tail. Kilian, Arian, Dorian, and Leon could be seen making their way on top the serpent''s back.


    "Hmm!!" Kilian turned to themander ric from on top the serpent and nodded with a big silver bow in hand.


    The n was for them to get to the head of the serpent then, they would shoot Liana with an Arrow from this bow. It would weaken her enough for Kilian to capture her with a chain technique and drag her onto the head of the serpent.


    From there, they were basically home free.


    "Is there a reason you brought the warlock boy with us?" Dorian asked Arian with a look of annoyance. He was here with the hopes of causing problems for Leon and Arian, but he was constantly being ced in dangerous situations because of the crazy decisions of Kilian and themander.


    But, he wouldn''t dare state any of his grievances out loud, least be be an eyesore to them. They could kill him if they wanted to. It would just be an ident, so he decided to focus his anger on Arian once again.


    "Mind your business loser" Leon sneered at Dorian. He had to be here, if they captured Liana, it would be over for him and Arian, so he had to make sure it didn''t happen.


    Slowly they ascended onto the back of the serpent and started walking forward to the head.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Need to be faster" Liana sat cross-legged on top the serpent''s head with her blood javelin impaled halfway into its scales.


    The tunnel was getting wider, and wider with each passing minute. This meant that they would soone Into a big pocket underneath the mountain. If this happens the serpent would have the chance to coil.


    If it did this, she would fail. In actual fact, the tunnel was the only thing saving her right now.


    "Faster!!" She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. The snake she had sent into the blood stream of the giant serpent was working hand in hand with her to force the giant serpent to give in to her control.


    Unfortunately, As she sat there trying to overtake the giant serpent, she was being stalked in the dark by another.


    ¡ªzipppp


    From behind, a brightly lit arrow pierced through the dark cave and barreled towards Liana''s figure.


    "Hmp!!" Liana felt iting and dodged it abet it grazing her skin.


    "Here, keep this for me. You two, provide support" Kilian handed over the sliver bow to Leon andmanded Arian and Dorian to prepare for battle.


    Actually, this was born from necessity. If the other squads of their troop were here, he wouldn''t need Arian and Dorian to join in. But he wasn''t confident in taking Liana down himself.


    "Okay" Arian pulled out her sword and entered a fighting position. She could only try her best to make sure they didn''t harm Liana, it was Leon''s job to make sure Liana escaped.


    It would take only one mistake, just one.


    ¡ªWoos


    ¡ªswoosh


    ¡ªwhoosh


    Three figures dashed at Liana with their swords drawn.


    The first to strike was Kilian, he raised his sword to the sky and brought it down with a might that seemed to rip even the air around.


    ¡ªWhoop


    Liana used her leg to kick her blood javelin which was impaled in the serpent''s, causing it to flip in the air andnd in her hand. And with this she blocked.


    ¡ªng


    However, there was no breathing space for her as immediately after she blocked, Arian appeared from the side, threatening to cut her side open.


    But Liana was able to block this too by summoning a blood shield with round edges from her blood.


    Right now, she looked like a spartan warrior, with her round shield and javelin.


    ¡ªBoom


    With a simple thrust, Liana pushed back Arian, and then she proceeded to kick Kilian in the stomach, forcing him back.


    "Let''s do this!!" Liana smiled and rushed them by herself this time.


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªBoom


    ¡ªWhoop


    Not long after they began exchanging blows, meanwhile Leon stalked for an opportunity from behind.


    But contrary to what he had agreed with Arian. Leon had another target in mind.


    He drew the bow in his hand, but he wasn''t aiming to create an avenue for Liana to escape.


    No, he was surprisingly Aiming at Kilian

 Chapter 42: Showdown

    <h4>Chapter 42: Showdown</h4>


    ¡ªpuuuu


    ¡ªtttzzzz


    Following the release of the arrow from Leon''s hand. It went straight forward and ripped open a piece of cloth on Kilian''s side.


    ¡ªDing


    ¡ªBOOM


    ¡ªBAM


    Several items fell onto the serpent''s back. What Leon had ripped open was Kilian''s bag, Where he kept his valuable items.


    As soon as this happened, Kilian hurriedly looked back with the side of his eyes. There, Leon stood with his hands up, indicating that it was a mistake.


    "If it happens again, you''re dead!!" Kilian screamed at Leon at the top of his voice. He knew Leon wasn''t stupid, if he really wanted to affect this battle, he would not have shot at him as he was just too powerful.


    And another reason he didn''t believe that Leon wanted to kill him was because he believed that Leon was in love with Arian. No matter how smart the kid was, it was difficult to beat the feeling of infatuation as a child.


    He believed that Leon had thoroughly been turned into a loyal dog because of his love for Arian. The attack was merely a mistake.


    Nevertheless,


    ¡ªshhhing


    This little distraction Leon created was enough for Liana to make a move. She skillful dashed forward and swung her javelin forward and impaled Dorian by the throat.


    "Blurggg" Dorian struggled to hold his now bleeding neck. But it was to no avail, The blood javelin had passed through his throats and burst out on the other side of his head.


    He was Deader than Dead.


    "Shitt!!" Kilian regained himself and quickly lunged at Liana, hoping to keep her grounded once again.


    ¡ªng


    Liana blocked the attack and smiled at Kilian. Then she said.


    "10% is enough" just as those words left her mouth, the giant''s serpent''s trajectory entirely changed.


    It was going downwards into a massive cave.


    ¡ªBooom!!!!!


    After about 5 seconds of descending, the giant snake crashed into the ground of the cave, where it fell on its back. seemingly exhausted.


    Following its descent, a few other carriages followed from behind it and the people of these carriages had their weapons ready for a fight.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Arggg" Arian struggled a little before standing up slowly. The descent and crash was devastating, it happened too abruptly.


    "Hmm" she scanned her surrounding and the first people she noticed were Killian and Leon struggling to stand up at the same time.


    However, Leon didn''t seem that disorientated as he winked at her when she looks in his Direction. When no one was looking, Leon grabbed a few of the treasures that fell from Kilian. He was only pretending to be injured.


    ¡ªdum


    ¡ªdum


    ¡ªdum


    While they were all trying to join two and two together, about 3 carriages made their way towards them and stopped. On top of these carriages were the members of the death squad.


    "Where is the bitch Liana?" Themander ric looked around the saw no sight of Liana.


    Could it be that Kilian had failed?


    "Hm? Did she escape?" Kilian also looked shocked. The impact of the crash was supposed to be enough to knock anyone out for at least a few minutes.


    So how could Liana leave so quickly?


    He wasn''t wrong, truly there was no way for Liana to escape this fast. In actual fact she was still here.


    ¡ªgrrrrrr


    All of a sudden, the giant serpent began raising itself up, causing some panic. Soon it stood tall before them with eyes filled with rage.


    And on top of its head, The figure of Liana could be observed. On her face was a look of aplishments and a mad thrill.


    "Kill them all!!" Lianamanded.


    ¡ªkirrrrrrrr!!!!!!!


    The serpent opened its mouth wide open andunched itself at one of the carriages. Liana was in control of it now.


    ¡ªboom


    The carriage was shattered into pieces in a matter of seconds and the people on it had no choice than to either run or be killed.


    "Spread into units, do your best to distract it. We''ll take the bitch down ourselves." ric the head of the death squad announced with a voice filled with dread.


    The serpent now had a space where it could now move freely. It was now 10x times more dangerous than it was previously. This would definitely result in a lot of deaths.


    "Lend me big bretta " themander ric said to Kilian before slowly floating into the air.


    Flight!!


    Themander was capable of flight and now that there was enough space in the area. He could use it properly.


    "Magnosmanian work: controller"


    As themander floated in front of the massive snake, he reached forward and two massive swords flew towards him. One was from his carriage and the other was collected directly from Kilian.


    "You will answer for your crimes, bitch!!" ric looked at Liana with eyes filled with hatred. It had been so stressful trying to find her, and even now, after finding her, she was still bringing him problems.


    "Hehe, you can only try, old bastard." Liana looked him dead in the eyes and spoke.


    "Hmm, is this creature the reason for your confidence? If this is the case, then I''m very disappointed." ric responded. The creature was very powerful indeed, but he was certain that her control over it was only temporary. All he needed to do was survive long enough until it turns on her.


    "There''s also me" to the side on a big rock an old chubby man with a goatee sat looking at the happenings on the ground.


    This was the first elder of the blood serpent n. Even though he had the chance to escape, he decided against it. If they could survive long enough for Liana topletely refine this serpent, then going to blood rock would be all the more enjoyable.


    The sight of such a magnificent beast would rile up the blood serpent n members and even give them a chance at bing influential at blood rock. He had to support her the best he could.


    "Hmm this makes it more interesting then" themander then raised his hand, causing the two massive swords floating in front of him to melt and begin merging.


    Soon a bigger greatsword was formed, one that dwarfed even themander himself in size

 Chapter 43: Bloody

    <h4>Chapter 43: Bloody</h4>


    ¡ªRoar!!!!!!


    ¡ªAhhhh!!!


    ¡ªAhhhh!!!!


    The giant serpent, enraged by the Arrows being shot at it from different directions swooped down, and grabbed a handful of hunters in its mouth.


    "F*cking beast, die!!!!" Just as it did that,mander ric got riled up. He extended his hand forward and made a few hand gestures, making the massive sword to twist and sh down at the head of the giant serpent.


    "Useless" watching this attack barreling down towards her, Liana smirked. The snake was previously only 10% under her control, but the more she sat here, the more her control over it increased. Attacks like these were easy to dodge.


    But she wouldn''t dodge. She, too, stretched her hand forward, and a fat scimitar made from blood sped forward to intercept the attack. It was vastly smaller than Themander''s weapon, but it was equally as powerful.


    ¡ªng!!!


    Both collided and neither had even a scratch on them, but the surrounding air was pushed back in arge gust just because of the impact.


    This was the power of a peak level 3 fighter. A simple move from them could make the earth tremble.


    Meanwhile, on the ground, Leon could be seen running around the battlefield, dodging attacks being rained down.


    The entire ce was a mess. There was mass panic as the hunters tried their best to shoot down the giant serpent. But all their efforts only served to anger it.


    "Chaos" Leon muttered. This was the best chance for him to escape, he couldn''t even find Arian, and they were already out of bounds. However, this would not be possible because.


    ¡ªWang


    From within the crowd of hunters, a dagger tied to a long chain shot at Leon with blinding speed.


    "Ahh...." Leon tried to dodge, but the attack was too abrupt, and he didn''t really have the opportunity to move. The dagger attached to the chain shed at his arm and left a deep cut.


    For a brief moment, Leon looked at the wound and his arm, and a look of annoyance formed on his face. He knew exactly who had sent that attack his way, and it genuinely pissed him off.


    Anan


    Time after time, Leon had let this brat get away with causing him trouble. He gave him leeway, But he wouldn''t give up. It was vexing.


    "Big mistake, you''re going to suffer now" Leon turned around and gazed at Anan''s figure. They were in a big battle and everyone was busy with whatever they were doing. Forgetting the fact that Leon could just escape right now, if he killed Anan no one would know until the battle was over.


    "Hmp!! Die" Anan threw his chain at Leon once again. He wanted to kill Leon, they were already close to capturing Liana, so Leon had no use to them.


    ¡ªWang


    The chain coiled forward once again towards Leon, but this time Leon was prepared. He dodged the chain and pulled out his daggers before dashing towards Anan.


    Noticing that Leon had dodged his attack, Anan threw a backflip and drew the chain back. Magically, the chains'' length increased and took a turn and barreled towards Leon again.


    "BloodSerpent work: Wind Snake Arrows"


    Leon cast a spell and made several ethereal Arrows made out of a red wind appear and fly towards the head of the coiling chain.


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    This move not only stopped the chain in its tracks, it allowed Leon to continue with his sprint towards Anan.


    "Fine!! Let''s go head on." Feeling embarrassed by what Leon just did, Anan pulled out a short sword from his back and prepared to engage Leon.


    A face-to-face match up. This would settle the score.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Krrrrrrreee"


    Meanwhile, the giant serpent shook around excessively. It seemed to not only be In pain, but also like it was struggling against something. Ontop of it, Liana looked white as a ghost.


    She had been severely injured by ric.


    She had lost a lot of blood while fighting against ric and trying to gain full control over the giant serpent. It felt like she was losing on both fronts even.


    "Give up and i''ll make sure you get the best cells in the Death squad barracks" ric said with a smirk on his face. This fight was actually harder than he thought.


    He believed Liana to be the run-of-the-mill middle grade level 3 warlock. But he was surprised to see her aplishing the feats of peak grade magic users.


    It was genuinely surprising that shested this long against him, as he was one of the strongest people in Tamlin group.


    "Hmmm, you haven''t won yet, old bastard. Don''t get too excited" Liana raised her head and smiled at ric.


    Just then, she reached into her robes and pulled out a red pill. Then she directly threw it into her mouth...


    "BloodSerpent work: bloody Death Parade"


    All of a sudden, her eyes became bloodred and so did her teeth and finger nails. She seemed to have turned into something that was more than human. Had be a Demon of some sort.

 Chapter 44: Untitled

    <h4>Chapter 44: Untitled</h4>


    Her fingers became elongated and her eyes and teeth began dripping blood. She looked like something out of a horror movie. But this was just the result of a forbidden spell.


    "Yeeeee!!!!" Liana released an ear-piercing screech that caused the entire cave to shudder. She then looked over at ric with a crazy smile.


    "Die!!!" She used her finger and swiped down at him, a trail of blood stretched forward and shed towards ric and


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    Even though ric blocked with his massive sword, he was still pushed directly to the ground where he formed a small Crater.


    The battle had taken a turn.


    At the same time, at a particr rock on the side of the battlefield, twobatants stood staring each other down.


    One was a plumpy aged man with a goatee, and the other was a bulky man with blonde hair and a heavy suit of amour.


    These two were the first elder of the blood serpent n and Kilian,The sliver Death knight of the tamlin group.


    "She has lost this fight" Kilian said with a sly smile while looking in the direction of Liana and ric''s battle.


    "I know" The first elder said with a tone of regret. From the moment she started losing control of the giant serpent, he knew that it was over.


    She was already too weak from weeks of being on the run,pletely controlling the giant serpent was impossible. But he held hope, unfortunately his hope was dashed immediately Liana activated the forbidden spell.


    There was noway she would gain control of the serpent after that, and as for the beating ric was receiving. It was only temporary, she couldn''t kill him.


    "Don''t worry, we will keep you in special cells" Kilian responded with a snide remark.


    "You couldn''t capture me even if you tried." The first elder responded with absolute confidence. If anyone could survive this ordeal, it was definitely him.


    "We will see about that" Kilian nodded.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªshok


    ¡ªsh


    ¡ªng


    On a side of the battlefield, Leon and Anan were going at it In full force. The battle looked like it was one between two experienced fighters.


    But, it was obvious who had the upper hand In his battle. It was Leon.


    Anan made a big mistake by allowing this to devolve into a closebat fight. Leon was a dual dagger user, while Anan was, in fact, just a chain user who had mediocre talents in using a short sword.


    So with every strike sent towards Leon, he would simply block and use his other dagger to Stab or sh Anan. Anan''s body at this moment riddled with holes and cuts.


    ¡ªwoosh


    Leon jumped back and stared at Anan''s pathetic stance. Anan thought this was going to be a simple battle where they would simply trade blows, but he was absolutely mistaken.


    It wasn''t until this closebat exchange that he understood that Leon had been holding back for the longest time. Every single attack from Leon was lethal, aiming at his vital organs.


    Leon was truly trying to kill him this time, and there was nothing he could do about it apart from.


    " Uncle ric Help!!!! He''s trying to kill me!!" Anan screamed at the top of his voice, immediately calling the attention of themander.


    "Hmm??" ric, who was also in a bad state, looked over at where the voice wasing from and froze.


    The figure of the bloodied Anan appeared in his eyes, making his facial expression to turn ugly. Not many people knew this, but In actual fact Anan was his nephew. That''s right, they were blood rted, so seeing him in this state made him furious.


    "And you''re still standing there watching this happen? Kill the filthy warlock or else I''ll break your mother''s soul right now!!"


    ric turned to Arian, who was casually watching the battle from a far away distance and said. Arian was the reason his little nephew was kidnapped by the filthy Warlocks, and now she wanted to stand by while his other nephew was murdered in cold blood?


    Even though he was tied down, he would not let it happen.


    "I....." Arian froze upon hearing this. Her mother was in the hands of the Dalriss family. She had taken arge sum of money for hervish lifestyle from the dalriss family and couldn''t pay back, so they imprisoned her soul and made Arian pay back the money by working as a guard.


    This was the main reason she was in the tamlin group.


    "What are you waiting for???" While blocking another attack from Liana, ric screamed at Arian. It was only a matter of time until he won this fight, but he was Afraid that Anan wouldn''tst that long.


    "I can''t..." It wasn''t like she didn''t want to stop Leon. She just couldn''t. In the new contract, Leon asked her not to interfere with his battles with Anan so she couldn''t even stop it talkless of killing Leon.


    If not, she would die. It was a lose-lose situation for her. Killing Leon would end her life and not doing it would end her mother''s life.


    Her hands were tied, this was a really tough decision. But it wasn''t one she would have to make.


    "Fine!! Let her die then" ric pulled out a small orb from thin air and


    ¡ªcrackkk!!!


    He shattered it...


    That orb contained a soul....


    This soul was the soul of Arian''s mother.....


    She wasn''t the best of mothers, but she was still her mother.


    It broke her usual cold appearance several beads of tears began rolling down her eyes uncontrobly.


    All the humiliation she had to endure, all the pain and suffering all was for nothing. All here emotions came rushing out at that exact moment.


    "Hmp!! Die alongside your bitch of a mother" ric sneered, then sent two dagger - shaped projectiles towards Arian and Leon.


    The projectiles flew in a perfect trajectory and directly pierced through Arian, causing her to fall to the floor.


    As for the one speeding towards Leon. It was intercepted by a plumby shadow that appeared out of nowhere.


    The first elder of the blood serpent n.


    As his figure stood before Leon. Hemanded in a calm yet hurried tone.


    " take cover kid, we don''t have much time"


    Leon was the only warlock on this battlefield except for him and Liana. If he couldn''t save her, he could at least save him.

 Chapter 45 What Happens Next?

    45 What Happens Next?


    The situation of the battlefield was like this.


    Anan had passed out on the battlefield from excessive blood loss. Liana had gone crazy with bloodlust and had abandoned the giant serpent to Attack ric furiously with no care for her life. The giant serpent was currently throwing a fit, killing every and anybody in its line of sight.


    Meanwhile, the first elder was being attacked by Kilian, but Killian seemed to be at a disadvantage.


    ¡ªwoosh.


    On the other side of the battlefield, Leon''s figure shed and soon hended beside Arian''s body. Sheid there in a small pool of her own blood. The dagger had gone through her chest, but it didn''t directly hit any vital organs.


    "Heal!!" Leon squatted before her and used his heal spell. The spell had been a passive one for the longest time because Leon was meticulous not to get injured most times.


    However, In this scenario, it was necessary to use the spell.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "There''s no need to continue....." The first elder said to an exhausted Kilian. They had fought for a brief few minutes and the difference between them was now very clear.


    The first elder was not only exceptionally fast, he was somehow able to suck life-energy from his opponents. This was the most taboo skill he had ever seen. It was bing clear that the first elder was just as dangerous as Liana in a one-on-one fight.


    "Hmm, I only have to keep you here long enough for themander to be done with your n head...." kilian said through his teeth, but he knew deep down that it was impossible. If the first elder wanted to leave, he would do so and kilian would not be able to do anything about it.


    "Hehe, why don''t wepromise? I want to take the warlock boy along with me, in exchange I will make things easier for you by attracting the Serpent away from the battlefield" the first elder proposed a deal.


    This battle was lost, Liana couldn''t tame the serpent, and she was locked in a battle with a peak level 3 mage, there was no way for her to survive. But he and Leon could, so why risk their lives?


    "Hm? What? Do you want tomit suicide?" Kilian was skeptical about what The first elder had just proposed.


    He would take Leon and attract the serpent towards them? Was he so confident of escaping the enraged serpent?


    "You don''t have to make sense of it, you only need to agree, and this battle will be as good as yours. None of your men will have to die anymore" the first elder urged.


    There was another reason for his proposal though, the serpent was still very attractive to him and letting it chase him would give him the opportunity to try and tame it himself.


    But this was not relevant to tell Kilian.


    After a few moments of contemting, Kilian involuntarily agreed.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "We are leaving¡­." The first elder''s voice resounded behind Leon, who was currently healing Arian.


    "Hm? Okay" Leon turned back and saw the old man on top of a carriage and nodded. This was the only opportunity to escape they would have. A moment toote, and ric would turn his attention to them.


    Leon ced Arian on his back and climbed atop the carriage. Then the first elder looked back at Kilian before nodding.


    "BloodSerpent work: yang Arrow"


    Out of thin Air, a blood-red arrow appeared and shot towards the disfigured eye of the serpent.


    ¡ªshuk!!!


    "Roar!!!"


    The arrow caused the giant serpent''s eye to begin bleeding, once again, infuriating it. Its attention was quickly drawn to the first elder.


    "Let''s go" the first elder turned the horse carriage around and sped into a small tunnel on the side.


    "Roar!!!!"


    The serpent immediately gave chase. Just like that, they all left Liana to her fate, she had taken a risk and lost, there was Nothing they could do for her anymore.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Inside the small cave tunnel.


    The first elder sat at the front of the carriage directing its movement while Leon stayed right beside him.


    "You sure you know what you''re doing, old man?" Leon asked. He couldn''t wrap his head Around the reason why the old bastard would attract this massive monster toe after them. Was he some sort of masochist who enjoyed being beaten to the ground?


    "Hehe, that''s not the right question you should be asking, kid¡­." The first elder chuckled.


    "Tell me, will youe with me to blood rock? Or do you have other ns?" The first elder asked. This question, it was a bit strange, have other ns? What did the old bastard know?


    "Hehe, it''s a pretty stupid question, I''m not even sure if I''ll be able to seed, talk less of taking anyone to blood rock"


    He was going to try and tame the giant serpent himself, but there was a pretty low chance of him seeding. After all, he wasn''t Liana who had practiced the sacred blood maniption spell.


    "Oh? That''s what you mean....." The old man didn''t want Leon following him around, so he was actually trying to get rid of him.


    But where was Leon supposed to go? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Roar!!!"


    The serpent was right behind them.


    "It''s good that you understand, I''ll drop you off somewhere so you can find your way from there" the first elder nodded as if Leon had made the right decision even though he didn''t give him a choice at all.


    Soon they approached a small tunnel connected to the main one, there the first elder dropped Leon and Arian.


    "Hehe, I''m not even sure if any member of our blood serpent n has survived, sigh. Take this spell, kid, it''s my gift to maybe thest member of our blood serpent n. It''ll help in the future"


    The first elder briefly paused before throwing a scroll to Leon.


    This spell read,


    "


    Life devourer spell


    Grade: unknown (iplete)


    Description: allows user to constantly replenish life-energy reserves by sucking the life from every and anything around him


    "


    Drop your discord, I''ll add you to the server. or check my profile for the link.


    primodial

 Chapter 46 Birth Of The Sin Of Pride

    46 Birth Of The Sin Of Pride


    "Ahhh"


    A disorientated voice echoed in a dark tunnel illuminated by a small glowing orb. Inside the tunnel two figures were present, one was a male seated quietly before the glowing orb and the other was a female with a long, loosely fitted white shirt struggling to get up from the ground.


    "Oh? You''re awake?" The one seated on the floor looked over at the other figure. She was a beautiful blondedy with skin as fair as snow, she was the definition of a cold beauty. However, she didn''t look so cold at this moment.


    She looked downcast, devastated and defeated. She had been living a lie for so long, working for the people who captured her mother, just to get her out of bondage. She had kept her pride aside and bowed to them, but for what? They had no sympathy. And killed her mother before her very eyes. Making all of her efforts be waste.


    These two were naturally Leon and Arian


    "You healed me?" Arian looked over at Leon and asked. Leon was supposed to be her enemy, but he was the one who ended up saving her from her so-called Allies.


    "Yes I did"


    "Why?" Arian asked.


    "I don''t need a reason to do anything.....i do what i do because i can." Leon responded.


    "Hmmm" Arian sighed, Leon was dodging the question.....she had never been able to see through this guy''s intentions, he was always cloaked in a sort of nonchnt dark shade.


    After a few seconds of staring at Leon, she turned and looked away. There was no gain in trying to understand Leon. She had enough on her mind already. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But she didn''t expect Leon to be the one to speak to her at this turn.


    "Stop that, You''re going to ruin your prideful heart if you continue like this" Leon spoke while looking at Arian with the side of his eyes, she was beating herself up because of what happened, slowly dragging herself into a sort of depressive spiral.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about" Arian said with a bit of contusion.


    "You''re beating yourself up because of your mother''s passing...but you''ve failed to ask yourself why she passed under your watch" Leon closed his eyes and spoke.


    When some people go through traumatic experiences like these, they tend to react differently. Some would be suicidal, some would fall into the deepest pits of depression, and some would be filled with a blind need for revenge.


    99% of the time, this would be the case.


    But there was that 1%, that 1% that would look at the root of the problem and face it head on. Leon was one of those people, when he witnessed the death of his family in his past life, he was blinded by rage for a time, but he understood that blind rage would just turn him into another corpse.


    He knew there was only one solution to his problems.


    Power


    Power was the only thing that could fulfill the desires of themon man. It is the only way to face the endless circles of hardship this world has prepared for you. Those who don''t chase or strive for this power will only be stepped on.


    "What are you trying to say?" Arian couldn''t help but frown at Leon''s words. He was insinuating that she was the reason for her mothers'' death, but did she not know that?


    "Hmm, you still don''t understand? I''m saying the reason your mother died was because you were too weak¡­


    your pride was your most powerful strength, but you allowed it to be trampled on by others, and now you throw your most powerful strength into the gutters because you cannot pull yourself to work harder for revenge...It''s disgusting" Leon berated Arian with a stern voice. This made her expression be uglier.


    "My pride won''t make me a level 3 mage overnight" Arian answered with a causal sneer. Even when downgrading her pride, she was still prideful.


    "You''re right," Leon stood up from his sitting position and walked up to Arian. Then he squatted down, putting his face before hers.


    His eyes stared directly into hers, but it felt more like he was trying to look into her very soul.


    "You''re weak, but your will is indomitable, join me, and i promise to ce the heads of your enemies by your feet ." Leon said with a calm yet captivating voice.


    His words were absurd, he was nothing but a level 1 warlock and was speaking about killing level 3 mages? What kind of logic was that, or did he get hit on the head during the battle? If anyone heard this, they would fall into a hystericalugh.


    "And how are you going to do that?" Arian asked with a slight tilt of her head. Leon was iming to be able to perform an impossible feat, even though her mind felt this was stupid,she couldn''t help but wonder.


    Leon was an enigma to her. she talked to several members of the blood serpent n that they captured, and they all testified that Leon was nothing but a cripple that didn''t know his left from right...but time and time again he had shown that he was deeper than the ocean itself.


    From using fu shu energy to surviving one of the most deadly battles she had ever seen, one she wouldn''t have survived herself without his help. Leon had shown he was definitely a force to be reckoned with even with his punny level.


    "You must trust me" Leon said and stretched his hand forward, grabbing her face gently. This move shocked Arian, but she couldn''t bring herself to do anything.


    13:31


    "Do you want strength and power? Do you want the power to trample on your enemies? Do you want to walk freely in this world and follow your heart''s desires without fear? I will grant you all that and many more.....all you have to do is trust me and I will make you one without equal" Leon''s voice carried a hypnotic flow....it felt magical


    She couldn''t help but think that the only thing limiting him was his level. If ever they were on the same level, she would definitely lose to this monster before her.


    "You must trust me" Leon said and stretched his hand forward, grabbing her face gently. This move shocked Arian, but she couldn''t bring herself to do anything.


    "Do you want strength and power? Do you want the power to trample on your enemies? Do you want to walk freely in this world and follow your heart''s desires without fear? I will grant you all that and many more.....all you have to do is trust me and I will make you one without equal" Leon''s voice carried a hypnotic flow....it felt magical


    Just as these words left Leon''s mouth, his aura changed entirely, he was the same person but he gave off the feeling of a charismatic hero offering a helping hand to a damsel in distress. At this moment, she hadpletely forgotten that Leon was a maniptive Demon that had dragged her into this mess.


    In fact, a quick analysis of everything that happened from the day they Met till now would point out that Leon was actually the source of most of her troubles.


    He had forced her into an unsavoury contract that dragged her into this wild goose chase for the dead Fryan Dalriss. He had humiliated Anan Dalriss and pitted them against each other all while making Arian dependant on him. But she didn''t see all this.


    "Uh¡­" Arian nodded involuntarily, she had unknowingly been drawn into trusting leon''s word and what he promised her was the world, in this time of need it was hard to say no¡­but it still felt like she was about to make a deal with a Demon, however, she found herself drawn to him the more he spoke.


    As soon as she nodded


    Leon suddenly leaned forward and ced a kiss on Arian''s lips. It was quick and made Arians eyes widen, but before she knew it


    [Ding


    Host has found a suitable match.....activating seed of the seven deadly sins: sin of pride


    ]


    Inside Leon''s head the system resounded and slowly Arian was dragged into an empty space where shes of light engulfed her mind. It seemed like she was being tuned and tested for the role she was about to take


    While this was going on her hair had slowly turned from blonde into pure white, like snow.....this was an indication that she had received the sin of Pride


    And sessfully be the embodiment of the sin of Pride.

 Chapter 47 Raise of the Sin of Pride

    47 Raise of the Sin of Pride


    A few dayster,


    Two silhouettes on horse back slowly made their way through a narrow crossing in the heaven devourer mountain range.


    One was a male in leather amour and a cloak covering his head. He looked mysterious and deadly.


    The other was a beautiful female with blue eyes and long luscious hair as white as snow. She had a cold expression on her face, but even then, it couldn''t mask her beauty. She was stunning.


    "Halt!!!" As they approached the edge of the heaven devourer mountain range crossing, a voice sounded from on top a particr formation of rock.


    "Hm?" Thedy turned to look over at where the voice emanated from, and her gazended on the silhouette of a man in ck pointing an Arrow at her.


    "Who are you with?" The man asked while nocking the arrow with more force. He was part of the guard team meant to monitor the mountain range. So he had to know who wasing and who was going.


    "Tamlin" thedy spoke gently before pulling out a torn up g with the tamlin group''s insignia on it and letting it fall to the ground.


    "Hm? The Tamlin group? They already left here a few days ago. You must think I''m stupid" the man frowned then pulled his Arrow string harder.


    If she had mentioned another group, he might have been a bit skeptical, after all, there were a few others still in the mountain range. But the Tamlin group had left in a very big way.


    They dragged the n leader of the blood serpent n in chains out of the mountain range for the whole world to see.


    It was a sight to behold, the leader of the blood serpent n, who had done so much damage to the hunters, was bound by chains and dragged out by the tamlin group.


    "We got separated during the battle, that''s all" thedy exined but


    "Don''t bother exining, we have to go over the outpost and verify your identity. There''s nothing I can do about it." The man didn''t believe her, his job was to make sure no unauthorized person made it passed this area, and he took it seriously.


    Thedy would just have to bow her head and follow him.


    "I don''t have the time for that"


    However, he didn''t expect that she would refuse outrightly.


    "You think you have a choice?" Irritated by her response, the man pulled back his bow once again, aiming directly for her head. If she proved stubborn, he would end her life.


    But


    a secondter, her silhouette shed from his line of sight andpletely disappeared.


    "What??!!," the man was shocked beyond belief, he frantically checked his left and right for traces of her...but he couldn''t find her, no matter how hard he tried n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Cough cough" While he frantically looked for thedy, he heard a coughing sound resound from where her horse was stationed.


    "Hm" the coughing wasing from the cloaked individual behind her horse.


    The cloaked individual shook his head and pointed to the sky right in front of him, making the man to involuntarily look up.


    "That''s...."


    In the middle of the sky, floating in front of him was thedy he had stopped a few seconds ago.


    This was flight!!!


    The sign of a level 3 mage...


    A few minutester, thedy and Leon exited the mountain range and rode forward.


    ¡ªcluck


    ¡ªcluck


    ¡ªcluck


    The sound of horse hooves sounded just outside the mountain range as the cloaked individual rode past thedy with white hair.


    "Are you sure about this?" Thedy questioned the individual in front of her.


    "Of course, I have so much nned Already. And since we are together now, I wouldn''t mind you taking a look at my ns" the individual smiled before taking off his hood.


    It was a youth with brown hair and eyes. This was none other than Leon, and thedy with white hair was Arian.


    After sessful turning Arian to the sin of Pride, she directly broke into Level 3 and became a level 3 mage.


    She now had the power to at least struggle against her enemies.


    But apparently, Leon had ns already in motion to do much more damage than she could conceive. His staying in the Tamlin camp for so long was not without reason, he was just ying the long game.


    "Don''t worry, I will tell you on the way there" Leon said before turning his horse around and leading the way into the forest in front....


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Tamlin group''s main camp.....


    "The death squad is badass, I can''t believe they did all that." At the front gate to the tamlin group camp, two guards stood side by side discussing.


    They had heard the stories of what happened in the heaven devourer mountain range from death squad members and couldn''t help but be excited and shocked.


    A serpent the size of several buildings and the head of the blood serpent n went up against them, and they came out on top. It was a thrilling story, and had shot the reputation of the death squad by several folds.


    "Hehe, you want to join them?" The other guard said with a bit of Mockery. Even though what happened made their blood boil, they still wouldn''t want to join the death squad. Just the death toll of this Mission was enough deterrence.


    "Change the topic," the guard said with the side of his eyes looking around cautiously. The death squad was severely undermanned after this mission and was searching for people to join.


    If they heard them talking about joining, they would be transferred for "showing interest"


    "Haha, that true."


    They both immediately changed the topic , but unknown to them, on the path not too far away, a silhouette in leather amour on horseback made its way towards them slowly.


    ¡ªcluck


    ¡ªclook


    ¡ªclok


    Soon the sound of the horse became audible to them, forcing them to look over at the person approaching the camp.


    In front of them, ady far too familiar to them stood. Even though her hair color had changed, they knew her cold gaze and beautiful face.


    Arian Fiy

 Chapter 48 Untitled

    48 Untitled


    "Surrender!!!"


    "Put your hands where we can them!!"


    "Don''t move!!"


    Several guardsmen with spears in hand could be seen Surrounding Arian, who was currently on horse back.


    They had heard about everything that happened in the heaven devourer mountain, including "Arian''s betrayal and death" so seeing her here genuinely shocked them, they all thought she was dead.


    But now that she had appeared, they didn''t really know how to react, other than surrounding or trying to capture her.


    "Hmmmm" Arian, while still maintaining the cold expression on her face, looked forward into the camp. Sounds of festivity could be heard from within the camp.


    There seemed to be some sort of event happened inside the camp.


    "Take me to themander" Arian said out loud, but she didn''t wait for them to reply as she began making her way into the camp slowly.


    This move momentarily shocked the guards, but they had no choice but to follow her tightly while still maintaining a tight perimeter around her.


    There was really nothing else they could do, it was best for themander to handle her


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    30 minutes prior


    At the very back of the camp in the lumber Area


    A figure cloaked in a dark robe slowly made his way out from the forest and into the clearing.


    Once he did so, he looked around and his eyesnded on top, a young man seated in a rxed position behind a stack of lumber.


    "There he is" the cloaked figure whispered as he made his horse move closer and closer to the young man.


    "Who''s there?" The young man noticed the new arrival and quickly became tense. There was not meant to be anyone in the lumber Area at this time of the night.


    "It''s me" the figure pulled down his cloak and revealed his face.


    "Hm? Boss?" Immediately after seeing this face, the young man''s facial expression lit up. He wasn''t expecting for Leon toe back after all the news he had heard.


    "Yes yes....." Leon smiled, he had scouted this area thoroughly in the past and was able to determine that it was the best ce to sneak into the camp from. There were barely any guards here until you reached the outskirts of the camp, and even then, those were mainly patrols.


    "Oh my god, is this really happening?" The young man, after a brief moment of shock, suddenly came to another realization. Leon appearing here signified only one thing.


    The n was about to be set in motion.


    "I hope everything is prepared?" Leon asked the young man. He had Arian purchased Gunta from the cages and gave him strict instructions to follow pending his return. Now that he was here, everything was to be set in motion.


    "Of course, I did everything you asked, and I even have the equipment here with me now." Gunta said with glee, before reaching to the back of the stacks of wood to pull out a bag.


    Leon''s instructions had him waiting here every day for the signal for the n to set off, as such he was always ready.


    "Good, let''s go cause some mayhem" Leon smirked. From here on out, all hell would break loose.


    "I feel so terrible, us, my bones are stiff, and my wounds are rotting. No one should live like this"


    Inside a cage in the middle of the tamlin group''s camp, a Warlocks chained and caged up could be seenining. He had bruises and cuts all over his body, and no one spoke about it.


    This was mainly because a great many of them had been through the same situation on several asions. So they knew this as amon urrence.


    "Don''t worry about its brother. When lord Badur appears, all this will end, and we will all be free" Beside him, another warlockmented.


    "Hmp!! You guys keep believing in all this bullshit, what nonsense. You expect us to believe that some random powerhouse would appear just to save us? You think they don''t have any n members to worry about? Retards" in an entirely different cage, a warlock in his mid-twenties berated.


    A while ago, some rumors had begun spreading among the Warlocks of a powerful Warlock liberator that woulde and free them. Apparently, this Warlock was so powerful that he had burnt down numerous other hunter camps and the hunters could do nothing about it.


    Of course, not everybody believed such absurdity.


    "You will see!!! Just wait and pray" the previous warlock urged, regardless of what he would hold faith. To him, this savior was more than just a powerful Warlock. He was a spiritual guide to all the Warlocks going through this oppression.


    "Hmp!!! Blind faith!!" The warlock in his mid-twenties sneered and turned to look away. There was no pulling these guys from their fantasies.


    However, as soon as he turned back, he heard a strange sound followed by a ruckus behind him.


    "Hm?" He turned back to see what the problem was, and immediately his eyes changed into one of shock.


    The locks to the cages in front of him had been broken and the guys he was talking to previously had rushed out.


    This was astonishing


    "Hey!!! Let me out too" after a brief moment of shock, the warlock screamed for help. However, he was ignored.


    Gunta''s POV


    "Next" Atop a tree not too far away from the camp, gunta''s silhouette could be observed with a bow and arrow aiming at a cage.


    ¡ªpuuuu


    He fired another arrow from his high vintage allowing to collided with a lock effectively breaking it.


    "Ahhhhhh!!!" Immediately, the people in the cage rushed out and engaged the guards. This was a long-term n Leon had set in ce.


    The rumors of the Lord that woulde to save them was also spread by Gunta on the directives of Leon.


    "Kill the bloody hunters" the Warlocks seized the opportunity and attacked the guards, brutally overwhelming them.


    Because of the event at the center of the camp, most of the guards with true power like the level 2 guards were not around, as such, this little rebellion couldn''t be quelled easily.


    "He''s already here" gunta turned his Arrow to a figure on horse-back, he was cloaked in ck and with a torch in hand.


    "Who??!!"


    As soon as the figure appeared before the now released warlocks, they all froze. A figure cloaked in ck had appeared out of nowhere, their caution was warranted.


    "Burn the ce to the ground" the figure shrouded in darkness, threw the torch in his hand to the Warlocks on the ground and said.


    "Burn it down?" The figure was telling them to burn the camp to the ground? What did that mean?


    "The Lord badur has decided to free his people, but first he must give them back their pride. Destroy your enemies" the cloaked figure said loudly. His voice carrying a sort of majesty that shook them to the very core.


    This man was a vessel of the powerful Lord badur? Didn''t that mean the rumors were true? Were they really going to gain their freedom today? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Quick haste, take your revenge. The lord''s men will hold back the old bastards" the figure announced before kicking his horse and riding off.


    "Yeah...yeah!!!!! Let''s burn this whole ce to the ground!!!" One of the warlocks screamed in a loud voice. It was like all the pent-up rage he had been feeling in his heart all this while hade rushing through the floodgates.


    The hunters had captured and humiliated them for so long. Now it was time for revenge.


    Meanwhile, Leon, who was riding away from the scene was joined by Gunta on horse back.


    Behind them, arge cloud of ck smoke had begun to form....


    "Where to?" Gunta asked Leon. They were riding in the direction of the death squad''s camp.....this was not part of the original n.


    Leon''s ns were intricate, he and gunta had systemically released warlocks from their cages and set fire to the camp. This would lead to many deaths and massive loses on the hunter side. But this was only a distraction.


    "Going to see an old friend" Leon said with a big smile on his face.


    If his n was to seed, he couldn''t rely on only Arian to fight against the host of level 3 mages.


    He needed more backup


    Luckily, the camp had recently received someone of immense power, one that was ready toy her life down just to drag down the hunters.....


    The head of the blood serpent n.


    Liana

 Chapter 49 Badurs Gate

    49 Badur''s Gate


    "Is that meant to be a joke?"


    In the very center of the tamlin group''s camp, a small banquet was being held In front of a bonfire. Among the people present for this event were the most prestigious people in the camp. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    There was themander, ric, Kilian and several elders of the tamlin group, like protector Talsi, the chain wielding elder and the three main elders.


    "I''m afraid not sire....but I can try to verify" Beside themander, ric, a guard knelt and whispered into his ear with some caution. He didn''t want to spoil the mood because of an unsubstantiated rumor from a normal guard. But this was too sensitive.


    "Hmp!! There''s no need. She''s already here" themander said with a visible look of annoyance.


    From the corner of a tent not too far away, he could see ady with white hair moving towards them abet being surrounded by numerous spears and guards.


    ¡ªclok


    ¡ªcluck


    A momentter, more people noticed the new arrival. Of course, this was because of the peculiarity of her situation. Surrounded by spears, but still, she rode in like she owned the ce.


    "neigh!!!!" The horse Arian was on soon came to an abrupt stop just before the bonfire.


    "Is that?" For those who knew Arian, they were quickly able to recognize her. The amour was the same, the sword was the same and the face was the same. The only difference in her appearance was her hair, but just this served to magnify her beauty by several folds.


    "You survived....." ric stared into Arians eyes with pure, unadulterated Anger. This b*tch was the reason his cousin was currentlyying in a bed in the camp struggling for his life, and she dared show herself here again?


    "Of course I did. What? Did you think I would let myself die before seeking justice ?" Arian''s expression remained cold and unfeeling, more like that of a Robot. Her words were clearly filled with threat, but her tone showed no interest?


    "Oh you''vee to kill me? You must have gone crazy after watching me shatter your filthy bitch of a mother''s soul" ric responded with Mockery.


    Arianing here was the stupidest thing that she could have done. He had failed to kill her because of the battlefield was chaotic, but even then, he had her hanging off a thread. Now there was no battle, he would definitely kill her no matter what.


    "Yes I might have gone crazy....." Arian said before slowly turning her gaze to the sky where a cloud of ck smoke had formed in the sky.


    "Hm?" Themander and several others followed her line of sight and their gazended on the smokey cloud.


    The camp had suddenly caught fire.


    "Fire!!!!" A guard screamed, and immediately after a host of guards rushed in the direction of the smoke.


    "You did this?" ric turned to Arian and frowned. Coming here by herself would have been a mistake, and he knew Arian wasn''t stupid, so what card did she have under her sleeve?


    "Wait for it...." Arian said with a smirk and almost immediately.


    "Yeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!" From the distance, a screech that could only be described as ear-piercing sounded from the distance.


    "Shit!!! Who let her out?" themander looked in the direction of the death squad encampment with dread.


    That sound....it was from the blood Demon Liana. Someone had freed that crazy monster.


    "Kilian, make sure she stays behind!!" Grinding his teeth, ricmanded before shing into the sky.


    "We have to go too" several other Elders shed in the same direction of ric. Liana wasn''t the only level 3 warlock that was caged in the death camps encampment. They were expected to meet massive resistance.


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwissh


    ¡ªwoosh


    One by one, the elders and members of the Tamlin group spread back into the camp.


    They had to avert this disaster.


    They had family members in the main camp, forget the escaped prisoners. They didn''t want their family to die in the ze.


    "Hmp!! You don''t know what''s good for you!!" Kilian looked over at Arian with annoyance.


    He was the one who allowed the first elder to escape with Leon and her. If they eventually nip this Chaos in the bud, he would be med for all this.


    "Hmm, I have no problem with you Kilian, just step out of the way" Arian voiced


    Kilian was ruthless but logical, he knew when to step back when matters were getting out of hand.


    "Hmp!! Youring back here has made it my problem now Surrender or else I''lle over there and make you Surrender"


    Arian was but a level 2 mage, he didn''t need too much to take her down before going to help hisrades.


    ¡ªshing


    He pulled out his sword and ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªng!!!!


    Arian pulled out her sword and shed with him, dust picked up, and the bonfire quenched like it was a candle.


    The sheer power behind this sh indicated one simple fact


    Arian was no weakling.


    "So that''s why¡­" Kilian frowned and jumped backwards.


    They had made two assumptions. Firstly, They had assumed that Arian was here alone, they were wrong. Secondly, they had assumed that she came here while still being a level 2 mage. They were wrong again. She was, in fact, a level 3 mage, just like him.


    If he made the assumption that he would win against Arian in a full-fledged battle and still make it back on time to help ric, it would be overkill.


    "Even if we fight, you won''t be able to stop me from leaving" Arian said with confidence. Before slowly floating off her horse and into the sky.


    It is the nature of level 3 Warlocks to gain the ability of flight, but this also depends on their attributes.


    Someone like Kilian who used an earth-attribute mage had the ability to fly but would find it difficult to keep flying for a long time. However, for Arian, a wind attribute mage? She could fly got hours.


    "Hmp!! If you escape me, then it won''t be from ack of trying" Kilian shook his head.


    He knew Arian was as good as gone, but he had to try. He, too, floated into the sky.


    "Hmm, I will apany you then" Arian nodded and prepared for battle.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Meanwhile,


    "Here you go, kid." An elderly warlock floating above Leon''s horse said as he threw a body bag onto Leon''s horse.


    "Thank you old man, enjoy your new-found freedom" Leon nodded at the old man and turned his horse around.


    He had noticed a foul aura when he came to the death squad camp before. At first, he thought it was from ric. But then he realized that he had felt this aura before.


    It was from when he was in the gray smander n encampment. This aura was one he had felt from the Winged Devil when he appeared. From then He understood, that the death camp was the location where the level 3 Warlocks were being kept.


    At least those that were captured.


    "Haha, youngd, we appreciate, but there''s still a score to be settled here" the old WingedDevilmented while his eyes slowly fell onto a group of silhouettes flying over.


    ric and the other Elders of the tamlin group had arrived.


    "Go on kid, I''m sure with Warlocks like you still roaming around we will still see a raise in your blood serpent n" the Winged Devil praised before turning to fly into the sky.


    15:23


    Soon he was joined by several other Warlocks, including the now crazy Liana.


    "Boss, I think this is thest of them" gunta appeared before Leon and spoke. He, too, had several body bags and corpses on his horse.


    "Hm, let''s go" Leon nodded and rode off with gunta following behind.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    A few hourster


    On a mountain, a few kilometers away from the camp¡­.


    Leon could be observed seated cross-legged in front of a fire.


    ¡ªwoop


    Behind him, a stack of dead bodies could be observed arranged in a pyramid structure.


    "Hmmm, this is enough." Leon nodded, then turned to the fire. He then began chanting.


    "In the darkest of nights, the moon shines Bright


    Fu shu


    Everything grows and everything perishes


    Fu shu


    From the darkness we were born to the darkness we return


    Fu shu


    Death is a release and life is a cage....


    Badur''s gates


    "


    As soon as these words lefts his mouth, an ominous metal Door the size of a castle''s gate appeared right behind him.


    "Form" Leon began creating hand signs in the lotus position. And from the corpses, an ominous dark purple energy began to sip out and started floating into the gate.


    It was like a hungry monster swallowing its favorite meal.


    Not long after.....


    ¡ªBoom


    The gate swung open, and a suction force erupted from inside it.


    ¡ªwoo-hoo


    It soon began swallowing all the corpses.


    Beside a tree not too far away from Leon, Arian and Gunta stood observing this urrence with caution.


    Even Arian couldn''t help but feel somewhat shaken by the gate. The energy it emitted was one that even her a level 3 warlock couldn''t help but fear.


    It was incredible, if the gate were to turn this energy on her, she didn''t think she could take it. She couldn''t understand how a level 1 warlock could create such a thing.


    "Bring the boy" While they were all revelling In their shock and amazement. Leon called forward.


    "Hm," Arian nodded and began pulling a young man Leon''s age towards Leon.


    The young man looked bruised and beaten, with bandages all over his body. Whatever had happened to him was brutal.


    Of course, this young man was Anan.


    Even though Leon had stabbed in all over his body, he made sure that he missed all his vital organs. And that was the only reason he was still alive.


    Because Leon wanted it to be so.


    Leon stood up from his lotus position and grabbed Anan by the arm, then proceeded to drag him into Badurs gates.


    What followed were a series of wails and screams that shook both Arian and Gunta. It was not only disturbing to hear, it was also painful.


    But with all said and done, Leon was the only one to emerge from the gate, but this time he emerged different.


    He no longer had the eyes he was born with. He had Anan''s blue supernova eyes now.


    Authors note


    You can tell me any of yourints right here


    https://discord.gg/Vqebbvs7

 Chapter 50 Duan city

    50 Duan city n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [Ding!!


    Lumisight Eyes: a mutated version of the powerful origin gazer eyes. Has the ability to see the fine particles of different energies umting. It also has the ability to cause temporary hallucinations.


    The holder of this eye type willmonly have high talent in Artifact appraisals and formation detection.


    Requires at least level 2 energy umtions to work properly


    ]


    Leon had seen the peculiarities in Anan''s eyes and went on to use the system to run some tests on him, and the results were favorable.


    He first used insightpass on him, but it came back with nothing apart from Anans future danger level. Then he researched the eyes in the sea of wisdom and was able toe to the conclusion that these eyes were the lumisight Eyes.


    Since then, Leon decided that he wanted those eyes.


    "There''s an enormous slope down below. We might have to ditch the horses."


    Floating down from the sky, Arian announced to Leon and Gunta.


    Currently, they were deep inside the forest. This had been the situation for thest couple of weeks. Leon insisted that they move north of Eldoria.


    This was strange as they were already so close to the border. If they really wanted to leave the kingdom, they would just cross the heaven devourer mountain range with the help of Arian.


    "Ahhh, can''t we take a detour?" Gunta suggested. When they burned down the tamlin camp, he had used the opportunity to steal as many treasures as he could. But because of how unforgiving this terrain was, they had been forced to leave behind treasures time and time again.


    "Detour to where?" Arian tilted her head and asked gunta.


    Unless he meant that they should take aplete U-turn into the West again, then there was absolutely no way out.


    "I...." gunta was a bit hesitant, but he knew there was no choice. He took the most valuable things he could find and followed behind Leon as they proceeded to go down the massive slopes in front.


    With this, they had sessfully left the Hignds of the west and entered the londs of the Central kingdom.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Ummm, boss, why Again are we heading this way?" Gunta asked while staring back at the bulk load of treasures he had left behind.


    "Oh...wait a freaking minute.....isn''t that the royal capital?" Gunta was immediately stunned.


    Leon was taking them to the Royal capital? What In the hell kind of decision was that? They were going to the royal capital of the kingdom that was prosecuting them. It was beyond stupid, it was suicidal.


    Of course, the situation in the royal capital wasn''t exactly what Gunta thought. Even though the rest of the kingdom''s Warlocks were being prosecuted and enved, the ones in the royal capital were rtively safe.


    Yes, this was absurd, but it was, in fact, the actual situation of the royal capital. Apparently, the royal capital had a concentration of powerful Warlocks that could wipe out the entire capital city''s poption if confronted with genocide. So the royalty were very cautious.


    They''d rather hunt down the ones in the outskirts of the kingdom than try the ones in the royal capital.


    "Keep your head high, it won''t be long now..." Leon patted gunta on the back and moved directly into the distance.


    Arian also had her reasons for wanting to go to Duan city, and so did Leon. Once he had his mind set on something, he would Chase it relentlessly.


    A weekter.


    Leon, gunta and Arian stepped out from a shroud of bushes and onto a clearing that spanned as far as the eyes could see.


    "That''s it¡­."


    In front of them was a massive city with walls so tall that even Leon couldn''t help but gasps in amazement. He had been chained to the tallest mountain in his past life and still couldn''t help but marvel at the sight of these walls.


    This was the royal capital of Eldoria a kingdom that had ordered the killing and envement of all Warlocks and Leon couldn''t wait to get into it, even though he himself was a warlock.


    "Pay the toll"


    "Pay the toll"


    "Pay the toll"


    At the front of the gate, a guard fitted in shining silver amour shouted at the top of his lungs. People walked up to him and dropped coins in his hand and went straight through the gate.....at least that was until...


    "Hm? Hold it" all of a sudden the guard stopped a young man with a gray cloak over his head.


    "Warlock eyes? Grab him" the guardmanded and out of nowhere several guards popped out and apprehended the young warlock.


    This happened every day, but there were only two ways to survive the onught as a warlock. One was to leave the kingdom, however, on every boarder there were hunters ready to capture you and turn you into a ve. "


    The second option was toe to the capital, but this was mainly for those already In the center of the kingdom because those from other parts would find It difficult to get here even if they tried.


    There were thousands of hunters in the forest capturing warlocks, even Leon and Gunta had only made it here because Arian was a level 3 mage.


    "Hmp!!" The guard sneered at the young warlock and looked back at the line in front of him. To him, the small number of Warlocks in the royal capital was already too much. They had basically taken the royal city hostage with their powerhouses.


    "What? two in one day?" Upon seeing the new group in front of him, the guard asked with contempt.


    "He is but a ve" Leon replied with impunity.


    "Hmp!! Even ves shouldn''t be allowed into the royal city, youngd" the guard looked at Leon with the side of his eyes and spoke. He believed Leon to be some sort of noble''s child because, right behind him was someone clearly more powerful than him.


    Arian.


    "Just keep the dirty thing in line, and if it associates with the scum we will treat it like scum" the guard waved his hand and let them in through the gates.


    Not for one moment did he think that Leon was a warlock. This was due to one simple fact. Leon''s eyes.


    The easiest way to identify a warlock was through the ether in Their Eyes, there were other methods, but this one was the best and most cost-efficient.


    However, the present Leon didn''t have this Ether in his eyes. This was because he had stolen Anan''s lumisight Eyes.

 Chapter 51 General situation of Duan city

    51 General situation of Duan city


    Leon saw the lumisight Eyes as a get out of jail free card. No mage would be able to identify him as a warlock at first nce, this meant that he could go about his ns with no interruptions from now onwards.


    It was like killing two birds with one stone, not only did he gain more freedom, he also gained a powerful tool to use in the future.


    "This is the royal capital?" Gunta stood in front of the city Gates and couldn''t help but feel some disgust.


    There was litter all over the ground and homeless people roaming around the streets. This was supposed to be the royal capital of a kingdom? It was absolutely disgusting.


    "We are still on the outskirts, maybe it gets better inside" Leonmented from beside Arian. He, too, couldn''t help but wonder why the city was like this.....it was just so rowdy.


    "Let''s go" Leon stayed in front of gunta and Arian followed from his sides as they made their way down Duan city''s streets.


    During this little walk, they saw the true colors of the city. Warlocks getting arrested by the city guards for ''criminal activities'' meanwhile pickpockets, swindlers and beggars ran rampant on the streets.....the city was on the verge of copse.


    The city had be an asylum for fleeing warlocks and with the increase in number of Warlocks, the burden on the city just kept stacking.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    ¡ªgling!!


    The bell to an Inn rung as three figures stepped into the main lobby of the Inn.


    This was Leon''s group n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The city was crowded, so they had to find a ce to sit and strategize their next moves. In a city that hates warlocks, the worse thing to do was to walk into the hands of the wrong people.


    "Hm?," from inside the booth of the main counter, a youngdy with perky sses took a nce at the new Arrivals before casually looking away.


    "Hello, can we get a small courtyard?" Leon walked up to the youngdy behind the booth and inquired.


    There were small rooms and big rooms inside inns, but there were also courtyards meant for those who wanted to stay long term. This was the type of amodation Leon was asking for.


    "Hm, yeah, we have two avable, 2 thousand" thedy after Sighing in a Sort of annoyance, said to Leon and the rest.


    They wanted a courtyard, that meant they were just entering the city. It was another group of mouths to feed. This was the normal sentiments the people in the city had for thoseing In. They knew how much the standard of living had degraded because of the influx of warlocks and the likes.


    "Pay thedy" Leon looked over at Gunta and said in a calm yetmanding voice. Gunta had done his best to raid the camp during the chaos, so even though they had to leave a lot behind, he still had so many more coins at his disposal.


    However, this didn''t mean that he would want to spend it. He was the type to hoard money, no matter what he was going through. Leon could remember seeing Gunta haggling with a guard before getting into the world traversing serpent.


    "But¡­." Gunta wanted toin, but decided against it. Leon was just too scary to disobey.


    "Here''s the key"


    ¡ªcling


    The youngdy pulled out a bunch of keys and handed it to Leon. Clearly, he was the one calling the shots. She had watched him force gunta to hand over the cash he was hoarding.


    "Ah yes, there''s also another matter"


    Leon said before pulling out about 5 silver coins and cing them on the table.


    "I wonder what the general situation is in the city ever since the Warlocks got degraded to unintelligent beast ss" Leon asked the youngdy for information. The keepers of the inns were one of the most informed bunch in the entire kingdom, be it from the royal capital to the smallest vige.


    "The Warlocks still remain in the intelligent being ss in Duan city, I don''t know what you''re talking about" the youngdy refuted Leon''s words.


    This was a loaded question, if she agreed with Leon''s characterization of the warlocks, she could get in trouble with her bosses who preferred not to get on the bad side of the warlocks.


    "Ah? I see, then tell me about the warlocks general situation since the decree" Leon slipped her another 5 coins and added. Her previous words carried no weight, she only needed to be "persuaded" a bit more.


    ''Hmp!!" The youngdy reached forward and swiped the 10 silver coins into her robes. The 2,000 the Inn made had nothing to do with her, what was really important were these 10 sliver coins, as they represented her earnings that were hers alone.


    "After the decree from the King, there was a bit of cleansing in the city that saw the death and envement of about 500 warlocks or so, But all of a sudden, guards started stopping people from doing this the very next day"


    "Apparently, several old monsters from the warlock ns threatened to blow up the city if the killing didn''t stop. You know how it is, the rich wouldn''t want to lose all they had worked for, so he let them stay"


    "Hmmm, I noticed several guard outfits during my day in the city, what''s that About?" Leon asked.


    "Hm, because of the influx of warlocks, the king had to conscript some of the noble family''s and other organizations from all over the kingdom to keep the peace in the city.


    They are here for three things, to thin the herd, to keep the city from copsing and to face off against the Warlocks if ever they decide to raze the city to the ground"


    Thedy exined in depth the situation of the city. Sheid bare all the secrets she knew, and Leon didn''t hesitate to milk her for all she was worth. He asked her so many questions that she became somewhat exhausted.


    "That''s all for today. Let''s go" Leon smiled at the youngdy before leading Gunta and Arian into the Inn.


    He had all he wanted for now

 Chapter 52 Immortality

    52 Immortality


    In the middle of a small Japanese styled courtyard, the figure of Leon could be seen seated in a lotus position. He had a Japanese male kimono on and his eyes were closed.


    ¡ªcrack!!!


    In front of him, a wooden dummy made from lumber could be seen visibly cracking gradually.


    It was a strange scene, there was no one there and Leon had not attacked it, so why was it still bending in such an unnatural way?


    This was the result of the Anaconda Grip spell.


    Only Leon could see it, but an ethereal Anaconda had wrapped wrapped around the dummy like a tightly notted rope.


    Leon had gotten this spell at the heaven devourer mountain range Hunter camp. But he didn''t have the chance to practice it back then. However, on their journey to the royal capital he had enough time to practice it, and his other spells.


    He had achieved a great level of sess in the wind arrow spell, allowing him to summon about 15 to 17 Wind Snake Arrows simultaneously, and now he had achieved sess in the Anaconda Grip spell.


    As for the blood rage spell, he had practiced it a little but decided it should only be used as ast ditch effort for anything he had nned.


    The spell was too much like Liana''s Bloody parade spell. Leon didn''t want to go mad from using it. Then there was the spell Leon was most excited about. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The Life devourer spell.


    This spell was absolutely spectacr. It held the ability to suck off life energy from any and all living things, this was the dream of every warlock.


    Warlocks, regardless of which level, would often reach a talent block, this would force them to refine their bloodline with life-energy treasures to advance. But with this spell? Leon didn''t need to go finding any treasures, as long as he could absorb enough life energy, he would be able to constantly improve his bloodline power.


    It was a one-way ticket to bing an extremely powerful Warlock. One could only wonder where the first elder got such a powerful spell.


    "Cough cough"


    From behind Leon, a gentle cough sounded, calling his attention over.


    ¡ªcrack!!!


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    As soon as he noticed the person behind him, Leon applied more pressure on the spell, causing the stick dummy to blow up into pieces, from the sheer strength of the Anaconda Grip.


    "I got what you asked for" from behind Leon, Arian walked forwards and threw a massive book onto the floor before him.


    The book had italic words on its cover which read


    Powers of Eldoria and their inner workings.


    "Hm, this is good" Leon gave Arian a thumbs up before proceeding to dive into the Book in front of him.


    It contained the names and functions of the most prominent groups in Eldoria. This included, not only guild but also information on noble factions and mercenaries and swords for hire organizations.


    This was particrly useful because, most of those groups had made their way into the royal capital to quell the warlock problem.


    He would definitely have to get into several encounters with if he were to proceed with any of his ns in Duan city.


    It is best to know thy enemy before thy enemy knows you.


    (I Wonder what''s going through that big head of his)


    Strangely, the same thoughts went through the minds of Arian and gunta simultaneously.


    Leon''s ns were so unpredictable. While others were looking for a way to escape the hands of hunters, he, a level 1 warlock, was thinking of how to turn the camp into a chaotic battlefield so he could reap the spoils of the hunters. If it wasn''t for hispetence, they would have questioned his sanity.


    "What are you nning now?" Arian summed up the courage and asked. She no longer saw Leon as someone less than. in fact, she really admired him. He was the reason for her new-found power and had promised her so much. She trusted him.


    "Oh nothing much.....just need to find a job," Leon said casually.


    "A job?" Both Arian and Gunta asked simultaneously with a look of confusion on their faces.


    What did Leon need a job for?


    "Yeah, a job. What? Do you think we can afford to stay in a ce like this for more than two months without a job?" Leon asked while flipping through the book in front of him.


    The cost of living in Duan city was outrageously high, just the fee for this courtyard cost them 2,000 silver coins. If his estimations were right, that was half the amount of money Gunta still had on him.


    This was two months of rent money, not to talk about feeding and other expenses. They had to find a way to make money.


    "Oh" Arian nodded in understanding. He wasn''t lying, they really couldn''t afford to stay in this ce for more than two months.


    But they could just downgrade into a more affordable room when they needed to, all this luxury was uncalled-for if the main problem was money.


    She believed that Leon was just covering up his intentions again.


    And of course, she was right.


    Leon couldn''t tell them his ns because it had to do with something he held dear to his heart. His number one conviction in this life.


    Immortality!!


    In this part of the world, no one really spoke or thought about Immortality, they only looked for ways to improve their life spans and so on.


    Only one kingdom''s royal family boasted of having a method to attain Immortality, and this was the Duan royal family.


    ording to some legends, the royal family had a treasure that increased the life span of whoever was close to it. as long as they stayed close to it. and for those crazy enough to consume it, they would live forever.


    This treasure was called


    The Purple Heart eternal flower.

 Chapter 53 Alot of things to do

    53 Alot of things to do


    "Fire storm guild"


    "Moutain raider troop"


    "The Seven elements School"


    "Karl Kane n"


    There were a multitude of powers/organizations in Eldoria. All of which had varying levels of power and influence, but what Leon was looking for was something special.


    A power where he could not only reap benefits from and be powerful, one that he could also maintain a certain level of freedom and anonymousness.


    And the ones that fit the bill were limited.


    "Treasure"


    While seated inside the pagoda in his mind, Leon called out. And the spirit of the pagoda responded.


    [ Does the host need assistance ?]


    "Yes,pile the names of these factions and organizations, iste the ones that fulfil these criteria


    1. Must allow members to maintain secret identities


    2. Must have uses to terminate membership with proof of individuals leaving the organization In the past


    3. Must currently be In Duan city


    4....


    "


    Leon listened out his requirements and the system beganpiling. The best way to get money while growing in power was to join a power, the previous Leon couldn''t join because he would be spotted as a warlock from a mile away, but with some tweaks here and there, he believed he could join one with morexed rules. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [Ding!!


    The system haspiled a few options for host''s future endeavors.


    1. Ghost face guild : a sea guild based in the east of the kingdom, they ept anonymous sailers and adventurers for short periods of time. Criminals have been said to lurk around the guild from time to time, so they have no choice but to keep their members anonymous....


    2. School of unknowns: this school is not your conventional institution for knowledge seeking, as they have no particr location. One can only join this school when they are invited by a current member of the school. Because of the nature of the school and itsck of an actual institution site, the students are allowed to maintain secret identities when roaming around.....


    3 the faceless mercenarypany: An old resident of Duan city. They are in truth a gun for hire institution, as their main activities revolve around assassinations and guarding of high-profile targets. But the faceless mercenarypany is also shrouded in a fail of mystery.....


    4....


    ]


    The system gave Leon detailed information on each and every organization that fits the bill for his requirements, but one in particr caught his eyes and immediately stood out.


    The faceless mercenarypany.


    It was a mercenarypany that had roots in Duan city prior to the whole drama with the Warlocks. It was the perfect candidate for Leon. He could exploit those roots to his advantage.


    He knew what he needed to do.


    ¡ªswoosh


    Leon then drew himself out of his mindscape and nced over at Arian and gunta.


    "What?" Leon asked. They were staring at him like they wanted to read his mind with their eyes, it was creepy.


    "Nothing," Arians face quickly turned from one of curiosity to one of nonchnce, then she turned around and made her way into one of the Japanese sliding doors.


    "Hehe, I need to run an errand" Gunta too found his way and slipped away. It was best to leave Leon to his schemes, getting involved would just attract trouble.


    Leon watched the two of them leave and shook his head. But slowly his eyesnded on his pinky finger, where a small white snake was coiled around.


    For some reason, that part of his pinky had begun to look purple and was throbbing. He had tried to take it off over and over again, but to no avail.


    "I guess I''ll have to sort this one out first, then." Leon said to himself while staring at his pinky.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    The next day


    Leon, Arian and Gunta made their way out of the inn''s Courtyard, and onto the streets.


    Before Leon could go about finding the faceless mercenarypany which was usually veiled in secrecy, he needed to perfect his disguise.


    If he didn''t get that sorted out quickly, it might involve into something else.


    22:15


    So they were heading to the market.


    He could fool an in depth Ether Eye test with the lumisight Eyes, but he also had to look the part. What kind of level one mage wouldn''t have a few level one mage spells in his arsenal?


    Plus, there was the matter of the white snake coiled around my pinky finger.


    If he didn''t get that sorted out quickly, it might involve into something else.


    So they were heading to the market.


    He could get some basic spells simr to his warlock spells, and then he could go to a beast tamer to diagnose what was wrong with the snake.


    "High-quality chains, bind your warlocks and Dwarfs in high-quality chains"


    "Healing potions, stamina potions and even mana replenishing potions. Every and any types of potions you can get them here."


    "ves, warlocks, Dwarfs, whatever you need"


    Leon, Arian and Gunta soon stepped into a bustling market filled with liveliness. In every corner, there was an item of interest being sold, and in every corner the sound of haggling could be heard.


    This market was the western market of Duan royal city.


    The part of the city they were currently in was the western part of the city. It was the most rowdy part of duan city, as apparent in the market they were currently in.


    It was littered by not only humans, but Warlocks as well. The atmosphere was tense though, two races who clearly didn''t like each other. One was the dominating race that was seeking to enve the other. While the other had to sit there and watch the people of the ns being subjected to very.


    Even though, the powers in Duan city fought hard against the very of warlocks. The human mages naturally found loopholes and implemented them as rules.


    Warlocks captured and enved outside of Duan City would maintain the ve status, as it didn''t happen in the city itself. The warlock powers could only do so much. They could only make sure that those who sessfully snuck in by themselves were not subjected to such treatment.


    "Hello, I would like to view some grade 1 spells" Leon approached a small store and called out.

 Chapter 54 Alot to do —2

    54 Alot to do ¡ª2


    "These two will do"


    1


    Leon held two manuals in his hands, both of them were level 1 spells Compatible with mana users. Leon made sure that they weren''t so different from his warlock spells, so they would be easier to learn.


    For example, he got one long-range attack spell called wind arrow. It was an exact replica of the wind snake arrows he had and was quitemon among level 1 mages.


    Then he got something called Fading Twin daggers. It was a weapon technique that created a fading effect of daggers. It worked by pulling light partials towards one and letting the other fly under the radar.


    1


    Leon like this one because it could probably be used with the lumisight Eye''s illusion powers. That is, if the spell had an advanced version.


    Now In total, Leon had 6 spells, four were warlock spells and two were normal mage spells.


    "1000 sliver coins" the shopkeeper said to Leon with a nonchnt gaze. The kid came into the marketce with a luxurious Japanese styled kimono, he was clearly some rich young master that didn''t know the world that well.


    "Hehe, Arian" Leon looked back at Arian with the side of his eyes as soon as those words left the shopkeepers mouth.


    "Hm?" Arian was a bit taken aback, but after her eyes met that of Leon, she couldn''t help but blush bashfully. He was trying to say that she should bargain with the shopkeeper because "bargaining" was her "specialty".


    For some reason, she felt embarrassed. But she quickly shook it off and walked towards the shopkeeper from behind Leon.


    "1000? What? Are these secretly legendary spells from the Duan royal family?....." Arian did her thing.


    Her bargaining skills were beyond belief, even gunta had to stop and take notes. She thoroughly washed the shopkeeper and gradually brought the price down to about 200 silver coins, that was 100 silvers for each.


    1


    It was funny to watch.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    A few minutester, Leon, apanied by Arian and gunta , left the shop with both spells in hand.


    "Where to now?" Gunta asked.


    "I need to get this thing off me" Leon raised his pinky up and showed them his swollen pinky finger.


    Immediately, Arian and gunta were taken aback. They had been with Leon for a while now and were only just now noticing this.....it looked really painful too, but he was acting like it was nothing.


    "I think I know someone¡­." With a deep frown on her face, Arian dered. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Among the three of them, she was the only one that used to live in duan city and, of course, she had friends here. The original n was to remain in hiding until she was strong enough to take on the riss family, but this person was someone she trusted.


    "Ahhh okay" Leon nodded his head and allowed Arian to take the lead.


    They made a B line and left the market, while maintaining a close distance from Arian, they walked from alleyway to alleyway, cutting different corners until finally. They arrived in front of a door in the middle of the streets.


    "Knock knock knock"


    Arian knocked on the door and soon


    ¡ªcllrrrrr


    From beside the security window of the door, a pair of eyes stuck out and looked directly at them.


    "Password" from behind the door, a young man''s voice sounded.


    "Open the f*cking door Jamie, it''s me Arian" Arian said while looking at the pair of eyes with a level of intensity born from annoyance.


    "Hmp!!!" A sneer sounded following which, The security window mmed shut, denying them entry.


    However, the sound of an argument soon began echoing from behind the door and finally the door opened and a kid who looked to be about 9 years of aged opened the door and met the gaze of Arian.


    "Come in" the kid didn''t seem to like Arian much, but he didn''t have a choice but to let her in.


    .


    .


    .


    "You came back?"


    As soon as she entered the room, a voice resounded right in front of her.


    There, a blonde haired young man in a wheelchair stared Arian down with eyes as calm as still water.


    "Yes, but.....she''s dead" Arian responded to him like as if she wasn''t moved. She was clearly talking about her mother, but she wasn''t moved. It was in a way, bone chilling.


    "Sigh, it was bound to happen... I told you it was pointless" the blonde-haired young man then turned his wheelchair around and rolled it down a staircase for the disabled.


    From outside, the ce looked small, but it wasn''t so from the inside. There was a medium-sized building structure attached to the house from down below.


    "Let''s go" Seeing the young man''s head down, Arian instructed Leon and Gunta. And so they followed right behind.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Interesting, I''ve never seen a living creature voluntarily put itself through such torment" the young manmented while examining Leon''s pinky with a magnifying ss.


    A White Snake wrapped around Leon''s pinky, it didn''t eat or move from its position for a month.....what kind of behavior was this? This didn''t conform to anything he had seen before.


    He was very much interested in examining this behavior further, after all he was a man of science and loved to study the behavior of all living things. However, it seems like it was already toote.


    "It''s been starving to death though, it''ll probably let''s go of you in a day or two" the blonde-haired man exined.


    "Ah? So there''s no way to remove and save it?" Leon frowned, he could remember vividly that this snake was the reason for his breakthrough into level one. Even though it didn''t seem like he needed it anymore. He still wanted to know what made it tick.


    "Removing it isn''t the issue, it''s saving it that''s the issue. It requires a life-saving treasure at least. And I don''t have that" the blonde-haired kid shook his head. He was also very curious about this creature and wanted to know more about it.


    But unfortunately, there was nothing he could do?


    "What about this?" Leon reached into his kimono and pulled out a wooden box, then he opened it. Revealing a crystalline fruit.


    "This..... Will do" nodded slightly, the young man proceeded to look at Arian with some skepticism.


    (Did you go and get yourself involved with one of those guys for revenge?)


    The young man thought in his mind. The treasure in front of him was definitely expensive and with Leon''s look, he might be some young master of a powerful family.


    There was so much he didn''t know, so he was a bit worried for his Sister Arian.

 Chapter 55 The Anger Of The Disgraced Knight

    55 The Anger Of The Disgraced Knight


    His birth name was Amir fiy, and yes, Arian was his sister by blood.


    1


    Or one could say she was his step sister. Amir and Arian grew up togather thinking they had the same mother and father. However one fateful day their mother snapped and revealed that Amir was her love child with some random one night stand.


    This made her husband, Arian''s father break down andter in a fit of rage he broke both of Amir''s legs. As if trying to send a message. Of course, his actions sowed a seed of hate in the heart of everyone in the family, so when they were old enough, they all moved out.


    Arian and Amir couldn''t stand both parents. But no matter how prideful Arian was, she was still bound by a sense of duty in her heart, so when she heard that her mother had been taken by the Dalriss family....she offered herself up to pay the dept. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Amir wasn''t so dutiful and didn''t care for what happened to his own mother. As such him and Arian drifted apart.


    But that didn''t mean he didn''t care about his sister.....After all, they once relied on each other for support in a toxic family environment.


    "Let me prepare something" Amir rolled his wheelchair to a side of his workable and began plucking some random herbs he had ced under the sun.


    He began crushing these herbs and soon enough it formed a mushy paste that Amir proceeded to grab with his bear hands and roll back to Leon.


    "Take a whiff of this" Amir squeezed the juicies from the paste onto Leon''s pinky finger and...


    ¡ªkrrrr


    A weak screech emitted in the room and the white snake unfurled from Leon''s pinky and fell to the onto the workbench exhausted.


    "Bring the fruit" Amir extended his hand forward and collected the crystal fruit from Leon.


    Leon had gotten this fruit when he "mistakenly" attacked killian ontop the giant serpent under the heaven devourer mountain range.


    He had several other mysterious items like it, but selling them without knowing what they were was not ideal. For example, if he had sold the fruit he might have not been able to save the white snake.


    "me work: steel cutter"


    Amir muttered under his breath and from his finger, a hot ze slowly formed. It was like his finger hand be some sort of welding equipment.


    1


    ¡ªffffff


    He slowly hovered his ming finger over the side of the fruit causing it to slowly melt and the atmosphere of the room to be filled with a pleasant smell.


    "That''s" Leon couldn''t help but enjoy this change. But not as much as the white snake.


    Even though it was weak and feeble it squirmed towards the fruit and with a leap forward it rushed through the liquefied area of the fruit and stopped in it''s center.


    "Hmm, good just give it time now. It''ll either evolve or get better, either way it''s a win for you. Just make such it stays in a region with sufficient mana energy." Amir picked up the fruit and handed it to Leon.


    The snake was swimming inside the crystal fruit and absorbing its essence, if this would lead to it evolving then....leon had an idea.


    Creatures involve in the direction of not only the treasure they consume but the energy congregated around the area its evolves in.


    2


    Leon couldn''t think of a better ce than Badur''s gates. Inside the gate there was a massive congregation of negative energy. If it stayed there, it could evolve in the direction of a negative energy welding beast.


    1


    Just the thought of it sent a wave of thrill into Leon''s body.


    While Leon was focusing on the snake in his hand Amir called Arian to the side to have a talk. This didn''t really bother Leon. After all, they knew each other from before him.


    He was more concerned about his next steps....


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Wait really? That happened not too long ago?." Leon looked at Arian and nodded his head.


    Arian had exined to him that Amir was her step brother. This shocked him for a minute, but it wasn''t that big of a deal so he put it at the back of his mind. What worried him was that Amir gave her some worrying news.


    Apparently, her father somehow found out that her mother''s soul had been destroyed so he entered the Dalriss estate by himself and kill countless numbers of Dalriss family members.


    It was a matter that shook the entire city, The Disgraced knight carved a straight line into the household of his former masters and left behind a trail of bodies. Naturally, he was eventually jointly attacked by the old monsters of the Dalriss household...but he managed to escape with his life.


    ( he''s that powerful?)


    Leon had heard the story of the disgraced knight and thought it was a pitiful story, but he had no idea that the so called disgraced knight was an absolute power house.


    "Do you care to find him?" with his hand on his chin Leon asked.


    The rtionship between Arians father and his children was very sour so, he didn''t understand why she was telling him all this.


    Leon could see an opportunity though, Someone that could cut his way into a powerful noble family like the Dalriss family was definitely someone to have on your side.


    "Not particrly, just thought you should know." Arian shurrged nonechntly.


    1


    One thing Leon knew, was that, if he could make use of the Fiy family appropriately, his ns wouldn''t seem so far fetched.


    A few hourster


    Leon, gunta and Arian bid Amir farewell and made their way out of the house.


    "Boss, whats next?" Gunta asked Leon.


    "There''s no need to dwell, it''s time to join a power" Leon said confidently.


    He asked Amir about the faceless mercenarypany and their activities in the city and was pleased to learn that Amir had a connection to someone from the group.


    Of course, even he didn''t know the person''s identity, but he knew how and where to find him, and gave this information to Leon as a thank you for saving his sister.

 Chapter 56 Misunderstanding

    56 Misunderstanding


    If Leon wanted the Purple Heart eternal flower, he would have to take it forcefully. But, could he achieve that with is present strength?


    1


    No, and Leon knew This very well. What he needed now was to increase his strength, he at least needed to be at level 3 before he could even think of proceeding.


    "Umm, how can a ce like this exist inside the royal capital?" From behind Leon, gunta questioned while covering his nose from the putrid smells from his environment.


    This ce was an alleyway next to a small river crossing, that wasn''t the problem. The problem was the number of Warlocks and ves here.


    It seemed like this part of the city had been abandoned by the city because, there were no guards to even harass the Warlocks.


    "It''s not our problem, we are approaching..." Leon said to gunta while his eyes stayed glued to a house in front.


    The house wasn''t the usual rented apartments that were littered all over the city, it was a proper home, at least that was until it was abandoned. Now it looked like a hunted house.


    "Crrr"


    Leon pushed the old decrepent door, and it simply swung open, revealing the insides of the house. Then he and gunta proceeded to let themselves in.


    "This can''t be where he lives, right?" Gunta spoke quietly into Leon ear.


    But of course Leon ignored him and entered the house. Amir had exined that their agreed meeting ce wasn''t his connect''s home, but just a ce they would meet when he was ready to cash in the favor.


    "Hello!!"


    Inside the main living Area of the house, Leon said loudly, trying to get the attention of Amir''s connect. Amir had sent out a raven to let him know they would be meeting today, so by all means he should already be here.


    "Hello!!" But no matter how loud Leon screamed, there was no reply. Maybe the man wasn''ting, or maybe after seeing that it wasn''t Amir approaching, he decided to leave.


    "Hmmm, gunta join me" Leon gently said to gunta with a sly smile on his face.


    "Hello!!!!!!!!!"


    "Hellooo!!!!!!!"


    "Hellooooo!!!!"


    They began screaming at the top of their voices, drawing the attention of everyone around the area.


    (That ce was usually quite, what could be happening? )


    The passersby questioned.


    "Shit, stop that!!"


    From the ceiling beams of the old decrepent house, a voice resounded abruptly, forcing Leon and gunta to shut up.


    "Hehe, finally decided to reveal yourself, huh?" Leon smiled.


    At first, Leon thought there was no one there, but after looking around the house, he noticed a lot of hidden things. As if someone were trying to hide the fact that they were living in this building.


    Immediately, Leon knew there was only one person that could be living here.


    It was Amir''s connect. He had lied about not living here to throw Amir off.


    "Hello, I''m from Amir. He told me to seek you out, I would like to join your group" Leon bowed his head.


    The members of the faceless mercenarypany were veiled in secrecy, unlike the other groups that had members arresting people all over the city. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    They dealt strictly in assassinations and sometimes guarded influential people.


    "This isn''t what I agreed to, the favor is for Amir not you!" In the shadows, a figure in ck with a faceless mask harrumphed.


    He was injured and Amir helped him, but he didn''t appreciate his good will being outsourced to someone else. It was disrespectful.


    "I implore you to ept honored sir, I promise I will be a good asset to your organisation," Leon said with a smile. Then he proceeded to pull out a jade ne.


    He was going to bribe the man. He knew that all men had their price and for this person to be living in this condition, he would be more open to mary gains.


    "Hm? "


    However, contrary to Leon''s belief, the young man wasn''t moved by the ne in the way he hoped. In fact, he had a look of fear on his face when he saw that ne.


    It had the Dalriss insignia on it.


    Leon had taken this from the Tamlin group''s camp. But this didn''t matter to the man. There were two possibilities.


    Leon stole it. That was number one possibility, if that was the case, then he would get into big trouble if he sold it openly, the second was that Leon might be connected to the Dalriss family in some way.


    The dealbreaker was the second possibility. He couldn''t have anything to do with the Dalriss family. In fact, the only reason he was staying in this dumb was because he had offended someone from the dalriss family.


    ¡ªwoosh


    He didn''t know if this was an ambush, he couldn''t stay here for 1 more second.


    "HM? What the¡­." Leon''s eyes widened as he saw the man shed from on top one of the beams of the house''s ceiling and through the window.


    He was running away!!


    "I''ll see youter" Leon''s voice sounded as it immediately faded away. He couldn''t let the man run away.


    He followed right behind and jumped through the window.


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªBoom


    Leonnded and quickly caught sight of the faceless mercenary turning a corner.


    "Go!!" Leon dashed forward and took a detour through a preceding alleyway.


    "Hm?" The faceless mercenary looked to his side as he noticed Leon''s figure appear right behind him.


    With that one move, Leon had shortened the distance between them by half. This was bad for the faceless mercenary.


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwiish


    Leon and the man ran from alleyway to alleyway, from street to street, it was like a police officer chasing a thief. soon enough, they hadpletely left the area and were now running amok through the main city.


    "Fucker!!" The faceless mercenary gritted his teeth. He had trusted his guts and was right, Leon was able to match him, he was at the very least a level 1 mage.


    Why would the crippled Amir know a level 1 mage with this speed and skill? This was definitely the doing of his enemies.


    "This guy is doing too much" Leon didn''t understand why he was running away. Did he just hate the thought of helping Leon or what?


    Both of them were unaware that this was just a misunderstanding. However, they were too deep into it now to stop and converse.


    "Fade work: Wind apparitions"


    The faceless mercenary activated a skill and not long after, his speed not only increased, apparitions of himself started fading into existence right beside him.


    "Hm?," Leon saw this new change and frowned. The only way he had been able to keep up with this guy was because he could predict his body movements and n ahead.


    "Lumisight" Leon muttered.


    He couldn''t use any of the eyes capabilities like illusions and energy imaging. But these eyes were sharper and had better resolution than normal ones.


    With just this he should be able to tell fake apart from what''s real; however, this wasn''t enough.


    "Wind work: Wind arrows"


    He was behind in a high-speed chase, but for some reason Leon seemed to have the upper hand here.


    ¡ªpuuuu


    ¡ªpuuuuu


    ¡ªpuuuu


    Wind arrow after Wind arrow came flying towards the faceless mercenary, causing his apparitions to fade and his real body to dodge.


    Slowly This move was devolving his apparitions spell.


    "Damn it"


    The faceless mercenary was now more than ever convinced that Leon was sent by the Dalriss family, if not, how did he know how to disable his spells so quickly?


    "I can''t let up" he continued running away and Leon kept chasing. asionally Leon''s arrows would graze him, sometime he would stumble trying to dodge them.


    One thing was certain though, he couldn''t keep it up. He was getting desperate.


    "Pleasee rescue me, I don''t think I can keep this up any longer" the faceless mercenary screamed into a pin on his clothes.


    He had no choice but to call in backup from the faceless mercenarypany.


    However, it was toote for that. If he had called them at the beginning of the race, then maybe they would have gotten here on time, but now he was weak and tired.


    Eventually.


    ''Blood Serpent work : Anaconda Grip"


    From behind, Leon used a warlock spell. The faceless mercenary first felt a force pressed up on his body, then it started tightening until


    ¡ªBoom


    He fell to the floor, nearly conscious.


    "Sigh" Leon came to a slow stop beside his body.


    "Haa haha haaa" the faceless mercenary breathed heavily from pure exhaustion.


    It didn''t seem like it, but this chase had gone on for about 2 hours, and it was deep at night.


    Unlike Warlocks, mages had weaker physique, although they made up for it with their mastery over mana and a variety of spells.


    Of course, that wouldn''t save him now, his exhaustion was justified.


    "Still won''t give it up?" Leon bent down and looked straight into the slits of his eyes.


    "I would rather die!!" The faceless mercenary gritted his teeth and spoke.


    "Sigh!! I don''t even understand why you''re so adamant.... I guess I have no choice" Leon shook is head.


    Then he grabbed the man by his leg and started pulling him on the cold, hard floor.


    "Badur''s gates" Leon muttered and a giant ominous metal gate appeared on one of the walls of the alley way.


    ¡ªDang!!!


    The gate swung open and bathed the alleyway with negative energy. This immediately struck a cord in the heart of the faceless mercenary.


    Fear!!!


    Uncertainty!!!


    Helplessness!!


    He felt all these emotions at once. He couldn''t even muster the strength to scream. He justid there as Leon dragged him into the hellish gates.

 Chapter 57 Strange

    57 Strange


    "Hmmm,"


    Inside a spacious cave/abyssal hole, a young man with a pair of coily knives in his hand and a blood stained apron could he seen standing.


    "That''s good enough" Seated in front of him was another individual, this one was bound by a multitude of chainsing from everywhere.


    These two, were Leon and the faceless mercenary. As for their current location, it was inside of Badur''s gates.


    Yes, this massive open head cave was where Badur''s gates led to. Outside of it nothing existed, only the cave and the massive abyssal pit in the middle of it.


    "I swear. That''s all I know. Please let me gooooo!!!" The faceless mercenary wept. Leon had dragged him into this hellish cave and tortured him for God knows how long.


    He couldn''t feel his arms and legs at the moment because of how tight the chains were, apart from beg there was nothing he could do...


    "Let you go? I''m afraid that''s not possible, I still have need for you" Leon shook his head and waved his hand forward.


    All of a sudden, several chains coiled forward from within the abyssal pit in the middle of the cave and wrapped around the faceless mercenary.


    "Ahhggg!!!!!" As soon as it did so, it pulled him and the chair he was seated on into the deep, dark pit.


    In this ce, Leon was king. It didn''t matter how powerful you were, stepping through Badur''s Gate was a death sentence.


    So when the faceless mercenary was dragged in, he became helpless and spilled all the information he could remember. Which was not a lot, Leon didn''t expect the faceless mercenarypany to be veiled in this amount of secrecy.


    The faceless mercenary only knew how to join and a few other things. However, that was enough for now.


    "Then there''s also that" Leon looked over with the side of his eyes as his gaze fell onto a structure towering into the sky.


    It was the SSGrade Treasure pagoda given to him by the primogenitor of the warlocks.


    The pagoda was notpletely here, it felt like it was slowly fading into the existence inside of Badur''s gates.


    Leon didn''t know what to think of this, was this some sort of malfunction, or was it because both the pagoda and Badurs gates were linked to Leon''s mind?


    "I wonder¡­." Leon stretched his hand forward, but it just went right through the illusory pagoda.


    (Hmmm, I''ll have to figure this out soon or else)


    Leon thought to himself, then turned around to walk towards the iron gates.....


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    In the Dark alleyway.


    "This is where his message came from...and there are no longer any fluctuations from his tracker" a tall feminine figure veiled in a sliver gown stood towering beside a few stains of blood.


    Beside her, several faceless men in ck stood observing the stains. They had received a distress message from one of their team members that he was in danger, so they rushed over. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Unfortunately, they were already toote. When they arrived they met only blood stains, and theirrade was gone.


    "Hmmm, Lucian''s goons probably got him¡­." Beside thedy in silver, a fairly short individualmented. He seemed to be of a more elevated status than the other faceless men.


    "Ah, the Dalriss boy is doing too much....." Thedy spoke with a tinge of annoyance, how dare the brat mess with her subordinates? Did he crave a beating?


    "Hehe, they really are full of themselves, but Then again....." The short, faceless man shook his head.


    The Dalriss family''s head was marquee Cane. One of the seven protectors of Duan royal capital and, in turn, the kingdom.


    He was insanely influential and was prone to pampering his heirs. One of which was Lucian. The fact that his teammate had gotten in the bad books of Lucian was mind-boggling to them. But they always knew that the end would be bloody.


    The Dalriss family just had too much pull...


    "Hm?"


    While they contemted what to do next, thedy In sliver sensed a presence behind her and immediately looked back.


    "Who are you?" She asked.


    There was a kid In a ck kimono standing behind them with a look of awkwardness.


    "I.....was just passing by, please excuse any inconvenience" the young man quickly bowed his head in their direction. He didn''t expect anyone to be in the alleyway.


    (Hmmm, Level 1 at best. But then, how did he get so close without me noticing?)


    The sliverdy was powerful, being a level 3 mage, she was considered a true powerhouse even in the faceless mercenarypany. So how did a measly level 1 mage get so close without her noticing?


    "Okay, be on your way. Just act like you didn''t see anything" thedy said casually before turning back to the blood stains on the walls.


    "Thank you, thank you" The young man in the kimono bowed his head In a hurry and left scared. It looked like he had stumbled onto something he wasn''t supposed to see, but luckily, he was let go of.


    "You''re not really going to let him leave, right?" The short faceless man tilted his head. He, too, didn''t understand how the kid had gotten so close without them noticing, it was at least worth it to question him more deeply.


    "Of course not, Eroding de, trail the kid. I want to know where he came from" thedy in slivermanded one of her subordinates, and one of the faceless men who had a de on his back turned around to leave quietly.


    He was going to follow Leon and depending on what he finds, or the orders from thedy in silver. He would either let Leon live or swiftly end his life.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Inn


    After cutting a few corners along the city road, Leon finally made it to the inn and proceeded to go to his courtyard.


    "Wee boss," gunta noticed Leon''s entry and bowed immediately.


    "Hehe," Leon patted Gunta on the back before turning to where Arian was seated.


    "There''s no need to react, just let it be" Leon said to Arian.


    Immediately after he stepped out of the alleyway, someone had been trailing him. He knew this and as soon as he entered the courtyard, Arian noticed too.

 Chapter 58 Faceless mercenary-1

    58 Faceless mercenary-1


    "Hmm, wow, that''s actually delicious.....what did you call it again?" Leon sighed in delight. In his hand was a ball of metallic brown rice wrapped in a leafy covering.


    "They are called Yunmo rice balls" Arian said causally while looking intensely at Leon.


    "10/10!! Your cooking skills are spectacr" Leonplimented Arian with a thumbs up. He had no idea that this cold beauty could actually cook so well.


    She just causally made some rice balls and they were this good? She was a real talent.


    "Thank you" Arian said before swiftly turning her face sideways as if trying to hide the blush that was slowly forming on her face.


    "Hmmm, did you notice?" Leon smiled at this scene and changed the topic.


    "Yes, he''s gone" Arian looked to one of the ceilings of the courtyard and announced confidently.


    The guy who had followed Leon here had stayed for four good days stalking their every move, but after seeing Leon''s daily mundane activities. He soon understood that he was just wasting his time.


    "Sigh!! That was annoying" Leon shook his head. He didn''t like wasting time, but he knew that this was actually delicate. If the man were to tag them as suspicious, and investigated them to the extent that he was able to tie them to what happened in the tamlin camp, they would be done for.


    This jump scare reminded Leon on the need to hide their identity.


    (Even before joining the faceless mercenarypany, I''ll need to add anotheryer of secrecy.)


    "Gunta, head to the market and get me a few things¡­."


    Leon looked over at gunta andmanded.


    At night,


    Two figures made their way out of the Inn


    One was a young man with white hair and sparkling blue eyes, with a traditional ck Japanese kimono and a hood over his head. This second was ady with hair simr to that of the young man, she too covered her head with a long ck hood.


    They walked directly from inside the inn into the street without stopping for a minute. Then, they entered the crowd.


    "Hm? They are trying to disappear?" From inside one of the alleyways, a voice resounded as a faceless man revealed himself from the shadows.


    The mercenary called Eroding de didn''t leave, for some reason, he could feel that he was being watched when he stayed around the courtyard. It was strange, so he decided to step back and, giving them the illusion that he was gone.


    However, he was just waiting for them to reveal themselves. The possibility that these guys were rted to the disappearance of their teammate had risen by a giant margin.


    He had to follow them.


    However, he would soone to realize that this was a mistake. Because as soon as he stepped out of that alleyway, Leon and Arian broke into a mad sprint.


    "Shit!!" Noticing this, rms blew through his head. They were aware of him.


    ¡ªwoosh


    He began speeding forward with all his might, he was a level 2 mage, catching up to them should be easy¡­.and it was like that for a time.


    Even with their head start and the countless people on the streets, he was able to get closer and closer to them, the difference in speed was apparent


    it was only a matter of time before he got them¡­.at least that was what he thought, until they got close to a bridge.....


    There and then. One of them grabbed the other by the arm and¡­. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡ªwhoosh


    She flew into the sky.....


    "what the hell??!!" The faceless mercenary forced himself to stop and look over at the flying figures of both of them.


    Flight?


    That was a level 3 mage, it was definitely them who took their teammate.....this was embarrassing, the culprit had just walked past them in the alleyway and they did nothing.


    "Hm? The other guy" the faceless mercenary, remembered that they were three, so he instinctively turned and rushed towards the inn.


    Unfortunately, Gunta had also been given orders to pack up and move to another ce¡­.this chase was just another trick so they could disappear.


    Leon and his friends had not only tricked him once but two times.


    "Fuckers!!!!!" The faceless mercenary screamed at the top of his voice.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the river Leon and Arian floated down.


    "Hehe, we made it" Leon smirked, the feeling of flight was amazing. Leon couldn''t wait to gain this ability.


    East of duan city,


    The flight wasn''t a small one, they had remained airborne for about 10 minutes and even crossed the border into the east of the city.


    "Gunta should be making his way to the east in a few hours too. Let''s make use of this time to do what we need to do." Leon said to Arian while dusting his clothes.


    The faceless mercenary he captured had exined that thepany didn''t recruit in a normal way. Those who wished to join would go to designated locations and fight to the death with the participants there. Of course, each location had a power limit.


    They didn''t want level 2 mages bullying level 1 mages. After all, an appropriate distribution of levels is best for any organization. Having only level 2 mages was detrimental.


    "So split up and meetter?" Arian asked Leon.


    The location for the tests were different depending of power levels, so they would definitely need to split up for the duration of the test.


    "Yh¡­. Good luck" Leon said before walking into an alleyway beside them. Arian frowned a little before gently floating upwards and zooming off in another direction.


    Unlike Leon''s test, hers was fairly easy. Even the faceless mercenarypany would wee any level 3 mage with open arms, she didn''t even expect to meet anyone at herpetition area.


    But for Leon? It would be a bloodbath. They were countless level 1 mages that wanted to join the faceless mercenarypany, and every single one was special in their own way. But she trusted Leon, if he couldn''t emerge on top, she didn''t know who could.


    Author''s note: support with powerstones

 Chapter 59 Faceless mercenary-2

    59 Faceless mercenary-2


    "Don''t worry about it, this battle is only a formality, there are few level 3 mages that would agree to a death match, we just have to wait until the time runs out"


    In the sky''s of Duan city, three figures could be observed floating in the airspace above the city. Two of them had faceless masks, and thest had a blue oval mask over his face.


    "I understand, I''m just a bit nervous" Beside the faceless men, the man in the blue oval maskmented.


    He had broken through to level 3 a few days ago and was celebrated by all his fellow disciples. His master even invited him to join his secret faction in the faceless mercenarypany.


    This was a big honor, all his fellow disciples dreamed of the chance to join their masters'' secret faction, but their masters'' rules didn''t allow them to join until they were ready. Now he had been given the opportunity to join.


    Why wouldn''t he be nervous?


    "It will be over soon, then you will officially be one of us" the aged faceless to side assured the new recruit.


    Any level 3 mage joining thepany was to be epted with open arms. It was a boost to their faction. They were of special status, the battle to the death was just a tradition, they knew how to bypass it.


    "Hm?" However, while he was thinking of how this would be over soon, a figure slowly emerged from the city floor and soon¡­.


    The figure stood before them.


    "Who are you?" One of the faceless men asked.


    The person in front of them was a female with long luscious white hair and a red devil face mask over her face.


    "I''m here for the test to join the faceless mercenarypany" thedy spoke hoarsely. This person was, of course, none other than Arian.


    "The test?" The two faceless mercenaries frowned. This wasn''t protocol, if any level 3 mage wanted to join they would use an insider to inform them, so the test would be held on a day when there weren''t any other level 3 mages fighters. So who could this person be here?


    Unless.....


    (A rogue level mage fighter?)


    The two faceless mercenaries thought at the same time, a rogue mage fighter was rare. it was extremely difficult to be a level mage fighter without a prior backing, so those who could achieve this feat were mostly geniuses.


    "Sigh!!" The old faceless mercenary shook his head as he looked at the level 3 mage with the faceless mask. If Arian hadn''te here, it would have been easier, but now they would have to follow tradition.


    Only the most powerful could survive.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    On the ground,


    Leon''s figure emerged from inside an alleyway. Along the street he had just emerged from, was a darkness akin to the abssy, except for a wide restaurant in front of him.


    The restaurant was the typical open canopy restaurant that could be found all over duan city, it was basically like a local food spot.


    However, at this time of the night, the restaurant shone with bright light that bathed that particr part of the street with splendid light.


    It was truly peculiar.


    Leon, who now had a red devilface mask on his face, walked up towards the restaurant and stopped.


    "I wish to be faceless" Leon said to the attendant at the door.


    "Hm, wee" the attendant nodded and opened the door.


    Leon then proceeded to enter and walk over to a table, where he took a seat.


    "Last meal?" A waiter with a faceless mask on soon arrived at Leon''s table and asked. It was customary for the restaurant to serve a freest meal for this test, as most participants would end up dead during the test.


    The faceless mercenarypany''s entry test was brutal, and only the insane or those with prior ties with the group would attempt to join.


    "You have rice balls?" Leon turned go the waiter and asked. He didn''t understand why, but he suddenly felt the craving for rice balls. For some reason, the cooking in this world seemed much better than that in his former world.


    "Certainly" the waiter bowed and walked off to the back of the restaurant.


    "Hmp!! Looks like you''re already resigned to your fate, kid¡­" from the counter of the restaurant, a man in his twenties said to Leon.


    Most of the people seated here refused thest meal option as it screamed out dead man walking, but Leon actually asked for a rice ball? Was he suicidal?


    "Hm? I''m just craving rice balls. Plus, Death is but a release, tell me though, would you be willing to fight against someone who''s ready to die?" Leon responded to the man with a twisted smile. Of course, no one wanted to fight against someone like that. They would probably try to pull you down with them.


    Naturally, Leon didn''t have such tendencies, he only wanted rice balls. Did that mean he was going to die? That was stupid, his strength is what would determine that, not rice balls.


    "Wooo, I''m soooo scared.....stupid kid" the man mocked Leon. Leon was but a kid who had been sent to his death by some egotistical old bastard.


    He would probably be picked off by the more powerful ones immediately the fight starts, just for trying to stand out.


    And truly Around Leon, several other fighters couldn''t help but sneer as they watched Leon receive a bowl with three rice balls


    After about 10 minutes.


    "It''s almost time....." the faceless waiter announced, and soon other faceless waiters from outside the restaurant began pulling down the metal blinds of the shop.


    ¡ªng


    ¡ªng


    Soon the restaurant was filled with pitch ckness followed by a pin drop silence.


    ¡ªfu


    The waiter lit up a handheld fire touch and created some lumination in the room.


    "Only one person can remain. Begin"


    While standing conspicuously in the middle of the restaurant, the waitermanded and immediately.


    "Die!!"


    All hell broke loose. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 60 faceless mercenary-3

    60 faceless mercenary-3


    "Die brat!!"


    The first person to make a move was the man seated on the counter, out of nowhere, a spear elongated from under his robes and barreled towards Leon''s head.


    It was a sneak attack.


    ¡ªchhrrrr


    However, Leon, who still had a rice ball in his hand, was prepared. He kicked the table in front of him and pushed himself out of the trajectory of the spear. Leon was able to escape with his life.


    "Hm?" The same couldn''t be said for his attacker. Simr to how he nned to sneak attack Leon, Leon had the same thing in store. As soon as they were asked to begin, Leon threw his poison dagger at the man. Piercing through his stomach.


    "What the hell¡­?" He was too busy plotting on how he would kill Leon and didn''t think that Leon was nning to kill him too.


    "You should really take your own advice and not stand out" Leon chuckled.


    He just noticed the funniest thing. He wasn''t the only one targeting the man, at this moment the man had an ax lodged in the back of his head.


    It seemed like Leon wasn''t the only one he offended, as right next to the counter, a shortdy appeared and pulled out the ax from his head.


    "Do you" Leon raised his head showing he meant no harm, she looked at him and sneered. If not for Leon''s distraction, she might not have gotten the bastard.


    However, before she could even make another move, a small pin passed through and neck and her body fell to the floor.


    She was dead before she even knew it.


    "Ah? Oh, well" Leon proceeded to grab the rude man''s spear and climb on top the counter. This visibly made him a target. But it also created the avenue for him to do this¡­.


    Wind Work: Wind arrows


    Leon activated his spell and almost immediately about 15 Wind arrows appeared out of nowhere and¡­.


    ¡ªpuuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    They moved simultaneously and imed the lives of about 7 men and women.


    "Ah? Such precision¡­" The faceless waitermented. The Wind arrow spell was the mostmon spell among level 1 mages, but the spellcked precision, and could easily be blocked by trained fighters. Seeing Leon rip the lives of seven people with this spell was amusing.


    However, this didn''t mean what he did was a smart move. Killing several people at once had immediately made him public enemy number 1.


    "Come at me" Leon waved the spear in his hand around and mocked the fighters.


    Normally, Leon would see anyone showboating like this as an absolute idiot, but Leon had his reasons. From what he heard from the faceless mercenary he had captured, there was a talent slot during the test.


    Normally, this test would happen about once in two weeks in different parts of the city, as such most of the recruits weremon in the eyes of the higher-ups. But the faceless mercenarypany saw the need to nurture special recruits.


    So a rule was set in ce, killing 15 or more participants during the test would automatically rise one to a special status. This was extremely difficult to achieve as most of the tests didn''t have more than 15 participants, so it was actually challenging to achieve.


    This one in particr had 20, Leon had already imed the life of 7, so he was basically the only participant qualified for the special status at this moment.


    "Kill the bastard!!!" From the opposite side of the restaurant, a bald young man with a Boa sword shouted.


    By killing 7 people, he had disqualified all of them from the special status. They couldn''t hide that this made them extremely angry.


    "Ahhhhh"


    All of them threw themselves at Leon. But Leon remained steadfast. His position was an elevated one, with a simple thrust of his spear, he would take lives and with his leg, he would force those trying to level with him down. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡ªchu


    ¡ªchu


    ¡ªchu


    Leon repeatedly used his spear to im lives, until he had taken a total of 3 more lives. After that, the others pulled away from the counter.


    "Wind work: Wind Arrows"


    All of a sudden, Leon activated the wind arrow spell again and made them fly in different directions.


    This time though, the other participants were prepared, they immediately took cover behind tables and, with that, they had nullified that attack.


    "Two can y at that game" the bald youth with the boa sword said out loud before stretching his hand forward.


    Wind work: Wind arrows


    Wind arrows soon materialized beside him. Seeing this, the others followed suit. The wind arrow spell was popr and they could all use it.


    It was time for Leon to have a taste of his own medicine.


    ¡ªwooom


    "Shit!!" Leon saw the countless arrows flying towards him and immediately did a backflip, effectively dodging the volley of arrows beforending on the floor.


    "Eat this!!" And, as soon as Leonnded on the floor, he threw his spear out and.


    ¡ªBoom


    "Glurg" the spear broke apart the table of one of the participants who was hiding behind and pierced right through him.


    He had taken another life.


    "Next!!" Leon''s blue supernova eyes trailed around the restaurant and fell on another target, he pulled out his dagger and dashed forward.


    "This guy is an experienced killer¡­." The faceless waiter mused. Leon didn''t stop, it was one tactic after the other, it seemed liked killing was only natural to him.


    This kind of drive was astonishing.


    "Hehe, he''ll have a hard time with kun''s boy though," he added.


    There were a lot of Canon fodder in each of the tests, but at least 2 were real talents. However, in this particr one, Leon had overshadowed the only true talent in this set. But he wouldn''t die easily, they would face off eventually.


    "These guys won''t let up" behind a particr table, Leon gulped down a bottle of red liquid and sighed.


    He had taken another life, but, they were still four more targets remaining and all of them seemed to have banded together to kill him. Leon was now facing a 4 one 1.


    Nheless, Leon would have to go on, it was a deathmatch after all. They could only stop when one remains.


    Leon reached to the side and pulled out the spear he had thrown out from the corpse to his side.


    He then grabbed the leg of the table he was taking cover behind, like a shield and began sprinting forward with it.....


    "He''sing!!" The bald-headed youth became incensed, he pulled out his Boa sword and prepared for Leon.


    Leon rushing towards them meant he was ready for a full-frontal, this was his favorite type of battle.....plus it was a four on one.

 Chapter 61 Faceless Mercenary-4

    61 Faceless Mercenary-4


    In the sky''s of Duan city, a small tempest of uncontroble wind raged.....


    ¡ªBoom


    ¡ªBoom


    "Are we really going to sit and watch this happen?" In the sky, four figures could be observed, 2 of which were engaging in a brutal battle.


    The first was ady in a red devil face mask and the second was a male with a blue oval mask.


    "Storm area: Sword Rain"


    Thedy had lightening and wind revolving around her. She Kind of looked like a storm god with the lightening crackling all over her body.


    This spell was a level 3 spell. Normally, level 3 spells were kept from markets and only sufficiently powerful forces would have them but, Arian had been in possession of this spell since she was a level 2 Mage, now that she was in level 3. It was now very powerful.


    the problem with her opponent was that he didn''t have a level 3 spell, abet being in level 3. He was meant to get one as a gift for passing the test but, They didn''t know their decision would bring this much trouble.


    "He needs to take the initiative to run away. If not, there''s nothing we can do to help him"


    Arian swung her sword forward and a barrage of ethereal sword lined with crackling lightening flew towards her opponent like a thunderbolt.


    "Shit, I can''t let myself be shown up by this youngdy¡­" Arian opponent gashed his teeth and tried to block the attacking at him with his halberd.


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    And of course, he was sent flying by this attack, he was just too weak. However, he didn''t stay down, as soon as he could, he pulled himself together, and he flew back.


    There was arge gash of ckened flesh on his body, and he was bleeding from several Cuts all over his body. But he kepting back.


    If his master were here to see this scene, he would be astonished. Most of his disciples could only be described in a few words.


    They were cowards.


    He never trained them to stand and fight until thest breath, he made sure to hammer it into their minds that life was better than glory.


    This was why he only let them join the faceless mercenarypany when they got to level 3. He didn''t want them dying off.


    "What''s wrong with me?" He knew this wasn''t his usual behavior, so what was this? They were all confused. At least most of them were, but not Arian.


    "The power of pride, a blessing, and a curse"


    Arian shook her head. The strange behavior of her opponent was due to her new "passive skill"


    Prideful heart.


    This was from the seed of pride given to her by Leon. It caused the tiniest amounts of pride in the heart of her opponents to grow. It made them act irrationally, giving her the upper hand.


    This person would not give up this fight unless he died, this was the cruel reality of pride.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Meanwhile, inside the local restaurant where Leon was taking his test.


    ¡ªBoom


    ¡ªBoom


    ¡ªBoom


    Leon''s feet struck the floor as he rushed towards the four remaining fighters in front.


    "Three of you face him, I''ll nk him from behind" the bald - headed young manmanded. These guys weren''t really hisrades, they were only working together out of necessity because they all agreed that letting Leon continue his rampage would ultimately lead to their death.


    That, they were sure of.


    "Hmm!!" The three men nodded simultaneously and rushed out to meet Leon.


    "Here theye" Leon put strength into his legs and threw the table forward, striking about two of them and forcing them back.


    With that small distraction, he nted his feet on the floor and stretched out the spear and impaled the third assant.


    This time though, he missed and only sessfully impaled his shoulder and drove the spear into the wooden pir holding up the canopy.


    Coincidentally, this was right next to where the faceless waiter was standing.


    "Hehe, the kid likes to toy with people, huh?"


    Leon could have easily shed with his dagger and ended this life, but he decided to keep the guy forter.


    "Die!!!" Seeing Leon dash towards them, the two whom he had distracted with a chair raised their weapons and struck at him.


    Whilst these three were going at it, the bald-headed youth made a circle round the restaurant until he was right behind Leon.


    ¡ªChu


    Leon had just stabbed one in the throat and was readying himself to attack the other when.


    ¡ªwoosh


    A gentle breeze blew from behind him, causing him to tense up. He forgot about the fourth guy.


    ¡ªsh!!!


    The attack connected and left a long cut on Leon''s back that immediately started bleeding.


    "Ahhh," Leon touched the blooding from his back and shook his head in annoyance.


    "I''m getting rusty" Leon smiled bitterly, he had indeed been cut severally in this fight, but none were this deep.


    "The next spill wille from your neck" the bald youth announced and immediately dashed toward Leon. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "me work: Boa ze"


    The young man activated a spell that saw his weapon light up.


    "Ah?" Leon saw this from his crouched position and sighed. It took a lot to use fire energy.


    The truth was most mages and warlocks wouldn''t use fire energy in full-blown attacks until they got to level 2. It was, simply because, fire energy was too dangerous.


    For example,


    ¡ªwooo


    Leon sent several wind arrows towards the kids'' sword, causing it to lose control.


    "Arggg" the youth immediately let go of the sword and stepped to the side.


    Fire and wind were a bad mixture. If Leon were more powerful, he would just put out the fire. But what he did was much better. He fired his wind arrows in such a way that they caused the fire to increase and go out of control.


    Basically, fanning the mes.


    . Using fire energy increased damage, but it was also stupid to use it while being a level 1 mage.


    "Shit!!" Staring at his sword on the floor, the bald-headed youth''s heart couldn''t help but skip a beat. Leon hadpletely disarmed him.


    (I need to protect myself!!)


    He screamed in his mind before proceeding to jump to the side in hopes to dodge Leon''s next attack. But Leon didn''t target him.


    ¡ªpuuu


    Leon''s sights were set on hisrade. He threw is remaining dagger and sessfully caught him off guard, effectively killing him.


    "That''s 13" Leon grinned. Only two people remained, the one he pinned to the wall and the kid with the Boa sword. Both of which were severely disabled.


    One was stuck to the wall and the other had been disarmed.


    "Huuuu" Leon blew out a breath of air and stood up. He then raised his fists up.


    "You.....'' the bald kid froze, Leon wanted to go hand to hand? That was...unusual.


    For killers like them, fighting was only a means to an end, so they used the most effective killing methods, weapons.


    Fighting with your bare fists was not efficient. And yet, this was what Leon was proposing.


    He didn''t pay any mind to Leon, he rolled forward in an attempt to grab his sword, but Leon, who was already in a kickboxing stance, simply leapt forward and struck his head with the back of his feet.


    "Argg!" The bald-headed youth screamed in pain, but he had his Boa sword now. It was done for Leon. Or so he thought.


    ¡ªbang


    ¡ªBoom


    Leon didn''t leave even a meter of space between himself and the bald kid. Every strike was followed up with another.


    This was no fight. Leon was simply beating him up with his bare hands.


    It was an embarrassment.


    (Looks like I was wrong, what are they teaching these kids nowadays)


    The faceless waiter looked annoyed underneath his mask. The kun boy was aterades'' trainee, seeing him getting ttened was humiliating.


    "Nothing I can do"


    Leon beat the living snout out of the bald youth. It was embarrassing to watch. At least that was until.


    "Fuck you, If I''m going to die, I''ll take you along with me" with rage in his eyes, the bald you threw a pill into his mouth and all of a sudden.


    Hair, he started growing hair from his scalp.


    "Hm? Wrong pill?" Leon mocked, did this guy mistakenly take a hair loss remedy pill or something? What was the hair about?


    "Fucking die!!!" The bald-headed youth exploded with speed. He turned into a blur and began circling Leon....


    ¡ªsh


    ¡ªsh


    ¡ªsh


    With his Boa in hand, he delivered several more shes, tearing up Leon''s clothes and skin. Each cut was extremely painful.


    Surprisingly, Leon didn''t seem moved. He only maintained a serious expression on his face while stretching forward in a w.


    "BloodSerpent work: Anaconda Grip"


    All of a sudden, the bald kid felt his rib cage tighten hard and snap, causing him to fall to the floor. And begin squirming in pain.


    As soon as this happened, the faceless waiter looked over at Leon, but he couldn''t tell what just happened. It was a split - second move, just like a causal grab, and the kid was on the floor.


    "Hmm, strange" the faceless waiter mused. He didn''t think too much of it though, there were spells that even he, a level 2 mage, couldn''t see through immediately.


    "Die!!" Leon walked over to the bald youth and smirked. Then he raised his leg up and


    ¡ªst


    He was dead.


    Now all that remained was the guy he left forter, however, before Leon could look over to him.


    "Hmm, Winner, 14 kills" a faceless waiter stepped forward and announced, stunning Leon.


    That was when he realized that the person he kept forter had bled to death

 Chapter 62 Join My Faction

    62 Join My Faction


    "Fucking asshole" Leon couldn''t help but spit out in the crouched position as he inspected the bled out corpse of the guy he impaled.


    Actually, bleeding out wasn''t the problem here, it was the fact that he bled out from several serious wounds and not all of them were caused by Leon. There was no way to rule on who actually killed him.


    This little formality ruined his ns, it was annoying. Of course, Leon suspected this was just one of the faceless mercenaries messing with him because of some sort of prejudice....


    "Take that one away too" the faceless waitermanded. They were cleaning up the bodies, as the battle was over.


    People, actually eat in this ce so they couldn''t have it smelling like rotting corpses.


    "Ahhh we have a live one" one of the faceless mercenary said all of a sudden


    In front of him, one of the corpses fell to the floor and squirmed, revealing that it was actually alive.


    "Ah?" Leon immediately approached. He knew who this guy was, it was the man that mocked Leon for wanting rice balls at the beginning. Even though there was a poison dagger in his belle and an Ax lodged in his head, he was somehow alive.


    "Darknorth, I think we need to deliberate first on what to do, two people surviving the death match is not good" one of the faceless mercenariesined. He was trying to nullify the test so as to save the man with the Ax lodged in his head.


    "Why? I''ve got the perfect solution right here,"


    As soon as the faceless mercenary finished talking, a young voice resounded from beside him, followed by a stter of blood.


    "You..." The faceless mercenary pointed with anger. Leon had decapitated the man before he could even do anything.


    "That makes it 15, right?" Leon looked over at the waiter and asked. He needed 15 kills and this guy made it 15. That''s all he needed to know.


    "Yup, that''s 15" the faceless waiter nodded, behind his mask was a smirk. Leon was too direct, but he liked it.


    (Maybe I could recruit this one to my side)


    He thought in his mind. Leon had all the right temperament for a killer and was truly talented.


    "Finish up, and let''s get on with the initiation ceremony" the faceless waitermanded. Soon, the restaurant was packed up and cleaned. Then all the faceless mercenaries entered back into the store.


    Soon others followed suit until the whole room was pitch ck. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "It is said that a GU is formed after cing the most poisonous creatures in a y pot. They fight and overpower each other with their poisonous gifts until finally the most apt one survives and absorbs all their essences....


    Today, this Arena was your y pot, and all those you''ve killed were poisonous creatures, but you are the one who survived, you have earned your ce amongst us.....you have earned the right to be faceless"


    A voice echoed, this voice was strange, it seemed to being from the faceless waiter in front of him, but at the same time it seemed like it wasing from everywhere.


    "Say after me,


    I have no eyes, so I see nothing.


    I have no nose, so I smell nothing


    I have no face, so I am nothing.....


    "


    They recited the mantra of the faceless mercenarypany and soon enough the lights came on.


    But this time, Leon no longer had his red devil face mask on.


    It had been reced with a mask that blended with his skin, it made it seem like he had no eyes, no nose and no mouth.


    It was a faceless mask.


    "State your code name" the faceless waiter called Darknorthmanded.


    "Badur"


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Outside the restaurant.....


    Three figures could be seen floating in the airspace above the restaurant. One was a female with pure white hair and a faceless mask...the other two were visibly aged men.


    These three were Arian and the supervisors for the level 3 test.


    Arian had sessfully passed the test, but she didn''t end up killing the oval masked man. At thest-minute someone showed up and saved him.


    The other two decided to overlook it and continue with the Initiation ceremony. After they did that, they tried to recruit Arian to their faction. But she declined.


    They didn''t let up, though, they made sure they followed her all the way to this location.


    "Isn''t this one of the level 1 locations?" One of the old men asked. Why did shee to the location for a level 1 test?


    Soon, the blinds of the restaurant were lifted, and several figures exited the restaurant. Of course, the number that went in was much more than the ones that came out.


    "Hmm" Upon seeing Leon''s white hair, Arian nodded and started floating downwards. Not for one minute did she think that Leon would lose, but she couldn''t help but feel worried. After all, anything could happen In a death match.


    "Ah?" Seeing Arian descend, the old men seemed to understand something and followed down.


    "I assure you, the benefits are huge.....during the tempering we will get you the best spots" the waiter who was standing beside Leon whispered into his ear.


    Leon had special status. He was able to sessfully kill 15 out of the 20 participants in the restaurant. It didn''t seem like much on the outside, but the skill and effectiveness it took to take this number of lives before anyone could destroy your chances was enormous.


    Plus, he liked Leon''s temperament, he wanted him to join his faction at all costs.


    ¡ªBoom


    While the faceless waiter was trying to convince Leon, a facelessdy with white hairnded In front of them and looked over at Leon.


    "Ah????" The faceless waiter paused. Flight was the sign of a level 3 mage. Did the kid already have a backing?


    He didn''t want to believe it, so he kept on following Leon, but soon two other level 3 magesnded beside thedy.


    "Well, looks like you already have a backing"


    Coming in close proximity to the level 3 mages, the faceless waiter named Darknorth sighed.


    "Who are they?" As soon as Leon arrived before Arian, he questioned. There were two old men behind Arian for some reason.


    "I already told them I''m not joining any faction, but they refuse to listen" Arianined. The old her would have just started attacking them, but there was no need for that right now.


    "Oh, I see¡­." Leon sized up both of them. He expected this, even the faceless waiter was trying to recruit him, a level 1 mage talkless of Arian who was a rouge level 3 mage.


    "I''m sorry to disappoint you all, but we won''t be joining any factions as we are against oath taking" Leon bowed slightly and exined.


    He wouldn''t take any oath of loyalty.....that was his bottom line.


    "Hm? Oaths? We don''t take oaths in the faceless mercenarypany" The faceless waiter suddenly said with some confusion.


    The faceless mercenarypany didn''t deal with oaths. It was tradition, they were an anonymous organization.


    "Even in the factions?" Leon frowned. He was of the opinion that even though the faceless mercenarypany didn''t take oaths, the factions in thepany did.


    "No, it is against the rules." The two old men said in union.


    "Ah¡­" Leon nodded in realization.


    "Just take my card, and we can have a talk about your future in thepanyter on" the faceless waiter handed Leon his card and so did the old men to Arian.


    "We..... Will think about it, I guess" Leon epted and bowed before proceeding to walk off with Arian following closely behind him.


    This scene shocked everyone here. Leon had a level 3 mage following him like a subordinate? In which world did that make sense?


    Authors note: please leave a review. Also gifting has been enabled

 Chapter 63 Guard duty

    63 Guard duty


    ¡ªBoom


    The body of a bruised and beaten man fell to the floor of arge courtyard. Upon closer inspection, the young man seemed to have a broken oval blue mask on his face and his robes were torn and tattered.


    "Hmp!! Embarrassing" Floating right above the young man, an older gentleman with a white goatee, a bald head and gray robes snorted.


    He was the master of the man who had fought Arian during the faceless mercenary test and right now, he was annoyed. after so many resources and sacrifices, he was able to force one of his disciples to enter level 3. Qualifying him to enter the faceless mercenarypany''s high ranks.


    But, now out of nowhere, some random kid appears and destroys his chance.....it was vexing.


    "Maybe I''ve been too soft on all of you¡­." The bald-headed elder sneered, he then took out his faceless mask and ced it on his face.


    They were too use to luxurious lives, he needed to strengthen them, so they could handle themselves properly.


    ¡ªwoosh


    He looked to the sky and flew off in a particr direction.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Meanwhile,


    "Joining a faction will not only improve your living conditions, it will also create a better environment for your training, and if you''re in Duan City for wealth, we will provide a good number of high-quality missions with big pays.....what do you think?"


    In the now closed restaurant where Leon had taken his faceless mercenary test, Leon, Arian, and the waiter, who theyter found out was called Darknorth stood.


    Leon hade over to familiarize himself with the workings of the faceless mercenarypany, and Darknorth took the opportunity to try to poach him and Arian to his faction.


    "Hehe, there''s a need to understand the workings of thepany before making decisions, right?" Leon replied, he was a bit skeptical about this faction thing because, he had no inclination to remain loyal to any group.


    "I understand, but you don''t have that much time. You have to find one before the month''s end because, the tempering event will be held by the end of this month" Darknorth said.


    The tempering event was an event for new members of the faceless mercenarypany. It didn''t seem like it, but the mercenarypany was very powerful in duan city and had a lot of resources at their disposal. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Even with the happenings in the city, they would still organize their tempering events to help their new members advance in strength. When Leon first heard about it, he was very excited.


    A chance to strengthen himself was a golden opportunity, he felt very inadequate being a level 1 warlock. He needed to break through. Of course, this was easier said than done.


    It would be neigh impossible for a beginner stage Level 1 warlock like himself to break through during the tempering event that was meant for mages.


    However, Leon had a trick up his sleeve. He just needed to get to that point.


    "Okay, can I take a look at some missions?" Leon looked over at a signboard behind the counter of the restaurant and asked.


    Normally, this board would disy items on the menu for the restaurant, but since it was still closed, there were missions ced on them instead.


    "Yes, I totally forgot" Darknorth nodded and walked towards the board.


    "Hmm, most rookies are usually tasks with guard duty. Actually the faceless mercenarypany doesn''t participate in guard patrols, so we usually attach our new recruits to preexisting patrols..." Darknorth went on to exin.


    The guard duties were meant to familiarize the new recruits with the structure and workings of the city. It didn''t pay as well and was a bitckluster, but it was necessary. They had to know the city they were working in, right?


    "So, yeah, that''s pretty much it, you can do the guard patrol thing for about 2 weeks tops, I think it pays about 20 silver coins every hour." Darknorth exined.


    This pay was pretty good, even the luxurious courtyard they were staying in before only collected 2000 silver coins a month, with the 240 a day he would get, it would be enough to enjoy a pretty decent life. That''s forgetting the fact that Arian would probably receive more than him.


    He couldn''t help but sigh, being a guard in Duan city was definitely a very lucrative pursuit. At least for normal people.


    "Okay, we''ll do it!!" Leon nodded his head, showing interest in the guard thing.


    "We?" Darknorth frowned when he heard those words, was Leon insinuating¡­.that Arian would be going on guard duty with him? What kind of logic was this? A level 3 mage acting like a guard? Even in duan city, it was absurd.


    "Hehe, Brother Badur, I think you should reconsider, having a level 3 mage as a guard might scare whomever you''re ced under¡­" Darknorth tried to persuade. Forgetting about how absurd it sounded, there was no way anyone in their right senses would agree to takemand of a level 3 mage, if the person wasn''t a level 3 himself.


    At least that was except for people like Leon.


    "How would they know?" Arian, who was standing behind Leon, twisted her head in an asking manner. Actually, magic users Below level 3 could not tell if one was a level 3 mage. Trying to see through them would just leave them with a big question mark.


    Unless they saw them make a move, fly, or they used special techniques to see through their power level. They would never know how powerful the person beside them truly was.


    "I..." Darknorth was a bit dumbfounded. He thought she was just Leon''s personal guard and would be happy if she didn''t have to go through the humiliation of being a City guard. But she seemed adamant to stay by Leon''s side for some reason.


    "Well, okay, I guess....." Darknorth nodded and pulled out a medallion, he then pointed them to the direction of the East city guard house.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Soon, Arian and Leon made their way over to the location.


    "Get out of the way!!!" Just as they got there, though, they were met with a strange scene.


    A young man in a city guard''s uniform could be seen running for his life. The look on his face showed a clear sign of fear.


    "Get back here Carlson and be a man!!!" From the main door of the Eastern city guard house, a bulkydy with fiery red hair chased after the guard.


    She was going to teach him a lesson.

 Chapter 64 Guard duty

    64 Guard duty


    "She''s level 3" Arian, who was also watching this scene,mented. Thedy was dressed like a typical housewife, but she was powerful. What was the reason for her to be chasing down a level 1 city guard?


    "Hehe, stranger things have happened." Leon shook his head and proceeded to walk towards the guard house. He himself had a level 3 mage following him around, why can''t others?


    A few secondster,


    Leon and Arian, who were cloaked in ck robes, made their way to the doors of the Eastern city guard house.


    "Hm?" The guards at the front door, who seemed to be gossiping about a matter, stopped and looked over at Leon and Arians figures.


    "We are here to see the chief guard," Leon waved a medallion at the guards and said. This medallion had the symbol of the faceless mercenarypany, which was 3 faceless masks. Its meaning was clear enough to the guards.


    One of them immediately offered to take them to see the chief guard. And so they made their way into the guard house.


    It looked more like a maze, with twists and turns on every corner from the main lobby onwards. After a few twists and turns, Leon and Arian finally arrived at the door to the chief''s office.


    "Sir, we''ve got mercenaries" the guard alerted from outside the door and soon the door swung open by itself.


    "Go on in" the guard showed them in before mming the door shut behind them.


    Inside the office.


    Leon and Arian looked up, and their eyesnded on a middle aged man with a massive belly seated on a chair behind a table filled with paperwork.


    "Good day chief" Leon and Arian took down their hoods and revealed their faceless masks.


    "Ah? Faceless mercenarypany? Is it that time already?" The chief guard, as soon as he set his eyes on the faceless mask, understood what was going on.


    Not a lot of groups would attach themselves to city guard patrols, they had their own little teams for that. Only groups that like to maintain anonymity would go so far. So he was used to theming around.


    "I believe so" Leon nodded In confirmation.


    "Okay, take a seat" the chief guard said to Leon before standing up to pick up some paperwork.


    "So, what are your code names and levels?"


    "Badur, beginner level 1 mage"


    "Pridefulheart, peak level 1 mage"


    Leon and Arian answered, but Arians answer shocked even Leon himself. Arian was a level 3 mage and was iming to still be at level one¡­.if anyone else heard this, they would dig a grave and Bury themselves out of embarrassment.


    They were all trying to advance and brag about their strength, but Arian was hiding hers.


    "Ahhh, peak level 1? That''s a bit of a problem, the only team avable right now only has one peak level 1 mage, and he''s the team leader" the chief frowned.


    He couldn''t see through Arians'' strength, so, he assumed that she was hiding it with some secret technique.


    He suspected that she was at least close to level 2, most powerful people wouldn''t like to be seen through by any Tom dick and Harry. But now that he had confirmed it, he couldn''t help but point out the problem with this situation.


    Two people of equal strengths in one team would usually bring discord. Arian might not want to take orders from the captain.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t cause any issues" Arian assured the chief guard. He didn''t know that she was, in fact, a level 3 mage, if not, he would definitely not agree. He himself was only at level 2.


    After a brief moment of contemting, the chief sighed. There was nothing he could actually do, his hands were tied.


    "Bring Carlson over here" the chief guardmanded the guard outside the door and soon a guard with scattered silver hair entered the room.


    (Oh, it is that guy again?) n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Leon thought in his mind.


    The person they had brought was the guy who was being chased down by the bulkydy a few minutes earlier. He had surprisingly escaped from a level 3 mage.


    "These two will be attached to you for about two weeks, let them know all they need to know about the Eastern part of Duan city. They are called, Badur and Prideful heart." The chief gave instructions to the guard, and soon enough he dismissed them.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "I''m Carlson, no need for formalities, you can call me by my name directly. I''ll be showing you the ropes for these two weeks, I guess.... So just stick with me."


    After leaving the chiefs'' office, Carlson introduced himself to Leon and Arian. He seemed like a pretty down to earth person. Leon and Arian still couldn''t help but wonder what was the problem between him and thedy from before.


    "First let''s get you some standard issue guard uniforms and Amour" Carlson said before turning around to lead them away.


    Outside the Eastern city guard house.


    Leon, Arian and three others in standard grade city guard amour, the likes of roman centurions, stood in a distant alleyway from the guard house.


    "Okay guys, We have mercenary attaches today. These two are called Badur and Pridefulheart." Carlson introduced Leon and Arian to the rest of his team.


    They were all level 1 mages at least with about two of them being at the middle stage of level 1. Only Leon and one other were at beginner stage.


    "Ah, wee to the team" they all weed Leon and Arian with open arms. Apparently, they weren''t onlyrades, they were all friends.


    "Hehe, good¡­.today, we will be doing rounds from the Yi stream to the market, then we''ll make an U-turn and do some border patrol. From there we''ll go home" Carlson gave hismands and not too long after, they set off.


    While they did this, thedy who was chasing after Carlson previously broke through the doors of the guard house once again to look for him.

 Chapter 65 The Undercity.

    65 The Undercity.


    A weekter.


    "Haha, boss Carlson has arrived!!" Inside an alleyway next to the eastern city guard house, a bunch of men in city guard uniforms could be seen.


    "Hehe, still sneaking around, I see," one of the guards mocked. Carlson turned and looked over his shoulders, before turning back to his men.


    He had been on the run for a while now, there wasn''t anywhere safe, and he needed to constantly look over his shoulder, All this was because of one person.


    His fianc¨¦e.


    Leon hade to understand that, thedy who was chasing after Carlson at the front of the Eastern City Guard House a week ago, was actually his fianc¨¦e, and she was just trying to get him to take responsibility for his obligations.


    However, Carlson didn''t like the thought of being betrothed, and she was a bit of a bully, so he just kept dodging her.


    "Don''t tease me, please," Carlson, after checking his surroundings, sighed. She was nowhere around here.


    "Today''s patrol is a bit different¡­."


    Throughout the past week, Carlson had taken them all around the eastern part of Duan city. Leon couldn''t act like he knew every nook and cranny, but he definitely knew more than he did when he got here.


    However, there was a ce he didn''t know of and was about to find out.


    "No, you''re kidding me, right?" One of the guards asked with widened eyes filled with panic.


    "I''m a bit shocked also, but there''s nothing we can say. We are going to the undercity," Carlson said with a sigh.


    This was the worst patrol route any city guard could get. It was an absolute pain in the ass, because the undercity was a cesspool of crime. It was where the worst of the worst would go to live their lives, and the biggest headache of the city guards.


    "No use wasting time; let''s get our rounds in." Carlson tried to lift the morale of his men even though he knew this was arge inconvenience.


    Nevertheless, they had no choice. They put on their helmets and began their round around the eastern part of the city. They passed through markets, backstreets, and alleyways, then, finally they arrived at an artificial canal.


    There, they made their way down until they arrived before a massive gate.


    "S2 patrol, Undercity guard duty." As soon as they arrived before the gate, Carlson stepped forward and showed a piece of paper to the guards in charge.


    These guys weren''t normal guards. They were armed to the teeth and were ready to go all out at any given moment.


    "Hmm, approved." One of the guards said, after examining the piece of paper from Carlson, then he went to the gate and.....


    ¡ªng!!!


    The gate swung open


    "Stay behind us kid; things might get ugly soon" Carlson looked over at Leon and advised.


    He felt guilty that Leon would have to follow them into the undercity, it was no ce for a kid and, of course, Leon was much weaker than the rest of them, they had to protect him.


    Naturally, he was forgetting that to get into the faceless mercenarypany, Leon had to at least have killed more than a dozen men. this kid might have even killed more people than himself


    "Let''s get this over with," Carlsonmanded, and not long after, they trooped together and went through the gate, slowly descending underground.


    First, it was all darkness, but the further they went down, the more touches and guards they saw. It seemed like they were protecting the main city from the undercity.


    (This amount of security is just for criminals? It doesn''t make sense¡­.unless)


    Slums and ghettos were filled with criminals and the sort, that didn''t mean that they needed this much of a barricade from the rest of civilization. There was definitely something more to the undercity than meets the eye.


    A few minutester,


    "Ahhh" Leon and the rest finally arrived at the bottom of this long canal tunnel, and what awaited them was astonishing.


    It was a massive opening, the size of a small city. All around the ce, there were buildings made from substandard materials, but the liveliness was apparent just by looking.


    "You don''t belong here."


    "You guys suck."


    "Filthy mages"


    ¡ªwooo


    While Leon and the rest made their way down the streets of the undercity, the strangest thing kept urring. Warlocks would asionally appear in front of them and either insult them or throw stones at them.


    This was abnormal behavior. In Duan city, The Warlocks didn''t have the strength to behave like this. They were usually mellow and subservient, because of their status. However, things were very different here.


    "Just stay close everyone, After we sign in at the watchtower east of here, we will circle around, do our rounds and leave," Carlson assured his men.


    None of them liked this ce. The city guard didn''t have that much control here. If they were attacked, backup would take a while to arrive, and by then, they would have be corpses.


    They needed to not only be fast, but cautious too.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Sign here, here, and here" in front of arge watch tower in the middle of the undercity, Carlson received a piece of paper from a guard at the gate.


    From the look of the security around the tower, it showed how truly dangerous the undercity was. Even a guard tower had to be barricaded to such an extent that not even city guards from outside the undercity were allowed to enter.


    "Hmm, herees the dangerous part" Carlson came before Leon and the rest and spoke.


    After signing, they would need to do their rounds, and if they were lucky, they would get out without a problem. If they weren''t lucky, though, it would be a big problem.


    And so they started their patrol of the undercity. It was long and grueling, they were constantly harassed by the residents, but they managed to survive until the very end. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    At least that was until.....


    "Help!!!!"


    A loud voice resounded from the distance.

 chapter 66 The Undercity �2

    66 The Undercity ©\2


    "Help!!!" A distance away from their patrol route, a member of the undercity guard screamed for help.


    A robbery was taking ce.


    "No time, let''s go" Carlson immediately sprang into action. In as much as he didn''t want to engage in any battle, he couldn''t just sit back and watch while the other city guards were being attacked.


    They had to spring into action...


    "Hold them down until the others are done." At a distant shop, a number of armed rebels could be seen holding up a shop and looting it of all its valuables.


    They were well coordinated and professional. It didn''t look like these guys were just random fighters. This was definitely something else.


    "Water work: Spear tip revolver"


    While the rebels were looting, a spear engulfed with illuminated water at its very tip barreled towards the leader, aiming to im his life.


    "Hm?" Noticing the spear, the leader of the rebels pulled out a metal staff and intercepted it in a spit second.


    ¡ªng!!!!


    The sound of the collision erupted out of nowhere, causing everyone to stop and turn.


    "Hm, so fast?" The rebels'' leader twisted his head at an unnatural angle. They had the response time of the guards at the watchtower already pinned down. How were these guys able to get here so fast?


    "Shit, their reinforcements have arrived!!" One of the rebels shouted in rm. Almost immediately, the other rebels began to panic.


    "Don''t lose focus, we can still hold them back." The leader of the group assured them. He could see the guards running over, and all of them were powerful for guard standards, but he didn''t follow the same standards as them.


    He was a level 2, and no amount of level 1 mages could defeat him.


    "Yeah!! They are only six, plus we have the revered Young Prodigy on our side," one of the rebels bellowed, boosting their morale.


    "Hmp!!!" The leader swung his staff downward, forcing Carlson to fly backwards.


    ¡ªBoom


    Carlsonnded right beside Leon and the rest.


    "Stop them, don''t worry about the big guy, I''ll take care of him myself." Carlson unmoved by the overpowering strength of his opponent, directed his men to stop the looters and other rebels. Meanwhile, he would face the level 2 fighter.


    He was a peak level 1 mage, only himself and Arian could manage to face off against a level 2 mage. But he didn''t want to ce Arian in such a dangerous situation.


    Unless he really needed her help, he wouldn''t ask for it.


    "Water work: sacred water stream" Carlson rolled his spear, forming a ball of water in front of him.


    Carlson was from a pretty prestigious family. Even though he didn''t show it, he had an arsenal of spells that would allow him to put an average level 2 mage to shame.


    ¡ªwuuuu


    He sted the ball of water at the leader of the rebels with full force, causing him to immediately dodge, but Carlson didn''t let up. He threw another ball of water at him.


    At the same time, Leon and the rest engaged the looters and other rebels.


    "Warlocks" and for Arian, she didn''t engage in the battle. She stood at the very back with her eyes trained on a silhouette standing on a building not too far away.


    This silhouette belonged to a level 3 Warlock.


    In fact, every single person participating in this robbery was a warlock. Whatever this was, it was not a normal robbery.


    (Can''t make a move, you''ll have to handle it yourself.) n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Arian thought to herself while looking at Leon''s figure. If she moved, the level 3 warlock would do the same. It wasn''t that she was scared or anything, she just knew that escting this into a full-blown battle with level 3 fighters would cause more harm than good.


    "Shit!! This isn''t working." Carlson, who had several items of his amour broken into by the leader of the rebels, jumped back.


    The difference between a level 2 and level 1 mage was just too much to breach. It wasn''t only a difference in energy usage. It was also a difference in physical prowess.


    "I don''t have a choice..... I''ll have to use that." Carlson frowned. It didn''t take long for him to see that this robbery was not ordinary, if he hadn''t involved himself in the first ce, then it would have been better.


    But, now that he was already entangled¡­there was no way out, his family name was closely tied with the security of Duan city, if he failed, it would be a smear on their name.


    However, before he could make a move¡­a bunch of wind arrows came flying out of nowhere, precisely targeting the leader of the rebels.


    ¡ªpuu


    ¡ªpuu


    ¡ªpuu


    "Hm? " surprised, Carlson looked over at Leon and frowned. Leon had abandoned the looters to help him? He didn''t know if the kid was brave or just brain-dead.


    He was just at the beginning stages of level 1, What could he do against the level 2 warlock?


    "Hmm!!" The warlock spat out before turning to look at Leon''s figure in the distance.


    Leon was surprisingly running towards him, daggers drawn.


    This, was a very big mistake.


    "Ant!!!" The Warlock screamed. He raised his staff up into the sky and.


    "Steel Gori work: mountain breaker"


    In that brief moment, the warlock''s entire aura changed. It felt like he was the only existence in this space, and his staff was like a divine punishment.


    ¡ªBang!!!!


    The attacknded and quickly the one with the upper hand was apparent, This was because, with one strike, the warlock achieved two feats


    First, it snapped Leon''s dagger, breaking it beyond repair. Second, itpletely shattered Leon''s wrist and flung him 30 meters into the air¡­


    The difference between a level 1 and level 2 warlock was a bridge that was very difficult to cover.


    "Die!!!" Watching Leon''s body fly away, the warlock prepared another attack. But before he could materialize one.....


    "Water work: mythic Lance"


    Carlson appeared from out of nowhere and pierced in the direction of the warlock, causing him to jump back.


    "You¡­" The warlock looked at his chest and noticed his amour had been pierced through. This amour was top-notch, and he had to go through a lot to get it, but this kid had thorn through it like it was nothing?


    "What kind of spell was that?" The warlock muttered. This amour should be able to handle attacks from middle level 2 mages, so how could a peak level 1 mage tear through it?


    "Puuuuuu"


    Before he could get his answer, a whistle blew from the distance, alerting him that it was time to go. They had all they came here for.


    ¡ªwoosh


    He jumped,nded on top of a building far away, and left with the level 3 warlock.


    "Phew" When Carlson saw this, he heaved a sigh of relief. If that man had decided to stay, this might have ended badly.


    "Hm?" When he turned to look at Leon, he noticed two things. The first was Leon''s calm aura; even when faced with such a dangerous situation, Leon was surprisingly calm.


    The second was a massive iron gate that seemed to be fading out of existence behind Leon.


    It emitted a sort of energy that made Carlson feel a slight shiver.

 Chapter 67 Wanted

    67 Wanted


    "Good morning guys" in an alleyway not too far away from the Eastern city guard house, a young man greeted.


    "Morning boss.....ouch" opposite the young man, several others stood with bandages all over their bodies.


    These were Carlson and his men. During their patrol of the undercity, they had received a variety of beatings which left them bruised all over.


    Even Leon had his wristspletely shattered. He couldn''t even heal it with his healing spell because the spell was only limited to flesh healing.


    He had to let it heal on its own.


    "Hehe, you guys worked hard, the ''bonus'' came in early" Carlson assured his men. Before pulling out a bag of coins from his pouch.


    "Gold!!!" Carlson pulled out a sparkling metal coin made from gold from the bag and shed it before them. there was a saying in eldoria, Silver represented nobility and gold, the royalty. Everyone in the kingdom knew that 1 gold coin was equal to a 100 silver and so on and so Forth. However, the reality was much different from the general rule. This was because gold was controlled by the royal family solely, as such it was very scarce in the market.


    Dealing in gold was a privilege for the rich and influential. For the guard house to reward them with that meant they truly appreciated their efforts.


    "There you go"


    "There you go"


    Carlson shared among them equally until he got to Leon''s turn. Carlson reached into the pouch and pulled out about 30 gold coins. This was equivalent to 3,000 silver coins.


    It was 3 times more than the others had taken, but for some reason none of them voiced anyints.


    After the whole confrontation in the undercity, they found the identities of the man they had fought in the undercity and his identity was surprising.


    This man was called Yun feng, he was one of the 15 prodigies of the warlock ns. Specifically, from the Steel Gori n, a n with a level 4 ancestor.


    The 15 prodigies were talents from the ns with exceptional potential and skill, they were the moral support and the aspiration for all young warlocks. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    A win against one of them was massive, especially when it was a fight against a level 1 mage


    This ''win'' got Carlson a lot of clout, and he wouldn''t have gotten it without Leon''s help, so he wanted to reward him.


    "Thanks," Leon epted the gold coins with a smile. Most of them thought Leon was just some brave and loyal person who cared for hisrades, but they were mistaken.


    Leon attacking the warlock was premeditated. Firstly, he wanted to feel the difference between himself right now and that of a level 2 warlock. The second reason was also along the same line of thought.


    He was a warlock surrounded by mages, apart from umting life-energy he wasn''t very knowledgeable about the process of bing a level 2 warlock, he wanted to know what made them evolve like this.


    Also for the danger involved in what he did, Leon understood and was well-prepared for every oue.


    There was Arian and several other trump cards he still had to y.


    "Oh, there''s also this. We don''t have to worry about it right now though, but just keep your eyes out" Carlson pulled out a stack of papers and passed them around.


    These were wanted posters.


    And at the very front of them were a few familiar faces.


    But the ones that caught leons attention the most were his and Arians faces. They had been dered wanted.


    This was bad.


    "Apparently, the Tamlin group was sneak attacked by a level 4 warlock, and this resulted in numerous high-risk targets escaping their camp. Some have made it to Duan city and since they had already been captured prior, they are to be considered escaped convicts." Carlson exined.


    The tamlin faction had juste back to duan city and they were already causing a stir. The rewards on these posters were enormous.


    For just Arian, a bounty of 150,000 gold coins had been ced.


    Even she might be thinking of turning herself in at this point¡­.


    "It''s none of our business guys, I got us about a week of leave, so we can recuperate." Carlson knew that a man haunt was a bother, so he ''convinced'' the chief that his men needed time to recuperate.


    "Niceee"


    "Best boss"


    "Let''s get wasted"


    "Yeahhhhh"


    The guys prepared for a party, Meanwhile, Leon walked to Carlson and asked for some time away. A lot of things had happened this past few days., and each of these events made Leon understand that maybe he was being too slow.


    He needed to speed things up, or else things might not work out well.


    To that effect, he could only think of one method.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Brother Badur, wee back. How have the patrols been?" A faceless waiter said inside the faceless mercenarypany''s restaurant. Around him, several other faceless men could be seen loading bodies onto the back of a carriage.


    "Another one¡­." Leon smiled upon seeing this scene. Another test had been held, this meant there was a new addition to the mercenarypany.


    "Hehe, not as talented as you though" Darknorth shook his head. He enjoyed Leon''s test, it was brutal and a true show of what a fight among killers should actually look like.


    This one didn''t have that, it was just filled with schemes and conniving nonsense.


    "What brings you here, by the way?" After a quick reminiscing, Darknorth asked Leon. The patrol mission was supposed tost for two weeks, Leon shouldn''t appear until at least next week.


    "Got leave, need something to busy myself with," Leon said casually.


    "Well, there are a few things here. You can take a look," Darknorth showed Leon the Mission board.


    However, he didn''t expect Leon''s next words to be


    "Let me see your faction''s secret list."


    "You....mean???" Darknorth turned back slowly and matched Leon''s gaze. The faction''s secret mission lists could only be seen by faction members.


    Leon asking to see them hinted something that really excited him.


    Leon was considering joining his faction?


    "Yes" Leon nodded


    "I''ll call over an elder right now" Darknorth said with glee

 Chapter 68 A Ranked mission

    Chapter 68 A Ranked mission


    ¡ªBoom!! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Soon enough, an exceptionally tall faceless man dropped from the sky andnded directly before the restaurant with a sk of wine in his left hand.


    "Great Senior half-moon" Darknorth approached the senior and humbly greeted him with a bow.


    "You said something about a level 3 mage and a special talent?" The tall, faceless man turned to Darknorth and asked. They fought for Darknorth to get this recruiter position to pull in talents they could groom.


    Who would have thought that the youngd would be able to bag them a level 3 mage? It was a pleasant surprise.


    "These are the guys" Darknorth led the elder over to Leon and Arian.


    "Ah? He wasn''t pulling my legs, I see¡­" The elder Half-moon tilted his head before stomping on the ground.


    Out of nowhere, a chair made from rocks emerged and formed from the ground. The elder then proceeded to take a sit on it.


    "Oh, yes. You can have a seat too" the elder stretched a hand forward and two chairs rose from the ground. In the middle of the streets of duan city, Leon and Arian took their seats.


    "Before we proceed, I''ll like to ask some questions." Leon paused for a second before speaking.


    "Oh?" The elder raised his eyebrow questioningly.


    "Ah, you mustn''t¡­." Darknorth tried to stop Leon from proceeding with what he was going to ask.


    Half-moon was actually a very prestigious elder of their faction, he was at the peak of level 3, the fact that he came here himself was only because of Arian being a level 3 mage, and Leon was asking him questions?


    "No, no, let him ask his questions" the elder Half-moon waved his hand indicating that Darknorth shouldn''t interrupt. He liked Leon''s temperament. He was straightforward.


    "How do you keep your faction members loyal, really" Leon leaned forward from his chair and asked.


    No oaths were a massive loophole that could be exploited by hundreds of people. In fact, this was a sure way for them to get infiltrated by other organizations that wished to pull them down. However, the faceless mercenarypany had been standing for decades now.....there had to be something behind it.


    "Hmm," the elder Half-moon took in a deep before uncorking the sk in his hand. Immediately, the air was filled with the smell of rich wine that could only be described as intoxicating.


    "Gulp gulp gulp" the elder proceeded to dump the sk down his throated, thereafter, he looked back over at Leon and smiled.


    "It''s a secret, but of course, it''s an open one. There are no oaths in the faceless mercenarypany, but we find ways to hold our members to their words. Sometimes we take something valuable from them when they default, sometimes we use a reward-based system to create loyalty...." The elder Half-moon exined several other methods the faceless mercenarypany would use to maintain a certain level of loyalty.


    He wanted Leon to know what he was getting into, he didn''t believe in blind sighting members.


    "Of course, this doesn''t apply to you. Her, maybe, but you''re but a level 1 mage.....only people with exceptional ability would be sent on missions sensitive enough to need precautions taken against them." Half-moon exined before taking another gulp of wine.


    The general missions for faceless mercenarypany wereckluster at best. Only by joining a faction would one get good missions, as such they had to ssify them. The higher your level, the better the missions avable to you."


    "So what do you think?" Half-moon looked at Leon with raised eyebrows, he could tell that Leon was the boss here from the way he spoke. Even though this was a strange thing, he could tell this was the case.


    "Where do I sign up then?" Leon said with a wide grin behind his mask. He still had some reservations, but was sure that as long as he didn''t dive too deep into the politics of thepany, he would be alright.


    "Paper work, yhhhh" the elder Half-moon nodded his head before pulling out a book titled Virtan index.


    The Virtan faction. This was one of the powerful factions of the faceless mercenarypany.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Good, both of you are now officially members of the virtual faction. For the tempering event at the end of the month, we will personally find a good spot for you to attain a higher level of power." The elder Half-moon said casually.


    "You''ll now be attached to a team of which you''ll get your mission from" while reading the book in front of him, the elder continued. But before he could finish, he was cut off.


    "Team?.....no we don''t need that, we will form our own team" Leon spoke out.


    These words caused Half-moon to frown. Joining a team was traditional, Leon seemed to be doing too much at this moment.


    "What do you mean?" The elder Half-moon asked.


    "I have a level 3 mage by my side, is there really a need to join a preexisting team? It makes more sense to create one by ourselves" Leon exined himself.


    His reasoning was sound, with Arian by his side he was basically a waking tank. There really was no need to join another team. He could just stay here and generate funds from missions.


    That was his original goal, after all. He needed to firstly rece his daggers and improve his arsenal, but most of all, he needed to get some treasures to help him breakthrough, warlocks weren''t like mages who could just break through from enlightenment.


    They need to actually make physical efforts.


    "If you wish, but, I do have a proposal for you¡­." After a brief moment of contemting, the elder Half-moon nodded in agreement.


    Leon was right, he didn''t need to join any other team, so he wouldn''t force him.


    "What''s the proposal?" Leon raised his brow.


    "I''ll give you an A ranked mission, if my daughter can join your team" Half-moon said while staring at Leon intensely.


    A ranked missions had massive yield and one could make about 10,000 gold coins from them easily¡­.getting one was hard...

 Chapter 69 Favors

    Chapter 69 Favors


    ¡ªgallop


    ¡ªgallop


    ¡ªgallop


    On the streets of Duan city, Leon and Arian and The elder Half-moon made their way down the streets on a wooden carriage.


    The carriage was average looking at best, being made of a substandard wooden material. For a man of his status, such a carriage should be looked down on. But Half-moon seemed not to care even in the slightest.


    After a few minutes of riding, they appeared before an estate gate. Half-moon waved his hand and the gate swung open automatically, and they drove right in.


    They then stopped before a brick house two stories long.


    "Come on down" Half-moon invited them in.


    this was his home.


    He was a long-standing member of the faceless mercenarypany, a lot of people knew him already. So hiding his home was not really necessary, in fact, his face was already well known in thepany too.


    He would only wear his faceless mask on missions that demanded him to.


    ¡ªclick


    The door to the house opened and Half-moon steppes in...almost immediately after,


    "Take this!!!"


    Out of nowhere, a red haired teenager appeared and threw a kick at Half-moon''s head.


    ¡ªwoosh


    But of course, with a few simple moves, Half-moon was able to dodge and grab her by her ankle.


    "Naughty girl, you need to stop doing that" Half-moon said yfully to the girl as she dangled from his hand. Half-moon was incredibly tall, around 7ft (2.13 meters).


    "Hmp!!" The girl harrumphed before turning her head away as if showing her dissatisfaction. Soon a host of maids rushed forward to greet half moon and his guests.


    "Hehe, prepare the dinning table" Half-moonughed bitterly.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    The maids and servers of the house went to work and immediately whipped up a delicious meal for them to eat.


    "Hm? Rice balls? Nice" Leon looked delighted as the table was set. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Hmp!!" Arian looked over at him with the sides of her eyes and harrumphed.


    "Ah? What did I do?" Leon asked, But he received no response. Following this, Half-moon''s kid reached to the front of the table and grabbed thep of a chicken and began stuffing herself.


    "Manners!!" Half-moon berated her, causing Leon and Arian to look over.


    "Sorry about that, She can be a bit much sometimes." He said, and after a brief pause. He continued.


    "This is my Daughter Ember. She is the light of my days and coincidentally, she also joined thepany a week ago, same time as you, I presume."


    The elder Half-moon introduced his daughter to Leon and Arian. He was a single dad, having lost his wife a while ago, he had to turn to taking care of his daughter by himself. In fact, he didn''t want her to join the faceless mercenarypany.


    But, she insisted and forced him into giving in.


    "Dad!! You just told them my real name." Ember said to Half-moon with annoyance in her voice.


    "Your name? Take a look in the mirror sweetheart" Half-moon shook his head. Ember didn''t even have a faceless mask on, abet him warning her to have it on always. What was the use of keeping her name secret when her face wasn''t?


    "Ah?" Noticing that her faceless mask was nowhere to be seen, Ember could onlyugh bitterly at herself. She didn''t know they would be having guests.


    "Anyway, she is the one who will be joining your team. She''s currently at the middle stage of level 1, and she''s a special grade like you" Half-moon introduced. His daughter was actually very talented not only in magic but also in the art of killing. Just like Leon, she had achieved the 15 kill rate in her test to join thepany.


    He didn''t like to say it, but he was actually proud of her prowess.


    "She will be under you both, please take care of her and make sure she isn''t harmed" Half-moon spoke, followed by a subtle bow of the head.


    "I''m not going to be under anyone, he is a special grade, so what? I''m also a special grade. Plus I don''t even know who thedy is, but she''s definitely not better than me" Ember harrumphed, showing her defiance.


    She didn''t like the idea of being ced under someone her age. It was annoying.


    "Well, there''s a big difference between both of you. Our friend badur here got the special grade status from a 20-man match while you got yours from a 60-man match"


    "If we really think about it, he''s three times aspetent." Half-moon spoke with the utmost seriousness. His daughter needed to learn some humility, that''s why he wanted to ce her under Leon.


    "20 man match? That''s....." Ember knitted her brows.


    Gaining the status of a special grade from a 20 match required a lot of skill. It wasn''t easy to kill 15 out of 20 people, including yourself, that meant that he entered the match and killed everyone except 4....that was grossly different from what she participated in.


    Hers was a 60-man match ''hosted'' specially for those aiming for the special grade status, and even that was hard, as they were others constantly trying to kill your targets. If you weren''t fast enough, you would lose the opportunity.


    But Leon was able to achieve this with smaller numbers? This made her achievement look like dog shit.


    "As for Prideful heart, she, just like your father, is a level 3 mage" Half-moon, after seeing theplex changes in his daughter''s expressions , dropped the final bomb.


    Arian was a level 3 mage, the same as her father, and she had disregarded her like that? This was humiliating.


    "I¡­." Ember couldn''t find the words, but she couldn''t help but wonder where her father found these monsters.


    A few minutes after the dinner.


    Leon and Half-moon stood outside the brick house, looking at the open courtyard in front. There Arian and Ember stood, waiting for both of them.


    "The A Ranked mission won''t be enough¡­.you know why" Leon said to Half-moon.


    Ember had an attitude problem, she was annoying and a pain in the ass. There was no way she would be able to work with others with that attitude.


    Leon even suspected that Half-moon had gone to others to take her in and was refused, that was why he came to them. They didn''t know her reputation as much, and they were new.


    They would definitely ept.


    "What do you want?" Half-moon asked.


    "3 favors" Leon replied.


    "I''m not going to offend any power for you" Half-moon replied coldly.


    There were droves of members of the faceless mercenarypany that had offended people they couldn''t fight against. They mostly joined thepany to avoid those guys and keep themselves safe.


    Leon''s favor could be along that line. Of course, there was also the fact that Arian was a level 3 mage. That created a bigger possibility that Leon might have offended a level 4 mage.


    That was a no-go ahead for anyone with a working brain.


    "I won''t ask you to directly engage inbat with anyone, don''t worry old man" Leon shook his head and exined.


    He just needed a sort of backing, he didn''t need a fighter. He had Arian for that.


    "If that''s the case, then okay. I agree"

 Chapter 70 Conspiring

    Chapter 70 Conspiring


    [Ding....


    Compiling...analyzing...


    ]


    Inside of Leon''s head, an announcement resounded as the systems interface ran some data.


    They were currently in an open head restaurant, the type used for the faceless mercenarypany''s test. Leon, who was cloaked with a ck robe as the practice of all faceless mercenarypany members. had a book in front of him that read.


    A Rank mission: Request for protection on equipment delivery.


    This was the Mission given to Leon by Half-moon, it contained the Mission details and several other tips like the clients'' name, personality and a general overview of what was needed. But Leon had the system run its one analysis so he could get a better view on what this was.


    [Ding!!!!


    The system haspleted analysis....


    Results:


    Peri, otherwise known as evil peri, the current head of the Jade tools miningpany of Duan city, has requested a special unit be posted to her on her yearly visits to herte husband''s family, the kentow family''s household in the North of Duan city.


    Caution: there appears to be a fued between the kentow family and the client. Establishing a good guard team with trusted Allies is very important for this to work.


    Also....


    ]


    The system made quick work of the document in front of him and gave him appropriate measures and strategies to take any problems they might face head on.


    "Hmmm, it''s good, huh?" Leon looked across the table at Ember, who was chopping down grilled meat and rice balls.


    "Uh huh" she nodded subconsciously for a brief moment, then suddenly she remembered that Leon was the one who spoke.


    "Don''t talk down to me, you''re not a grown up" Ember pointed her chickenp at Leon and scolded him, causing Leon to be dumbfounded for a second.


    She was right, Leon right now was merely a 16-year-old....so technically they were the same age. Of course, the difference in their maturity was likeparing a puddle of water to an ocean.


    Leon''s soul was thousands of years old.


    "Enjoy your meal, kid" Leon left a snide remark while staring down Ember. This, of course, was meant to piss her off and so it did, she immediately blew her top.


    Meanwhile, on her forehead, Leon quietly stared at a window...


    "The reincarnation of Saint firestone, huh? I wonder"


    Central of Duan city. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Dalriss family household.


    In a dark castle building, inside a throne room setting.


    A man in long ck robes could be seen kneeling in the middle of the room. He was bloody all over, but this blood didn''t seem to be from the cuts of a de. It looked like he was punched so hard that he had started to bleed from his pores.


    It was an rming scene.


    "Fucking Retard!!, I want to y you and hang you by your tongue.....if not that we are family, you be deader than Dead right now.!!!" At the helm of the room, an aged man with eyes akin to an exploding supernova sat with rage in his facial expression.


    In one mission, he had lost two of his bastard children. Even though he never really cared for their talents and hid their identities until now, they were still his kids.


    He couldn''t stand the thought of them dying, especially on the watch of his little brother. He was infuriated.


    Furthermore, he was a marquee of this great kingdom and one of its protectors.....how could this happen to him???


    "I am certain Anan isn''t dead....." The bruised and beaten man struggled but eventually said.


    "And how do you know that, ric? How the hell do you know that?!!!" The man on the throne bellowed at ric. Of course, he knew that his bastard son Anan was alive. He had the tools to find out, but then he wouldn''t have an excuse to punish ric if he showed this.


    After all, the only person he put under ric''s protection was Anan, and if he wasn''t dead, he would have to give him a chance to redeem himself.


    "I....." ric gashed his teeth¡­.his brother knew that Anan was still alive, but still wanted to punish him.


    "Father, if there''s a chance that Anan is alive, I think we should do something to make sure¡­." right beside the throne, a young man with simr eyes to the marquee spoke.


    "Hm? Like what?" The marquee asked. This was his beloved son Lucian. He was actually his only legal son byw and his true heir. Unless he was killed by his other brothers, he would inherit the family fortune.


    "This was done by the child of the disgraced knight, right? There''s only one way to get her, we need to capture or at least corner him. Then she will definitely show up with her aplices, then we will get them" Lucian exined.


    If they could corner Arian''s dad, then it would be smooth sailing from there, with her new-found power, she would certainly make the mistake of marching to his rescue, there, and then they would capture her and get info about Anan.


    "Hmmmm, this is not a bad idea!!! Yes, let''s do it like that!!!" The marquee stood up in excitement. On his face was a wicked and sadistic smile.


    "ric, you''ve failed me once, so I won''t give you the opportunity to do so again. But I will give you the opportunity to redeem yourself, from now on, you will be under my son Lucian. Make sure you follow hismands to the letter." The marquee paused before looking around the hall.


    "I do not want to see your face until you''ve captured the disgraced knight" the marquee decreed.


    This stunned the entire crowd.


    Capture the disgraced knight? Was that even possible? Wasn''t the disgraced knight a level 4 mage? Could the marquee himself capture the knight if he wanted to? How was he expecting ric to seed?


    Soon enough, this decree spread like wildfire. The marquee Cane had decreed for a citywide manhunt for a level 4 mage. This was absurd even to theyman.


    And to those who knew the gap between those levels, they could only stare andugh, while still paying close attention to the development.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Eastern Duan city.


    Market area.


    Three faceless men stood in an alleyway in the market observing a store right in the middle of the marketce.


    This store was huge and eclipsed most of the stores in its surroundings. It even had its ownpound.


    "We''re sneaking in? Isn''t that uncalled-for?" Arian asked Leon from the side.


    "Hehe, it''s just to show howcking her security is" Leon responded with an evil smirk behind his mask

 Chapter 71 Evil Peri?

    71 Evil Peri?


    In the bustling market of Eastern duan city.


    A youngdy about 5''4 in a ck cloak slowly emerged from the shadows of an alleyway and gradually made her way Across the street.


    Right opposite her was the gate of the Jade tools miningpany. There, two poorly fitted guards squatted down, ying cards on the ground. They didn''t seem to be paying attention to their surroundings.


    At least that was until the youngdy came 10 meters in front of them.


    "Hm? A kid?" One of the guards looked over at the cloaked figure and frowned. Why was this random kid walking towards the gate?


    "Stop" He stood up to stop the cloaked girl, but in the next second, the body of the girl seemed to flip upside down.


    Before he knew it


    ¡ªbang


    Her leg hit him directly on the side of his head, instantly knocking him out. Not even a secondter, the girl used the sole of her boots to smash in the face of the other guard, who even at this moment hadn''t felt her presence.


    ¡ªBoom


    All this happened in a split second. in fact, the body of the first guard hadn''t even touched the ground when she attacked the second one.


    ¡ªWang


    ¡ªWang


    Immediately after, two dark, bulky chains coiled out from the dark alleyway and wrapped itself around both of them. Then


    ¡ªwoosh


    Both of their bodies were pulled into the alleyway with so much speed that the movers In the market didn''t even notice a thing.


    They just kept going on their way like nothing happened.


    "Hmp!!" The youngdy sneered and made her way through the gates of the Jade tool miningpany. Upon getting inside, she causally strolled towards the main door.


    A few workers were around but they didn''t raise an rm, partly because they believed that guards must have vetted the kid before letting her in.


    This was a huge gap in their defenses and was really careless. But it was expected.


    ¡ªclick


    16:19


    The door to the main building clicked and was slowly opened. Then the youngdy with the cloak stepped in.


    As soon as she did, several female ountants looked over at her cautiously. No one was allowed into this building without their prior knowledge, so.....


    ¡ªshing


    ¡ªWang


    Slowly, each and every one one of the 12 female ountants started pulling out weapons from inside their drawers and from hiddenpartments.


    It didn''t look like they had much security on the outside, because most of them were inside.


    "Surround her!!" They sprang into action, rushing the youngdy.


    ¡ªwoosh


    ¡ªwoosh n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡ªwoosh


    Attacks started flying, with the youngdy being able to dodge most of the attacks effortlessly. However, this caused a considerable disruption in the store that drew the attention of the boss.


    Inside a particr office


    "Hm?" Ady in her early to mid 30''s raised her head from a pile of papers curiously. There were loud soundsing from outside?


    (Is something going on?")


    She thought to herself before standing up and heading out. There she was dumbfounded to find that her office lobby had been turned into a battleground.


    "Who are you?" The middle-ageddy looked over at the cloaked figure and asked with shock in her eyes. As soon as she entered the room, the fighting paused, so she was given the chance to ask.


    She could vaguely see a faceless mask on the girls'' face, she remembered cing a mission with them, and as per the faceless mercenarypany''s policy. They wouldn''t take contradicting missions, for example.


    If they received a protection mission and it was sessfully allocated, then they wouldn''t ept an assassination Mission for that same person.


    There was also a matter of pricing. Peri was sure her enemies wouldn''t risk the amount of money she spent to try to kill her.


    "We are from the faceless mercenarypany"


    All of a sudden, a male voice sounded, but it surprisingly came from within the office of the middle-ageddy.


    "Miss peri, your security is sorelycking" Leon''s figure emerged from inside the office with a rice ball in hand.


    *The faceless mask had a retractable mouthpartment for eating.*


    He had scouted this ce for at most a day and was able to force this kind of situation. If he was here to kill her, she would definitely be dead.


    It was no wonder why she had to hire extra security on her visit to the kentow family household.


    "Sigh" Peri sighed, Leon was right, her security was sourlycking and she knew it. But she didn''t have a lot of people she could trust in this city.....


    "You''re only at the beginning stages of level 1, and she''s also just at the middle stages. I specifically requested for someone at level 2 or higher" snapping out of her worried daze, peri questioned Leon.


    A ranked missions would have a level 2 mage attached at least, that was why she spent this much money on it. So why were they just two level 1 fighters.


    "Oh yes, Pridefulheart. You cane down now" Leon''s voice echoed and all of a sudden, two bodies fell from the sky and dropped directly In front of the door.


    These two were the guards stationed outside the gate. They were out cold.


    Following, this is a feminine figure descended slowly from the sky andnded directly behind the bodies.


    "Flight??" Peri saw this scene and froze.


    This was the mark of a level 3 mage.


    "Everyone clean up this mess, you guys cane into my office for a more in-depth talk" perimanded her people and invited Leon and the rest in.


    They had invaded her shop, but she had no choice but to ept them with open arms.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Inside the office


    "So, what do I call you all?" Peri sat on the main chair of her office and questioned.


    "I am Badur, this is Pridefulheart and this is fire jackal" Leon introduced his team to peri..


    "Okay¡­ Nice to meet you all" peri had some confusion on her face seeing Leon take the lead. She assumed that Arian would be the one in charge, so this was a bit strange.


    "So what do you have in mind" Peri asked. Leon wasining about her security and was hinting that she needed to improve it, so he must have a way.


    This break in had given her a fright, she indeed had a lot of enemies, even her husbands'' family wanted her dead.


    Leon had heard her story and it was a sad one. She was forced into a contract marriage with the kentow family''s tycoon, Ginn kentow, this was a person older than her father.


    But because of the dept the family owed, she was forced to marry him, but a few years after their marriage a massive fire engulfed the family mansion, killing everyone in it. Except her.


    This, of course, blemished her name in the family and the entiremunity, hence her nickname, Evil Peri. They believed her to be the cause of the fire andbelled her evil.


    But with the few things her husband left for her, she was able to rebuild and create a legacy of her own.


    And now the family that once called her a curse wanted her help and if she refused, they would try to kill her and take all she owned¡­.she didn''t want that to happen, but if Leon was capable of getting so close¡­.


    What would happen if someone did the same, but this time they were ready to kill? She didn''t want that toe to pass.


    "I can handle it, but you''ll have to spend a good amount " Leon said casually.


    This whole show was meant to scare peri into handing him the responsibility to beef up her security. And maybe get a little something.

 Chapter 72 A Show of force

    72 A Show of force


    A few dayster. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    " The pay is good, you can ept it" inside the Eastern city guard house. Leon could be seen seated on a spinning chair directly opposite the chief of the guard house.


    "Yeah it is pretty good," standing beside him was Carlson who had some papers in his hand.


    Leon was obligated to work with the guard team for two weeks, the first waspleted and the second was given to them as an off, so technically he was done with them. But who would expect Leon toe to them with a job proposal.


    Short-term guard contracts. In his hand were a bunch of contracts where he and his team would be temporary guards for a VIP and they would get much better pay....it wasn''t like Leon was poaching them, the city allowed such privileges for people of influence, as long as they could pay the fees.


    Especially in times like these, where the royalty was being bled dry by the massive influx of warlocks into the city. They would ept any form of external revenue at this point.


    Plus, it wasn''t like Carlson''s team would be acting in the authority of city guards. It was more of a private thing, they wouldn''t even be allowed to use city guard amour on this endeavor.


    "Okay, we''ll do it. " Carlson epted,


    He was from a noble family called the Waterway family. They were very strict with their descendants. At a particr age, they would be sent off to fend for themselves. Other than spells and some special training and rewards, they received no help from the family.


    Carlson was a Noble by status, but in reality he was about as rich as a middle-ss worker.


    "Okay, let''s meet at this location tomorrow, then we will head out together. I still have some other things to do" Leon stood up and shook Carlson. Then he proceeded to walk off.


    Carlson couldn''t help but muse, a few days ago Leon was just a random level 1 guard under his tutge, but now all of a sudden, he was presenting him with such a lucrative job.


    Was being a mercenary that lucrative?


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    A dayter,


    Inside of Badur''s Gate


    Leon could be seen feeding a ck serpent with eyes akin to glowing silver pearls. He had in his hand a bowl with strips of meat mixed with several medicinal herbs.


    This serpent, he had gotten from the blue smander n, had undergone a change inside badurs gate, turning its body from its milky white color to a shiny ck shade. Leon didn''t know exactly what this change entailed, but he could already feel the negative energy flowing through its veins.


    "The growth is incredible" Leon mused while petting the snake as it slithered around his shoulders. It was at least 2ft long at this point.


    "Ah?" Suddenly, Leon felt a tingling sensation in his head followed by a subtle calling.


    "They are here" the voice resounded in his ear. Upon receiving this message, he proceeded to walk towards the exit of badurs gate.


    Inside a small courtyard


    Leon''s figure emerged from the steel gate in the corner of a courtyard, with a ck serpent around his shoulders.


    "They are outside" Arian looked over at Leon and said causally. He nodded and began walking out of the courtyard, Meanwhile, Badurs gate slowly faded out of existence behind him.


    When Leon stepped outside, he was met with a luxurious carriage being tolled by two beautiful white horses.


    Surrounding them were a troop of about 6 guards on simr stead, abet the change in color.


    This was the security team Leon had prepared for the A rank mission. With the money he got from Peri he was able to offer Carlson and his men a good contract to secure their participation, and with the rest, he procured a high quality carriage with horses and other equipment.


    This was the type of standard Leon liked, and it was one befitting a person of Peri''s standard.


    "Let''s go" Leon stepped into the carriage while Arian followed behind.


    "Neighhh!!" The horses neighed and slowly started moving, pulling the carriage forward from the courtyard, and soon they made a turn towards the Eastern city market. Their destination was the Jade tools miningpany store.


    "Hm?" In the middle of the bustling market, the sound of people being pushed could be heard.


    "Hm? What''s going on?"


    "Hey!!"


    Not so far away, a man in high-grade amour with a spear appeared from behind the crowd.


    "move out of the way!!"


    The man''s voice carried a mountain of force that subconsciously struck a cord the hearts of the on goers.


    Soon enough, the people in the market started turning to see what was going on.


    ¡ªclop


    The hooves of horses and the wheels of a carriage sounded as a luxurious carriage made its way down the street of the market.


    Beside the carriage were men in high grade shiny amour...


    "Oh my god, hurry leave the road, it''s a noble!!!" From the side of the market, an olddy warned the on goers. Just as the word noble reached their ears¡­.they all instinctively cleared a path.


    No one wanted to get on the bad side of a noble, so they immediately cleared a path, but in their mind they couldn''t help but wonder why a noble woulde here.


    A market was no ce for nobility, they had maids and servants for that.


    ¡ªclop


    ¡ªclop


    ¡ªclop


    ¡ªclop


    ¡ªclop


    Slowly, the carriage made its way down the market streets, until finally, it stopped before the Jade tools miningpany store.


    "Hmm? Isn''t that Evil Peri''s store?"


    "Don''t tell me she offended a big time noble this time"


    "Serves her right!! Taking up all this space in the market that''s meant for everyone. Karma finally got her"


    Actually, a lot of store owners in the market disliked Peri. They saw the massive piece ofnd she owned in the market and were immediately jealous. Even though she bought thend legally, they still hated her.


    Seeing a noble stop beside her shop to punish her made them happy.


    "Formation!!!" Carlsonmanded at the top of his voice and all of a sudden, the six guards surrounding the carriage formed a straight line in front of the Jade tools mining store.


    At this point, Peri and all her female security/assistants were outside watching this new development with caution. Did the kentow family finally decide to end Peri?


    They didn''t know what was going on¡­.that is until


    ¡ªclick


    The door to the carriage opened up and Leon, who was in a ck silky kimono, stepped out. He proceeded to walk before the guards and stopped.


    "Your new security team" Leon said loudly following this, the guards hit the floor with the bottom of their spears


    ¡ªbang


    ¡ªbang


    This was a show of force


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,


    The privilege chapters only cost 5 coins to unlock. Give them a try.

 Chapter 73 Kentow family

    73 Kentow family


    "Pheww!!" Peri blew out a breath of relief. It was the kentow family taking action, it was Leon and his guard team.


    "May wee in, madam?" Leon requested from Peri, to which she nodded in agreement. Then Leon, Arian, Ember and Carlson made their way into the building.


    ¡ªDing


    ¡ªDing


    ¡ªDing


    Immediately after Leon and the rest entered the building, all the guards formed a guard perimeter around the building, causing a stir in the marketce.


    The crowd couldn''t believe it, these guys were under peri? Even with her bad reputation, she only kept improving her standing.


    "Will themon man never get justice?" An old merchant on the streets shook his head and turned to walk away. The rich just keep bing richer, and they were stagnant, he felt like heaven wasn''t just.


    But, maybe his mindset was just wrong...perhaps he was too busy ming heaven for misfortune and was not willing to work hard. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    These kinds of people, Leon hated them the most. They would pray for the downfall of others just from pure jealously, Leon wouldn''t have a problem if they just wanted power¡­.he had killed for far less, but for jealousy?


    Despicable!!!


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "This is my good friend Carlson. He will be your head guard for this trip, he''s a peak level 1 mage of the Aqua way family" inside Peri''s office, Leon introduced her to Carlson.


    Leon and the faceless mercenaries were hidden cards, they wouldn''t be acting as the escort, that was Carlson''s job.


    "Aquaway?" Peri froze.


    (I''ve heard that name before....isn''t that a noble n???)


    Peri thought to herself. She knew the Aqua way name. This was a Noble family, how did Leon get a noble to be her guard????!!


    "Carlson Aquaway" Carlson bowed slightly to peri. The Aquaway way name was well known, they seasoned fighters just like the Dalriss family. Though they weren''t as powerful, they were very apt at battle. Having him here on this trip was great.


    "Good to have with us" Peri nodded slightly, before turning to Leon''s figure.


    She didn''t understand all this, who was this person? He had a level 3 mage following him around, now he was able to turn an Aquaway noble to be her guard¡­.did he want something from her apart from the reward?


    "Lets talk about our trip¡­" Leon said with a calm yet resounding voice. It didn''t look like this, but the dynamic of this Mission had shifted in a peculiar way.


    Leon was supposed to be her guard, her subordinate. But it seemed like he held all the power here. Peri could only nod in agreement.


    A few dayster


    Peri''s new carriage which was apanied by a host of about 8 guards on horse made its way from the east of duan city to the north.


    Everywhere they went, people looked back and wondered. Though it wasn''t umon, the type of scene in duan city, but a lot of people were still bewildered.


    "We''re almost there"


    Right beside Leon, Peri''s voice sounded. They were currently on a lonely, dark road in an estate of some sorts. It had luxury buildings and gates made by the finest craftsmen.


    "Carlson" Leon stretched his hand out the window of the carriage and called out. Then, Carlson rode towards the window, matching the speed of the carriage.


    "Spear head" Leon directed while staring into the darkness in front.


    "Hm!!" Carlson nodded and not long after, all the guards formed together and created a spearhead formation, with Carlson at the lead.


    At an inconspicuous not too far way, two guards could be observed, standing guard.


    "Do you hear something?" One of the guards asked.


    "I think so¡­." The other replied while staring into the darkness, it was subtle at first, but it kept getting louder with each passing minute.


    He couldn''t help but look curiously at the direction the sound was emanating from.


    "Shit!!! Attack!!" Not even a secondter, the silhouette of horse riders in a spearhead formation came into view, and they were riding toward them at full speed.


    This was an attack.


    "Quickly, tell the captain, I''ll hold them off as long as I can" one of the gate guards urged. He was the superior here, he had to defend, but he also had to send for reinforcements fast¡­


    This was definitely an attack, if not, why would they use a spearhead formation?


    "Neighhh!!!" Soon, Carlson and his men advanced on the gate. Their speed and furiously left the gate guardpletely shook.


    For a brief moment, it felt like his life was about to sh before his eyes. If those horses just trampled on him, he''d be dead before he even knew it. But that didn''t happen. Because all of a sudden, the horses stopped advancing upon reaching the gate.


    "They¡­.stopped?" The gate guard muttered, he nearly wet himself just now. He didn''t want to die, not at all. So seeing them stop made him sigh in relief. They didn''t kill him. He was still alive.


    Inside the carriage, Leon smiled. These were scare tactics. He actually expected arge host of guards outside the gate, but only two were posted.


    "Oh well," Leon shook his head mockingly.


    Soon, the captain of the kentow family guard rushed out of the gate and formed a perimeter around the gate.


    Since Carlson was already in ah attack formation, it would be stupid for them to try to surround them. It was best to maintain a defensive approach.


    "State your business!!!" The captain of the kentow family guard bellowed. In his eyes was a clear panic. Who were these guys, and what did they want? He was at a loss but at the same time he was angry.


    How dare theye to the kentow family household and cause such a scene? Did they think this ce was a marketce or something?


    "We are here as guests to the kentow family" Carlson announced.


    "Guests? Rubbish!! The kentow family''s guests list is carefully vetted by me. If we were expecting guests I would know" The captain said obnoxiously.


    "Well, maybe they don''t trust you enough to fill you in on the more important guests¡­." Carlson mocked. He could tell that the captain of the kentow family guard was a cocky person. He liked the status of being the captain, and anything that lowered his standing was viewed with annoyance.


    Not knowing about guests? That was embarrassing, and this was before everyone.


    "You''ll have to hand in your weapons first so we can verify with the main house" the captain said with gritted teeth. He had to at least confirm, he didn''t want to anger honorable guests.


    "You and what army?" Carlson asked mockingly. This, of course, incensed the captain a lot, but before he could blow his top, the door to the carriage suddenly swung open and a middle-ageddy appeared.


    "Open the f*cking gates!!!" Thedy berated with an ugly expression on her face. She was extremely pissed off.


    Immediately they saw her, the captain was shocked. It was miss Peri. Did he just hold back miss peri from entering the household?


    The family head had requested several meetings with her but was turned down. Who knew that on a random night like this, she would just appear?


    "Open the gates" the captain muttered.


    "Huh?" The guard beside him looked confused. Were they going to let intruders through the gates? What was their job then?


    "I said open the freaking gates!!" The captain barked at his men. He didn''t want to know their opinions.


    "ng!!"


    The gate was swiftly opened and the carriage and guards were allowed in.


    On the outside, the kentow family''s household looked just like a mirror copy of the households in the area. But it wasn''t until entering, one would see the truth.


    This mansion actually consumed arge area of space.


    ¡ªclop


    ¡ªclop


    ¡ªclop


    The sound of horse hoovesing to a slow stop in front of the main house soon resounded.


    ¡ªclick


    The door to the carriage opened up, the first person to get down was Leon, followed by Arian, then Ember, all of which had faceless masks on.


    "Mercenaries" the captain of the kentow family guard mused. It seemed like Peri had gotten herself some extra protection.


    After Leon''s team stepped down, Peri followed. As soon as she stepped foot on the ground, she slowly looked around the mansion and shook her head. This ce was once her ''home''.


    "The family head will see you now" the captain said to peri while maintaining a cautious expression on his face. Clearly, Peri hade here prepared for a fight.


    Their ns would be difficult to achieve.


    "Yes, yes" Peri sighed before proceeding to walk up the stairs that led to the mansion. She took a deep breath of air and pushed the door open.


    "Carlson stay close, the rest can camp outside" Leon gave amand and proceeded to walk forward with Arian and Ember following closely behind.

 Chapter 74 Schemes

    74 Schemes


    Inside of the main house


    It looked like a massive hall supported by numerous pirs, and the floors were tiled exquisitely. The grandeur of the hall was magnificent.


    "Peri, long time no see"


    "How''s the business going?"


    "If you ever need any help, remember we are family"


    While Peri made her way to the front of the hall, several members of the kentow family. They littered the hall like ants, all ttering Peri, they didn''t even know that she wasing. But as soon as they heard of her arrival, they all got prepared and made their way to the main hall.


    This eagerness it seemed like they were up to no good.


    ¡ªDing


    ¡ªDing


    "All bow, the family head, the honorable Father Thane has arrived" a few minutester, the captain of then kentow family guard announced. Following which, a fairly short man with gray robes stepped out from a corner of the building and proceeded to a chair at the helm of the hall.


    Seeing him take his seat, the members of the kentow family turned their attention to him. This was the family head of the kentow family. Thane kentow.


    "My sister-inw has graced us with a meeting. Today, I am very happy. Let there be a feast!!" The short man started slow, before erupting into a gleeful cheer.


    If Leon didn''t know any better, he would think that the old fool was actually happy to see Peri doing well.


    "Keep a close distance, and your eyes should remain wide open" Leon said causally before walking off in the direction of a home bar table.


    He was going to have a drink.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Soon enough, tables were set all over the hall, food, and drinks were soon made avable¡­.the atmosphere slowly turned festive.


    "Hey, you''re from the faceless mercenarypany, right?"


    While Leon was busy having some wine from the bar, a young man approached. He spoke with confidence, but couldn''t hide the intrigue in his voice.


    Right now, there was a smallpartment open in where Leon''s mouth was supposed to be on the faceless mask. Thispartment was created so faceless mercenarypany members could eat on duty.


    Of course, it was rared seen in use, so the young man was curious.


    "Yes" Leon replied the young man.


    "Wow, I''ve heard about you guys. Staying in the shadows doing the work the rest of the world couldn''t stomach, honestly you guys are my heroes" the young man beside the Leon ttered. To which Leon responded with a simple nod.


    "I''m called Larth, Larth kentow." The young man stretched his hand forward to shake Leon.


    "Hmm, I''m Badur" Leon shook his hand back.


    (Oh? Peak of level 1?)


    Upon contact, Leon was able to feel the magic pulsing through the veins of the young man. He was strong, stronger than every single person in this room from the kentow. That is with the exemption of the family head of the kentow family.


    The family head was also at the peak of level 1.


    "Haha, that''s such a strange name, but it''s catchy. What does it mean?" The young man called Larth inquired. But he was replied with a causal shrug.


    "Ai, it must be really hard, working for miss Peri, can''t even keep focus huh?" Larth nudged Leon yfully.


    asionally, Leon would look back at Peri''s figure in the distance. Of course, this didn''t mean a thing to Leon, but what the young man was insinuating meant a lot.


    It seemed like lighthearted teasing, but what he was insinuating wasced with a poisonous thread. If Leon agreed to this Characterization of Peri at any point in time, they could use it to cause trouble for Peri.


    One of the prerequisites for inheriting property from one''s husband in eldoria was that the person remains loyal to her dead husband. Any usations of adultery or anything of the sort wasrgely frowned upon.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I''m extremely focused" Leon shook his head slowly and said.


    He wasn''t too bothered by their schemes, he was able to easily pinpoint all these little pitfalls and avoid them.


    "You must be joking!!" At the same time as when Leon was discarding Larth''s statement, Peris voice sounded from the front table where herself, the family head and several elders were seated.


    "Oh, it has started already" Leon turned around and got off from the chair he was seated on. "Excuse me, duty calls"


    Leon said before signalling Carlson to ready himself for whatever was going to happen.


    "No, I''m not jesting at all. We are family, and we need to work together, isn''t that normal?" One of the Elders of the family proimed. He had suggested Peri take in a descendant of the family to train on how to do the family business.


    This was insinuating two things, first that the "business" was still theirs. Second, that she was to hand over her knowledge and business to some random descendant of their family.


    "Hmp!! We are leaving, I need to pay respects to my husband''s grave" Peri didn''t even bother giving their silly ideas an audience. She dropped her napkin on the table, turned around to walk off. Mid-way, Carlson met her and led her down the hall.


    "You can''t just leave like that" finally, the family head spoke, and just then the guards around the room locked the doors.


    Hearing the obnoxious voice of the family head, Peri turned and looked over at him with annoyance in her face. She never liked this guy, he was always so pompous and now because he was the family head he wanted to flex his muscles.


    "Why don''t we do this another way?" The family head said causally. Though he was angry in his heart, he maintained hisposure. He expected Peri to refuse.


    "What do you mean?" Peri raised her eyebrow. She knew thating here was bound to bring trouble, yet she was obligated by familyw to appear. She could only hope that Leon could handle the fallout.


    "It''s simple, let''s have a match. The best way to settle any dispute. The strongest will win. Of course, we won''t be too much. If you lose, you only have to take Larth with you to act as your business partner/ assistant" the family head said these world with a lot of easy as if it were only natural.


    But Peri knew this wasn''t natural¡­the kentow family of old might have been able to say such things, but the family had fallen.


    Even the family head was only at peak of level 1 at the moment. Who would think that such a weak family would demand they settle things with a battle?


    "What do you say" the family head asked with a sly smile on his face?


    "As you wish" After a brief few seconds of contemting, Peri nodded. She didn''t show it, but she was extremely confident of their chances.


    She had an Aquaway noble as her guard, three faceless mercenaries, of which one was a level 3 mage. There was no way in hell they could lose. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Okay, bring him in" the family head, upon getting Peri''s agreement, broke into a big smile. Her overconfidence would be her undoing.


    A few minutester, a chained updy was brought to the center of the hall facing directly towards Peri and her group.


    Immediately, the tables and chairs were moved, with the atmosphere of the hall bing more tense.


    "Ether" Leon, who was still at the side, noticed the new arrival and almost immediately got excited. This person had Ether in her eyes. This meant only one thing.


    She was a warlock and one at level 2 at that


    Ever since the encounter with the Warlock in the undercity, Leon had be obsessed with level 2 Warlocks. He needed to study their path of evolution to understand how he would move forward in his.


    But unfortunately, it seemed like in the whole of Duan city, there were no warlocks of level 2. He just couldn''t find them. He was even nning to go down to the undercity after this Mission to find some, but luck was on his side.


    There was one right here.


    "You can take her, right?" Peri turned to Arian and asked. To which Arian replied with a simple nod.


    A level 3 mage versus a level 2 warlock. She could win this battle in a few seconds and it wouldn''t be a surprise.


    However, she didn''t ount for what Leon would say next.


    "Will you agree to a two on one?, One peak level 1 and the other beginner level 1" Leon''s voice resounded.


    Immediately, everyone turned to look at his figure. Hid first few words shocked them. But the next few reduced the tension.


    However, it still didn''t make sense. Why would they bring out two a level 1 mages?


    Was it possible that they didn''t have a single level 2 mage with them?

 Chapter 75 Against a level 2 warlock again

    75 Against a level 2 warlock again


    "Sure, why not?" The family head said with glee. He was starting to think that Peri was well-prepared for his ploy. She epted his proposal too quickly.


    He thought that he would need to force her to engage him in battle, so when she agreed to it readily, he was a bit shocked. But now, seeing that she had no level 2 mages on her side, he knew that his n had worked.


    "Good, Carlson with me" Leon waved causally indicating that he and Carlson would take on the level 2 warlock.


    "Hm" Carlson nodded and walked to the front, alongside Leon.


    "I''ll go first, I''ll signal to join when I need you to" Leon told Carlson while unwrapping the piece of cloth on his wrists.


    The battle with the level 2 warlock in the undercity had not only destroyed his poison dagger, it also shattered his wrist. But with time he was able to heal up.


    "Are you sure?" Carlson was skeptical. Even with his family techniques, he would find it difficult to fight a level 2 warlock. What was Leon going to do.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t put myself in unnecessary danger" Leon patted Carlson on the shoulder. Carlson was somewhat taller than Leon, which led him to believe that he was a kid.


    But something about Leon didn''t sit right with him. He behaved too much like an adult, an experienced one at that. So he had subconsciously started treating him as an equal.


    "Good thing I learned it, it finally came in handy" Leon smirked. Under his kimono, his body had on it own started to heat up. A shade of red spread across his skin, causing his veins to bulge.


    Leon was currently using a spell he didn''t quite like, but seemed necessary at this point.


    "Blood Rage" Leon muttered.


    Yes, it was the spell he had gotten from the heaven devourer mountain area. He didn''t like using it because it was a berserk skill. Although not the same level as the one Liana used. It still made him cautious.


    "Release her chains" with an evil smirk on his face, the family head of the kentow family ordered.


    ¡ªng


    The chains of the warlock fell to the floor, and she looked over at the kentow family head. He promised the oath under the ve contract would be lifted if she won against and enemy of his, so she was seeking assurance?


    And of course, the Thane gave her that assurance. But what was in his mind was not what she thought, he would never give her freedom. After all, he spent a lot to get her, there was no way he would let her go.


    Obviously, she didn''t know that.


    ¡ªBoom!!!


    The female Warlock exploded forward with all her might, aiming at Leon''s head with her palm. It was sudden and efficient, once she was able to grab Leon, it would be his head.


    Unfortunately, Leon saw her moveing and at thest minute he dodged.


    "Huuuu" Leon blew out some air. She repeated the attack about two more times, with the same method. But even though it seemed like was closer to catching him each time, he just kept eluding her by a hairs'' breath.


    "That''s should be enough¡­" Leon nodded while looking at his red hand.


    The blood rage spell could actually shoot him to peak level 1 strength if he wanted, but there was no way Leon would risk himself like that. He had to find a sweet spot. One that would allow him to dodge attacksfortably.


    "This is it, I guess" Leon readied himself so when the next strike came barreling towards him, hepletely disappeared. Following which.


    ¡ªpuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    Wind arrows scattered through the air, striking the warlock, but each one was effortlessly dodged and sted away by her.


    Leon didn''t relent though, he kept running circles around her, throwing wind arrow after wind arrow.


    ¡ªpuuu


    ¡ªpuuuu


    ¡ªpuuu


    At first, they had no effect on her, but with time, the number of arrows flying at her only increased. Leon understood that the arrows didn''t have much damage when facing a level 2 warlock, so what he couldn''t fulfil with strength, hepensated with numbers.


    He was basically harassing her at this point.


    Gradually, this had begun to piss off the warlock. Even though the arrows barely harmed her, it was super annoying.


    "Ahhhhh!!!" It didn''t take long for her to burst out in an uncontroble rage.


    "You asked for it!!" She gritted her teeth and said.


    "Grasslynx work: de of ws"


    Almost immediately, her aura changed. She hadn''t been using life-energy before, but L¨¦on had annoyed her into doing so. She would have to end this fast.


    "Carlson now!!" Leon screamed upon noticing the change.


    "Water work: mythic Lance"


    Immediately, Carlson zoomed forward with his spear aiming for the chest of the warlock. The mythic Lance spell was actually a watered-down level 2 spell from his Aqua way family. This meant that it could definitely deal brutal damage to a level 2 warlock.


    Especially In the hands of Carlson


    ¡ªng!!!


    However, the trajectory was a bit off as the female Warlock blocked the spear with her now elongated w - like fingers.


    They were a match!!


    "Hold her down!!" From behind, Leonmanded while he circled around harassing her with causal arrow attacks.


    "Hmp!! All these tactics are useless. Against a level 2 warlock, they are nothing" the captain of the kentow family guard snorted. And everyone in the room nodded.


    His words were obnoxious but true, there was no way in hell that two level 1 mages could win against a level 2 warlock.


    They all believed so, Peri had made a massive mistake allowing Leon to make that decision to fight against the Warlock.


    "Rx, this is not the first time they''ve done this" Arian, who was seated loosely on a chair behind Peri said out loud.


    She was originally telling Peri to not worry that Leon knew what he was doing. But she also made her voice Loud enough so the kentow family members would hear her.


    "Haha, we aren''t kids, youngdy. We know the difference between level 1 and level 2." One of the Elders of the kentow family mocked.


    Arian was trying to frighten them by saying Leon and Carlson had fought against a level 2 warlock before. But who would believe such a lie.


    "We''ll see" Arian knew Leon was a very logical person. He wouldn''t engage in anything that would risk his life with a proper n.


    All they had to do was wait.


    (So that''s how it is..... I''m so d I went ahead with this)


    Leon mused while running around pestering the warlock. He was able to monitor and observe her energy signatures from here and note down the difference between them.


    For a warlock, moving from beginner level 1 to peak level 1 was but an umtion of energy. However, for one to improve and advance to level 2 there had to be something special..... Leon''s battle with this warlock had helped it finally understand that special thing.


    It was the bloodline


    In level 1 they needed to Only strengthen the bloodlines and umte, then they would break through. But in level 2 they had to learn how to embody that bloodline.


    For example, when he attacked the warlock in the undercity, his aura changed, making him resemble a savage gori. The same was for thisdy. Whenever she activated a spell, her body would actively mimic the power of her bloodline.


    It was very intriguing and Leon wanted to study it more. But sadly, he didn''t have that much time.


    "I should end this" Leon muttered before stretching his hand forward in a gripping motion.


    As soon as Leon did this, the female Warlock who had just shed at Carlson , leaving a mark on his amour felt a subtle pressure on her arm. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ¡ªcrrr


    The pressure kept tightening and tightening, it wasn''t enough to break her bones but in thest minute, her right arm was pulled back all of a sudden it felt like she was being drawn by a rope. This brief moment,


    created the avenue for


    ¡ªfffffing


    Carlson to strike. He used his spear tip to cut from underneath her armpit all the way to her shoulder, effectively severing her entire arm off.


    "Argggg" Watching her arm fall off, she wailed in pain before forcing herself to retreat. Only her retreat was not so effective either as Leon was waiting right behind her.


    Just as shended, the cold tip of a dagger pierced right through her back and directly through her heart.


    Out of the frying pan and into the fire, before she knew it, she was dead.


    "Sigh!!" Leon, who was responsible for, taking her life, sighed in regret. A level 2 warlock would hardly be sold in the market. One that he could study like this would definitely not be easy to find. But he had to do it.


    He couldn''t have the kentow family using her against them anymore. Really, this was a mercy for her, at least she wouldn''t be under their control anymore.


    "He killed her!!! Surround him!!!" The head of the kentow family bellowed with unfiltered rage in his eyes.


    He spent a fortune on that ve, and she was killed just like that? He wouldn''t take it.

 Chapter 76 Strength

    76 Strength


    "Don''t move!!"


    "Stay your hand!!"


    "Drop your weapon"


    Immediately, the guards of the kentow family surrounded Leon and Carlson. Leon had gone too far by killing the warlock, it was but a match, that''s what they told themselves.


    But deep down, they knew this was a death match.


    "This is bad!! What are we going to do?" Carlson visibly panicked. But his hand was firmly gripped on his spear. He was battle hardened didn''t mean that he couldn''t feel fear.


    From his observations, the kentow family had at least 3 peak level 1 mages and several middle stage level 1, they were unable to take them even if they tried.


    "Uhhh I don''t really have a n to be honest..." Leon held on to his chin like he was deep in thought. Then all of a sudden, he had a bright idea.....


    "Pridefulheart!!!!!" Leon shouted out loud like a crazy person. This made Carlson frown and looked over at Arian''s figure.


    She gently shook her head in embarrassment while watching this sight. Then in the next second, she gently floated into the air, causing Carlson''s eyes to widen.


    His eyes followed her from the ground all the way to the ceiling, where she floated in midair.


    Seeing this shocked expression on Carlson face, the guards and other members of the kentow family followed his line of sight until.....


    "That..."


    "This can''t be"


    "I''m seeing things, right?"


    They couldn''t believe it, this was flight. How in heaven''s name did Peri get a level 3 mage on her side?


    They thought with their purchase of a level 2 warlock they could win against Peri, but reality showed otherwise, now they were seeing that they had no chance at all from the get go.


    A level 3 mage. This was a disaster for them.


    "Storm Area: Crackling lightening"


    Arian pointed her hand outwards and all of a sudden, several bolts of lightening simultaneously struck out from beneath her and barreled towards the guard


    ¡ªziipppp


    ¡ªcrrrrrr


    Each bolt carried enough energy that they were all easily shocked to unconsciousness. In but a few seconds, Arian had knocked out all of the kentow family''s armed personnel.


    "Hehe," Leon looked over at Peri and gave her a thumbs up. This mission was as good as done. In fact, he had solved arger problem for her, the problem of the schemes of the kentow family. The presence of a level 3 magepletely dashed their hopes of ever getting back at Peri.


    It was a done deal.


    A few hourster, Peri came back from herte husband''s grave with a gigantic suitcase filled with memories. If it were before, the kentow family would not let her leave with any of her husband''s belongings. However now they had no choice.


    They could only watch on the side lines as she took what she wanted.


    "It''s time to go" Peri said to Leon and the rest and almost immediately, they set off from the kentow mansion.


    "Shit!! How did this happen?." The kentow family head threw a tantrum upon seeing Peri''s carriage leave thepound. He really thought he had her this time, but she seemed to be getting stronger with every passing minute.


    "Do I really need to agree to those term" he mused while looking back at the silhouette of Larth at the steps to the main hall.


    He also had his pressures, Larth was ning to take the family head seat from his hands and several others were on his side. It seemed like they were on the same side, but they definitely weren''t.


    "Wake the old butler up" clenching his fists, the head of then kentow familymanded the guard to his side.


    He had no other options now¡­.he had to do it that way.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    A few hourster,


    Peri''s carriage made its way into the Eastern city market, where it caused its usualmotion. But they didn''t wait to absorb the atmosphere, they made their way straight to Peri''s office.


    "That was fun" Leonughed loudly while ying with a solid gold coin in his hand. Beside him was a small treasure chest filled to the brim with glistening gold coins.


    He had been paid in full


    "Yes it was, but then please consider what I told you before" Peri urged Leon. She wanted him to be her head guard, and to that effect she had promised him the heavens and the earth.


    But Leon didn''t seem too interested.


    "Hehe, I''m afraid the next time you see me, my rates will be much higher. However, Carlson should still be open for work, right?" Leon said while looking at Carlson.


    If she wanted to poach anyone, it would be easier to poach Carlson. He was not only needed the cash, he also needed to leave his usual route to avoid his fianc¨¦e.


    "Oh?" Peri looked over at Carlson''s face with some surprise. The Aquaway boy required a job? What kind of logic was that? Clearly, she didn''t know as much as he thought she knew about the Aquaway family.


    It wouldn''t hurt to hire him. He seemedpetent.


    "Anyway, we will be heading out. You can contact me through the faceless mercenarypany, or I''ll contact you myself" Leon said before standing up to leave.


    cing Carlson there was also a way of maintaining contact with Peri. Whenever he required her or her resources, he would go through Carlson. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Where to next?" Arian asked Leon.


    " We are going shopping." with a wide grin on his face, Leon announced. It was time for him to attempt to breakthrough.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Outside of duan city in a subterranean cave.


    A few men with faceless masks could be seen performing a ritual before a massive pool in the middle of the cave.


    They all had traditional clothing and the sort. Some with feathers sticking out and some with animal skin around their waists.


    "Hu" "hu"


    As the leader performed the ritual, the men around danced mboyantly, seemingly worshiping whatever was inside the pool.


    "The old one brings us power, the old one brings us strength and most of all, he keeps us steady. A hundred faces a hundred natures.....but essentially, we are one" the leader of the ritual chanted¡­.


    About 30 minutester.


    "We can''t have the enforcing event with no hups. Just make sure not to go more than a 500 meters down." The leader of the ritual urged a number of men, among which was Embers father, Half-moon and several others.


    "Yes leader!!" They all echoed in unison.


    "Good" the leader nodded in approval then proceeded to walk off.


    Meanwhile, deep inside the pool, the statue of a humanoid sat at the bottom of the pool. This statue looked entirely human except for its non-existent face.


    Yes, it was faceless.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Back at Duan city.


    Leon And Arian could be seen walking down a random alleyway. They didn''t have Ember with them right now. The Mission was over and this was a personal matter, so they didn''t take her along.


    "Is that you?" Leon''s voice sounded in the alleyway, startling a dodgy youth not too far away.


    "Ahhh!!" The youth was shocked as he jumped back from the sudden scare. But when he looked at where the voice hade from, he was ted.


    "Boss!!!" The dodgy youth ran towards Leon hand, gave him a big fat hug.


    "Ahhh" Leon couldn''t help but feel strange. He didn''t see a need for affection, this was just in out weird. But then he remembered that Gunta was but a kid.


    That''s right, the dodgy youth was Gunta.


    "Did you find it?" Leon asked gunta.


    "Yes, yes, it''s right inside this building." Gunta said hurriedly.


    Leon had tasked him with several things. He was to gain information on where the Warlocks in the city were based, the rumors being spread in the warlockmunity, and so many more.


    But for today what Leon wanted from his was the location of an auction house where he could get the best materials with life-energy.


    Life energy herbs and materials have been banned from being sold on the streets for a while now. The city administration and royalty didn''t want warlocks bing stronger. Unfortunately, this was what Leon required the most.


    To be stronger.


    To that effect, he had to seek out an illegal auction house.


    "Good, then let''s go inside" Leon smiled and walked into the back door of the auction house.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, wee to valerian auction House. We bring you the most valuable items'' money can buy. An immortal sword had shown up here before. A death magic golem was sold here before. Even a petal of the Purple Heart eternal flower once rared its head here."


    "If you need it, we got it and if we don''t have it we will find it, for a price of course"


    Inside the "auction house" were several booths with auctioneers on the inside auctioning goods.


    One only needed to take a ticket to join them.

 Chapter 77 Auction house

    77 Auction house


    We''re doing the silent auction" Gunta said while leading them down the tens of auction booths. Until finally, they game upon one standing inconspicuously in the middle of the cautious House.


    "He hasn''t started?" Leon inquired. The man was just standing stacking some paper as If he couldn''t see them.


    "It has, it''s a silent auction, just watch" gunta urged Leon to exercise patience¡­.they were about 7 people standing before the man by this point and none of them wereining, Leon didn''t see the need to be the one toin.


    1 minute passed


    2 minutes passed


    5 minutes passed


    And things had started to seem uneventful. That was until the 8th minute, as soon as the 8th minute passed, the auctioneer pulled out a box and ced it on the table.


    "Hm?" This drew their attention. Following which he opened it revealing a blue flower surrounded by purple dust¡­.it gave off a dreamy aura that drew in everyone who saw it.


    ¡ªbang!!


    Before Leon could ce his hand on what exactly this flower was. The auctioneer closed the box suddenly and nodded.


    "10,000 silver" a fairly old man with round sses raised his hand and announced.


    "Oh?" Leon looked over with a look of understanding. They couldn''t let the herb appear for too long so as to avoid prying gazes, so he closed the book 5 seconds after revealing it.


    Only those who could tell what it was in the first 5 seconds would understand its true value and bid for it. Of course, there were also several pitfalls for anyone bidding in this auction.


    Misidentifying a particr herb or material would cost one a huge deal, especially when it came to herbs. Most of which looked very much alike. Imagine saving for months and getting the wrong herb or material?


    Leon couldn''t help but muse on a solution to getting the best herbs he could find¡­and just like that, an idea popped into his mind.


    "Puuuu" After handing over the box to the old man, the auctioneer continued with his paper work, not minding the presence of the people in front of him.


    He did this for about 15 minutes before once again¡­. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He pulled out a and opened it up.....this time it was a pulsating mushroom with a ck top.


    "Treasure" Leon said in his mind and almost immediately his spiritual body was pulled into the pagoda in his head.


    Twenty minutes in here was equivalent to 1 minute outside, so she had the equivalent of 1 minute 40 seconds in here to figure out what the mushroom outside was.


    "Treasure, identify that mushroom"


    Fortunately, he had the system. It was a treasure trove of knowledge, identifying a measly mushroom was child''s y for it.


    [Ding!!


    Virgos ck mushrooms. Usually found In packs, these types of mushroom can Mainly be found in the general area of seven blood wood oak trees in the west of Eldoria....the golden turtle back warlock n is the main producer of these herbs.....


    Vitality ¡ª 1st grade.


    ]


    "Hmm" Leon analyzed the information and nodded his head. After which, he popped out of the pagoda and into reality.


    "5,000 silver coins" Leon immediately announced as soon as he got out. This caused the people around to frown. The auctioneer hadn''t even closed the box yet, and he was already bidding.


    Was this person some sort of fool?


    ¡ªbang


    While they were distracted by Leon, the auctioneer closed the box and looked Leon in the eyes. He had ced his bid, if anyone could match it, now was the time.


    However, none of them even bothered. They didn''t know what was in the box and as such they wouldn''t bid¡­.nevertheless, they were pissed at Leon for missing the chance to properly examine the mushroom.


    "Watch yourself, kid" one of the buyers causally remarked in Leon''s direction.


    "Hehe, bite me" Leon chuckled. Actually, they were kind of out of ce here. Everyone here visibly has Ether in their eyes. They were all Warlocks.


    Only Leon and Ariah didn''t. Thankfully, for their faceless mask, if not it would be a problem.


    "Winner, here" the auctioneer threw the mushrooms box at Leon and went back to his paper work.


    As Leon grabbed it, he was about to open it, but Gunta swiftly swiped it from him and ced it in a duffle bag on his side.


    It was against the rules to open the herbs in the shop. If not, the shop guards might just arrest you themselves.


    While they were in a state of bewilderment, the auctioneer pulled out another box.


    "Treasure" simultaneously, Leon entered the pagoda....


    And so it continued, the auctioneer would pull out herbs and materials and Leon would use the system to identify and grade the herbs and materials. He wanted the best of the best materials for his attempt at breaking through. So he had to work hard to get them.


    ¡ªbang


    ¡ªbang


    ¡ªbang


    On random Intervals the auctioneer would ce the boxs on his desk and each time Leon would hop into his mind scape and use the system to identify it and from there Leon was able to secure the best.


    "Sigh" at some point, the auctioneer took in arge breath of air and looked over at the rest with pity.


    Half of them were annoyed beyond reason. Leon''s antics were just to tiring, however, unlike what they thought, he believed Leon knew exactly what he was doing.


    Because from the beginning to right now, Leon had not picked a bad herb to bid on. He was very spot on.


    "Sudden death" the auctioneer smiled after thest sale was made. He scanned through the crowd with a mischievous smile.


    ¡ªbang


    All of a sudden, 4 different boxes appeared in front of the booth, of which the auctioneer began opening them up one by open. In front of them were five items. A green herb shaped like a clock, a purple frog statue, a ordinary looking rock and a pair of dagger - shaped short swords.


    Yes, they also sell weapons. There was only one naturally urring disaster in the kingdom right now, and that was violence. Weapons made people feel safe. True businessmen knew to capitalize on this fear...


    "For the short swords I''ll bid 10,000" Leon raised his hand and ced his bid, but this action caused a slight chuckle to sound beside him.


    The other bidders looked at Leon mockingly, this was probably his first experience bidding, he didn''t know the sudden death rounds items were pegged around 50,000 silver coins.


    If you couldn''t afford those items, then you could only me yourself.


    " 50,000 for the short swords."


    For the first time during this whole bedding process, someone was going to get some Leon wanted. It''s a very happy asion. No one wanted to see Leon gain the upper hand.


    They had been bidding with him for a few hours now, and during that period a lot of people started to dislike him.


    "55,000"


    But even though they didn''t like Leon, they definitely couldn''t out bid him.


    "Huh? He has money...." They thought Leon was just an obnoxious kid who liked causing trouble, they didn''t think he had up to 50,000 silver coins on him.


    "70,000"


    "75,000"


    "80,000"


    "85....."


    Leon entered a pricing war, with the person who wanted to buy the short swords. But, it didn''tst long. As they hit the hundred thousand, Leon simply backed off.


    "Shit!!" The guy looked vexed as he turned to look at Leon. "You''re going to pay for that" as soon as he said that, he turned around and left with the short dagger.


    Clearly, he had spent everything he had just now to feel good about himself. It wasn''t until he realized that he had been screwed over that he came to his senses.


    But now it was toote, all he could manage was gone.


    The other bidders Continued with bidding, of which Leon strangely didn''t coin in on.


    He showed no interest in those items. As they didn''t seem to have a trace of life-energy¡­.


    "Last items of the days, sudden death,"


    Immediately, the room was bathed with a putrid smell that caused even Leon and Arian , who had masks on to wince. The smell was emitting from a wet wooden twing that seemed devoid of life.


    But at the same time, the life energy it emitted was horrendous


    [Ding, grade 2 item ¡ª red devilwood]


    Leon didn''t even look at the other items, his eyes were fully focused on the red devil wood.


    Bidding starts at 100,000


    The final round was for the true tycoons around¡­.100,000 silver was a fortune, for this amount, a lot of people could be pulled out of abject poverty.


    "I must get it!!" Leon gritted his teeth and announced in his mind, but he wouldn''t get it so easily...


    "150,000 for the devil wood" from a booth not too far away ady in an all white veil announced.


    This person, Leon had met her before

 Chapter 78 Untitled

    78 Untitled


    When Leon looked at thisdy, he was momentarily shocked. Thisdy was not just a mage, she was also a member of the faceless mercenarypany.


    Leon had encountered her by ident after kidnapping Amir''s connect in the faceless mercenarypany. She was the leader of his team. What was she doing here at an illegal auction?


    "Hmmm, 170,000" After a brief second of contemting, Leon announced his bid. He didn''t believe that the auction house would allow her in if they knew she was here to cause problems.


    The thing Leon hadn''t quite figured out yet was that, this ''illegal'' auction house, was actually not owned by warlocks. No, it was owned by the mage powers of the city. And all the materials being sold here were materials they had plundered from warlock ns they had piged.


    As for the presence of thedy from the faceless mercenarypany, it was absolutely normal. Level 3 warlocks like her would usually stalk the auction houses so they could follow whoever bought High-grade herbs to their backers.


    Unfortunately, they were usually in the undercity where the Warlocks had most of the influence.


    "185,000" thedy replied without batting an eye. She was a bit stunned to see faceless mercenaries inside here buying life energy treasures. But it was none of her business.


    She had her reason, and they should have theirs, one thing was sure though, they couldn''t outbid her.


    "200,000" Leon continued bidding. He had hopped into the pagoda and identified the red devilwood....and he knew immediately that this was one of the things he needed for his breakthrough. And he was unable to wait any longer, it was now or never.


    "220,000" the veileddy said with a puzzled expression on her face. It would make sense if the level 3 mage beside him was bidding after all, she was the one with real power here, but no, it was the beginner level 1 mage. That made no sense. Unless....


    "250,000" this time, Leon didn''t wait for thedy to bid. He just increased the price as if he was expecting her to keep matching him. She didn''t do that, though.


    The kid didn''t seem to care about money and was too causal about calling such an amount. He definitely had an influential background.


    "Sold" the auctioneer said causally after a few seconds of waiting. If the veileddy was going to match Leon''s bid, she would have done so already.


    He handed Leon the box with the red devilwood inside. This Leon didn''t hand over to gunta, it wasn''t because he didn''t trust him, it was just too valuable.


    "Coins or credit?" The auctioneer asked. They still had to pay for whatever they bought. And since the auction had technically ended, it was time to pay up.


    "Coins" Leon said, casually, following which Arian walked forward and dropped a big bag with about 3000 coins in it.


    "Hmm? This is too light, no?" The auctioneer tilted his head. Leon''s bid totaled to about 290,000 silver coins. Normally, a purchase like this would be done via the more convenient credit system used by the kingdom. If not, to move this amount, one would need to fill a carriage to the brim and transport it over.


    Even the other bidders couldn''t help but look at Leon questioningly, was this person joking around? Did he not know the people behind this auction house were ruthless?


    "It''splete¡­.you can count it, I''ll wait" Leon shook his head and gestured for the auctioneer to check the bag and confirm. Naturally, he had to oblige.


    He couldn''t let them leave if they hadn''t paid up in full yet.


    But upon opening the bag, his eyes were momentarily shocked. 3000 in Gold!!!


    It wasn''t like gold was too rare, no. It was just rare to see such an amount at the same spot. Even the other bidders were stunned, except for the veiled faceless mercenary. She could vaguely guess why Leon was so nonchnt with money.


    It was because he was loaded, there was no need to enter a bidding war with someone like that. At least that was what she thought.


    "There''s no need to count, i trust you sire" the auctioneer smiled and lifted the bag of coins to the back of the booth. He was absolutely delighted, gold had a special status in his mind, he truly loved it.


    "Okay, we will be taking our leave now" Leon nodded his head and turned around and left the auction house.


    He came in, unted his wealth and disappeared. But none of them knew how much Leon''s heart bled for the amount of money he had just spent.


    It was genuinely painful.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    A dayter in the morning.


    Leon woke up from a very well-deserved sleep. He then proceeded to walk outside into the courtyard. There, Arian had prepared a meal with rice balls and the likes.


    Leon smiled and got down to business, enjoying every single bite of the meal prepared for him. He ate like it was hisst meal. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And after all that


    "It''s time" Leon smiled, he then proceeded to stand up from the table and walk directly towards his room.


    When he got there, he took a seat in the middle of the room. Alreadyid out for him were several unopened boxes he had gotten from the auction house.


    22:23


    "Let''s begin" Leon muttered, then he opened the first box. In it was a lonely green leaf ced right in the middle of the box.


    [


    Life-tress leaf : grade 1 item


    Life-energy rating: 5


    Proper preparation : should be steamed with ice-water untiles to a boil, then must be Tempered by cing in the sun for 7 days else consumption for a level 1 warlock would be too dangerous.


    Final Life-energy rating: 20


    ]


    Leon looked at the preparation method mentioned by the system and could not help but shake his head. This preparation method was too tedious, coupled with the loss of life-energy. It made it sound not worthwhile.


    However, using it without preparation could lead to a rupture in his blood vessels. That was what nearly happened to him when he broke through to level 1, but he didn''t know until recently. If not for the serpent, he would be dead.


    "Fortunately, I have this¡­." Leon smiled while looking at the leaf in front of him.


    "BloodSerpent Work: Life Devourer"


    Leon activated a spell and all of a sudden, the leaf in front of him started scribbling slowly, releasing a white smoke that made its way towards Leon.


    The Life-Devourer spell, he got this magical spell from the first elder of the blood serpent n. This spell was just too good to be true for any warlock, and Leon could only be described as lucky for getting a hold of it.


    It allows the user to directly absorb life energy from the surrounding without having to ingest it. Plus it didn''t discriminate, it could also absorb Life-energy from living creatures. It was just too overpowered.


    "Hmmmm" Leon inhaled the smoke through his nose and the pores of his skin. Quickly, they sank into his bloodstream and started scattering, allowing Leon to absorb it.


    The difference between the beginner stages of level 1 and the middle and peak stage of level 1 was just an umtion of energy and the proper usage of it. This didn''t mean that bridging this gap was in any way easy.


    It was extremely hard. And Leon would need all the sources of life energy he could consume.


    Soon enough, the leaf in front of Leon decayed until nothing was left, and Leon hadn''t broken through.


    "Next" So, Leon opened another box not long after, then he reactivated the life-devourer spell. And so it continued. Leon kept absorbing Life-energy from the treasures he got at the auction house, and little by life he was filled with life energy.


    Until he felt bloated enough and all of a sudden


    ¡ª boop


    The energy that was inside his body was suddenly pushed outwards.


    He had broken through to the middle stages of level 1.


    This wasn''t easy, Leon had to endure excruciating pain. But because he was already so well attuned to energy usage, he was able to quickly adapt and break through, it had been a long timeing.


    "It''s all gone" Leon shook his head. To get into the middle stages, he hadpleted absorbed all the energy in the treasures he bought.


    "Sigh, I have to use you then" Leon gently shook his head and picked up another box, he had used all the treasures he could find except one.


    The grade 2 red devilwood. This was not like the rest. All of them were meant for level 1 warlocks to attempt to break through. But this was meant for level 2 warlocks.


    The life energy in it was multiple fold of what he had absorbed previously. Worth a staggering 350,000 silver coins, the red devilwood.


    "Maximum effort" Leon muttered before closing his eyes once again.

 Chapter 79 Peak of level 1

    79 Peak of level 1


    "Hhhhheeee" Leon could be seen profusely sweating in his room. He seemed to be having a hard time advancing.


    "Huuu" He let out an air of exhaustion as he opened his eyes and looked around.


    "It''s already dark out" Leon said. From beginner stage to middle stage had taken him about 3 hours. This seemed long and frustrating, but aspared to what he was going through now, he could only feel like what he had to go through previously was but a walk in the park.


    This was already about 15 hours after he started absorbing the energy from the red devilwood and he hadn''t even finished absorbing 1/4 of its entire length.


    "Is there something wrong?" Leon frowned. This made no sense to him, all this while that he hadn''t tried to breakthrough was because he was tuning his control of life-energy. With impable control came good foundations, with the resources he had now it should be easy to breakthrough.


    Of course, if anyone apart from Leon heard what he had just thought, they would go crazy with rage. Was it that easy to be a peak level 1 warlock? If it was, then were they just wasting their time all this while?


    Leon''sint would cause an outage.


    However, it came from a ce of experience. Leon knew that to break through to any realm, one must first have a stable foundation, and he had that, so why was it taking so long?


    "I guess, I''ll just have to keep going at it" Leon muttered before closing his eyes once again.


    Maybe it was because the item was grade 2 and Leon was still at level 1, or perhaps it was because he was missing something, but Leon knew it was but a matter of time, he would break through eventually.


    And so he continued, the day went by and then the next and then the next...


    3 days and Leon was still inside the rook trying to elevate. Even Arian became worried and came to check up on him several times, but Leon was unresponsive, only focusing on reaching the peak.


    On a particr night.


    Leon''s figure could be seen taking in life-energy through his pore sin fact, the whole room was littered with white smoke, brimming with life-energy. The only part of the room that wasn''t filled with life-energy was Leon.


    His face waspletely pale and devoid of signs of life. He looked like a corpse.


    "He-he, got it" all of a sudden, Leon''s lips curved into a snide smile. "Huuuuuu" he took in a deep breath of air and astonishingly all the life-energy floating around the room started rushing towards Leon at full speed.


    It looked as if it had a mind of their own, but this was not the case. Leon was the one controlling it. During these few days, Leon was able to understand that, truly, he wascking in control of life-energy.


    Maybe it was because his usage of mana had conflicted with his usage of life-energy, Leon didn''t know, but he was confident now more than ever¡­


    "Huuuuuuuu" as the life-energy came pouring in, Leon''s pale face regained its redness, minute by minute he was looking Healthier and healthier¡­.in fact, at a point he started growing muscles that weren''t there previously....then all of a sudden.


    ¡ªpoop


    A Loud sound echoed in the room, alerting Arian, who was outside having a meal with gunta. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Oh? " Arian looked up at Leon''s room and sighed in relief. Many times she had witnessed people go into this frantic state of breaking through and ended up causing themselves more harm than good.


    She was relieved that Leon''s case wasn''t one of those. She didn''t know why, but she was subconsciously afraid for Leon...it just seemed natural.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    At the same time, memos were sent to the instructors for each of the faceless mercenary entrance tests.


    Darknorth too got one and couldn''t help but smile from ear to ear.


    The tempering event had been scheduled!!!.


    The tempering event was an age long tradition in the faceless mercenarypany. It was meant to give the members of thepany a taste of the benefits thepany had in store for them. No matter the circumstances, they would have to hold it.


    "Reach out to them" Darknorth muttered to one of his colleagues.


    "Hmm!!" The colleague nodded and went to the back of the restaurant.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    "Yum umm yumm"


    The silhouette of Leon could be seen savagely munching down on several bowls of rice and eggs ced in front of him.


    This was unusual for Leon''s normally poise and elegant behavior. He looked like he was starving.


    Seating in a lotus position for about 4 to 5 days, no good, only hard work. Of course, he was hungry. In fact, he felt like he could go on eating forever....


    "Uhhhhh" Arian, who was seated opposite Leon, tried to get his attention while staring at him awkwardly.


    "Hm? You want something?" Leon asked.


    "I got this from Darknorth yesterday¡­." Arian extended a letter in front of her. She had gotten it the same day Leon broke through, but when she got to his room he had fallen into a deep sleep, so she decided to wait.


    "Oh? Get it, Levi" Leon extended his hand forward and a pitch-ck snake crawled out from his sleeve and slithered towards Arian.


    "Hissss"


    When he got to her, it used its mouth to grab the letter before slithering back to Leon.


    "Hm? So soon?" Leon frowned, the paper read:


    All new members of the faceless mercenarypany are hereby invited to take part in the tempering ceremony of thepany holding a week from now, meet your test instructors for further information. We hope to see our new talents here and how far they are able to go.


    Signed by


    Deputy leader Firstblood


    "Too much of a rush" Leon shook his head. He was hoping to umte enough to use the tempering event to break through to level 2, but it was too close.


    "Arian, do you think you can handle an errand for me in the undercity?" After contemting for a few seconds, Leon asked.


    "The undercity?" Arian tilted her head sideways. What did Leon want with the undercity?


    "I need you to kidnap a level 2 warlock for me" Leon said, causing the whole room to be silent.


    Kidnap a level 2 warlock? The balls on Leon were enormous, if anyone heard him saying this outside, they would probably punch him in a fit of rage. How was a level 1 warlock thinking of kidnapping someone in level 2? Was that wishful thinking?


    Of course, Leon knew this was hard, hence him asking Arian to do it. She was the perfect candidate, a level 3 mage with the ability to force a fighter to fight her to the death.


    She could definitely aplish it.


    "Okay" Arian Agreed to Leon''s request. It wasn''t the first time he had made such outrageous requests. In fact, that was what she knew him for, constantly looking for a way to aplish the impossible.


    "Hehe, wonderful" Leon smirked before picking up his rice bowl and burying his face into it once again.


    He had to seize any and all opportunities avable to him. Strength was the most important to him right now.


    ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,


    Inside of Badur''s gates.


    "More"


    ¡ªCling


    ¡ªcling


    ¡ªcling


    Chains could be seen wrapped around a giant pagoda inside badurs gates. The chains didn''t only wrap around it. They pulled so tight that the pagoda was lifted from the ground.


    Chain magic, this was one of the specialities of Badur''s gates. It gave Leon full dominion over the space, allowing him to imprison others in it.


    In this case, he wasn''t imprisoning anything per se. He just noticed that the pagoda had started causing cracks to appear on the floor of badurs gates.


    He didn''t know if it was a conscious effort to destroy Badur''s Gate by the pagoda, or it was something else. So, Leon suspended the pagoda in the air with chains.


    "It was going to happen eventually" Leon, after contemting for a minute, shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the pagoda.


    It hadpletely faded into existence inside badurs gate, but Leon was too busy to investigate why. Now it was bing a problem, he had no choice but to go in and find out.


    And he did just that, he entered the pagoda physically for the first time. And surprisingly, it wasn''t the same as when he did so with his spiritual body.


    The space was emptier and gave of a feeling of being ancient. Leon couldn''t help but wonder why this was. But that was not why he was here.


    "Treasure" Leon called out, he was here to find out why the pagoda was inside of Badur''s gates.


    [Ding


    What might the host need?


    ]


    The system echoed


    "What are you doing here?" Leon asked.


    [ Ding


    The system is trying to merge with this Spectral treasure


    ]


    "Merge?" Leon looked confused.


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