Born in Blood

Chapter 39: Ranks

Weeks passed.

At last, winter was finally over, and spring took its place – causing the previously dead trees to burst with various colors.

When Liam brought back a Rank-3 magical beast corpse to Rogan's forgery, the blacksmith was at a loss for words.

Even more so when Liam explained how he killed it.

Liam used that opportunity to ask the blacksmith for a new pair of blades - made from the Shadow Lykos no less.

Rogan sighed, then chuckled, then laughed.

"Hahaha! Shameless rascal - trying to take advantage any time you can. Give them to me, I'll preserve them for you.

"However, weapons made from Rank-3 beasts are difficult to make, even for me. Their wills get substantially stronger with each rank, and I'll have to use special pills to strengthen my mental sphere.

"Pills I trust my honorable disciple will provide. Don't worry though, you won't have to pay for the blades.

"Also, I'm not making anything new until you dull those blades you're using now - and maybe a few more simpler blades before that. Every weapon deserves to have a master worthy of wielding it. Never forget that."

Liam smiled in acknowledgement before leaving the forgery.

The coming weeks, his schedule continued like normal, with the addition of learning the basics of forging.

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They were simple instructions which he didn't have trouble learning. Rogan simply wanted to familiarize him with how to work with the materials.

Liam finally became eleven years old, cueing the same tradition of pumpkin pie his mother cooked him.

There wasn't any party, though. The two loners ate and chatted between themselves.

"Son… about your work. You don't plan on stopping, do you?" Eve said with a weakened tone.

"Not currently, why?" Liam questioned, his mouth filled with food.

"I'm just… worried. What if, one day, you don't return? I don't want to lose you." Eve muttered, her brows furrowed.

Liam sighed. "Don't worry so much. I'm strong now, and I'm getting stronger. Eventually, I'll get you out of this peasantry and settled somewhere much nicer."

Eve let out a weak sigh. Her son's confident tone assured her, but clearly not enough.

On the other hand, he completed a few more main missions, steadily accumulating his merit points. He didn't spend them on anything, though, saving them for the higher ranked techniques.

Meanwhile, his body had advanced past the lower-stage and entered the middle-stage.

His progress was incredibly fast, thanks to his reckless and maniacal way of training - which basically consisted of getting bit, poisoned and slashed by magical beasts and humans alike.

Liam realized the forging method's weakness, as the blades Rogan had made already began to show signs of decline after a week - granted, through heavy usage.

In the first place, it wasn't supposed to last that long. But the blacksmith had used various methods to prolong its durability.

At the same time, something peculiar took place.

It was midnight when he was training with the Psionic Rune in his room, when suddenly, the walls of his mental sphere echoed with tremors.

Within, the space rumbled, and the waves of mental energy violently smashed against the translucent barrier.

Liam felt like his thoughts were swimming through a viscous, burning liquid - as contradictory as that might sound.

By the time the event stopped, a mental 'click' resounded in his head, and Liam felt like a fog had been lifted from his mind.

Everything felt so… clear.

His perception, his senses, his thoughts. He could feel each hair on his body swaying against the lightest of wind.

He could sense all his surroundings with unadulterated clarity despite not using any mental energy, and all kinds of sounds entered his ears.

Liam didn't realize his room was so detailed.

His wooden drawers were covered in faint little markings, his walls were sallow and not a plain cream color like he thought, and the back window was covered with unnoticeable old stains.

Liam reeled in his amazement and laughed.

"I'm finally a Magus!"

He entered his mental sphere, looking for any differences.

For one, the sea below him was a shade darker and much more vast than before. Moreover, the translucent barrier had grown almost twice as thick.

He decided to stretch out his 'mental muscle', another word for spreading his senses throughout his surroundings.

His mental waves left his room, spreading through his neighborhood, then district… before faintly enveloping the entire peasantry.

…

A day passed.

"You rascal! Do you take me for a fool?" Lloyd frowned, causing Liam to let out an annoyed sigh.

The pair were in the forest as Liam had a scheduled duel with his teacher - where he chose to reveal his advancement.

"It takes almost two & a half years for someone to become a Rank-1 Magus. You're telling me you've done it in barely one? Prove it."

Liam scoffed, focusing all his pressure towards Lloyd's figure. The night prior, he had practiced his control over his mental waves, and the pressure it released was quite amazing.

Lloyd's face expressed realization and shock, with a hint of pain - prompting Liam to reel in his pressure.

'He's still much stronger than me. Though, with the age difference between us, I wonder at what age I'll be stronger.'

"Wow." Was all Lloyd could say. He took a moment to sit on the grass – probably since his knees couldn't hold him up anymore – gesturing for Liam to do the same.

"Since I haven't explained the ranks in detail, I suppose now is a good time to start." Lloyd muttered, still somewhat shocked from that reveal.

"There are 9 total ranks in the cultivation path. The first three are called Mortal ranks. They aren't that difficult to advance in, and the power gap between them isn't too big either, since a Rank-2 body can still damage a Rank-3 body.

"This changes within the Zenith ranks, which range from 4 to 6. The difference of power is vastly different compared to the first three – since they could kill Mortal cultivators with a thought. Most noble patriarchs or matriarchs are around this level."

Liam's eyes brimmed with awe and emotion.

"7 to 9 are called Celestial ranks. Little is known about them, but they're otherworldly beings, capable of wiping out entire civilizations with a simple hand gesture."

Liam lowered his head to hide the manic expression on his face.

The word Celestial sounded just so… enticing.