Red didn’t spend any time reflecting on his victory. The commotion from the battle was already attracting the attention of the servants from the mansion, and he needed to clean things up quickly.
First, he walked over to the demon-sealing sword and picked it up. As soon as Red touched the blade, though, a furious roar rang out in his mind. He stumbled and gritted his teeth, keeping himself standing despite the sudden shock.
The Slaughter Demon, which had remained quiet for a lon...
2023-11-15 23:11:45 +0000 UTC
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The Shadow didn’t move immediately, staring at Red from across the workshop. Red was also observing his opponent, or more specifically, their fluctuation.
‘It’s not the same person.’
Although their fluctuation was faint, he could tell that this assassin wasn’t as strong as the dagger-throwing Shadow who attacked him before. But that revelation also confused him.
‘They brought someone weaker to kill me?’
This made no sense to him. As Red tried to figure ou...
2023-11-12 21:42:45 +0000 UTC
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Later in the day, Red met with Marina in her company’s headquarters. Although she remained composed, he couldn’t help but notice how talkative she was, and that was saying a lot knowing the woman.
She sat on the floor cushion, waving her fan and looking at Red with a smile. “I have already sent out the word that our forge is ready to take on clients. Some people are eager to put in their own commissions, considering that their relationship with the Golden Hand is not friendly eith...
2023-11-10 01:34:39 +0000 UTC
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Soon enough, a carriage from the Golden Hand was here to pick him up. Red was on guard once he learned the meeting was at their headquarters, but their organization wasn’t the kind to act overtly, so he didn’t think he would have any problems.
As they rode through the streets, he saw the city somewhat returning to normalcy. As Marina told him, they didn’t manage to arrest any cultists of particular importance, but this state of half-martial law was unsustainable for the city. So, ...
2023-11-05 04:30:15 +0000 UTC
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Red forged his sword with a few functions in mind.
First, it could fly. Its range would be limited by his Spiritual Energy, but Red guessed that for now, that wouldn’t be more than a hundred meters. It paled compared to most ranged artifacts, but a flying sword also carried far more power behind its attacks than most ranged artifacts. Its range would also increase as Red’s cultivation increased.
Its second function was also related to flight. Red used his expertise with the Ga...
2023-11-01 01:34:54 +0000 UTC
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When Red arrived at the Fairclough manor, there were far more people waiting to greet him at the entrance. A lot of them wore the clothing of Lehmann’s employees, and Marina was at the forefront watching him walk over with a fox-like expression.
“Master Viran, I’m sorry for the delay!”
“You’re ahead of schedule.”
“Ah, regardless, I was hoping to have it done in a week, but it took slightly longer than that,” she pointed towards the manor with her fan. “Sh...
2023-10-29 07:12:22 +0000 UTC
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“That’s very grandiose for a vision,” Red said after some consideration.
Lady Ilse smiled at his reply. “I thought so too, but didn’t you end up helping us?”
“In a minor way.”
The assistance he provided compared to what her dream was implying he would do was on two different levels.
“Visions are never that straightforward, and most of the time involve a certain level of symbolism,” she said. “For instance, the crimson moon is a known omen for demo...
2023-10-26 04:45:06 +0000 UTC
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Lady Ilse led Red to the back of her manor, into a large storage room with multiple floors. He was surprised to find dozens of boxes strewn all over the place, packed with materials he was very familiar with.
“This is where I intend to build the workshop,” she waved her hand, showing him the room.
“Doesn’t seem very spacious,” Red said.
It was a big room, just not big enough for both a forge and a laboratory.
Lady Ilse smiled. “I know, which is why we will ...
2023-10-23 02:00:18 +0000 UTC
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The Fairclough manor was tucked away in an inconspicuous corner of the noble district, next to a park whose trees rose high enough to hide it from afar. Only when one was close could they see the building itself - an old wooden manor, which one might think had been abandoned if not for the few servants cleaning the courtyard of fallen leaves.
It was larger than Red’s stolen manor, but it was a meek property when compared to the large mansions of the nobles around the center of the cit...
2023-10-20 00:24:45 +0000 UTC
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“I was under the impression it was possible to rent them with enough money, even for an outsider,” Red said.
This was something he had been casually researching since coming to the city, so he knew powerful factions often rented these Spiritual Forges to crafters or other people. After all, setting up such a facility was difficult and costly.
“This used to be the case,” Marina said. “But it changed since the war against the Empire started. The royal family closed its for...
2023-10-15 23:33:39 +0000 UTC
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Aurelia glared at him. “You’re going to choose a weapon just because of how it looks?!”
“Not just because of that,” Red said. “But yes, it is part of the reason.”
He had been considering other swords, but in the end, he settled for the claymore, something in between the usual longsword and a greatsword - what people generally referred to as a bastard sword. It was still a hefty weapon, but it could also be wielded with swiftness. His main reason, however, was because...
2023-10-13 04:02:37 +0000 UTC
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Crafting a Spiritual Artifact was something Red planned to do ever since the day he and Goulth forged his short sword. Back then, that was nothing but a distant dream for him, but after accumulating enough resources working for Leon, it became a matter of finding the right opportunity. Or rather, creating the right opportunity.
“What are you doing with that?”
Aurelia materialized in front of him, staring at the manual with a frown.
“What do you think?” Red asked, not...
2023-10-10 02:23:26 +0000 UTC
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A few minutes of awkward silence went by before servants entered the room to lead each of them to their room. Leon was still in a daze, but before they parted ways, he called to Red.
“I forgot about the matter of purification. Although none of us were exposed for too long, there could be lingering problems we haven’t noticed.”
With that, he took out a pill similar to the one he gave Red earlier.
Red, however, shook his head. “I still have the one you gave me before....
2023-10-06 05:29:07 +0000 UTC
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Red observed the flying Duke.
He was wearing embroidered plate armor covered by a robe draped over his shoulders, sporting the white and gold color of the Northvale family. From this far, it was hard to discern his features other than the slicked back black hair and finely trimmed beard, but one could still feel the majesty and power from his figure glowing with white energy.
They weren’t afforded much time to study the Duke, though. He flew around the demon, a trail of mist lef...
2023-10-03 04:06:35 +0000 UTC
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While the expanding flames and dust blocked their vision, the noise of falling rocks and the trembling ground let them know what was happening.
Emeric squinted and fell to the ground on one knee.
“I… I think I did-”
He couldn’t finish his sentence before Red picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. He looked over at Leon.
“Go!”
His companion turned around and ran, focusing on maintaining the barrier.
“H-Hey, you don’t need to actually ...
2023-09-27 05:35:56 +0000 UTC
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In principle, breaking a formation was a straight-forward matter: crack it with brute force or make it spend its energy. Of course, while the goal was simple, the path to achieve it was anything but.
A strong cultivator, or one with enough time and energy, could destroy a formation by attacking it until it broke or spent its energy - if it wasn’t being recharged, that is. However, this was all under the condition one ignored the threat of the situation. Most of the time, if you found ...
2023-09-25 04:26:26 +0000 UTC
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No one replied Emeric’s question.
“The toxic fog is blocking out vision,” Leon said. “It’s risky to approach like this.”
“Give me a moment,” Red said.
While his companions were trying to make out the ovoid shape in the chamber, he was busy making sense of what his crimson sense told him. The confusing flaring of fluctuations continued, and Red was able to pinpoint the locations of these presences to the inside of the giant egg. Yet, to his surprise, the egg i...
2023-09-22 23:46:34 +0000 UTC
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Although Leon and Emeric let Red lead the way, their fidgeting steps and anxious gazes displayed their anxiousness, as if another demon would spring up on them at any moment. A few minutes later, their worries were proven right.
“Wait.”
Red held his hand up and called for a stop. His companions froze in their steps and looked at him with concern.
“What is it?” Leon asked, grabbing the spiritual flute from his waist.
Red pointed at a spot on the wall ahead of th...
2023-09-20 15:57:59 +0000 UTC
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Leon looked surprised. “They merged? How?”
Emeric shook his head. “I don’t know how, they just… Their flesh started melting and fusing together.”
Red frowned. “Can you be more specific?”
Emeric jumped in shock. “More specific?! What else do you want me to tell you?”
“Everything you can.”
The noble hesitated and looked over at Leon. His friend just nodded at him with a serious expression, and that seemed to be enough for Emeric.
He lo...
2023-08-24 05:09:52 +0000 UTC
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After Leon realized the weight of the situation, he tried to hurry their journey along. Red, however, had other plans.
“We can’t rush ahead. We’re still dealing with a formation expert who can set traps anywhere along our path.”
“But Emer might be in trouble!” Leon said.
“You told me he can handle himself. Besides, these cultists don’t know the direction we are coming from, so unless he made a point of rushing ahead by himself, they wouldn’t have found him....
2023-08-21 20:51:43 +0000 UTC
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As the eyes of the cultists trained on him, a powerful pressure struck Red head-on. Although their gazes came from different sources, they formed one shapeless force that washed over him.
‘What is this?’
His body tensed under the strain, and he felt paralyzed. A second later, though, he shook the sensation off and took a step back in surprise. The cultists kept their gazes trained on him, but Red’s attention turned to his companion behind him.
“Ugh…”
Leon a...
2023-08-04 02:46:52 +0000 UTC
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The servant led Red to a large bedroom. Leon was there, waiting for him.
“Are you prepared, Master Viran?”
Unlike their previous encounters, Leon’s getup was quite different. He was wearing an all black martial outfit, resembling a rogue more than a noble. The pouch by his waist also blended with his clothing, almost impossible to detect if one was not paying attention.
What really stood out, however, was a dark wooden flute strapped to the other side of his waist. The...
2023-04-11 10:13:58 +0000 UTC
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“Damn it, there’s no way!”
Aurelia shouted in an incensed tone. She seemed to have realized the same as Red.
‘The same as that snake…’
“Did that description help you in any way?”
Leon’s question snapped him out of his reverie.
“Do all serpent demons share the same features?” he asked.
“I don’t know for certain.” Leon shook his head. “That type of knowledge is something only sects know these days.”
‘A dead end, then…...
2023-04-11 10:13:34 +0000 UTC
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Leon seemed to struggle with the suggestion.
“A Spirit Contract is a rare item.” he said. “It's tricky to get my hands on one.”
Red nodded. “I am sure it is. Still, it’s the only thing that will give me peace of mind to work together.”
The young master remained quiet, reflecting on his words with a frowning expression. It was only half a minute later that he spoke up again.
“I will need to consult my father on this.”
“As you wish.” Red said....
2023-03-19 07:40:14 +0000 UTC
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Red did not dwell on this issue either. If he ever asked for help regarding this strange problem, it wouldn’t be until he verified some venues first.
Soon enough, he was back at his manor. He opened the door under the watch of spies waiting on the roofs of the neighborhood and walked in. His eyes shot over to an empty corner, where he knew the imp was hiding in his invisibility.
Emer’s figure materialized out of thin air and ran over to Red.
“Master! You’re back!”<...
2023-03-13 07:57:16 +0000 UTC
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Once Red landed, he looked around in a hurry. The place was pitch black, but with his special vision, he could still see the entire room. Though calling it a room was perhaps not the correct term.
The circular chamber resembled more a cave than anything else. It was only four meters wide, and there seemed to be an attempt to cover the exposed rock walls with bricks. Whoever was doing it, though, seemed to stop halfway through.
Before Red could examine the place much further, there...
2023-03-10 07:22:33 +0000 UTC
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It took less than an hour for Pierre to arrive. It was already night, but the captain still seemed to be on the job, judging by his uniform and countenance. He met Red downstairs, looking around the cellar with an inquisitive gaze.
“You already have results?” he asked.
“Partially.” Red nodded. “I need to verify something, which is why I asked for you.”
“You want to dig down?”
“Yes.”
“For what purpose?”
“As I said, I need to verify ...
2023-03-04 04:30:58 +0000 UTC
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Pierre didn’t press Red further, and led him into the building. The two guards made a military greeting to the captain, who nodded in response before silently walking past them.
The inside of the spacious building was in much worse condition than the outside. Wooden furniture was smashed into smithereens, small craters lined up the stone ground and walls, and it was almost impossible to tell what kind of commerce this might have been in the past. There were two sets of stairs, a destr...
2023-02-28 05:18:20 +0000 UTC
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Aurelia stared at him for a few long seconds.
“Do I need to list the problems with that idea?”
Red shook his head. “I am well aware of them.”
“Then why consider it? You’re not stupid, so you know how insane the idea of extracting such specific information from a secretive group like that will be.”
“I don’t expect them to have a library with books about how to remove a curse.” Red said. “The best way to go about it would be to capture one of them a...
2023-02-24 04:37:42 +0000 UTC
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Red’s hesitation was momentary. He straightened his palm and struck Yrsa on the side of her neck before she could scream.
“Guh!”
The woman fell unconscious with a strange sound. Red didn’t relax, though, and used his crimson sense to inspect his surroundings. To his relief, it didn’t seem like anyone had heard what happened in the room.
He sighed, and his attention turned to the crystal core in his hand with a frown.
“What happened?” he asked.
Silen...
2023-01-29 12:11:57 +0000 UTC
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