Born in Blood Chapter 27: Path

As soon as Liam walked down the guild stairs, Ophis greeted him — a dazzling smile on her full lips.

"Well done, kid! The coachn told everything, give your teacher a hug. You deserve this reward."

Ophis spread her arms and gestured Liam to a gentle embrace.

"I'm good, thanks. Do you need around? I need to head to the armory."

Ophis' eye twitched, a dangerous light appearing in her brown irises. Inwardly, she contemplated whether or not to take out her needles.

Eventually, she shook her head. "Do you have any items from your mission?"

Liam nodded, taking out two space-rings and chucking them towards her.

Ophis thoroughly inspected the rings. Liam had already wiped away all traces of his 'Ora' imprint — multiple tis just to be sure — which didn't leave any room for suspicion.

"Great. I trust you didn't take anything from these, right?"

Liam sighed and shook his head. "I know you know I'm smart enough not to."

Ophis giggled playfully, before gesturing for Liam to carry on his way.

anwhile, Liam instantly entered the armory.

Ava was there as usual, greeting him with a warm smile and a quick wave.

"Can you show the tempering thods you have for a Rank-3 body?"

Ava raised a brow, her tone caring and wise. "Aren't you still Rank-1, though? There's still so ti before you break through, young lad."

Liam hid the fact that only a few more of his cycles were left. The reason he wanted a Rank-3 tempering thod so soon, was to begin cultivating as soon as he broke through to the second Rank.

It seed that, ever since Liam was reborn, he didn't let a single second go to waste.

"I just want to take a look." He responded blankly.

Ava eventually sighed.

A mont later, she put her palm on her marble desk, a faint golden glow encompassing her hand.

From the inscribed marble surface, a small stone rune appeared.

"Just use your ntal waves on that rune. All the Rank-3 tempering thods available will appear in your ntal sphere."

Liam held back his amazent and quickly did so.

Instantly, nas and descriptions of multiple Rank-3 tempering thods appeared in his mind.

'Sworded Fingers. Rank-3 tempering thod.'

'Upon completion, it gives the user the ability to turn their fingers into sharp spikes at any ti, which could cut through steel and armor like butter. 'Ora' bolsters the lethality of the spikes, adding a poisonous side effect.'

'rit requirent: 230.'

Liam's eyes widened when he saw the technique's price.

He inspected his own token, which he had brought up to 95 points during the past two months through missions and quests — including his first main mission that gave him 40 rits.

'Damn it! I'm still this far behind?'

Nonetheless, he wasn't disheartened and continued browsing through the thods.

Most of them were around the sa range of 150-250 rits, and contained a special ability of sorts.

Eventually, Liam's eyes got stuck to a specific parchnt. Strangely enough, it was the cheapest amongst all of them, but also the most reckless and grueso.

'Throes of Anguish. Rank-3 tempering thod.'

'Uses pain as a way to advance through the rank. Battle wounds, poisoning, burns, etc... any type of pain transforms into 'Ora' that nourishes the body and slowly advances it. Contains regeneration capabilities.'

'The completion results in a Rank-3 body that allows you to store pain and use it to gain large amounts of strength montarily.'

'Price - 75 rits'

Liam heaved a sigh. "I'll take this one, please."

Ava scowled, her tone grave as she reprimanded:

"Do you know what you're doing, lad? Once you begin cultivating a tempering thod, you can't leave it midway. Don't do sothing you might regret. There's a reason why it's so cheap. It's illegal in Ucladd."

Liam could guess why no one else wanted the technique despite its low price.

A thod that had slight amounts of pain — or large depending on the rank — while using it wasn't rare, and most of the ti, it was only a side effect.

These thods were called Unorthodox — due to their fast but oftentis risky and painful thods of progress — while the opposite was true for Orthodox thods.

However, a tempering thod that only used sheer agony to grow stronger... what kind of deranged maniac would be that reckless to use it?

Other than Liam himself, of course.

"I'll buy it."

Ava's mouth opened with a reprimanding expression, but a mont later, closed with a defeated sigh.

Cultivators made their own paths. Who was she to judge how others paved their way to strength?

In fact, those with grit and strong will succeeded more often than not in such a harsh world.

She took his token and put it on top of the table. A short mont after, a clean parchnt paper ford on her hand, which she passed over to Liam along with his token.

The number on his token was now '20', but Liam didn't have any regrets.

Wrapping up with his business with the guild, he headed straight to the forest to et Lloyd.

It was night ti, and Eve was already asleep.

'It's about ti I ask him about my father.'