Born in Blood



Liam was visibly shocked. 

A Rank 5 tempering method? 

Even if it was a base, non-elemental technique, Liam couldn't imagine how strong his body would be at that level.

Not to mention, it would solve his problem of finding another tempering method after advancing to the fourth Rank, and the general scarcity of techniques at that level.

Although his inscription abilities had improved by leaps and bounds, he didn't see himself inventing Rank 3 techniques, let alone Zenith Ranked tempering methods.

It was the same with the Rank 4 cultivation technique. He was already set for the third Rank, but eventually, he'd have to start looking for another.

'There's still a lot of time left before I have to look ahead.'

Then there was the spell that would strengthen each time Liam's sea of consciousness advanced.

It was obvious what he was going to choose.

There was no doubt in his mind a spell that naturally grew alongside him was going to be the most useful down the line. 

Although choosing a Rank 5 could provide insurance and steady strength, Liam didn't like how it limited his potential for more power.

'If it was attuned to my element, there's no way I wouldn't choose it.' 

"Let me see the spell, then. I want to weigh my options before I choose."

Reye nodded, taking out a luxurious golden scroll from his ring and handing it to Liam.

Liam's eye scanned the scroll contents carefully. The intricate diagrams were so complex, every line was thinner than a hair, and the complex meanings imbued within them were in seamless harmony. 

Even with the King's Eye, Liam didn't understand how one could invent a spell so complicated. 

'Amazing.'

Was all Liam could think. 

'Even the ink is etched into the scroll.'

At the top, the spell name was written in cursive Echorian characters, along with a brief description below it. 

'Shadow Clone.'

'Depending on the user's mental capabilities, they could summon a clone similar to themselves, made from a mix of gaseous, liquid, and solid darkness. Requires constant mental energy to control.' 

'Heavy usage of 'Ora' and mental energy. The number of clones could rise depending on the user's sea of consciousness. It will not last indefinitely, and requires a constant stream of mental energy to persist and hold together the construct.'

Liam's eye shone with glimmering lights.

'A spell like this can actually exist?' 

His jaw went slack.

"You're quite lucky," Reye mentioned, his tone laced with hidden envy and regret. "That spell has been gathering dust in the academy's armory for years. If you were any less fortunate, they would've sold it for a giant amount of 'Ora' Stones."

Liam hid a mocking grin at Reye's jealousy, remarking the change in his mental waves as the old man expressed his regret.

'So that's what jealousy looks like. One of the layers in his mental waves slightly changed shape…'

Saving that for later, Liam started weighing his options.

'It's a no brainer. Between this and the other spells, my battle prowess will reach the sky.'

Liam didn't have to ponder over the other two choices… though he had to say, a Rank 5 technique certainly had a nice ring to it.

Liam nodded to himself.

"I choose this one."

Reye responded with a nod of his own, storing the other two rings and giving him one. 

Liam instantly inspected the ring and found that it had 60 square meters of space, and was absolutely stacked with profound looking 'Ora' Crystals. 

By now, Liam had so many rings he could make a pimp jealous. 

"Your spells and martial arts will be available to you in the Armory. You can head there to choose."

Liam nodded, and the Headmaster promptly left. As soon as he did, Liam began to memorize the spell. 

It took him a complete hour to do so, and he entered the basement to give it a test.

With a thought, Liam's core began to surge out massive amounts of mixed-state 'Ora' that separated from all over his body. Liam felt his organ nearly empty from just one usage of the spell.

Meanwhile, the spell literally split Liam into two halves, as though a bacteria had multiplied. 

It took a second for it to completely form, but when it did, it was a perfect copy of Liam.

Even the clothes, the cold expression, height, hair, everything was replicated… except one glaring difference. 

It was purely made from darkness. 

Even the clothes and the skin were pure black, and one could instantly tell who was who.

'I really didn't account for that, did I…' 

Nonetheless, Liam wasn't discouraged in the least. He was perfectly satisfied with his choice.

A moment later, Liam tried to control the clone with his mental waves, commanding it to take a few steps forward. 

As though it was being controlled by a lousy puppet-master, the Shadow Clone took unnatural strides, jittery and unstable all throughout, like a robot missing more than a few parts.

Liam felt a natural connection to the shadow clone, but his control over it was definitely lacking in all areas. 

Not to mention, it was feeding on his mental waves like a gluttonous pit, causing a bit of cold sweat to trickle over his brow.

'The real problem is how to use this spell in a real battle…'

'First, I have to get good at controlling it. Enough that it could hold blades and support me in a real fight.'

'Second is the appearance. If it wasn't purely darkness, it could easily disorient my target.'

Just then, something in Liam's mind clicked.

Didn't he have illusionary abilities?

Gulping, Liam coated the Shadow Clone with another thin layer of mental energy. 

After taking a minute to project his image onto the copy, Liam activated the King's Eye.

At once, the entire Shadow Clone resembled Liam near perfectly. 

There were missing details here and there, and parts of the image were missing… but other than that, the skin, face and other features were infinitely more Liam-like.

Liam grinned. 

A wise choice indeed.