Re: Evolution Online

"Yes, that would be me." Liam tried his best to keep a straight face and remain calm. 

Inwardly he was quite nervous or rather the man standing beside him forcefully brought about such an effect.

He had the aura of someone who had killed too many people. Just his mere presence made all the hair on Liam's back stand up. 

He knew that he had to be very careful now. Based on his next actions, he would either die or succeed in his quest.

"Thank you for helping me back there. Though I gave those villagers my word, my strength was…" Liam looked at the ground solemnly. 

"Hmmm…" The beggar's eyebrows shot up. He looked surprised. He did not expect this level of introspection from a young person.

"You are fine. Knowing that you are not strong enough is half the progress." The middle-aged man awkwardly cleared his throat. 

Though he was not that old, the tiredness in his eyes and the way he behaved seemed to belong to someone who had already lost all will to live.

"Thank you, senior." Liam nodded. He was about to say something when the beggar abruptly interrupted him.

"You can also stop beating around the bush. You are just wasting your time here."

"Sir?"

"Heh." The beggar laughed. "No need to act in front of me, young man. I know why you are here."

The man circled around Liam, eyeing him from top to bottom. "A strength superior to your level, a body purer than it should be, aren't you here for the recipe? Hmmm?"

"Yes, sir." Liam did not bother hiding it any longer. "Demons are invading our land. I need to become stronger. I need to make my guildmates stronger, our Kingdom stronger."

"We need this strength to have a fighting chance."

Did it work? Liam's heart thumped, deafening his ears. The small pause turned into a long one and then into an awkward silence.

However, Liam knew better than to press on further. He was already on thin ice so anything he said now would only work against him.

So he continued remaining silent. He stared ahead at the distance without bothering to explain anything else.

The beggar looked at him and a subtle hint of amusement flickered in his eyes. He then chuckled and tossed something onto Liam's lap.

"I am giving you what you want, but everything else is in your hands. This recipe… even I don't know how to make this potion."

"You can do whatever you want with it." The beggar grumbled as he walked back to the village and once again sat inconspicuously in a corner.

At the end other, Liam's eyes shone with excitement. His entire body was drenched in sweat and his heart was about to leap out of his chest.

It looked like he had been right in assuming what this quest required. He needed to earn some points of fame with the village or this old beggar.

The other guy who obtained this recipe in his previous life probably finished this only after doing several series of long-winded quests but thanks to the murderous ravens, he was able to achieve it in a single day.

Liam picked up the recipe scroll, learned it immediately, and then urged Luna. "Let's go. Now."

Kyuuuuu!

The white fox nodded. Seeing that her Master was in a hurry, she kicked her heels, lifted up into the air, and flew away at top speed.

The duo quickly disappeared from the village. All the villagers looked at this scene in confusion, but the beggar who observed him from the distance only nodded in approval. 

To the villagers, it looked like he received some urgent news and to the beggar, it looked like Liam was overly eager to become stronger and make the Kingdom stronger.

However, only one person knew the truth and that was Liam.

He was in fact running away!

Though it would have probably served him better to stay there for some more time and cement some rough patches over, it would be a grave mistake to do so.

He needed to get out of there ASAP!

If the ravens returned before he left, then all of his shamelessness would be displayed out in the wide open for everyone to see.

The old man would definitely kill him or even cripple him for being heartless enough to use small children in his scheme. 

The excuse that nothing would have happened to them either way wouldn't probably work on him. So Liam did not look back and continued fleeing.

Only after reaching a safe distance, he let out a small sigh of relief.

But he still did not have complete peace of mind. "DIE DIE DIE DIE" Gorak's ghost taunted him with the usual chanting that echoed in his brain.

"SHUT UP!" Liam annoyedly cursed and flipped open his system interface. He opened the recipe list and his gaze soon landed on the newest addition.

"Greater Body Cleansing Potion."

"Huuuu… I finally got it." Liam collapsed on Luna's back breathing in and out as he tried to understand the recipe and the process.

He had some of the ingredients but the others… he needed to search for them.

There was also the matter of the ravens. Even Liam did not know when the next attack was going to be. He needed to deal with them soon or things could go haywire.

He thought about it for a second when another loud roar erupted in his head. "DIE! DIE! DIE!" It was Gorak's soul again, trying to wreak havoc on his mind.

"This guy is annoying me even in his death. Fuck!"

Liam clutched his head which was throbbing in pain. The birds can wait. He needed to exorcise this damned ghost first. Among the two evils, this idiot's undead soul was the greater evil.

"Wait till I finish this potion. I will deal with you first." Liam fought back. 

Compared to the first time, he was already able to deal with this mental attack a lot better, but it still hurt like hell.

Just as he was struggling with the ghost, a message from Mia suddenly flashed in front of him. "I have more information on the soul healing potion."