—-

Captain Liam displayed immediate shock after seeing the blade Kieran revealed. Although he didn’t experience Scar in his youth, he heard rumors of the weapon used to perform massive feats—a stunning greatsword of the most riveting black color with a crimson finish to match.

Since the weapon in Kieran’s grasp fit the description, Captain Liam could no longer doubt the authenticity of Kieran’s claim. Only someone Scar deemed a successor could think of picking up such a treasured blade. Of course, if Kieran learned of this thought, he’d begin to question why the system only graded it as a Unique Weapon and not an Epic one at least.

For this answer, Kieran would undoubtedly have to seek out Scar.

Following his faint surprise, Captain Liam unsheathed his sword and held it before his body at a subtle slant. The angle of the blade aligned with Kieran’s chin, who stood over 15 meters away.

However, at Captain Liam’s level, a 15-meter distance was negligible and could be crossed in the time it took someone to blink.

“I will control my strength to a level naturally found at your degree of power.”

Whoosh!

Captain Liam lunged toward Kieran while swiftly turning his arm to the side and bending his elbow. He performed this movement with such expertise that Kieran couldn’t help but frown.

‘You might have controlled the power of the blow, but skill is not something that can be tweaked once trained to rival natural instinct,’ Kieran thought.

No matter how much he tried to restrain it, Captain Liam’s mastered sword style shone through his movement. Kieran was forced to dodge the incoming horizontal slash despite the lack of force pooled into the attack.

‘Tch!’ Kieran clicked his tongue.

That earlier attack was designed to disarm him. If he tried to defend against its entry angle, the odd position of the attack would heavily affect Kieran’s wrist, especially since neither his Endurance, Vitality, or Constitution had reached a point where his body was excessively resilient.

“Not bad, runt! Those reflexes are exceptional. You know when to evade rather than defend. I would have likened you to no more than a fool if you tried to defend against that attack. Overestimation is usually a fatal oversight,” Captain Liam exclaimed.

In response, Kieran retreated and created extra space. However, before he could even prepare one of his skills, Captain Liam used unusual footwork to appear in front of Kieran with a downward hack.

Again, Kieran dodged to the side. Not because it was difficult to defend against, but because danger alarmed his mind. ‘That attack just now….’

A slight smirk formed on Captain Liam’s face as he glanced toward Kieran while regaining a steady stance. “Did I frighten you just now, young man?”

“Quite a bit,” Kieran chuckled wryly. The earlier sword strike may have seemed normal on the surface, but judging by the small recovering fissure, it was clear that this attack carried the power of at least an A Rank Skill.

“Sword Force?”

“Hoh? Aren’t you quite an informed fellow? You’re already aware of Sword Force? Though, if I’m being honest, I suppose I shouldn’t use such an ability on you. It’s not something an individual at your stage is capable of grasping,” Captain Liam remarked.

“No, I have no complaint. In fact, I ask that you please employ your Sword Force. Better to be prepared for the future and suffer now than to be caught by surprise. Besides, asking an opponent to be fair is unrealistic,” Kieran said.

However, since he knew how dangerous Sword Force could be, Kieran was forced to make preparations.

The thin sanguine coating surrounding Crimson Ashrune thickened as Kieran placed a second hand on the blade’s long hilt. When Captain Liam’s next strike came, Kieran braced for it and retaliated with a similarly heavy attack.

Tang!

A metallic noise rang out when the two swords collided. But, while Captain Liam seemed utterly unaffected, Kieran frowned. ‘Goddamnit! I overlooked the disparity in our Constitution!’

Since Constitution was an attribute hidden even to players, it was an aspect that not even denizens of Xenith could control. Hence, if someone with a superior Constitution attacked an individual with an inferior one, the inferior individual would more often than not be the one to suffer.

Meanwhile, Captain Liam was taken aback. ‘That’s some immense strength for his general ability. I suppose the rumors of Scar’s barbaric strength weren’t exaggerated. Overwhelming power must be this boy’s specialty, which is why he frowns so deeply when he is on the losing end.’

-135 «Aatrox’s Health: 1,205

/2,680»

Although Kieran only lost 5% of his Health in this exchange, he was still worried. After all, these tests usually lasted hundreds of strikes; how would he hold up if he couldn’t inflict any wounds to heal some of the damage he suffered?

Furthermore, he couldn’t activate Abhorrent Paroxysm because he had just recovered from the side effects. Falling into that state so soon after recovering wasn’t ideal. Kieran also didn’t want Deranged Spirit to activate cause he wasn’t sure if it was something automatic upon reaching a maximized Blood Mania or if it was something that required his will to start. Its status as an active-passive made it difficult for Kieran to gauge its precursors without further experience.

‘Let’s just hope for the best.’ Kieran exhaled and expelled his concerns along with the breath.

Afterward, he rushed toward Captain Liam before coming to a brief halt. At that moment, he brandished his sword in a frenzy, hacking at Captain Liam’s body. Although the relentless barrage of sword strikes seemed overwhelming, that wasn’t the case.

Captain Liam effortlessly deflected each attack with a casual wave of his silver longsword. It shimmered with the purity of clear ice as it reflected some of the crimson hue encompassing Kieran’s body and weapon.

“Not bad. The speed and power of your attacks are sufficient, and so is your knowledge of blade positioning. If I had to say, I’d guess you are familiar with the basics of battle.

“I dabble,” Kieran huffed through each of his sword slashes.

“Dabble, huh?” Captain Liam chuckled. Suddenly, a dense pressure billowed out from the blade, causing Kieran to be sent flying back. However, Kieran couldn’t recount the last time a human opponent had sent him flying back like that.

Thus, Kieran recovered while in flight and executed a Crimson Barrage while soaring backward. Six moderately strong crimson blades traveled toward Captain Liam swiftly.

‘An attack using both blood and Mana as the rumors say? I believe something like the ancient path of a Berserker was what the Lords referred to it as,’ Captain Liam thought. Although the power held a fascinating origin, its presence was insignificant in his eyes.

The pressure filling the sword in Captain Liam’s palm pulsated, releasing a strange and illusory sword attack. All six blood blades shattered upon coming in contact with this inexplicable sword attack.

‘What a pure Sword Force… He must really be devoted to the path of the sword. Only someone who has pledged their being to the sword can raise their attacks to this standard,’ Kieran mused.

The illusory sword attack didn’t continue after shattering Kiran’s counterattack; it withdrew and merged into Captain Liam’s sword afterward.

In the meantime, Kieran landed safely a few meters away without losing any Health. However, in return, his Stamina took a very steep hit. ‘Crap… it’s happening.’

Health and Mana weren’t the only two resources consumed based on the events taking place during any given battle. Because Kieran vehemently attacked Captain Liam and had those strikes countered with equal or slightly greater force, he accumulated fatigue at a tremendous rate.

But that wasn’t what bothered Kieran. What bothered him was that it was happening at all. This ordeal didn’t happen when he was fighting against Rautori. The primary source of Kieran’s exhaustion was the fuel Deranged Spirit and Abhorrent Paroxysm consumed.

Unsurprisingly, Captain Liam didn’t give Kieran a chance to adjust to what had taken place. Once Kieran landed, Captain Liam again employed his strange footwork to cross meters instantly. “Your attacks are powerful, but I want to know how powerful your devotion and perseverance are. Do you have the determination to persist in adversity?”

‘Persist?’ Kieran smirked faintly. “You don’t have a clue what I’ve been through. My determination and persistence are not to be questioned.”

Clang! Clang! Tang! Bang!

Kieran and Captain Liam exchanged several attacks at a rate that both rapidly and continually intensified. The rate of intensification varied on how fast Kieran lost Health. His Health sometimes stabilized when he countered perfectly and avoided all damage. Other times, he lost 2-7% of his current Health, depending on how heavy-handed Captain Liam was.

In the end, Kieran was soon left with 15% of his Health remaining. At that time, even Captain Liam was shocked by the height Kieran’s attacks attained. Eventually, Captain Liam decided he had seen enough before sheathing his blade and blocking Kieran’s last attack with his index finger.

“I believe you have the making to be one of us. But, to ensure that my findings are correct, you’ll have to achieve feats befitting of my expectations and prove your just moral standing.”

“Sheesh, but did you have to trample on my ego like that? Seriously, a finger?” Keiran groaned wryly before deactivating Blood Mania. Absorbing the skill returned 40% of his Health while the remainder would heal over time.

“What? I had to exact my dominance. I couldn’t allow you to continue with the false impression of being my equal,” Captain Liam said.

“Truly different,” Kieran muttered with a faint nod. Captain Liam was more lighthearted than any of the swordsmen Kieran interacted with. They were usually stoic individuals who were poised and sharpened like the sword they carried. Based on what he saw now, that wasn’t the case with Captain Liam.

“Do you mean me? Everyday life and battle are two very different situations. You’ll come to know my other side should we ever find ourselves in serious battle. Sadly, I’m not an agreeable mentor because I have nothing to teach you, nor would I take on that task. You already have a master for that.”

“I see, but you mentioned that I need to accomplish feats. What exactly do you mean by that?”

“We are similar to the Adventurer Guild in the sense we give our members assignments. The only difference is that ours are mandatory, and there are no monetary rewards. Your reward is this temple itself. Since you aren’t Awakened, you probably can’t sense what I mean,” Captain Liam said.

The environment inside the temple was an exceptional one due to a myriad of factors, but the main reason for Captain Liam’s comment rested in the fact this area promoted hypersensitivity, a state where one became extremely wary of their surroundings.

“If that’s true, what exactly do I have to do?”

“For that, you’ll need to check with Harlan. Those in his position are the members who keep records of official requests. If that is all, I must return to my earlier actions. I don’t need to see you out.”

Even though Kieran was still in the area, Captain Liam took a seat and placed his sword on his lap before resuming his meditation.

Kieran ultimately left Captain Liam to his devices before returning to the temple’s entrance area.

Unlike before, only Harlan remained at the desk. The two greeted each other before Harlan pulled out a large book.

“These are the requests; sift through and see if there is something manageable. Keep in mind that most of these requests are geared towards seasoned members. There may not be anything to your liking,” Harlan warned.

While heeding Harlan’s warning, Kieran sifted through the extensive collection of requests until landing on one that seemed to have gone ignored.

“This one!”