n

n

n—

nAfter Kieran left the premises, Alythia slapped Harlan across the chest with a deadly glare. “How dare you!”

nHarlan sputtered before grimacing at Alythia. She may have appeared meek before Kieran out of respect to Harlan, but her true nature was that of a tigress.

n“Was I too harsh?”

n“What do you think? You even had the nerve to raise your voice at me.’

nHarlan ultimately sighed and gave in. “You may be my girlfriend, but we can’t take the council’s rules lightly. He wanted to partake in this round of the Gladiator’s Coliseum, so it isn’t our place to dissuade him.”

n“Hmph,” Alythia pouted while rolling in her eyes. “At least you remember my status. Don’t treat me like that, or you’ll pay during our training session.”

nAlythia’s frame didn’t depict it, but her class specialized in lethal striking. So much so that Harlan gulped after recalling their last training exercise.

nAs an Aura Lancer, facing off against Alythia, who specialized in close-range attacks, put Harlan at a severe disadvantage.

n“Forgive me,” Harlan pleaded. Afterward, the two displayed their affection, and Alythia ultimately melted like butter against a warm spoon.

n…

nWhile he walked away from the temple, Kieran could hear distant giggles but paid no attention to them. Instead, he was too busy trying to remember how much his return fees would cost. Teleporting to the Hero’s Sanctuary was free, but the return would cost him.

nThe Gatekeeper of Teleportations stressed that payment was expected, and Kieran wouldn’t deign to infuriate him.

nEven now, Kieran etched the impression of that Gatekeeper into his mind. The Gatekeeper wasn’t simple, evident by how easily he manipulated space within the Teleportation Gate.

nWhile recalling his impression of the Gatekeeper, Kieran wondered how the Gatekeeper of Teleportation fared against Scar.

n‘The Gatekeeper is most likely a Spatial Mage or maybe even an Arcanist like the Arcane One. Their abilities should be a good match against Scar’s speed and ferocity.’

nAfter a certain level, teleporting became instantaneous. Instantaneous teleportation was referred to as a Spatial Blink, symbolizing a deep understanding of controlling space.

nSpatial Blink was regarded as an SS Rank Skill. That’s how robust its practicality was. But, learning Spatial Blink was easier said than done. Most Spatial Mages would go years without comprehending it.

nFurthermore, Spatial Blink was not a skill on any Mage’s Skill Tree. Why? Because Spatial Blink wasn’t limited to Mages. Any individual skilled in spatial knowledge could eventually stumble across the ability if talented enough.

nAfter moving far from the temple, Kieran extended his left hand and exhaled.

n〈System: You have activated the «Bloody Hero’s Symbol». Do you wish to teleport to the «Hero’s Sanctuary»? Y | N 〉

n“Activate,” Kieran commanded.

nThe rippling sanguine orb from his first use reappeared and imploded to create a spatial tear. The tear served as a temporary gateway to connect Kieran’s current position to the Hero’s Sanctuary.

nKieran stepped inside and vanished from plain sight.

n…

nTap!

nA few moments later, Kieran landed with the Teleportation Gate and felt an imperious gaze on his back. He turned around to see the Gatekeeper of Teleportation’s white eyes glued on his presence.

n“Hello, Gatekeeper of Teleportations,” Kieran greeted respectfully.

n“You have returned. And from the severe spatial fluctuations, it was through Scar’s symbol. You may go,” the Gatekeeper said before closing their eyes and receding into the darkness.

nKieran felt the Gatekeeper of Teleportations was a genuinely mysterious entity but didn’t stress the matter.

nAfter pushing the subject to the back of his mind, Kieran strolled through the Hero’s Sanctuary, marveling at its serenity. The naturally calming winds and the soothing Mana with extreme purity left Kieran feeling lax and unburdened.

n‘Have I become more sensitive or something? I don’t recall feeling like this during my first visit. Perhaps my sensitivity to Mana is growing faster than I assumed despite neglecting my Perception.’

nOf course, Kieran couldn’t forget about the Focus stat he recently awakened. In such a setting, the Focus stat’s value grew exponentially. The stat was designed to detect a serene atmosphere that promoted a state of untold profundity.

nKieran soon arrived before Scar’s remote manor and banged on the door. Scar said he would be falling into a deep sleep when he left.

nConsidering he heard individuals above a certain level could sleep for days, weeks, or months at a time, Kieran felt a violent knock was required.

n“Scar! Old Man Teacher, wake up!” Kieran exclaimed. The knocking disrupted the Hero’s Sanctuary’s inherently serene atmosphere, but there was no sound after waiting for a few minutes.

nKieran squinted and pulled on the bar handle several times, but they didn’t budge. After a few minutes of trying to enter to no avail, Kieran looked at the glowing symbol on the back of his hand.

n‘Will it work?’

nKieran was unsure if the symbol would permit entry, but it didn’t hurt to try. Kieran lifted the back of his hand to the door. Seconds passed before a change occurred. A large version of the insignia appeared on the door and broke in half.

nOnce that happened, the door swung open slowly. The whole process felt eerie, but Kieran wasn’t alarmed.

nHe stepped inside, and the door closed behind him as if sensing the insignia cross the entry threshold. Kieran’s eyes sparkled after feeling the magic circle’s return.

n‘What an exquisitely made formation. I wonder how powerful the Arrayist who created it is. A formation capable of self-repair requires Grandmaster expertise at the minimum.’

nKieran’s astonishment subsided quickly as he walked through Scar’s predominantly vacant manor halls. Be that as it may, Kieran perceived Scar’s presence through the symbol on his hand.

nAs the symbol was imbued with Scar’s core power, it was drawn to him.

nA few moments later, Kieran stopped before a room with an ajar door, completely thunderstruck. The room filled with a loud rumble every time Scar snored while sprawled across a gigantic bed.

nDespite its size, Scar managed to somehow arrive in a position where his legs and arms hung off the bed.

nBut, when Kieran stepped inside the room, Scar’s eyes instinctively snapped open. He disappeared from the bed and reappeared before Kieran with his fist millimeters away from Kieran’s chin.

nKieran exhaled, releasing a breath he subconsciously held. Scar was an instant away from blowing his head off with a frightening punch! However, what truly dismayed Kieran was that his foot hadn’t even touched the ground yet.

n“Bah… it’s just my little brat,” Scar scoffed and lowered his fist that was slightly larger than Kieran’s head. Scar’s instinctive reaction was comparable to a beast always on high alert.

nEven while asleep, he reacted at nonsensical speeds.

nA second later, the air behind Kieran exploded, nudging him to turn his head. ‘Did the air explode from a punch throw without activating his blood power? Holy **…’

nKieran shook his head while smiling bitterly. There was so much to be done before he could hope to grasp Scar’s realm.

n“Why have you returned?” Scar groggily asked. He scratched his belly with weighted eyes.

n“A few reasons, actually. I have several questions, so wake up,” Kieran remarked.

nScar squinted and clicked his tongue with a light scoff. “You little runt! You’re getting comfortable, aren’t cha? Wait a minute—”

nScar walked around Kieran while narrowing his eyes with a giddy grin. “Your affinity with Blood Mania has deepened. Beyond that, I can smell more vengeance roiling in your soul, but it feels more condensed than before.”

n“Do you know what a Seed of Vengeance is?” Kieran questioned.

nAlthough the system revealed that it could act as his Source, it revealed absolutely zero information on the item. No matter where Kieran looked, he couldn’t find such an item in his inventory, nor could he sense it.

n“Of course. But not many exist. Is that the cause of the vengeance I’m sensing? If so, Lord Agrianos must have given it to you,” Scar uttered with a deep expression.

n“That’s the only explanation. I don’t think it’s something innate. Agrianos gave me a few things before he left. It’s a shame I can’t sense the seed and the Ancient Crimson Aegis is still out of my reach.”

nScar’s expression grew grim after hearing Kieran mention the Ancient Crimson Aegis.

n“Do not rush the use of that practice. If you aren’t careful, you will agitate Argexes’ Blood and risk corrupting your soul. If you plunge into that madness, Lord Agrianos will undoubtedly slay you.”

n“Why?” Kieran questioned. Since his class change, Kieran was curious about who or what Argexes was.

n“Because… Lord Agrianos is the one who sealed Argexes, to begin with.”

n“Argexes is a demon?”

n“A demon? That’s putting it mildly. Argexes is a Monarch. The embodiment of Wrath, Pride, Gluttony, and Cruelty. Lord Agrianos awakened his power after feeding off Argexes’ flesh.”

nScar merely spoke Argexes name, but innate trepidation flashed in his eyes. He had quelled the blood, but in doing so, Scar became an entity that crossed between a human and a demon—a fiend. This event is why his class appeared as Blood Fiend.

nDespite having quelled the blood, the threat eruption couldn’t be neutralized.

nKieran gawked after potentially connecting something. “Is… the seal inside the Chasm of Apogeton related to Argexes?”

n