Ronin: The Dark Huntsman (An Isekai Progression Litrpg)

'Just a bit faster and I would have made it.' Rudolph sighed as he stood a few meters away from the train that zoomed past before him.

For Rudolph, the whole day was nothing short of a disaster.

The twenty-two year old software designer from Beijing, China just got fired from his job after getting framed by one of his coworkers. He was accused of stealing important documents from the office which 'miraculously' ended up in his bag. This mere evidence was enough for the boss to fire him who had been itching to find fault with Rudolph ever since getting embarrassed by him some ten days ago.

The latter even threatened to make it a police case when Rudolph demanded the salary for the twenty days he had worked at the place. Rudolph even thought that this typical ploy was masterminded by the boss himself. He didn't deny or admit to the accusation because if that was the case, his boss would have multiple ways of proving him guilty. Would the police rather listen to a simple office worker like him or the manager of an internationally acclaimed firm?
Facing such circumstances, he had no choice but to pack up his belongings and leave the office earlier than intended.

It was half-past eight in the evening and the next train was scheduled to arrive in two hours. He searched his pockets and found a single note of 10 dollars.

"I barely have enough money to buy myself a meal or two so the taxi is out of the question and I would rather walk half an hour than wait for the next train back home."

He took one glance at the now-empty platform before walking towards the exit of the subway.

"Seems like my luck isn't the only thing bad today." He frowned upon exiting the subway and assessing the weather.

The night sky had lost its luster as thick dark clouds converged beneath the starry sky. The clouds competed with each other to gain superiority, the air rumbled and the sky crackled with lightning as if announcing the arrival of doom. It started raining.
According to the weather agency and as checked by Rudolph before leaving the house, the weather should have remained pleasant for the entire week.

The situation though bizarre wasn't anything strange to Rudolph who had gotten used to the erroneous predictions by the weather forecasters. The predictions were purely based upon wind speed, humidity, and certain other values which are subjected to change now and then.

The streets of downtown Beijing which were known for their liveliness were completely deserted at this point. He had been walking for 10 minutes since leaving the subway but hadn't come across a single soul. The shops all had their shutters closed and the previously glowing billboards were turned off.

The only source of light came from the sparsely lit street lamps outlining the edges of the slick, wet road.

"People are basking under their shelters while here I am, drowning myself in rain and sorrows," he said, chuckling with self-deprecation as he walked through the desolate streets.

From the day he had been born, Rudolph had been living a miserable life. His father was a carpenter while his mother was a housewife.

Growing up in a poor family, he lacked the basic amenities of life. As far as he could remember, his parents were always fighting, shouting, cursing, and screaming at each other. He who wished for peace and serenity found it within the books and novels. He sought an escape to the imaginary world he had built over 15 years.

It wouldn't be wrong to say that he knew more about the imaginary worlds of novels than that of reality, to the point that even his high school days were spent burrowed in books and novels. He failed to secure a satisfactory grade in his high school and in turn had difficulty getting admitted to a good university.

This gave rise to his introverted personality. He disliked large gatherings and parties. He refrained from partaking in useless conversations and even with his fellow students and co-workers, he only talked to the point of work.

And then it all came down crashing. The imaginary world he had built got shattered like a castle of glass.
His parents got divorced and his father, the sole earner of the family went God knows where. Soon after, his mother was diagnosed with Hepatitis and got bedridden. The responsibility of earning fell onto his shoulders and reality was staring him right in the face.
His university life was all consumed by trying to make a decent living, enough to cover his tuition fee and feed himself and his mother. He did whatever he could to earn something.

The house they lived in was soon sold to cover the expense of his mother's operation who at that time was on her deathbed. But it seemed like he was destined to be alone in this lifetime. The operation couldn't save his mother's life and he lost her during his second year at University.

Alone and heartbroken, he spent the remaining years of his university trying to fight depression and find his purpose in life.

He graduated 6 months ago and found a job 2 months ago which didn't exactly go the way he hoped to and now he was walking his sorry butt back to where he came from, drenched from head to toe.

His black pant and black shirt stuck closely to his body as he walked through the desolate streets and for once he thought that the lonely streets were a perfect match for his lonely heart.

"Ouch!" he cried out as something hard hit him on the head, forcing him out of his stupor.

Before he could look to see what it was, he was hit twice and thrice in quick succession.

"Who the-"

He held back the urge to curse when he saw the lumps of ice falling onto the road in front.

'Hail!' he exclaimed as he hurried to find shelter from the incoming ice bullets.

He crossed several streets in a matter of seconds before spotting a store that had a rain shade.

Coincidentally, this was the only store that had its lights on among all the stores he had seen.

When he got to the rain shade, he was panting hard. The sprint to safety had left him exhausted and down on his knees.

“I better get myself a pair of flexible pants. Running in these jeans is too hard,” he said, blaming the choice of apparel for his embarrassing state.

Even in his college days, Rudolph had barely participated in games or any physical activity. To escape being bullied, he had once joined a dojo to learn Kendo but gave up after being considered 'a prodigy among prodigies' by the instructor. The only other time he had run seriously was when a dog had chased him on his way to the grocery store.

That was the extent of his physical conditioning which can be ascertained by his skinny physique. He might have been deemed undead if there existed any.

Rudolph took deep breaths and recovered a bit of the little bit of stamina he had. Now that the danger of hail had come to pass, he focused his attention on the store on whose porch he stood.

“Du'Udre Raén” he read the plaque which strangely wasn't shaking in this storm-like weather. 'I wonder what it means
.'
The plaque depicted a raven chewing upn a creature that resembled a dragon. The raven had its talons stabbed into the dragon's skull.

‘A strange weather, strange name, and a strange plaque bearing a strange depiction. This whole scenario appears to be straight out of a fantasy.’


I won't be surprised if I find a witch inside the store.” Rudolph chuckled at his silly mumbling. He attributed the uniqueness of the store to a marketing strategy employed by the owner. Such stores are popular among young adults such as himself.

Even before entering, his impression of the store went up by a notch.

Rudolph averted his eyes from the plaque to the door. The strangeness of the store did nothing to hinder his desire to explore it, instead, it filled him with even more intrigue.

“Let's see what surprises this uncanny store holds.”
Rudolph pushed the door open and was greeted by chiming bells, announcing the arrival of a newcomer to whoever the store owner might be.

The store was illuminated by a couple of lanterns. The eerie light was just enough for him to see the contents inside the store. Thunder was still flashing outside the store, adding to the store's spooky atmosphere.

Contrary to his expectations, there were no bubbling cauldrons or eerie potions inside the store. Instead, a mahogany desk lined the reception, and dusty antiques filled the shelves. Overall the store appeared to be in dire straits.

‘The store doesn't seem to be that well off.’

“Hello, anybody here?” Rudolph inquired, his echoing across the walls.

He waited for a while but no reply came through.
‘Seems like storekeeper is out.’ he thought ‘I might as well look through the items until the shopkeeper arrives.’

He approached the nearest cabinet and started inspecting the objects lined on the shelves. It consisted of antique vases, clocks, and other antiques which didn't hold any appeal to him.

He then moved towards the portion of the store that held various assortments of weapons. There were antique knives, mace, war ax, and swords of different kinds — short swords, bastards swords, long swords, great swords, and katanas.

Among the katanas and all of the above weapons, there was one particular katana that caught his eye. Encased in an intricately patterned black sheath, the katana was different from every weapon present.

“It is said that if forged right, a katana can cut through everything,” he mumbled while picking up the katana.

“Hoho! Seems like black impermanence caught your eye.” he was just about to unsheath the katana when an aged voice called him out from behind.

From behind one of the cabinets emerged an old man. He had a fairly simple face, a type of face that you would forget after seeing for a while. His smile was full of benevolence as he smiled at Rudolph.

“Black impermanence?” Rudolph asked.

“It is the name of the sword you are holding,” he answered.

Seeing that Rudolph was still holding onto the tang, the old man beckoned for him to unsheath it.

SWISH!

Rudolph pulled out the sword from its sheath. He felt something inside him change but he couldn't quite point to what it was.

“Beautiful isn't it?” he asked, seeing the dazed expression on Rudolph's face.

“Very!”

Rudolph caressed the body of the blade. Similar to its sheath, the katana was black. It was darker than the darkest black he had ever seen. Even the light falling on it seemed to be sucked into it. He felt like he was staring at the deepest reaches of hell.

“It sure fits the name.” Rudolph praised. “Who forged this?”

“Oh, you wouldn't believe it even if I told you.” the old man chuckled.

“Hahaha. Right. No human can forge such a perfect blade. Seems to be the work of Dwarves.” Rudolph chuckled along.

“Hahaha. Maybe.” he laughed. The old man's eyes widened for a bit but returned to normal before Rudolph could see.

Seeing that the weather had lightened up, Rudolph sheathed the katana and handed it to the old man. Though he was reluctant to part with the blade, he couldn't possibly afford it. Furthermore, he wanted to get home before the weather worsens again.

“Thanks for the display old man. I would visit again someday.”

The old man hesitated for a while and as if making up his mind, called Rudolph out before he could leave the shop.

“Stop for a minute young man.”

Rudolph turned around and saw the old man coming to him.

“Do you want this katana?”

“Want?” Rudolph couldn't help but put on a bitter smile.
“This- It's a wonderful sword, old man. I am sure many would pay enormously for it. But currently, as I am, I can't even buy myself a cup of noodles, much less afford such a magnificent sword.”

“No. I don't want anything from you.”

“Don't want anything?” he narrowed his eyes at this reply. He couldn't imagine someone giving out such fine treasure for free. Surely there must be some strings attached?

“I don't want anything except a promise.”

“Promise?” he replied. The conversation was going further and further away from what he had expected.
“Yes. A promise,” he explained. “Promise me you will try your best.”

Rudolph didn't know what to make of this promise. Sure, trying his best isn't difficult but at least he should know what should he be trying his best for. In learning to use the sword? Being kind to people? Improving himself? Life in general?

“I don't quite understand.” Rudolph was getting more and more puzzled. If it wasn't for the allure of the katana, he would have long left the place.

“You will understand when the time comes.” the old man insisted.

“Sure, I will. I, Rudolph Foster promise that I will try my best,” he announced, deciding to go with the flow.

Seeing that Rudolph had agreed, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. He then pushed the blade into Rudolph's hands.

“So the katana is mine?” he asked, confirming if he had gotten it so easily.

“It is but be sure to remember the promise.”

“I will,” he replied. “Goodbye old man.”

With that said, Rudolph quickly ran out of the shop with black impermanence in his hands. He was afraid that the shopkeeper would get back on his words and decide to take it back.

“Ah, one more thing Rudolph. Don't lose the katana. It will be of immense help in the upcoming trials.”

Rudolph heard as he got out of the shop. He didn't pay any attention to his words as he was too focused on staring at the katana in his hands.

‘I can probably sell this for a couple of thousand dollars at the least. ’ he thought ‘Easy money.’

He only stopped when he entered an alley some distance away from the shop. The rain had come to a stop, and moonlight shone through the clouds.

The black impermanence looked even more majestic in the moonlight.

Before he could unsheath the sword, something appeared in his vision and a robotic voice rang in his head. Something that overturned his view of reality once and for all.

Medium integration completed
Secondary gateway established
Linking the secondary gateway to the primary gateway
Action completed, preparing for teleportation in...
3
2
1

“What the h-” before he could realize what was going on, the ground beneath his feet trembled and with a flash of light, Rudolph disappeared from the place.

 

Rudolph found himself floating in a tunnel of light that seemed to stretch endlessly into the distance. The gravity here was non-existent. Several streaks of colored lines – green, blue, red, and black - came from behind him, arcing, crisscrossing, and embedding themselves into the walls of the light tunnel to form intertwining loops.

The sequencing of intertwining loops went on for quite a while before a drastic change occurred to them. The loops were divided into sets of three, each containing the green, blue, and red line, and gathered around to form a circle with black at the center of it.
Rudolph didn't want to pay attention to the working of the light tunnel but he had been drawn in despite his unwillingness. It was the only thing of entertainment in this monotonous tunnel of light. His head was overwhelmed with pain and his body felt like a deflated balloon, air constantly leaking out from his pores. It was quite maddening.

The seconds prolonged to minutes, minutes to hours, hours to eternity, and possibly, the eternity was just a second in the passing. It was impossible to keep track of the time here.

Motes of light from the surrounding tunnel gathered at the center of the circle and started shimmering. The shimmering black circle then shrank till it was enough for a person to pass through, revealing a light blue color in its midst. Not the blue that made up the loops but the blue that made the sky.

‘It's the exit.’ Rudolph was finally able to conjure up a thought. The appearance of the exit had lessened the strain on his mind, the pain was still there but it was slowly diminishing.

Rudolph flailed his arms in a swimmer's movement to reach the exit but to no avail. He was still in the same place.

All of a sudden, as if the time had sped up in that instant, the circle zoomed into existence, and Rudolph was flung out of the tunnel.

The scenery had changed drastically, the previous white tunnel was now replaced by a navy blue sky filled with smoky white clouds. The air rushed into his lungs and the accumulation of oxygen reduced the remaining bit of pain plaguing his mind.

SCREE!

His thoughts were cut short as he heard a screech and a bird enter his vision. More precisely it was a seagull, similar and different from the ones he had seen on the beach.

The blue-colored seagull flapped its wings and dove down. He followed it with his eye and soon a horrifying realization dawned upon him.

In his contentment, he had forgotten that he was currently in the air and unlike the seagull, he had no wings and he was currently tumbling down towards the sea below him.

“This is so fucked up!” Rudolph yelled.

A part of him was delighted that he hadn't gotten teleported above the piece of land that he saw bordering the sea below him or he would have ended up as a meat paste. But that was only a small part. The rest of him was cursing as he continued tumbling down towards the sea.

The reason?

He did not know how to swim!

Rudolph tumbled and crashed into the sea with a splash. Immediately the surrounding seawater overwhelmed him and bore down on his body. He waved his arms and legs furiously in a desperate attempt to save himself.

“Help! ” he shouted, mindlessly as he sank deeper into the sea.

At this point, he was panicking and still breathing pretty fast so some of the seawater entered his lungs and stomach. His lungs were on fire, it felt like he had swallowed burning hot lava instead of seawater.

The water that entered his stomach increased the pace at which he was drowning. Seeing that he was helpless, he decided to hold out his breath, hoping, desperately hoping that someone would come to save him.
Once again his physique gave him the short end of the stick.

In the pregnant darkness of the sea, head down, he could only hold his breath for tens of seconds until he reached the breaking point.

GASP!

He couldn't hold out any longer and with a final gasp, he inhaled. The spasmodic breath dragged more and more seawater into his lungs, adding to the burning feeling from before and suffocating him even more.

The lack of oxygen made him enfeebled and half-conscious. He was no longer in any position to fight his way back up to the surface.

He closed his eyes and soon entrusted himself to the tranquility and calmness that came after he gave up saving himself.

At the edge of his waning consciousness, he felt a light tug on his shirt and something warm wrapping around his waist, and then everything went black.

———————————————

Rudolph woke up to a burning and tearing feeling in his lungs. His head too, was in extreme pain and dizziness confounded his senses. His breathing was ragged and his eyes were scorched from exposure to the seawater.

Cough! Cough!

"Am I alive?” Rudolph managed to cough up some words despite his parched throat. He almost couldn't recognize his voice.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he felt nausea forcing its way up his throat. He doubled over and vomited. It tasted like the cup noodles he had eaten last time but extra salty.

He only stopped puking when he had retched his lungs out and then lay on the ground gasping for air. He was feeling a lot better now that he had forced the seawater out of him.

His thoughts finally gained a semblance of order and he sat up to assess his surroundings.

He found himself sitting under the shade of a tree with many more surrounding him. The dim sunlight made its way from the treetops making polka dots on the ground.

In his vicinity, he could hear the chirping of birds, and the buzzing of insects, all drowned as the sound of waves washed over him.

‘I should be on the land I saw from above.’ he mused. ‘But who saved me?’

He was deliberating if he should try walking around to see if he could find someone when he heard the bushes near him rustle.

“Took you long enough to wake up.” He heard a voice and a figure emerged from the thickets. “The hunt started half a day ago.”

Carrying on his shoulders a bundle of sticks twice his weight, the speaker was a young man with shoulder-length auburn hair adorning his handsome face.

He was handsome to the point of being feminine. This wasn't what caught his eye but rather the long, pointy ears sticking out from under his wavy hair.

“E-Elf!!” Rudolph exclaimed, stuttering. He couldn't help but stare wide-eyed at the individual in front of him. He was stunned to disbelief. Elves were beings he had only seen in books and TV shows and strongly believed that they were nothing but a product of fantasy.

“Elf?” The elf gazed over in his direction with a bemused expression. “It has been a long time since I have been called that.”

“And you? Round ears and silly expression, you must be a human.” The elf continued speaking while he placed the bundle on the ground.

“What's wrong? Is there something on my face?” he said, seeing that Rudolph was still gawking at him like a fool.

‘Wrong? The teleportation, this place and you, everything is wrong!’ Rudolph screamed inwardly.

“Nothing.” Rudolph shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Where am I?”

The person shrugged his shoulders and got busy assembling the firewood into a pyramid.

“I don't know to be honest. It seems that we were all teleported to random places upon entering the Evengale Sanctuary. It makes the hunt a lot more interesting.” he answered, much to Rudolph's puzzlement.

“It's quite commendable that someone like you could remain conscious after teleportation despite being such low ranked.” he continued.

“Someone like me?” he asked, his mind reeling from all sorts of questions.

“If my guess is right, you must belong to some powerful faction of Acadia. The fact that I didn't see or heard of you in the previous two rounds, you must be one of the seeded competitors in this decades hunt.”

Rudolph was getting more and more puzzled every time the person in front of him spoke but he did realize one thing.

‘Everything seems to be pointing towards this hunt.’ he thought. ‘Maybe I would find something about my circumstances if I know more about this hunt.’

“What is this hunt you speak of?” he asked.
He was in the dark too much and needed some explanation, and fast.

“Oh! You don't know?” he asked, to which Rudolph replied with a shake of his head.

Seeing Rudolph's befuddled expression, he discerned that he wasn't lying.

“What a pity! It seems that your family sent you here without letting you be aware of the situation,” he said, “You are lucky that I was teleported to the same place and heard you screaming for help. If not, you would've long become fish food.”

The person had done arranging the firewood and beckoned Rudolph to sit beside him.

“Come sit here or you will catch a cold. I will explain everything to you as we eat,” he said and began searching for small stones around him.

The last rays from the Sun had died out and the place was getting colder and colder as minutes passed. Not to mention Rudolph was still sodden from head to toe in seawater. He didn't want to catch hypothermia.

“How are you going to light these?” He sat and pointed to the thick chunks of firewood in front of him.

“If you plan on using the stones in your hand, then you might as well give up,” Rudolph stated.

“Oh, these? I am using these just to balance this stack.” the elf said, placing the stones underneath the pyramid of wood.

“Well, then how will you do it? I don't see anything that will help us to light these up.”

Rudolph was quite curious about what the elf was up to.

“Even though I am not proficient in manipulating fire aether, kindling a small fire is something I can still do.” the elf replied and turned his attention to the task at hand.

He raised both his hands and joined them to form a circle in the direction of the wood pyramid.

“4? No… 5 filaments of aether should do it,” he muttered under his breath but it was loud enough for Rudolph to catch on.

As prepared he was by a diet of hundreds of novels, movies, and TV shows, Rudolph was still surprised when several wisps of thread-like lights gathered between the elf's hands.

“Ignite!” The elf gave a low shout.

A ball of fire shot out from his hands, blasting the wood into flames.

Rudolph almost stumbled upon a gnarly tree root as he shrieked and stepped back in amazement.

'Well, fuck me!’

-------------------------

“And you took that out of thin air?” Rudolph stared at the bear carcass lying next to his feet.

“Not out of thin air but from this space ring,” The elf said as he stroked the red gem studded ring on his finger.

“And that is real? Like space are really a thing here?” He still couldn't believe it. Sure, he had been teleported, seen an elf, and seen the elf conjuring a fireball but the concept of there being a space ring had never crossed his mind. According to his conjectures, no amount of damn physics could be utilized to create such a miraculous object.

He could attribute the creation of the fireball to some oxidation-reduction reaction or something similar but the compression of space into a small, finger-sized ring was something he was unable to theorize.

"Duh. Of course, it is real, you saw me using it just now." The elf stated as a matter of fact.

Rudolph took some time to calm his nerves and down plopped down onto the ground. He had seen enough wonders for today. His recent adventure had completely drained him and the warmth from the fire compelled him to close down his eyes and sleep.

"Hey Elf, Could you teach me how to perform that fire trick?" Rudolph sat cross-legged and asked him with a hopeful gaze. It was one of his dreams to be able to cast a fireball and now that dream turned out to be a reality, he didn't want to miss out on this chance.

"Sure, it's just a simple spell. Even those at the beginning stages of aether manipulation can perform it if they know the principle behind it." he nodded in affirmation.

"Ah! Where are my manners? I still haven't introduced myself." The elf exclaimed.

He bowed down slightly and introduced himself, "My name is Aryn Von Mercer, third scion of the house Mercer of Acadia. I go by the alias of Green Fork. You can simply call me Aryn."

He then looked at Rudolph, wanting to gauge his reaction upon announcing his identity. Upon seeing no special change in his expression, he gestured for him to do the same.

"My name is Rudolph Foster, the only scion of the house-" he said as he scratched his head in confusion, not knowing what to say. He quickly thought of the only house that came into his mind and continued, "Rudolph Foster, from the house Gryffindor of Hogwarts. I don't go by any alias but my friends call me Rudy."

'Sorry, Harry. I hope I don't get sued for copyrights.'

"I haven't heard of House Gryffindor before so it must be some house from another city," he said as he strained to find the recollection of this particular house.

"Well, what am I thinking, the world is vast and it isn't unusual to come across houses from other places. Whatever, it's nice to meet you, Rudy." he extended his hand to him.

"Likewise, Aryn. It's nice to meet you too. I hope we get along." Rudolph shook his hand in acknowledgment.
Rudolph and Aryn talked a bit about themselves and ate barbecued boar before lying down to sleep. He found that they were currently in the Red Leaf City of the Acadian Empire, the City that comprised the Evengale Sanctuary that they were currently at.

Rudolph was quite excited to learn about magic and stuff tomorrow morning as promised by Aryn. He tossed and turned on the ground until drowsiness overtook him.

"Hey Aryn, do you have a blanket in that space ring of yours?" Rudolph asked as he woke up shivering in the middle of the night.

He got no response from Aryn who was sleeping.

"I am definitely freezing tonight," Rudolph muttered and forced himself to sleep once again.

 

The distant ball of light rose higher and higher into the air and the sea glittered with a pale golden hue as the ball cast its first rays of light on the foreign land.


Rudolph lay down on the sandy beach of Evengale Sanctuary with toes submerged in the sea as he admired the beautiful sunrise in front of him.

Back on Earth, Rudolph was so caught up in his hectic routine, dealing with the troubles of life that he rarely had any chance at observing a sunrise, and the ones he did observe weren't as beautiful and calming as the one before him.

The fish squealed and glubbed as if they were giggling while jumping in and out of the water. The birds danced in the air as they chirped to express their joy.

The cacophony of animals coupled with the lovely sunrise and the sound of sea waves brought Rudolph an unprecedented sense of comfort, causing him to close his eyes in nostalgia. The magical moment had washed away all his worries and calmed his taut nerves from the events from yesterday.

Even he was surprised by how well he had adapted to these circumstances. He hadn't wondered if he was hallucinating or dreaming like what he read of others doing in the novels but that was given since he had nearly lost his life yesterday. Nothing is more real than a near-death experience and he would only be a fool if he still didn't believe what he had seen.

“I didn't expect to see you near water this soon.”


Rudolph heard Aryn who was making his way toward him.

He had slipped into a brown leather armor paired with long boots and carried an antique wooden staff on his back. His long hair was carefully tied into a braid, held securely in place by a blade of grass.

Rudolph compared himself to him and found himself utterly lacking in proper clothes, grace, and a pair of … shoes. He didn't know where he had lost them and was too embarrassed to ask his savior if he had seen them. Perhaps it was common for people to lose their belongings upon transmigration. Some people lose their phones, some lose their shorts, some lose their sanity and some lose their shit.

“Aren't you scared?” Aryn asked him.

Rudolph nodded his head and answered, “A little. But there's a saying from the place where I come from 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger'.”

“A little bit of fear won't stop me from doing something I want to do.” Rudolph continued.

He wasn't bragging when he said that. These were his sincere feelings. Maybe he would have hesitated back on Earth but now in a world where there are bound to be unlimited possibilities, he refused to back down in the face of fear.

“Splendid!” Aryn clapped in admiration. “You must've come from a home of brave warriors to have formed this kind of mentality.”

“I don't know about warriors but it sure is home of worriers. People worry about almost everything. Feeding themselves, bills, fuel prices, taxes, rents, obtaining wealth, and much more. People there wouldn't hesitate to kick you while you are down. People will kill others for little benefit. It's a place where the laws are only made for the rich and powerful, the poor can go and suck an egg. Not everyone is like that and there are so many good people too but I am just talking from my experience.” Rudolph said, pouring out his frustration in a couple of breaths.

“You had it rough, huh?”

“Not really. I am quite lucky. Some people had it even worse. It's just me being a sore loser.” Rudolph said, sighing. “Honestly, I am just relieved that I don't have to live there anymore. I don't how this world is like but it couldn't be that bad, right?”

Aryn stood quiet for a while and spoke after some careful deliberation, “Anyway, this clears one of my doubts.”

“What doubt?”

“That you aren't from this world,” Aryn said, looking into Rudolph's raven eyes. He had his suspicions. The way Rudolph was dressed, and his expression on seeing him and him casting a fireball spell were odd. Although magus here in Acadia were rare but not rare to the point of eliciting such a dumbfounded reaction.

It wouldn't be that strange if Rudolph had lived in a cave or some secluded area but his manners and the way he talked were different from those dissidents who lived far from the mundane.

“I am not from this world,” Rudolph admitted. He then proceeded to tell him where he was from and the events that had resulted in him being teleported to this place. He didn't see any reason for hiding anything from Aryn and on top of that, the person had saved his life.

“It appears that you have come from an abandoned planet.” Aryn conjectured after hearing Rudolph's story.
“Abandoned planet?” Rudolph frowned.

“Yes, Abandoned planet. When every soul evolver of a planet dies, the soul archives for some godamn reason takes away its blessings from that planet.” Aryn explained.

“And how did you know I am an elf?” Aryn asked, clearly interested.

“Not me but everyone on Earth knows of elves. You long, pointy-eared beings who could wield magic are a part of almost every storybook. There are others too; dwarves, dragons, gnomes, you name it.” Rudolph said.

“I see. Then my conjectures stand correct. You really are from an abandoned planet.” Aryn said, “And those tales about elves, dwarves, and dragons, those must have been passed from the times when your planet was still under the soul archives influence.”

“And this was my story, how a handsome chap got teleported to another world.” Rudolph stretched his body and stood up.

“Now, when are you teaching me magic? ” Rudolph gave a smile and placed his hand on Aryn's shoulder.

“In a while, handsome chap. But first, we must get a move on. The hunt only lasts for a month and we are already a day behind others. I will teach you as we go.” Aryn removed Rudolph's hand and smiled back.

“Alright.”

-------------------------------------

Rudolph and Aryn moved through the forest at a moderate pace. Previously, Rudolph didn't have a clear view of the forest due to bad light but now he could see what he had missed out before. In all their splendor, trees thrice the height that Rudolph was used to seeing on Earth, covered the forest. The forest floor was marked with dense foliage, thorn, and exotic plants and flowers. They hadn't come across any animal or beast till now as that was what Aryn had addressed them as.

The elf had also lent Rudolph a pair of wooden sandals which coupled with his formal pants and shirt, made him look like a clown.

‘I bet I look like John Wick.’ Rudolph mused, trapped in his misapprehension. Except for his black hair, nothing was similar to John Wick.

“The first step of casting a spell is sensing the aether around you and that's also the step that bogs down the majority of the people who strive to become a magus. This requires a considerable amount of soul capacity.” Aryn explained as they kept moving.

“Soul capacity?” Rudolph asked.

“Since you haven't come in contact with soul archives before, it's normal that you don't know,” Aryn said, “Now, repeat after me.”

“Avesta Meéhe,” Aryn said.

“Avesta Meéhe,” Rudolph followed.

DING!

As soon as he said those words, with a quick tinkle, rows and columns of words and letters encased in a blue box appeared before him.

“A sys-sytem!” Rudolph stuttered. The strangely clad human stopped in his tracks and stared open-mouthed at the screen that had appeared out of thin air.

“It seems like you succeeded,” Aryn grinned but Rudolph didn't hear any of it as he was too focused on looking at the screen in front of him.

---

Rudolph Foster
Overall Combat Ability: 190
Soul Stability: 680
Human (Basic I)
Origin Essence: 0/5​

Class: None
Profession: None
Health Points: 30/30
Stamina Points: 30/30
Aether: 0/0

♦ Mechanisms
♦ Equipment
♦ Miscellaneous​

---

Rudolph was busy analyzing the screen before him when two more screens appeared in front of him in quick succession.

---

DING! You have opened the soul records for the first time and received the skill [Identification] (Basic I).

---

DING! You have opened up the soul records on a plane outside your affiliated planet and received the title [The Visitor].

---

"I suppose, you must've unlocked the identification skill." Aryn smiled from the side.

Rudolph subconsciously nodded his head.

"I remember exactly how excited I was upon my first interaction with the soul record. Man, those were good times." Aryn said, reminiscing.

"What does it mean by the overall combat ability? Soul endurance? And origin essence?" Rudolph asked.

'It seems somewhat different from the RPG games I played in my childhood. I wonder if there will be those typical stat elements.' Rudolph thought as he waited for Aryn to speak.

"Overall combat ability, like the title signifies, is the measure of the total extent of your combat ability. This mainly includes the level of your skills, your assigned stats, etc. The origin essence is what helps you to acquire stat points to level up your attributes. It is also the attribute that is mainly responsible for the increase in soul stability.

Then comes the soul stability itself. It is the most complex and important attribute a soul evolver possesses. It directly affects your combat ability, stats upgrade, and skills level. If your stability isn't sufficient enough, you won't be able to perform or cast high-level skills. It also puts a cap on your stats upgrade. You follow me?" The Elven dictionary Aryn explained.

"Yes," Rudolph replied with a nod. Well, at least he got a gist of it.

"Good." Aryn nodded in appreciation. "Your overall combat ability of 190 places you at the middle reaches of Basic I Rank, which is slightly below the standards of this world but if you want to live as a normal citizen then it is more than sufficient. But if you want to become a warrior and get stronger, you need to increase your combat ability."

"How do you know- wait, it must be because of the identification skill?" Rudolph guessed.

"Correct!" Aryn exclaimed. "Try using it on me."

"How?"

"Think of me as the target and just say the word." Aryn guided.

"Identification!" Rudolph said as he imagined using the skill on Aryn.

DING!

Another screen appeared on top of the previous three screens.

---

Overall Combat Ability: 3360
Ehlenfay (Iron II)​

Name: Aryn Von Mercer
Alias: Green Fork
Health Points: 320/320

---

"Why is it green this time?" Rudolph asked.

"Green marks friendliness, red marks hostility, and grey marks neutral. Keep your weapon ready if you spot a red one as they could be your enemies, possibly." Aryn explained.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Rudolph once again focused his attention on the screen in front of him until he arrived at the section dedicated to Overall Combat Ability, Rank, and Race.

"Ehlenfay?" Rudolph asked, expecting the screen to display elf in the race section.

"That's what my race is called. Elf is something the humans refer to as us." Aryn said.

"And I why can't I see your Soul Stability?" Rudolph asked.

"You can't unless you have a high-ranked identification skill," Aryn answered. "Since we are on this topic, what is your soul stability. Seeing your level, it would be quite good if your soul stability is around 150."

"It's 680," Rudolph answered.

"What!?" Aryn exclaimed as he jerked his in Rudolph's direction upon hearing his answer. Before this, it was always Rudolph who got shocked but now seeing the same expression on Aryn's face filled him with satisfaction.

"That's what someone at the rank of Basic III should have. Your soul is twice, no, thrice as stable as someone of your rank." Aryn said. He didn't for once think that Rudolph was lying.

"If you are done with this, open the mechanism section of your soul records. That's the core of soul archives. Just willing it open should do it." Aryn advised him.

Rudolph exercised Aryn's instructions and a new window appeared in front of him.

---

♦ Mechanisms
• Body Mechanics
• Aether Mechanics
• Mind Mechanics
• Path Mechanics
• Skill Mechanics​

---

Rudolph went through the mechanisms and noticed that out of the five mechanics, the two; Aether and Path Mechanics were greyed out.

He asked Aryn the reason for this to which he replied, "I will help you unlock the Aether Mechanics in a bit, and as for the Path Mechanics, that's not something you should worry about for now."

Rudolph nodded his head and first tried willing the screens in front of him to disappear which surprisingly worked. After getting rid of the screens clouding his vision, Rudolph opened both the Body and Mind Mechanics at once.

---

• Body Mechanics​

Free Stat Points: 0​

Strength: 3
Defense: 1
Vitality: 3
Dexterity: 2
Perception: 1

---

• Mind Mechanics​

Free Stat Points: 0​

Wisdom: 2
Focus: 4
Will Power: 3
Spirit: 0

---

'Focus is my highest stat.' Rudolph thought. He associated this with him being a software engineer. Back on Earth, Rudolph had to work extra time because his fucking boss and coding-decoding required him to just be there and concentrate on his work for hours.

This focus-oriented work might be the reason his focus is higher compared to his other stats.

He understood the effects of all the stats except the spirit stat so he decided to ask Aryn.

"The spirit stat is mainly used by those of cursemancers and other similar classes that require a great deal of mind penetrating powers. Spirit-powered skills directly affect the target's mind and can prove fatal if willpower is low." Aryn explained.

So far, despite Rudolph's many questions, Aryn had been patient with him and that made him respect the Elf even more. Rudolph didn't have friends before but now he was starting to treat Aryn as one.

"Thank you." Rudolph looked at the elf, grateful for what he had done. The elf didn't owe him any favor to be doing this. It was Rudolph who owed him for saving his life and explaining everything to him, saving him time to find on his own.

"What for?" Aryn asked him, looking puzzled.

"For everything," Rudolph said.

"Don't be sentimental with me, it will cringe me out. First, I did what I did because I wanted to do it. Within my family and friends, not many people like me because of my divergent views. Don't ask me what they are because you will know soon. Second, I rarely come across people who are willing to listen to what I have to say and that's what makes me happy. Just treat me as a friend and continue listening to my rants." Aryn said, chuckling.

"But still, thank you for every–"

"As I said before, the first step of casting a spell is sensing the aether. Seeing that your soul stability is high, it won't be difficult for you to pass this stage. Try sensing aether now." Aryn cut him and continued giving instructions.

Rudolph tried to do as he had been told but after 5 minutes, he still couldn't sense anything out of ordinary.

"Try again. This time I will release my aether." Aryn said.
With a wave of his hand, wisps of green threads emerged from his hand and started to rotate around Rudolph.

"Closing your eyes will help," Aryn said and increased the amount of aether circling Rudolph.

Rudolph closed his eyes and once again exercised Aryn's instructions. Now he had an idea of what he should search for. He could now feel light, soothing tendrils brushing against his skin. They had always been there but Rudolph wasn't able to sense them previously.

---

DING! You have learned the skill [Aether Sense] (Basic Il).

DING! You have unlocked the Aether Mechanics.

---

The quick notification in his head told Rudolph that he had succeeded. He opened his eyes and was about to shout and jump in delight when Aryn gave his next instructions.

"Don't stop! Now, gradually gather the aether filaments you have sensed into a ball. A fireball is explosive in nature so imbue that concept into the ball of aether."

Rudolph kept following Aryn's instructions and slowly wisp-like filaments gathered into a ball. It took a whole minute for the ball to be formed and Rudolph was sweating buckets.

Even Aryn had narrowed his eyes upon this sight.
"Even if he's ranked at Basic I, his Aether Assimilation rate shouldn't be this slow," he muttered under his breath.

He was about to stop Rudolph when the ball of aether glowed with bright blue color and transformed into blue flames. The glow and the flames continued to intensify until the flames turned a shade darker and took on a black hue.

"STOP!" Aryn yelled at Rudolph to stop but it was too late.

---

DING! You have learned the skill [Apocalypse Fireball] (Iron) (Active).

---

With the appearance of a screen, a notification rang in Rudolph's ears but Rudolph felt no joy. The ball of black fire in his hand kicked up a storm of chaotic aether and spiraled out of control.

Then it happened.

With a deafening boom, the black ball of flame exploded in front of Rudolph, sending him scurrying across the trees.

 

Aryn slammed the butt of his staff on the ground causing several translucent green shields to appear in front of Rudolph who had let go of the black fireball.

BANG!

The fireball exploded with deafening noise and Rudolph was sent flying into the trees. Though the power of the blast was negated by the shields, the shockwaves were still powerful enough to make him cry out in pain.

"Rudy!" Aryn shouted and rushed to the place where Rudolph had landed.

His face turned pale when he saw the condition Rudolph was in. His left arm was mutilated, blood leaked from the gash on his forehead and his other arm was bent at an unnatural angle.

"Hold on!" Aryn said and sat beside him.

Green wisps of light escaped from his body and sank into Rudolph's torso through the hand he had placed on his chest, prompting the wounds to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Fuck!" Rudolph cursed, gritting his teeth.

His muscles constantly twitched and bulged as the light green Aether worked its magic on his injured body. His flesh wriggled and extended to restore his mutilated arm, the gash on his forehead closed and the bones in his broken arm started crackling into place.

One may think that healing was a soothing process but only Rudolph knew how unbearable it was. His constant urge to scratch and pull at his flesh was kept at bay only due to his high willpower.

'I'll be damned if I go down like this, Rudolph growled and clenched at the grass with his healed hand.

With the last of his bones falling into place, the Aether drilling in and out of Rudolph's body died out and Aryn fell butt first on the ground.

"That nearly sucked me dry," Aryn said. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he lay gasping for air.

For a couple of minutes, silence reigned through the forest except for the constant crackling of burning wood. A large chunk of trees had vanished from the forest while the near ones had caught fire.

"Is-Is this normal? Rudolph muttered as he stared at the sky in a daze.

Aryn had a similarly dazed expression as he replied after contemplating for a while, "Y-You devoured my Aether and incorporated it into the fireball. But-"

"But?" Rudolph asked upon seeing that Aryn had stopped speaking.

"It shouldn't be possible, theoretically it shouldn't be. But there's no other reason I could think of."

"Speak English Einstein." Rudolph rolled his eyes
.
"English? Einstein?"

"That's not the point." Rudolph sat up.

"Can you tell me the stats of your Aether Mechanics?" Aryn asked.

Rudolph didn't know how it was related but gladly complied and opened up his stat screen. He was greeted by several notifications he had missed out on before.

---

DING! You have unlocked the skill [Unruly Acquisition] (Bloodline) (Active).

DING! You were harmed by the skill [Apocalypse Fireball] (Self).

DING! Your health has fallen below ⅓ of the total health.

DING! Your resistance to pain has increased.

DING! Your resistance to pain has increased.

DING! Your resistance to pain has reached Basic Il.

DING! You have received the title [The Arsonist].

---

'A new skill?' Rudolph was surprised when he read notifications. In addition to a cool-sounding skill, he had also received one not-so-cool-sounding title. He made a mental note of visiting the skill mechanism once this was over.

'That wasn't intentional.' Rudolph smiled helplessly but the soul archives didn't receive his justification.

He willed the notifications close and opened up the Aether Mechanics as urged by the green-eyed elf.

---

• Aether Mechanics​

Free Stat Points: 0​

Retention: 3
Assimilation: 2
Purity: 9
Restraint: 2

---

"I don't have the slightest of idea what any of those stat mean, except the purity stat which I only know to the extent of making a guess." Rudolph furrowed his brows as he explored the Aether Mechanics.

Rudolph stood up and extended a hand to the fallen elf who took it and got pulled up to his feet.

"What's your Restraint and Purity?" Aryn asked, wiping off the dust from his leather armor.

Rudolph eyed the elf in contempt.

'What a clean freak!' Rudolph complained in his mind.
Compared to the little bit of dirt on his armor, Rudolph's clothes were soiled to another level. His pants were smudged with mud and soot and smelt of algae while his shirt had burnt holes near the chest and the collar region. Even his hair wasn't spared from the discrimination as they were singed and had dry twigs stuck within them.

"What?" Aryn asked as he caught Rudolph staring at him.

"Nothing." Rudolph sighed and shook his head before answering, "Nine to the Purity and two to the Restraint."

"Hmm, just as I thought," Aryn said.

"You are doing it again," Rudolph complained, rolling his eyes at Aryn.

Aryn took a deep breath before continuing, "Your Aether Purity far outweighs your Aether Restraint and that's why you weren't able to control your fireball."

"But that's just one thing. It might be because of your high affinity with the fire element and dark element or quite possibly with both of them that made your fireball transform into something else entirely."

"I see," Rudolph said and placed a finger on his lips.

"So if I put more points in restraint, it should help me gain better control over the fireball?" Rudolph asked.

"Yes."

"So the mystery is solved?"

"No, nothing's solved. I still don't get how you were able to absorb my aether and affect the outside aether to such a degree."

Rudolph stopped, hesitated, and asked in a skeptical voice, "Could it be because of the other skill I learned?"

"What skill?"

"I don't know. I might have gotten it before the explosion or after it but it was there when I checked the notifications." Rudolph said, "In addition, I also received two titles and a notification informing me of a rank up in my pain resistance."

"What skill? What title?" Aryn was puzzled at Rudolph's answer.

"I forgot the name. Let me check." Aryn said and opened the Skill Mechanics for the first time.

---

• Skill Mechanics​

[Identification] [Mana Sense] [Apocalypse Fireball] [Unruly Acquisition]

---

"It's called, Unruly Acquisition," Rudolph informed.

"Unruly Acquisition?" Aryn wrinkled his forehead when he heard the name of an unfamiliar skill. "See its the description. Just willing should do it."

Rudolph obliged and willed to see the skill's description.

---

[Unruly Acquisition] (Bloodline) (Skill) (Active)
Description: Your attempt to control aether had awakened a trace of the ancient bloodline sealed within your body, granting you the ability to utilize aether without assimilating it within your body.

---

Since he was at it, he also decided to inspect the other skill he had recently acquired.

---

[Apocalypse Fireball] (Iron) (Skill) (Active)
Description: A fireball created from the merger of fire and dark aether. In addition to explosive damage, it also provides recurring damage in form of burns. Its damage surpasses ordinary fireballs of the same rank. May cause slight debuff to the opponent in terms of a small decrease in health regeneration.

---

"So cool!" Rudolph exclaimed, his eyes glittering as he read the skill description. Now, this was something he had dreamt of as a kid, throwing fireballs around and destroying things.

"What is cool?" Aryn asked.

"The skills. They are awesome." Rudolph said and shared the description with Aryn who frowned upon hearing them.

"No, that's not cool. That's dangerous," he said.

"How come they are dangerous? Seems pretty safe to me. Except for that fireball skill but even if that is handled correctly, it will become a great weapon."

"It's not the fireball skill that's dangerous. Sure, blowing yourself out is... no it's normal but getting power hungry and becoming a psycho is even worse."

"I don't get it." Rudolph scratched his nose.

"Do you know why the soul archives were created? The real reason for its creation?" Aryn asked.

"Duh! I just got to know the thing existed like ten minutes ago."

Aryn ignored the ridicule and explained "The real reason the gods created soul archives was to tame the wild aether, purify it of the nefariousness it carries and use it to empower the people of the universe."

"So it isn't the soul archives that provide the people with power but the aether itself?" Rudolph asked as he picked up dirt from the ground and threw it on the burning bushes.

"Yes, the system is just built in place to keep track of the life forms in the universe and their ability and turn the aether into useful powers."

Aryn waved his hand and deeply buried roots emerged from the ground, dumping a large amount of mud onto the burning trees. Only a large crater was left behind marking the place of the explosion.

"Trust me, Rudy, the history doesn't favor those who held the uncanny. All those people had suffered from a change in their personalities, becoming mindless killers and psychopaths who stopped at nothing to gain the power they desired. Such people are frowned upon in the entire universe as they are just ticking time bombs that can explode anytime, plunging the world into chaos.

"I can't stop you from the path you walk but as a friend, I don't want you to die or worse, become one of those psychopaths." He placed a hand on Rudolph's shoulder and started walking in the direction they had previously determined.

Rudolph stood rooted in the same place evaluating what he had just heard.

'So does it mean I can't use that skill? If what Aryn had said was true, I shouldn't use that skill lest I turn into a demon.' Rudolph made up his mind and went after Aryn.

"Ok. I will restrain myself." Rudolph said and caught up to Aryn. "Until necessary."

The last sentence was said in a faint voice that didn't reach the Elf's ears.

--------------------------------

Rudolph and Aryn picked up the pace and proceeded deeper into the forest. They had lost time and had a lot of ground to make till they arrive at the high-tiered essence crystal sites located in the center of the Sanctuary. As told by Aryn, the real reason the hunt was organized in the first place was to allow the younger generation a chance at gathering the essence crystals spread across the sanctuary. Not only will it help them to increase their understanding and increase the affinity of the particular essence crystal they found, but It will also be helpful to them once they had established a path.

The word 'affinity', had also become a nightmare for Rudolph when he had checked the effects of his titles while weaving through the forest that was becoming a lot thicker as they progressed. Their descriptions had made him cry in sorrow when he had first seen them.

---

• Titles​

[The Visitor]
Description: As you had opened the soul archives on a foreign world, your affinity with the aether of that world decreased by 20% and you lose 20% control over the aether until you get affiliated with the said foreign world.

[The Arsonist]
Description: Whatever you touch burns to flames. Your affinity with fire increases by 2% and your affinity with life magic decrease by 15%.

---

Rudolph was still reeling from the shock he had received upon inspecting his titles when they arrived in front of a stream that fell from a nearby waterfall. The crystalline pure water had a group of animals – or beasts in Aryn's words – drinking from it.

Rudolph used his identification skill on one of them but this time he didn't say it out loud but just thought of using the skill in his mind, which to his surprise, worked brilliantly.

---

Overall combat strength: 160
Steel hide Hyena
HP: 60/60

---

 

At the end of the mountain, the waterfall split up into several streams filled with delicate silver fringed water, each heading in separate directions. One of the winding streams took steep a turn and dipped into a valley near the base of the mountain where Rudolph and Aryn hid behind lush thickets, eyeing the pack of Steel Hide Hyenas drinking from it.

Though Rudolph looked straight at them, his thoughts were in an entirely different place. A deep frown was etched across his forehead as he contemplated the several matters plaguing his mind, his bloodline skill being one of them.

Except for the Apocalypse Fireball skill which he couldn't use, for now, his Unruly Acquisition skill had been his biggest gain. Though he could use the skill, it came with the risk of affecting his personality, something he was deeply fearful of.

But the question was where did his bloodline come from?

Neither his father, nor his mother had ever talked about something regarding a bloodline or another world but it was normal since they never talked about anything, or anything useful. The chances were that they didn't know or even if they did, they wouldn't believe such things existed.

Him getting teleported to a different world and then coming to know that his bloodline carries a skill that is considered evil can't be just a mere coincidence, right?
Since he had such a skill that originated from his blood, does this mean he has the tendency to turn into a mindless killer, a psychopath at some point in his life?
He had contemplated telling Aryn that his skill was a bloodline skill but the thought of his only friend in this world looking at him with disgust changed his mind.

The unanswered questions made him pull out his hair in frustration.

"What are you thinking, Rudy?" Aryn asked.

"Nothing, I was thinking about the katana I had before I got teleported. I can't remember where I lost it." Rudy said, half lying. This was also one of the questions on his mind.

"Some weapons can bind to their users. They will hide on their user's body and show themselves upon being summoned by them," he explained.

"Try doing the same or check your equipment menu. If you do have it on you, it must be listed there." he continued.

Rudolph took this as a chance to look at the equipment menu, something considering his dilemma, he hadn't had the time to do so.

---

♦ Equipment​

[Black Impermenance] (Basic) (Sealed, 11/11) (Requirement: Soul Stability: 500)

Description: Sword forged from the combination of Orachilum and horn of an Elder Demon.
Provides a small dexterity and strength buff.

Currently placed under 11 seals that greatly restrict its power.

First Seal Unlocking Requirements:
• Kill 50 beasts Ranked Basic V or higher.
• Learn Aether Manipulation (Basic)

Additional ability: Aether Disruption — Every wound caused causes the opponent to lose 1% control over their aether. Can be stacked with other debuff skills.
Activation cost: 2 Aether/ Second.

---

Rudolph's face turned to surprise as he read the katana's description. He had no idea what the standard of a powerful weapon was in this world, but he was sure that even If his weapon wasn't a good one, it wouldn't be that far off.

He followed Aryn's instruction and thought of having Black Impermanence in his hands. Soon, a cloud of black smoke rolled out from his body and took shape of a black sheathed katana which now lay in his extended hands.

"If I am not wrong, that's an aether artifact," Aryn said as he laid his eyes on the shimmering black katana.

Before Rudolph could ask what an aether artifact was, Aryn continued, "An aether artifact is a weapon or an object that can handle aether integration. Normal weapons would corrode as they come in contact with the aether but aether artifacts remain undamaged.

Some excellent crafted ones could even hold an additional skill or two that can be utilized by pumping aether into them but I doubt yours is one of them. Though I cannot see its description, the white glow it emanates means that it is a Basic Ranked weapon, and even outstanding basic ranked aether artifacts aren't able to hold an additional skill."

"You can't see its description?" Rudolph asked as he stroked the black scabbard. It had some kind of charm that made Rudolph calm and forget about the matters troubling his mind.

"No. I cannot. Nobody can unless they are an appraiser possessing a high-ranked identification skill. Even they have to ask for their owners' permission if they want to study their artifacts. Generally, the only way to find out the rank is from the glow they radiate. Basic artifacts have a white glow, iron has a metallic grey glow, orange for the bronze, silver for the silver ranked, and gold for the gold-ranked. Diamond ranked weapons have no glow and there has yet to be an artifact above that level." Aryn asked and took out the antique wooden staff off his back.

"Guess what rank this staff is."

Rudolph concentrated on the staff and found a grey glow emanating from it. He was sure it hadn't been there the previous time he had seen it.

"Iron ranked?" Rudolph asked, skeptically.

"Yes, this staff is an iron ranked aether artifact," he said and then murmured some words that made the silver glow vanish from the staff.

"What about now?" he asked.

"Diamond ranked?"

Aryn had to stifle his laugh after hearing Rudolph's answer and then seeing his clueless face, lest they draw attention from the pack of Hyenas.

"Surely you jest, Rudy. How can I have a Diamond ranked artifact? Even in the whole Arabor Empire, the only recorded Diamond ranked artifact happens to be the Amulet Of Kings, which happens to be in possession of the King himself." Aryn let out a small muffled chuckle. "This is just a basic skill that blocks the glow emanating from an artifact."

Rudolph nodded his head and looked to the Steel-hide Hyenas near the stream. He would have taken them for steel statues if it wasn't for their movement.

"What's the matter with that lot?" Rudolph asked.

"Those are Steel-hide Hyenas. They usually have a combat ability between 100 to 200 points but their main advantage lies in their defense. Their metallic fur is hard as steel and normal weapons would be hard pressed to leave a wound on their body. You can either use brute force to squash their internal organs or get a weapon sharp enough to cut through their hard fur and the weapon in your hands happens to be one." Aryn said.

"Can I have a go at them?" Rudolph asked.

"Oh, you want to face them?" Aryn was surprised upon hearing Rudolph's request. He had planned to take a detour around the stream to avoid facing the Hyenas, not because he was scared of them but because he didn't want to waste his time, fighting such low-ranked beasts.

"Hmm. I want to know how I fare against beasts of the same rank as me." Rudolph said and stood up from his hiding spot.

Chuckling, Aryn said, "Same rank? Not anymore buddy, try checking your archives again."

Rudolph gave him a long stare before opening his soul archive.

---

Rudolph Foster
Overall Combat Ability: 350
Soul Stability: 680
Human (Basic II)
Origin Essence: 0/5​

Class: None
Profession: None
Health Points: 30/30
Stamina Points: 24/30
Aether: 30/30

♦ Mechanisms
♦ Equipment
♦ Miscellaneous​

---

"How?" Rudolph asked. "I didn't receive any notification for ranking up."

"Because the overall combat ability is superficial at best. It's a measure of your stats and skills, not your actual combat prowess. It doesn't account for the effective utilization of skills. Believe me, I have seen many upsets where a low-ranked person has defeated a higher-ranked person. It isn't rare. It's your utilization of skills that matter the most. Soul record doesn't highlight anything that is indefinite." Aryn explained.

Rudolph understood what Aryn was trying to imply. The combat ability was just a ranking of the sort that only saw the rank of a person's skills plus his stat. Even low-ranked skills if effectively utilized can be helped to overpower an opponent of higher rank, if they suck at utilizing their skills effectively.

"Still I want to see where I stand," Rudolph said.

"As you wish but I will only let you fight one Hyena at a time. I will restrain the rest of them and intervene when you get beaten up." Aryn said.

"Thanks for the encouragement," Rudolph said and rolled his eyes at Aryn.

SWISH!

Rudolph unsheathed Black Impermanence and stepped out of the thicket. The pack of Steel-hide Hyenas, when they saw Rudolph, growled at him and started to form a circle around him. Before they could succeed, vines and roots of the nearby plants entangled around the four of them to hold them in place, leaving only one of them for Rudolph to face.

The feral creature paid no heed to his trapped comrades and growled at Rudolph who was only several meters away from it, inching closer with a sword raised over his head.

The Hyena growled once again but this time it lunged forward, aiming to bite Rudolph's neck with its foaming maw.

Its jagged teeth only found empty air as Rudolph rolled to the side, barely escaping.

'This critter is fast!' He thought.

Rudolph had no experience in fighting or hunting wild animals. Though he had learned some Kendo, the technique was far different from learning how to wield and fight with an actual sword. His experience in sword fighting only came from anime and mangas but surely that wasn't going to help him in this fight.

The Hyena didn't give him any respite and continued to chase after him, sometimes lunging, sometimes clawing and every time Rudolph would dodge by a hair's breadth.

His movements were getting sluggish and the Hyena was still hearty as ever. The Hyena took advantage of this situation and pounced at Rudolph, who wasn't able to step aside in time and earned a gash across his thighs. He also didn't let this chance go in vain and delivered a slash across the Hyena's side, leaving a long cut across its exposed side.

"Fuck!" Rudolph cursed as he limped back. He knew he couldn't kill the Hyena with his lack of combat experience, wounding it was the best he could do.

The Hyena also whimpered and stepped back. Blood leaked from its wounded side, dying the grey fur red.

Rudolph checked his stamina and found it was close to running out. The gash across his thigh had also him lose 5 points in health.

His resolve to kill the Hyena was still sky high but his stamina was at the bottom. He was about to signal to Aryn to intervene so he could recover his stamina and fight the Hyena after that when a new prompt appeared in his vision.

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DING! Inbuilt sword tutorial activated!

Stillsword Art:

Completion rate: 0%

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