Chapter 170 - This is Basic Training?

“Let’s go to an open place first. It’s too stuffy here.”

Going was fine, but the way of going was not.

Grab─

The Youngest Son, whose collar was grabbed, was violently pulled into the spirit dimension.

The feeling of immersing one’s body in a cold that froze the joints.

The sensation of the spirit dimension, which he hadn’t felt in a long time, revitalized his sleepy body.

“Shall we stop here?”

The body held by the collar was thrown to the ground.

Even the leg bone of a Skeleton Soldier would be handled more gently than this.

He barely managed to regain his balance and avoid rolling on the floor, but he was more concerned about his surroundings.

“…It was the place I was going to tomorrow, but I’ve arrived early.”

“Well. The place you’re going tomorrow probably won't be this far.”

The spirit dimension was not bound by the laws of physics, so it boasted an extraordinary travel speed.

The Family Head’s messenger used this speed to come and go anywhere in the East as if it were her own backyard.

The foremost border was no different.

Still, this was a place that would take more than half a day to fly to even with a Magic Dragon.

Ransis spoke nonchalantly, picking her ear.

“Why did you come all the way here? Well, I’ve seen so many of your eccentricities that I’m used to it now.”

“Then please be used to it this time as well. You’ve seen everything anyway, haven’t you?”

“I can’t see into your heart.”

The fact that Ransis was here meant that there was a high probability that she had been lingering around for a long time.

She must have been in that room during the conversation with the Legion Commander a moment ago.

It was just that no one, not the Youngest Son, the Legion Commander, nor the Gatekeeper, could sense her in the spirit dimension.

Only the First Son could sense her in the spirit dimension.

The daughters seemed to be able to see her with their own eyes, but let’s put that aside.

“More importantly, did you say ‘basics’?”

“Yes. The Family Head-nim told me to press down your nose that has grown high from riding a Magic Dragon.”

“I don’t think the Family Head-nim would have used those words.”

“Isn’t it enough if the meaning gets through?”

The messenger, who had shrugged, raised both her fists.

“You learned something interesting, right? Show me.”

Was she talking about Dracul, or was she talking about the Blood Stream Sorcery?

He could just show her both.

Crack─

Red blood vessels emerged from his heart.

The pitch-black night sky and the gray earth that looked unhealthy at a glance. The bare trees growing on it.

A crimson blood stream drew a vortex on this lifeless land, where not even the sound of common insects could be heard.

The circle created in this way soon bloomed into a red magic circle like a rose.

“Hoo….”

Ransis also opened her mouth and let out a small gasp of admiration.

“Is this the result of getting close to the child of Wisdom?”

“You could see it that way.”

“It’s certainly because you’re a new generation. The degree of openness in your head is different.”

Unless one was very open-minded, and moreover, unless that mind was a genius, such a result could not be achieved.

“Mixing the power of a vampire on top of Wisdom’s magic, rebuilding the foundation, and then decorating it with a curse. Wisdom would faint if they saw this.”

The open-minded Millesdusk would just be surprised, but Wisdom would foam at the mouth.

Dark Elixir or not, this Blood Stream Sorcery alone was a reason for war.

Chwa-reu-reu-reu-reu-reu─

The blood stream, which had been rippling in the air, spread out as if flowing from upstream to downstream.

It spread and spread, becoming tens of thousands of threads.

“Here I come.”

“My disciple has become much kinder, hasn’t he? Even giving a warning to his teacher.”

If he were to throw a curse of explosion, saying ‘oops, my bad’ like in the old days, this time the teacher would pay him back twofold.

Because now she had the pretext of teaching the basics.

Chwa-a-a-a-a-ak─!!

He swung the threads connected to the magic circle, dividing them with both hands.

The threads released into the air according to his hand gestures moved left and right, erasing the space to escape.

The messenger’s eyebrows furrowed.

“The left hand is the curse of slashing. The right hand is the curse of slowing?”

“The starting points are different, but the threads are bound to get tangled.”

Then eventually, the mixed threads would float in the air, creating a space for the caster alone.

“You were greatly influenced by the First Son. Were you always a person who valued balance like this?”

“……”

Indeed, the sword strike of the First Son, who defended himself with a small wyvern and attacked with a large wyvern, was impressive.

But that was just a scene he had seen enough of within the playtime.

Chwa-ja-ja-ja-ja-ja-ja-jak─

The threads spread out in all directions like a spider building a web.

He built a space by dominating the surroundings with the fluttering threads.

“Not bad.”

The teacher also left a brief impression and moved her body here and there.

The threads extended for an attack could be dodged.

However, to counterattack, she had to step into the space where countless threads were spread.

The threads, mixed with the curses of slowing and slashing, would slow down the body and cut the skin upon contact.

The moment one stepped in, one would get stuck like in a swamp.

“But as you know. A sorcerer doesn’t need to move himself, right?”

Rattle─ Rattle─

Ransis created two Skeleton Soldiers without any warning.

The undead, which formed in a whirlwind starting from the skull, were certainly familiar.

However, their performance was not like this.

Thud─! Thud─!

The two Skeleton Soldiers kicked off the ground.

And when did she make them? A Bone Sword, made by weaving and breaking a femur, was in the soldiers’ hands.

In the other hand was a shield made by weaving the remaining bones into a circle.

She had made a total of four, and then used two for armament.

The entire process happened in the blink of an eye.

“The best sorcerer is one who can use anything. The basics of such a sorcerer is to use anything.”

The Skeleton Soldiers, who seemed about to cut the threads with the Bone Sword in their hands, suddenly split apart.

Facing the space made of threads, they split left and right and dug up the ground.

The Bone Sword was briefly hung on a clavicle, and they picked up something.

‘…A stone?’

Stones the size of a hand, picked up from the ground, flew from the front and back.

“It’s good to use anything, but I won’t be pierced by a stone.”

The flying stones slowed down, cracked, and crumbled into dust.

“I know. But is a dagger a dagger because you can see it?”

Swoosh─

Dozens of bone marrows that rose from the ground like in a horror movie grabbed both his legs.

The grip, without giving him a chance to shake it off, pulled him to the ground and disrupted his balance.

“……”

The Youngest Son narrowed his brow and twisted the threads thickly.

He drew a vortex once more.

The threads, strengthened by being twisted, cut off dozens of bone marrows in an instant.

“Now the annoying space is gone, right?”

The Skeleton Soldier that had dropped the Bone Sword once again grabbed the blade.

It rushed forward at once, with the obstacle gone.

The moment was exquisite, but a Skeleton Soldier could not produce a speed of attack that he couldn't react to.

“Not a chance─”

“Oh yes there is.”

Grab─

The bone marrows, cut by the twisted threads, didn't just fly away.

With the dynamism and freedom of a hand, they grabbed the collar of the youngest, his wrist, shoulder, and neck, and didn't let go.

The second restraint made him miss the opportunity to defend.

“…Tsk.”

Kwa-a-a-a-ang─

An explosion that deafened the ears swept around the Youngest Son.

Whether it was bone marrow or a Skeleton Soldier, they couldn't withstand the explosion and fell apart into fragments.

And yet, there was something left.

Thwack─ Thud─

Something that annoyingly hit the Youngest Son’s head and fell.

It was a stone.

“I knew it, you brat. You have an unusually high resistance to curses, so I figured you’d use something like Exploding Bone up close without hesitation.”

His senses were dulled by the sound, so he couldn't detect the flying stone.

“And you use Exploding Bone often anyway. If it's not an opponent you're seeing for the first time, you can expect this much. Especially Wisdom wouldn't hesitate.”

Those crafty bastards.

Ransis, who had added that softly, clapped her hands lightly.

“I hit your head with a stone, so your earholes must be open now, right?”

“Yes. It seems this is not a problem I can ignore.”

“Good. The beginning of all solutions is to recognize the problem.”

She twirled a strand of her hair with her finger and approached.

“To prepare you for the war with Wisdom that you're starting.”

“What do you mean, I’m starting it? Anyone who hears that would misunderstand.”

“It's true, isn't it? Well, anyway, to use Wisdom as an example, those guys have incredibly good memories.”

“I’ve heard. If the fight drags on, they quickly create the optimal response based on that memory.”

It wasn't something he had heard from Josephine, but it was a fact he already knew.

Whether that was the case or not, the teacher nodded.

“If they are consistency, we are diversity. You have to be able to handle so many weapons that even their great memories can’t count them all to survive.”

Ransis’s eyes scanned the ground she was standing on.

“You said you wanted to stand at the forefront here. Though the Family Head-nim doesn’t seem to have any intention of putting you at the forefront.”

“I will not use this place as a disposable item. Just because I was given a pretext, I have no intention of just taking a beating.”

“Yes. It’s the same for me. The Family Head-nim is the same, and that’s why he ordered me to prepare you.”

Ransis took a step back.

Her body was slowly being consumed by the spirit dimension, and soon only her neck remained.

“10 km south from here is the wall you came from. Reach that place using only Skeleton Soldiers.”

“…Using only Skeleton Soldiers, you say?”

As soon as a strong person like Ransis hid her aura, the surroundings became noisy.

From the sound of something licking its lips to the sound of teeth grinding, they seemed very hungry.

“I’ll be watching from the side, so don’t even think about pulling any tricks. Now, give it your best shot.”

With those words, the messenger completely disappeared.

The Youngest Son, who was left all alone, silently scanned his surroundings.

He had good night vision, but he couldn't see anything dangerous yet.

The dangerous things had not yet let down their guard.

In case it was a lure, the wild predators did not relax their tension.

The longer he was alone, the more their suspicion would fade, and that would be the beginning.

“This is troublesome.”

[It’s a convenient thing for me. Since you can only use Skeleton Soldiers.]

Enad chuckled and went into observation mode.

He would have to leave him with Josephine for a day or so for a detailed examination.

He wouldn't care if he was dipped in molten iron or whatever.

His bloodshot eyes glared at his forearm before heading south, as his teacher had said.

The wall was not even visible. The path ahead was as dark as the sky.

“Let’s start by moving.”

He had to think while walking.

Because he had to return to his room before the train departed.

He took his first step towards the wall 10 km south.

The sayings ‘a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’ and ‘a good start is half the battle’ were not helpful at all.

But even such complaints were a luxury here.

Kiririk─ Kirik─

After walking about a thousand steps, the cries of the monsters became closer.

It’s about to start.

Rattle─ Rattle─

He took out the Skeleton Soldiers.

Like the messenger just now, he took out four and made two into equipment.

But with the Blood Stream Sorcery also sealed, this alone was not enough.

He took out three more and made a Skeleton Armor.

Since this was a skill, he could use it more proficiently.

He wore one, and the soldiers wore the other two.

He had prepared everything from weapons to soldiers and armor with just Skeleton Soldiers.

It was a creature with nothing to waste, but there was a reason why it was a basic skill.

“To break through the path ahead with such little durability, I need to have a lot of them.”

Crack─

He made bone marrows behind his back.

He had no intention of using the Six Paths, but if he had many hands, it would be helpful for hand seals.

Even while making Skeleton Soldiers, he couldn't imagine being able to traverse the 10 km.

But if he could.

Just as Kapus had become unrivaled with the curse of slowing and the curse of slashing, it seemed this side would become the same.

And while he was making Skeleton Soldiers like crazy.

Ding─!

[A surprise quest has occurred.]