Chapter 775: Lian the Wise

Suyin fought with the desperation for survival that Arthur hoped she would have. But, although the two were evenly matched, trading one wound for another, Suyin seemed calmer the longer it went.

Arthur sat far away, ready to intervene at a moment"s notice. Although a spiritual contract couldn"t be dissipated, Arthur might be able to heal her. Of course, the clone might do the same and get healed, but it was better than letting her die.

"She needs no safety net but a survival instinct," thought Arthur as the woman received another wound on her leg, making her fall to the ground. The clone took the chance to jump her, bringing her sword down, but Suyin pierced with her blade.

At long last, the blade pierced the clone"s neck. It struggled for a moment as blood filled her throat before it dissipated, turning into a small sphere that entered Suyin"s body.

"Are you alright, Yin?" asked Arthur as he rushed toward her. The woman was bleeding from every limb, and her blood dyed the ground. Arthur raised his hand, formed the Heal-IV rune, and used it to treat her wounds.

"…I won," muttered Suyin as her wounds started healing rapidly. Her eyes looked foggy, but Arthur saw pride in them. Then, she turned toward him with a smile. "I won, Arthur."

"I"m proud of you," said Arthur with a smile while holding her hand. "You overcame this trial, and this will make you stronger. You can rest now," he said, and Suyin nodded before fainting. Arthur caught her before she hit the ground and carried her away from the meadow.

Although such a battle posed no threat to Arthur, it was far from being the case for this woman who never awakened. Her stats were that of a normal human being, making her fifty times weaker than Arthur. Overcoming herself in a life-and-death battle was a difficult task that not even Arthur would pull off if not for his runes.

Arthur carried her back toward their camp as he healed her wounds. After the last wound closed and Arthur revitalized her using his life force, he allowed her to sleep. A barrier was enough to protect her from the monsters, but Arthur still used his telekinesis to build her a small hut and decorate it.

"I need to grow stronger too," thought Arthur as he stared at her, sleeping soundly. Then, he left the hut and created several defense arrays to install in place. It was late afternoon when he was done, and Arthur decided to return to Anodyne Gulf. But first, he wore a new shirt and checked his stats.

After the last hunt, Arthur witnessed a tremendous increase in both stats and level. The more he can level up, the more complex runes he can use without recovering.

[––––––––––– Legacy]

[Level: 45 (44%)]

[Legacy Points: 59]

[Stats Points: 83]

[Strength: 549]

[Agility: 572]

[Stamina: 531]

[Perception: 502]

[Mana: 423/600]

[Abilities: Runesmith (2%), Reality Manipulation]

[Skills: Mana Breathing Skill (E – 98%), Goblins Lord (Unique – 13%)]

[Arts: The Art of Creation –– Part Two, Basic Dagger Art (100%), Dagger Mastery (100%), Art of Creator ­–– Submission.]

These were his latest stats, which approached the limits of the Vetus-rank. However, Arthur needed to gather eleven more mana-essences to become a domain user and a deme-ranker. As long as he maximizes his stats, Arthur would have a better chance in the fight ahead.

"My progress is slow," thought Arthur as he stared at his stats, although it was abnormal compared to the rest of the world. It has been almost a year and nine months since he received the legacy, and the better part of it was lived by the alternate Arthur.

During the last fight against the Mansell Gang, Arthur absorbed many stats. Then, he spent a few hours hunting in the ocean to absorb the stats of the monsters inhabiting it. Those two allowed him to grow almost by a hundred-stat points in a few days.

"If I am still too weak to challenge the seven families, I will show them how fast the absorb rune can make me stronger," muttered Arthur as he created a portal and walked into it. His enemy was not just his father and the calamities but the seven families.

His body crossed great distances, leaving Suyin sleeping in the hut before he appeared on the beach. The waves splashed his legs as soon as he appeared, and the cold breeze of the approaching winter greeted him.

"Mr. Silvera," called a voice behind him, and Arthur turned to find the knight, Haro Goldner wearing nothing but a swimming suit. "You came back far earlier than we expected."

"Did I interrupt your beach party?" asked Arthur with a smile as he stared at her outfit. Haro laughed while carrying the giant fish back toward the invisible metallic house.

"Not at all. You are more than welcome to join! The two are practicing spiritual energy inside, so come over and watch."

Arthur was interested, so he followed after the knight toward the house. As soon as he entered, he was surprised by a sudden influx of spiritual energy from the center of the living room. Ai and Layla sat opposite each other, allowing their spiritual energies to form a continuous stream.

"Mr. Silvera is back," Haro said as she placed the fish on the metallic table before dissecting it. Her words made the two women open their eyes to find Arthur standing at the doorway.

"Finally!" said Layla as she jumped up, seeming eager to receive her first mission. "We have been waiting for a week over here!"

"…unless we live in different temporal dimensions, it has been less than two days. What were the two of you doing?"

"As you suggested, we have been training Miss Layla"s astral blessing. We found the fastest way to do that by harnessing spiritual energy and increasing her reserves."

"Do blessings need spiritual energy?" asked Arthur with confusion. Ai nodded as she rose from her seat and walked to show him her forearm.

"This is the astral blessing that I received. It allows me to track down the existence of any person that I have in mind. I used it to find you. Every time I use it, a portion of spiritual energy disappears."

Arthur nodded at her words. There was no power without a price, and although the general public believed that astral blessings were a gift from the G.o.ds, they were no more than spiritual contracts.

After mulling over it, Arthur realized that the astral beings could either wage on anyone they deem capable. The astral blessing is a method to foster these talents in the bud instead of waiting until they reach the Astra-rank to contract them.

At that time, the blessing would become a secondary power compared to the astral being manifesting itself. The astral blessings were simply a gift that ensured those deemed capable remained alive.

"This golden circle," muttered Arthur as he held her arm and examined it. "What kind of astral being gifted this to you?" he asked with interest. There was a familiar pulsation coming from this tattoo.

"An astral being that claimed to know you," replied Ai as the tattoo glowed. "It gave me a message, and a warning, to share with you."

Arthur stared at her for a while before pulling her to leave the metallic house. Layla tried to follow them, but Ai gestured for her to wait there. The two went toward the beach to ensure no one heard their words.

"An astral being had a message for me? Did it state who it was?" asked Arthur while releasing her hand. Ai stopped walking while nodding and then opened her mouth.

"Right Hand of King Arthur, Defender of the Living, Lian the Wise, who claimed to be the advisor of the man who creates. It said that I had a shard within me that belonged to you, and it was proof that the creator acknowledged me."

"It sounds like a ruse," said Arthur with a frown. An astral being was a creature that could survive the cosmos, not a man who once served him. "What did warning did it have for me?"

"Lian said that the worlds were running out of time as the darkness took over. It asked me to advise you to hasten because the end has been brought closer by the acts of Nameless."

Arthur was confused, but a powerful hum came from within his sea of consciousness. Like when he accepted Sier"s invitation when the two of them met, something within him told Arthur that this was real.

Ignoring the giant within him, Arthur turned toward the healer. "Is there anything else that it said?" he asked, but the healer shook her head. Arthur was quiet before he nodded and said she could return to the house.

Ai seemed hesitant as she left him, but Arthur was more concerned with the giant calling for him. It was the first time the ancient being sought to speak to him, and Arthur wanted to listen.