Deep in the ruins of a castle, there were the sounds of a battle.

However grand and majestic the castle used to be, it was now just a dark, dank, and dusty place. Rarely were there fools who willingly chose to venture to the bowels of the sleeping stone giant, but such people exist nonetheless.

Adventurers.

Two people went in. Technically, only one of them was an adventurer while the other was his slave. The slave had fallen, unconscious on the floor. A nasty bump was on his head, from a strike of a blunt weapon. Blood flowed from his head wound. The slave’s master was in heated combat. Tens of carcasses lay at his feet and a new one was made almost every second after.

But the tide of greenskins didn't relent.

Nasty creatures with the height of a child, ugly like misshapen imps from hell. Yellow eyes, uneven sharp teeth, pointy ears and nose: goblins.

“Giiiiikk!”

A goblin squealed as a man wearing a knight’s helmet impaled its face with his sword. There was a new mark on the helmet that wasn't there before, a red X on the left cheek. The man pulled the sword forcefully and avoided a spear to the body. The blade of his katana was very red, as if the very blood of his victims clung to it.

Arte - Water Sword Rain!

He’d managed to buy time to unleash a wide area Arte despite being surrounded by goblins from three directions whilst protecting his unconscious slave/apprentice. Swords of water appeared in the air and hurled themselves to the horde of goblins. The swords impaled the goblins with speed and power. Some tried to defend, their wooden buckler couldn't stop the Arte. Some tried to dodge, the sword might have missed a fatal spot but the next sword finished the job. All their efforts were in vain. The goblins let out a series of death throes before they went silent.

The man with dark-colored armor swiftly raised his left palm. Most people couldn't see what he was doing but those who could, would see the souls of the goblins were forcefully gathered by him.

That was not the only gathering that was happening. Streams of blood flowed from the goblin corpses to the katana in his right hand. The sword was getting redder and redder for every drop of blood from the fallen.

A roar from the depths and the sight of an approaching goblin company from the far end of the hall made him realize that time was a luxury he couldn't afford right now.

I have to leave before the third wave comes!

After harvesting as many souls and blood as much as he could, Viers grabbed Boram before running to the exit.

He retraced the path he took earlier but he frowned at the unexpected. There were goblins blocking his path. Not too many of a number so he jumped past them. His delve was smooth but his exit was not so. Somehow, there were goblins chasing him from all sides. Goblins burrowing out from the hole on the wall and ground. Viers was astonished by the sheer number of the green infestations of this place.

90% of them were mere goblins, rank 0 monsters. Though there were others, hobgoblins and other variants. Viers was sure the roar he heard was from a rank 3 Goblin Warchief. It wasn't hard for Viers to kill 50 or so Rank 0 goblins but the Victa expenditure was not worth the cost. Let alone the fact that he was currently chased by hundreds of goblins including the stronger variants. Fleeing was the wiser course of action.

Goblin stampede from behind, goblin crawling on the walls, goblin dropping from above, what is this? A chase scene from an action movie?

As he went through a wooden bridge, a big muscly hand grabbed his leg from below. The hand’s size was so big it could grab the entirety of Viers’ leg from knee to ankle. Viers didn't hesitate to deal with the newly emerged threat.

“Sever, Guren Muramasa!!”

Viers unleashed his shikai… or so he imagined. The reality was the blood-coated katana released the accumulated blood from dozens of victims in the form of a slash. Viers acted so quickly that the Rank 2 Goblin Ogre didn't have time to react. It roared in pain as two-thirds of its hand was severed by the powerful slash. Viers used the opening to pick up speed once again.

Viers guarded Boram and himself from a peppering of arrows and magic projectiles let loose by the goblins on the upper floor. After heart-thumping minutes that felt like hours, the sight of his lovely steed meant he almost reached the finish line. Viers put Boram on Brownie’s back before he sat on the saddle.

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“Come on, girl! Before we become goblin’s dinner!”

Brownie galloped like the wind, leaving the vicinity of the ruined castle behind. Viers took a glance behind him and saw no goblin in pursuit.

***

In a camp that evening.

“Well, suffice to say that any adventurer less remarkable than me would have died at that castle.”

“...Yes Master,” Boram answered while lightly touching the bandaged wound on his head.

“Adventuring is a dangerous job and adventurers die all the time. Look at this,” Viers showed him the quest paper. “Glass rank quest, Glass! This should be an Iron or Bronze quest instead.”

The objective of the quest was to recover an antique from the castle. Minor monster activity was estimated, Rank 0-1. The reality couldn't be more different.

“If you’re a normal adventurer, you would be dead now. I managed to save you this time but who knows about the next? You better believe it that getting stronger is also in your best interest. Get some rest after eating, Boram. think about what I said. You also need to work on your ability to self-heal. Don't expect me to heal you every time. A water healing Arte isn't as effective on an earth Pathseeker like you.”

Not too bad either though. About 60-70% effectiveness? But he doesn't need to hear that part.

“Yes...”

The kid was asleep not long after, his head wound pained him.

...It is a dangerous profession to be sure but those who survived the jaws of death countless times, those who survived the fires of conflict, will become strong. This is life’s way of separating the wheat from the chaff... For him and for me, Viers thought.

Viers was never lonely in the wilderness since he was always in company, and he was not talking about Brownie.

“You named your sword. Why am I not surprised...” Clarissa spoke inside his head.

“All good swords have a name, mine’s Guren. It means crimson lotus in another language.”

“And Muramasa?”

“A signature on the sword’s tang. Perhaps it’s the maker’s name, who knows.”

“Crimson lotus since it’s got an enchantment about blood?” Farley asked.

His katana could now be categorized as a magic item since it got magical properties. The slash wound inflicted from the katana had a bleeding effect, it would bleed profusely. The katana also could coat itself with blood, raising its attack power. The more the blood, the stronger it became, there was a limit about how much blood it could hold though. Lastly, it could unleash one super attack using all the accumulated blood.

Viers didn't need to use Victa to use the katana’s special abilities, which was good for a Victa miser such as him. In a drawn-out battle, a bleeding enemy would be at a disadvantage. Since Viers was a water Pathseeker, he could also manipulate the enemy’s blood to his advantage. The downside was the coating of blood wouldn't last long, that was the difference with his previous water container sword.

The helmet was also quite comfortable to wear after the enchantment.

“Yep. Whatever that hateful Izabella is cooking up, at least her enchantments are top-notch,” Viers lovingly stroked the sword.

“Viers, it is as if you’ve fallen in love with that sword,” Paina chided.

“Well, there’s this thunder god with his hammer… or a bunch of death gods with their soul-cutter…” Viers spoke in a reminiscing tone.

“Oh My Goddess, Farley, he didn't deny it!” Paina had a horrid expression.

“...As expected of Lord Viers,” Farley replied as smoothly as possible.

“You're just saying that. Tell me you’re just saying that! Am I the only one who thinks this is weird?”

The four of them conversed with each other in a togetherness about a bunch of minor things, lightening the mood.

“By the way, why not explore the newly discovered Biome, Viers? Instead, you picked this minor quest. Turned out it’s a flawed quest and you failed to complete it too,” Paina didn't understand.

Viers didn't answer immediately.

“...Don't you think it is fishy?” He said with a hard expression. The conversation died down and Viers turned his mind to dissect the patterns, to predict the future and how to reap as many benefits as he can. There was something brewing in Marakkus, and he suspected this might be the first spark that would blow the powderkeg.

After some time of silent planning, and since there were no witnesses, he took off his helmet and looked at it from the front, especially on the X mark on the cheek.

“Oh yeah, why did you draw that before you went to the ruins?” The lamia asked.

“It’s a charm of sorts. A mark of a powerful swordsman. I hope to be as skillful as him one day.”

“Hmm… it’s a nice mark if you asked me. It's simple but- Hey! Why did you erase that?” Paina reacted.

“Having the X too long will make me a pacifist who doesn't like killing.”

“Really? You should keep it on then.”

“Hmph,” Viers scoffed in a friendly manner.

Jokes aside, Viers wanted to hide his identity as an otherworlder, no way he would be leaving the X mark permanently like a brain-dead MC. Just having it for a single outing was enough to raise his Horizon.

Heart of sword, baby. Heart of sword…

The song's tune wouldn't leave his head that night.