Red and the others were at a loss for words as they stared at this gigantic bird. Frida, on the other hand, didn’t seem too bothered.

She turned around to look at them. “You don’t need to be afraid. It won’t hurt you.”

“T-Then why is it looking at us like that?” Rimold pointed a trembling finger at the creature.

“It can’t look at anything.” The purple-robed cultivator interjected. “It’s blind.”

“How does it fly if it’s blind then?!”

The man chuckled. “Would you like to find out?”

The rogue shivered and took a step back.

Frida sighed as she watched this interaction. “Sir, we don’t have time for this.”

“Right, of course.” The man scratched his head, examining Red and the others. “There are only three? I thought I was supposed to bring six people along.”

The woman hesitated. “… There was a change of plans. The others chose to stay behind and help the elder with defending the town.”

“Is that so?” the cultivator sounded surprised. “I suppose that’s admirable in its own way… In any case, I can’t afford to stay here for too long, or else I would have liked to meet with this elder of yours. I have heard a lot about him.”

“You know him?” Allen’s eyes widened.

“I have heard of him. He’s pretty much the only person I have ever heard of to achieve the grandmaster stage while still at the Lesser Ring Realm. And that’s not only on one, but on two different arts!”

“Grandmaster? What does that mean?”

“He didn’t tell you about this? Hm, I suppose there’s not much of a point to discuss it before you open your Spiritual Sea.” The cultivator examined Allen from behind his mask. “You must be Allen, correct?”

“You heard about me too?” Allen pointed at himself.

“Of course I did. I have been told you were a promising talent.” The man extended his hand towards him. “Would you allow me to check for myself?”

Frida frowned at this. “Sir, we need to move.”

“It’s fine.” He waved her off. “None of the imperials know I am here, so we still have some time to spare.”

The woman shook her head but remained silent.

Allen, however, looked hesitant to approach the cultivator, staring between Red and Rimold as if looking for their approval. The youth also wasn’t comfortable getting too close to this stranger, but he knew that if he intended to do any harm to them, there was no need to go through such troubles.

He nodded at his companion, giving his approval.

This seemed to be all that Allen needed. He approached the cultivator with cautious steps, throwing glances at the eagle behind him. The creature, however, seemed to have stopped paying attention to the new arrivals and turned away to look at nothing in particular.

Finally, Allen reached the masked cultivator and offered his arm to him. In a similar manner to how Hector had done in the past, the man grabbed his wrist and a soft light extended from his palm into the young master’s arm.

The cultivator held his grip for a while, focused on the task, and the others had no choice but to wait in awkward silence. It took almost half a minute before the man finally let Allen’s arm go and let out a hearty laugh.

“Impressive! With talent like this, you have a chance to become an inner disciple of our sect!”

“I do?” Allen stared at the cultivator in confusion.

“Definitely.” The man nodded. “In fact, you should have already opened your Spiritual Sea years ago if you had the proper support! It was truly a waste of your talents to remain in this backwater sect for so long.”

These words quickly washed away the elation the young master felt at being praised. He glared at the cultivator. “You don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Hm?” the man’s tone dropped at this sudden change. “What do you mean by that?”

Allen gritted his teeth. “I haven’t wasted my time here! Take that back!”

“Allen, what are you doing?!” Rimold seemed like he wanted to rush ahead and pull him back.

Red, however, blocked the rogue’s path.

The rogue glared at him. “Red, what are you-”

“Quiet.” The youth interrupted him.

Rimold wanted to say more, before he seemed to notice something. He looked up, meeting the eyes of the giant eagle who had turned around to face him, its neck bending down ever so slightly as if ready to lunge at him if he were to take another step.

The rogue shivered and stumbled back.

Frida’s expression also fell as she looked between Allen and the cultivator. “Allen, don’t speak with such a tone to the mister!”

Allen, however, refused to back down. “He’s the one who’s in the wrong! I haven’t wasted my time here!”

The woman frowned. “You stubborn little-”

“It’s fine.” The man held his hand up towards her.

“But sir-”

“I said it’s fine.” He looked back at Allen. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have insulted your sect like so. I apologize.”

Allen seemed taken aback. “You do?”

“Of course.” The cultivator nodded. “What your sect might have lacked in resources in your upbringing, it clearly made up in good values. To have loyalty to one’s sect and respect for one’s origins is a virtue, not a flaw.”

“I-I see… In that case, I suppose I accept your apology.”

The man chuckled. “Good! I didn’t want to start this relationship on an unpleasant note.”

His attention shifted from Allen to the companions behind him.

“And these are…?”

“I’m Rimold.” The rogue bowed his head towards the cultivator. “I’m a rog-… I’m a traveller of sorts, specialized in gathering information and other type of subterfuge.”

“I see.” The man nodded, though he didn’t seem nearly as interested in Rimold as he was in Allen. When he looked at Red, though, he seemed to pause. “An altriac this far east? What a rare sight!”

“A what?” Allen looked between them in confusion.

The word also confused Red.

The cultivator chuckled. “An altriac. They are an ancient people from the far west, though it’s not surprising that you haven’t heard of them. They are almost extinct, as far as I’m aware.”

Red frowned. This was the first time he had heard anything at all regarding his own origins. “Why do you say I’m one of these… altriacs?”

“The red hair, of course!” The cultivator said. “All altriacs have it… Wait, you didn’t know about it, did you?”

The youth shook his head.

“Hm, that’s certainly curious.” The man scratched his chin. “How did you end up this far east, then?”

Red hesitated. In truth, not even he knew, but he would also rather not reveal what he did know to this stranger.

“Ah, of course, I don’t mean to pry.” The cultivator said after noticing his silence.

“Who are these altriacs, mister?” Allen asked on Red’s behalf.

The man shook his head. “I don’t know too much about them other than their red hair. They lived in the Altriac Plains a long time ago, but that has long since fallen under Imperial dominion, and even before that there was not much information about them. If you’d like to know more, though, I can help you request for books pertaining them from the sect.”

The young master smiled in elation. “That would be-”

“Not necessary.” Red cut him off.

“Huh?” Allen stared at him in confusion.

“It’s not necessary.” The youth repeated. “I don’t feel compelled to learn about my past.”

“B-But-”

“Allen.” This time, Frida cut him off. “Just respect his decision, please.”

The young master sighed and nodded. “… Fine.”

In truth, Red was also curious about his own origins, but it was just that, a passing curiosity. He didn’t feel like anything about him would change if he learned about where he came from, and at worst, showing interest in the topic could instead bring unwanted attention to him. On the off chance that this could somehow relate to his curse, the youth would rather learn about it some other way rather than let his a sect know about his research.

Of course, this revelation did change his mind about one thing.

‘I need to dye my hair.’

“If you don’t want to know, I won’t push the matter.” The cultivator nodded. “How many veins have you opened, if I may ask?”

“Twelve.” Red said.

“Twelve? That’s impressive for someone your age.” The man extended his hand. “Would you mind it if I tested your talent, too?”

“There’s no need.” The youth shook his head. “My talent is not as good as his.”

“Is that so?”

There was a touch of undisguised curiosity in the cultivator’s voice that put Red on guard.

“Hey, even if Red is not as talented in cultivation as me, he’s better at everything else!” Allen said. “He’s a better fighter, he’s smarter, and he’s also a harder worker! Don’t underestimate him just because his talent is not as good as mine.”

Red frowned at these words, but he didn’t speak up to stop the young master.

The cultivator chuckled at this. “I don’t doubt you about this, young Allen. From his demeanor alone, I can tell Red is a very meticulous cultivator. Even if he lacks talent, as long as he works hard, he can definitely open his Spiritual Sea before he’s twenty.”

‘I plan to do it before I’m eighteen.’

Although these were his thoughts, Red just nodded. “Thank you for your praise.”

The cultivator shook his head and turned around. “We have wasted enough time here. Although I am still confident in my own abilities, I would rather not be discovered by any imperials wandering about.”

The man walked back and patted the giant eagle on its leg. The creature let out a puff of air and extended one of its enormous wings towards the ground, forming a ramp for them to walk up to its back.

Frida nodded and waved at the others. “Come along, now. This trip will be a long one.”

“Uh, do we really need to get on that?” Rimold looked over at the creature.

The woman frowned. “Do you know how far away the Skycrown Mountain is? Would you rather go there on foot?”

“… I suppose not.”

“Then just get up.”

Allen was the first one to climb up the monster. When he got up there, though, he seemed uncertain of what to do. “Uh, should I sit down?”

“You probably want to do that, yes.” The cultivator nodded. “Grab its feathers tightly. Trust me, you won’t hurt it.”

The young master nodded and did as he was told. There was more than enough space on the monster’s back, so Allen, Rimold, and Frida were able to sit side by side.

Red was the last one in line to climb, but he didn’t do so immediately. He looked around at the forest, as if hoping to see someone.

“Is there a problem?” The cultivator asked, still waiting by the feet of the monster.

Red sighed. “No, it’s nothing.”

The youth had been waiting for the serpent, but it seemed like it wouldn’t return. He didn’t have the opportunity to go looking for it since he entered town, and once he left it, he was under the concealment of a magic spell. Even if the snake could sense him now, it probably wouldn’t approach him, considering a Greater Ring Realm monster was right by his side.

Red shook his head, and after throwing one last look at the trees, he turned around to walk towards the eagle. However, he halted midway through.

“What is it now?” The cultivator asked.

The youth didn’t respond, staring at the man in a daze.

“Come on, Red!” Allen called for him. “We need to go already!”

Red’s gaze wandered up, and he saw the young master waving at him from up above with a smile. His hand and expression, however, had changed.

Skin melted away from his body, revealing putrid flesh and even the bones below.

He had started to rot.

This was not only him. Rimold, Frida, the cultivator, and even the monster had all showed signs of decomposition.

Red felt a shiver run up his spine.