The first day of lessons in blood magic progresses smoothly.

Again, he's in a room with acolytes of a variety of temperaments. But, notably, the more aggressive and bestial acolytes were mostly absent. Presumably, preferring demonology for its aggressive use of demons.

The starry-eyed fanatics and cold, calculative, acolytes dominate the student body.

The lecturer discusses the principles of the use of blood magic.

"It is to be noted," the lecturer says. "That it is not the volume of blood that matters. But, the power of the entity and the freshness of the blood.

"It is best to use the blood of a recently killed entity. As the soul still lingers within the vessel of the body. The longer the blood remains unused, the less potent the magic will be.

"Additionally, it is difficult to use the blood of a living entity. This is because the soul hasn't been released in death. Of course methods such as blood poison and blood burst can accelerate the process.

"There is an exception for the use of living blood. That is the use of your own blood in your magics. But, it is advised that you should limit such practices as much as possible.

"While the soul may recover over time from excessive use of your blood, it can weaken you for extensive periods."

When the class ends, Koll comes away with a positive opinion of the lesson. Much of it was rudimentary. But, some of the concepts were new to him.

As he descends into the forum again, he sees a large number of players loitering around his spot. Some were the ones he'd given the new quests to the evening before. Others had heard about the quests and their rewards.

Everyone seems excited.

As Koll approaches, players pounce on him. Leaving him unable to reach his usual spot.

"Koll, you're finally here," one says with relief.

"Yeah, boss man. We've been waiting for you. Just say the word and we'll get what you need."

Others just smile and wait for their turn.

Never in his life had Koll been so popular. But, now, he can barely move for all the friendly attention the players are showing him.

Giving up on getting to his spot, Koll sends out a mass quest share for players in his vicinity.

The quest is taken up by everyone and with little fanfare, they depart.

So much for popularity, Koll thinks.

A few remain to turn in their quest and receive the rewards.

"Woot," a young player says in excitement.

Quickly, Koll gains enough beast blood to begin his inscription practice.

When the last player departs, Koll beins to work with the blood.

The experience is significantly different from how it was with the dragonfly ink.

The blood is the medium for the soul. And, the beasts died in pain and anger. Their souls carry resentment and a desire to be free.

But, Koll will not permit his ink freedom.

He imbues his mana into the blood and forces the souls to submit.

With practice comes control. But, the practice will take time.

As a result of his inexperience with blood magic, vellum after vellum is ruined and the one-time use of the vials results in much wastage.

Koll feels frustrated by his repeated failures. Thus far not one of his attempts has resulted in success. And, he is starting to run out of blood.

As he begins to worry about his stock, the first of his champions returns with fresh blood.

The player enthusiastically offers up his sacrifice in return for the prize of a random inscription.

The process repeats as the day grows long.

Finally, through significant effort, Koll's first blood inscription is completed.

If the dragonfly ink inscriptions were tier 1 inscriptions, then this blood inscription is tier 2.

Of course, not all blood is equal. Higher-level monsters could elevate the tier of an inscription to a higher level.

The inscription Koll had just completed was a protection sigil. It would manifest as a golden forcefield that would protect its caster for up to 30 seconds from both physical and magic damage.

The inscription was at a level that shouldn't be available to players this early in the game. And, Koll has no intention of sharing this level of spellcraft with the players. At least not yet.

He continues for some time as the day is dying.

"Hey, Koll," a familiar voice sounded.

Wu Lan approaches with a slightly bitter expression on her face.

"Hello, Wu Lan."

The woman looks away from him, as though he were the one approaching her.

After a moment of silence, Wu Lan sighs and starts to chuckle.

Then she stops and looks at Koll fondly.

"You have new quests already."

It wasn't a question. She'd heard all about the ridiculous antics of the players in response to Koll's strange quests.

"I do, would you like to receive them?"

She nods and he shares the quests.

She takes the older quests too as they had reset from the day before.

"Koll," Wu Lan says after a moment. "Tell me what you're up to."

Her words are frank, as though she can see through his every move.

He smiles, "I'm practicing my art."

She looks at his scrap pile. He certainly had been practicing.

But, Wu Lan narrows her eyes as she looks at Koll.

"You know, Koll," she says. "I've been talking to the other... People here at the temple. I've spoken with the priests and priestesses. The other acolytes have remarkably little going on. Essentially no quests.

"Just a few quests here and there.

"At first, I thought the quest load in the territory was low except for you.

"But, I've been talking to people on the forums... I mean Immortals in other territories. None of them have a character who passes out quests like you do."

Her expression is suspicious.

"Should I not?" Koll asks, unaffected by her suspicion.

Wu Lan shakes her head. "No. That's not what I mean.

"But, I can't help but feel like you're scheming something."

Koll chuckles. Of course, he was scheming something. If he didn't make plans, then even if he doesn't get murdered by the Holy Daughter of the sect, he will probably lose his life to a random player who wants his loot.

This environment is conducive to the players working with him. But, if he wants to move on from the Crimson Valley, he will need more strength than he currently possesses.

He could go out like an adventurer, swinging a sword and getting a paltry profit. Or he could act like an actual NPC and get the players to swing their swords while he profits.

"Miss Wu Lan," Koll says. "We are in the Red Sect. Everyone's scheming something."

She tilts her head to the side.

"Okay, just... Just let me know before you do anything reckless."

Koll simply smiles while the young woman walks off into the valley.

One thing that sticks out in his mind is her mention of the forums. Koll had become so engrossed in his life in the Red Sect that he'd stopped monitoring the forums where players discuss the happenings of the game.

Retiring for the day, Koll dives into the forums in search of new information.

He chooses the Ruun planet server.

Most of the people opening new threads are advertising their guild recruitment. Others have general questions. Even a large number of guides sought to explain how classes work and where to find good quests.

One post catches his attention.

[Confirmed: Hero Character of the Red Sect]

Koll sighs and opens the thread.

[Purple Pain: Greetings fellow cultists. Like many of you, my life is devoted to the Crimson God. But, it seems that those beyond our territory have failed to take note of the Crimson God's chosen.

I speak of course of the enigma that is Koll Luna. Not just a quest-giver. But, a quest giver of the main storyline. The tombs of the 4 kings of corruption have yet to be discovered. But, we have their scent thanks to this humble NPC.

By all rights, Koll Luna is a weak cultist in service to the Red Sect. But, I propose that he is a hidden master. Not an acolyte, but a high-echelon leader of the sect.]

The comments exploded from his initial comment.

[Killmunger: Flagged. Misleading title. Proposition is not confirmation.]

Other posts echo Killmunger's comment. But, the theory gains traction and soon more and grander theories are proposed.

Koll's lips twitch as he reads through insane theory after insane theory.

Some propose that Koll was the prince of the Arclight kingdom that bordered the territory of the Red Sect. Suggesting that Koll had been kidnapped and was planning his escape and return to his homeland.

Another theory suggested that he was the consort of the Holy Daughter of the Red Sect. Koll couldn't even laugh at the absurd notion.

Quickly growing bored with the posts related to him, Koll looks over the territory forums of planet Ruun.

At this stage, all most players are doing is hunting boars and wolves in the wilderness.

Some are seeking help in their quests or advice on where to find resources and quest hubs.

By and large the other territories are tame by comparison to the zealous fervor of the Red Sect players.

Thinking that he should keep an eye on the trends of the players, Koll shuts down the menu and retires to bed.

Days continue in the life of Koll Luna. With the growth in the experience he gains from the completion of quests by the players, Koll is able to buy more potential points to invest in his stats.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

[Strength: 5]

[Agility: 5]

[Stamina: 8]

[Mind: 11]

[Dexterity: 9]

His focus turns to the Mind and Dexterity stats. Mind for comprehension of the mystic arts and Dexterity to enhance his engraving skill.

Additionally, he levels his [Steady Hand] skill to 7.

With every new stat point he gains, the pool of XP he can share with players increases by a qualitative leap.

But, the cost of potential points is also growing. More XP is demanded for every new point he buys.

The blood inscriptions Koll devotes his attention to become more likely to succeed with every passing day.

Some of the players suggest that he offer the more potent blood inscriptions in some new quests.

Koll disregards the foolish suggestions. He still has many dragonfly ink inscriptions to unload on the players. And, those are already considered high-level for the fresh players.

In the morning, Koll attends lessons. In the afternoons he works his craft while dealing with the players.

His study of blood magic gradually opens a new stat type.

[Spirit: 1]

The spirit stat is related to the mind stat. But, has a closer relationship to the soul.

It becomes readily apparent that if he was to continue with his study of blood inscriptions, he will have to boost the spirit stat.

One day while Koll is preoccupied by his task a boy walks up to him. The boy stares inquisitively at the elaborate sigil.

Koll carries on, expecting to be interrupted by a request for a quest. But, the boy simply stands there, watching him work.

This carries on for some time before Koll looks up from a finished piece.

"Hello, Immortal Brave," he says solemnly.

The boy looks at him for a moment before asking, "Are you Koll Luna?"

Koll wonders who else would be Koll Luna.

"I am. Who are you?"

The boy bites his lip, "I'm Jake Snow."

Koll nods, "Hello, Jake Snow. What can I do for you?"

The boy shifts on his feet.

"Can you teach me how to do what you're doing?"

Koll is surprised by the request. Most of the adventurous Immortals are focused on the principle of hitting an enemy till it dies.

Crafting professions are few at this stage largely because none of the trainers are easily accessed.

Learning a basic combat class is as simple as picking up a relevant weapon and using it on an enemy.

A handful of players out of any given hundred might have picked up a cooking class by putting fire to some meat. But, more niche crafting classes like Engraver are nonexistent at this point in the game.

Koll thinks for a moment. He doesn't know if there are any advantages to being a class trainer. It could potentially just be a waste of his time.

But then, he might find some advantage in tutoring the boy.

"Jake Snow, why do you want to become an engraver?"

The boy cocks his head to the side, "Because they're powerful."

Koll doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.

How could this kid believe that engraver is a powerful class? Without his knowledge from a decade of playing Cosmos, he would never have reached this level of power so quickly.

Wondering if letting the boy continue in this delusion was cruel, Koll sighs.

"You don't want to be a warrior?"

The boy shakes his head.

"You don't want to be a mage?"

The boy shakes his head.

"What about a rogue or a priest."

"No," the boy says with finality.

"Are you sure you want to be an engraver? It'll be harder than you think."

The boy nods his head, "Yes, Mr. Koll."

With a deep breath, Koll closes his eyes and thinks. There isn't any harm in letting the boy try.

He sorts through his inventory until 5 pristine stones are laid out on the ground. Additionally, Koll pulls out a carving knife and a stone with a basic sigil carved into it.

He gives the stone and knife to the boy and points at the 5 stones.

"Copy the sigil and carve it into the other stones. Don't waste the stones. Unless the stone is utterly defaced, keep trying to copy the sigil."

The boy looks at his implement with excitement. He nods his head in earnest.

With that settled, Koll returns to his work.

Every so often he looks over to the boy who is having some trouble handling the knife.

Were this the real world, he'd never give this task to a child. But, this is just a game. The boy will readily recover if he accidentally cuts himself here.

The day grows long and Koll cleans up his area before looking at the boy and his stones.

Unfortunately, all five stones are mangled under the boy's efforts. But, Jake Snow is still diligently attempting to salvage one of the rocks.

"Okay, young man," Koll says while clapping his hands. "We're done for today."

The boy seems reluctant. But, sets the stone aside and offers up the knife and sigil stone.

"Keep them," Koll says dismissively. "If you want to come again, you're welcome to. I'll give you fresh stones when you need them."

The boy nods.

"Thank you, teacher."

Koll feels himself laugh.

"Okay then. Go do your own thing, I'm headed to bed."

The boy nods his head to Koll's back.

Somehow, Koll feels more exhausted than usual. But, also excited.

Somehow, he's become a class trainer.

The night passes peacefully and he diligently studies the intricacies of blood magic in his morning session.

His peers in the class each demonstrate their high aptitudes for blood magic in its base form. However, only Koll has a notable understanding of employing blood magic in array formation.

His ability to lay out magical structures with blood earns high regard from the instructor.

When he finishes his class, Koll returns to the open forum below the temple.

The boy is already waiting for him, studying the engraved stone.

Koll approaches unnoticed. And, the boy is startled when he finally notices his mentor's presence.

"Mr. Koll," the boy says with more emotion than he'd had the day before.

Koll nods at the boy and summons 10 pristine stones at his feet.

Every day, many players continue to bring Koll stones, feathers, dragonflies, and ever greater volumes of beast blood.

Due to some quirk of being an NPC, Koll has an unlimited inventory.

Were he a player with an unlimited inventory, many advantages would fall on him. But, as an NPC it almost seemed fitting for Koll to have such an advantage.

With the boy gifted the 10 stones, Koll figures that he'll be busy all day.

Today, Koll thinks over how he will perform his task.

Always crawling on the ground while drawing his inscriptions is getting old.

Fortunately in a recent visit to the general supplies vendor, he'd seen a chair and a small table in the inventory.

Leaving the boy, Koll crosses the forum and approaches the lady running the store.

An almost imperceptible sign of recognition crosses the woman's eyes.

Koll expresses his desire for purchase and is awarded a friendly smile.

Without haggling, the deal is made and a single reputation point is awarded to him.

The chair and desk both fit in his inventory and can be summoned or dismissed at will.

Returning to his usual spot, Koll releases his new furniture and sits down to begin his work.

Before he can put pen to paper a familiar figure approaches.

The blonde hair and charming face of Dancing Dagger disturb Koll's work.

"Hey, Koll," the man says in greeting.

"Hi," is Koll's simple response.

Dancing Dagger looks from Koll to the boy who is standing a short distance from Koll and his table.

"Is the boy doing something for you?" he asks curiously.

Koll shakes his head.

"He's learning how to be an Engraver."

Dancing Dagger's eyes widen.

"You're a class trainer?" he asks excitedly.

Koll shrugs.

The blonde man bubbles with excitement. No doubt planning to spread new rumors about the enigmatic NPC.

Irritated, Koll asks, "Are you here for something?"

Dancing Dagger nods his head.

He looks around to make sure no one's eavesdropping.

"The 4 kings. I've found proof of one of the tomb's locations."

Energy fills Koll and he momentarily forgets his crafting.

"What's your proof?"

Dancing Dagger pulls out an unpolished silver ring.

On the surface, an engraving can be read.

[The King of Tempests keeps eternal watch over the endless sea.]

Koll thinks for a moment. The hint should be referring to the salt flats far to the East of the valley. Additionally, there is a single rocky outcropping that ascends to the sky like a hand. Fittingly known as the Hand of God. That should be where one of the kings of corruption rests.

Koll nods and accepts the ring as proof.

A large chunk of experience points and reputation flow into Dancing Dagger's menu.

His smile is wide with satisfaction.

"Let me know if you're going there. I'd love to see the tomb."

Koll nods. When he does go, he will be taking an entourage of players. Dancing Dagger is already at the top of the list of those he will take.

The blonde man looks at the studious boy a final time and grins.

"Good luck, kid."

Jake Snow looks up from his carving and nods his head to the attractive man.

With that, Dancing Dagger departs.

Koll can already feel the number of players who will come in search of class training as a result of Dancing Dagger's coming forum post.

Putting such thoughts aside, Koll returns to the vellum on his new table. The seated position is much more agreeable for inscribing.

The day carries on with a steady flow of players seeking the rewards for their quests and getting new quests in turn.

With the revelation of the likely location of a tomb, excitement starts to build. Dancing Dagger has demonstrated his propensity for gossip.

Word of the tomb even reaches the ears of the red priests.

High above the gathering at the base of the stairway, another session held by the Holy Daughter of the Red Sect is underway.

The woman herself remains by the window, her eyes glued to a certain figure.

"My lady, there is no proof that such a place even exists. You must know this more than any other. The acolyte is deceiving the Immortals."

Other priests and priestesses nod in agreement.

The Holy Daughter's brow is knit with concentration.

"What do we know of the Immortals?" she asks after some time.

A high-ranking priestess steps forward.

"My lady, the Immortals are extradimensional entities. Phenomena of space itself. The records of the civilizations of Ruun have long known of their existence.

"The Immortals are known to be generated by the universe at irregular intervals. But, there is no recent, until now, record of their existence in Ruun's history.

"The Immortals themselves are bizarre, irreverent, creatures. They almost seem to speak their own language which has little meaning to the local population.

"There is some danger in dealing with the Immortals. They hold no fear of death as they can revive. And, they are most proficient at violence.

"They also have an abnormal growth speed, overcoming bottlenecks in their strength far faster than our humble natives.

"Lastly, I would have to say, is that they disappear at irregular intervals. Popping into existence for hours before disappearing seemingly at their discretion."

The Holy Daughter listens to all the information. These are facts that she was already well aware of. But, she knows that the secrets of the Immortals far exceed the ones listed by her advisor.

After a moment of consideration, she asks, "What of Acolyte Luna?"

A silence fills the room.

"Acolyte Luna," one of the advisors says. "He is a devotee of the Crimson God. He has already been through the initiation and indoctrination. His origin is unremarkable.

"The sect took him from a village in the Arclight kingdom. Nothing is known of him before that time. Though, he was notably easy to control until he was initiated.

"Recently he has been studying blood magic diligently.

"Additionally, he has a remarkable ability to control the Immortals. For quite some time he'd been gifted large amounts of resources by them without returning anything to them. And yet, the Immortals only grew more eager to deliver him materials that he had been using to create arcane inscriptions.

"We know that he has recently been gifting these inscriptions to the Braves for other services they render. And, it is worth noting that the efficacy of his scrolls is high and dynamic."

The Holy Daughter raises a hand, silencing the speaker.

"Go and acquire 100 scrolls from Acolyte Luna. I would like to review his work. Remind him that he serves the Red Sect. If he does not offer the scrolls freely, lock him in the dungeon."

The red priests bow and move to complete their task.

Soon, Koll is met by a small procession of priests and priestesses. At the lead is a middle-aged woman. She looks at Koll as he is engrossed in his engraving.

After some time of going unnoticed, the priestess coughs. Only then does Koll notice the company.

Startled by the gathering of red robes, Koll hastily stands.

"Priestess," he says cautiously.

The woman looks down at the almost-finished blood inscription.

"May I have a look?" she asks.

Koll nods, knowing that he has little recourse but to do as the sect leaders will.

The woman takes up the vellum and analyzes it.

At times her face shows enlightenment. At others, confusion and consternation.

After several minutes of silent observation, she sets the parchment down.

"Acolyte Luna," she says with an odd look in her eye. "The sect requires 100 scrolls of your making."

Koll lets out a deep breath. A quest popping up on his screen.

[Quest Name: Proof of Loyalty]

[Description: The Red Sect has its eyes on you. Submit to the will of the leadership and provide the sect with 100 inscriptions.]

[Rewards: 100,000 XP, +100 Reputation with the Red Sect]

The rewards are decent. He doesn't get any financial compensation. But, he does get XP and reputation.

Not that the compensation covers his losses. But, Koll has hundreds of dragonfly ink inscriptions.

Koll nods to the priestess pulls out 100 lesser scrolls and hands them over to the priestess.

With a large stack of parchment in her hands, she sifts through them quickly.

Amazement covers her face as she examines the various spells.

"Where did you learn this craft," she asks after some time.

Koll shifts uncomfortably, "I had a tutor once."

His explanation is vague. But, also not untrue. The priestess seems unperturbed by his lack of forthrightness.

"You have done well, acolyte. The Red Sect will certainly call on you again."

I wish you wouldn't, Koll thinks silently.

With that, the entourage of red priests departs back to the temple, their prize held tightly.

Turning his head from the departing forms, Koll looks over at the boy still dilligently cutting a mangled stone.

Koll walks over to the boy and pulls out another engraved stone, different from the one the boy is practicing with.

"Try this one too," Koll says.

The boy looks up for a moment before taking the new stone.

Koll watches as his pupil examines the stone for some time before getting to work on it.

Settled, Koll returns to his table and finishes his blood inscription.

As he finishes, a female player approaches. Her demeanor is little more than a fan meeting her idol.

"Mr... Mr. Luna, um... Hi."

Koll looks up and recognizes the woman from the times he'd given her quests. She'd always been somewhat starry-eyed. But, she wasn't so nervous before.

"Hello," he says with a smile.

The young woman's eyes turn from Koll to the boy before turning back to Koll.

"I heard..." she hesitates, "that you are providing class training services."

Koll raises an eyebrow, dammed Dancing Dagger.

"I can, yes," he said. "But, I can only have one apprentice at a time and the slot is taken by Jake Snow."

The woman deflates. Causing Koll to feel bitter in his heart.

After a moment's deliberation, Koll clears his throat.

"Are you sure you want to be an engraver?"

The woman senses an opportunity and her frown turns into a hesitant smile.

"I am."

Koll looks at her and asks, "You do know that engraving isn't a combat class? At best it's a support class."

The young woman nods, "I know. I just think it's amazing how versatile your inscriptions are."

Koll's eyes track to the general store vendor, a plan forming in his mind.

"Come see me tomorrow," he says. "I may have something to give you at that time."

Excitement and joy fill the woman's face before she bows deeply to Koll.

Watching her run off, Koll leaves his table behind and finds his way to the general store. The woman running the shop has the light of recognition in her eyes.

"Acolyte Luna," the woman says. "What can I get for you today?"

Koll browses her wares until he finds a stack of tomes. Books of varying thickness, devoid of any writing within.

The perfect tool for mages to create their spell books.

Koll pulls out a few skinny tomes and places them before the woman.

A knowing look crosses the woman's gaze.

"You're always so busy, Acolyte Luna. I wish my business was as busy as yours."

Koll smiles and pays for the tomes.

Back in his standard position, Koll takes out one of the tomes and begins drawing sigils in dragonfly ink.

The hours pass as Koll draws sigils at the top of pages and fills out a series of paragraphs defining the sigil and explaining the mechanisms within the structure.

With as much practice as he's had over the previous weeks, the sigils and explanations stack up rapidly.

The system finally gives him a prompt when he finishes the last page.

[Congratulations! You have just created a magic item.]

[Item Name: The Rudimentary Laws of Engraving]

[Description: The painstaking work of Koll Luna has created a class change book. The Rudimentary Laws of Engraving allows user to change their class to engraver. Much study is needed to master this art.]

Koll looks through the tome with satisfaction. The sigils he used were all low-level. There's no point in teaching advanced work when there is no foundation.

Looking at the sun in the sky, Koll decides to open a new tome and begin the process once more.

At some point, Jake had disconnected.

That didn't mean that the other players were done. Many players came and went, each with their own agenda.

Koll finishes the last page of his tome as twilight settles on the valley.

With a yawn, Koll retreates to his room and goes to sleep.