Time never stops, but external factors can adjust it so it moves so slowly that there is almost no difference. Perception is also a factor.

~Dagda, the All-Father, Purveyor of Time

A few months went by in the blink of an eye, and they’d completed forty-seven Shrines and four regions. They both had sixty-seven points to use in Sanctuary’s store.

Crow already had a list of things he wanted to purchase but was in no hurry to get them. In his opinion, the treasures with a massive price tag were a trap. None of them were worthy of his attention, but, to be fair, they just didn’t fit his style. Heavy armor was a no-go because he relied more on his speed and stealth and eliminated most bulky weapons for the same reason. That left a pair of interesting daggers, but they were not enough to excite his attention.

In fact, he eliminated pretty much everything in the weapons and armor category. He only liked a low-grade leather chest with a self-repair feature, and he grimaced at why he wanted it.

Hooligan was nearby and started laughing. “It’s sad you are choosing gear out of a desire to remain clothed.”

“Shut up,” Crow grumbled and left the treasure hall to look at the techniques again. Most of these were worthy of purchasing, but he was only interested in most of them out of academic curiosity. Only a few were worthy of his attention because they complemented his abilities. Doing the math, even if he cleared all the Shrines, he was sure he’d only be able to afford one of them unless there was a bonus for getting all ninety-nine Shrines.

With his decisive nature, he already made his choice but currently lacked the points to purchase it. It was called Iolo, and its primary ability was to shape wood. There were secondary circles and features, but

Crow had heard of the nefarious Iolo, who was supposedly a master at creating forgeries that looked exactly like the original antique. Now, seeing this ability, he understood that those stories might not be wrong. It was sad because the technique was genius, yet all he could find about the man was his underhanded dealings.

“Have you decided yet?” Hooligan asked, wielding a pair of one-handed battle axes. Their rough-forged crescent blades glittered dangerously, and the wooden handles were so dark Crow knew it stained with the blood of countless victims. “You like my axes?”

Crow immediately thought of his father and could only sigh in his heart. They were both hooligans, and the ax was fitting for this crazy little girl.

“What is that look?”

“My dad also dual-wields battle axes like those. His are different, though. They combine to form a two-handed double-bladed ax that looks more like an executioner’s weapon.”

“And…?”

“It truly is a weapon for a hooligan.”

She laughed and nodded. “I can see I’ll get along with my father-in-law, and I’m sure we’ll have a lot of things to discuss.”

“I’d be a fool to let you two meet.”

Somewhere far away, Crow’s father felt a chill down his spine and knew somehow that his son was bad-mouthing him again.

Crow originally wanted to grab some books related to various Scholarly Talents he was interested in but decided to wait.

“Undecided?”

“No. I still want those things but was thinking about what to prioritize. As much as I want these books, getting Iolo should be the priority.”

Hooligan looked at the price of the technique and nodded. “We only need thirty-eight more points. That shouldn’t be too hard. We have almost completed two more regions and haven’t really ventured into the northeast areas yet.”

Crow nodded because they completed the south and north regions—the volcano and iceberg areas. They’d also completed the section nearest Sanctuary. Other than the north and south regions, the other nine sections were like wedges radiating from Raven’s Beak. Sanctuary was the westernmost region, and they completed the zone counterclockwise from it—south. In reality, they’d almost finished most of the western half of the realm.

The problem was that it took them a lot of time to find Shrines in those areas. Then again, the east was still abundant, so in a worst-case scenario, they’d rush toward that area to find a Shrine.

Crow relied heavily on his Sage’s Mind to map out everywhere they’d been. His mental map was highly detailed, and he spent an entire day after returning from every journey consolidating everything, so his map continued to expand.

He now realized how impossible this place was without a Druid’s bloodline.

“Did you know?” Crow asked Hooligan, who was still swinging her axes around.

“Know what?”

“That you’d need a Druid if you wanted to win big in this place?”

“Hehe,” Hooligan laughed nervously.

“I’m impressed. My little Death Rabbit has excellent foresight. I feel better knowing it.”

“Death Rabbit? And what the hell are you talking about?”

“I worry that when we part here, you’d suffer at the hands of others. Knowing you are more cunning than you appear on the surface puts my mind at ease.”

“Oh,” Hooligan nodded. “And Death Rabbit?”

“That is your own doing. Weren’t you the one who told me the story of those crazy rabbits where you come from?”

“You aren’t allowed to call me a Death Rabbit! Call me Hooligan, or I’ll punch you with the force of a planet.”

Crow sighed and watched her movements. “You are doing that wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

A vestige appeared in his hands, and he pressed it to his head. It takes a lot of mana to imprint a technique into a vestige, but not martial skills. So he imprinted his father’s training and fighting style. That bastard forced Crow to learn it all but later decided his son wasn’t a brawler-type fighter. Hooligan was a martial fighter, so she could see through Crow’s flaws and recognize the ability within. For good measure, he also imprinted visions of his father fighting.

“Take this,” Crow said and handed over the vestige. “There is nothing secretive about that, but I’d still prefer you destroy it after learning everything.”

Hooligan pressed it against her head and absorbed the basics of ax fighting. Later that day, he walked her through the process in his training room, and she took to it like a fish to water. Crow may not have the ability, but he did have a highly perceptive mind and could easily instruct her and pick out the flaws in her training. Her ax technique was primarily influenced by her Gravity Marrow. She was definitely what his father would call a brawler-type fighter.

Crow was beyond excited when he saw how naturally she changed the martial style to fit her own. It really was impressive watching a martial cultivator genius. Her methods gave him some insight into his sword-fighting abilities.

“Look, these axes have a special ability,” Hooligan jumped toward him excitedly. She activated them and stuck them behind her back. “Once activated, they can stick to anything.”

Crow stared at those axes and wondered why anyone would add such a strange ability. Hooligan stuck it to his chest and smirked when she saw his skeptical look. She viciously activated her Gravity Marrow, and Crow fell to the ground in shock. It wasn’t that he couldn’t withstand the weight but that she surprised him.

Slowly getting to his feet, he stared at the ax incredulously. It banished all his previous doubts. The original owner probably just wanted a way to carry them easily because he doubted they had a gravity ability like Hooligan. These weapons would show their true ability in her hands.

Initially, he worried Hooligan wasted fifty points acquiring these weapons, but now he knew she was destined for them.

“How far away can you activate that?”

“As far as I want. Once I activate the sticking ability, it’s linked to me, and I can activate skills through it, like the gravity trick.”

“Any skill?” Crow understood now. The original owner didn’t have gravity, but using the ax as an extension of his power almost felt like a cheat. “What are those things called?”

“Farslayer Dyad,” Hooligan said.

“Ah… so it isn’t linked to you, but the other ax.”

“What?”

“Farslayer Dyad, the name implies a relationship between the weapons. You can test it, but I’m positive you can channel your skills to this ax on me because you are holding its counterpart. As long as you hold one, you can activate your abilities over remotely.”

Hooligan’s eyes widened in surprise. Testing Crow’s theory, she snorted in annoyance because the jerk was a know-it-all. The moment she let go of the other ax, she lost the connection to the one on Crow, and it fell to the floor, no longer sticking to him.

“It isn’t all bad,” Crow consoled her. “As long as you hold one, the other can’t be destroyed—at least not permanently. They’d have to destroy both or break the dyad bond.”

“You sure about that?”

“No, not completely. But there are runes like that, and unless they are destroyed together, the other one will reform given enough time. For your ax, you might just need to refine it with your Source and maybe provide resources to speed up the process. If you want my advice, you’ll want to upgrade those at some point and find a master to engrave it with a summoning ability like my Star Arrow.”

“Isn’t that because it’s Soul-Linked?”

“Not really. The summons is linked to my soul, but it’s still a long-range summoning ability. Otherwise, I’d need to touch it to bring it back into my soul. Take Vanguard… now that it’s Soul-Linked, I can’t summon it to me from a distance. I have to touch it to draw it back in.”

Hooligan nodded, but her bright smile never left her face. She was very excited about her weapons, and now that Crow gave her the means, she was sure she could master the art of ax fighting in little time.

Crow was working on his own abilities and watched Hooligan practice. In these last few months, he’d achieved small success in every circle of Blood Thorn. Even the thorns had reached the next level of mastery. It was a technique that made all Earth-grade abilities seem like trash.

Although his modified and self-created abilities originated as Earth grade, he felt their quality wouldn’t be less than Blood Thorn. However, time would tell if that was true.

Sighing internally, he decided to take a break and write mental letters. Everyone he cared about would get one, and it was something he’d started doing over a month ago. It was a way for him to get over his bouts of melancholy. He loved Hooligan, of that he was sure, but it felt like a year since he’d last seen his people. And, for him, it had been almost a year, but for them, it was way less. He had an estimate in his mind but wouldn’t know for sure until he left his place.

It won’t be too much longer… Crow whispered to himself but now worried about Hooligan’s circumstance. In the end, the only way to resolve all this angst was to get stronger. Climb to the upper realm, and conquer what needs to be conquered. Unite his people and become a dominant force that others feared to target.

“Come,” Hooligan whispered into his ear, but he did not know when she approached him. “I’ll soothe all those worries.”

She straddled him, and her fingers brushed across his furrowed brow. Even sweaty, scarred, and smelly, Crow felt she was practically glowing in his arms, and he felt her warm, moist lips press against his. Her tongue darted into his mouth, and his mind blanked. All his concerns slipped away as he carried her into the bedroom.