Petyr calmly sorted through the mass of loot Emil had dumped on the table, his cataract-clouded eyes having an unusual focus in them. “Monster, you’ve been picking up steam lately.”

Behind the shadows covering his face, Emil smiled. “I’ve been going a bit deeper into the second ring,” he answered honestly. He did not mention his dislike for the nickname he had been given.

“You’re getting to closer to the core? I’d advise against it,” Petyr continued the conversation.

“Hah. I have no intention of entering the core ring. Just close enough to encounter rare creatures.”

Petyr let out a thoughtful grunt and raised a black. “Seems like you’ve encountered plenty.”

“I’m pretty lucky.” He paused. “Still, the number of magical beasts there is a bit scary.”

The old appraiser laughed. “You don’t sound very afraid, though.”

“Well, things are different in the desert." Emil recalled scenes of tens of beasts staring him down, wanting to devour him. If it wasn’t for the fact that he had seen endless abyss behind Ilya’s face, he probably would have been shaken by them. Even when he faced beasts stronger than he, Emil didn’t waver when he fought against them. But, if he didn’t have the affinity with light magic and the ability to use healing spells on himself, then Emil wouldn’t have been as bold.

“Maybe so. I’ve always sat behind a desk.” Petyr chuckled to himself and continued to examine the monster parts. Even though being able to manipulate anima was the standard for any citizen, it didn’t mean that they chose to be combatants. Those who could examine magical items, operate magical machinery or examine objects with mystical property were also needed.

Of course, Emil knew very well that if someone did not have the aptitude to live in a society where magic had permeated through its very core, they would be tossed aside and considered to be defective.

Silence fell over the two as Petyr worked.

...

Later in the day, Emil walked out of the mercenary’s guild with a heavy wallet and three more subjugation jobs.

After using the money to finally buy the spatial container ring the had been saving up for along with arrows and other necessities, the youth headed out towards the desert again.

Happy thoughts in mind, he nearly skipped as he made his way into the outskirts of the Red Sun Desert. Even when he had first come here, this area wasn’t much of a challenge to him and he immediately went to the second ring.

The temperature immediately rose once he passed through the outskirts. It was a unique condition of the Red Sun Desert: each ring was hotter and drier than the last. Emil knew he was getting too close to the core if he felt his skin drying out like a hide hung out on a rack.

Currently, his body wasn’t strong enough for him to even think about walking into the core, let alone challenging the beasts that lingered inside of there. The second ring was his limit and he was very much okay with that.

Emil gripped a dagger tightly and raised his alert level as he progressed deeper. The outskirts seemed to be teeming with enemies in comparison to the quiet here.

But he had learned by now that many monsters lurked underneath the sand or flew high in the skies. He had witnessed a mercenary be swiped up by a hawk-like beast. The image of its large talon embedding itself in the man’s shoulder before he was cruelly dragged off lingered in Emil’s mind as a warning to always be ready for battle.

Emil bent down to the ground and pressed his middle and index finger to the ground. He closed his eyes and activated the magic Lesser Seeking Pulse, an earth-attribute spell that allowed one to “see” up to a radius of fifty meters.

After detecting that everything was clear, Emil nodded to himself and pulled some vials out of his spatial ring. He began dumping out the contents in an intricate manner around him, drawing out a magical array. His movements were quick and the thick liquids from the vials remained in place, not even seeping into the sand.

Once finished, he stood in the center of the array and while gritting his teeth, took the dagger in his right hand and drew it across his left palm. Blood began to pour out and seeped into the array, spreading out and turning into black.

Emil clenched his bleeding palm into a fist and began to mutter the necessary incantation under his breath. The old language sounded a clumsy as he spoke, but the magic circle began to glow with purple.

With a loud exclamation, Emil finished the chant and the array began to spin rapidly, shrinking down to the size of his body. A dark light beamed upwards, enveloping Emil’s figure. It only lasted for mere moments before dissipating.

When it ended, Emil was still standing there with no visible change. Except, when he raised his previous silver daggers, ominous purple veins ran down the blade.

Emil had obtained this ritual for this magic accidentally. It had been on a few pieces of scrap paper left on the bed of his room when he had first purchased it at the inn. Emil hadn’t paid any mind to it until the voices began to murmur excitedly. They did not react to unimportant things, so Emil knew that the note was valuable.

He didn’t throw it out like he had been intending to and found himself painstakingly memorizing all the contents of the note. Even if he didn’t know the name, Emil was very grateful for this spell. It had a spatial attribute and increased the power of his magic, allowing him to exceed his previous limits.

Ritualistic magic that required sacrifices was outdated because of its high price and a higher chance of fizzling, but the potency was undeniable. Emil had even started incorporating ritualistic properties into how he cast his other magic and was satisfied by the result. It also gave him the sense that the way that he had been using magic before wasn’t proper, aiding his magical comprehension.

Miracles were irrational by nature, so Emil did not think much of how he wound up with such fortune.

With a wicked smirk on his face, Emil spun the daggers in his hand and then shot off in search of his prey.