CHAPTER 37

-No, no, no! It was a joke! I was trying to express the fact that some names are terrible.

-Then you failed. … Young boss?

-Hum…I did not expect you to be…Whatever, second chance. If I said we would be calling ourselves the Weaklings association?

-That would be fine, young boss. A subtle way to make opponents lower their guards.

-I give up, you are too positive. You sure you don’t care what we call ourselves?

-Yes. You can decide yourself, young boss.

-Alright. Then, at least help me. What would you think could be a good name?”

Mir was an old fox. If he couldn’t have Oka’s opinion by asking him in a way, he would try a different one until he would receive it. Oka gave him one next:

“How about ‘Mir and Oka’s harem’ then?”

Mir wasn’t disappointed and got a great laugh out of every proposition Oka made. They were both perverted and childish, it provided a great distraction until it was their turn. But Mir had already decided. He was just feigning interest. The desk clerk respectfully asked them:

“How may I help you disciples today?”

He was a man in his mid-forties and wore the basic alliance guild clerk outfit. A gold and blue robe. Mir did not like the woman clerk’s attitude before so he tried someone else. He answered the clerk:

“I want to create my alliance.

-Of course, a fee of a thousand points is required for you to do so.”

Mir signaled to Oka and he gave his card to the clerk who took out a thousand points before handing it back. The clerk then asked:

“I need a name and a symbol for your newly created faction first.

-The name will be ‘Club ROI’. As for the emblem… Make it the shape of a shield, pattern full black with the symbol being a bull head in white and under “ROI” written in gold.

-All right. Just give me a few minutes.”

The clerk took out a pencil and began drawing on a paper. A few minutes later, he showed it to the two kids and they both smiled widely. The clerk was good at drawing and he made the bull with smoke from his nose giving it an air of anger. It was perfect.

Both kids nodded many times in appreciation which made the clerk smile too. After creating the emblem, he asked them:

“You need to settle on the conditions to enter your alliance too.

-My and Oka’s approval.

-So, approval from the 1st and 2nd of the alliance?

-…Yes.

-All right, it is recorded. Here, hand me your cards.”

Both kids handed him their cards and he passed them through a crystal. When they exited, there was the emblem of their new faction on it as well as a number under it in the back side that had been plain gold. Mir was one and Oka was two. Their faction was officially created. The clerk said:

“Now that your faction has been created, you need to pay 100 points fee every month to sustain it as well as finish at least one mission every three months.

-Can we pay the fees in advance?

-You can.

-Then, we will pay for a year of fees.

-1000 more points then.”

Oka handed his card once more and it was done. Just like that. The clerk bid them a good day as they left the building. Oka asked Mir:

“What does ROI mean, young boss?

-Oh? Well, it is the most important principle in business from where I come from. Just consider it as a cool name to bear.

-Sure. I really like the emblem, young boss. A bull for the symbol of fertility, right? A very good choice! I expected nothing less from you, young boss.

-Fertility? I was thinking of valor and magnanimity though? Ah, whatever, it looks badass.

-Indeed, it looks badass, young boss.”

They still had a few thousand points left from their work today so they went once more to elder Bor and bought materials from him. Mir rented two rooms in the school lab and began making more pellets. He used the time for the pellet to form to meditate.

As a martial artist, sleeping could be cut off and replaced by small amount of meditations. It was also a way to gather the energy from the heaven and earth and cultivate. One stone, two kills. Thanks to his earring, he was ever closer to the fifth realm so much so that he knew that a single pellet would be enough for a breakthrough.

It was time to plan for it. He needed a secured place.

Once a few batches of pellets had been made, he told Oka to go with him outside. He was going to attempt a breakthrough and he couldn’t do it inside the school. Why? Because he was going to develop his bloodline as well and it was better for this fact to remain hidden.

They rented a whole inn for themselves and Mir began while Oka was standing guard outside the room. Mir took out a pellet and a pen. He took off his upper cloth and drew forms on his body. Then, he took the pellet, began making hand signs with his hands and slowly, the markings glowed and were absorbed inside Mir’s core zone. Once they had all been disappeared, he broke through successfully.

A small wave of energy erupted as he spasmed in ecstasy. Breaking through was making one feel refreshed and it was a feeling even better than sexual orgasms. Mir loved it and precisely because of that fact, he had to be alone. But more than that, if it became known that he could make any breakthrough successful on first attempts, he would end up with some unwanted attention. It was not the time to spread that information.

Once he had broken through the fifth realm, he told Oka and returned to the room. He took out six flasks of blood and pondered which one would be used to form his second bloodline core…

Six elements to choose from: Water, Thunder, Earth, Wind, Darkness and Light. If he had remained in the Burning Sea School, he probably would have taken a complementary element like darkness or light but now that he was in the Royal Palace School, a school that was not specialized in any but efficient in all… It was tougher to decide.

Light and Darkness would both strengthen fire, no doubt. But it was true for every other element…Since Mir considered all elements equal and an asset, he could only decide based on the possible benefits they could provide when paired with his first bloodline core, fire. The thing is, they were equal except for Water.

By going the water path, he would stop his weakness towards this element yet at the same time destroy his bonus in fire. It could only lead to hardships. He needed something to boost him only. Earth was out, he did not need it since Oka’s bloodline was Earth-based.

Wind and thunder were both interesting as they could provide good buffing effects though Wind was weak to fire and would lead to a demerit so no. It was down to three: Thunder, Light and Darkness.

But out of them, which should be taken? This was driving Mir crazy. It was a very important point to his future and he needed to choose the right path. Initial stages mean everything, a solid base is what everyone must thrive to get. Now, which solution will give him the best start?

He made up his mind and stocked the five flasks he wouldn’t use. He began drawing strange patterns on his body with the blood from the sixth flask. He also brought out many powerful painkiller pellets. He was already shivering at the thought of the pain to come…

He drank the blood, made the hand signs and the patterns began glowing and entering his core. He ate pellets after pellets until, hours later, every blood writings had disappeared. A strong wave of dark energy was emitted before Mir’s body settled down, and his mind became calm. Then, he passed out. Again.

When he woke up, he took out his hand mirror and looked at his new bloodline core.

CURSED BARBARIC GHOST MINOGOAT BLOODLINE AWAKENED CORE

RANK 1 – 5nd realm

Bio: Cores are the origin of energy. Every being with a core can direct the energy from heaven and earth inside his body, cultivate it and become stronger through this action commonly referred to as cultivation. It is possible to awaken a second core when reaching the first realm and then once every five realms, provided the core balance* is not broken.

Third Core: A core awakened after reaching Rank 1 Realm 5. Can be activated and deactivated at will.

Bloodline Core: A core merged with the bloodline of a different being. Provides a part of the being’s power by extracting its DNA from the bloodline. By activating the bloodline core, body modifications and a change in the emitted energy might be induced.

Balance: DARKNESS ELEMENTAL CORE (4.0)

Cursed Barbaric Ghost MinoGoat bloodline: The activation of this bloodline induces body modifications, an emitted energy change and provides different additional abilities.

Body Modification: Hair growth throughout the body induced. Body Modification: Add-on goat beard. Visual Style Benefit: ‘Respect yourself, a true man wears the beard’ Body Modification: Add-on pair of dark purple goat horns. Special perception enhanced. Body Modification: Muscle Mass expansion. More muscles for more attack power. Emitted Energy Modification: The energy color is turned from neutral to dark for all skills. Visual Style Benefit: ‘Goats are noble and stylish’ Additional Elemental Benefit: 50% more damages when using darkness-elemental skills. Additional Elemental Weakness: 50% weaker to light-related skills. Additional Skill Benefit: Ghost MinoGoat Cursing Stare: Induce Paralysis to weaker opponents.

Status: UNLOCKED

Ghost MinoGoat Phasing: User turns to a ghost and become invulnerable against all elements except light and darkness. Additional 100% weakness to light and darkness attacks. High amount of energy consumed every mili-second.

Status: UNLOCKED

Cursed Barbaric Ghost MinoGoat image summoning: Summoning of a spiritual Cursed Barbaric Ghost MinoGoat in all its glory to help during battle.

Status: LOCKED (strength insufficient)

A goat wasn’t the most incredible animal out there but hey, this was nonetheless a powerful bloodline. As for why he settled on darkness, it is because he believed curses would be a nice asset to his battle power. Light was there to heal but he was in a safe place so it did not matter yet. He was not disappointed by the result. A phasing skill seemed incredible. He had not seen one until now and he watched a genius tournament and many records of elite fighters from the Burning Sea School. It seemed promising. But Mir wouldn’t test it out right here. He put his clothes back on and exited with Oka. The inn owner opened his business back and everything went to how it was, as if nothing ever happened.

Mir and Oka went back to the school and Oka asked him:

“What did you do young boss?

-I gave myself an upgrade. A second bloodline.

-A second? That sounds incredible. You are going to be as strong as you said then.

-I do my best to reach my goal. Since money can’t assure safety, I can only turn to brute strength.

-Brute strength is good.

-Yes, it sure is. Makes everything simpler.”

The next day, they made official their partnership with the Ninth Followers and soon the news became widespread around the Royal Palace School. It reached the ears of many important disciples and factions. After all, the emergence of a new pellet supplier and his affiliation to a different faction was valuable information. This could change the tides of power in the school.

With no interest in rumors, Mir and Oka were doing business as usual in the streets of the third level. Business was booming and they were making points after points. Whatever they wished to get in this school, they most likely would be able to. Only time would be the determining factor.

However, it did not take long before they were bothered by disciples hoping to join the faction that was making heaps of cash. Of course, Mir was having them go away. It is not that he wasn’t going to recruit people but rather, whoever was dumb enough to go disrupt him during business hours was OUT.