Pillars about as huge as a second story building scattered across the area. The windows led a stream of opaque light as it tried to illuminate the dimly lit dungeon. Because of that, two silhouettes could be seen. One was seated on a chair with two armrests while the other knelt on one knee.

"Your highness, your subject. Riven Windseeker reports." The man solemnly said. His head still hung low. Not daring to look at the person seated on the seat with the same eye level.

"Hmm, Windseeker, Huh? Continue." The person seated on the chair referred to as 'Your Highness', tread through his beard as he calmly glanced at Riven.

"Yes!" Riven suddenly stood up as he formed an attention stance, all the way while shouting affirmatively.

"Is this about Riche?" The man said. His voice carried a hint of longing on it.

"Yes! Third Princess' caravan is expected to arrive in the city gates tomorrow at dusk. " Riven solemnly said. In response, the man seated on the seat, whose figure cannot be clearly seen emanated a threatening aura. It was then that Riven startled and continued.

"We chose to use the safest route around the Legendia Plains to avoid bandits bases, and so. Instead of arriving this afternoon, the caravan will arrive tomorrow." Riven hastily said as if he knew what the king would ask. After hearing this, the king instantly retracted his suppressing aura and suddenly flicked his wrist.

With that, a pale blue trace of light shot off towards Riven before momentarily stopping before hitting his face.

"Hmm, Riven Windseeker. I'll entrust you the safety of my daughter, wield this Mist Vessel and protect them from any bandit groups, and remember! Kill all you found to be bandits! The safety of my daughter is the highest priority! Protect her as you will with your life." The king suddenly stood up, due to the opaque light striking his face, it could now be clearly seen.

Currently, the king's face was grim as he shouted. Wrinkles wretched his face that he looked horrendous and his figure was as thin as a rotten skeleton. Making him look like a monster that just came out from its grave. However, the threatening aura that he emanated earlier was clear proof about his own power.

Though he looked horrifying, no one would joke about him in any situations. This king was after all, a middle layer Sage. Inside this kingdom, no one would be able to defeat him except for those hidden experts.

In this world, there were two cultivation methods that existed, first was internal cultivation. This type of cultivation would need constant absorption of the energies of the heaven and earth, and constant enlightenment about the heavens path.

The second one was external cultivation. This type of cultivation was chosen by those people who had low talent in internal cultivation. This method relied on strengthening the fleshly body. However, this type of cultivation method is regarded to be extremely mediocre.

Internal cultivation stages were divided as follows. 'Qi Profound Realm'. 'Spirit Profound Realm'. 'Foundation Profound Realm.' 'Soul Profound Realm.' 'Sage Profound Realm.' 'Emperor Profound Realm.' 'Great Emperor Profound Realm'. 'Saint Profound Realm'. And lastly, 'Divine Profound Realm'.

External cultivation stages were divided as follows 'Houtian Realm'. 'Xiantian Realm'. 'Wugongdao Realm'. And lastly, 'Yiguandao Realm'.

A Houtian external cultivation expert was comparable to a 'Spirit Profound Realm' magus practitioner. 'Xiantian Realm'. to 'Foundation Profound Realm'. 'Wugongdao Realm'. to 'Soul Profound Realm' while the last realm 'Yiguandao Realm' was comparable to a 'Sage Profound Realm' magus practitioner.

All of the cultivation realms where divided to Initial Layer, Middle Layer, Last Layer.

Riven eyes stared unblinking at the small sword hovering before him. His eyes reddened as he almost teared up. The King really trusted him to the point that he even handed him a Mist Vessel!

One must know that to create Mist Vessels, one must at least be a Grandmaster in inscription techniques, because of that strict condition, Mist Vessels were extremely rare in the kingdom, and they were even rarely be deployed in wars since if the enemy found their way towards a mist vessel and pillaged it. That would be equivalent to giving their enemies a fine quality gift for them to win the war.

Therefor, they were only given if the security of the king was threatened by external forces or if a civil war is acting up. Due to the mysteries contained in the Mist Vessels. They were perfect intermediaries in showing one's prowess.

Hovering in front of him was the small sword covered with different kinds of profound inscriptions. The carvings would occasionally pulse like heartbeat and emanate a terrifying pressing aura.

Seeing this, Riven made up his mind to swiftly and perfectly complete the king's task to him!

Riven opened his palm of which the small sword landed on it. He then tightly clutched as if he was unwilling to let go of it all day. With a dignified visage, Riven stood up, saluted to the king while shouting. "This subject, expresses his profound thanks!" Riven clasped his hands together in a heartfelt expression.

He was extremely thankful to the king for bestowing him a Mist Vessel. With this new weapon, Riven's strength would surge to a whole new level! And this specific Mist Vessel was even personalized as a wind element type! The element where Riven excelled in. One could say that this Mist Vessel was specifically tailored for him!

"Hmm, Good, good. You are now dismissed." The king waved his hand as a smile emerged on his face. The wrinkles surrounding his visage distorted, making him even more horrendous. However, to Riven. This smile looked like the heavens had descended and the god itself smiled to him! And so, without any words, Riven stood up and turned his back to the king.

Plastered on his face was an ecstatic smile and a new resolve.

...

The man before John went limp. John could only stare in a daze as he saw the purple spike stuck on the man's chest. 'Fuck! Did I hasten this guy's death?!' John felt regret, a regret that could not be returned for no medicine of regret existed in this world.

With that, John could only recall the purple spike. The remaining unused purple spikes revolved around him in an orbit. With an intent from John. The purple spikes dissolved into the previous purple blood and shot off towards his navel. There, the empty blood pool became half filled with a purple blood.

With a long lasting sigh, John could only move his hand and closed the widened eyes of the man. He didn't absorb the blood from the man nor steal any goods inside this carriage, John only leaped outside and glanced at the area. There, he once again found the strangeness of the scene.

The elite knights that fetched the Third Princess must have numbered to at least twenty knights, however. Only one knight remained here and with grievous wounds. After witnessing those bandits ruthless methods in killing. John wondered. 'If those bandits' aim was to snatch the Third Princess from these elite knights, judging from the strength of those knights, there should be signs of struggle in the surrounding area. Yet there were none. Strange...'

Glancing around the area, if those bandits and knights clashed here, there should be uprooted trees and disturbed soils forming craters around the area, however. There were no signs of struggle. With the exception of the dead knight inside, it seemed that the remaining knights disappeared to thin air.

As John wondered about the facts. A whistling sound suddenly came from the direction in front of him. His ears twitched as he leaped to the nearby shrubs and hid.

A green light descended followed by a wind tempest that knocked the surrounding dust to the sky. Because of this, John's line of sight was blocked and he wasn't able to see the person that just descended.

After about a moment of waiting. The dust finally settled and the wind tempest disappeared, Now. John could clearly see the figure that descended.

It was a middle aged man wearing a full scarlet red armor. On his waist was a small sword sheathed, Just glancing at the small sword alone made John feel a nauseating feeling assaulting his mind.

John could not clearly hear the words of the man as he mumbled. However, it was clear in his expression that he descended into a fury. He entered the carriage that John just entered. As he entered that carriage, John's forehead became drenched with sticky sweat.

He had did his best to extinguish his presence. However, this was the first time that John mimicked the actions of the light novel that he had read, and so. John was quite nervous that he even chose to utilize half of the already half blood pool to create a barrier according to his intent.

John's body was pulsing with a purple red light. Inside this shell of purple red light. John wasn't able to disturb the surrounding area that even if he leaped towards another shrub in an obvious manner, the man inside may not even be able to detect him.

But John didn't gamble with this and decided to hold his breath, praying that the man with that terrifying presence would not detect him.

After a moment of waiting, the man wore a dignified expression as he carried a corpse on his back. That same corpse was the man that John accidentally killed. The man struck the ground with his fist. Shockwaves shook the area as a crater about the size of his own fist appeared, the man repeatedly did this until the crater was about six feet deep.

With that, the man threw the corpse inside that hole and buried him deep. He mumbled words that John could faintly hear.

"Pahuway, akong amigo." John didn't understand this but concluded that this may be this world's equivalent to rest in peace in his world.

After a long lasting sigh. The man finally stood up as a flash of cold light momentarily appeared in his eyes. He glanced towards the north as a green light enshrouded his feet. 'Hmm, that must be the wind element.'

The man grumbled as a wind tempest revolved around his body as it shot off towards the north. Left on his wake were disordered small trees and uprooted small plants.

After that, John finally heaved a sigh of relief as he retracted his blood barrier. Looking towards the north. John deduced that, that previous man must've deduced the bandit group that snatched the Third Princess despite the myriads of bandit groups that situated in this area.

And so, without further ado. John decided to follow the man. He also wanted to save the Third Princess. Though the time that he had together with Lamia was short, John felt alive with her, and he could feel an extremely warm feeling surging up in his chest with every moment that John was near her.

With an intent of his mind, John imagined a pair of boots that covered his feet. On the sides of the boots were two wings that would flap.

In response, the blood pool inside his navel rumbled as a purple blood fluid shot off and revolved around his feet. Turning into that boots that John had imagined.

John revealed a satisfied smile, however. It also contained regret. Now that the purple blood had took form and was now used, John couldn't reabsorb it again and he would need to kill wolves again.

The remaining blood inside his blood pool was barely enough to create the previous barrier that he conjured. However, due to the lack of blood. The materialized barrier would be much weaker than the previous.

John didn't hesitate as a purple red light faintly enshrouded his body. This weakened barrier would be enough to extinguish sixty percent of his presence. With that, John finally flew towards the north as the wings strapped on his boots unceasingly flapped and propelled him to his desired direction.

...

After about travelling for about thirty minutes, Riven finally arrived in his desired direction. However, he also frowned his eyebrows as he detected a presence of a third party moving towards him from behind.

Riven willed it and his sense retracted to his body and covered a three hundred meter area from behind him. However, he was unable to detect anyone. But his instincts had repeatedly said that someone was there shooting towards him. Because of these, conflicting ideas appeared in his mind.

Riven immediately dispelled that. If the approaching party was an enemy, he would just need to obliterate it. And if it was a friendly party. Then Riven would glad to have them as he would also fall in a hard situation with these experts inside the bandit castle. With friendly help, and with another expert. Riven would be able to hasten the resolution this problem and bring back the Third Princess.

Riven sighed. Though he was quite confident in him winning. He was also worried about the Third Princess' well being. Earlier, he had tried to cover the whole bandit castle with his sense but was blocked by an external power. Meaning, the hidden expert with those bandits must be at least at the same realm as him.

One must know that Riven's current cultivation was a 'Foundation Profound Realm'. And only those with the same cultivation or higher would be able to block another experts Divine Sense.

It was as this moment that a whistling sound appeared before Riven. With constricted pupils. Riven startled as he moved his floating body sideways. In his previous position. A cold light flashed by. But before it could descend back to the ground. Riven circulated his Mana to his hand and clutched the passing arrow.

As expected, poisoned arrows. Riven murmured in his mind. As anger flashed on his outside appearance. With that, Riven unsheathed the small sword he plunged downwards!

~Bam!!

A terrifying explosion occurred followed by resounding miserable shrieks. On the ground, Riven had already cleaved several wind blades in all directions. The terrifying sword aura had sliced apart the bodies of the unlucky archers struck by the wind blades while the other trees were uprooted and sliced in halves.

"Enemy Attack!!!!" A shout came from a bandit before being drowned in a miserable cry. His body went limp and fell on the ground lifelessly.

After that shout, several bells rang in succession around the bandit castle, signifying the attack of an external force that threatened the annihilation of the whole group. A red alert warning!

With that, the bandits roused up and even those who were drawn to carnal pleasures stood up and came in forward. Those sleeping were shocked awake as they also moved to block the external force. Because of that, the whole bandit group's area shook as tens of thousands of arrow suddenly rained upon Riven's vicinity as if they had already deduced his position.

A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he raised his small sword up in the air. His mana circulated to the maximum as the inscription patters carved on the small sword unceasingly emanated shrill sounds. These shrill sounds filled the air as green light infinitely covered the small sword.

"Avatar, resurface!" Riven howled as a terrifying presence suddenly descended. The power of the Mist Vessel poured as a wind hurricane suddenly appeared on the air over Riven. The raining arrows were stopped as it entered the hurricane.

The arrows that entered the hurricane turned alongside the wind. The kicked up dusts, the uprooted trees, and the small rocks became part of the wind hurricane.

The hearts of the witnessing bandits shook as they endlessly trembled. "M-monster..." Reflected in their fear filled eyes was a giant figure of a woman donning a green robe. The woman held her hand parallel to each other. Between the parallel hands was the wind hurricane that ravaged the whole area.

On the forehead of the woman was an ancient character carving for 'Mist Vessel'.

The true power of a Mist Vessel was shown! Followed by a raging howl. Riven threw the wind hurricane towards the bandit castle!!!