Scarlet

The wind flowing through my hair feels amazing as I fall down from the balcony of the museum’s second floor while shapeshifting my foot into that of a beast, my shoes vanishing in the process through magic to who knows where before my clawed foot tears into the unsuspecting demon acolyte down below. And without any prior warning, the creature finds itself being stomped into the ground from the combination of my strength and weight being pulled by gravity, it practically folding in two in the process. Then I follow it up by jumping off of the creature to avoid the swinging sword of one of its fomorian guards, who I land on the back of while tearing its throat out.

At the same time, the various blades of blood that I sent flying down just a little bit behind myself strike at the ten fomorians around me, the one I’m on top of collapsing to the ground as I jump off of it.

“You’re getting better at this,” Tar comments, making me grin with pride.

Of course I am. It’s been an entire week since I reached Class II now, and I’ve been training daily with Sylver. Or I guess it’s Collin. Only found out his name yesterday though.

I focus on the various fomorians while activating blood boil and life drain on them all, briefly shapeshifting my foot back to normal and my left arm back into a claw again. Then I rush at the creatures, slowly tearing them all apart one by one without any mercy, finishing each of them within a minute before stretching a little and letting my System messages flow through.

{Level 106 Demon Fomorian defeated. A large EXP penalty has been extracted for killing a creature below your level. A small EXP penalty has been extracted for getting assistance in killing a demon.} x5

{Level 104 Demon Fomorian defeated. A large EXP penalty has been extracted for killing a creature below your level. A small EXP penalty has been extracted for getting assistance in killing a demon.} x2

{Level 105 Demon Fomorian defeated. A large EXP penalty has been extracted for killing a creature below your level. A small EXP penalty has been extracted for getting assistance in killing a demon.} x2

{Level 109 Demon Fomorian defeated. A large EXP penalty has been extracted for killing a creature below your level. A small EXP penalty has been extracted for getting assistance in killing a demon.}

{Level 130 Demon Acolyte defeated. A large EXP bonus is awarded for killing a creature above your level. A small EXP penalty has been extracted for getting assistance in killing a demon.}

{Congrats, you have leveled up to level 126. Three Free Points have been awarded to you and your stats have been updated.}

{One Skill Point is awarded for killing a demon.}

[Skill ‘Metallicized Blood Claws’ has leveled up to level 15.]

Oh? Nice. It’s about time I got that skill back to level fifteen again.

I check the description, only to find that it didn’t change.

Of course it didn’t. It never does anymore.

“I did warn you,” Tar says, sounding smugly amused.

Yeah, yeah, so you did.

Anyways, I focus on my hearing, having it currently limited to about the span of the large park-like museum that this Fracture is in. Just the dome covering it. And what I find almost immediately is the sound of another acolyte slinging fireballs just several dozen meters away, on the other side of this building. So I begin running in that direction, soon turning the corner only to slow down again when I find someone fighting the acolyte and winning. With his own fireballs.

The man looks to be about the same age as me despite being Class II as well, but it’s a little hard to tell considering that he’s facing away from me. Which is a little surprising, but something about him just feels familiar for some reason. He’s wearing a set of armor, mostly red in color, with rings of flames circling his wrists and ankles, along with thicker plates of black armor covering his vital areas. And he is matching the acolyte fireball to fireball while slowly pushing closer to the creature, his fireballs overpowering the creatures, only to suddenly stomp his foot on the ground, sending pillars of flames shooting up in a line out of the ground towards the creature.

The acolyte immediately starts panicking, but it doesn’t manage to do anything to stop the attack before it’s burnt to a crisp with a loud scream of agony.

“That’s not regular fire,” Tar suddenly comments, making my eyes narrow. “That’s hellfire. This man has hellfire magic.”

Wait, isn’t that the same magic that the oni use?

“Yeah, although he won’t have the reality burning aspect of it,” Tar answers, confusing me for a second before he explains, “just like how blood lycans have their unique power to metallicize their blood, oni can use their hellfire to literally burn the realities, or as some people might call them, souls of other people.”

Oh, wow. That’s… gotta hurt.

“Yep,” Tar says, sounding amused by my response.

The man suddenly turns around, and I find it finally clicking as to who he is. Because I do remember finding him when I looked into the ‘children of the Knights.’

Blaze. Otherwise known as Blake Walker.

The son of the Red Knight of Humanity.

He looks surprised when he sees me, despite seemingly having known someone was standing here. Then a look of recognition crosses his face, only for him to appear confused afterwards and shake his head.

I also can’t help but feel like I recognize him from somewhere, but the only Blaze I know is the one who… has been playing Hunter with me…

Nope. Not gonna go there.

“What do you mean?” Tar asks while appearing in the air near me and landing on my shoulder.

I keep a strict policy of separating online game friends from real life friends. Because online games have a tendency to ruin friendships entirely.

Not that I’d consider me and Blaze friends though.

The only real life friends that I play games with are those I'm playing a game directly in the same room with. Where it's not an online role playing game.

Either way, even if Blaze is, well, Blaze, then I’m gonna act like he’s not.

“You’re weird,” Tar says, making me shrug as Blaze walks up to me and says, “Scarlet Asger. Been wanting to meet you for a while now.”

I raise a brow at that before putting my still-shapeshifted hands into my pockets.

“Why?” I ask rather bluntly.

“Because my father wants me to challenge you to a duel when you catch up to me in magic level,” he answers, making me frown. “Daughter of White.”

That has me scowling before I glance at the building to find a security camera that most likely caught that.

Well, looks like the rumor mill online is going to get its confirmation with or without me admitting it to the press.