1106 Baptism of blood



Surveying the sprawling ruins, Liam tried to situate himself amidst the chaos. 

The surrounding environment was a confounding maze of ancient, crumbling structures and wild overgrowth, making orientation challenging. 

However, he was able to vaguely discern his location and track his movements using some distinctive landmarks scattered throughout the ruins.

As Liam roughly checked, his first assumption indeed turned out to be correct. The chasm was oriented in the same direction.

He decided to head that way and indeed check if this was the same one. Because this would mean that there was one huge crack extending through the ruins. 

Something like that had to be significant?

Since Liam was anyway fishing, he decided to fish along these lines. He flew along the chasm, observing the fissure as it widened and narrowed like a winding river.

He even saw a few soul blood beasts along the way which further strengthened his conjecture.

Liam continued searching through the night, thankfully not encountering any more elves as he was still in the outer region, and finally after a few hours, he once again noticed something odd.

In most places, the chasm that was too narrow became quite wide as it ran under a specific mountain.

It was an imposing mountain, its towering peaks obscured by a veil of mist. The chasm beneath it, ordinarily a mere crack in the ground, broadened into a wide fissure, like the gaping mouth of some monstrous beast. 

It was an unusual sight, the mountain and the chasm appearing as if they were both integral parts of some grand design, meticulously planned and carefully executed.

Looking closer, Liam could see that the chasm didn't just randomly widen; it was as if the mountain itself was slowly but steadily sinking into the ground, causing the earth beneath to crack open and form the large fissure.

Even the nature of the stone where the chasm widened was different. 

The rocks were darker, their surface slick and glossy, as if they had been polished. A faint, eerie glow emanated from the depths of the chasm, painting the dark rocks in shades of pale luminescence.

Liam hovered at the edge of the chasm, peering into the inky blackness below. Despite the eerie glow that seemed to radiate from deep within, he could not discern anything beyond a few feet down.

Liam decided to take a calculated risk. Throwing a cautious glance around, he ensured that no other creature, especially the elves, was in sight.

With one last steadying breath, he then descended into the chasm. 

The only way to know what was inside was to go in and check it out for himself. 

The darkness closed in, and the world around him disappeared, leaving only the eerie luminescence of the chasm walls.

Liam remained vigilant as he delved deeper, and the glow from the chasm walls brightened. Oddly, it was warm to the touch, almost comforting. 

The darkness around him was punctuated by streaks of crimson light, which he realized were the blood essence flowing within the rocks.

Intrigued, Liam extended his hand and gently touched one of the glowing streaks. It was warm and thrummed with potent energy. With a flash of realization, he understood that the glow was from the blood essence itself.

This chasm was not just a random fissure; it was a massive, natural reservoir of blood essence?

A slow smile crept onto Liam's face. This was better than he had hoped for.

He continued his descent, his excitement growing with each passing moment. The farther down he went, the brighter the crimson light became. It was as if he was descending into a river of glowing blood essence, the pulsating energy feeling almost alive.

Suddenly, his feet touched something solid, and he realized he had reached the bottom of the chasm. A small, uneven platform made of the same slick, dark rock served as the base of the chasm. Here, the glow from the blood essence was so intense that it almost felt like daylight.

But what truly caught Liam's attention were the formations scattered around the platform. They were massive crystal formations, each one pulsating with an intense glow. The crystals were of varying sizes, some no larger than his hand, while others towered over him like monoliths.

These were not ordinary crystals. They were Blood Essence Crystals! 

His [Inspect] skill told as much. The skill had upgraded after he followed around Eldrin for a while as the chubby elf collected various small herbs, gems, and essences. However, the elf's haul couldn't come close to what was in front of Liam at the moment.

Swallowing, Liam carefully observed the surroundings. It was clear that this was not an ordinary place but with treasures, there were also dangers. 

And dangers here were beyond his means. 

There was no way he would be able to deal with beasts that were level 500 and above. Unlike the half-baked ones back on Earth, these were the real deal. He would be in trouble if he underestimated them.

Liam looked around hoping that nothing would be there when suddenly a hoarse voice echoed in the space.

"What do we have here? A filthy human being?" The voice reverberated off the walls of the chasm, filling the air with a palpable sense of menace.

Liam stiffened, every instinct screaming at him to flee. But he forced himself to stay calm, to not panic. He could tell that sudden movements would possibly trigger an aggressive response from whatever owned that voice.

The voice seemed to emanate from the very walls of the chasm itself, making it impossible to determine the direction it came from. Liam could only stand his ground, his hand subtly moving towards the hilt of his sword.

He took a deep breath, then raised his voice. "I mean no harm," Liam said, his tone measured and respectful. "I stumbled upon this place by accident and was in awe of its magnificence."

The voice fell silent for a moment, then it echoed again, this time a little softer. "Heh? You just so happen to stumble upon an entire realm? How mighty powerful of you! Ha Ha Ha. Maybe I should signal my descendants to skewer you?"

Liam's face fell but before he could say anything the voice laughed again. "Don't worry, human. I am merely jesting with you. It has been ages since I last had a visitor in this forsaken place."

There was a hint of loneliness in the voice that resonated through the chasm. Liam paused for a moment, taken aback by the unexpected candidness. He cleared his throat, unsure of how to respond.

"My incompetent descendants seem to lack the ability to find this place. So, it is refreshing to have some company, even if it's a human," the voice continued, the previous threat seemingly forgotten.

"I will let you access my inheritance. The path we walk might not be the same but I can see your soul burning with vengeance and determination. That is enough to make you fated."

"In this desolate myriad realms, I will lend you a hand to gain a foothold. With my help, you can wield a power sufficient enough to wreak havoc in the Tirnanog. Make the elven world burn!"

"Huh?" Liam was taken aback. This voice clearly belonged to an elf but he spoke against them?

"Yes, you heard right," the voice chuckled, echoing eerily through the chasm. "I am indeed an elf or was. Once proud, once free. But that was a long time ago. Now, I am but a mere echo of my former self."

"But that doesn't concern you. You seek power and I am willing to give it to you. Tirnanog needs a baptism of blood. You will be my means to teach my lazy offspring a good lesson."

Liam nodded and respectfully bowed. Though he fully did not understand why the elven ancestor or whoever this was, would do such a thing, he was not going to refuse the offer.

But Liam was well aware that there was no such thing as free lunch in this world. Though this seems to be the mere remains of someone once powerful, he did not dare to look down on them.

Perhaps the elf did not expect him to succeed or perhaps the elf did not offer him the full inheritance. Perhaps the elder even expected him to get hunted down by the elves once he got out of there and thereby leading everyone to the inheritance spot finally.

But whatever the reason was, Liam was prepared to accept the deal. 

This was an inheritance of a mystic realm linked to a B-Ranked world and too coveted by beings who were of Level 500 and above.

He would be a fool to not take the risk.

"I will do my best to not disappoint you, elder." He clasped his hands and paid his respects. The next second a loud rumbling sound echoed and one of the solid rock walls began to move.