God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The pungent smell of rotting flesh hit them, causing Susan to gag a bit. Cain frowned,

"The wounds are infected and the tissues are already undergoing necrosis. How are you still alive?!"

Susan agreed, "At this of it, even with a string vitality, you should be dead."

A small smile appeared on Hunter\'s face,

"Well, the Ki Plundering Technique I practice is what has kept me alive all this time. My status screen says I should be dead, but look at me now."

Cain wasn\'t sure if that was meant as a joke. Shaking his head, Cain frowned deeply,

"What Ki Plundering Technique do you practice?"

Although this was supposed to be confidential information, Hunter didn\'t even hesitate,

"It is called the {Beast of Ragnarok Ki Plundering Technique}."

Cain frowned, "Ragnarok?"

Hunter nodded. He winced a little when another layer of his dirty bandages came off, but continued nonetheless,

"According to that bastard, it is a very special Ki Plundering Technique. Its origins are deeply rooted in the history of the Aether. The real Aether..."

Cain couldn\'t help but let out a sigh,

"It is amazing."

Hunter nodded in agreement.

"Still, it isn\'t enough to induce regeneration." Cain was lucky to have a skill like {Draconic Transfiguration}. It took his application of Ki to another level. If not for it, he would have long been rendered an invalid. Thanks to his marvelous regenerative abilities, he was already recovering so fast. He figured he would regain his ability to use his mana very soon.

As a vital energy source, Ki had the latent effect of boosting preventative abilities. However, it wasn\'t very prominent and obvious without a skill or spell to boost this property.

However, Hunter shook his head, "No. I do have a skill that allows me to regenerate lost limbs and broken bones quickly."

Cain scratched his head, "Then why don\'t you do that?"

Hunter smiled grimly, "Because I foolishly thought I\'d be able to take that bastard on. That Demon..."

"Are you talking about Angel?" Although Cain couldn\'t associate the word angel with such a terrifying and malignant creature, that was the name he had heard the beast ladies call him.

Cain and Susan had finally undid all the bandages. Taking a deeper look at the wounds, they were able to judge Hunter\'s current condition.

Judging by the heavy frown creasing Susan\'s eyebrows, he could tell she didn\'t believe one bit that Hunter could be saved.

"Angel? Haha. That thing is no angel. Although I\'d like to call him a devil, he is something different. His name... is Stingè."

Cain\'s busy hands stopped...

"Could you repeat that?" Cain said, his eyes wide from shock.

Hunter looked at his with a confused expression but repeated his words. Cain fell silent...

Ignoring the inquisitive looks on the faces of Susan and Hunter, he pulled a set of dual short blades from his inventory...

***

{Hand of Stingè}:

Description: Blood flows from everything Stingè touches. To appease his mother, Leonis, the Blood Dragon, Stingè offers the freshly drained blood of his victims to his mother, but is brutally cast aside and rejected. As such, he grows resentful...

{Hand of Stingè}: (Deadly)

Strength: 40.

Agility: 150.

Defense: -40.

Control: 2.0

Weight: 30.

Durability: 300/300.

Skills: Lacerate, Flurry, Blood Restitution, Hand of Stingè.

{Lacerate}(passive): The Hand of Stinger draws blood violently. Increases the amount of blood when the user delivers a cut successfully.

{Flurry}(passive): These light blades are swift and deadly. Attack speed increases by 30% when in use.

{Blood Restitution)(passive): Absorbs the blood energy of a dying victim and grants it to the user, healing wounds and cleansing fatigue.

{Hand of Stingè}(passive): Stingè\'s place is on the battlefield. He was born to kill by the sword, and then, die by its edge. However, as the perfect spawn of the battlefield, death is nothing but a non-existent privilege. The more enemies slain, the deeper the bloodlust.

***

Cain read through the description of the weapon, a strange look on his face. Then he turned to Hunter,

"What did you say was the name of the Blood Dragon again?"

Hunter wore a frown as he answered,

"Leonis."

Cain scratched his head, "Well, I\'ll be damned..."

\'What is going on?\'

"Are you sure that is the name of that... thing?"

When Hunter nodded his affirmation, Cain couldn\'t help but scowl.

"What\'s the problem?" Susan asked.

Cain shrugged and gave her the blades,

"See for yourself."

A few seconds later, she also had a confused look on her face. However, the confusion drained quickly as her mind spun,

"Come to think of it, have you ever questioned where the weapons, armor, tools... that the system gives come from?"

Cain shook his head.

"I have questioned where the items sold in the shop come from. However, the items given by the system are a reward. Maybe they are generated by the system." Hunter chimed in.

Susan\'s beautiful brown eyes twinkled with intelligence as she spun a theory in her head,

"That might be so. However, that still doesn\'t answer the question. Yes, they come from the system. But from what we know, the system isn\'t something that breaks all foundational laws. In fact, it is quite reasonable when it comes to things like this."

Cain raised an eyebrow, "Are you suggesting..."

Susan shrugged, "It is merely a theory. However, I think it shouldn\'t be too far from the truth."

Cain was interested...

Cleaning her throat, Susan began,

"I think this also answers the question of how the system acquires the things it sells in exchange for system points. This includes information as well."

Susan paused, her eyes peering at the young men listening to her with rapt attention,

"A shop must get its supply from somewhere. I think the system shop gets its goods and services... from us."

Cain\'s eyes twitched,

"That... seems like a far stretch, doesn\'t it?"

Susan shook her head, "I think that Demon is the one who created your weapon, Cain. Then perhaps it sold it to the system for one reason or the other."

"Are you telling me you think we can sell things to the system? I have to agree with Cain, I\'m afraid." Hunter said with an awkward smile.

A bright smile appeared on Susan\'s face,

"In that case, let\'s consult the system directly..."

Cain couldn\'t help but hesitate, "What if it asks for an absurd number of system points? Or it just says it isn\'t information we are privy to?"

Susan shrugged, "Wouldn\'t hurt to ask, would it?"

\'System, do you really have an exchange system in place?\'

{Replying to host: Affirmative... However, the host is not privy to any more information until he reaches the First Tier}.

Cain couldn\'t help the shock that blossomed in his heart...

He turned to look at Susan, a new emotion in his eyes. He had severely underestimated this girl. She had been able to come up with the correct conclusion with so little information to work within such a short time frame...

Cain believed that the two best things to have were a smart ally and a foolish enemy.

"Incredible..."

Feeling his burning gaze on her, Susan shifted uncomfortably where she sat, a slight blush forming on her face. Clearing her throat, she huffed,

"I told you? Don\'t doubt me again."

Cain chuckled, "Noted."

Meanwhile, Hunter who had been sidelined couldn\'t help but let out a resentful sigh. Cain cleared his throat,

"If that is the case, then that explains a lot."

\'From the description, it says he collects the blood of his victims. Hunter didn\'t mention anything about this.\'

When he questioned Hunter further, Cain was able to form a clearer picture. Although Hunter didn\'t know much, he had managed to gather a decent amount of intel during his stay at the Lair of Leonis, The Blood Dragon.

"Hmm..."

According to Hunter, his collecting preferences over the years had changed. His mother didn\'t need blood anymore. Right now, what she wanted to do... was eat.

And unfortunately for Hunter and the rest of the men, her favorite food was them...

\'So they were turned into cattle...\'

Cain knew that mutant and Aether beasts ate humans as well as each other. He had once read in a book that the Dragons of old that existed on Urbus a long time ago also partook in this feasting on human flesh. However, it was the other way around.

Back then, the male Dragons collected young virgins. They would then proceed to defile them before they consumed them. It was indeed a terrible fate for a young lady to meet such an end.

In this case, the men were the ones who were captured and devoured by the female Dragon.

However, he had also received a very vital piece of information from Hunter. Apparently, the Blood Dragon was most likely dead. According to Hunter, he believed that Stingè, consumed by the reality of his mother\'s passing, had descended into madness.

As such, he had decided to put down his mantle as a warrior and had begun gathering offerings for his mother so she could awaken from her eternal slumber.

Cain thought it was quite sad...

Terrifying, but sad nonetheless...

\'How can a Dragon even give birth to something like that?!\'

Susan patted his shoulder, bringing him back to reality,

"Let us focus on what is important for now."

Cain let out a sigh and then brought his attention back to Hunter, who had a flaccid look on his face.

Cain took a deep breath as he felt his {Mana Heart} become revived once more. He was finally healed up...

His left eye immediately took on a beautiful shine as the black disappeared and was replaced with just the whites that had numerous runes swimming inside them.

He then placed his hands on Hunter, who shut his eyes as soon as they made contact. Although he was happy that Cain was willing to try, he still believed there was no saving him. However, he was in for the shock of a lifetime...

Cain\'s eyes suddenly turned blood red as he let a few words escape under his breath,

"Vault, Open..."