Chapter 118: Chapter 95: Death of a Knight

The Demon Hunter Law.

It was not an extension of the Second Law, like the Wizard Law, but a purely man-made Third Law.

It was said that the Law was created long before the first War of Faith, dating back to the era of the Emperor of Fear.

In those days, the sky did not yet have two moons. There was only one nation on the entire Continent, Prole, and the most widely followed faith was the Withered Church.

The origin of Demon Hunters lies in a chaotic trial. After Alchemists hunted the Beasts that appeared in the fog, they discovered the terrifying power contained within Beast Blood.

They mixed the Beast Blood with various Herbs and had death row inmates drink the concoctions. Out of ten thousand, only one survived.

The one who survived became the very first Demon Hunter.

As is common knowledge, the Demon Hunter profession is divided into two factions based on their methods of promotion and combat: the Silver Faction and the Beast Faction.

In terms of combat, a typical example is the Silver Demon Hunter, who centers their abilities around the "Three Command Spells" and "Alchemy Circuit Enhancement."

Beast Hunters, on the other hand, are like Bill was. Their core ability is the physical transformation into a beastly form. They also have runes on the backs of their hands, but these are "Brandings," not "Command Spells."

As for promotion ceremonies, Silver Demon Hunters typically carry a "Book of Sin" to record the Beasts and Demons they have slain and to collect their blood. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Then, during the promotion ceremony, they use the blood of the monsters they’ve personally killed, along with various Herbs, following formulas from the Book of Sin to create a Magic Potion tailored to their specific path of enhancement.

After drinking the Magic Potion, they must fully digest it by undergoing a Promotion Trial specifically designed by the Hunter Association. Surviving the trial completes their advancement.

As for the Beast Faction’s Brand Promotion, it is far less understood. However, it is certain that their promotion ceremony involves the participation of both Demons and Beasts.

In fact, one could say their need for Demons and Beasts is much greater than that of the Silver Faction.

This is because a Beast Hunter’s promotion is directly tied to the body parts that can undergo Beastification. The location of these parts is random, but the greater the area they cover, the higher the Tier.

Covering the entire body signifies reaching the Silver Tier.

It’s worth noting here that the Beast Faction’s Beastification and the Contractual Assimilation that Contract Knights gain at the Bronze and Silver Tiers are two completely different things.

A Beast Hunter’s Beastification depends on strengthening functional parts corresponding to the various Demons and Beasts they choose.

These can be arranged in any combination.

For example, the arms could come from a Demon, while the legs come from a Beast, and the torso could be from a specific subtype of Beast or Demon.

As long as one can endure the rejection between incompatible parts, they can be mixed and matched freely, with each Branding corresponding to a specific bestialized part.

This is also why, despite all being part of the Beast Faction, they can be further subdivided into various enhancement sects like the Wolf Sect, Snake Sect, and Vulture Sect.

In contrast, the Contractual Assimilation that Contract Knights gain starting from the Bronze Tier is different.

Although it also manifests as a partial Beastification of the body, the direction of this transformation is limited solely to their "contracted entity."

For instance, if a Knight has a contract with a Griffin, using Contractual Assimilation might manifest as temporarily sprouting Griffin wings, their hands turning into Griffin talons, or their head transforming into that of a Griffin.

Furthermore, as their Tier increases, upon reaching the Silver Tier, a Contract Knight can use complete Contractual Assimilation to fully transform into their contracted entity.

If one were to summarize the Beastification of Beast Hunters and the Contractual Assimilation of Contract Knights in a single sentence:

One is a custom-built hodgepodge of creatures and demons, while the other is a history of self-modification through assimilation with a single being.

As for the Blood Faction... Baron recalled his time in the Prole Library, where he had tried to subtly probe Zod and Maguire, only to discover that neither of them knew this faction of Demon Hunters even existed.

This was why he still didn’t dare reveal his own Demon Hunter faction.

If nobody knew of it, it was an unknown.

And an unknown, more often than not, meant danger.

And so Baron, a distinguished Dragon Knight and Blood Demon Hunter, still had no profession he could openly claim.

...

A Feasibility Study on the Bronze Ceremony for the Promotion of Blood Demon Hunters?

Baron’s spirits lifted, and he hurriedly flipped to the next page of the Traveler’s Journal.

Bronze Ceremony: Drink the blood of a Werewolf, hunt a member of the Silver Blood Race, absorb their blood...

Baron’s gaze shifted down, only to find nothing followed.

’Absorb their blood... and then what? That’s it?’

He frantically flipped through the following pages. Just like the one in Mundra, the rest were blank.

But the one from Mundra was better; at least it had left behind a Demon Hunter’s Lawbook and the blood of a High Tier Blood Race needed to join the Blood Faction.

This one just cut off right at the beginning.

’Did the author learn this trick from some cheap serial novel?’

Baron froze, then, as if realizing something, his Gentiana Pattern Ring flashed. The Traveler’s Journal from Mundra appeared in his hand.

He opened both Traveler’s Journals to their blank pages. But before he could drip blood on them as he had imagined,

a faint fluorescent glow emerged from both journals. The blank pages then began to turn on their own, though there was no wind.

Before Baron could understand what was happening, the two journals floated together, overlapping and slowly merging into one!

It was like two pools of water flowing into each other!

Baron watched this scene with shock and uncertainty. His mind wasn’t filled with the joy of discovering the journals were compatible, but with an unknown, bone-chilling fear that felt like ice forming in his veins.

’A coincidence... This is too much of a damn coincidence.’

’Why was the order Mundra, then Fude City? Why were the methods for a Blood Demon Hunter’s entry and promotion placed in these two cities specifically? If I hadn’t come to Fude City, would that mean I would never have found the way to advance as a Blood Demon Hunter?’

"But I did come to Fude City in the end, and I found this Traveler’s Journal in the Blood Church... It’s too strange."

"Or... is this my ’golden finger’? Otherwise, how do you explain all the coincidences that have happened since I broke out of prison?"

"Could it be the Dream Master? No, I have to go into the dream tonight and ask the Shepherdess about this properly."

Baron grew vigilant.

After all, in a world of the supernatural, it was never wrong to be a little paranoid.

Just then, the library door moved. Someone was coming. Baron quickly put the merged Traveler’s Journal into his ring.

The newcomer had fiery red hair and wore a Hunting Outfit that gave her a sharp, heroic air. It was Yalilan.

Following behind her was Andre, his face wrapped in bandages.

Just this morning, he had been lying on the ground receiving Magic Card treatment from the Wizards, but now he was already walking normally. The recovery abilities of a Demon Hunter were truly astonishing.

Baron was about to ask Yalilan why she was here when she spoke first. "Gray is dead."