Duality of Shadows

When Langrum woke up, she found herself inside a round stone structure. She stood up bewildered and touched the walls, realizing they were pure earth runes, not something natural.

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A pungent smell entered her nostrils, cutting through her thoughts, and her stomach immediately growled. They had been in the desert for seven days, and she hadn’t eaten once, only sleeping today after a long time.

Soon, hunger took over her, and she turned towards a single illuminated entrance in the middle of that extremely dark and enclosed place. After a step, she felt kicking something, and a muffled groan was heard. Her face contorted; it was Almin.

’This trash, I’ve heard so many stories about this young master. Who would have imagined he was this pathetic...’ Langrum just made a detour, and she came very close to kicking Almin again, who was unconscious and would stay there for quite some time.

It was as Alm and Bruno imagined; even as a child in his small hometown, Almin showed a malicious inclination. When Old Dyen wanted to recruit him, his test was something typical of a wicked cultivator. Almin had no qualms about setting fire to and killing his entire hometown. If Alm knew, it would be extremely strange, as the method used was poisoning everyone, the same he had suggested in the Divinestone clan.

The only survivors were about twenty young women. The sinister reason behind this was obvious; they all became slaves and furnaces. Within the sect, Almin did whatever he pleased, of course, only with the weaker ones.

Unlike Alm and Bruno, who had no interest, Langrum was smart enough to gather information about the dangers closer to a newly arrived disciple. And young master Almin was a red flag for everyone.

Right after Langrum left the structure, it was a bright day, and the sky was clear. Very close by, a mountain of meat was spread on top of a giant rock. That was a beast they killed on the second day, and near the base of the rock, Ruri was focused on manipulating various fire runes.

’How... first some strange power, then earth laws, now fire laws? How many talents does this little girl have? Is she even human?’ Langrum thought in extreme shock.

Of course, she didn’t know about the array. Bruno took advantage of Almin being unconscious and released the array a bit, absorbing all his fire laws. Ruri was practicing fire laws by cooking that mountain of meat with them. Almin, due to having little life energy, took much longer to recover than usual; he wasn’t useful even for that when they needed him.

Langrum took light and hungry steps toward Ruri; if that whale were there, she wouldn’t dare. But with Ruri, she had no fear. When she was very close, Ruri turned around with a smile.

"There. I’ve separated ours." Ruri murmured, pointing to a spot ahead and turning back to her work.

Langrum saw two plates, two large pieces of the beast’s tail. She then got curious and asked, "Why are you cooking everything? It doesn’t make sense to go through all this trouble."

"Hm? It’s for master; he’s quite hungry too." Ruri replied without much emotion.

Langrum didn’t believe it. "What? He’s a whale, almost non-human; it’s impossible to eat this mountain of meat. Is this going to be divided for a week?"

Ruri just gave a slight smile, responding, "This is just... the second course..."

Then Langrum heard a thunderous belch in shock; it sounded like it came from a hungry demonic beast. She turned to a point on the opposite side of the structure. There, her jaw dropped... The giant whale rose from the midst of a mountain of dry bones.

’Was that the crocodile from the first day?’ Langrum couldn’t believe it.

So, the whale, seemingly in a deep trance, quickly advanced towards them. Langrum instinctively took several steps back. Then, a soft voice echoed.

"It’s ready, master! Right on time." Ruri stood up and turned to the whale, speaking.

Then, with a leap, the whale, in a frenzy, jumped onto the mountain of meat. Only the sound of flesh being torn was heard, making Langrum almost fall backward.

***

A few days passed, and the group remained in the same place, using the structure as a safe and quiet base. Everything was built using earth laws by Alm and Bruno, who created it at the cost of a lot of Qi. Then two new houses with several meters were built.

They wanted to focus on practicing forging in one of them while the other would serve as a secure residence for Ruri to cultivate without worries. The third one covered a large crater, protecting against sandstorms.

Inside the crater, there was a wide area thirty meters deep filled with tons of raw ore. It was terrestrial black iron, a metal of considerable hardness, though not widely used.

Its main application lay in armor, as its quality was not very suitable for weapons. However, the use of armor was not very common, as it compromised mobility. In most people’s view, speed always prevailed over protection, especially when the ability to escape was crucial.

When Almin finally recovered, Leader Goku gathered the group and informed them that they would stay in the location for the next twenty days. After that, they would have to return to the sect and undergo the new monthly test, which was mandatory for disciples.

Almin showed a smile as if he had reached paradise, believing he would be free from torture for a while. However, his happiness was short-lived.

Alm was determined to practice forging, which required working with the mineral, and fire was an essential component. Thus, Almin was subjected to an even more rigorous cycle of training.

Before, he only needed to use fire in the most powerful way possible. Now, the whale had become incredibly demanding, forcing him to create small fire runes in the most concentrated and dense way possible. It was a process tens of times more challenging and meticulous than simply unleashing all the power at once.

In the first attempt, he made the rune explode quickly. It was then that he discovered the purpose of the large, closed construction with only one entrance. The fire was contained inside, causing damage only to him. Although he didn’t hurt himself too much, he still suffered painful injuries.

He would faint from his injuries with each explosion, only to be forcibly awakened a few minutes later.

"As long as you have Qi, you’ll make the runes, or you’ll die trying," Alm said without any mercy.

So, hundreds of attempts followed until he achieved something minimally acceptable.

Langrum was forcibly promoted to be a miner. However, while inside the cave, attacking and collecting minerals, she realized that their hardness was no joke. Quickly, it became intense training; strength alone was not enough. Technique and precision were necessary. She would rather die than admit it, but after a few days, that training proved to be incredibly beneficial.

Ruri, despite her lack of willingness, focused solely on improving her weapon techniques. The frustration of not being able to cultivate herself was intense.

Days passed, and Alm and Bruno didn’t have a hammer, a decent forge, or even a suitable flame. However, the desire to practice was intense. Soon, they discovered that the Forge God’s Dao they bought from the system was completely different from anything they had ever seen in the art of forging.

In the first fifteen days, they studied and practiced that Dao slowly; it contained a lot of information and details, and the best way to incorporate it was to practice immediately.

Soon, it was as if a forge god who had lived and practiced for thousands of years had reincarnated into the universe again. They knew perfectly how to work with metal, where to strike, and how to mold it. Then, some strange and detailed information led them to manipulate Qi and sculpt something they had no idea about its utility, called a ’rune seal.’

That was the most challenging part and required an extreme level of concentration and precision. Anyone else would find it impossible, and it would take thousands of years of practice. But, the level of detail from the system and their experience with Qi was abnormal. Yes, if it was just experience, then Alm and Bruno truly had tens of thousands of years of it.

After dozens of attempts, success came. The first thing they managed to forge was a rustic and black armor. Then they discovered the most frightening aspect of the Forge God’s Dao:

The so-called ’rune seals’ began to resonate with the laws of the world. They immediately understood the use of it, with information flowing into their minds.

Alm then commented, "This runic seal... it has its own Qi even without having a spirit..."

"That... it’s like it replicates another type of Dao within itself!" Bruno analyzed, astonished, giving a name from his knowledge of the earth. "They are aspects... no! Enchantment abilities!"