A few minutes later, Red walked out wearing the black uniform. Just as Frida had said, there was indeed something special about these clothes - they adjusted their size to fit him like magic. It shocked the boy when he saw it.

Frida smiled once she saw him walk out. “I’m glad to see it fits you.”

“Thanks.” Red didn’t know if she was being serious.

He thought these clothes would be too tight to walk in once they were magically adjusted, but he couldn’t be more wrong. Not only were they comfortable to the touch, but Red couldn’t feel any tightness once he bent his limbs. It was a wonder of crafting. Both utility and comfort combined into one uniform.

‘No wonder it costs so much.’

Frida watched Red test his movements with the uniform. “You know, size-altering is not the only thing those clothes do.”

The boy looked up. She piqued his interest.

“Here.” she handed him a sharp knife. “Try to cut it.”

Red nodded with eagerness and gripped the item, about to stab down at his own covered arm.

Eiwin grabbed his arm in a hurry. “Not like that! The uniform is strong, but it’s not invincible!”

The boy was disappointed, but he followed her instructions. He grabbed his long sleeve and tried to cut the fabric with the knife. To his surprise, the cloth didn’t show any signs of damage, even after Red put a considerable amount of strength behind the weapon.

Frida spoke up. “As you can see, the uniform is as strong as leather armor, while being many times lighter. It can protect you from most cuts in combat, but as Eiwin mentioned, it’s not impenetrable. It would still struggle to block an arrow and it doesn’t block blunt force. In the end, this is more suited for people who are quick on their feet in combat and value free movement above all else.”

‘So that is why not everyone was using a uniform.’

Indeed, the only people Red saw using similar clothing in the sect were Eiwin, Allen, and Hector. Rog and Narcha, for instance, preferred actual armor to this type of light clothing.

“Thank you, Madam Frida. This is a fantastic product as always.” Eiwin thanked the woman in Red’s stead. “However, we still need to discuss your request.”

“You need not mention it, dear Eiwin.” Frida shook her head. “I’ve been informed about what’s happening in the forest. I trust in you above all else. If there is reason to think that wandering around the forest in search of my lost goods could be dangerous, then I would never want you to risk it.”

“I appreciate your trust, Madam Frida, but we still need to pay for the uniform.” Eiwin didn’t look comfortable, even with the older woman’s assurance.

“If my items are still there when the forest is safer, I would appreciate it if you could recover them. If they’re not, let’s just say you owe me a favor. How does that sound?”

“… Very well.” although Eiwin still had her reservations, she knew this was the most workable arrangement.

“Maybe I’ll even ask little Red to craft me something.” Frida looked at Red. “You’ve been learning how to make things too, right?”

The boy was taken aback. “Mostly weapons…”

She laughed. “That’s fine too. I’m in need of a new dagger.”

With such promises of payment, the group bid Frida farewell and left the store. Red, equipped with his new uniform, was immediately thrust into the crowded town again. His crimson sense continued to flare, but the boy did his best to fight it off.

…

Eventually, the trio arrived back at the sect, and Red went to Goulth’s workshop to have his lessons.

“You have a new uniform, huh?” the blacksmith frowned as he saw his new get-up.

Red nodded, noticing the strange expression on his master’s face.

“… Do you have an issue with Frida?” the boy gathered his courage and asked.

“Bah, issue?!” Goulth looked insulted. “Who doesn’t have an issue with that witch? Don’t let yourself be fooled by her appearances! That woman is one of the most treacherous and deadly cultivators in the barony!”

“She didn’t look that dangerous.”

The giant scoffed. “That’s because she’s not meant to look dangerous! She was an assassin, after all.”

Red supposed that made sense. “… I promised to make her a dagger.”

The blacksmith’s eyes widened. “You did what?!”

For the rest of that day and the days that followed, the boy didn’t hear the end of the man’s complaints.

…

A week passed by.

Red continued to make steady progress with his training. With his combat skills, the boy improved by leaps and bounds. Although he still wasn’t close to even drawing against Allen, he had successfully landed a few hits against the kid and their spars were lasting longer. His improvement was clear to the young master, who also displayed surprising growth in strength once he noticed their gap closing up.

Like Domeron had mentioned before, Allen was also a growing cultivator. At the same time that Red improved, his opponent wasn’t idly standing by. It was an uphill battle for the boy, but one he took on with eagerness.

On the other hand, his progress with blacksmithing wasn’t going as expected.

“No, no, this is wrong!”

Goulth exclaimed in frustration as he held the boy’s latest product. It was a short-sword this time around.

“What’s wrong with it?” Red frowned.

He had followed the giant’s instructions to the letter. As far as he could tell, there was no difference between the weapon he had crafted and the ones Goulth made.

“There’s no problem with it, but… Look!” the man picked up another short-sword. He put Red’s weapon side-by-side with the blade and looked at the boy, expecting a reaction.

Once again, though, Red was stumped for how to answer. “I don’t see the problem.”

“Gah! Look again, tell me the difference between these two short-swords.”

“There’s no difference.” they looked exactly the same, in fact.

Goulth smiled as if Red had finally said what he wanted to hear. “That’s the problem! There is no difference between them! In fact, I might even have a hard time telling which one of them was mine and which was yours.”

The boy, however, was still confused. “I don’t see how that’s a problem.”

“How do you not see it?! You’re basically just copying me!”

“Is that not what I was supposed to do?” Red frowned.

“No! Well, yes, but not to this extent. Look, kid, you should learn from my lessons and good habits. But to copy things even down to the specific moves and stylistic details… That’s not only more difficult, but it’s downright insanity!”

“… I was just imitating how you did things. Your creations are the best in the region, so I thought I should follow your example.”

“That’s very flattering, kid, but it’s not the point. You see, blacksmithing is as much an art as it is a craft… The creator must put their own soul and ideas into their creations, and only that way can they achieve their true potential and find their own path!”

The boy, however, remained unconvinced. “But I don’t have my own ideas. Besides, what if my style is worse than yours?”

“Then you improve it through trial and error! You need to understand something, kid. I don’t want you to be as good as me. I want you to be better than me! I don’t want to raise another Goulth, I want to raise a new Red! If you choose to copy me, then you’ll never achieve everything you can do!”

Red didn’t know how to respond. He had never had big goals for learning blacksmithing, and to him it was just a matter of expanding his horizons and learning useful skills. Goulth, however, had bigger expectations for the boy than he had imagined. This new perspective helped Red consider things in a new light.

“I don’t know how I’d do it.” the boy said.

Goulth slammed his hand down on the table. “Experiment! Fail! Learn! Try again! It doesn’t matter how many times you fail, as long as you learn something and keep a persevering spirit, then it will all be worth it in the end! These are words passed down by the founder of the Amber Saber Sect, and it’s something every cultivator should take to heart!”

For some reason, Red felt his heart beat faster once he heard those words. Indeed, wasn’t this the proper spirit for cultivation? As someone who lacked talent, the boy could only choose the most risky paths for opportunities. He might still fail in the end, but if he didn’t risk it, then he would definitely fail.

“I understand.” Red nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

Goulth laughed. “That’s all I could ever ask of you!”

After they were done with their lesson, Red returned to his room. Night was fast approaching, and the boy’s nemesis also made its return. The lunar gaze set its sight upon the youth, and he felt his mind bending under the pressure.

Like he had expected, the being returned after the Full Moon. At first, the power of its gaze had still been weak, but a week later it had once again become a force to be reckoned with. The few days of respite for Red had ended, and he was once again reminded of his imminent life or death struggle.

‘Only 7 more days until the New Moon.’

The boy had been keeping count. This was his deadline for opening the two special acupoints in his Upper Leg Vein, and Red had been making steady progress on them with the help of the insectoid crystal. Even without the Full Moon boosting its power, the monster core was still an invaluable help for Red.

The boy approached the loose floorboard and picked the core up again. It was still shining with a bright glow, and its energy hadn’t dissipated in the slightest despite Hector’s warnings.

Red did his exercises and sat down to cultivate with the help of the crystal. He directed the slightly green spiritual energy towards his Upper Leg Vein. Soon enough, the strands reached their destination and began to crash against the special acupoint. Compared to the standard acupoints, these hidden obstacles were substantially harder to open. And not only that, but they were also much harder to locate.

As such, Red’s progress over the past week had been slower than he had desired even with the invaluable help of the core. Still, he had eventually succeeded in finding one of the special acupoints and had been working on opening it for days now. Tonight, it was all coming to a head as Red felt the obstacle finally giving way.

A few minutes later, the acupoint had finally opened. With that, Red had one last acupoint to open in his Upper Leg Vein to prepare for the New Moon.

‘I’m cutting it close.’

Indeed, it had already taken him 7 days to open one of those special acupoints, and the New Moon would arrive in 7 more. It was entirely possible that at this rate, he wouldn’t be able to make it in time.

‘I might need to ask Hector for a Vein Opening Pill.’

He didn’t know if the elder would give him one at will, but it was one of his promises. Even if the old man would find it suspicious for Red to request more pills so soon, but he didn’t mind it, since his life was on the line.

The boy stored the crystal back in its hiding place before picking out a piece of paper. It was Viran’s diary page, which Red had translated even more over the past few weeks. As it so happened, a lot of it was information about underground life, but the youth was able to find something else pertaining to his curse.

‘The Moon seeks to recover this part of itself, but it cannot break through the barrier. This accursed energy marks everyone who enters this place, though, and their lives are forfeit to that entity should they try to leave.’