Lord Evolution: Starting With SS-rank Skills

On the stomachs of Ren and Liara, intricate magical symbols were embedded as tattoos—the tattoos still looked fresh and neat, as though not even a minute had passed since they were done.

Elara and the others also spotted the tattoos and were baffled.

"Those weren't there before. How did they appear?" they asked, equally confused.

Dragun did not reply, too focused on trying to decipher the meaning behind the tattoos.

The women kept pestering him for answers, so Vishirk had to step up to explain the situation a little bit. "It is a mark. Something or someone is trying to claim them."

"Who and what would do such a thing? And even if they could, why didn't we see them? We were here all day and all night, fully vigilant. We didn't notice anything or any movement except the one a few minutes ago," Elara retorted.

She was really worried about her friend. Her condition kept getting worse and more mysterious by the hour, and it confused her greatly.

"The movement you noticed was their reaction to the pain of getting tattooed. Whatever or whosoever did that was here a few minutes ago," Vishirk answered her.

This answer left the women even more dumbfounded.

Everything happening had no logical explanations. It was too sophisticated and magical for ordinary people like them to understand.

"The mark of the damned. It's a curse mark with an untraceable origin. I can't decipher the curse placed on these two, but I feel like it is going to be pretty difficult to reverse, if it's even reversible," Dragun muttered.

"The cult might have the resources to reverse the curse, but they are not saints. Their little shows of kindness always come with a payment of blood," he continued, muttering to himself.

"I can't help but wonder, are these two related to the killings?" he wondered inaudibly.

After a few minutes of observing the tattoos, he covered them up once again and turned to look at the women.

"Be careful around these two from now on. Keep watch over them, but maintain a distance and do not forget to call for help immediately if you notice any movement, whether vocal or physical," he warned them.

"Why should I stay away from my blood sister? Is she going to attack me or something?"

Dragun shook his head. "What is happening around here is extraordinary and unpredictable, so be very careful, alright?"

Bruce's wife, Elara, and the others nodded.

Dragun then brought out four objects from his pocket.

The objects resembled empty snail shells but were about the size of an adult's fist.

He handed the items over to them. "Whenever you notice anything, speak into these. They will alert me, and I'll try my best to be here in time."

The women took the items from his hands, observing the odd shapes with confusion written on their faces.

Dragun could tell exactly what they were thinking from their expressions.

"Sadly, I do not have enough time to explain how they work, but believe me, they work. They can save your lives in many ways."

He spoke to them for a few more minutes and then left with Vishirk.

The people outside tried to inquire about what had transpired indoors, and Dragun smoothly switched topics to avoid answering their questions.

On their way, Vishirk could not help but ask, "Were you able to find which dark creature those marks belonged to?"

"No, but I think I have a clue. I just need a little more research on it," Dragun answered.

Vishirk continued with other troubling questions, such as whether the dark creature affecting both Ren and Liara was involved in the deaths around the village, if they could capture it, what would be able to capture them, and how he could help.

From his questions and his manner of asking, one could easily tell he was sincerely concerned about the state of the village and genuinely wanted to help stop it.

But his real intentions were more than the eyes could see and more than the heart and mind could imagine.

---

TAILORS' HOUSE!

It was already afternoon. The sun hung in the sky, but its rays weren't as scorching as they had been the past few days. During these exact times, it was a huge sign in Winterseed that the rainy and cold season was drawing closer.

Riela and her colleagues were in their usual positions, carrying out their clothes-making with smiles on their faces.
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They could still recall the happy faces of the people when they received the first batch of clothes, as well as the proud look on Rowan's face—these memories pushed them to work even harder and faster.

After acquiring the sewing machines and mastering them completely, Riela and the women created a schedule. Early in the morning, upon arriving, they would discuss any styles and ideas they had with each other.

Riela would improve on them and make the styles more approachable for the women.

This way, not just Riela had a say, which created a calm harmony among the women, making working together easier and faster.

After the sad event that morning, the women returned to work, pretty sad and devastated by the deaths. Seeing how this would affect the day's work, Riela stepped up and cheered them up with prep talks, closely following in the steps of her beloved Rowan.

Her leadership was displayed in full as the women returned to work, more happily and actively.

They sewed until the afternoon when Riela called them together.

At that moment, they stood and watched Riela, who sat on a stool with a robe resting on her lap and her hands holding a threaded needle.

On the robe, there was beautiful embroidery.

"Lady Riela, is it true what you speak of?"

"Is that even possible?"

"If it is true what you speak of, our people would benefit a lot."

The women conversed with Riela.

Riela smiled profusely and nodded her head.

"Do you not trust in my skills?" she asked with a hint of pride in her voice.

"We do... but what you said is just too difficult to believe."

Riela nodded—she didn't even believe it herself when she first discovered the skill.

"Why don't you try it on first?" Riela said to the last speaker.

"Me?" She asked.

"Yes, you, you would understand better if you try it first,"

The lady nodded and took the robe. She took off her current one, revealing her undergarment, before putting on the new one.

Instantly, her body was invaded with a new sensation that caused to simply stand and stare ahead with an elated expression on her face.