Lude

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lude (路德)
Alias(es)	Mr. Hastings; Mr. Owl; impersonated Ivanovich Kudryash Malinkov 58 158 182
Species/Race	Dragonkin; an alchemically forged Vessel inhabited by an external human soul 2 115 193
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Lord Society (apprentice); Night Duty Bureau; founder and operator of Owl Express 23 158 208
Occupation/Role	Arcanist, alchemist, businessman, and Night Duty Bureau operative 54 60 162
Status	Alive 217
First Appearance	Chapter 1, Day of Descent

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Alchemical Vessel / Steel Body	1, 5	Awakens in the Black Tide Society’s artificial Vessel, possessing an extreme physical body with three hearts, two lungs, extraordinary senses, and asynchronous hemispheric modification.
Heart of the Furnace: Remnant Fire storage	10	Absorbs Aleppo’s remaining Soul Fire, gaining the ability to store Remnant Fire, convert it into Psionic Energy, or temporarily reproduce its originating Secret Art.
Heart of the Furnace: third function	41, 53	Deduces that Remnant Fire can be forged into alchemical items carrying Secret Art effects; uses Brandon’s Remnant Fire to make a shadow-merging cloak.
Activated Heart of the Furnace	54	Consumes sufficient Psionic Energy to awaken its broader forging functions, including knowledge needed to create a universal alchemical furnace.
Arcanist / Furnace Monarch awakened	57, 60	Gains a new power and becomes an Arcanist; later identifies himself as having awakened only half a month earlier.
Fully enhanced Furnace Monarch	106, 107	Resists the False Image Maker Artur and expands fire control to a four-meter radius centered on his heart; Wyvern Blood Essence further amplifies his flames.

Background

Lude was a self-made businessman in his previous life, having risen from poverty through ruthless methods. He died in what he believed was a deliberately arranged car accident, then awakened in Vienna within the Black Tide Society’s newly completed Vessel. 1

The Vessel had been created as an empty body for the Black Tide Society’s immortality project, but Lude’s foreign soul occupied it first. Siana detected his presence, concealed it from Professor Beshe, and secretly fed him general knowledge of the world through an illusion. 2

Lude accepted Siana’s proposal to escape the Society and draw away its Elite Guard, thereby creating an opening for her to assassinate Don Juan. He repaid her intervention with an alliance founded on their shared enemy and his debt to her. 4

Appearance

Lude inhabits an imposing young man’s body, built as a high-grade alchemical Vessel rather than an ordinary human physique. He has the presence of a powerful, physically cultivated fighter even while standing still. 2

• Around 1.95 meters tall. 11
• Thick golden hair and deep-set eyes described as appearing to contain fire. 2
• Broad, bronze-like musculature and an authoritative, handsome face. 2
• Normally maintains a controlled weight of roughly 100 kilograms, but can increase it to approximately 500 kilograms when fighting. 191
• Commonly wears fitted military-style clothing or formal suits suited to his current identity. 11 185

Personality

Lude is intensely ambitious and views power, wealth, connections, and information as assets to be accumulated. His desire is not merely survival: he intends to build an enduring power base, pursue ascension, and eventually become stronger than Lord Hypnos. 22 137

He is highly pragmatic in both combat and relationships. He avoids fights without preparation, uses manipulation freely, and turns opponents or bystanders into resources whenever possible. Yet he also recognizes talent, rewards useful loyalty, and invests knowledge, equipment, and protection into people he considers worth cultivating. 42 51 75 184

Lude learns compulsively. He studies literature, alchemy, languages, spellcasters, and the techniques of enemies he has defeated. This tendency lets him rapidly improve during battle, but also makes him eager to test ideas and acquire new experiences. 39 114 217

Despite his calculating nature, he has a genuine enthusiasm for fine food, new experiences, and the people close to him. He protects Sally, respects Moke’s final request, and shows increasing care toward Sophia and Ayena. 16 41 179 194

Abilities & Skills

Steel Body

Lude’s Vessel body is an alchemical construct with dragon-derived foundations, granting physical ability beyond most spellcasters. 5 115

• Can bench-press over five tons, forge iron with his fists, shape sheet metal with his fingers, and sharpen blades with his nails. 5
• Possesses three hearts and two lungs, enabling extreme stamina and athletic output. 5
• Has photographic memory and transcendent senses, including an exceptional sense of smell and hearing. 5 27 82
• Can heal through exposure to flame; he reattached his severed tongue using a gas lamp’s fire. 5 11
• Is genuinely immune to toxins through his physical attributes and dragon-like body. 172
• Requires enormous caloric intake and can still suffer fatigue or mechanical damage under sustained strain. 13 16

Furnace Monarch

Lude’s combat-oriented Secret Art gives him direct control over flames and is particularly compatible with firearms. 102 107

• Can manipulate fire within a four-meter radius centered on his heart after fully enhancing the Secret Art. 107
• Can draw in and absorb surrounding flames, using them for acceleration, heat, and large-scale attacks. 107
• Can alter flames to infrared, allowing him to use invisible fire in fog or darkness. 85
• Can channel the Secret Art through firearms to provide ranged fire support. 102
• Wyvern Blood Essence can temporarily increase his fire-control power, though it is a limited reserve. 102 107

Heart of the Furnace

The Heart of the Furnace is a relic embedded within Lude that absorbs and processes the Remnant Fire left by dead spellcasters. 10

• Stores Remnant Fire in an internal furnace-like space. 10
• Can crush stored Remnant Fire into pure Psionic Energy. 10
• Can temporarily recreate the Secret Art associated with a stored flame. 10
• Can forge Remnant Fire into alchemical items with aspects of the original Secret Art. 41 53
• Can function as a universal alchemical furnace after activation, although Lude must still acquire and prepare the necessary materials himself. 54

Alchemy & Forging

Lude combines Professor Beshe’s research, his own technical aptitude, and the Heart of the Furnace to produce equipment for himself and his allies. 12 54

• Forged a Night-Roaming Steed-hide cloak that merges with shadows. 53
• Designed a modular 1.2-meter sword that can accept spear shafts and serve as a long lance. 78
• Produces specialized weapons for Sally, Crow, and Silverback. 75 77
• Refines supernatural materials and defeated entities into usable alchemical armaments. 190

Combat Adaptation

Lude began with overwhelming physical force rather than formal weapon training, but rapidly improves by observing opponents and training with Arthur. 39 139

• Can accurately use firearms within their effective range and reacts by reading an opponent’s muzzle and trigger movement. 7 26
• Learns enemy techniques during active exchanges, including Moke’s swordsmanship and Malinkov’s moves. 39 217
• Uses terrain, feints, explosives, acids, firearms, and close-quarters force interchangeably. 20 40 107
• Initially lacked refined swordsmanship and remained technically inferior to Arthur. 132 139

Equipment

• Glazed Pouch — Fireproof spatial vessel made from an Earth Dragon’s heart membrane; stores equipment and disguises. 11 25
• Dragon Tooth Sword — Aleppo’s silver-green alchemical sidearm, used by Lude during his early battles. 18 26
• Nail Sword — Moke’s weapon, which contains his Remnant Fire; landing three consecutive strikes on one target inflicts a potentially lethal serious injury. 41
• Night-Roaming Steed cloak — Forged from spirit-beast hide and Brandon’s Remnant Fire; allows Lude to merge with shadows. 53
• Ring of the Owl — A Night Wanderer relic that suppresses presence, conceals Lude from sight, and can influence or modify mortal memories. 143 166 183
• Sword of Ludwig — Machine gun acquired before the conflict with the Farman Family; its destructive power overwhelms Livini’s magical defenses. 172
• Golden Afterglow — Proposed alchemical weapon to be refined from the remains of the Phantom of Gold. 190

Relationships

• Siana — Rescuer, informant, and initial ally against the Black Tide Society. She hid Lude’s foreign soul and gave him the knowledge needed to survive; Lude later seeks to rescue her. 1 4 160 178
• Professor Beshe — Black Tide Society alchemist who helped create the Vessel and attempted to steal it for immortality. Lude ambushed and killed him. 5 6
• Aleppo — Beshe’s grandson and an Elite Guard Arcanist. Lude killed him in his first battle against a spellcaster and acquired his Remnant Fire. 7 9 10
• Lord Hypnos — Lude’s teacher in the Lord Society. Their relationship is transactional; Lude studies Hypnos while privately intending to exceed him in power. 23 137 187
• Sally — Early recruit, ally, and recipient of Lude’s guidance. He helps awaken her as a spellcaster, while she becomes increasingly loyal to him. 42 51 58 60
• Crow and Silverback — Sally’s companions and Lude’s subordinates. He trains, equips, and uses them as the first core of his organization. 42 75 77
• Arthur Percival Gambon — Ally, sparring partner, and combat instructor. They fight together in Mist Valley County, though Lude also deliberately draws Arthur into his larger ambitions. 101 102 139 156
• Moke — Enemy Arcanist turned respected opponent. Before dying, Moke entrusts Lude with the Nail Sword and explains its Secret Art. 40 41
• Sophia Merv — Romantic partner and business confidante. Lude helps awaken her Soul Fire, and she assumes responsibility for his business plans. 185 194 197
• Livini Marshall — Noble spellcaster and business ally. Lude provides mercenary support and weapons in her conflict with the Farman Family. 172
• William — Sewer-dweller recruited to help organize wanderers and manage Owl Express. 147 158
• Ayena — Lude’s secretary in the Night Duty Bureau. He values her exceptional professional ability but remains suspicious of her connections. 179 180

Story Role / Major Arcs

Vessel Escape

Lude awakens in the Black Tide Society’s Vessel, gains Siana’s temporary protection, and escapes after killing Professor Beshe and Aleppo. He loots Beshe’s research, obtains the Glazed Pouch, and uses Aleppo’s Obsidian Hall uniform as a disguise. 1 6 11 12

Train Pursuit and Lord Society Trial

While fleeing toward Blackwater Town, Lude defeats Black Tide Society pursuers Brandon and Polina, harvesting their Remnant Fire. He subsequently becomes Lord Hypnos’s apprentice and receives the trial of killing Malinkov. 16 20 23

Blackwater Town

Lude establishes himself in Blackwater Town, encounters Sally, Crow, and Silverback, and recruits them as the foundation of his future organization. He awakens as an Arcanist, develops the Heart of the Furnace’s forging ability, and begins equipping his followers. 42 54 57 78

Mist Valley County

Trapped amid psionic fog and Void Entity activity, Lude allies with Arthur, investigates the Crossroads Labyrinth, and fights the False Image Maker Artur. He fully enhances Furnace Monarch and defeats Artur’s avatar by weaponizing a forest fire. 81 102 106 107

Enamel City and Owl Express

In Enamel City, Lude focuses on industry, influence, and recruitment rather than immediate ascension. He organizes sewer wanderers into Owl Express, a covert delivery operation that provides funding, intelligence, and a growing power base. 137 147 158 162

Black Tide Society Conflict

Lude repeatedly investigates the Black Tide Society’s activities in Enamel City, captures and kills Lanny for intelligence, manipulates rival factions against Malinkov, and withdraws when he senses a ritual more dangerous than Artur. 160 183 184

Night Duty Bureau Operations

Working with the Night Duty Bureau, Lude participates in operations against supernatural threats, develops a squad including Ayena, and enters the Void Boundary through an abandoned bell tower. 180 208

Notable Quotes

“I am the strongest person in the world. Although it's not yet the case.” 41

“Let's make money first.” 118

“Lude never risked his life when he had a choice.” 184