Arthur

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Arthur Creados; also rendered Arthur Credos 2 4
Original Identity	Mo Qishang, who awakens in Arthur’s body and inherits his memories 2
Alias(es)	“Medium”; respectfully called “Master” by clients and admirers 9 14 30
Gender	Male 4
Age	17 4
Affiliation	Creados family medium business 2
Occupation/Role	Practicing medium; his character panel initially identifies his mediumship as false 4
Residence	2 Kirk Street, South Los; receives clients in its Medium’s Hall 6 9
Status	Alive through the documented events. The original Arthur died before Mo Qishang took over his body 2 50

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Remnant Dark Serpent acquired	2 3 4	Receives his attacker’s supernatural bloodline through an exchange ritual and breaks the Animated Snake Rope. His first panel records Physique 1.6 and Spirituality 0.1.
Omniscient Cuisine awakened	3 4	The Herc White Silver Potion absorbs a silver dagger and merges into him, unlocking XP acquisition and a character panel. Basic Swordsmanship is initially Lv1.
Basic Swordsmanship Lv2	5	Spends 1 XP earned from newspaper coverage. Gains practical combat proficiency without an attribute increase.
Basic Swordsmanship Lv3	18	Spends 5 XP from further publicity. His technique becomes more dangerous, but Physique and Spirituality remain unchanged.
Basic Swordsmanship Lv4	19	Spends 10 XP. Gains a faster, more lethal thrust; attributes remain unchanged.
Basic Swordsmanship Lv5 — maximum	19	Spends 20 XP. Immediately splits an incoming shortbow arrow and gains Physique +0.1, reaching 1.7.
Pseudo Swiftbird Swordsmanship Lv1	32	Spends 5 XP after studying the beggar’s movements and sword cuts. His self-developed stance grants +0.1 speed to his next sword strike.
Pseudo Swiftbird Swordsmanship Lv2	32	Spends 10 XP. The next-strike speed bonus rises to +0.2, without an attribute increase.
Hand of the Void Lv1	41	Passes a Spirituality check and spends 10 XP to learn the art from a translated page of the Herc Notes. Creates one invisible hand.
Hand of the Void Lv2	41	Spends 20 XP. Can create two hands, with improved reach, movement speed, and lifting capacity. Maintaining both doubles stamina consumption.
False Swiftbird Swordsmanship Lv3 — current cap	47	Spends 20 XP. The next-strike bonus reaches +0.3 speed; Physique and Spirituality each increase by 0.1, reaching 1.8 and 0.2. Further advancement requires additional swordsmanship secrets.
Simple Drawing Lv1 → Drawing Lv1	48	Upgrades while repainting a scarlet scene. No XP expenditure is stated. A message about a painting “with a soul” prompts him to burn the work immediately.

“Pseudo Swiftbird Swordsmanship” and “False Swiftbird Swordsmanship” are alternate renderings of the same documented skill 32 33 47.

Background / History

Arthur’s parents died when he was young, leaving his grandfather, Old Charlie, to raise him. Charlie invested in his education and training, hoping he would escape the family’s precarious medium business and obtain a better life. The original Arthur instead wanted to inherit the business, become an outstanding medium, and attract public recognition 2 5.

The family was disrupted by Uncle Winters’s disappearance three years earlier, following an incident involving a supposed demon at Baker Farm. After investigating, Charlie forbade discussion of the farm or further visits. Uncle Drake later left home and reported becoming a squire in Woodlaisburg; Aunt Cassandra was sent to a girls’ school in the Inner Bay 2 5.

While Charlie was away on a commission in Barney, Arthur independently accepted an exorcism assignment at 333 Russell Street. His client ambushed and killed him. Mo Qishang then awakened in the body, received Arthur’s memories, and adopted his identity while still trapped with the murderer 2.

Arthur conceals his otherworldly origin because the local understanding of demonic possession could make his situation grounds for execution. Maintaining the image of a fame-seeking young medium is therefore a survival measure as well as a business strategy 9.

Appearance

• Youthful and handsome: Amy notices his good looks, while women at Malinda’s salon openly admire him 25 49.
• Early working attire: A hunting cap and double-breasted black trench coat, carried with his Medium’s Case 4.
• Later public presentation: Carries an umbrella, conceals the puppet Anna inside his coat, and moves across rooftops while retaining the appearance of a working medium 39.

Personality

Arthur is intensely cautious and analytical. He checks for concealed motives, prepares weapons before opening his door, and treats unexplained encounters as possible traps. After the nightmare attack, he spends an afternoon watching a beggar across the street and questions whether even ordinary kindness might conceal danger 6 18 24.

His ruthlessness is directed primarily toward threats. He kills his first attacker thoroughly, deliberately baits Lark into a fatal confrontation, and cooperates in the scheme against Woolt. When escape becomes impossible, he is willing to charge a stronger enemy with explosives rather than die passively; he explicitly recognizes that this comes from fear and self-preservation, not heroism 3 13 32 39.

He is opportunistic about money, publicity, and knowledge, but does not equate frightened promises with loyalty. He prefers relationships built on mutual benefit, pays Wiggins for work even when the result disappoints him, and keeps his agreement with Todd despite the publicity he could gain by exposing the club’s secrets 16 33 35.

Sincere goodwill unsettles him more than hostility. He feels awkward around Aivor’s enthusiastic hospitality and becomes nervous when grateful parents visit him. Nevertheless, he accepts their modest gifts to preserve their dignity and responds warmly. He also accepts Malinda’s relationship with a woman without condemnation 10 25 48.

Abilities & Skills

Omniscient Cuisine

• XP acquisition: Its description lists battles, exploration, quests, fine food, and similar activities as potential sources 4.
• Publicity rewards: Newspaper coverage is his most consistently demonstrated source. Exposure of Lark’s identity brings a 30 XP windfall 19.
• Food rewards: Ordinary fried eggs and ham initially earn nothing, but a meal made from grateful families’ gifts later grants 5 XP for improving his spirits 5 48.
• Learning and improvement: Enables him to spend XP on skills and learn qualifying techniques from observation or readable instructions 32 41.
• Limits: Talents themselves cannot be upgraded with XP. No quest has appeared by his agreement with Malinda, despite his attempts to understand the trigger conditions 18 50.
• Confirmed combat reward: Killing Gram grants 20 XP; the absence of rewards from earlier confrontations makes Arthur question whether Toad survived and what qualifies as a rewarded battle 33 41.

Death Intuition

• Warns him of approaching death and lethal danger 4.
• Alerts him to Lark’s concealed murderous intent and Desi’s continuing hostility 11 28.
• Helps him become aware inside the creature’s dream and evade the beggar’s initial attack 22 31.
• Provides warning rather than an explanation of the threat or a guaranteed means of escape 31.

Remnant Dark Serpent

• Enhanced body and Spirituality: The incomplete bloodline already places him beyond most ordinary people 4.
• Shadow concealment: Can disappear from ordinary sight when enveloped in darkness 4.
• Serpent Body: Moves with serpentine flexibility, escapes a grip, slithers rapidly, and turns his head backward while continuing forward 31.
• Serpent Eye: Uses a terrifying black-serpent vision to frighten Dokule. Dokule’s subsequent death is not established as an actual lethal curse 7 8.
• Snake communication: The talent grants the ability to communicate with snakes 4.
• Cold manifestation: During his initial test, an icy aura extinguishes nearby flames before the room returns to normal 4.

Enhanced Physique

• Physique encompasses strength, speed, reflexes, eyesight, and hearing; at 1.7, Arthur’s physical capabilities are described as 1.7 times those of an ordinary person 36.
• His enhanced senses let him hear approaching people before others and identify an incoming arrow’s trajectory 19 36.
• At Physique 1.8, he can clearly hear neighbors talking through closed doors 47.
• He suspects increased Spirituality attracts supernatural danger, but this remains his interpretation rather than a confirmed rule 49.

Swordsmanship

• Basic Swordsmanship Lv5: The skill description states that, with his current physique, he can slash two incoming arrows from the air. He demonstrably splits one shortbow arrow 19.
• Combat assessment: Recognizes weaknesses in Byrne’s stance and judges Ritter’s Basic Swordsmanship to be around Lv3 26.
• False Swiftbird Swordsmanship: Uses a self-taught stance to accelerate his next sword strike; at Lv3, the bonus is +0.3 speed 47.
• Practical application: Descends from a rooftop with a Swiftbird strike against Gram 40.
• Limits: His imitation reproduces the art’s form, not its complete teachings. Cutting flintlock bullets remains an ambition, not a demonstrated feat 19 32 47.

Hand of the Void

• Creates hands by pronouncing “Ei a” in full. They resemble his own palms and remain visible to him but invisible to others 41.
• At Lv2, he can create two hands with a 6-meter range, movement at an adult’s jogging speed, and a listed lifting limit of 10 kg 41.
• The hands are tangible and can be damaged until they disappear. If one vanishes, he cannot replace it until the remaining hand also disappears 41.
• Maintaining the hands consumes stamina; carrying objects increases the cost, and maintaining both doubles it. Dismissing them does not restore spent stamina 41.
• Uses them to retrieve his umbrella, Anna, and Medium’s Case from a rooftop 41.

Observation, Deception, and General Skills

• Keen Eyes Lv1 and Reading People Lv1: Detect expressions, inconsistencies, and hostile intent. They require observable cues and are explicitly not mind reading 4 6 9.
• Intimidation Lv2 and Bluffing Lv2: Support his medium performances and tactical deception, including his response to the dream creature 4 12 22 23.
• Practical stagecraft: Uses phosphorus, smoke, concealed mirrors, and a magnet-controlled Spirit Board to present mechanical tricks as supernatural events 4 7 13.
• Education: Possesses riding, local knowledge and geography, simple mathematics, speed reading and writing, and basic etiquette. His legal knowledge lets him challenge Lark’s unauthorized entry 4 10.
• Drawing: Advances beyond Simple Drawing while repairing the house, but destroys the resulting painting after sensing danger 48 49.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Medium’s Case — Old Charlie’s prepared kit, containing exorcism props, concealed weapons, and supplies. Arthur carries it routinely and later adds extra dynamite 3 24.
• Thunder Gun — Used against his original attacker and the dream creature; another is disguised as a door bolt at home 3 6 22.
• Flintlock pistols — Carries and conceals multiple pistols, including a desk-drawer weapon used against Lark and two kept beneath his pillow 13 21.
• Longsword and other blades — Uses a longsword for combat, an iron dagger to verify his attacker’s death, and a silver dagger in his attempt to destroy the potion 3 19.
• Dynamite — Used against the dream creature, to destroy attackers’ bodies, and as a last resort against the beggar 20 23 32.
• Exorcism chemicals — Sulfuric-acid “holy water,” lime, kerosene, and phosphorus-based effects combine practical violence with stagecraft 3 7.
• Anna / Eerie Puppet — A frightening marionette whose appearance drives the attacking beggar away. Arthur later names it Anna and makes it part of his public medium persona 32 34.
• Herc Notes page — A rainproof sheet recovered from Gram, with a common-tongue translation that allows Arthur to learn Hand of the Void 41.
• 2 Kirk Street defenses — Concealed firing ports, spear and flame traps, hidden weapons, an observation periscope, an arsenal, and secret escape passages 19 22 31 48.
• Black widow spiders — Retrieves two hourglass-marked spiders after arranging his operation against Woolt 44.

Relationships

• Old Charlie — Grandfather of Arthur’s predecessor, guardian, and principal source of training, equipment, education, and defensive preparations. Arthur repeatedly credits his precautions with keeping him alive 2 3 10 31.
• Winters — Missing uncle and former favored heir to the family business; his disappearance at Baker Farm remains unresolved 2 5.
• Drake — Uncle who left home and reported becoming a squire in Woodlaisburg 2.
• Cassandra — Aunt sent by Charlie to a girls’ school in the Inner Bay 2.
• Scott — Reporter, friend, and major publicity partner. Arthur values his genuine concern and relies heavily on his newspaper coverage for XP 6 14 16.
• Wiggins — Pickpocket and street informant who offers to become Arthur’s problem-solver and “dagger in the dark.” Their initially fear-based arrangement develops through payment, useful work, and mutual interests 15 16 35 36.
• Maltz — Police officer turned ally. Their cooperation rests on shared enemies, mutual leverage, and political goals; Arthur respects his ruthlessness while remaining wary of him 36 39 47.
• Malinda Julius Caesar — Influential client and later contractual partner. Arthur agrees to pose as her lover for one month in exchange for mystical knowledge equivalent to complete Swiftbird Swordsmanship; the romance is a public performance 14 50.
• Byrne — Considerate swordsmanship instructor whom Arthur defeats in a trial session. Arthur appreciates his professionalism, and Byrne later treats him with awe 26 30.
• Todd Gilly — Owner of the Jorjok Swordsmanship Club. Pays Arthur one hundred pounds and promises help finding better swordsmanship after Arthur exploits his fear and desire for silence 30.
• The sword-wielding beggar — Overwhelmingly powerful attacker whose movements provide the model for Arthur’s imitation Swiftbird art. Arthur later suspects that the ordinary beggar’s body had been possessed 31 32 35.
• Lark — Police chief and Axe Murderer. Arthur detects his murderous intent, exposes him through a staged séance, and shoots him during his attack 11 12 13.

Story Role / Major Arcs

333 Russell Street: Survival and Awakening

• The bloodline exchange intended to benefit Arthur’s murderer instead empowers Arthur. He breaks free, kills the weakened attacker, and thoroughly destroys the remains 2 3.
• His attempt to destroy the Herc White Silver Potion awakens Omniscient Cuisine. He then stages an exorcism for an arriving reporter, turning the incident into the beginning of his public reputation 3 4.

The Curse and the Axe Murderer

• Arthur repels Dokule’s attempt to expose him. His frightening serpent vision sends Dokule into the street, where a carriage kills him; witnesses interpret the sequence as a genuine curse, while Arthur suspects deliberate intervention by the passenger 6 7 8.
• Lark’s fear of Arthur’s supposed spirit communication reveals murderous intent. Arthur uses the Spirit Board performance to expose the chief, kills him when he attacks, and works with Scott to publicize the case 11 12 13 14.

Police Retaliation and the Nightmare

• Arthur anticipates police-linked attackers, kills them, and conceals the evidence. He publicly attributes the incident to Lark returning as a vengeful evil spirit, securing time and another sensational story 19 20 21.
• A dream creature attempts to lure and torment him. Arthur defeats its apparent giant form with deception and explosives, then crushes its toadlike core. A lingering supernatural stench follows him into waking life, and he later questions whether the creature truly died 22 23 24 33.

The Search for Advanced Swordsmanship

• Arthur’s visit to Jorjok confirms that its celebrated instructors have little to teach him. Ritter’s sudden death brings accusations, another investigation, and leverage over the club’s owner 26 27 30.
• The beggar’s attack nearly kills him, but the Eerie Puppet frightens the attacker away. Studying the surviving sword cuts lets Arthur acquire Pseudo Swiftbird Swordsmanship 31 32.

Baby-Theft Case and Alliance with Maltz

• News that the baby Arthur rescued has been taken draws him into the missing-children conspiracy. His cooperation with Maltz expands into the elimination of Audo and a plan against Woolt 36 39.
• Arthur kills Gram during the raid at 14 Kirk Street and obtains the Herc Notes page. He later uses spiders in the operation against Woolt, then watches Amy and Sarah dispose of Woolt’s body and flee 40 41 44 45.
• The scandal strengthens his alliance with Maltz and earns further XP. Five families whose babies were rescued subsequently thank him with food, producing his first documented successful food reward 47 48.

Malinda’s Salon Agreement

• Malinda’s conspicuous invitation places Arthur under the scrutiny of her salon guests. She asks him to present himself as her male romantic partner to protect her attempt to obtain Baron Kemail’s title 49 50.
• Arthur negotiates for complete Swiftbird Swordsmanship or equivalent mystical knowledge. Malinda commits to providing the latter within a month, and they begin their public performance 50.

Notable Quotes

“Human desire really is endless.” 19

“I want the complete Swiftbird Swordsmanship, or mystical knowledge of an equivalent level.” 50