“I can explain the details to you. About body possession. But I want something in return,” Drai said.

Soren fell into a dilemma. There were two paths before him. He had to choose one. If he chose the body possession option, there was a chance his family wouldn’t be alive by the time he got back home. But if he didn’t choose it, he wouldn’t live long enough to get back home at all.

His life and his future depended on this choice.

Still, he might need this information in the future. Soren agreed to Drai’s proposition.

“Okay, what do you want?”

“Your cultivation technique,” Drai said.

It stunned Soren at first. But he started laughing soon and replied, “I can’t sell that.”

Even if he wanted to sell it, it was impossible. So, he had no choice but to reject Drai’s offer.

Drai also didn’t push him any further on it. He seemed confused by his laughter but nodded anyway. And dropped this matter. His interest wasn’t unexpected though. Soren’s cultivation speed was after all quite noteworthy.

“I can give you the method to hatch a Magic Insects’. Or a Magic Beasts’ egg.” Now that his ‘cultivation technique’ was off the table, Soren continued. And tried to trade something else for that information.

“No,” Drai said.

“What about a Rank 1 potion formula? It’s for increasing the cultivation speed,” Soren asked. But without much confidence. Even though he had fallen to Rank 1: Layer 1 right now, it didn’t change the fact that Drai had once been a Rank 3 Initiator.

And as expected, Drai shook his head and rejected that once again. “I’ll consider a good pill recipe if you have any,” he said.

“I don’t,” Soren said. “What about Enhancement Artifacts?” He tried his luck again after a pause.

“I’ll take that potion formula. And that method. Drai, I’ll give you that beast’s egg. That’ll be enough for the information Soren wants, right?” Before Drai could reject Soren’s offer though, Seth jumped in on the trade.

Hearing this proposal, Soren became interested. Drai too looked interested. For Soren, he would get the information he wanted. And for Drai, he would be getting the Beast’s egg that Seth mentioned. It was a win-win situation for both of them.

And so, without much hesitation, they agreed to the proposition.

Moving on with the trade, the three signed a Blood Contract and finalized the deal. Once signed, this contract also turned into ashes. The wind coming from the gap under the door blew it away. And scattered it in the room.

Soren took out an empty memory sphere from his Storage Pearl. Added the potion formula and that method in it. And rolled it on the table. Towards Seth. Seth too took out a head-sized black egg with white dots on it and handed it over to Drai. He was careful with it.

They finished the two-third part of the deal.

Isaac.

“It’s a Ciphon’s egg, Master.” Isaac displayed a picture of the said Beast. It was a winged-tiger type species.

“You finally let it go,” Drai said. To Seth.

“I intended to. Was just keeping it as my backup. In case I couldn’t find the one I’m looking for. But now is a good opportunity. Soren will owe me for this too. You will, right?”

Soren nodded.

“What about you? You still want to make it your soul pet?” Seth asked.

“Yeah. Flying is a huge advantage in early levels. I don’t want to let it go.” He kept the egg inside his Storage Pearl.

“You said the same for the last one.”

“It's dumb. What can I do?”

“Hah, you should’ve kept it closed off then. Who told you to give it so much freedom?”

“It wouldn’t have survived for long that way. I needed it strong for the soul contract. Couldn’t keep it caged in.”

“The same will happen to this one too.”

“Fuck off! I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.”

“The one in the vestige, it was yours?” Soren asked. After he surmised the context from their conversation.

“Yeah. I hadn’t completed the contract though. Couldn’t take the risk, considering its brainpower. I wanted to do it after getting a new body. But it really ended up dying. Close save.”

“Anyway, on to the main topic,” Drai said. “You might already know this but to change your body, you need to find a compatible body first.”

“This part’s the most time-consuming. Because unless you’re willing to settle for any third-rate body that’s compatible with your soul, you’ll have to look for a long time. For someone whose body is not only compatible with you but also has good Mana aptitude.”

“Old man, one more round!” But before he explained any further, Seth opened the door and hollered for another round of ales. The room saturated with the clamors from outside. The bar was still full. And bustling. The cacophonies ringing in the background. The gentle light from the wall lamps inside the room seemed bright again. The place became full of life.

Drai needed the ale to continue speaking. To wet ‘his’ throat. Soren also didn’t reject it. He didn’t mind another glass of this ale. He liked it. Quite a bit. Though it couldn’t compare to the ‘Freezing Lava’ or the ‘Rainbow Flame’, it was still a good drink to have in his leisure time.

Soon, the old barkeeper arrived with the drinks. He had a kind smile plastered on his face. Yet, his scars made him look scarier than ever. He served the three inside the room. Three frosted glass brimming with the dark-brown drink. Took the tray back. Bowed. And closed the door on his way out. The room went silent again. The light became gentle, and the calm atmosphere returned.

Drai took a sip from the new glass and continued his explanation. “There’s a reason why those Initiators chose to use their inheritance as a bait to attract people. Only with this method could they scan many people and choose the one they wanted. Without wasting too much time. Of course, this method also has its risk. You already know of it.”

“The next part after that is pretty easy. You just need to separate your soul from your body and use a medium to move into the target’s body. You’re already an expert in the field of souls and spirits, so I won’t embarrass myself by explaining this process. As for the medium, we generally use memory sphere because of its stability. You can also use something like a spell vessel but it’s very unstable and might not be able to sustain your soul for long,” he said.

Hearing Drai’s explanation, Soren only nodded once and drank his fruit ale. Without showing much of a reaction. This was because the information that Drai gave out was basic knowledge. Any Rank 1 Initiator or higher could get it.

“After finishing the body possession process successfully, your new body will start adjusting to your soul. This will take some time. And you might have to go through some harsh adjustments during this period. But, in the end, your new body will completely transform into your old one. Sex, build, height, facial structure, bone structure, skin color, hair color, eye color, etc. Everything will change and will become like your old body. The reason I’ve got a sore throat is because of this. My body is going through those changes. In the end, this female body will become male and will look exactly like the old me.”

Soren stared at Drai with his mouth half-opened. Seth, on the other side, kept trying to stifle his laughter.

Drai glared at Seth. Then continued. “Of course, the changes will be limited to the physical aspects only. Things like Mana aptitude won’t change. As for Bloodline Talents, their sources merge with the soul after being awakened, like Soul Forms, so they don’t matter in this case. You can easily trigger them again in the new body. Heh…if that wasn’t the case, those brutes with a beasts’ bloodline and animate-type Soul Form would’ve been completely out of luck. The same would’ve been the case for you ‘Travelers’. If your Bloodline Talent’s source didn’t merge with your soul, you would be chased around even after becoming an Initiator. This is what made it impossible for a Bloodline Talent to be extracted once it's awakened. You should really be grateful that it works like this.”

As Drai explained further, Soren recovered his calm demeanor again. And paid full attention to his words. He ignored Seth’s muffled laughter by the side.

But as he expected the explanation to continue, Drai stood from his seat. His wooden chair flung back. And he murmured while struggling to take deep breaths, “It’s here again. She’s doing it again.”

Given Soren’s senses though, he heard what Drai said. His voice was loud enough for him. And from what Drai told him tonight, he also understood what it meant.

“How long will this continue?” Soren asked Seth.

Looking at Drai’s trembling figure with a frown on his face, Seth replied, “She can generally take over his body for about fifteen minutes. It shouldn’t be any different now either. Hopefully.”

Before Soren could acknowledge his reply though, a sharp and shrill voice filled with hatred resonated in the room, “It’s not his body, it's mine!!!”

Status: Healthy

Rank 1: Layer 1 [CP - 0%]

Name: Soren Farrow

Species: Human

Attribute: Darkness & Ice

Health: 100%

Stamina: 100%

Mana: 100%

Strength: 7.94

Agility: 9.71 (+1.90)

Vitality: 17.73

Intelligence: 21.26 (+7.20)

Spirit: 20.29 (+8.45)

Resistance: 9.11 (+2.35)

Spells:

Spell Vessels: 3/10

Innate Spells: 19

Innate Skills/Bloodline Talents: 7

Water Bubbles [7/7] – Level 8/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Rank 1]

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Snow Blades [5/5] – Level 9/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Rank 1]

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Ice Chakra [6/6] – Level 6/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Rank 1]

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Create Undead: Low Tier Ⅱ – Level 7/15. Mana Cost – Average. [Rank 1]

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Dark Raven – Level 8/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Rank 1]

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Ice Barrage – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 1]

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Dead Rising – Level 7/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Rank 1]

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Acid Needles – Level 5/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Rank 1]

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Shadow Prison – Level 6/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Rank 1]

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Frost Domain – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 1]

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Elemental Sense – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 1]

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Dark Gravity – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Low. [Evolution Available] [Rank 1]

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Withering Wood – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Evolution Available] [Rank 1]

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Soul Rend – Level 1/10. Mana Cost – Low. [Rank 1]

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Ice Spikes – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 1]

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Soul Search – Level 6/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Rank 1]

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Ice Wall – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 0]

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Waterball – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 0]

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Rainfall – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 0]

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Spark – Level 10/10. Mana cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 0]

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Fireball – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Evolution Available] [Rank 0]

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Space Snatcher – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Negligible. [Rank 0]

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Mana Manipulation – Level 7/15

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Potioneering [Rank 1] – Level 1/15.

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Powered Vision – Level --/--

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Vornea: Basic Form – Level --/--

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Devour: First Evolution – Level --/--

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Second Intelligence – Level --/--

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Shadow Steps – Level 10/10. Mana Cost – Very Low. [Evolution Available] [Rank 1]

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Equipment: Common Clothes; Magic Staff – Moonshard; Spirit-Pendant; Snake-Earring; Spirit-Ring; Resistance-Ring; Caster’s Bracelet; Agility-Boots; Dagger; Mana Touch – Gloves; White Ring [War Accessory] – 509.

Storage Pearl: Common Clothes; Hunter I.D; Mask; Egg – Crystal Albarose; Various Ingredients; Automatons x3; Beast Cores[Rank 0] x184; Beast Cores[Rank 1] x114; Rank 1 Potion Recipe – [Sun’s Afterglow, Soul Recovery]; Empty Memory Spheres; Books and Compendiums; Rank 0 Common Potions[Middle-Grade] x0; Rank 0 Common Potions[High-Grade] x0; Rank 0 Common Potions[Top-Grade] x0; Rank 1 Potion – Soul Recovery[Lowest-Grade] x2; Blood Essence – x3 Vials [Rank 1: Layer 1], x1 Vial [Rank 1: Layer 2], x1 Vial [Rank 0: Layer 9].

Mana Crystals: 2513 [Middle-Grade]; 223 [Low-Grade]; Myriad Items—Card [Value-500]; Six Mana Cards.