On the way back, Denuchi and the party hunted a few soul monsters for their cores. They then stopped by the dig site to pick up the rest of the suicide squad. Fortunately, the dig crew confirmed that the digging was going according to schedule. As long as they did not alert the beastkin, it should take roughly four days to a week to connect to Lazuli Caverns.

Pleased by the report, Denuchi smiled and then led the group to Fort Drakon. “Good work today, guys. Akeme, distribute the cores. Everyone cultivate, and then get some rest.”

Rao Wu watched Akeme hand out cores to the squad. The experienced vice-captain already knew which cores suited which monsters and handed them out accordingly. Surprisingly, however, aside from the soul monsters, Akeme also appeared to give out cores for each soul trainer.

Ramy confirmed Rao Wu’s suspicions when she swallowed a core, and then started shadowboxing, exerting her muscles to aid in her cultivation.

The ever-watching Denuchi noticed Rao Wu’s confusion and walked over. “You’ve never seen a hybrid cultivate before?”

“I don’t know.” Rao Wu shook his head. “I think I can do it too, but I’m not sure. What’s the benefit, anyway? Isn’t it enough to train your soul pets?”

Denuchi sighed. “Have you heard the phrase, Soul Apprentice by 5, Soul Student by 10, and so on?”

“I don’t know where I heard it, but I remember it. Hybrids are always in danger of losing their minds to their beast side, right? So, they need to strengthen their souls by those ages to counteract their beast instincts.”

“Mm. Exactly.” Denuchi nodded with appreciation. “But, do you think hybrids can actually accomplish that? Maybe, through some sheer luck, they could achieve Soul Apprentice and Soul Student, but the rest are impossible. You would need god-tier talent to achieve those.”

Rao Wu frowned. “But you look old. You must have done it ri—Ow!”

“I’m only thirty-two, thank you.” Denuchi smiled as he blew on his knuckles. “And, I just became a Soul Soldier, so by common sense, I should have long turned into a mindless monster.”

“But you haven’t.”

“No, I’ve not. And that’s thanks to cultivation.” Denuchi waved for Rao Wu to sit down with him, and then continued. “Most beastkin cultivate to suppress our monster side. It’s not easy, and takes a lot of hard work, but in the end, it is worth it to protect our lives. You’re a pretty talented kid, and one day you’ll have to find a cultivation technique for yourself. Let me give you some warning before you choose one.”

Even though Rao Wu already had his Trickster cultivation technique, he was not one to refuse free information. So, he nodded and said, “Okay.”

Denuchi smiled, evidently pleased at having an eager student. “Alright listen beastkin cultivation techniques are classified into three major grades, Suppression, Balance and Augmentation.” He further explained, “Suppression covers cultivation techniques that aim at pushing down the beast side as much as possible. These expand the time-limit the longest, and can even allow a regular hybrid to live as long as sixty-years. Balance cultivation techniques do not increase the time-limit as much as suppression. But, in return, they give benefits like increased strength, speed, and some even have special abilities.”

Denuchi glanced at Ramy. “Most beastkin use suppression cultivation techniques, but every member of my suicide squad used balanced techniques. There’s no point extending the time-limit if we’re too weak to survive our missions, after all.”

Rao Wu nodded along as Denuchi spoke. Judging by Denuchi’s description, the Trickster Cultivation Manual was certainly not a suppression technique. Eager to learn more, the youngster quickly asked, “What about Augmentation techniques.”

Denuchi frowned, and then let out a wry laugh. “Augmentation techniques are the direct opposite of Suppression Techniques. Augmentation techniques grant hybrids enormous power and special abilities, but in return, they heavily strengthen our beast-side, reducing the time-limit.” Denuchi sighed as he muttered, “Only the most talented hybrid dare attempt these. I’ve only met one hybrid who used it. He was extremely powerful—much stronger than me—but still went feral at fifteen.”

Rao Wu felt a chill wash over him. What if Trickster was an Augmentation Technique? Already, the first ability he gained was not something you’d expect from an ordinary technique. Did he just put a ticking time bomb on himself?

Denuchi sensed Rao Wu’s shifting mood and smiled. He patted the youth’s back and then said, “I’ll be honest with you, kid. I know you’re lying about your memory loss.”

“I—”

“I don’t know what you want, but I know you’re not working for the humans. That much I am sure of.” Denuchi took a deep breath and then said, “The reason I haven’t said anything to the others is because I believe you can save us.”

“Save you?” Rao Wu frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Denuchi shook his head. “Look. I have a plan to carve a territory for hybrids to live without fear. But, first I have to break free from my contractor.” Denuchi revealed a bitter smile as he confessed, “Unfortunately, as things stand, I’m destined to continue these suicidal missions until I die—but there is one chance.” Denuchi pointed at Rao Wu’s chest. “You.”

Rao Wu, still neither confirming nor denying Denuchi’s claim, asked, “What can I do?”

“This is the first time a non-contracted hybrid is involved in a mission of this scale,” said Denuchi. “There are many things you can do that we can’t. For example, assassinate a high-ranking human?”

“You want me to kill your contractor?”

Dencuhi shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do that. Literally, I’m incapable of asking you to do that.” The boss frustratedly rubbed his face and then said, “However, if my contractor suddenly died, I would be able to eliminate some humans, bringing even more hybrids to our cause. If we kill enough humans, we can cause enough chaos to escape with a sizeable amount of hybrid soldiers. I’ve already spoken to some other captains. They know what to do once the operation begins.”

“Sounds like you’ve been planning this for a while.” Rao Wu looked at Denuchi with suspicion. “What would you have done if I didn’t show up?”

Denuchi wisely chose to tell the truth. From the beginning, he had treated Rao Wu as a fellow adult, rather than a child. “A soul contract is broken upon death. It’s risky, but if I’m quickly resuscitated after I die, the contract would be broken. Many captains have chosen to take this risk. Better we die on our own terms than as humans’ lapdogs. This mission is chaotic enough for us to launch a swift attack before the humans can round us up.”

Rao Wu was still hesitant. “How can I attack them? They’ll kill me before I even get close.”

Denuchi shook his head. “I don’t plan on sending you on a suicide mission. No matter what, you’re still a child. I’m not that heartless.” Instead, Denuchi pointed at Akeme and then at Olek. “We’ll spend the next couple of days training your archery. You just need to scratch the humans with Akeme’s poison. That will be enough to kill them.” Denuchi tapped the broadsword sheathed by his hip. “All of our weapons have been treated with Akeme’s poison, but we can’t use them against the humans.”

Rao Wu’s brows jumped as he sensed Denuchi’s underlying warning. If Rao Wu betrayed them, the squad would hunt him down. A single nick from their swords could kill him ten times over!

Denuchi going this far proved how serious this operation was to the squad. Rao Wu, thus could not afford to treat this lightly. His next words had to be chosen carefully.

The child went quiet for a few minutes. Denuchi, for his part, patiently waited, choosing not to pressure Rao Wu’s decision. Even if Rao Wu chose not to help them, Denuchi would still teach the youth everything he knew.

Eventually, Rao Wu sighed and raised his head. “Alright. I’ll help you. It works out for me too. The humans will probably force me into a contract after the mission anyway.”

“Haha! I knew you were an intelligent kid.” Denuchi chuckled and then stood up. “Alright. I’ll leave you to it. Cultivate, and then get some rest. We’ll begin your training tomorrow.”

“Sure thing, boss.” Rao Wu bid goodbye and then walked over to the ramparts. He then leaned on the railings as he gazed at the wasteland beyond. He took a moment to sort out his emotions, and sat with his back to the wall.

Now that he was alone, Rao Wu took out a core and swallowed it. He then copied Ramy’s shadowboxing as he circulated the berserk energy according to the Trickster manual. ‘Wow. It’s so effective.’ Rao Wu marveled when he found his muscles absorbing the energy a lot faster than normal. It appeared cultivation techniques promoted exercising the body.

Roughly one hour later, a sweat-drenched Rao Wu panted as he finally completed his training. The child stretched as he gazed at the moon. “That’s Stage four.” Rao Wu looked at his hand. “This ability. Can I use it in this mission?” As he spoke, fur grew out of Rao Wu’s hand as his hand slowly morphed to resemble kafu beastkin.

“There you are, Rao Wu. We’ve been looking for you.”

Rao Wu’s hand quickly returned to normal as he turned to see Olek waving at him. “Sorry. I needed some fresh air.”

Olek laughed as he walked over and then sat beside Rao Wu. “Don’t worry, I get it. Those wolves stink the place up.” He chuckled, and then silently gazed at the moon with Rao Wu.

After a few minutes, Rao Wu could no longer stand Olek’s fidgeting and thus asked, “Um, Olek, is there something you want?”

“Hehe, that obvious, huh.” Olek nervously chuckled as he scratched his cheeks. He then calmed himself with a breath and said, “Boss told me I’ll be training you in archery from tomorrow. So, I’m guessing he must have roped you into his plan?” Olek smiled when Rao Wu kept silent. “Smart kid.” The kafu inwardly chuckled and then said, “Listen, kid. I… No, we trust Denuchi with our lives. It might not be so obvious now, but you really lucked out joining our team. Many suicide squads don’t survive past their first three missions, but Denuchi has taken us through dozens. We’ve lost a few members along the way, sure, but most of us are still here.”

Olek nervously scratched his cheek. “What I’m trying to say is: Denuchi doesn’t make plans without first considering the squad. He wouldn’t tell us to do something that has a high chance of killing us off. In fact, it’s the opposite. So, trust him.”

Rao Wu observed Olek’s expression. The young man seemed almost embarrassed that he was asking Rao Wu for help, but that also showed just the squad’s desperation. Affected by Olek’s solemnity, Rao Wu couldn’t help but ask, “Is it that bad?”

“Hehe, it’s bad,” replied Olek with a wry smile. “Guys like Akeme haven’t known any other life, but I was taken from my village when I was a child like you. I still remember the freedom. Waking up whenever I wanted, going hunting with my father, and learning farming from my mother. I recall playing in the open fields with my friends, and fighting over stupid things like what soul monster is the strongest. The sky seemed endless, like there was countless adventures awaiting beyond.” Olek looked at the moon with sunken eyes. “Know what I see when I look at the sky now? A mocking reminder that we’re ants destined to remain under its reign. Just like we can never go beyond the skies, so can we never escape our fate of servitude.”

“Bullshit.”

“I’m sorry?” Olek blinked in shock as he turned to look at Rao Wu. To his surprise, the boy wore an indignant glare as he looked at the moon.

Rao Wu glared at the skies as he said, “I don’t know anything about living under someone else, so I won’t say anything, but…” Rao Wu raised his hand to the sky, as if trying to grab the sky, “Nothing in the sea, sky or land can ever restrict the Emperor of Soul Pets. If the sea tries, I’ll dry it up. If the land tries, I’ll dig it up, and if the sky dares to restrict me—” Rao Wu paused, and looked at Olek with confident, burning eyes.

Rao Wu recalled the first test. Would the being that split that island in two fear anything? An Emperor needed to be the strongest being. So, he would eventually need to overpower that mysterious lifeform. Could he afford to be scared by some humans?

Rao Wu’s eyes flashed with a playful, murderous light as he finished, “If the sky dares restrict me, I’ll tear it apart!”

At the moment, affected by Rao Wu’s energy, Olek chose not to speak of the skies intangible nature. However, how was he to know that the little pipsqueak in front of him would one day make good on that very promise!