Ren’s heart shook. Although he had prepared his heart, the fox's words still shocked him.

“I died? How?”

“Not telling. Anyways, that’s not important at the moment. Your second life is in jeopardy, and I’d suggest that this is more important than your miserable past. Do you disagree?” The fox smiled.

“What do you mean?” Ren gulped.

“At present, you are sharing your body with Azen. You possess your body during the day while he takes it at night. However, Azen isn’t too pleased with the arrangement. He’d rather consume or destroy your soul than continue like this. But… I saved both your souls from the Netherworld at a cost. So, I’m not too willing to see your early demise.” The fox licked its lips.

“When I sent you to the beasts, I had thought of a solution to your problems. There’s a big lion in the largest tree of the forest. I believe he’s called the Divine Emperor or Pathetic Kitty… Hmph, the gall of that cat to take the title of Divine Emperor. If I were…” Midway, the fox grew furious and started ranting.

“Oh, sorry! I got sidetracked. Well, that cat is very strong! Strong enough to create a new vessel for one of your souls. If you can convince that big kitty to create a body for Azen, I can force him to leave.”

“But… if you delay long enough for Azen to recover a good portion of his strength… You… will… perish…” The fox returned to the dramatic pauses.

Ren frowned. He remembered his conversation with Kana. He couldn’t meet the Divine Emperor. Instead, the Divine Emperor had to summon him. And, with the status of the Divine Emperor, this possibility was highly unlikely if not outright impossible.

“Is there any other way?”

“Of course. You can grow strong enough to consume Azen’s soul. However, little pup… I suggest you give up on that idea. You can never catch up to him. Dead face is just too powerful for your standards.”

“Who is Azen? Why is he sharing a body with me?”

“…I can’t answer that question. However, I can tell you the fundamental difference between you and Azen.” The fox nefariously grinned and continued.

“Azen has an Elemental Conversion Technique. As for its ability, you can soon witness it with your own eyes. He can improve his combat strength using this technique. On the other hand, you’re stuck with a crippled body.”

“Crippled body?” Ren checked his limbs.

“Not literally! Your body can’t absorb any energy! In the Martial Path, you are the basic example of a cripple. In other words, you can’t improve your strength. And I know what you’re thinking. Don’t ask me for an Elemental Conversion Technique. I don’t have one with me.”

“So I’m stuck…” Ren didn’t understand the technicalities but he had obtained the gist of what the fox was trying to convey. While Azen could improve his strength, he was stuck at the lowest level of strength.

“Indeed. Big kitty is your last hope. If you succeed, you’ll live. Otherwise, you’ll return to the Netherworld, where your soul will wander for an eternity before fading into nothingness.” The fox’s voice possessed an eerie tone.

Ren shuddered.

“What was my past life like?”

“Not telling. Discover it by yourself. Anyways, I can convey your last wish.”

Ren squinted his eyes. He focused all his attention on the fox. He did not want to forget its next words at any cost. However, his concern was in vain. With his memory resembling a blank slate, even if he wished, he couldn’t forget anything.

“To kick Azen out of your body! This was your last wish.”

Ren fell speechless. He began to wonder if the fox was lying. However, he hid those thoughts deep within his heart.

“Ooh! I almost forgot! Because of your disadvantages, I gave you a couple of gifts. The first one is Omnilingual Evolution! It’s a unique talent using which you can understand and communicate in any language you encounter. There are a few limitations, but I’m too lazy to explain. You can ascertain them yourself. As for the second gift, I’ll hand it to you once you succeed in your lone task.”

Ren smiled bitterly. The first gift explained his fluency with the local language. However, he wondered if it would be enough to succeed in his task.

“Anyways, I think I’ve explained all that I had to say. I’ll be going. If you wish to… ‘eavesdrop’ on dead face’s life, then just close your eyes and concentrate. Bye!” With an enthusiastic smile, the fox faded away.

“Wai…” Emptiness greeted Ren. He had many more questions to ask but unfortunately, he missed the crucial opportunity.

“What a bleak future…” Ren concluded. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and concentrated, hoping to learn more of his ‘new enemy’.

Azen sat with Lena for dinner. He stared at a table in surprise. Ranging from steaks to salads, the table was full of various delicacies.

However, for two people, the food was overkill. Not even 5 people could hope to finish such a luxurious banquet.

Lena stared at the table in satisfaction. She had worked on these dishes for the past few hours, hoping to identify Ren’s palate.

Azen blinked at the sheer volume of the food. However, without uttering a word, he ate in tiny portions.

“How is it? Is it good?” Lena asked.

Azen did not reply.

‘Does he not like it? Did I make a mistake? Maybe, he likes less spice?’ Lena panicked. Gathering her courage, she decided to ask him.

“Is it bad? Should I reduce the spices next time?”

“…” The silence plunged Lena into despair.

Ren witnessed the exchange through Azen’s senses. He could only smile bitterly as he understood the problem. Azen couldn’t understand Lena’s language! Without Omnilingual Evolution, he had no way of comprehending the local language of this forest.

The weird silence continued for a few more minutes. In the meantime, Lena recovered from her panicked state and stared at Azen’s blue eyes. She had hesitated from the beginning. However, curiosity conquered her as she asked.

“Um… Ren… your eyes have turned blue. I-Is this natural for humans?” She partially stammered, worried if the topic was sensitive.

Like usual, Azen remained silent. He pretended that he hadn’t heard Lena’s question. This time, his behavior pushed Lena into an abyss of despair.

‘He’s ignoring me!! LENA! How did you offend him?’ Although she looked fidgety on the outside, Lena was internally screaming her soul out.

‘Was it something I did in the afternoon? Or was it because of the morning’s incident? Oh no… He probably hates me…’ Lena’s tail wiggled under the table.

'I'm sorry.' Watching this exchange, Ren silently apologized. Lena had put her heart and soul into the dishes. Yet, in return, Azen couldn't care less.

After eating, Azen washed his face and returned to his bed, ill concerned of the worries plaguing the young cat-girl and the soul within his body.

Lena sighed and touched the formation on the edge of the table. The top of the table transformed into a mushy quicksand-like substance. It devoured all the remaining dishes, emptying the table.

She took one last glance at Azen and hesitated. In the end, she despondently trudged to her room on the upper floor of the cottage.

An hour after she left, Azen opened his eyes. He took a deep breath and clenched his fist. Opening his palm, a web of darkness fell onto the bed. The darkness spread and surrounded the bed.

Azen punched the bed a couple of times. Due to the darkness, not a single sound escaped. He willed it to surround his body. Clad in darkness, he approached the wall and snatched a dagger.

Feeling satisfied, he touched the window. Darkness diffused from his hand, coating it.

He silently opened the window and hopped out. A cloud of darkness cushioned his fall, and he closed the window. With a dagger in hand, he escaped into the dark night.

Watching the whole incident, Ren gaped. Azen had executed the whole process without alerting Lena’s acute sense of hearing. Not even the guards were privy to the fact that their guest had escaped.

For the next few hours, Azen practiced his Elemental Conversion Technique. Conjuring various objects made of darkness, he slowly improved his affinity.

While training, Azen unknowingly drifted away from the city and wandered into the woods. With darkness coating the entirety of his body, even the animals failed to notice his presence.

As he roamed deep into the forest, Azen heard a small noise, akin to a human’s voice. Tracing its origin, he found a suspicious group in the darkness.

They formed a camp, barely illuminated by a small lamp.

[“When are we going to act?”] A hoarse voice complained.

[“We haven’t received an order yet. Wait for now!”] A shrewd voice replied.

[“It’s been so many days… How many more days should we wait?”]

[“Stop complaining! Our identities are trivial to the Lords. Be glad that they even hired us.”]

To Azen, the conversation made no sense as he heard only a pile of incomprehensible blabber. All he heard was something akin to “Blah Bleh Bloh”. He hesitated before approaching the camp.

[“…I shouldn’t have come for this boring mi-”]

[“Enemy attack!”] A naga shouted.

Azen wasted no time as he retreated into the darkness of the woods. The campers barely noticed a shadow before it fled into the forest.

[“Follow!”] The naga ordered. Besides the naga, the camp had four minotaurs. The minotaurs’ eyes turned red as they dashed into the forest.

Upon entering the forest, they were greeted with murky darkness and countless trees. With minimal light from the moon, they failed to spot anyone.

They waited for the sound of footsteps, but silence greeted them. They only heard the cries of the insects.

[“He might be hiding nearby. Search carefully.”] The minotaurs continued their search, not noticing that a cloud of darkness had slipped past them.

In the meantime, the naga felt conflicted.

‘They’re already onto our tracks. We need to change our hideout… Why are the Lords delaying this mission?’ The naga sighed and grabbed the lamp. It hesitated before extinguishing the lamp.

[“Who?! I can’t see! What’s going on?”] Just as the naga extinguished the lamp, it was robbed of its vision. Not even the familiar moonlight entered its sight. Horrified, it realized that the nightmare had just begun.

Soon, it couldn’t hear the shrill cries of the crickets and other insects. To plunge it into even greater despair, the naga couldn’t even smell the scent of the surrounding flora. One after another, it was robbed of all its prominent senses.

[“NO! HELP!!”] As a last resort, the naga shouted. At this moment, it regretted enrolling for this mission.

Tshikk!

A dagger plunged into its throat. The naga felt some foreign fluid flowing into its neck. It diffused into its circulatory system, wreaking havoc throughout its inner organs before ending its misery.

With despair and regret in its eyes, the naga collapsed onto a blanket of darkness, dead.