The stranger had gifted him an important clue.

Over the night, Ren had been worrying over methods to optimize his qi usage. While climbing the cliff, he had run out of energy. At that time, he had solved the problem by optimizing his qi usage. He tried to apply the same logic to his present problem to no avail.

A handful of water can’t put out a large flame. Even if one throws it in an optimized manner, it can’t extinguish the flame!

Thus, he worsened his situation. He made minor improvements with each of his attempts. However, the accumulated effect of these improvements was negligible.

Fixated on the minor improvements, Ren didn’t consider the possibility where the optimized route might fail to carry him through the waterfall.

‘I’m an idiot… I should have thought of this earlier.’ He banged his head. Unfortunately, he had invested too much on the minor improvements that he avoided reality.

If the stranger hadn’t helped him, he would have lost more time and effort. And with Azen’s threat, Ren lacked time the most.

‘Who was that stranger? I should’ve at least thanked him. Ah, that’s right... I could have sworn he resembled a human. Whatever! I don't have time to waste.’ A consuming a couple of energy pills, he focused on his real problem.

‘How do I replenish my energy faster? Hm... I'll observe the natural process of replenishment first. That might present some clues. I need to empty my meridians first… Okay!’ Regaining confidence, he punched his face and returned to his grueling training.

An hour later.

Ren climbed a jagged portion of the cliff. However, he did not use his hands. Instead, he used his legs. Just maintaining his position depleted his minimal reservoir of energy. Unable to maintain this costly expenditure, he dropped from the cliff.

Thud!

Ren rotated slammed his palm onto the ground, creating a powerful impact that stopped his downward momentum.

Panting, Ren smiled faintly. He sat cross-legged and meditated.

He concentrated all his senses into tracking the flow of energy. Like tiny streams, they bored through his skin, replenishing his meridians. Observing this phenomenon, he frowned.

'How can I accelerate this process? If I solve this, I can complete the course.'

Azen’s mind space. Darkness covered the vast emptiness. It stretched endlessly, with only a human and a fox at its center.

“Dead face, are you seeing this? He’s working hard to catch up to you. Maybe, given enough time and opportunities, he might overcome you.”

Azen closed his eyes, ignoring the purple fox. Rui continued.

“He is worth much more than… Stupid Dead face! Stop ignoring me! Say something! Stupid face! I’ll call you Stupid Face from now on!” Rui shouted.

Azen curbed the urge to kill Rui.

“I don’t have the habit of feeding baby cockroaches just to check if their adult forms are useful. I hope you remember the owner of these words. Reserve your dishonesty for someone else. It won’t work on me.” With that rebuttal, Azen closed his eyes and blocked his ears.

The purple fox frowned.

‘Pup, it’s up to you. One month… Why do I feel like I’m overlooking something very important? Bah, I must be overthinking. ...Why am I even worrying over this pup? Stupid Stupid face! Everything is your fault!’ The purple fox kicked Azen before disappearing.

Azen ground his teeth and swore.

‘One day… I’ll boil that fox and feed it to wild foxes.’

Dawn.

Lena arrived at the waterfall. She saw Ren who sat cross-legged in meditation. Confused, she didn't interrupt him. Nevertheless, observing his condition, her face waned.

Ren had radically transformed in a day. His clothes were drenched and torn. Bruises and injuries decorated his body and face.

After a few minutes, he left meditation and snatched a couple of red leaves. Lena's heart wrenched as he limped to the waterfall, barely moving his left arm through the whole process.

Moreover, she noticed that he had been surviving solely with the aid of energy pills. His tired face screamed off its endless love for sleep. However, his eyes gleamed with a seriousness never seen in a child of his age.

Placing the two leaves on the river, Ren boarded them. Balancing himself on the leaves, he advanced with the river's current.

At this stage, he closed his eyes. Energy flowed into his body, supporting his expenditure of energy.

Swoosh! With each passing moment, the noise from the waterfall grew louder. Yet, he focused on recovery and maintaining his balance on the leaves.

Seeing this, Lena smiled and ran to the edge of the cliff.

‘He’s already fixing his flaws. Regrettably, it won’t be enough to finish the waterfall. He’ll need much more energy to offset his downward momentum.’

However, Ren's next actions defied all her expectations.

Upon reaching the edge of the waterfall, Ren opened his eyes.

‘This is it!’ With a determined gaze, he welcomed the waterfall.

Without wasting a moment, he bent and grabbed one of the leaves with his right hand. This mid-air maneuver had changed his posture. With his head facing the water, success seemed impossible.

However, he hadn't surrendered... at least, his actions dictated such.

Concentrating all his energy into his left arm, he waited for the bottom. His left arm bulged, almost in an unhealthy manner, but Ren was too focused on his task to notice this phenomenon.

The surroundings flashed by his eyes. He squinted. Only two objects remained in his vision. The approaching water and the red leaf falling between them.

‘Now!’ Finding the opportune moment, Ren began his final gambit.

He extended his left arm backward.

Crack! Crack! The bones in his left arm cracked.

“HAAAA!!” Ignoring the sounds, he shouted, slamming the leaf onto the incoming turbulent waves.

BOOOM!!! Splash!

Following a loud explosion, the upper layer of the river deformed into a crater. Ren settled at the center of the crater, with only the leaf persisting between his left palm and the water.

Using the little energy in his body, he pushed himself into the air.

'Please succeed.' Midair, Ren sucked more energy from the atmosphere, slowly replenishing his empty meridians.

Water poured into the ‘crater’, sinking the lone leaf. Under the influence of gravity, Ren slowly lost his upward momentum.

Ren stared at his landing spot and his eyes gleamed. He threw the leaf onto the surface of the water. Maneuvering his position, he landed onto the lone leaf. Not wasting any time, he stabilized his wobbling body.

Standing on one leg, he stared at the waterfall in a daze.

‘I did it?’ Disbelief slowly transformed into joy. His hard work over a whole day and night had finally paid off.

The current gently shoved the leaf along with Ren away from the waterfall.

Watching the whole process, Lena gaped. However, her surprise came from an altogether different source.

“Forbidden… skills? He learned forbidden skills?! H-How? Who!? Who taught him forbidden skills!?” A plethora of emotions stormed her heart.

She couldn’t contain her shock, anger, and amazement. However, more than anything else, terror gripped her soul. She approached Ren, her face full of panic.

“Ren! Come here!” She shouted.

Ren saw her and presented a tired smile. He tried to lift his left arm but it refused to move. Instead, he lifted his right arm and made a V-sign.

At the same time, his fatigue triumphed and he lost balance. Not even the energy pills could carry him forward as he fainted.

Splash!

Lena panicked and dived into the river. She swam and grabbed Ren before he drowned. Bringing him ashore, she laid him on the ground. Staring at the morning sun, she cursed.

‘Ugh, this darned sun! Why did you have to come out at this time?’

She carried Ren on her back and hiked all the way back to the closest teleportation circle.

Forbidden Swamp. An underworld cave.

“Those invited have gathered. The Counccil begins.” A large snake hissed. His whispery voice resounded through the cave.

“Why did you invite us? Moreover, what happened to your ‘plan’ with those mercenaries?” A bulky lizard asked. Three consecutive scars marred his face.

“They have completed their duty. But that is not relevant today. ...The Ancient Wheel has awakened.” The snake’s vertical eyes dilated, taking in the reactions of his companions.

The shock in the atmosphere took a tangible form of silence. Only an eerie sound of crunching filled the cave, disturbing the silence.

“The promise?” A masked cat-woman asked, breaking the absence of communication.

“It has been activated! The wheel has besstowed a human child upon Edahi.”

“Human? Why would the Ancient Wheel show interest in such a pathetic creature?” A succubus pouted. Her luscious lips could bewitch any person and make them go crazy with lust. Unfortunately, none of her companions showed any interest in her lips or her shapely body.

“I can guess. But I want to meet him before I express anything.” The snake replied.

“Can I eat him?” A giant crocodile asked, ruining the solemn mood. It crunched on a buffalo like eating a snack. Blood and broken bones decorated its mouth.

“I wonder how human meat tast-”

Tzuuk!

Before it could finish, a blade cut through its body, splitting it into two halves. It effectively ended the crunching noise.

A naga slithered through the crocodile's corpse. He possessed the upper body of a handsome man and the lower body of a snake.

“Cap’n, sorry for barging in. What did I miss?” He sheathed his sword.

“Vicious darling! We were just talking about our marri-”

Tzuuk! Before the succubus could finish, an invisible sword slash ripped through her body, killing her.

“Viciouss, I did not invite you. Return!” The snake hissed.

The naga shrugged and exited the cave, ignoring the two ‘corpses’.

After he left, the giant crocodile regenerated its missing half.

The succubus’ two halves regenerated, forming two bodies. Frowning, she scratched her clone, her nail drawing a distinct purple cut on the clone’s neck. Soon, the clone crumbled into dust, leaving behind a purple crystal. The succubus pocketed the crystal, grumpy during the whole process.

“Loyalty! You speak as though Edahi will let us snatch him with ease.” The scarred lizard said. He ignored the visitor and the two miscreants in their group.

“No. That is why I gathered everyone. I require your ssupport.” The snake replied.

“What is the Demonic Overlord’s stand? Does he support you?” The lizard glared at the snake. His voice possessed a strong provocative tone.

“Naturally! Are you doubting my influencce?” The snake smiled. The purple flame at the center shone on his black scales, making him the focus of everyone in the cave.

“Fine, but can you guarantee success?” The lizard persisted on its questioning. The other members watched their conflict with hidden pleasure.

“Every time. If you do not trusst me, you are free to leave. I desspise using forcce.”

The cave fell silent. Everyone studied each other, waiting for an unlucky member to make a foolish decision. In the meantime, the bored crocodile crunched on a rock.

“Thank you for confirming your loyalty. I shall end the Counccil gathering for now.” The snake’s vertical eyes fell upon the purple flame, his thoughts unknown to the group. They departed one after another.

“Agony, Chimi, sstay back.” The masked cat-woman and the succubus halted.

“Can you please not call me that? It's Princess! Even Lust is acceptable. Just not that!” The succubus fumed. She glared daggers at the snake.

“Chimi, open a path to Edahi tomorrow. You can use my sspy. Take Gluttony with you.” The snake commanded, rubbing salt on the succubus' wound.

“Are you looking for a fight?” The succubus groaned before heaving an exasperated sigh.

“Fine, fine. You’re the leader. When did I ever offend-”

“Agony, come with me tomorrow.” The snake ignored her complaint and returned to the cat-woman.

The cat-woman nodded faintly.

"Good, I'll see you tomorrow." The snake departed. On the way, he hissed.

'Counccil of Chaos... what a befitting name for thiss erratic lot.'