Ren opened his eyes. A familiar brown ceiling welcomed him. He had returned to his room!

‘How did I return here? Was it all a dream?’ A glance at his clothes rubbished that random thought. His torn clothes couldn’t lie about his adventures.

Remembering his successful attempt, he touched his left arm. Questions stormed into his mind.

‘That attack, what exactly happened…’ Ren struggled to recollect details of his palm attack.

At that time, he felt a new energy gush into his arm, tearing apart his muscles and knitting them. During this process, his bones cracked. Fortunately, he did not experience the pain accompanying the process. However, he couldn’t recollect anything further.

‘Ahh, whatever! The result went well, and that’s enough!’ Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen the impact of his palm thrust, or he would have strived harder to recall more details.

Moving his arm around, Ren noticed that it had been healed. He examined his body and found no injuries, broken bones, or wounds.

‘Weird… How did I recover so quickly? ...Even that night with Azen. He had been seriously injured but the injuries disappeared when I woke up. ...Ah! Could this be a Bloodline skill!? Have I gained the ability to regenerate while sleeping?’ Ren's face flushed with excitement. He decided to test his hypothesis later.

Grrr!

Ren’s stomach growled, and his famished eyes wandered to the table. They stared at the meal on the table. Without hesitation, he grabbed the food and swallowed it, barely bothering with chewing.

Creak!

The door opened and Lena entered the room. Her usual friendly smile had disappeared. Instead, her face looked grim and gloomy as she strode towards Ren.

“Ren, we must talk!” She asserted.

Ren’s eyebrows creased. He never expected such a stern tone from Lena. Placing his food aside, he asked.

“What is it?”

“Who taught you Forbidden Skills?” Her piercing gaze peered into Ren’s amber eyes, determined to receive an answer.

“Forbidden skills…?” Ren tilted his head.

“…Forbidden Skills!! Who taught it to you? And don’t you dare lie or I’ll…” She ground her teeth, but she couldn’t think of a good threat. In the end, she noticed the food through the corner of her eyes.

“…I’ll starve you until you spit out the truth.” Ren fell speechless.

'Could it be my regeneration?' Ren's eyes shone with an excited light.

“Sis Lena, I truly don’t know what Forbidden Skills are… I've heard of Bloodline Skills. Are they related?”

Lena squinted her eyes, wondering if he was lying.

“You’re lying! That palm attack! Who taught it to you?” She harrumphed and asked.

“Palm attack? ...Oh! That one! I don’t know. I accidentally picked it up when I fell from the cliff… But the last punch was more powerful than the ones when I practiced. I just concentrate all my energy into my palm. Does Sis Lena know anything about it?” Ren wiggled his fingers and swung his arm, attempting to recollect that feeling.

Lena frowned and paced around the room, consumed in deep thought. She sensed that the confusion on Ren’s face was genuine. However, that opened another can of worms.

She occasionally glanced at Ren before shaking her head. Her weird behavior puzzled Ren. In the end, she approached him.

“Ren, carefully listen to me! No matter what! Never use that attack again! Also, don’t do anything similar ever again! Do you understand?”

“…I do, but I want an explanation. What are Forbidden Skills? And what does it have to do with my punch?” Ren replied after some consideration. He inwardly planned to investigate this new term in detail.

Lena hesitated.

“Sis Lena, if you don’t explain, then I won’t obey your instruction.” He returned a warning.

“Ha… Fine! I’ll explain. ‘Forbidden Skills’ is a broad term used for martial techniques that oppose nature.” Lena continued with a grim expression.

“Not much is known about Forbidden Skills. I’ve heard of a theory that it is the polar opposite of Honing. It endows on its users the might of a Honed Act even when they haven’t met the criteria… But this is just a theory.”

“Honed Act?” Ren grew further confused.

“Haven’t you read the book that I gave you? I’m confident that I picked a book on Honing.” Lena's eyebrows creased.

Ren embarrassedly shifted his gaze. He had dropped that book after reading its first page. Seeing this, Lena inwardly sighed and explained.

“Basically, it just gives you access to a powerful attack without the labor involved in Honing. But Forbidden Skills are always accompanied by backlashes. That is how we recognize them. These can range from injuries to death or even the destruction of one’s soul.” She took a creepy voice, hoping to deter Ren.

Ren hid his urge to smile. Lena noticed this and continued.

“In your case, the backlash shattered the bones in your left arm. If left alone, you could’ve lost that arm. Fortunately, I healed it before it grew worse.”

‘Nooo! My regeneration!!’ Ren despaired. Lena’s words brutally crushed his lofty dreams of bloodline skills.

“But... one thing is for sure. Every practitioner of Forbidden Skills will die! There is no exception! That is why I’m warning you. Never! Never! Never use Forbidden Skills again.”

Ren felt Lena’s panic. Other than panic, there was an element of fear in her voice.

“Sis Lena, I understand.” He slyly replied.

“No! I don’t want your understanding! I want a clear answer. Do you swear to never use Forbidden Skills?” Lena immediately caught onto his minor tricks.

Ren pouted. He didn’t wish to abandon Forbidden Skills. Especially since it would become a great asset to him in the Trial of Righteousness. Either way, compared to death, severe injuries meant little to him.

“Ren! Are you thinking of using Forbidden Skills!?” Lena's black eyes flashed with a dangerous glint.

Ren shuddered. He thought for a while before replying.

“Sis Lena, what if it becomes my last recourse. Suppose I’m in a situation where I’m facing certain death. If my only path to escape becomes Forbidden Skills, then I have to use it. You don’t want me to die, right?” Ren put on a pitiful expression. Although he could lie, he inwardly loathed that idea.

Lena hesitated for a moment before ceding.

“Fine! But it must be your last resort! If there are any other methods available, use that first! Do I have your word?”

“Yes! I won’t use it until it becomes my last resort.” Ren happily agreed. Even he had no interest in sacrificing his arm for no purpose.

“Good! My sister asked for you. You can find her near the dining table.” Lena dropped her serious attitude and reverted to her smiling self.

Ren nodded and departed.

Lena gazed at his fading back. For a moment, the image of another person’s back morphed onto his back.

‘Ren... why are you following in his path?’ She smiled bitterly.

“What happened to you? You look like a horrible mess.” Kana asked. Ren's appearance resembled an untidy beggar.

“Just training…” Ren smiled wryly.

“Oh. Don’t overwork yourself. Anyways, I think it is time that we presented you to the public.”

Ren paused. Till now, he hadn’t made a proper appearance in public. Even while training, Lena had taken him to an isolated waterfall, far away from public eyes.

“Don’t worry. I’ve taken enough security measures. No one will harm you. Also, I heard that you’re interested in combat. Don’t you want a weapon? This can be the perfect opportunity. Visit the blacksmith and buy a new weapon.”

“…Okay.”

“Wait! I’m accompanying Ren!” Lena overheard their conversation and expressed her desire.

“Lena, not this time. I’ll let you accompany him next time. I want him to go alone today.” Kana frowned.

“No! I must accompany him!” Lena stood and asserted. Kana's refusal only strengthened her determination.

“Lena! Listen to me! Knowledge of Ren’s relation with us isn’t public yet. I can protect him but I can’t predict the reaction when the demi-humans learn of our relationship. Please understand!” Kana’s voice grew louder. Although she usually accepted all her sister’s requests, she showed strong resistance to this request.

“No! I’m not trusting your lousy guards. As for the other demi-humans… Hmph. Do you think I care about what they think of me?”

Kana rubbed her forehead in pain and irritation. She regretted raising this topic in her sister’s presence. In the end, she acceded.

“Fine. But be careful. If there’s any trouble, do not react. The guards will protect you.” While warning, her gaze fell upon Lena.

“Don’t worry! We won’t create any troubles.” Lena victoriously smiled.

Warrior’s Street.

The teleportation circle flashed and two people appeared on the circle.

“Ren, welcome to Warrior’s Street! This place has everything that a warrior needs. Armor, weapons, cultivation techniques, medicines, supplies... You name it! It’s the most popular gathering for adventuring demi-human warriors.” Lena smiled.

Ren looked around the busy streets. Many merchants presented their wares and collections on the streets. Further ahead into the street, he noticed many formal shops.

“Let’s go!” Lena blissfully led Ren into the streets.

Browsing through the presented merchandise, Ren couldn’t help but gulp.

One merchant sold a spiked armor for minotaurs. He stabbed it with an ordinary sword. However, the sword failed to generate even the slightest scratch on the armor. Instead, the sword had earned new scratches on its surface due to contact with the spikes.

Items of this grade were commonplace in this busy street. As the weapons stole Ren's attention, he failed to notice a major transformation within the streets.

Lena was conscious of this transformation. Her mood fell but she hid it with a pained smile.

“Phew! That was amazing. There were so many...” Ren stopped midway. Looking around, he noticed that the crowds avoided them. This created a weird phenomenon where the street was busy with the only exception being the vicinity of Ren.

Ren examined the demi-humans in the crowd. Most of them ignored Ren but some met his gaze.

Their condescending gazes declared their hatred and disgust at Ren. They treated him as an abomination. Ren face paled as he instinctively clenched his fist. He experienced an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu.

“Ren, ignore them. Let’s go to the blacksmith.” Lena pointed ahead. She had partially expected this reaction.

Ren relaxed his palm but he couldn’t overcome his uneasiness.

Before they progressed for much longer, a werewolf exited the crowd and blocked their path. He donned a humongous ax on his back and bared his menacing teeth at Lena.

“Lena! I thought that the rumors were false. But you’ve proven me wrong. Have you decided to support this scum and betray us?”

Lena’s face darkened. She confronted the werewolf.

“Following the Council’s order is considered betrayal? Are you planning to rebel against the Council?”

The werewolf panicked. He scanned his surroundings and regained his composure.

“Hmph. The sister of the Kaero preaches loyalty? Pathetic! Your brother would spit at you if he witnessed your actions.”

“Hey-” The silent witness decided to intervene when Lena stopped him.

“Ren, let’s go. They aren't worth our time.” She grabbed Ren and evaded the werewolf.

Ren glared at the werewolf before moving on. However, he sighed inwardly. The silent hatred reminded him of his position in this city.

After they left, a hooded figure approached the werewolf.

“The sisters have taken their stance. They will remain loyal to the Council.” The werewolf reported.

“Is that so? Then Lena is no longer useful to us. Let’s go!”

“Are we really-” The werewolf couldn’t complete his question before being interrupted.

“Talk later. We’re being followed.” They disappeared into the crowd.

They reached the formal shops in the street.

Lena ignored most of the fancy buildings and chose a seemingly mediocre hut. A couple of armed guards defended at the entrance.

She withdrew a tiny dagger from her bag and presented it to the guards.

The guards scrutinized the dagger before opening the door. They let Lena enter but they pocketed the dagger.

“Thank you.” Lena pulled Ren into the hut.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

Upon entry, Ren witnessed a weird scene.

A stone statue stood within a shallow burning pit. Its large hand glowed in a bright red light as it mechanically hammered a saber.

A crow perched on the statue’s shoulder, observing the process. Upon noticing the guests, it flew out of the pit.

“Lord…Um… please forgive us if we disturbed you.” Lena panicked and bowed.

The crow distracted Ren’s line of thought. Metal armor coated its right half and its heterochromatic eyes glowed in purple and red.

“Your identity?” The crow asked.

“Lord, I am Lena… Kaero’s sister."

The purplish light from the crow’s right eye subsided.

“If you want a weapon, take one from those piles and leave! Do not disturb us.” The crow flew back onto the statue’s shoulder, ignoring the duo.

Lena sighed in relief. She noticed a few piles of weapons to her side. She smiled and gestured to Ren. She didn’t dare to speak, lest she disturbs the blacksmith.

Ren hesitantly nodded before approaching the piles of weapons. Examining his vast selection, he paused.

With almost nil experience with weapons, he wondered which weapon could help him in the upcoming trial.