Ren approached the pile of swords.

'Swords are easy to wield, right? At least they're not complicated or are they? Ahh... Why am I not a weapons expert?' Ignorant with weapons in general, he wanted an easy pick for the upcoming trial.

'Something that can improve my strength but at the same time, it should be easy to learn... Yeah, this looks good.' Maybe it was because of its menacing appearance, but Ren picked a red, double-edged sword.

“Aargh!” With a low shout, he dropped the sword. His face paled, and he sweated profusely. Reeling in shock, he took a few steps back.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Lena whispered.

“Yes, but what was that? It felt like something was attempting to conquer my mind.” Ren shuddered while remembering the backlash. It reminded him of dusks, especially when Azen took control over his body.

Lena’s face turned grave. She touched a few swords and muttered.

“All these weapons have spirits? Ugh… We’ll have to look elsewhere… This smith has surpassed my expectations.”

“Weapons with spirits?” Ren asked. His eyes twinkled with curiosity.

“Yes. They’re incredibly powerful but… to low-level practitioners, they are extremely dangerous. Only seasoned mages and warriors can handle these weapons without suffering from backlashes." Lena struggled to remove her gaze from the weapons. In the end, she sighed.

"Ha... I should’ve considered this earlier… Let’s go. None of these weapons can help you.” Lena forced a smile.

Ren expression soured. His inability to absorb energy always returned to haunt him. He glanced around the pile and noticed a large glove.

Its location caught his attention. It was placed next to a pile of sabers and knives.

A spark of inspiration lit his creativity ablaze. His amber eyes gleamed as he thought of an idea for his perfect weapon.

‘Is there an item that can help me lift heavy items? This place has powerful weapons so there should be at least one item, right? A glove would be perfect…’

Ren approached the glove and picked it. Bracing for a mental attack, he waited.

5 seconds passed… 10 seconds passed…

The awaited attack did not come. Pleasantly surprised, he studied the white glove.

‘Is this a normal glove? It can't be... right?’

Its large size was its only standout feature. He inserted his right palm in the glove and compared the difference in size.

'It's too big... Right, how could they have a glove for humans? I'm an idiot.' He depreciatingly chuckled when a sudden change caught him off-guard.

The glove shrank, enveloping his palm perfectly. Ren gaped. He pulled the glove to no avail. It stuck harder than a bad habit. Just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, the glove vanished.

He touched his right palm but he couldn’t feel the glove. Instead, he felt the smooth texture of the skin and whites of his palm.

‘It’s gone? HOW!?’ He screamed internally. He caressed his palm in disbelief.

Lena noticed Ren’s antics and approached him.

“What are you doing? Let’s go!” She angrily whispered.

“…Sis Lena, I might have messed up. I tried a large glove but it suddenly shrank and disappeared.” His face turned ugly. He didn’t know if he had accidentally destroyed an important item.

“Are you serious?” Lena frowned.

“Yes. It was a large white glove. After I wore it, it shrunk and disappeared.” He presented his palm.

Lena pondered for a while. In the end, she shrugged and replied.

“It must be another spirit weapon. It might have rejected you, and returned to its original set?” Before Ren could speak, she grabbed his hand.

"Even if you lost it, it doesn’t matter. We’re allowed to take one weapon. Either way, we have to leave. I’m more afraid of disturbing the blacksmith.” She dragged Ren out of the hut.

After this peculiar experience, they visited another shop. The shopkeeper didn’t hide his hostility and kicked them out. The other shops and smiths refused to let them in. The silent hatred saddened Ren to the extent that he decided to avoid a weapon.

He discerned that a weapon wasn't worth the effort and struggle. He’d have to spend immense effort to learn the weapon. That would distract his original intent of optimizing his qi usage. Moreover, he didn't wish to see Lena suffer through the crowd's hatred.

Nevertheless, he felt awry over the rejections. He wondered if the title of Honored Guest was worth anything. He even considered trading it for an ordinary weapon. Fortunately, the demi-humans couldn't read his mind. Otherwise, they would eagerly accept the trade before turning Ren into human stew.

Thus, they returned to Kana’s cottage with no noticeable gains. Little did they know of the storm that awaited them.

“Will he even use it? How long must I wait?” A masked cat-woman asked. She continuously tapped her foot while her frustration grew.

“Calm down, Agony. It iss a Forbidden SSkill. Remember our goal… grab the target and retreat. Leave the resst to me and do not kill without my permission.” A giant snake commanded.

The cat-woman didn’t reply. She coolly flicked her silver hair and folded her arms.

“It iss time!”

A portal opened ahead of them. The masked cat-woman and the snake entered the portal.

“Will he even use it? How long must I wait?” A masked cat-woman asked. She continuously tapped her foot while her frustration grew.

“Calm down, Agony. It is a Forbidden SSkill. Remember our goal… grab the target and retreat. Leave the resst to me and do not kill without my permission.” A giant snake commanded.

The cat-woman didn’t reply. She coolly flicked her silver hair and folded her arms.

“The time has come!”

A portal opened ahead of them. The masked cat-woman and the snake entered the portal.

Kana’s cottage.

A couple of werewolves chatted outside the cottage.

“How’s your son doing?”

“Terrible… I’m worried about his future. I'm starting to believe that he’s the reincarnation of a cow. Even the other day, he was grazing on grass! Grazing! Can you believe that?! Like a stupid cow! Ugh… It's so infuriating!” The middle-aged werewolf clenched his fist.

“Hah, I’m jealous.” The younger werewolf replied.

“What? You also want to eat grass?” The middle-aged werewolf slightly distanced himself, wondering if a new plague had hit the city.

“…No. Family, it sounds so nice.” The younger werewolf guard sighed, his eyes filled with longing.

The middle-aged werewolf stopped. He patted his partner's back and encouraged the deflated werewolf.

“Don’t worry, you can start one now.”

“I doubt it. Anyways, I wanted to say goodbye.”

“Goodbye? You’re quitting the job?” The middle-aged werewolf frowned. They struggled and overcame innumerable challenges to get their jobs. The thought of quitting never crossed his mind.

“Yeah. Goodbye!” The younger werewolf smiled faintly. He increased their distance before withdrawing a parchment.

Placing it on the ground, he retrieved a dagger. His eyes flashed with a solemn light as he chanted.

[“Lord Gluttony, please help me!”]

[“Forbidden Skill: Sacrificial Wormhole!”]

A cruel glint flashed across his eyes as he stabbed the dagger into his neck.

Tchish!

“Wait! What are you-” The older werewolf stared at his partner in horror.

Seemingly possessed by a demon, his partner removed the dagger from his throat. The blood from his neck drenched his armor, with some pouring onto the parchment.

He mechanically stabbed the bloodied dagger onto the parchment. It glowed and disappeared.

A weird translucent creature emerged from the ground. It grew exponentially into the size of a gigantic monster. The creature possessed a crocodile’s head and a snake’s body.

Crunch!

Its sharp teeth bit into the younger werewolf’s head. The decapitated body plopped onto the ground.

The translucent beast opened its mouth wide. A portal appeared in its mouth, and two beings emerged from the cavity.

“ENEMY!! We’re under attack!” The middle-aged werewolf snapped out of his daze and shouted. He unsheathed his sword but it was too late. His body froze and he collapsed.

“Agony!” The snake commanded.

The masked cat-woman nodded and she approached the walls of the house. Touching its orange wall, she chanted.

[“Neya Arts: Touch of Corruption.”] A barrier flickered before fading. The wall melted into a black, sticky goo, opening a path for the assailants.

She casually strolled into the house. Her ears twitched, capturing even the tiniest of noises within the house.

‘Three… Two at the bottom and one above. Bottom first.’

Ren was meditating when he heard the werewolf's shout.

‘Enemy attack? Lena!’ Without hesitation, he rushed out of his room. Pushing the door to Lena’s room, he noticed that it was empty.

‘Down?’ With hurried steps, he dashed through the stairs.

Upon reaching the ground floor, he saw Lena and Kana together. Seeing them unharmed, a wave of relief washed his mind.

He noticed the presence of another cat-woman. Dressed in black clothes, the guest wore a black mask. Besides her long silver hair, everything was covered in black.

“Ren! RUN! BEHI-” Lena shouted, her fear-stricken gaze fixed behind Ren. However, before she could complete, she collapsed. Even Kana stopped moving, petrified like a statue.

Ren’s heart skipped a beat. He looked behind him and saw a giant snake. It stood upright, its vertical pupils peering into Ren’s soul, seemingly capable of perceiving all his secrets.

The veins in Ren's head bulged. The scene of Lena's collapse vividly played in his mind. His anger subdued his horror as he dashed towards the snake, the perpetrator behind Lena’s condition.

Crack!

Gritting his teeth, he extended his left arm back. He concentrated all his energy into his arm. An unknown stream of energy joined in, tearing apart his muscles and rebuilding them. The reinforced muscles cracked his bones as Ren proceeded with his punch.

“DIE!”

His punch landed on the snake’s belly.

Crack! Crack!

Ren groaned. The snake's undefended belly resembled a pillar of diamond. He had poured all his strength into the punch, but the results appalled him.

All the bones in his left fist broke. However, the pain compared little to the disbelief in his heart. The snake had far surpassed his league.

“Agony! SStop wassting time. Capture him!” The masked cat-woman disappeared. The next moment, she reappeared near Ren.

[“Agony: Imprison!”] She touched his head. Black chains extended from her hand. They wrapped Ren, thoroughly binding him.

The assailants returned to the portal. The portal vanished along with the hideous creature.

“Agony! Disspel your imprisonment and leave!” Exiting the portal, the snake commanded.

The cat-woman shrugged and unsealed Ren. She disappeared, having completed her duty.

Upon gaining freedom, Ren scanned his surroundings. He noticed that he was within a marshy forest. A pungent smell of rotten eggs assaulted his nose.

Seeing the giant snake, he remembered the scene of Lena’s demise. Anger repressed his rationality, bringing along thoughts of retaliation. However, his broken arm refused to cooperate.

“Your anger iss pointless. Your friendss are alive.” The snake said. Its quiet, whispery voice caught Ren off-guard.

Ren hesitated. He didn’t know if he could trust the snake.

“You shall meet them after we finish our converssation… But before that, there iss ssomething I musst do.”