The waterfall.

Ren stood before a tree. He took a deep breath and pulled his right hand back.

‘This is it!’ He punched the tree.

Bam! A quiet colliding sound emerged from the punch.

He touched the bark of the tree. Seeing the damage, or the lack of any damage, he pursed his lips.

‘Nothing… It doesn’t increase my punching strength. It can only reduce the weight of heavy objects. At least, that's enough for the entry requirement.’ Ren’s mood improved.

‘There’s still six days left before the week ends. I should attempt the trial once. But before that, I need a partner…’ Thinking of the next hurdle, he sighed. However, with his good luck with the glove, he felt optimistic.

After a while of training, Ren hiked back to Learner’s Fall. It was time to search for a new ally!

He passed by many rivers and tributaries. As he approached the main river, the population of demi-humans grew. Fortunately, he didn’t attract any attention in his hood.

The main river was in turmoil. Many different demi-humans fought, trained and played in the banks. Watching their reactions, Ren sighed.

‘If only I wasn’t an Honored Guest… Ugh, stop getting sidetracked. I have a goal. Hmm…’

‘Demi-humans hate me… They won’t help me. I can only rely on beasts.’

‘But how can I convince them?’ Ren roamed around the banks, studying all the beasts. The prowess of the beasts shocked him.

‘How does it jump so high? What’s with that speed? Are all lions so strong?’ His self-confidence plummeted to the ground.

‘Huh? What's with that werewolf kid... Why is he eating grass? Are werewolves vegetarians?’ He tilted his head.

“Hey! You’ve returned!” A voice dragged Ren out of his contemplation.

‘Was I discovered?’ Ren's heart leaped to his lungs. He hesitantly turned to the origin of the voice.

A familiar grey savannah cat gleefully strolled towards him. This time, the lion cub didn’t accompany him.

“Nehehe! I’ve been searching for you. Are you a human?” The cat hastily climbed onto Ren’s shoulder and sniffed.

“No, I’m a werewolf. I lost my hair while training.” Ren instantly came up with an excuse.

“Ne? A hairless werewolf?” The cat's eyes narrowed.

“…Okay, I’m a human.” Ren surrendered. He examined the cat, wondering how its attitude would change.

“Wonderful!! Nehahaha! Join my family!” The cat manically laughed.

“…What?” Ren gaped. He wondered if he misheard.

“You’ve turned deaf? Hmm, That’s even better...” The cat mused.

“You!” It pointed at Ren.

“Join!” It hugged itself.

“My!” The cat pointed to itself.

“Family!” The cat frowned before transforming into an old cat. It possessed a white mustache with a walking stick. Then it transformed into cats of various ages, trying its best to display a family.

Ren gaped at the cat’s gimmicks.

“You aren’t bright? …Nehe, this is troublesome.” The cat eyes possessed a hint of pity.

“I’m not deaf! Who are you and what’s with your request?”

The cat transformed into a bipedal cat wearing a long coat. It removed the cigar from its mouth and blew a ring of smoke at Ren.

“Request? You’re misunderstanding. Nohoho… It is a demand. You can’t refuse.”

Ren picked the grey cat and dropped it. Without another word, he left.

“Wait! Nehe, I was joking! I’m sincere! Please join my family!” It returned to its original appearance and chased after Ren.

“Then explain properly. Who are you and why are you inviting me, a human into your… family?” The more he thought of the cat’s request, the more his head hurt. Nevertheless, he was thinking of some method to convince this cat to help him in the trial.

“My name is Nonyokinyono. Acquaintances call me Lord Nez… Wait! You can be an exception! You can call me Elder Nez… Don’t leave! Just Nez is enough!”

Ren rubbed his head in irritation. If he didn’t require the cat’s help, he would’ve left a long time ago.

“And your family?” Ren hoped that Nez didn’t represent its family.

“We call ourselves the Edahin Conquerors! If you haven’t heard of this name before, then open your ears! We, the Edahin Conquerors, will conquer the hearts of every Edahin and surpass the Council of Order! And I will become the next Divine Emperor! Nehaha!”

Ren fell speechless. The ambition of the cat far surpassed his imagination.

“Of course, we only use misfits from society. Otherwise, it would be too boring... You fit our requirements. You're an Honored Guest, but every cat and their pets hate you. I had never even dreamt of such a situation."

'So this stupid title is finally worth something?' Ren hid his smile and asked.

"Is that it?"

“Nehe, I have a soft spot for humans. I’ve visited one of your kingdoms before. These Edahins... Nhm, they know nothing of a true kingdom. I need your help to change Edahi! Come, join us and we will rule Edahi! Nehahahaha!”

“You’ve met humans?” Ren blinked. The thought of potentially meeting other humans warmed his heart.

“Nohoho, you really aren’t bright. How can I live in a ‘human’ kingdom without meeting a human? I expected humans to be more intelligent.” Nez’s voice was soaked in disdain.

Ren gritted his teeth. The cat's condescending tone ruined his mood. He forced a smile and asked.

“Where is this human kingdom?”

“I don’t know. Do you think I’d be staying in this boring place if I knew their location?” Nez pouted. At the same time, the light in its eyes dimmed.

Ren had a few more questions but he stopped himself after noticing the cat's expression. He decided to return to his goal.

“I can join your family but I have a requirement!”

“What is it? I will do my best to satisfy my younger brother!” The cat proudly declared, already calling Ren his younger brother.

“I want a partner for the Trial of Righteousness.”

The cat put on an expression of contemplation. Ren's heart skipped a beat. He studied every expression on the cat’s face, terrified of rejection. In the end, the cat nodded and declared.

“Welcome to the family! I, Lord Nez, will carry you through the trial. Nehehe…”

Ren sighed in relief and ignored the latter part of Nez’s declaration. He had met all the basic requirements for the trial. He fancied the thought of testing the trial immediately but he struck down that idea.

‘I should train. 5 days should be enough time?’

“I’ll attempt the trial in 5 days. Are you free then?”

Nez stood on its hind legs. Its small face possessed a complex, forlorn expression.

“I’m a busy searcat. Edahi depends on me for survival… BUT! For you! And only for my younger brother, I’ll make an exemption. Meet me here and I’ll help you! Nehe, I almost forgot to ask. What is your- Wait! Where are you going? I forgot to ask you name!!” Nez chased after Ren.

Five days flew by. For Ren, it was 5 days of brutal grinding. He searched for every little speck of improvement, stretching his qi to its limits. Even then, with each day his progress declined. He had hit a threshold, exhausting his potential in this path.

After the 5 days elapsed, Ren arrived at the waterfall.

“Nehe, are you waiting for Lord Nez? Do not fret! Lord Nez has graced you with His-“

“Can we go now?” Ren interrupted Nez.

Nez pouted. He turned and pointed at a green-skinned girl.

“This is Zuzi, my elder sister. Zuzi, meet Ren, the youngest member of our family.”

Ren examined the girl. She looked to be in her late teens. Other than her light-green skin, a couple of butterflies perched on her long black hair.

“Please forgive Nez-zi. My name is Chinzu but everyone calls me Zuzi. Should I call you Ren-zi?” She smiled at Ren. The butterflies on her head accentuated her beauty and even Ren couldn’t help but appreciate it.

“…Ren is good.”

“Great! Ren-zi it is.”

‘Why would you bother asking if you’re planning to butcher my name from the start?’ A couple of black lines popped on Ren’s forehead. He wondered if he joined a family of lunatics.

“Here’s a gift from elder sister.” She tapped the back of her right hand and a butterfly emerged from her hand. It flew into his forehead and disappeared.

“What happened?” Ren furiously rubbed his head.

‘Don’t worry. It won’t harm you. It helps me establish contact with you anytime.’ Ren heard a disembodied voice. He recognized it as Chinzu’s voice but her mouth didn’t move the whole time. He could only surmise that she was communicating directly with his mind, akin to Protection’s ability.

‘Can you remove this? It makes me uncomfortable…’ To test his hypothesis, he thought of a reply.

‘Don’t worry, I can’t read your mind. Only the thoughts, which you wish to communicate with me, will transfer to my mind.’

‘But still…’

‘I’m sorry Ren-zi, but it is mandatory. All the other family members have this. Otherwise, we can’t help anyone that falls into grave danger.’

Ren took a deep breath. He already began to regret joining this weird ‘family’.

If only he wasn’t so desperate to meet the Divine Emperor. Thinking of this, he felt an urge to curse Azen again.

"Don't exclude me from your conversations! I despise that!" Nez stared at Ren's changing expressions and snorted.

“Fine, can we go to the Trial?” Ren asked. After falling into the mess, the least he could do was to receive his end of the agreement.

“Nehahaha! I’ll accompany you. Zuzi, we’re leaving.” The cat guided Ren to the nearest teleportation circle.

“Have a nice time! After you finish the trial, come to the usual place.” Zuzi smiled and waved her hand at the departing duo. She resembled a mother bidding goodbye to her children.

With a flash, Ren and Nez appeared before a small hill. The bottom of the hill was empty, except for a few hemispherical boulders.

Towards the end of these boulders, a golem worked on a large slab of stone. It used its giant ax to cut the boulder into small blocks before chiseling them into perfect hemispheres.

“Let’s go! Lord Nez is in a hurry.” Nez picked a boulder. Staring at Ren, he shouted.

“What are you doing? Grab your stone! Are you planning to waste Lord Nez’s time?” Ren picked a hemispherical stone and followed the cat. Thanks to his right hand, he didn’t feel any weight from the stone.

“Ne, are you an idiot? Why are you following me?” Nez frowned. It thought of a possibility and its face darkened.

“Ren, by chance, do you not know anything about the trial?” Nez cautiously asked.

Ren shook his head. He had tried to pry more information from Lena but she refused to help him. Even his attempt today was a secret from her. With no sources, he knew very little about the trial.

Thus, Ren was forced to enter the trial blindfolded. He hoped to learn more about the trial in this attempt and succeed in his next attempt.

“Seriously! Haa… Fine! Lord Nez will be magnanimous today! Lord Nez will explain the trial to the poor, uneducated Ren.”

He sighed and listened to the cat’s lecture.

“Nehe, you must pick one of these hemispherical stones and follow one of the two paths to the top of this boring hill. And do not follow Lord Nez’s path! My path is reserved for extremely talented geniuses. Once we reach the top, you must place the stone into its position. Then the trial will begin. Does your plebeian brain comprehend this simple instruction?”

Ren sifted through the information, removing the cat’s boastings and retaining the crucial details. He nodded.

“Good! Once the trial begins, our souls will travel to Lord Nez’s realm. We will return after we either pass or fail the trial. I, Lord Nez, can easily pass this stupid trial and so success depends on you.” The cat coughed before continuing.

“Also, don’t die. If you succeed, you can meet the Divine Emperor at the end of this month. Isn’t that around like 3 days from now? Nehe, anyways, if you fail, you’ll have to wait till the next month to participate in the trial.”

‘End of the month? Does that mean…’ Ren froze. He thought of something and asked.

“If I fail today and succeed during the beginning of next month, when can I meet the Divine Emperor?”

“Of course, the end of the next month. Nohoho, you definitely aren’t bright!” Nez depreciatingly shook his head.

Ren’s face turned grim. He frowned, calculating his remaining time.

‘Nearly a week has passed since Azen’s injury. So, I have 3 weeks left before my death… I won’t last until the end of next month.’ Realization struck him and he despaired.

‘There are only three days left and I have only one attempt… Damn it! Is this for real?’ Ren’s ground his teeth. He felt like the world was conspiring against him.

‘Azen’s injury was pointless… I have to complete the trial this time.’ Ren stared at the two paths on the imposing hill. An oppressive anchor tugged at his heart.