“So, what is it, Ren? Will you pledge your loyalty or perish?”

Ren smiled faintly. The fox's words filled him with a sense of deja vu.

“Oh, any before you make a mistake, do remember. You are expendable! I already have Azen. He can replace you whenever I desire. Although the lack of Void Arts is regrettable, I can suffice without it. Five years of training can turn him into an unparalleled beast.”

Ren pondered. He wanted to live, but as an individual with freedom. None of the fox’s options gave him that option. And he was determined... He'd rather choose death over subordinating to the wheel.

Minutes passed, but the fox didn’t disturb his line of thought. After confirming his choice, Ren spoke.

“I had a friend. You might remember him. He loved to bet but he’d usually lose. One day, he made a grand bet. Unfortunately, he died, and I don’t know the result of his bet.” Ren approached the fox, cutting through the field of killing intent. The killing intent magnified, but he presented a strong front.

“In his memory, I’d like to propose a bet.”

“Brat, you owe me your life. What more can you offer me? Stop wasting my time and make your choice!” The fox scowled.

“Complete servitude. My liberty will be at the wheel’s mercy.”

The fox jerked. Its eyes opened wide in shock. However, it quickly recovered and asked, “What is your bet?”

“Five years…” Ren’s eyes gleamed as he continued, “How about I become the Divine Emperor within the next five years?”

The fox laughed.

“Hah! You dare to trick me? You’re a thousand years too young. With your Void Arts, you can probably beat that pathetic kitty in a year at most.” Towards the end, it smirked.

Ren’s eyes narrowed. He spat out the first thing that popped into his mind.

“Fine, I won’t use Void Arts. On the off chance that I happen to use it, consider it your victory. I’ll surrender my liberty with no qualms.”

“And how do you plan to achieve that?”

“I haven’t thought that far yet. I’ll find a way.” Ren shrugged.

“You’re crazy! What do you even have without Void Arts? Forbidden Skills? You think that cheap imitation can stand a chance?” Rui scoffed. Its eyes were full of suspicion.

“If that’s the case, you should be happy with the bet, right?” Ren smiled.

For a good minute, silence reigned supreme. However, unable to take the silence, Ren spoke.

“Representative Fox, what do you say? This is my bet. If you dislike it…” Ren bent. Merely a couple of inches separated the two entities.

“You can kill me… until I die.” Ignoring the waves of killing intent from the gargoyles, Ren grinned. He taunted the fox, knowing full well that it could not ignore his bet.

The fox groaned. Ren could see the conflict on its face, and it pleased him. But he controlled his expressions, lest the fox noticed anything.

“Ren! Don’t act too cocky! I have power over your life.”

“Indeed, I’ve never thought the converse.” Ren pointed at the gargoyles.

“…Fine, I’ll entertain you.”

A trace of a smile crept up Ren’s face before instantly disappearing.

“Good, then I’ll lay my side of the bet. If I win-”

“BRAT! You dare to demand!? You’re going too far.” The gargoyles moved. It seemed that with one command, they would end Ren’s life in a moment. However, Ren didn’t back down.

“Representative Fox, this is a bet. I must win something. Otherwise, it is pointless.”

“How about sparing your life? Or leaving you alone? Are you forgetting that you owe me your life?”

“None of them can compare to a promise of servitude. You’ll never find a subservient Void Arts Practitioner. That aside, I won’t ask for much.” Ren took a couple of steps back, avoiding the onslaught of killing intent.

“A return trip. That is all.” He was confident that his demand wasn’t unreasonable.

Rui paused before laughing. Its cheerful voice rung throughout the dark space.

“Pointlessness! It’s pointless! By the time you return, the result will become evident. Either the last Zarstorm will perish or the Zelong clan will end. You cannot affect it in any manner. But, I know you’ll say that it’s none of my concern. Therefore,” Smiling, it continued.

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“I wholeheartedly accept your bet. You have five years. Show me how useful you can be without your Void Arts.” The gargoyles returned to their respective doors.

A wave of relief washed over Ren. He almost let out a sigh before stopping himself. The fox hadn’t left!

“After the trial is complete, I’ll get Stupid Face to leave. We’ll meet after 5 years. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to your service. That is if you survive.” With a playful wink, Rui disappeared.

Finally alone, Ren relaxed his tensed nerves. Wiping the sweat on his face, he thought of his grand bet.

‘What a wonderful idea!’ He sighed. Ren noticed a winding staircase in the center of the formation of the three doors. He inferred that it was his destination.

‘Five years is better than nothing. Ha…’ Sighing, he climbed the stairs.

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The stairs seemed endless. After what seemed like an eternity, Ren reached the top. The lack of light irritated him. It reminded him of the time he entered the trial. The despairing darkness hadn't changed.

Without another stair to climb, he examined the darkness but he could only use his sense of touch to feel around. But he didn't dare to drop his cautiousness. Falling from his height meant certain death.

Suddenly, a flash of light temporarily blinded him. After it faded, he noticed a couple of cryptic letters in the dark sky.

Burning in the darkness, they exuded an archaic and grandeur aura.

[‘Selfless!’]

A voice rang in his mind. Before he could comprehend what happened, he lost consciousness.

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Ren arose with a start. He noticed a distinct change in the energy.

The familiar ruins, the smell of earth... they filled his heart with relief. He had left the trial world!

‘I should have passed…? Ah! Nez! Did he pass or fail?’ Ren looked around. Both of them had to pass. Otherwise, the trial would be considered a failure.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

A loud bell sound dragged Ren out of his contemplation. Originating from the ruins, it rung five times before stopping.

Ren’s face suddenly paled. Dropping to his knees, he choked.

“Gah.. A… Agg…” His face reddened.

Kaff! A ball of darkness exited his mouth. Wheezing, Ren massaged his aching throat.

The ball of darkness expanded into the silhouette of a human. It absorbed all the light that touched it. Staring at it, Ren felt a familiar aura.

Before he could speak, the darkness disappeared.

“Azen…” Ren's mouth waned. He had returned to the cold embrace of loneliness.

‘Was my choice right? I have five years but-’

Whoosh! A faint sound disturbed his line of thought. He looked up before dashing to the side in haste. He barely caught a glimpse of a shadow.

Bam! The shadow crashed into the ground.

‘An enemy attack?’ Ren panicked. He scanned his surroundings but found nothing.

Confused, he took another look at the ‘weapon’. It was Nez!

“…” Ren fell speechless as Nez recovered its footing. Its face had turned to a bloody pulp, but it smiled gleefully.

Pouncing onto Ren’s head, it laughed.

“Nehahaha! We succeeded! Lord Nez is so proud!” Nez proudly declared. However, its tiny claws furiously dug at Ren’s face.

Ren smiled wryly as he left Nez to have at its revenge. However, he felt empty inside.

‘Rui is right. There’s no way I can defeat the Divine Emperor without Void Arts. The five years are my sole gain… Maybe I should have bargained differently?’

“Ren! Let’s celebrate! Zuzu must be waiting for us.” Nez was exuberant, ignorant of Ren's worries.

“Nez, can I skip on the celebration? I’m just not in the mood.” Ren knew that he would ruin any festive mood. His present state was the last thing a party needed.

“Are you okay? We completed the trial! You might be the first human to succeed! Nehahaha, we’re special!”

Ren's expression darkened. Rui's action of controlling the gargoyles and entering the trial world displayed the cruel truth. His trial was rigged!

“I know, but I’m not in the mood today. Maybe, we’ll meet sometime later.” Ren hastened towards the exit of the hill. His mind was in chaos, and he had to fix it first.

Nez pouted. It jumped away from Ren’s head.

“You’re really dragging your race down the mud. Even among humans, you are pathetic!” That was the last Ren heard from Nez.

Ren wiped the blood on his forehead and sighed.

‘Nez, I’m sorry.’ He walked down the hill, his shadow as his lone companion.

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Ren returned to Kana’s cottage. The golem had congratulated him, but he returned a perfunctory reply. All the while, he was trying to sort his internal conflict.

He had regained his memories. After learning the origin of his power, he didn’t wish to use it again. However, that made his bet an impossibility.

Ironically, if the bet wasn’t impossible, he doubted if Rui would even accept it. Maybe, if he had put more thought into his bet, he could’ve found an easier bet that seemed impossible. Nevertheless, he doubted if he could cheat the fox that had survived for countless centuries. He could only suffice with his gains.

‘Five years… The last five years of my life. How can I spend them?’ As Ren puzzled over his situation, he noticed Lena. She was absorbed in a book.

He frowned, staring at the white owl perched on her shoulder. It lacked eye-catching features, but it stole Ren’s attention.

It was because Ren felt a faint trace of killing aura. This usually manifested in killers. As a Void Arts Practitioner, Ren was very sensitive to such auras. He always had this ability but he couldn’t distinguish it before regaining his memories.

“Ah! Ren! You’re early! Finished training already?”

“…Yeah.” Ren replied perfunctorily, his gaze focused on the owl.

“Oh, I haven’t introduced you yet. This is Piko, my pet.” Turning to the owl, she continued. “Piko, this is Ren!”

‘Pet? That’s no pet! That’s a bloody assassin!’ Ren presented a smile, but he was thinking of a way to kill the owl before it could hurt either him or Lena.

“It’s a cute bird. Can I touch it?” Lena nodded.

While Ren petted it, he released a slew of killing intent, targeting the owl. Piko flinched.

‘That’s a warning! If you dare hurt one of us, I’ll kill you!’ Ren’s lips moved. Unfortunately, he didn’t know if the bird understood him.

The owl nodded, shocking Ren. He relaxed his killing intent and said.

“I’ll return to my room. I need a rest.”

“Sure! I’ll have lunch prepared if you are hungry.”

Ren nodded and left.

----------------------------------------

As soon as Ren left, the owl spoke.

“Lena, wake up!” Its voice possessed a hypnotic touch forcing Lena into a daze. As soon as she recovered, she grumbled.

“That imposter! I want to kill that thing now!” She gritted her teeth, furious that her alternate self would offer food to the human scum.

“Calm down, Lena! I didn’t awaken you to hear your nagging.” The owl’s words reduced her fury.

“What does the clan want from me now?” She folded her arms.

“Nothing from the clan. But, I stumbled across some juicy information.”

Lena’s eyes narrowed. She couldn’t fathom what ‘juicy information’ the tyrannical owl could have found in her house.

“What information?”

“I found a Void Arts Practitioner.” Although the owl’s face was expressionless, Lena saw a hint of a smile. However, Lena felt like the owl had cast an explosion spell in her brain. She nearly screamed before controlling her voice.

“Are you joking? You can’t even find legitimate Forbidden Skill Practitioners in Edahi, much less a breathing Void Arts Practitioner! You've gone crazy!”