Rao Wu did not know how much time passed before he woke up in a small, dark room. As Rao Wu stirred, LED lights embedded in the ceiling buzzed to life and illuminated the room.

“Ugh. Where am I?” Rao Wu muttered as he surveyed the room.

Whrrr…

Half expecting it, Rao Wu was not surprised when one of those ‘metal appendages’ rose from the ground and then ‘looked’ at him. “Welcome to Test Corridor 1, Contender. Candidate’s reflexes, spatial awareness, and combat judgment will be tested extensively on this level. The Candidate’s task is to reach the end of the corridor alive. There are no time limits, but do be aware that the test’s difficulty will increase after thirty days. Correction—Candidate is starting on Inferno Difficulty. No Difficulty adjustment will be applied. Good luck, Candidate. Please do not hesitate to call if you wish to spend karma points or have any questions.”

Rao Wu looked at the metal room, and then raised his hand, “I have one urgent question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Uh, where do I go if I want to pee? I don’t see any bushes.”

The system turned and ‘pointed’ at a corner of the wall, which slid away to reveal a bathroom. “Candidate can relieve himself or take a shower in the bathroom.”

“Oh. Okay.” Rao Wu looked into the room, and then once again turned to the system. Scratching his cheek, he let out a nervous chuckle and then said, “Uh… how do I use it?”

Fortunately, the system was not human, or it might have short-circuited from disbelief. Rao Wu ran to the bathroom and then quickly relieved himself. Following the system’s instructions, he flushed and then washed his hands in a sink.

“Wow. You really learn something new every day,” Rao Wu proudly laughed as he returned to the system.

The system ignored Rao Wu as it coldly stated, “When Candidate is ready, please step through the main door.” As it spoke, another door opened, revealing a long, dark corridor beyond.

Rao Wu took one look at the corridor and then planted his butt on the floor. Shaking his head, he muttered, “That place looks scary. Better see if we can learn anything that’ll help us.” With those words, he summoned Xian Da and Lu Lin.

“Rao Wu!” The excited Xian Da called out as soon as it appeared. It eagerly displayed the fruits of its efforts. It could finally pronounce Rao Wu’s name correctly!

Rao Wu, in turn, chuckled as he ruffled Xian Da’s head. “Hehe, you’re learning pretty fast. Who’s a little genius!?” While Xian Da howled in delight, Rao Wu turned to Lu Ling and said with an apologetic smile. “Hope they aren’t pushing you too hard?”

“Mm-mm.” Lu Lin quickly shook her head. Her lips then spread in a broad, beautiful smile as she confessed, “To be honest, I have never been happier in my life. I love the Sprites, but life with them was dull and monotonous. The kids have given me a project and something to do. I could not be happier.”

“Heh, that’s great.” Rao Wu then grabbed Xian Da and lifted it by the shoulders. “But don’t forget to tell me if they start bothering you. I’ll discipline the little rascals.”

An indignant Xian Da struggled to free itself as it barked, “No!”

Rao Wu’s lips stretched in a teasing grin. “No? Someone’s learning some useless words. Better erase that word when it comes to me, alright?”

Xian Da snorted and then tossed its head to the side, refusing to graze Rao Wu with its attention.

Seeing the little diva’s reaction, Rao Wu burst into laughter. “Alright, alright. I’m sorry. You’re not a rascal anymore. You’re a big boy now.” Rao Wu patted Xian Da as he released it and then pulled out a pair of soul crystals. “You guys take this. I’m not sure what we’re gonna face in there. We better get as strong as possible before going in.”

Xian Da barked and swallowed the pure dark crystal, while Lu Lin offered a word of thanks before also eating hers.

Rao Wu carefully watched both soul monsters as they struggled to digest the crystals. If the task proved too difficult, he would move them to the soul space and assist them.

Fortunately, the process went smoothly. Perhaps because it had prior experience, Xian Da was the first to complete its digestion ten minutes later. By the time it was done, it had grown another few inches in height, and its fur had turned even darker than night. Rao Wu also began to see traces of its mother’s pride and haughtiness in Xian Da’s red eyes as they snapped open.

“Rraff!” Unfortunately, the imposing glare only lasted for a brief moment before giving way once more to Xian Da’s cheerful eyes.

“What’s that? You learned a new skill!?” Rao Wu cheered as Xian Da barked to confirm its report. Though Uncle Twilight told him crystal strengthening could unlock new skills, Rao Wu did not hold much hope for such an event. All he wanted was to strengthen Xian Da a little.

Fortunately, fortune favored the diligent.

Rao Wu quickly pulled Xian Da to the side, so they did not disturb Lu Lin, and then quickly prodded, “What’s it? What skill did you learn?”

Similarly eager to show off, Rao Wu barked and then jumped in place. Plop! Surprisingly, the Dusklight wolf cub ‘sank’ into its own shadow, temporarily disappearing from sight. Before Rao Wu could process what just happened, the circular shadow sped across the ground and then merged into his shadow.

“Rraff!” Half a moment later, Xian Da jumped out of Rao Wu’s shadow and then barked to announce its return.

“Shadow Dance? You learned Shadow Dance!?” Rao Wu laughed with joy as he picked up Xian Da and danced across the room.

Shadow Dance was a mid-tier Dark-type skill that allowed its user to jump between shadows in a particular range. Initially, users could only jump between shadows two to three meters apart. Still, with extended mastery, it was possible to push that to upwards of ten to fifteen meters apart. It was an excellent ambush skill and was one of the reasons Dusklight Wolfs were feared so much despite being one of the smallest packs in the forest.

How do you fight something that could jump out of your shadow at any time?

Of course, the skill was not invincible. The skill’s biggest weakness was that it was heavily telegraphed – the monster had to jump into its own shadow. Afterward, the enemy could track the shadow’s path to guess where the monster would resurface.

Rao Wu was still overjoyed despite these weaknesses. As far as he was concerned, weaknesses were but obstacles to overcome. With training, he was sure they would find a way to turn those weaknesses into strength.

“Alright, let’s worry about that later.” Rao Wu pushed the matter of weaknesses to the back of his mind and instead focused on the bright future. “Let’s see how far you can go.”

After a quick series of tests, Rao Wu and Xian Da figured out the Dusklight Wolf Cub’s current limits. Xian Da’s jump limit was two meters. Also, it could only jump between three shadows at a time before it had to resurface. Fortunately, the maneuver was not particularly tiring, so Xian Da could pull it off continuously without fear of collapse.

Just as they finished the test, Rao Wu felt a stirring in his soul and quickly turned to look at Lu Lin.

The Dryad’s eyes fluttered open as she awakened from a deep meditation. As with Rao Wu, the crystal had an apt effect on her appearance, transforming her beautiful skin into an even more lush and verdant green. To Rao Wu’s surprise, leaves had grown out of the Dryad’s waist, forming a short skirt-like covering, and most strikingly, Lu Lin had grown even taller. Now, she resembled a thirteen-year-old child and was almost a foot taller than Rao Wu.

“Woah,” Rao Wu exclaimed as he approached Lu Lin with admiration in his eyes. “You’re even more beautiful than before. The encyclopedia wasn’t lying when it said Dryads are some of the most beautiful soul monsters.”

Lu Lin softly blushed as she bowed and said, “Thank you, Master.” Then, like Xian Da before her, she said, “The crystal seems to have unlocked a skill.” Without needing a prompt, Lu Lin extended her right hand. A pair of thin snake-like grew out from her shoulders, coiled around her arm, and then fell to the ground like a pair of whips. Clutching the plant-whips, she looked at Rao Wu and reported, “I can grow a pair of vines from both arms. Right now, five meters is the limit, but I can extend both the length and strength by transferring them through the earth.”

“Oh?” Rao Wu was intrigued. Due to their rarity, the encyclopedia did not have much on Dryads’ skills and abilities. Unfortunately, Rao Wu took one look at the metal floor and knew Lu Lin would not be able to showcase the extent of her skill in this environment. Rao Wu thus smiled as he said, “We’ll finish the test later. But, congratulations, Lu Lin, Xian Da—I’m proud of you both.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“Rraff! Rao Wu!”

Rao Wu chuckled as he patted Xian Da’s head. “Alright, then. Since you guys are finished, I might as well try mine out.” Rao Wu took out a beast crystal and then sat down. He closed his eyes and drew on the manual deep within his mind.

The Trickster cultivation technique seemed to be one that focused on magical arts rather than pure physical prowess. From the information, Rao Wu gleaned, he would gain a new ability at Stage 1, 3, and 9 of every phase.

Bracing himself, Rao Wu steeled his nerves and then swallowed the soul crystal. “Nngh!” Tense veins bulged across Rao Wu’s neck, and arms as torrential soul energy exploded within his insides. The violent savage force threatened to tear the youth apart from the inside, but just when it seemed like his organs were doomed, Rao Wu began to channel the Trickster’s Cultivation Technique.

To Rao Wu’s shock, the technique seized control of the rampaging energy. However, rather than stopping the flow, it directed the power to shatter Rao Wu’s organs and blood vessels.

“Aaah!” Rao Wu let out a desperate cry and then coughed up blood. At the same time, blood, pus, and several nasty sticky mucus seeped out of his pores, soon drenching his body in a smelly black goo.

Fortunately, Rao Wu didn’t have the luxury of smelling this stench. He grits his teeth, bearing the intense pain as the soul energy transformed his veins and organs. Before long, the shattered blood vessels began to recover. However, they returned wider and much firmer. If the blood vessels were like paper straws before, they now resembled concrete tunnels.

Rao Wu’s heart, lungs, and other organs also benefitted from this transformation. They became more robust and stronger to take advantage of the wide vessels. Rao Wu felt like his enter body was being infused with tremendous energy and strength beyond anything he had ever felt.

After a few minutes, the energy began to settle down. As it did, Rao Wu gained some information from the manual. The first and second phases of the Trickster manual focused on converting the body into one that could handle the numerous abilities and transformations that followed. The first phase focused on blood vessels and organs, while the second primarily targeted the bones.

When the energy finally settled, Rao Wu was stunned to discover he was in the fifth stage! Apparently, his daily exercise due to running around the jungle gave him a firm foundation. Now, he just had to keep strengthening the blood vessels and organs with energy from soul cores and the world.

Passing the third stage gave Rao Wu a new ability, but before the youth could even try it out, the horrible stench finally stung his nostrils.

“Oh! Urk!” Rao Wu nearly retched as his eyes snapped open. Unsurprisingly, Lu Lin and Xian Da were a far distance away, the latter burying its head in its hands in an attempt to stave off the smell.

Rao Wu couldn’t even get mad at the deserters. Even he could not stand the smell, let alone them! The youth heaved as he ran to the bathroom and then stole into the shower. Thirty minutes later, after a desperate scrub, a wet, naked Rao Wu returned to the platform with an embarrassed smile.

Both Xian Da and Lu Lin stared at the youth in shock. Rao Wu had always been a handsome, fit young man, but life in the jungle had caused dirt and grime to leave ungainly scars and marks along his skin.

However, following the cultivation’s cleansing, Rao Wu’s skin glowed like caramel. His facial features were more pronounced, slimming down somewhat to look more beautiful than he was handsome. His muscles were not spared the treatment, becoming much firmer and toned, giving the child a beautiful but deadly appearance.

But, none of these were the most prominent.

No, that honor was reserved for the single gray bushy tail that swished this way and that behind Rao Wu.

Rao Wu looked over his shoulder at the tail, which felt like it had always been a part of him. Growing up, Rao Wu wondered if his beastkin blood was too diluted to grow a tail. Whatever the reason, he had one now. This immediately gave the child a headache, as he could not fathom how he could possibly hide from humans now.

“Um, Master, are you alright?” Lu Lin approached Rao Wu with a mix of concern and intoxication in her eyes. By her side, Xian Da repeatedly sniffed the air around Rao Wu, acting like the youth had the best smelling drug on him.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine, thanks.” Usually, Rao Wu would welcome the attention, but he felt awkward standing there butt naked. Since his previous clothes were ruined beyond repair, he turned to the system and asked, “You wouldn’t happen to have some clothes, would you?”

Fortunately, the system curtly replied, “Food and Clothing are freely available to Infernal Difficulty Contestants.” Following its speech, a section of the floor slid open, and the familiar table rose to the surface with a new set of clothes.

Rao Wu put on the clothes which consisted of ash-colored pants, and a loose shirt. However, he left the boots and jacket on the altar. He preferred feeling the ground beneath his feet and felt the jacket would restrain his movements. When he was done, Rao Wu turned to Xian Da, spread his arms wide, and asked, “What do you think?”

“Rraff!”

“Yeah, you’re right. I could trip on this.” Rao Wu bent down and decisively tore the pants off just below his knee. After kicking the air a few times to test his freedom, he smiled and said, “Alright. Preparations are ready. Let’s see what this test is all about.”

However, before he started, Rao Wu quickly swapped Lu Lin out for Ju Tu. Why? Because he needed Ju Tu’s superior defense in case anything went south.

…Things went south.

The second Rao Wu stepped into the narrow corridor, two spears shot out from the walls on either side. Roa Wu barely spun in place to dodge those spears when two more stabbed down from the ceiling.

Clang!

Ju Tu grunted as it just about blocked those spears with its back. Still, the endeavor temporarily took it out of commission. In which time, a fifth spear blasted out from the depths of the corridor.

Boom!

A stunned Rao Wu could not even muster a scream before the spear tore a massive hole through the child’s stomach and then sent him flying back into the assessment room.