A few days ago.

Manifold. Ethereal Realm. Atrament's Domain - Penum.

This realm lives up to its name, everything seems surreal. Like looking through a water veil, the scenery are wavy. The top of a tree can disappear in a puff of smoke, while else where, a bush would appear from nowhere. The entire realm is filled with elemental energy without Rawn to stick to, not thick enough to condense into Rawn but so thick that it become semi-transparent like mist. The ground, tree, etc... everything are immaterial; thus only Spirit and similar beings can live here.

Atrament's domain has high amount of Dark element energy, suiting for the dark-element Snake Spirit. The scenery is cloaked behind a layer of purple mist. It has lived here for a long time, but the thickness of Mana in this area is far from enough for him. He has to regularly absorb newly formed spirits.

A few days ago, one of his servants reported a Wolf Spirit formed in his domain. Spirits in the form of a monster are rare. They were dead monsters in other realm who somehow became a Freed Soul; then either with the help of a powerful being or by themselves, reached Ethereal Realm and became a Spirit.

However, the Wolf Spirit, despite its size, was only Lv1. Atrament had no idea how that happened, so instead of absorbing it, he chose to observe it.

The [Lv1 Wolf Spirit] keeps sleeping for the pass few days, proof of it being in the Material Realm. The strange thing is that its Level slowly raises. It's nothing special for a strong Spirit to shift itself to Material Realm and grind exp by fighting physical beings. But this wolf, whenever it breathes out, the breath carries Mana thicker than Atrament's entire domain condensed. He becomes curious. Where in the world could this wolf staying that has such dense Mana?

The day the Wolf Spirit reaches Lv6, Atrament's curiosity has became so strong, he couldn't wait for longer. He decides to wake the wolf up, and using whatever method possible, get to where that wolf currently is.

Glutton is floating beside the cage. It just had a word fight with its master - a daily occurrence ever since it became a Spirit. The dragon couldn't use the Obedience Setting to threaten it anymore after it reached Lv6. Its master is currently sulking, laying on the cage's floor and looking other way.

["Hey! Wake up!"] A feminine voice echoes in its mind. It looks left and right, seeing no one else other than its master, the knights and the priest.

["Who.. who are you?"] It directs the question into its mind, hoping the other side would receive the message.

["Talking like that, how rude! Retract your Shift, now!"] The voice carries a hint of anger.

Glutton has never feared anyone in its life, even those Lv60 knights; however this angry voice in its mind makes it shudder.

["I.. I don't know what you are talking about! I've only been a Spirit for a few days..."] Although it doesn't like lowering its voice in front of other, the other party is an unknown (presumably) Spirit.

Quietness in its mind. The knights seem to be oblivious to the new coming Spirit. Does this spirit even exist, or she was just its imagination?... Before it could find an answer, the voice echoes in its mind again.

["You are in Material Realm, right? Close your eyes there and try to sleep. Wake up when I told you to."] The voice is much more gentler this time, but still carries hint of arrogance.

Glutton decides to comply. It's just sleeping, it does that all the time, even after it become a spirit; but nothing happened then. What would be different this time?

Landing on the top of the cage with Toothpick laying beside it, Glutton quickly falls asleep. It feels its body become lighter then heavier periodically, though a Spirit doesn't have Mass to begin with.

["WAKE UP!"] Suddenly, a scream enters its ear, scaring it awake!

Opening its eyes wide, Glutton realizes it's in a strange forest. Everything are like fuzzy imagination like in a dream.

"What is this place?" It asks then looks around.

"Penum Domain in Ethereal Realm." A female voice travels over, it's different from the one before. Lower pitched and calmer.

Glutton looks toward the voice. A huge body towering in front of it.

"Well, well, little one. If you don't want to be eaten, answer my question." The huge spirit says then hisses like a snake, its voice is obviously male.

Glutton's eyes roll around, noticing four other female humanoids floating beside the snake. Taking a clearer look, this snake is coiling around a floating purple ball. Tendrils from the ball wriggling against the snake's white scale. Purple represents Darkness while White represents Holy, this combination confuses Glutton a bit.

"Who are you?" Glutton asks, its voice is neither impudent or respectful. It doesn't want to fight this [Lv40 Snake Spirit], and it doesn't want to lower his head now that it can see the other party. As for why it can see other's level at Lv1, both here and in Material Realm, it hadn't even noticed about it.

"Impudent!" A [Lv30 Nymph] yells at him from the side. "The only reason you haven't became Our Lord's food is..." Her voice abruptly stops.

Glutton glances over, seeing that nymph being tangled by purple tendrils, her face shows pure horror as her Lord drags her toward his widely stretched maw and deposits her there. With a gulp, her figure disappears from sight.

Although Glutton does that to his prey all the time, seeing it from a third person perspective still gives him chill. Further more, it was a Lv40 eating a Lv30, and the snake was so big that the nymph couldn't make a bulge.. though the wolf itself might make one...

"Now that the annoying one is gone..." The snake says then glances at its body on the purple ball. Glutton unconsciously glances at that part too. "...let's start with our introduction."

When Glutton looks back at the snake's head, his face carries a serpentine grin, making the wolf shudder. Before, when it fought stronger human, they couldn't scare him. Even its master who is bigger than it but has lower level couldn't do that. But now this snake is way bigger, and way stronger than its current self. If Glutton was a Lv25 speedster, it might be able to run away, but now its stats are far from that despite having higher Stats Limit.

"I.. I am Vagabond Wolf... no, I am Glutton, servant of Origo..."

"Origo?" Another nymph says with distant. "In front of our Lord..." She suddenly stops as she remembers what happened to her colleague.

"Are you with your owner in the Material Realm?" The snake lowers his head, looking directly into the smaller wolf's eyes.

"Y..yes."

"Then tell him, Lord Atrament is going there, so scram... unless he, or she, prefers being inside me than outside."

Glutton quickly realizes what the snake's threat means. However, if this Lv40 wants to bring harm to its master, a group of dozen Lv60 would easily massacre him.

"You.. you can just come there right now. My master couldn't move from his spot." Glutton says, using the truth to deceive the snake who is looking directly at its eyes. Who knows if this snake could tell lie from truth?

However, Atrament is much more sly than it thought.

"What level is your owner?" The snakes asks, his eyes come even closer. His head is so big that it can easily swallow Glutton in one bite.

"Same as me.. Level 6..." Glutton shakily says, then suddenly realizes that luring the snake there might bring danger to its master, it quickly continues. "But he has twelve guards... Level 60."

"Hah!" The nymph almost laughs but quickly covers her mouth.

"Don't lie to me! How can a Level 6 has so many powerful guards?!"

At this point, Glutton remembers its own status. It straighten its four legs, standing high, although it is much smaller than the snake, it isn't afraid anymore.

"Because Origo is the name for the Origin Dragon!"

Silence. The snake's eyes open wide. The nymphs has an incomprehensible face. Then a laugh, then two, and finally all three nymphs end up laughing.

"Your joke was funny!"

"Do you think a lie can save yourself?"

"Our Lord can see into your heart!"

Glutton's eyes are unwavering. This is its last hope of getting out intact. It swears to itself that it would never come to Ethereal Realm, this dangerous place, again.

Atrament, on the other "hand" (Get it? He doesn't have any limb!), remembers how this wolf breathes out such potent and rich Mana. However, he still refuses to believe who he just offended.

Glutton, notices the waver in the snake's eyes, continuing saying.

"Do you remember that strange feeling you got a few days ago? A Lv60 guard of his accidentally killed me, so he got mad and killed that guard!" Although Glutton didn't experience that, it still heard the story from the priest, about how its master got so angry, the pressure seemingly traveled through space and time.

The snake shakily nods as he remembers the strange pressure a few days ago.. right before this Wolf Spirit appeared in his domain. Could that be...?

"And then my master turned me into a Transc... I mean Ascended Wolf Spirit!" Glutton doesn't understand the different between the two, but its master specifically told it to not reveal its Transcended state.

Its words confirm Atrament's doubt. However, Ascended? Atrament has never seen a Ascended Spirit. He heard that because one had to reach Lv99 before Ascending, their Soul would be really powerful. Absorbing an Ascended Spirit is the same as absorbing a Lv99 Spirit plus the Level after Ascension!

Right in front of him, a delicacy that even the most powerful Spirit might not even have chance to see, not mention eat. If he could drool, he would have drooled all over the wolf by now. However, he remembers the strange pressure. What to do, what to do?...

"Can I be your subordinate?" All of sudden, Atrament lowers his head below the wolf's and ask. The sight amuses Glutton and flabbergasts the nymphs.

A few hours later...

Manifold. Ethereal Realm. Glutton's new Domain - Penum.

"My Lord, what did you think?" A nymph asks Atrament after Glutton fell asleep on its new 'throne'. "We don't even know if it told the truth!"

"Lower your head before a mere Lv6, even offer your entire domain to it..."

"..." The third nymph, the calm one, doesn't say anything.

"Do you doubt my decision?" Atrament's tendrils quickly tie the first nymph up. "Hmm, I'm in a good mood, so I will spare you this time." Then release her.

"Thank you My Lord..." The nymph quickly floats backward and bows.

"Don't doubt his ability to read mind." The calm nymph says.

"So envious." Atrament says with a hiss. "A mere Lv6 could receive such honor from His Holiness... If not for the guard, I'd have captured His Holiness and be His one and only Servant!"

"Huh? Our Lord worships the Mana Dragon?" The nymphs whisper between each other.

"You don't know? Before becoming a Spirit, back in Material Realm, Our Lord was a small snake living in a hole on the wall of Origin Temple. Although he died when he was young, he has always been dreaming of coiling around the Mana Dragon!"