[Memory and Personality Merge Successful]
Click.The memories flooded in and Settled. It made sense now. somewhat.
Zach—no, Ren According to the life he now inhabited. He had been born twice across two different timelines: first before the Great Reshape, and once again thousands of years after.
What the hell. That white void, that place…
So if I didn't die while facing death in both lifetimes… I would've been dead for real?
Zach—now Ren—thought shivering as he slowly stood up, his fingers brushing the wound on his body.
Glancing at the side and saw it.
A massive, lethal creature lay sprawled beside him—a saber-toothed panther. Its matted fur was soaked dark, its ivory daggers of teeth still gleaming even in death. Its chest no longer rose or fell.
It was truly dead.
what could possibly make a saber toothed panther to run from it's territory Ren thought as he clenched his fist and felt it. the energy surging through his veins, flooding every muscle. The weakness that once clung to him was gone.
Grinning, he summoned his status screen to confirm his thoughts.
[Full Status]
Race: Human
Ren: Ordinary
Class: Genesis
Stats
Life Span: 200
Requirement for Ascension: Ascension Permit
Ascension Permit Progress: 0%
Beast Memory: None
[GENESIS RESTRAINED]
A faint smile tugged at Ren's lips as he focused on the class section.
[Class Details]
Class: Genesis
Name: Copy Authority
Ability: Copy
Ability Description: Copy the classes of others through skin contact; can only copy one class from the three human class branches.
NOTE: If another class of the same branch is copied, the new one will overwrite the old.
---
Huh… a mimic-based ability, and a strong one at that. Isn't this the type of class one of the Big Seven Clans has? Ren thought. And Genesis—isn't that what the strange voice was talking about? Well, never mind. I should test this ability soon.
But first, let's deal with this hunger that's been gnawing at me since I was reawakened, Ren said as he approached the carcass of the saber-toothed panther.
Squatting down, he activated the system function: Consume.
[Consume Activated]
One aberrant point gained.
One aberrant point gained…
The panther's carcass began shrinking visibly. Minutes later, it was gone entirely.
Ren touched his stomach, no longer feeling the sting of hunger. In total, he had gained ten aberrant points.
Summoning his status again, he focused on the stats section.
[Stats]
Strength: 20
Speed: 20
Defense: 20
Energy: 20
Everyone usually starts with 13 points. By consuming creatures and gaining points, stats increase as well.
Now I'm finally gaining some real strength, Ren thought as he packed his bags, deciding to return home and rest his mind after everything he had endured.
He retraced his steps toward the shelter—but ten meters from his previous position, he froze. A figure had appeared abruptly in front of him.
A pitch bunny.
The only difference between this one and the others he had encountered was the color of its fur—this one was a darker green.
Perfect.
A primitive beast presenting itself as a practice target. Ren removed the stake that had aided him against the other pitch bunnies, twirling it in his hand, a smirk playing across his lips. He bent his knees, preparing for the battle.
Although the primitive beast had higher stats than him, he remained confident. Strength alone is meaningless without strategy, Ren thought, steadying himself.
Immediately, he sprinted toward the beast in a sharp straight pattern. When he was closer, he abruptly stopped in his tracks and ducked, narrowly missing the blub the beast spat at him. The primitive pitch bunnies also shared the same traits as the feral ones.
Standing up, he ran toward it and faked a dash to the left, then charged to the right and leapt, borrowing the force of gravity Ren plunged down. The bunny reacted and shifted slightly, dodging the attack aimed at its skull. The stake stabbed into the bunny's side, eliciting a roar from it. All this was within Ren's calculation.
The bunny twisted its neck toward Ren, preparing to spit the gummy blub at him, but it was stopped by a fist that slammed into its face, shutting its mouth. Pulling out the stake, Ren stabbed again—this time at its throat. Folding his fist, he slammed it into the flat edge of the stake, driving it completely into the bunny's skull, successfully killing it.
Ding!
[Primitive Creature Pitch Bunny Slain]
[No Beast Memory Gained]
[Consume to Gain Ascension Point]
Heaving and panting, Ren thought, Well, at least my stats now rank me in a comparable state to a weak primitive creature.
Quickly dissecting the bunny into smaller pieces, he stored them in his bag and continued his retreat toward the shelter.
Retracing his steps, he was now closer to Green Hyde Castle. He couldn't help but feel somewhat overwhelmed. After all, he had just come out of a death verdict earlier, and although his memories were perfectly aligned, he still felt the shivers from his memories of the white place.
Now on the path leading toward Green Hyde Castle, he felt it—the invisible pressure in the air. Each step felt heavier than the last, not because of his body's weight, but because of their eyes.
Two days after he was exiled, he had been in the Pathway gathering information when a voice called out.
"Hey, trash,"
Turning, he spotted a familiar figure standing there.
"As I thought—it's the famous Mister Smarthead. Or should I say, the biggest of trash?" the person said while drawing closer.
The person was Mick, one of Riande's goons. He, Riande, and the rest of the group were the ones who had led the bullying.
"A trash you are, and that's what you'll always be. A trash with no class ability, a trash to be always trampled upon," he said loudly while walking toward Ren.
When he was close, he tapped Ren's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "I will make you suffer for what happened to Riande. I promise."
With that, he left, continuing on his path.
But by then, the damage had already been done.
Ren turned to face the now-dispersing crowd, a calm smile on his face.
After that encounter, his plans to gather information were ruined.
Back to the present.
People turned to stare as he passed through the outer settlement. They whispered, laughed, and pointed at him, not bothering to hide their mocking fingers and smirks.
"Mm. The cripple."
"Is that him…? Such a handsome face, wasted on someone so weak," someone murmured.
Ren forced his gaze forward, disregarding them as he walked on.
If I look at them, I did acknowledge them. And I'm not doing that, Ren thought as he continued down the path.
Reaching a small cluster of people, Ren slowed his pace intentionally as their voices filtered into his ears.
"Did you hear about it?" someone whispered.
"Mm. They spotted an Absolute Beast near the Poisoned Valley."
A chill ran down Ren's spine.
Absolute?
"That close?" another murmured in disbelief. "No wonder Aberrant Beasts have been acting strangely."
"They said the creature's presence is making all lower-ranked beasts in the region run rampant. Even the grassy plains have become unstable."
Ren felt his heartbeat quicken. Thank God I escaped that place. By now, I might have truly become a corpse, the thought lingering as the hushed conversation droned on behind him.
He swallowed hard and moved past the gossiping crowd. Returning to the castle remains my top priority.
Ren continued down the road, still lost in his thoughts, when a rough voice snapped him violently back to reality.
"Hey. Move, trash."
Before Ren could even turn fully, a harsh shove struck his shoulder, jolting him sideways.
Thud.
His feet slipped, and then he fell, landing squarely on his backside.
A sharp sting spread across his spine, but the pain didn't matter. What mattered was the screen that flickered into existence before his eyes.
Ding!
[Class Copied]