After experiencing a great moment of enlightenment, Yuel decided it was time to descend… or perhaps gather some things.
Still, he couldn't do it himself. It was a rather dangerous task—he had no way of knowing what he might encounter down there.
So instead, he sent a few people from his sect—those who knew how to ride crystallized bears—to gather food and essential resources.
Currently, including the crystallized bears from the mammoth's former owners and the three Yuel already possessed, the sect had a total of 14 crystallized bears.
Each day, these 14 bears and their Wendigo riders went out hunting to feed the entire sect.
But today, two of them had been given a separate mission—to collect fruit and other basic resources. Yuel had delivered the command in an instant, whispering it through his Whisper bloodscript.
He was still wearing the white-furred shirt he had received when he first arrived, and maybe it was time to change that.
Yet, instead of heading to a store right away, Yuel wanted to sit and think.
There was a railing in front of him, and when he glanced to his left, he noticed a bench.
He quickly sat down on it.
This bench, like everything else around it, was made of enchanted wood.
He leaned his head back and started thinking...
He remembered that when he was around eight years old, he had loved his family and lived together with them. Though his memory wasn't crystal clear, he vaguely recalled staying in a two-story villa—or something like it.
Then came the tragedy: Yuel's father murdered his mother.
The reason? It turned out—long after the fact—that his father had been a Troth all along.
The Troth race generally resembled a golem or slime composed entirely of ink. Despite having humanoid forms, they lacked facial features—no eyes or mouths. Instead, a single white crystal was embedded in the center of their faces. All their limbs were flexible and stretchable. Unlike ordinary humans with just two arms, two legs, a torso, and a head, Troths also had a tail, entirely made of ink like the rest of their bodies—slime-like and shifting.
Yet Yuel was different. Even though he was a Troth-human hybrid, the only distinguishing features he had were his hair, eye, and skin color. Shouldn't there have been more?
...
Right then, Null spoke up.
"Yuel, wasn't your father a Troth disguised as a human? Couldn't you be the same?"
Yuel lifted a hand and looked at himself.
"I believe I'm human."
"No, you're just an idiot."
Yuel stared into the air for a moment, then replied with,
"So are you."
But Null didn't continue the conversation. He simply fell silent.
Yuel kept thinking.
After his mother's death and the revelation of his father's identity, his father had fled—no one knew where.
With no remaining family, Yuel was sent to an orphanage. Word quickly spread that his father was a Troth, and as expected, Yuel became a target of bullying.
Eventually, unable to take it anymore, he came to a decision:
"If humanity won't accept me, maybe the Troths will. I should go to the Inksworn Depths—the Troths' home. I'm a half-Troth anyway, so the ink probably won't harm me."
And indeed, the ink did not harm him.
But the Inksworn Depths were incredibly dangerous. If it hadn't been for Luo, Yuel wouldn't have survived even a year. Thanks to her, though, he managed to endure for four years. Still, he never gained enough strength to explore the deeper regions.
Deep within the Inksworn Depths, true Troths resided. Yuel spent his time at the border between the Inksworn Depths and the Fogbound Grave, searching for them.
But it wasn't because he was foolish. The border areas were usually devoid of Titans. And an eight-year-old boy with no bloodscript couldn't possibly survive against them.
Armed with sufficient weaponry and with Luo at his side, he had gambled his life once—kill or be killed—and won. But that kind of gamble wouldn't always work. In fact, he knew firsthand what happened afterward. He had lived through the worst four years of his life.
After that, he traveled north and south for half a year. While he still couldn't defeat a Titan, he managed to sever one's tail—and from it, crafted the staff he still carried to this day.
On his way back to human territory, he had discovered a cathedral. If he survived this frozen hell, he might eventually be strong enough to claim it. But at the time, and even now, he wasn't. So he chose not to reveal its existence to the world.
Upon returning to civilization, he hoped for better days and sought to learn what humanity had done during his absence.
The very next day, Aria the time-walker found him.
During their first journey together as a group, they had the misfortune of encountering a Stage 7 Titan—but by sheer luck, they discovered the Observer's Book, which saved them.
Once he escaped from this frozen hell, that book would require his attention as well.
The rest was history—he had fallen into the Wendigo Arena.
Now, he had escaped the arena and was being hunted by the very man he had once believed could become a friend.
In a few months, he would likely have to fight Shiro. And if he lost… how could he face Honor again?
"Yuel, you're really starting to lose it. There's no point thinking about Honor… You won't be meeting the dead again."
Null, were you always this heartless? Even if he's dead, can't you be more respectful?
"The dead can't hear me, Yuel. You're just wasting your time."
But what if there's a way to bring him back?
"It might be possible using Wendigo magic, but it would require a massive energy source. I doubt ordinary mana stones would suffice. Wendigo spells don't function like bloodscripts, so you can't use contracts or percentages for fuel. But if you found a major energy source, Honor's body, and a Wendigo capable of performing the spell… why not? Just remember—he might not come back perfect."
What do you mean, imperfect?
"There'll always be something missing. Do you realize how hard resurrection is? Normally, it shouldn't even be possible. Just because Wendigo spells can do it doesn't mean it'll be flawless. I don't even understand how Wendigo magic works. But there's no way it could be perfect."
If that's the case… then I'll still try. Is there any way to locate Honor's body?
"What do you think? How would I know, idiot?"
Then I guess… it'll have to wait.
A single drop fell to the ground.
But not because it was raining. Yuel had simply grown a little emotional.
He wiped away the tear with his hand and made his way toward the store.
Upon entering, he saw a large number of clothes. Though he initially looked at ready-made ones, they all shared the same issue—
The arms and legs were far too long. These were Wendigo-sized outfits.
So he'd need something custom-made.
He headed to the back of the store, where the clothes were crafted.
There, around a table that looked like it used to seat dozens, sat only one elderly Wendigo. His age was apparent from his beard.
"What can I help you with, sir?" he asked politely.
Yuel felt, somehow, that this old man would've spoken kindly to him even without manipulation.
Still, he didn't want to test that theory. He had tampered with the minds of Wendigos before, and at first, he thought it justified—after all, they had imprisoned him in an arena. A race that did that didn't deserve mercy.
And yet...
Something inside him whispered that he shouldn't have done it.
Maybe that was why he had shown mercy to the mages, only wiping their memories.
In any case, he didn't want to ever manipulate someone's mind again.
It was a massive responsibility—and not something he wanted to impose on his own allies.
He felt bad for not realizing this sooner, especially since he couldn't undo the brainwashing already performed on his sect's members.
Actually, he could reverse it—he just had to avoid renewing it for 1.5 weeks.
But if he did that, the Wendigos would turn against him—and that would ruin everything.
As much as he hated mind control, he couldn't risk his plan for it.
The old man repeated his question.
"Sir? What was it that you needed?"
"Ah, right. Of course. Let me explain what I'm looking for. I want a lightweight armor made from the best materials available. Something I can move easily in. And please make sure it has lots of compartments."
"Any specific design preferences?"
"Not really... just... could you add plenty of crystals to it? That way I can draw mana from the armor even when my staff's not with me."
"That's not exactly a design choice, but thank you nonetheless!" the old man replied with a cheerful laugh, then began scribbling something on the page in front of him.
Yuel decided to leave.
Now that he had placed his order for battle gear, his next objective was to meet the mages.