Of course Liam was nothing like Bisky.
The biggest difference? Power level.
He'd just spent the entire day showing off in front of Menchi, casually demonstrating Ken and Shu like they were party tricks. But the truth—the embarrassing truth—was that when he'd grabbed her knife to split that boulder, his heart had skipped a beat.
Please have enough aura left, he'd thought frantically. Please don't run empty mid-demonstration. That would be so humiliating.
He'd barely had enough. Maybe 80 aura remaining out of 1,000. Enough to wrap the knife in Shu and make one clean cut.
Any more showing off and he would've face-planted from aura exhaustion in front of a girl he'd just lectured about training fundamentals.
Note to self, he thought grimly. Stop filling cups when you're running on fumes. Pride comes before the fall and also before passing out like an idiot.
But he'd pulled it off. Cloud-light, wind-soft, absolutely no problem whatsoever.
I'm so lucky it's stupid.
Now, though, he had a different problem.
How do I check this girl's tattoo without being arrested?
In the Reserve: Shizuku's Perspective
Shizuku sat under a tree, eating bread she'd stored in Blinky earlier that morning.
Two crow-sized birds landed on a branch above her, watching with unusual intensity.
Weird, she thought vaguely. Birds don't usually stare like that.
On impulse, she raised a piece of bread and waved it.
The birds immediately flew down, landing on the ground at her feet.
She tore off small pieces and scattered them. The crows pecked eagerly, making happy little sounds.
Not afraid of humans at all, Shizuku noted. Must be used to tourists.
She fed them for a few minutes, then summoned Blinky—her vacuum cleaner Nen beast—and retrieved a bottle of water. Drank. Dismissed Blinky back into her body.
"Gotta keep looking for Misery Moon Tigers," she muttered to herself, standing up.
The two crows followed.
Meanwhile: Inside the Crows
Perfect, Liam thought, watching through stereo bird vision as Shizuku walked deeper into the forest. She's getting comfortable with them. Seeing them as harmless. Soon I can—
Wait. What did she just say?
"Keep looking for Misery Moon Tigers?"
Liam replayed the words in his head.
Wasn't she hired by Slohe to investigate the island in general? Why is she specifically hunting for tigers?
He filed that away. Mystery for later.
Right now, he had a more immediate problem: the tattoo check.
Option one: Possess Shizuku directly, make her lift her own shirt.
Absolutely not. That's horrifying. Also probably traumatic. Hard pass.
Option two: Have the crows grab the hem of her sweater with their beaks and lift it.
Risky. Small chance she'd kill them. But doable.
Option three: Do nothing, assume she's not in the Troupe yet, move on with his life.
Not happening. I need confirmation. I need to know .
He settled on option two. But there was a problem.
The crows' brains aren't big enough to hold a Star Mark.
He'd tried marking smaller birds before. Sparrows, finches, anything under a certain size. The aura cost scaled down with body mass, which was good. But the mental bandwidth—the amount of processing power he could access through the target's brain—dropped to almost nothing.
I can barely control them. Complex commands are right out.
Which means I need to do this now, while I'm actively possessing them, or it won't work.
Dusk
The sun dipped below the tree line. Shadows lengthened. The forest grew dim.
Shizuku had been wandering for hours. No tigers. Just trees, rocks, and the occasional bird.
The reserve must have tightened security after the poachers, she thought. Makes sense.
Liam, watching through the crows, noticed something else.
She passed a Misery Moon Tiger an hour ago.
During the day, Lumos and his kin didn't glow. Their fur looked solid blue-white—no shimmering patterns, no bioluminescence. Just... big tiger. Slightly unusual color. Easy to mistake for a regular animal if you didn't know what you were looking at.
Shizuku had walked right past one, assumed it was some other species, and kept going.
She's actually less observant than Lumos, Liam marveled. That's impressive in the worst way.
Then, suddenly—
A roar echoed through the trees.
Shizuku turned.
A Misery Moon Tiger burst from the underbrush, body lit up like a sapphire lantern. The markings on its fur glowed brilliant blue-green, pulsing with hypnotic beauty. The "王" (king) character on its forehead shone like carved gemstone.
The tiger's eyes locked onto Shizuku. Hostile. Territorial.
It crouched.
It pounced.
Shizuku raised one hand—casually, almost lazily—and caught the tiger mid-leap.
Then she pushed.
700 kilograms of apex predator hit the ground with a thud that shook the forest floor.
Inside Lumos
HOLY SHIT SHE'S STRONG.
Liam, possessing Lumos's body, felt Shizuku's hand pressing down on his—Lumos's—their—head. The force was incredible. Steady. Unshakeable.
She just casually stopped a tiger pounce with one arm. WHAT.
Competitive instinct kicked in before rational thought could stop it.
Can I break free?
He activated Ren—not his full human output, but Lumos's natural aura enhanced by the Star Mark's passive boost. Channeled it through the tiger's muscles. Pushed.
The ground cracked slightly under their combined force.
"As a tiger," Shizuku said thoughtfully, "you're kind of dumb. That pounce distance was way too short. Not enough momentum. Terrible form, honestly."
Liam bristled. Excuse me?!
He pushed harder, muscles bulging, tiger body straining against her grip.
Shizuku's eyes widened slightly. "Oh. Huh."
With a final surge of effort, Liam broke free and leaped backward. His—Lumos's—front leg was cramping badly, muscles spasming from the pressure.
She almost broke my leg. Casually. With one hand.
This girl is TERRIFYING.
Shizuku summoned Blinky, holding the vacuum cleaner like a club. "Your energy changed just now. Was that... survival instinct? Or something else?"
She advanced slowly, clearly planning to knock him out and study him.
Nope. Absolutely not. Retreat NOW.
Liam made Lumos roar—more for show than threat—and charged again, this time with the bad leg deliberately obvious.
Shizuku prepared to counter—
And two crows dive-bombed Lumos.
CAW CAW CAW!
They pecked, scratched, flapped wings into Lumos eyes. Total chaos. Maximum disruption.
Lumos annoyed by the bird, limped away into the forest as fast as three functioning legs could carry him.
From a safe distance, he turned back, roaring one last time.
I'll remember this, the roar seemed to say.
Then he vanished into the trees.
The front leg healed within thirty seconds, Star Mark regeneration working overtime.
Inside Lumos's head, Liam was panting—mentally, somehow—from exertion.
"Okay, big guy," he muttered. "I'm sorry. That was my bad. I'll have Menchi cook you something amazing when we get back."
Lumos rumbled agreement.
Damn right you will.
Behind them, the two crows flew back toward Shizuku.
North Coast: Cruise Ship
Liam change his perspective to the bird near the ship.
Babimyna stood on the deck, phone pressed to his ear, staring down at Musse's waterlogged corpse.
"Preliminary identification confirms: close-range gunshot to the left temple," he reported. "No other fatal injuries."
On the other end, First Prince Benjamin's voice was cold and controlled. "Musse wouldn't commit suicide unless absolutely necessary. Only one explanation: he was cornered. Possibly controlled by a Manipulation-type user. He killed himself to prevent compromising me."
"I concur," Babimyna said.
They discussed logistics for a few more minutes—body transport, evidence analysis, next steps.
Then Benjamin hung up.
Babimyna pocketed his phone and looked back at the body. Photographed. Cataloged.
Whoever did this is skilled, he thought. And dangerous.
Liam change his perspective again to the two crow that 'help' Shizuku.
One landed near her shoulder.
Shizuku had already dismissed Blinky. She looked at the crows with mild curiosity. "You helped me earlier. Thanks, I guess."
The crows chirped innocently.
Now or never, Liam thought.
He commanded them forward. They hopped closer to Shizuku's midsection, grabbed the hem of her black sweater in their beaks, and lifted.
Shizuku blinked. "Huh?"
Liam's bird-eye view confirmed it.
Flat stomach. Pale skin. Smooth. Clean.
No tattoo.
She hasn't joined the Phantom Troupe yet.
Relief flooded through him.
Thank god. Thank god. There's still time.
He released the sweater. The crows hopped back, looking innocent.
Shizuku pulled her sweater back down, checked her stomach. "Am I dirty? Did I get something on me?"
The crows just stared at her with maximum "we're just birds doing bird things" energy.
She shrugged and looked up at the moon.
Saw the tiger. Time to head back.
She turned and started walking toward the reserve's edge.
The crows followed at a distance, mission complete.
East Town: Evening
"Why did you smile just now?"
Menchi turned to stare at Liam, who was walking beside her with a suspiciously pleased expression.
"I thought of something funny," Liam said. "Am I not allowed to smile?"
"You've been staring at me for ten minutes," Menchi said accusingly. "What's going on?"
"I'm giving you helpful advice," Liam said, adopting a lecturing tone. "Don't just think about props you can conjure. Conjuration also covers physical transformation. Shapeshifting. Body modification. You could develop an ability to transform into a 'Super Chef.' Might be—"
"Might be strong?" Menchi perked up.
"Might be hilarious." Liam grinned. "Put down the knife!"
Menchi sheathed the blade, grumbling. Then she paused. "Wait. You mentioned that Bisky person earlier. The fifty-year-old who looks like a child. Is she using body transformation? Is that her ability?"
"How should I know?" Liam said. "I don't even know what Nen type she is."
Behind them, Ginta walked in silence, thinking.
Bisky is a Transmuter. The kid's a Manipulator. Maybe he really doesn't know. Or maybe—
Stop. Don't overthink. Just observe.
Liam stopped walking suddenly.
His expression changed. Nose twitching. Face going pale.
"What's wrong?" Menchi asked, annoyed.
Liam pointed toward a cluster of buildings on the eastern side of the street, near the coast. "What's over there?"
His voice was tight. Strained. "The smell. The blood. It's strong. Is there—did someone—was there a mass murder?"
Menchi blinked. "That's the slaughterhouse. They're processing seafood. Of course it smells like blood. It's almost night. Fresh catch just came in. Why are you—where are you going?!"
Liam was already backing away, face pale, breathing shallow.
"Amitabha," he said faintly. "This poor monk has urgent business. Must leave. Immediately."