Dual Awakening: Elemental and Beast Transformation Paths

Aveline, Sofia, Darian, Hayden, and Alaric were approaching Ren together.

Their village had no records about the White Tiger beast, so they wanted to ask him about it and turn it into a book for future generations, in case someone else awakened the same beast.

Of course, they would not ask for free because sharing it was the same as revealing his power and weakness completely.

"Hmm?" Ren turned to them when their footsteps reached his ears.

After they were before him, Aveline immediately said, "Ren, can we talk for a moment?"

"Alright." He nodded slightly.

’What’s going on? Did something happen? Or do they need something from me?’

Curiosity emerged within him because it was the first time they came to him together like this.

Once they sat on the stone chairs, they revealed their intentions.

"Ren, our purpose in coming to you is to ask if you would be willing to share information about your beast form." Aveline went straight to the point. "We don’t have any record about the White Tiger beast, so we would like to get information about it."

"We won’t ask for free," Alaric added. "We will exchange the information with one 2-star beast core and nine 1-star beast cores. Sadly, that is the only price we can offer you."

"Sure!" Ren agreed right away.

Aveline had allowed him to borrow the Lightning Chain spell book before, so he was willing to share information about the White Tiger beast with them.

Of course, he knew many people would think he was stupid, but he didn’t care about it.

In his eyes, bonds were much more important because they could not be traded, while information could.

And if it could help future generations or make the village stronger, then it was worth it.

"Hmm?" Aveline and the others blinked in surprise.

They previously thought he would need time to decide or ask for a better offer, but they were wrong because he agreed instantly, as if it were a trivial matter in his eyes.

"You... agree right away?" Hayden still found it hard to believe what he was hearing because he knew their offer was far from enough.

"Yes." Ren nodded as he smiled. "Do you also want information about the Elemental path? I can tell you about it as well if you want."

"Haha!" Darian burst into waves of laughter. "I knew it! I knew it would turn out like this!"

Aveline’s lips curled up into a soft smile before finally speaking, "Then, please tell us about it."

As soon as Sofia took out a book and a pen, Ren began telling them everything.

He started from the Elemental path.

He told them what he felt when he used magic, or what it was like to have both a magic core and a beast core in one body.

After that, he changed the topic to his White Tiger beast.

"For now, I have four innate abilities." Ren raised four fingers. "They are Roar of Dominance, Camouflage, Tiger Leaps, and Territorial Dominance."

He skipped explaining what Roar of Dominance was because they had seen him using it before.

He told them that his skin color would change once he activated the Camouflage ability. This skill didn’t require energy to maintain it, so he could use it as long as he wanted.

"Tiger Leaps is an ability that allows me to jump far or high, and the range will increase as my strength grows." Even though he hadn’t mastered it, he already had information about it. "As for Territorial Dominance, it’s a skill that can increase my power, speed, defense, and reflexes for a period of time." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Only for a period of time? Not all the time?" Sofia asked curiously.

"For now, yes," Ren replied. "Ah, right! I can only have one territory at a time. If I create a new one, the previous one disappears instantly. The power boost also has duration and delay based on the stage."

Territorial Dominance had three stages. They were first, second and third stages.

"So, how exactly do you mark a territory?" Darian grinned as he teased Ren.

"Instructor Darian, didn’t you awaken a lynx? Then, you should know how a tiger marks its territory. After all, we are from the cat family." Ren knew what Darian had in mind, so he tried to avoid answering the question.

"I don’t have a territory ability, so I don’t know how a tiger does it." He shrugged his shoulders slightly before teasing him again. "So, how do you do it? Roll around on the ground? Or just leave your... SIG-NA-TURE?"

Black lines formed on Ren’s forehead.

’He is teasing me!’

Of course, he was not angry because he already knew Darian’s personality.

"No! I don’t need to do that." Ren understood the meaning behind the signature word. "I only need to scratch the trees, the ground, and let out a low roar. After that, my scene will spread across the area, and other beasts will know it’s my territory."

"You don’t need to leave your signature? Isn’t that the most common way?" Darian felt a little disappointed because he hadn’t managed to tease him.

"Too bad! I’m not an ordinary tiger. I’m a Tiger King, so my method is different." Ren joked around.

"Hehe." Sofia and the others giggled softly.

"He got you, Darian. Haha." Alaric laughed.

The corner of Darian’s lips twitched.

Then, they continued asking him questions related to Elemental and Beast Transformation paths.

Several minutes later, they finished.

After Aveline and the others left, Ren trained his innate abilities for about three hours before finally going home.

"I never thought I would get ten beast cores today." His face broke into a smile as he looked at the beast cores in the bag.

"Welcome home, Ren." Elara, who sat on the terrace, welcomed him.

Ren took out four 1-star beast cores from his bag and gave them to her. "Elara, here."

Elara was stunned.

’Beast cores? Where did he get them?’

A question popped up in her mind.

"I previously shared information about my Elemental and Beast Transformation paths. Your mothers and the others gave them to me in exchange." He knew what she had in mind from her expression.

"But it was given to you, Ren." She tried to return them to him.

"Just take them! Didn’t we promise to grow stronger together?" he refused instantly. "Alright. I will go to my room and absorb these beast cores."

After he entered the house, Elara’s face blossomed into a smile.

’Thank you, Ren.’

She went to her room to absorb them.

Right after she emptied one of them, the sound of someone knocking on her door reached her ears.

"Elara, are you there?" Aveline asked.

Elara immediately got out of bed and opened the door. "Mother, what’s wrong?"

Instead of answering, Aveline asked, "What are you doing?"

"I was absorbing a beast core," Elara replied.

"A beast core?" Aveline shifted her gaze to the beast cores on the bed. "Where did you get them?"

"Ren gave them to me earlier." Elara gave an honest answer.

Aveline’s lips curled up into a playful smile. "It seems like you have a special place in his heart."

"Mo... mother, stop it." Elara’s face turned red from shyness.

"Hehe." Aveline giggled softly. "So, have you thanked him?"

Elara didn’t answer, but she shook her head.

"That’s not right, Elara. You should thank him properly." Aveline said as she moved her right index finger side to side.

"I will thank him after dinner." Elara didn’t do it immediately because she believed he was in the middle of absorbing beast cores.

An idea suddenly flashed through Aveline’s mind. "How about you cook him dinner as a thank you?"

Elara’s eyes widened in surprise. "Cook dinner for him?"

"Yes." Aveline nodded. "I think that’s the best way to thank him for giving you beast cores."

"But I’ve never cooked for anyone else before, so..." Elara hesitated because she was afraid that everything would go wrong later.

"Don’t worry. I will help you." Aveline knew what her daughter felt very well. "And I’m sure he will love it later. So, how is it?"

"Alright." Elara agreed.

"Great!" Aveline smiled. "But before we cook dinner, can you go to the warehouse and get a sack of rice? We are running low on rice."

The village had a rice storage warehouse.

When their rice supplies ran low, they could take it from there. Aveline made this rule to ensure no one in her village went hungry.

"Alright." Elara nodded.

On her way to the warehouse, her face broke into a smile, and her heart beat fast.

’I hope he will like it later.’