Silent Bargain

Aren watched the events unfold without any reaction. He couldn't comprehend what his opponent was planning. His eyes were fixed on the mocking expression on Nathaniel's face.

"Why did you kill your own teammate?" Aren asked, his voice growing colder.

With a sarcastic smile, Nathaniel replied, "Teammate? I never saw him that way. I killed him because he's of no use to me now."

Aren responded in an indifferent tone, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Nathaniel paused for a moment, locking his gaze onto Aren's eyes. "I want to propose a deal," he said, his voice resonating with an unusual seriousness.

Aren asked curiously, "What's the deal about?"

Nathaniel explained, "You'll pretend to have killed me and Emilia. You need to act that way if you run into anyone else."

Aren, surprised, asked, "Why should I do that? Why not just kill you?"

With a thoughtful expression, Nathaniel replied, "Before coming here, I inspected the apartment and saw many types of insects there. Not many people know this: individuals with a high potential for the Vex ability can control animals and insects. But most importantly, this only applies to the type they possess. However, there were many different kinds of insects in your room."

Flashback…

Alexander instructed his team, "Search all the rooms. Report if you find anything important."

Everyone scattered. Nathaniel seemed to notice something but didn't say anything. He entered apartment number six. There were spider webs around, and many insects still lingered. Most importantly, the cocoon Aren had emerged from was surrounded by bugs.

"Hmm, so this is where you came from. Interesting," Nathaniel said.

Emilia asked, "Nathaniel, did you find something? You've been in there for a while."

Nathaniel smiled, "No, I was just thinking about something. There's nothing here; let's go downstairs and see what the others have found."

Emilia replied, "Alright, let's go," and the two left that floor.

Flashback ends.

Nathaniel continued, "So your Vex ability must be a very powerful type if you can control all those insects. But there's something you don't know," he said smoothly and kindly; Aren sensed nothing unusual about him.

"You haven't learned proper Vex control yet, and you can't manage your energy. Inexperienced individuals can't grasp this," Nathaniel added.

Aren said, "What do you mean? Just say it plainly."

Nathaniel replied, "I told you the deal; if you encounter other team members, you'll say that you killed me and Emilia. I'll then give you important information about your Vex ability."

Aren thought to himself, "Hmm, so it's about my ability, but can I trust this person? He killed his own teammate…"

"Alright, tell me," Aren said, without overthinking it. After all, trusting or not trusting wasn't important to him.

As they talked, a spider in Aren's bag watched them from above. Aren gestured for it to return to his bag, and the spider complied.

Nathaniel said, "There's a secret about the Vex ability that most people don't know: when genetic similarity exceeds 80%, an individual can access the collective consciousness of that animal. This isn't just about physical transformation; it also grants the ability to feel all the historical experiences and instincts of that species. However, this situation is quite rare, and most users never reach this level. An individual who can establish such a bond not only gains power but also has the opportunity to dive deep into the evolutionary consciousness. This carries a meaning far beyond the potential of the Vex ability; it truly transforms the individual both physically and mentally into that being."

Aren said, "So if I reach that 80% threshold, I will directly gain all the experiences of that animal and more."

Nathaniel smiled, "Yes, the reason I'm telling you this is that you have the potential to awaken this ability. Now, enough talk. You know our agreement; I'm off," he said as he slowly walked into the depths of the forest. Aren remembered that his bag was over there. He quickly made his way in that direction and retrieved his bag from the top of a tree. As he slung the bag over his shoulder, he watched Nathaniel walk away. Then, he turned in the opposite direction and stepped onto his own path.

----------

The man raised his hand from the shadows and pointed heavily toward the door behind him. From the darkness beyond, a younger and more agile figure emerged. This was the man's assistant; even he managed to step forward with a trembling gait. The oppressive atmosphere in the room made each of his movements laborious.

The mysterious man, keeping his head lowered, fixed his gaze on the assistant and spoke in a deep, resonant voice that seemed to echo from the depths of the earth:

"Go," he said, locking eyes with the assistant. "Tell them. It is about to begin... They need to complete the preparations."

Without hesitation, the assistant bowed his head and began to retreat quietly. However, as he approached the door, the man's voice rang out again, this time in a harsher and more threatening tone:

"What I said must be relayed exactly."

Trembling at these words, the assistant stepped through the door. The man settled into his chair and lit a cigarette, letting the smoke curl into the air. The room fell into a heavy silence.