[shback ends]


    "Tch," utz clicked his tongue as he realized that whatever he had done to clear this trial… most of it was just like what those ninjas would prefer to do. After all, whatever he had done could be summed down to two things "Avoiding fighting" and "Hiding while blending with one''s surroundings".


    Even in his past life, he had hated their ways. But being powerless against their collective force he had to walk in their footsteps. He feared being branded as a rogue ninja that''s why he never revolted until he had got stronger.


    "Without even realizing, I did the same mistake as I had done before!"


    He had repeated their ways so much that it had ingrained within himself. Now that he had already done it, he is looking back at his actions.


    "Was this really the best way?" utz had always thought the way he had devised for clearing the Trial of Control was really the most surefire way of doing it. But now he was reconsidering it.


    "Did I reallye up with that because I was thinking like a ninja?"


    When one is exposed to viiny one abhors it, expose him for too long and he bes ustomed to it. Keep him in that environment longer and he would internalize it.


    utz felt annoyed. He wanted to make himself unique, not wanting to follow their ways. That he what he had promised himself when he was reborn. He wanted to bury his past roots starting anew but in a way, he had failed in doing so.


    One can say he had cleared the trial with flying colours but he had lost the war against himself. The battle that he had raged against his old habits, he had lost it.


    ''Looks like it would be harder than I thought. Getting rid of these old habits.'' He had always worked hard as a ninja but that doesn''t mean he liked their ways.


    [Strength +1]


    [Stamina +1]


    [Strength +1]


    [Congrattions!]


    [User has cleared the trial of control]


    [Would you like to im your prize? (yes/no)?]


    Suddenly all of those dark thoughts left his brain as the system congratted him.


    What he was waiting for from the very beginning was in front of her eyes. If he should not feel ted at this point then what else should he feel? For sure he was feeling bad about some past stuff, but the joy he felt from getting his new ss far outssed his disgust for his old habits.


    "Yes," utz responded to the system message. There was zeal in his voice as if he had found a new toy. Rarely does one find someone like utz to be excited.


    [Beginning integration of Secret ss…]


    [Integration failed!]


    [Scanning user for discrepancies…]


    [Unknown Race detected]


    [Scanning forpatible ss…]


    [Beginning integration of Demonic ss…]


    utz held onto his head as pain seeped through him with the integration.


    ***


    Verona''s pupils shook stared at Dant''s back in disbelieve. Never had she thought that Dant would turn out to be such an inhuman devil? She had no words, nothing she could think of could exin what she was feeling at the moment. Her eyes wouldn''t stop being wide as her lips shrunk to a cusp. Even her hands won''t stop shaking.


    "Why?"


    She took a step forward. Her body moved on her own but then halted at the very first step as if every step she took made pain run through her heart tormenting her very soul.


    What kind of person was Dant to her?


    Someone she had put her full faith in, someone who she thought no matter how useless he was at least he was a good person at heart. And yet all of those beliefs, all of those faiths had shattered to dust. How would it feel if someone betrayed your trust? She felt cheated… betrayed. Her spouse was a murderer… a bloody murderer!


    She took a second step. Her whole body shook with that step… a second, a third. Little by little she came closer to the beast as she walked past Dant.


    As Verona brushed off past him, Dant''s eyes shot wide.


    ''Shit, I forgot about her!''


    <em>*Gulp*</em>


    He swallowed his own saliva as he became anxious.


    When the beast was after him, the fear of death looming on top of his head made him act on impulse forgetting the surrounding he was in. He forgot to consider what kind of effect it would have on Verona if he chose to kill Bret in front of her. But now it was toote, he wanted to keep all of this a secret but he messed up, messed up pretty hard.


    "Verona, I…"


    He reached out his hands trying to get hold of Verona hoping that she would turn back andsh at him. But she never turned to give a look at him even after his call. Dant''s self was consumed in guilt. He retraced his hand as it wavered and shook.


    As long as it was all a secret Dant had not felt much of any guilt for what he did. It was as if he was enticed by the devil. He kept giving himself excuses that what he did was only to save himself and his wife. But now he had to consider whether he was human anymore.


    <strong><em>*thud*</em></strong>


    She felt on her knees close to the beast. Hell! She wasn''t sure if she herself was alive. Her face had already got ashen beyond repair so much so that one might consider her to be as good as dead.


    "Where are you?"


    She pushed the beast away. A string of moltenva connected Bret''s corroded body that had bite marks on it. Theva being heavy slowly sank below as it fell on the man''s face corroding it in the process.


    ***


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