83 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

**Chapter 83: Obsession of the Freed Slaves** "Playing with Nameless is not allowed. What if the creatures come at night?" "Is it true, Nameless?" "Keeng?" "See? Even Nameless agrees. Let’s go." The mother fox would take the little fox, Nameless, away from attempts to play. Not understanding the situation, Nameless would simply wave and smile. The Hoyo tribe barely acknowledged Nameless, treating her as a shadow that drifts by. Yet, there were occasional moments when someone would approach her. "Nameless, could you lure some creatures outside? We need to hunt and it seems it'll be necessary." "Keeng!" Nameless, feeling grateful for any conversation or request, innocently agreed. Just before leaving the fox den, a gust of wind made Nameless hesitate. Though she had responded thoughtlessly, there was an underlying fear. She considered asking someone to accompany her, but the hunting party just tilted their heads with smiles, seemingly oblivious. "What’s wrong? Is there an issue?" "Keeng…." "The sun will set soon. If we delay, more creatures will appear. You must go and return quickly." Seeing only kindness in the smiles of others, Nameless couldn't discern any hidden motives. So, she stepped out of the den without suspicion. This made Nameless a convenient tool within the fox den. She served to scare the young ones into obedience and was occasionally used to bait creatures. Being unable to speak and incapable of refusal made her the most convenient tool imaginable. It was late at night when Nameless returned, successfully evading the creatures. By the time she reached the village, the hunting party had long since returned. Today, it seemed they had a successful hunt and were celebrating with a feast, filling the air with the smell of meat. "Oh, you’re back already." "Keeng!" "Good job. Eat this and rest a bit." Nameless, half-expecting a treat, watched as the man tossed a few potatoes marred by insect bites onto the ground. Blinking at the potatoes rolling on the dirt, Nameless looked up, catching only the man's retreating back. Without a second glance, he returned to his home. Before long, the sound of revelry spilled forth from the light-spewing house. Sitting in a 'wait' position on the ground, Nameless. "Keeng." She bowed her head and began to eat the potatoes. Such days repeated endlessly, and Rin, who quietly observed Nameless, let out a small sigh. 'Irritating.' Rin had hoped for something special to happen, but only witnessed the same monotonous scene repeated over and over. Though she wanted to intervene, she knew she couldn’t. Whenever she tried to leave White Cloud Valley, she found herself back at the fox den, as if something here needed resolving. What possibly needed to be resolved within this small fox den was not a difficult question for Rin. She headed underground. Mimicking the actions of the elders, finding the shrine was not hard. There was no dust to be seen there, but an unfamiliar yet eerily familiar fox sat atop the altar. Tossing a gold fox orb as if it were a toy ball, the sight was rather irreverent. However, anyone who knew her would not dare call it irreverent, for the orb belonged to her. She bore a resemblance to Rin but was larger in several bodily aspects, especially in the chest. Furthermore, she had nine tails, four more than Rin. Before she was Hong-ho, Nameless, or even called a nine-tailed fox, she had been this existence welcoming Rin. "Hello, little one? Did you come wanting this? But too bad~ This is mine." "Is it necessary to call me a little one? You’re Rin." "Don't fool yourself. I've never lived miserably or craved affection. Not once have I been as weak as you." "Then why are you sealed away? Isn’t it because you were weak?" "……." Silence from the nine-tailed fox. A triumphant smile spread across Rin's face. "If I were you, I wouldn’t have been sealed. Loser~" "Shut up. Before I crush this orb." "So petty." Realizing it could genuinely become troublesome, Rin decided to halt her teasing. Though the nine-tailed fox denied being the same as her, Rin denied her denial. Clearly, this wasn’t their first encounter; there was an ease in their conversation. Here, words flowed without discomfort. Even Karami didn't experience this right away, yet she was undeniably Rin. It didn't sit well with her. "Rin doesn’t want to grow old that way." "You'll end up like this if you associate with uglies." "Uglies?" "Yes. Those who betrayed me and clung to the heavens." The nine-tailed fox's eyes seemed to surpass the shrine walls, reaching for something much farther, which Rin could only guess. Rin intended to pause her thoughts on that note. What mattered to her now was the fox orb. "Rin is busy. The master awaits outside." As if looking at a slimy puddle stuck to the road, the nine-tailed fox gazed at Rin. "Why that look? It’s unpleasant." "Sigh… A nine-tailed fox being a slave. Even with the passage of time, does this make sense? I'd be less surprised if the heavens turned upside down. Perhaps I should just take over your body and end you..." The muttered words from the nine-tailed fox twisted Rin's expression into a fierce scowl. "If you do, you won't fare well either." "In my current form, as a mere will, it'd be self-harm rather than anything else, meaning you’d be the only one hurt." Even with the honest truth laid out, Rin's expression didn’t soften, displaying defiance, ready to retaliate even with self-destructive actions. Conversely, the nine-tailed fox smirked at Rin’s threat, savoring her emotions as if plucking a taste from a connoisseur’s platter. "Oof." Having had her fun, the nine-tailed fox leapt down from the altar and extended the fox orb toward Rin. Rin, despite her displeasure, reached out to accept. However, the nine-tailed fox flicked the orb behind her. "Ah!" As the orb slipped through her fingertips, Rin let out a sigh of regret. Just as the orb was about to hit the ground, it delicately landed on the nine-tailed fox's tail. She skillfully tossed it about, showing off by playing with the orb with her tail. "You...!" "Your expressions are so vivid! You may look the same, but you seem like a completely different person," the nine-tailed fox chuckled, watching the sulking Rin. Then she offered the orb again. Wary of another trick, Rin eyed it and the nine-tailed fox with suspicion before carefully taking the orb. Surprisingly, she handed it over easily? Just as Rin began to think this, the orb burst forth with a radiant sunlight, and the space began to distort. "What is happening?" "It's returning you to where you came from." "And what was the trial?" "Something to my liking. You, I find likable." The idea of a trial based on the whims of the nine-tailed fox was absurd. Rin had passed easily, but it left a bitter taste. The fox, however, giggled smugly, clearly amused by Rin's discontent. "Let's go back. You might want to see that master of yours." Light filled her vision, and the space around her twisted completely. *** BAM! The light that had illuminated the dark shrine exploded and enveloped Rin. It was as if she was being wrapped in a layer of latex. Then the light cracked and shattered into pieces, falling away like a second skin. As the light subsided, Rin blinked slowly, regaining her senses. The familiar musty smell, irritating to her sensitive nose, signified her return to the real shrine. "It seems it's over." Behind her were Karami and the elder, standing just as when Rin had first grasped the orb. Despite feeling like a lot of time had passed, it was clear the illusion had no impact on reality. "Looks like it." "Congratulations. You’re now a six-tailed fox." Rin checked her tails; indeed, she now had six. Along with the additional tail, her body appeared to have matured. More than her increased height, her feminine curves were now clearly visible through her clothes. She had grown closer to the fox she had just seen. Rin examined her chest. 'Bigger than this.' So that’s how she'd be if she became the nine-tailed fox? Not a bad outcome. As a nine-tailed fox, it would be beneficial to captivate others. The idea of having a powerful tool to charm her master was appealing. "The fox orb is gone." Rin examined her hands. The orb she had been holding was missing, but she realized something. "It's with me." The orb had fused with Rin's own fox orb, and she could feel an unfamiliar energy swirling in her core. A warm, sun-like aura, alongside shallow shadows in areas untouched by sunlight. She had inherited a fragment of the nine-tailed fox's powers. -Hmm. Is this the master? Hardly reassuring. Startled by the unexpected voice in her head, Rin flinched. The nine-tailed fox's spirit slithered out from Rin and coiled around Karami like a snake. -Not bad looking, is that the energy of the World Tree? Interesting but only to that extent. Everything else is lacking. He can't even maintain himself like this. "Why are you here?" Rin gasped in surprise. "Why are you here? Weren't you gone?" -You took my power, didn't you? Did you think it came for free? I'm just borrowing your body for a little sightseeing in the world. "You never mentioned that!" -It's standard practice to clarify everything before a contract, little one. If you're unhappy, you can reject it. Though she desperately wanted to, Rin's energy had already intertwined with the fox's. It was irreversible. The fox knew this well enough to say so. "What’s happening?" "Happening? The nine-tailed fox just appeared!" "The nine-tailed fox has always been here." The elder, who turned his gaze to Rin, seemed neither to see nor feel the fox. He addressed Rin as if she were the one he was acknowledging, oblivious to the nine-tailed fox. -You can see me because you received my power. Others can't. "I can see her." -Huh? The fox turned to Karami, surprised. They locked eyes, confirming he indeed could see her. -Why can you see me? "I'm Rin's master. I know everything about her." -...I understand. The tether lets you see me. The prior dismissal was retracted. This person wasn’t ordinary. But being ordinary might have been better for him. Capturing the nine-tailed fox as a slave would reveal how foolish he’d been.