Inside the first building—a tanner's workshop, by the smell—he found nothing but dust and abandonment. The second storey yielded more: a pouch of jerky and a quiver of arrows, their fletchings frayed but serviceable.

  'Better than nothing.'

  Lu Zhiheng was a whirlwind of efficiency, pocketing anything of use.

  The next house yielded a water gourd, a wooden cudgel, and a pair of worn leather boots—a marked improvement over his straw sandals. In a third, he found a canvas satchel and rolls of clean, white bandaging cloth. A fourth provided more water and hardtack biscuits.

  …

  After an hour of frantic scavenging, it was soon going to be sunset so he chose one of the small single-storey buildings to stay for the night.

  The ground floor was pretty ordinary with only a single wooden table and a few chairs around it, in the middle of the hall. There was also a vase with no flowers on top of the table. The walls were pretty much empty with only a square window and half a painting of a dragon on the opposite wall, which seemed to be drawn by some kid who stopped midway.

  To the opposite of the front door were the stairs to the first floor. Lu Zhiheng had already looted this house before. He quickly made a few arrangements and then went to the first floor.

  The first floor had two rooms, each having a bed, a window, and some miscellaneous furniture. Inside one of the rooms he sat on the bed and began sorting through his loot.

  His haul was utilitarian: food, water, arrows, a faintly glowing light artifact, and bandages.

  ‘Except for these,’ he thought, his eyes settling on a loaded crossbow and two small glass vials, each containing a single, pearl-like pill.

  As he focused on the pills, a fragment window materialized.

  [Windlash Marrow Pill: Increases agility by a small fraction.]

  [Boxboar Marrow Pill: Increases strength by a small fraction.]

  He glanced at the crossbow, but no information appeared.

  ‘It seems the interface only annotates exceptional items,’ Lu Er commented.

  "This is disappointing. The loot is abysmal; I haven't even seen any Fragment Skills yet."

  'True. No airdrops, random explosions, or game events like in 21st-century battle royales. There's time before sunset. Consume the pills, then we test those ranked spells.' Lu Er urged, his tone shifting to excitement.

  "Mhm." Lu Yi nodded.

  Both pills dissolved on his tongue, leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste. He settled cross-legged, eyes shut, feeling the chemicals ignite in his bloodstream.

  Three minutes passed.

  ‘Well? How do you feel?’ Lu Er asked from the corner of the mind.

  “Subtle…” Lu Yi reported. “Exactly as described: a slight refreshment, a marginal increase in strength and speed. Enough that If I did the same thing to that kid now, he'd die from the punch.”

  Name: Lu Zhiheng (Lu Yi, Lu Er) {16} {Human}

  Soul Gift: Equisentia (1%), Barriera (1%)

  Rank: Acolyte (Rank 1)

  Ranked Spells {Grade}: Massless (1%) {D}, Wood Barrier (1%) {E}

  Physical Forms: Human Form (current), Unseen Shroud Void body {unavailable} {95% merged}

  [Unawakened]

  He focused on Equisentia.

  [Equisentia – A Soul Gift from the soul of Alerick Wise.]

  “Eh?”

  He focused on Barriera.

  [Barriera – A Soul Gift from the soul of Lu Zhiheng.]

  Then on Massless and Wood Barrier.

  [Massless – A spell based on the Soul Gift Equisentia. Allows the user to store things.]

  [Wood Barrier – A spell based on the Soul Gift Barriera. Creates a wooden barrier.]

  ‘That’s it? What kind of paltry description is this? It would have been better to say nothing at all!’ Lu Er erupted, hurling a stream of silent invective at the fragment.

  “Let's try it out,” Lu Yi said calmly.

  He held an arrow and attempted to activate the spell.

  Nothing happened.

  “Uh… how do I use this?”

  He tried various mental commands for several minutes. Still nothing.

  Recalling the time when he asked Sky about various things related to the awakened and soul, he formed a basic idea about what might work. He focused simultaneously on his Soul, Soul Gift, and the spell Massless.

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  Once again, it didn’t work.

  He tried again but this time he also focused on fragment along with the previous three.

  Finally, he felt something.

  Something deep within him stirred—the same sensation he experienced when interacting with Lu Er. When memories flowed between them letting him gain knowledge of each other.

  The feeling was indescribably complex yet eerily familiar.

  The arrow in his hand began to glow faintly, its colors saturating tenfold before disintegrating into nothingness.

  In one and a half seconds, the arrow was gone.

  “It feels like I can store a million more of these,” Lu Yi remarked evenly.

  'Wait. I didn't feel anything just now.'

  “You didn't feel it?”

  ‘Mhm…’

  “It means you can only use the Barriera gift since you absorbed the majority of Lu Zhiheng's soul.”

  'No use dwelling on it now. Switch with me. Let me try Barrier.'

  “How do I switch?”

  ‘…’

  “How did you do it?”

  ‘Uh… I didn’t. You had the control of the body since the start, I don’t how to do that. Maybe try to let go of the control, then I will try to take over?’

  “It might work.” Lu Yi sat on the bed and began trying to remove his consciousness and soul from the full control of the body.

  After more than ten minutes of trying to switch between them a change finally occurred.

  In a seamless transition—a mere visual representation of an immensely complex soul-deep process—Lu Er took control of the body, while Lu Yi observed from deep within the mind.

  “Finally, it took so much time just to interchange.” Lu Er sighed

  “Alright let your side of the mind loose, so I can get the knowledge of this soul gift usage.”

  Though true soul memories or experiences couldn’t be shared as they were part of the soul, they could still share the related information through the physical mind.

  After getting the appropriate knowledge, Lu Er concentrated, channeling intent through the fragment interface to his soul gift and the linked spell. A small, rough-hewn wall of wood erupted from the floorboards beneath him.

  He experimented, trying to create one out of thin air, shaping the barrier into a crude shield, materializing it from his palm. After just five attempts, a deep exhaustion settled over him.

  This fatigue was very different from the usual physical fatigue. It was something far deeper. It was the soul.

  “Ah, I'm exhausted. This takes too much of a toll.”

  'What? Already? After only five attempts?'

  “And it's not normal exhaustion—it's soul-deep. I feel like I can continue, but I suspect the consequences will be severe.

  The control isn't that difficult, especially considering the time we spent in simulations in the Extracosmos. This barrier control shares elements similar to the 453rd Simulated Universe. If only we still had all of those true memories… the experience alone would be invaluable.”

  ‘Much was lost during re-entry into the universe, but what remains is still substantial. It'll be helpful in mastering skills and spells. Let's not think about it.'

  ‘I think we should try controlling both soul gifts at the same time in future.’

  “Yeah, it might work. But for now, switch back with me. I don’t feel good. I think I overdid myself.”

  Lu Er sat down and tried to release the control of the body.

  Seven minutes later Lu Yi was back with full control, this time the switch period was much shorter than before because Lu Er had already exhausted his soul. Thus, making it easy for Lu Yi to take over.

  Lu Yi experimented a bit longer but astonishingly even after tens of attempts he was only slightly exhausted.

  He attempted to retrieve the stored items. And just as they had vanished, they began to shimmer back into existence, reassembling piece by piece at his command. The process for an object the size of his arm was slow; he knew instinctively that larger items would take proportionally longer, and would be impractical mid-battle.

  [Ding…]

  [Congratulations! 100% Merged.]

  [The Unseen Shroud Void Body has been unlocked.]

  'Huh?'

  He summoned the interface again.

  Name: Lu Zhiheng (Lu Yi, Lu Er) {16} {Human}

  Soul Gift: Equisentia (1%), Barriera (1%)

  Rank: Acolyte (Rank 1)

  Ranked Spells {Grade}: Massless (1%) {D}, Wood Barrier (1%) {E}

  Physical Forms: Human Form (current), Unseen Shroud Void body

  [Unawakened]

  He focused on Unseen Shroud Void Body.

  [Unseen Shroud Void Form: A Void body of a certain species created using a minuscule essence of Heaven and Earth. Creates a shroud that allows the bearer to remain uninfluenced by external influences on soul or mind, and renders them unseen by prying eyes.]

  He hesitated for a moment.

  “I shouldn’t suspect Fragment’s motives. It already knows who I am and what I think. If it truly wanted to harm me, I doubt I'll be able to defend myself.”

  The moment he willed the transformation—

  Crack.

  Crack Crack Crack.

  "Aarghh—!"

  His flesh began fracturing across his entire body. The cracks spread like spiderwebs, expanding rapidly. Pieces of skin and muscles began flaking off, disintegrating before they fully separated.

  "Urghhhh—" He tried to suppress his screams, but soon he didn't need to. His mouth and vocal cords dissolved along with his melting eyes.

  His hair followed. Everything disintegrated.

  Inside, there was… nothing.

  Just eternal darkness punctuated by faint streaks of light shimmering somewhere deep within—like stars scattered across the endless void of the cosmos. His stature enlarged for a few seconds.

  Then new skin began forming from his fingertips and the edges of his legs. Jade-like pristine white skin crept upward.

  New hair—pure white, cascading to his waist—sprouted from his scalp.

  New eyes formed: entirely white, pupilless, giving his face an eerie, inhuman quality.

  The crawling skin reached his torso and stopped just below his heart. On his arms, it halted at the elbows.

  The agony ended.

  He gasped for air, writhing from the aftershocks. He tried to open his mouth but found he had none! It was uncomfortable, very uncomfortable.

  Yet somehow when he attempted to speak, sound emerged.

  He rose slowly. Thankfully, the pain was temporary. He was strong enough to overcome it through sheer will. He'd simply been unprepared—the pain had jumpscared him more than anything.

  He removed his upper garments and examined his body. The black sections looked almost hollow, but when he touched them, he felt something like an invisible membrane preventing penetration.

  He considered testing it with an arrow when—

  Thud. Thud. Thud.

  Bam.

  The sounds erupted from the floor below.

  ‘Damn it! It seems my cry attracted company. At least the trap I set worked.’

  He'd installed crude booby traps earlier—just in case someone tried to ambush him in his sleep.

  It was just his bad luck that he never got to sleep.

  He worked quickly, stowing all his gear, save for the crossbow and a handful of arrows, into the bag and willing it all into Massless. The spell complied flawlessly.

  In one fluid motion, Lu Yi leapt through the window. His boots met the soft earth with a quiet thud, and for a fleeting moment, he paused to look up.

  The night was empty, a velvet blanket smothering the last echoes of light. A silent, brilliant moon presided over a court of shimmering stars, like a jade emperor surrounded by countless diamond consorts.

  And straight beneath stood a lonely figure in communion with the darkness—its face a mirror of the star-strewn void, his eyes twin moons, its hair a waterfall of white silk, its skin a patchwork of jade and night. For a single, suspended heartbeat, it embraced the cold stillness.

  It was Lu Zhiheng.

  A smile touched his features—a mere suggestion of expression on his alien face.

  Exhilarating! This new world was so much more exciting! Awakened, Ranked, Fragment, Games, Treasures, The Unseen Shroud Void Body, The Soul Gifts, there were so many possibilities. And of course, Immortality.

  The moment passed.

  He melted into the shadows, slinking back into the building through the window.

  The ground floor was empty, shrouded in a darkness his eyes pierced with ease. He crept up the staircase, each step silent as a ghost’s breath.

  At the top, he saw his quarry: a young man pressed against the wall beside the doorway, a gleaming dagger in hand, lying in wait for the room’s occupant to emerge.

  He closed the distance without a sound.

  “Who’re we hiding from?” he whispered directly into the man’s ear.

  The man spun around in terror, but Lu Yi was faster. He captured the dagger-wielding wrist, twisted it with brutal efficiency, and drove the blade back into its owner’s heart. Simultaneously, he pressed the crossbow against the man’s widening eye and pulled the trigger.

  Shlick.

  The arrow ended the threat instantly.

  [Ding…]

  [You have obtained 1 fragment point.]

  'Heh.'

  Bonk.

  A metal bat cracked against his skull.

  He staggered forward, vision exploding with stars.

  'Just my luck.'