Devourer's Legacy: I Regressed With The Primordial Crest
Chapter 80: In Disguise (2)

Chapter 80: In Disguise (2)

Renard hadn’t wasted his time during the month at the orphanage. While everyone saw a grieving farm boy who barely spoke during meals, he’d been secretly training with Boa every night after the other children fell asleep.

The small room was perfect for their sessions. Thick stone walls kept sound from traveling, and the single tiny window faced away from the courtyard where Sister sometimes walked at night to check on things.

Renard sat on the edge of his cot, letting Boa coil around his forearm. The serpent’s blue scales felt cool against his skin, and he could sense the faint pulse of power within her small body.

"Let’s see how you’re doing," he whispered, activating his Prajna ability.

The familiar sensation washed over him – like looking through clear water instead of murky glass. Information about Boa appeared in front of him.

[Name: Boa]

[Species: Keth’mor]

[Elements: Darkness | Poison]

[Beast Realm: Single Core]

[Blood Crest: Shroud of Corruption]

[Crest Abilities: Shroud Step]

Renard smiled as he read through the information. The Keth’mor he’d made a contract with was still young, barely more than an infant in beast terms. But her potential was obvious to anyone who knew what to look for.

Most beasts could only wield one element for their entire lives. Boa would eventually master two: darkness and poison. That combination alone made her valuable, but her blood crest ability was what made her truly special.

"Alright, Boa. Let’s practice the Shroud Step again."

The serpent lifted her head and looked at him with bright golden eyes. Sometimes Renard wondered how much she actually understood when he spoke. Beasts were intelligent, but their thinking was different from humans. More focused on instinct and feeling than words and ideas.

But Boa seemed to understand what he wanted. She uncoiled from his arm and slithered down to the floor, positioning herself in the center of the small room.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then a strange black substance began to seep from her scales. It wasn’t quite smoke and wasn’t quite liquid. It moved like fog, but it felt heavier than air. The dark substance spread around Boa’s body, clinging to her blue scales like a second skin.

As the darkness thickened, Boa began to fade. First her tail disappeared, then her middle section, until only her head remained visible. Even that looked ghostly, like she was made of shadow instead of flesh and blood.

A few seconds later, she vanished completely.

Renard looked around the room, trying to spot her. His eyes were better than most people’s, trained from years of tracking beasts in his previous life. But he couldn’t see even a hint of where she’d gone.

"Incredible," he whispered.

The Shroud Step was exactly what its name suggested – the ability to step into darkness and become invisible. While the ability was active, Boa could move freely without being seen. She became part of the shadows themselves.

But the technique was still imperfect. After about ten seconds, the dark aura began to fade. Boa’s outline became visible again, wavering like heat shimmer before solidifying back into her normal form.

She appeared near the window, looking tired but pleased with herself.

"You almost had it that time!" Renard said, reaching out to pat her head. "A few more seconds and you would have maintained it perfectly."

Boa leaned into his touch, clearly enjoying the praise. Her tongue flicked out to taste the air, and she made a soft hissing sound that almost sounded like purring.

Renard understood why she was tired. Using blood crest abilities took a lot out of young beasts. Boa was still developing her power, and each use of Shroud Step drained her energy. But she was getting better every day.

In his previous life, he’d had a beast with a similar ability – Esther, his shadow companion. The black panther’s power had been far more versatile and devastating, but she’d also been a legendary beast in a realm of her own. Comparing her to a baby Keth’mor like Boa wasn’t fair to begin with.

And yet, Renard could see the potential. He imagined Boa fully grown, disappearing into darkness only to reappear behind an enemy, striking with poisoned fangs, then vanishing again before anyone realized what had happened.

The thought made him smirk. Given enough time and training, Boa could become just as fearsome as Esther had been.

Of course, Boa’s poison hadn’t developed yet. Her fangs were still too small and soft to inject venom into anything larger than a mouse. But that would change as she grew.

"You’re going to be amazing when you’re older," he told her, scooping her up and letting her wrap around his wrist again. "Just wait until you can use both darkness and poison together."

Boa seemed to understand the compliment. She settled into a comfortable coil around his arm, her head resting against his palm.

But as proud as Renard was of Boa’s progress, he had bigger concerns to think about. Specifically, a decision he’d been putting off for weeks.

He focused inward, calling up information about his own abilities.

[Providence State]

[Name: Renard Grim]

[Age: 14]

[Gender: Male]

[Zone: Essence Zone]

[Title: Devourer’s Heir]

[Blood Crest: Eternal Hunger (Primordial - Partially Awakened) | Wild Heart (Royal)]

[Crest Abilities: Devour (F) | Prajna (F) | Pact of the Wild (F) | Guardian Beast Sigil (F)]

[Contracted Beasts: Boa (Keth’mor)]

[Stolen Abilities (0/2):]

[Devoured Abilities (2/2): Beast Mimicry (F) | Night Vision (F)][Sealed Abilities: Devourer’s Rage (F)]

A new row has appeared on his status displaying the information about his contracted beast.

But what Renard concentrated on was something else.

Guardian Beast Sigil.

This was one of the abilities he had gained when his Wild Heart blood crest had awakened.

[Guardian Beast Sigil]

[You can assign any one of your beasts as your guardian beast and can use any one ability of the assigned guardian beast.]

[Limit: You cannot change your guardian beast once assigned.]

It allowed him to choose one of his contracted beasts as a guardian, then use one of that beast’s abilities as if it were his own.

The potential was incredible. If he assigned Boa as his guardian beast, he could use Shroud Step himself. Imagine being able to disappear into shadows during a fight, or slip past guards without being seen.

But there was a catch. Once he assigned a guardian beast, he couldn’t change it. Ever. The bond would be permanent, and he’d be stuck with whatever ability he chose.

That was the problem.

Shroud Step was useful, but it had serious limitations. He couldn’t attack while shrouded, couldn’t interact with anything physical, couldn’t even pick up a coin from the ground. He’d basically become a ghost – able to observe but not act.

Worse, the ability required darkness to work properly. In bright sunlight or a well-lit room, it would be much weaker or might not work at all.

In his previous life as the Beast Sovereign, Renard had contracted with dozens of powerful beasts. Some had abilities that could level mountains or freeze entire armies. Others could heal fatal wounds or control the minds of enemies.

Compared to those legendary powers, Shroud Step seemed almost ordinary.

"I can’t settle for ordinary," he muttered, absently stroking Boa’s scales. "Not when I know what’s possible."

Boa hissed softly, as if she understood his dilemma. But she couldn’t make this decision for him. This was something he had to figure out on his own.

For now, he decided to leave Guardian Beast Sigil unused. Better to wait and find a beast with a truly powerful ability than rush into a permanent choice he might regret later.

That settled, Renard turned his attention to his own training.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, placing Boa gently on the cot beside him. She curled up in a small spiral, clearly ready for a nap after their practice session.

Renard closed his eyes and looked inward, toward the center of his being where his essence gathered.

For the past month, he’d been working on the same thing every night: clearing his meridian pathways and strengthening his foundation. It was boring, repetitive work, but it was crucial for his future development.

Most young cultivators rushed through the early stages, eager to gain power quickly. They focused on breaking through to the next realm without properly preparing their bodies. That approach worked in the short term, but it created problems later when they tried to advance to the higher levels.

Renard had made that mistake in his previous life. He’d been so focused on gaining strength to fight the seven great houses that he’d skipped important steps in his cultivation. It had cost him dearly in the end.

This time, he was doing things properly.

He began to move his essence through his body, following the pathways that connected his limbs to his core. The sensation was like water flowing through underground streams – he could feel the energy moving, but he had to guide it carefully to avoid blockages.

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