After filling his stomach, Ren finally looked around.
Inside this abandoned high-tech structure left by the Dwarves, he examined the countless buttons and understood what they represented.
Over the past twenty years, he had lived alone for ten, often venturing out to hunt for food.
Not to mention, there were many scraps abandoned by the Dwarves, including books they didn't want.
Gradually, Ren had also mastered their language.
In addition, he knew the languages of the Elves and the Werebeast.
These were the races he often came into contact with.
The Flügel race was now devoted to hunting, and the Ex-Machina race's traits made Ren avoid them.
Opening the world map drawn by the Dwarves, Ren quickly copied it using his "Detective Glasses."
The map marked the territories of different races and the distribution of resources, which delighted Ren greatly.
There was also a small portion of information on weapon development.
The Dwarves were probably attacked by other races, which is why this data was left behind.
If it were him, he would have destroyed all the information before leaving, not just leave it there.
Without hesitation, Ren copied everything he could, gathering all the intelligence before planning to leave.
Soon, he sensed a few weak lifeforms.
They were Immanitys, like him, which surprised him.
He hadn't encountered another Immanity in years.
Being Immanity himself, Ren chose not to make contact.
The longer he stayed, the greater the danger.
He had to be responsible for both himself and the others.
Ren quickly left the area.
After some time, a few phantoms appeared.
Their clothing looked just like Ren's.
"Riku, that one just now… was Immanity."
"Hmm, probably from another colony. Do not make contact for now," Riku instructed.
In this war-torn world, trust was rare, and avoiding contact was the safest option.
"This is the remains of Dwarf technology. Looks like there's a lot of intelligence here," another phantom said excitedly.
This outing hadn't been in vain.
"Quickly map it out. I'll decode the information," Riku said as he operated the debris and brought up the map.
Everyone began dividing tasks, packaging the intelligence, and preparing to leave.
Ren, on the other hand, headed back toward the markers.
He wiped away his traces as he walked.
He knew he might encounter the protagonist but had no intention of making contact.
Going back would take longer than leaving, and he preferred to avoid any unnecessary risk.
Back in the cave, there were no signs of disturbance. Ren looked at the seeds and, gritting his teeth, planted a few near the entrance.
It was best if they could grow and sustain themselves. He didn't want to go out often, because going out meant risk.
He then took off his coat and sat on the hard stone, starting to examine his glasses. All the information was recorded on them, very detailed.
The Dwarves were researching a weapon called E-Bomb, said to be capable of killing Old Deus.
He copied all the information onto paper, a yellowed sheet that was his treasured possession. It contained nearly twenty years of his investigative records.
After handling everything, Ren stored the fungi carefully. This would be his food for the next few days.
Even if it caused stomach pain, he had no choice—it was the only food available. Once that was done, he picked up the yellowed book on Elves and began studying it.
Ren stayed in the cave for four more days. The fungi ran out, and he had to go out again. This time, he needed more food to survive the upcoming cold weather.
He wrapped himself tightly, took all his important belongings, and left the cave. Outside, the black-gray haze continued, making visibility poor.
With a map this time, he headed toward the Elves' territory. Their forest was relatively undisturbed and full of food. There was a risk of being discovered, but Ren had no time to worry about that.
He arrived at a huge jungle, marked his spot, and entered. Fortunately, he didn't have to go far before finding plenty of edible plants.
"Lucky," Ren muttered as he began gathering. Since he hadn't gone deep into the forest, no one had noticed the little "mouse" yet. Only after he filled his bag did he prepare to leave.
On the way back, Ren sensed a powerful aura—a very strong presence. He frowned. The being had already locked onto him. Clearly, running away was not an option.
Ren had no choice but to approach carefully, step by step. The closer he got, the heavier the pressure felt. Soon, a pair of wings appeared at his waist—an angel-winged being.
And not just any one, but Jibril, the collector of Immanity heads. Cold sweat ran down Ren's face. Anyone this being found interesting would have their head collected. He immediately felt unlucky.
"Oh? I wondered who left these tracks. Let's see… Oh, it's just a little mouse." Jibril lost interest in the fully covered Immanityoid before her.
"Thank goodness," Ren thought, quietly relieved that she had no interest in him.
Jibril flew toward Ren, ready to take his head, but she encountered something she had never seen before.
Although it was just a mouse, there was no reason not to collect it.
"Damn." Ren cursed in his mind and quickly dodged Jibril's attack.
"Oh? So you're a rather agile little mouse." Jibril drew her scythe, seemingly ready to put some effort into it.
"Wait." Ren hurriedly shouted in the Elf language.
"Elf? An Elf lacking the Spirit Corridor?" Jibril clearly didn't believe him and intended to continue harvesting his head.
"I have something to show you." Ren gritted his teeth, preparing to show her something she had never seen before.
Unlike other Flügel Race members, Jibril was curious about everything.
"Oh?" Jibril immediately became interested. In her eyes, her opponent was small and weak, so wasting a little time didn't matter.
Ren took off his "Detective" glasses and handed them to Jibril, struggling in his mind.
Jibril took the glasses and put them on. At first glance, they were just ordinary flat glasses.
Aside from the fine craftsmanship, there was nothing special about them. Jibril felt a little disappointed.
"Press here." Ren quickly pointed at a spot on the glasses.
Then, Jibril pressed it, and soon, an unfamiliar scene appeared before her eyes.
After adjusting it, a map appeared, with several red dots. Two of the dots were very close—seemingly representing the two of them.
Jibril played with it gleefully, while Ren quietly backed away, ready to escape at any moment.
But Jibril had no intention of letting him go.
"Is this a Dwarf race's craft?" Jibril looked at Ren.
"Do you believe me if I say yes?" Ren wanted to cry but couldn't.
"What else do you have?"
"Only a pair of shoes left."
"Give them to me." Jibril commanded.
"My body can't touch Black-Ash." Ren shook his head firmly.
Jibril didn't care about Ren's feelings and lunged to grab the shoes. She wanted to see what they were.
Ren dodged and bolted, though it was a pity about his glasses—they only lasted a few moments of fun.
"Mouse, where do you think you're running off to?" Jibril said, stepping out from the space in front of Ren with the glasses in hand.
She was curious about him, but it was only curiosity.
"Jibril."
"Oh? You know me?" Jibril didn't intend to kill him.
Because she had just confirmed unfamiliar writings through his glasses, she grabbed Ren by the back of the neck and flew away.
**********
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