Chapter 388: Transformation

Under normal circumstances, something like this would never happen.

If one side had an overwhelmingly powerful Fate and the other side was much weaker, there would be no struggle at all. The battle would already be over before the two sides even had a chance to interact.

Only when both sides were evenly matched, with nearly identical abilities in almost every aspect, would a situation arise in which they fought to the death, with one side rising as the other fell.

Only then could they be considered competitors.

However, the fact that no such competitor existed in the same world did not mean that none existed in other worlds. If the other party happened to be much stronger than him, then doing something like this would be no different from actively seeking death.

Most importantly, this method consumed one's own Natal Fate, which required an enormous amount of energy.

If he had not been afraid that something might happen to Byeol, he would never have done this.

In his view, Byeol would not have used so much Star Fiend energy for no reason. Perhaps he had encountered some kind of danger that he was completely unable to resist.

The feeling of his body going from powerful to weak was extremely uncomfortable. He also felt as though time and space had become disordered.

Joo Joowon readjusted to his body and experienced a strange sensation, as if his physical body and soul had become separated, with both sides feeling unfamiliar to each other.

After taking a little time to adapt, Joo Joowon immediately headed toward the location where Byeol had appeared.

Byeol's level was so low. He had rashly used a power that involved such a high level of existence, and Joo Joowon had no idea what condition he was in now.

Those who followed the Path of Fate could indeed fight opponents above their level. However, the price of doing so often came with serious side effects, such as a shortened lifespan and declining fortune.

Although Joo Joowon had a vague feeling that, rather than being Level 3, Byeol was actually closer to Level 13.

In essence, he and Byeol were one and the same. Their skills, levels, and everything else could all be regarded as belonging to a single living being.

However, perhaps because of Byeol's 'Twin' talent, they could not completely merge together. Instead, they had been split into two separate entities. Joo Joowon represented the lower limit of a Astral Fate Reader at this stage, while Byeol represented the upper limit.

Or perhaps Byeol represented 'Calamity,' while he represented 'Solitude'?

Or was it the other way around?

Strictly speaking, the Celestial Fiend of Solitude was not a single star. It could only be called the Celestial Fiend of Solitude when two stars were combined.

One was the Calamity Fiend, while the other was the Solitary Star. The former only brought calamities, while the latter caused destruction from within. Only when the two came together could someone possessing this Fate Star survive in the narrow gaps between them.

A faint flash of inspiration passed through Joo Joowon's mind. However, before he could think it through, the fleeting insight slipped away without a trace. He could only give up on it.

After several jumps, the two green dots on the map finally began to overlap.

Joo Joowon looked around before finally spotting Byeol lying on an extremely thin tree branch. His ears drooped, and he looked as though he was in very poor spirits.

Joo Joowon's heart tightened. He hurriedly used his spider silk to bring Byeol down.

The branch was so thin that he could not climb up it himself, so this was the only way he could bring Byeol down.

Holding Byeol up for a closer look, Joo Joowon opened the pet panel and checked his status.

"Byeol, are you okay?"

"Meow!"

The moment Byeol saw Joo Joowon, his spirits immediately lifted. He hooked his claws into Joo Joowon's hair, burying Joo Joowon's entire face in his soft, fluffy fur.

[ Status: Depressed ]

[ Category: Debuff ]

[ Effect: Depressed mood. The effectiveness of all skills is reduced by half when used. ]

Joo Joowon: ???

Although he found it a little strange that this was Byeol's current status, seeing that Byeol did not seem to be in any serious trouble, Joo Joowon could not help letting out a sigh of relief. He took Byeol off his face and held him in his arms.

As long as he was okay, that was what mattered.

The illusory state he had seen earlier had looked as though Byeol might disappear at any moment. Joo Joowon had thought Byeol might lose consciousness or fall into the same kind of deep sleep as Dal.

That had scared him to death. Thankfully, Byeol was fine.

Byeol raised his head and licked Joo Joowon's chin. He had thought that his human servant would abandon him after seeing him transform into that form. Otherwise, why would Joo Joowon have suddenly disappeared?

After stroking Byeol's soft fur, Joo Joowon quickly left with him, afraid that the Red Mist Zombies might notice them. Only after they had traveled some distance away did Joo Joowon seriously remind him, "Good boy, you mustn't transform again in the future. Even if you do transform, you must make sure to change back, understand?"

Byeol: "Meow?"

"Of course, I'm not saying I dislike you like this. Uh, um... I mean, could you make yourself a little smaller? Looking five or six years old would be fine too. That way, I could at least comfort myself by pretending I've simply adopted a daughter."

Although Joo Joowon knew that cats could only live for a little over ten years, and that when Byeol's age was converted into human years, he could hardly be considered young.

A cat's adolescence lasted from around seven months to two years old, which was roughly equivalent to twelve to twenty four human years. Before Joo Joowon adopted him, Byeol had also spent some time as a stray.