The lord of life and death

Upon hearing about the Sheep Farm weird domain's ability to transform living beings into sheep if they stay too long, Rain asked with concern, "So entering the weird domain won't affect us, right?"

Sky nodded, but her response wasn't entirely reassuring. "It will affect us. The power of the weird domain influences everyone inside. D-rank individuals can stay within it for about a day, which is equivalent to five hours in the real world. The domain first targets the spirit, but all of our spirit defenses are at C-rank. C-rank individuals can resist the domain's influence for up to five days without being affected."

Rain took a deep breath, feeling relieved. His spiritual defense was at least B-rank, which meant he could stay in the weird domain for a longer period without being influenced. As he considered this, he thought the domain's power was like something out of the witchcraft or wizardry stories he'd read in novels—a curse that could transform people into sheep.

Siobhan chimed in thoughtfully, "Teacher Sky, it almost feels like weird domains are similar to Titled A-ranks in the way they can alter the rules of an area."

Everyone nodded in agreement, seeing the comparison clearly now. Damian added, "Yeah, the weird domains' abilities do seem a lot like what Titled A-ranks can do. They impose their own rules over the area, bending the natural laws." 

Rain silently agreed, reflecting on how both weird domains and Titled A-ranks had the ability to warp reality itself, making them not only formidable but also unpredictable adversaries.

Lily's curiosity broke his train of thought. "Does our company have any Titled A-rank individuals?"

Sky shook her head. "Not that I know of. There could be hidden Titled A-ranks, but who would keep something like that a secret?"

The group fell into thoughtful silence, finishing their meal. Once everyone was done, they went back to their desks to continue their work. Rain returned to his own desk, eager to dive into the new technique he'd purchased—Poison Claw.

Opening the manual, he began reading the first chapter. It laid out the fundamentals, explaining that to begin mastering Poison Claw, he would need to acquire a D-rank poison stone. The key to the technique was understanding the energy emitted by the poison stone and then converting his own genetic energy to mimic that energy. There was a method to convert genetic energy to poison without the stone, but it was more complex and time-consuming.

The manual also detailed nine specific attack moves, each modeled after the lethal strikes of various beasts' claws. Among them, Rain found an attack inspired by the Lizard's claw, which intrigued him the most. Each move was designed to amplify the poisonous nature of the technique, making every strike potentially lethal. Satisfied with the detailed instructions and the precision required to master the form, Rain felt confident he could begin practicing.

Next, Rain shifted his focus to defensive techniques that could complement *Poison Claw*. He explored three options: *Life Vine Armor*, *Red Wooden Shield*, and *Blue Lotus Shield*. As he studied them, he noticed a recurring pattern—each technique was rooted in life or wood attributes, much like most of the offensive techniques he'd been focusing on, except for *Poison Claw*. This confirmed that the energy types he was naturally drawn to—or best aligned with—were connected to the essence of life and wood.

Curious if he could expand beyond these affinities, Rain asked BIT, "Can I learn techniques based on other types of energy besides wood, life, or poison?" 

BIT responded, "Yes, you can, but it will be more challenging since your natural affinity leans toward wood, life, and poison energy."

Intrigued but undeterred, Rain continued to explore defensive techniques across all energy types for D-rank. He found some top-rated options: *Iron Armor Technique*, *Stone Wall Technique*, and *Crystal Sand Wall*. As he examined these, considering their potential, Damian's voice suddenly broke his concentration.

"You're looking at defensive techniques?" Damian asked, appearing beside him.

"Yeah," Rain replied, glancing at the holographic screen.

Damian took a quick look at the techniques Rain was reviewing. "Those aren't really suited for you," Damian remarked casually.

Rain paused, recalling BIT's explanation that, while he could learn any type of energy technique, it would be more difficult due to his natural affinities. Curious, he asked, "Why?"

Damian responded thoughtfully, "You can learn other energy techniques that aren't aligned with your affinities to cover your weaknesses, but it'll take more time and effort. Starting with techniques that match your natural affinity is easier and will quickly boost your combat effectiveness."

Rain nodded, realizing Damian was right. Learning techniques outside his affinity would indeed be more challenging, and with only a week left before entering the weird domain—and Francis's sinister warning still fresh in his mind—he couldn't afford any unnecessary delays. He turned the holographic display back to the defensive techniques aligned with his natural affinities, focusing on those best suited for him.

Damian glanced at the options. "The *Life Vine Armor* seems perfect for you," he suggested.

Rain agreed. "Yes, I'll start with that," he said, and without hesitation, he bought the starting chapter of the technique.

As he made the purchase, Damian continued, "You know, mastering a technique of peak D-rank fully will be really helpful when it comes to creating or learning a True Body technique."

Rain's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? How?"

Damian leaned back, explaining, "To reach the True Body realm, you need to add another energy to your genetic energy. Mastering techniques like these will help you get a deeper understanding of new energies, making that step easier."

Rain absorbed the new information, realizing just how vital mastering these techniques would be for his future progress. But then, thinking more deeply about the True Body realm, he considered the potential benefit of learning techniques outside of his natural affinity. Curiosity sparked,Rain asked Damian, "Then learning techniques of other energy types, apart from my affinity, would be even more helpful for the True Body realm, right?"

Damian shook his head slightly, offering a more nuanced response. "Yes, it might seem that way, but it's not so simple. To combine two energies, you need to fully understand both, and even A-rank warriors can't claim to have completely mastered one energy type. So, at D-rank, it's almost impossible to fully comprehend two different energies. Plus, remember your affinity is with life and wood energy, and each energy has many aspects, some known, and others still unknown to us. For example, wood energy includes vitality, absorption, and poison—those are just the parts we understand. Your *Super Healing Lizard* technique taps into the vitality aspect, but even that isn't the full picture."

Rain absorbed Damian's explanation, realizing the complexity of mastering even his own affinity, let alone trying to incorporate others. He nodded, understanding how invaluable this knowledge was for his future progress. But then he remembered something. "Yeah, but why did you come over?"

Damian, rubbing the back of his head, suddenly recalled his original purpose. "Oh! I completely forgot! I came to solve a case."

Rain raised an eyebrow. "What case?"

"A suicide case from the 9th floor," Damian began. "The police investigated it but couldn't find any reason why the man killed himself. However, they did uncover a clue that suggests the murder could have been committed using a weapon made from weird domain materials, or there's a possibility it was an evil ghost possession. Since we don't have any urgent cases at the moment, I took it from the special case list."

Rain nodded, recalling the details about the special case list from the department's orientation materials. The special case list consisted of unsolved cases where the regular police had found clues potentially linking them to evil ghosts or weird domain items. These cases were forwarded to the Ghost Department but remained on the list because the connection wasn't certain. Members of the Ghost Department could tackle these cases during their free time, earning points that could lead to faster promotions, reduced contract time, rare materials, or credits in exchange.

"Alright," Rain said, standing up. "Let's go."

As they walked out of the office, they informed the rest of their team about the case and why they were leaving.