Martha was standing with her eyes closed and facing the morning sun. Her hands were clutching the hilt of a wooden sword, its tip resting on the ground. She just got back from waking behind the undergrowth.

A cool breeze came by, ruffling her long, jet-black hair for a minute. Lucy, who was standing up slowly behind her, had already steadied her breathing.

Awoooo!

An agonizing wail reached them from a distance.

"Ash!"

Lucy leaped into action and was ready to sprint towards the cottage when she was halted in her tracks by a stern voice.

"Leave him alone. I’m sure he's just playing around. You only have fifteen minutes left. Make the most of it," Martha spoke with her eyes still closed.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, Martha opened her eyes with a glint and shifted her gaze in the direction of the cottage.

Lucy couldn't see it because she was focused on the cottage. She just turned back and took up her wooden training sword, her gaze fixed on her teacher, whose eyes were closed.

…

With one arm behind him and the other stroking his chin, Ash hovered over the mirror-like water, wondering, 'What exactly is this place?'

Ash started recollecting what happened in the past few days and froze in midair.

He had a terrified expression on his face as he realized what he had done over the past two days as a corgi.

What did I do!? I'm now living with a fourteen-year-old girl and another my age in a house.

He was also perplexed by how easily he accepted the name "Ash," Lucy's dog's name.

Did it take over my personality with its dog brain? No way! Is it conceivable that I'm gradually losing my identity?

He returned to hovering, as if pacing back and forth, and continued inwardly, But I can still recall certain aspects of my previous life.

Everything is still there, except for my name and the start and finish of my previous life.

I still have the memories of my family and those who I would consider my friends.

I still remember that I enjoy reading novels, watching anime, and playing different kinds of games.

Now when I think about it, I'm glad my other stats were in a “weakened” state because it allowed me to concentrate on improving my perception and intelligence.

The thought that I wasn't completely myself over the past two days is alarming.

The best conclusion I can draw is that I will resemble my former human self the more my intelligence stat rises. Perhaps I will also be able to recall more of my past life.

It's strange because, although I can still recall my name, my line of work, and other people's faces, I can't remember how I died.

After a long pause, he sighed internally and continued, 'Alright, settle in and enjoy the fact that I can think normally again for the most part.'

For now, I only need to prove that I'm Ash. I could attempt to leave and find a place for myself. But Lucy would be devastated, and that woman would try to kill me thoroughly this time.

I can think of Lucy as a sister—a powerful little sister who will track me down to the ends of the globe if I don't return home, Ash groaned internally.

As the only male in this household, I feel obligated to contribute. Since I regained control of my regular human thought process, I'll be able to use [Telekinesis] to make traps or perhaps hunt tiny wild creatures.

Regardless of this system's origins, it had proven itself useful despite the demeaning remarks.

Food, shelter, and security are already provided.

Perhaps I can offer advice that only a modern person from Earth can provide. But getting my thoughts across will be a problem. I can't just write something down in the dirt. They would think that I'm possessed!

"..."

Not like I was given a choice.

He released a silent sigh.

Ash was running out of options to maintain his sanity. He needed to do human things to not succumb to his new canine brain.

His thoughts, when he was inside the dog's body, would always wander to different distractions. He couldn't even stick to one goal.

Minutes passed, and after a long time of contemplation, That's it!

His all-white eyes widened as a lightbulb materialized and lit up behind him.

Interface!

After he quickly skimmed the skills section and paused at a particular skill, a transparent screen materialized in front of him.

_____________________

[Telepathy]—Active Skill: Directly connect to the other minds to send or receive messages. Each perception point will be converted into a range in meters at a 1:1 ratio while using the skill.

Cooldown: 5 seconds

Mana cost: None

_____________________

This is it, he thought to himself, his eyes curling with satisfaction.

However, I must first test this on other people. I don't want to scare either of them. I'm more concerned about what they'll do to me.

Perhaps I should try to test [Telekinesis] first. It would be simpler to do that.

Ash turned around after closing the translucent window and examined the massively remarkable place.

Does this mean that this is some kind of dream realm since I can control it like in a lucid dream, yet it is a part of the actual world, as proven by the interface? I couldn't see anyone other than me. Is this my space? Should I refer to it as the Domain of Origin?

I can use the interface here, so I can't just call it a dream. Can I use these skills in the real world too?

Huh.

For now, I'll just leave it alone.

How can I return?

He hasn't tried meditating before, but the situation requires experimentation. He floated in with his back straight yet relaxed, his head and neck aligned with his spine, and with his legs crossed, he rested his hands on top of them with his palms facing up. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

Nothing’s happening, or am I too impatient?

After a few more attempts, he suddenly felt something pulling him down, and then his vision was engulfed by darkness.

…

I’m back?

Whimper...

Ash opened his eyes to see that he was back in the room. He felt better with the intense pain gone. His hearing and vision improved by leaps and bounds. Some of the larger dust particles are tangible to him as they collide with him. His mind filtered things back to normal after a few more seconds.

Except for my "weakened" stats, I feel like everything is almost better. Maybe the pain was just me getting used to my improved stats.

He felt like he had transformed into something new. It would take countless years for creatures to alter even one part of themselves, and he thought he did it in just a few minutes through the interface.

Maybe I evolved a few years ahead of schedule with the interface. Is this the basic idea behind why individuals get stronger so quickly in this world? No, I think I’m the only one who can see the interface.

He then remembered that no one seemed to notice the translucent windows hovering in midair whenever they appeared in front of him or above other individuals.

Ash got to his paws and froze. He thought, 'Right, I'm still a corgi.'

Sigh.

At the very least, my senses have improved, and my thought process has returned. Is that a butterfly!?

His ears perked up as he darted his head to the window and found a leaf falling slowly, twirling and spinning around.

Aww, it's just a leaf.

Ash suppressed his disappointment as he made his way to the dining area, where he smelled something good.

Lucy was setting the plates on the table as Martha was taking care of something in the kitchen. He didn't know why, but he assumed it was Martha since his senses had weirdly told him so. Someone is doing something here. It smells good.

"Ash! You've woken up!"

Arf!

When he reached the dining area across from the living room, he noticed there was a plate with a few slices of spiced ham and a bowl of water. Ash then jogged his way to the plate and ate a mouthful.

Om nom-nom-nom! Delicious!

After eating, Ash sipped some water from the wooden bowl beside him and paused, thinking, I've become a dog, haven't I? Or is my condition so ridiculous that I no longer give a damn?

He gradually realized that the original Ash was either loved or that this world didn't have any dog food. If it's the latter, he would feel fortunate, but if it's the former... He felt a pang of guilt as he glanced at the food being served to him.

"What's the matter, Ash?"

Lucy's kind voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He glanced up and said, Thank you very much!

Arf!

He munched and munched while Lucy chuckled and started eating her breakfast with Martha after a brief prayer.

Don't worry, original Ash! thought the small white dog, sobbing up. I'll look after your friend! Wait, that’s not right. I want to become human again, but you can still rely on me!

At the end of his unofficial vow, Ash began to relish the nicely roasted pig with crispy skin and delicious meat, which reminded him of his previous life's "lechon."

The flavor is somewhat the same, but what is this spicy kick to it? It's hot and sweet at the same time. The meat tastes amazing! When he tried to drink the soup, he teared up even more, as it was even spicier. Lucy got him another bowl of water while laughing at him first.

Following the scrumptious breakfast, Martha took care of clearing the table while Ash and Lucy stepped out of the back door first.

They were back to the place where Lucy had trained earlier at dawn. Lucy picked up her sword from the ground, but she didn't start swinging this time. She merely held it in front of her while closing her eyes. Ash was slowly sneaking away to try something while she was doing that.

After improving his stats, a new skill was added to his repertoire. He learned that he had obtained it while unconscious and was discovered in that place. I think that I will call that place my domain for now.

_____________________

[Telekinesis]—Active Skill: Transforms your intelligence stat into the ability to move objects without the use of physical contact. Each perception stat translates to the skill's range in meters at a 1:1.

Cooldown: None

Mana cost: None

_____________________

To avoid being seen, Ash moved away and hid behind the bushes. He found an unsuspecting leaf just outside his hiding spot for his first test subject.

His gaze was drawn to the leaf a few meters ahead of him. He closed his eyes after a few seconds. A gust of wind blew as he abruptly opened his eyes!

[Telekinesis]

Before the poor leaf could take flight with the wind, it came to a halt in midair!

After a few more seconds of wide-eyed concentration, Ash deactivated the skill.

The leaf momentarily dropped when he stopped using the skill, only to be carried away by the passing wind.

Ash smiled with his canines as he looked halfway to the side, expecting someone to compliment him but being disappointed when no one did.

Why did it feel like someone was supposed to be there? Lucy is not here. I'll just keep practicing. He shifted his eyes to a stone this time, but he struggled to lift it. It was slightly bigger than what Lucy used when she was fighting that beast.

It was the size of a regular human head, so he clenched his teeth and held his breath. This time, the tiny rock shook a little as it floated slowly away from the ground.

I did it!

As the stone dropped back to the ground, he released a relieved sigh.

Although he appeared to be calm on the surface, he was astounded by what he was now capable of.

He was now traveling deeper into the woods since he wanted to test the skill further and keep his peculiarity hidden from Lucy and Martha.

He used [Telekinesis] to pick up a small stone, and as he continued to walk, the stone began to rotate around him in a clockwise pattern.

The small white dog was like a star, with a small planet revolving around him.

Ash raised the speed after a few seconds of continuous revolution until it produced a low, humming sound.

He focused his attention on the tree trunk a few meters ahead of him and quickly stopped using the skill when the stone was in his 9 o'clock position.

Hum... Whoosh-Thud!

The stone shot right off as it zoomed out of its orbit and crash-landed on the ground just below his target. It bounced right off and went behind the bushes, leaving a small crater in the process.

Ash quickly hopped over to the location to evaluate the damage output, not bothered by the fact that he had missed.

That was better than I expected, he thought, with a toothy grin on his snout. I believe it has the potential to do more damage than Lucy's throws.'

Ash then tried three more times, but he couldn't seem to strike his target. The first one had already hit the ground.

His second attempt missed the target entirely due to a root below.

The third almost made it, but it only passed by the tree and landed a few meters away. The last one was considerably further away. It flew overhead before descending, landing on leaves and branches before slamming on Ash's head.

Whoosh-Rustle-Thud-Tong-Thuack!

[-1 HP]

Arf!

Ash dropped to the ground.

He wobbly stood up on all four of his limbs and shook his head after a few moments. His head hurt, but it was better than the headaches he got with each stat boost.

Brr! Okay, it hurts now, but it did less damage than I expected. Perhaps it was because it lost speed and hit a few things before hitting my head.

This can't continue; I should think of a decent way to use this in a fight. Maybe I'll be able to uproot trees with my [Telekinesis] and throw them at my enemies in the future, but for now, I need to figure out how to use it efficiently—ahh!

Arf!

[-3 HP] A small translucent window popped up overhead.

[You have been inflicted by the [Bleeding] status effect.]

Ash was about to turn around and go back to the town to put his other new skill to the test when someone, or something, jumped out of the undergrowth and instantly disappeared into another. It was so fast that even with his enhanced senses, he wasn’t able to react on time.

He was fortunate enough that it only sped past him as he felt something trickle down his right forelimb. He was bleeding.

Grrr, he snarled as his ears perked up, his body slightly lowered, and his eyes were darting around. His enhanced senses were now in overdrive. He couldn't find it.

What was that? It was so fast! He quickly turned his head to where it was headed, but only found trees, bushes, and rocks.

His senses could hear it skittering around as he darted his eyes. He couldn't predict where it would pop out next.

Bring it!