Ren pulled the Cloak of the Fading King into his equipment slot, and the moment he confirmed the command, a faint light swept over his body, cold, but not unpleasant.
The old cloak he had been wearing instantly disintegrated into tiny pixel fragments, scattering into the air before vanishing completely.
Moments later, a layer of gray-black fabric began to materialize, draping over his shoulders as gently as a wisp of smoke.
The fabric was soft but carried no warmth. Instead, it emanated an eerie stillness, something that didn't quite belong to this world.
Ren slowly turned his body, letting the new cloak flow with his movements. It slid across him without a sound, as if even the air itself was being swallowed by it.
The edges were frayed, faded with time, evoking a sense of age and wear. Yet, within that worn texture lay a faint trace of regal dignity, something that once belonged to a distant past, now nothing more than forgotten remnants.
He reached out and lightly touched the fabric. A faint chill brushed against his fingertips, as if the cloak itself resisted being acknowledged, resisted being seen.
Then, ever so subtly, a strange sensation crept into his mind.
Whether it was the item's effect or simply an illusion, Ren couldn't tell. But he felt his presence beginning to fade, as if the contours of his body were dissolving into the surrounding shadows, slowly vanishing from the world without a trace.
Though the Cloak of the Fading King fit well over his wolf-hide armor, Ren wasn't entirely satisfied with its appearance.
The cloak wasn't overly long, just enough to cover his back and part of his legs, without hindering movement.
The material was soft and light like mist, its grayish-black hue blending seamlessly into darkness, carrying a quiet stillness that matched his tastes. And while its appearance was plain, there was an unspoken nobility to it, a faint echo of royalty faded with time, a subtle elegance that unintentionally drew the eye.
Ren never wanted to be the center of attention.
He always preferred simple clothes, nothing flashy, nothing that would turn heads as he passed.
But this cloak… was different. It didn't shine, it had no ornate patterns or gold embroidery like other rare equipment, and yet it had an unmistakable presence.
Even a passing glance was enough for someone to realize that this was no ordinary item.
Wearing it out in the open like this was practically announcing to the world that he possessed something rare, something Ren absolutely didn't want.
Curious gazes, unnecessary questions, even the interest of those with bad intentions, none of it appealed to him. All it did was bring trouble.
He didn't want to be noticed. Didn't want to get dragged into unnecessary messes. Didn't want to become someone's target just for having a special item.
Ren slid his fingers along the frayed hem, feeling the fabric's smooth yet resilient texture beneath his touch.
He might have to find a way to alter its appearance slightly, or at the very least, hide the more conspicuous features.
A cloak that was meant to blur the wearer's presence had ironically become the very thing that drew attention. The irony of it made him chuckle.
Opening his equipment menu, Ren scrolled through his item list until his eyes landed on the Cloak of the Fading King.
He tapped on its icon, and a dropdown list of options expanded before him, displaying various categories.
He checked each of the basic settings, defense stats, hidden attributes, durability, then continued scrolling, hoping to find something that could help alter its look.
His finger swept through each line, brows furrowing slightly when no suitable option appeared.
After some time navigating the interface, a small, nearly hidden category at the bottom of the list caught his eye: Disguise. Ren squinted and tapped it.
Instantly, a new window popped up, showing a range of small customization options. He could change its color, mute some of the more noticeable details, or even blend its appearance with another item he owned.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. It seemed the system had already anticipated problems like this.
He could still wear the cloak without worrying about drawing too much attention.
A simple feature, but one that completely solved the problem that had been bothering him.
Ren browsed through the options in the Disguise tab, carefully examining each setting.
Though it was called "disguise," this feature didn't allow the item to become something entirely different.
It only enabled minor adjustments, colors, patterns, or slight stylistic changes. The item's core identity remained intact.
For example, a suit of steel armor could be darkened, its shine dulled, or its trim refined to appear sleeker, but it would still unmistakably be steel armor. It couldn't be turned into cloth or leather gear.
"…Why did I pick steel armor as an example?" he muttered to himself. "There are tons of other things I could've thought of…"
Ren shook his head slightly, brushing away the wandering thoughts and returning to his task.
He tried adjusting the cloak's color tone, but the faint, hidden patterns on the fabric still made it look too different from the old cloak he was used to.
That unfamiliar feeling made him uncomfortable, like he was wearing something that didn't belong to him.
In the end, Ren decided to simplify everything, he modified the appearance of the Cloak of the Fading King to make it identical to the old cloak he once wore.
He dragged the color slider to a darker tone, blurred the excessive patterns, and trimmed the edges to fit just as before.
When he was done, the cloak before him looked completely unremarkable, so simple that no one would bother giving it a second glance.
Ren gently brushed his hand along the fabric, feeling its familiar texture. Then he gave a small, satisfied nod.
In truth, the cloak he now wore was no longer the same item as before, but at the very least, its appearance wouldn't raise any questions.
Once he finished with the customization, Ren closed the equipment interface, though his exhausted mind drifted off to some distant place.
He ran his fingers along the soft cloth, feeling each delicate thread glide beneath his fingertips.
A new cloak...or rather, the old one, cloaked in a different identity.
An item that once belonged to a forgotten king, now resting on his shoulders without anyone ever knowing.
How absurd.
Had that man ever felt like this?
The feeling of existing without being seen, of holding something in your hands only to one day realize it was nothing but the faded remnants of a forgotten past.
Ren took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
But he wasn't a king. And he had no intention of becoming a forgotten ghost in this world.
…Or wait.
A forgotten king and a fading ghost, were they really any different?
Ren didn't know. He'd never spent much time pondering such things.
Life had always been too harsh, too fragile, for him to even be sure he'd make it to see tomorrow.
So he let his thoughts drift aimlessly, loosening his mind on purpose, just to keep the crushing weight off his spirit.
One senseless question followed another, silly thoughts that probably no one cared enough to answer, but at least they kept him from falling apart.
If a forgotten king exists, does his throne still remain?
If a ghost is no longer remembered, did it ever truly exist?
If a sword is shattered, is it still a sword?
…And if a person loses themselves, are they still who they once were?
Ren curled his lips into a faint smile, letting out a quiet laugh. He shook his head, telling himself he was overthinking again.
But no matter how hard he tried, those lingering thoughts kept repeating, persistent as echoes that never faded.
Ren fought against the pull of sleep.
Each breath grew slower, his eyelids heavy, as though relaxing just a little more would plunge him into deep slumber.
But he resisted, clinging to those drifting thoughts to stay awake.
His mind floated between fragments of memory and aimless musing, until suddenly, a spark of realization snapped him back to the present.
He had forgotten something.
Something else he had received…
Ren furrowed his brows, trying to piece the memory back together. Among the items he'd picked up, there was one thing that felt unfamiliar.
That's right… it was some kind of fruit, from a strange tree he'd never heard of.
The hazy memory gradually sharpened into form. A small object, cold to the touch, slightly coarse when he picked it up, the image came clearer in his mind.
Ren quickly opened his inventory, skimming through the list. He was searching for the item he'd accidentally overlooked, buried somewhere deep within the clutter.
Among the list, a small icon caught his eye, a pale, circular shape resembling a fruit. Ren tapped it, and an information window popped up.
[Silverfruit]
The description was brief to the point of indifference:
"Fruit of the Silver Tree. Increases all stats by 1 when eaten."
But below it, a more cryptic passage appeared, lines of text woven together like echoes from a distant place:
"Light once shone upon this land. A seed quietly sprouted, nourished by what remained of old glory. The tree grew, reaching toward the sky… and left behind a mark no one remembers. A hand once touched it… long, long ago."
Ren squinted, reading each word slowly, as if hoping to find some hidden clue. But there was nothing more.
No history, no origin, no trace of who had planted it, or why it carried the imprint of something long lost.