CH 169: SHE IS A MOTHER
When Adam followed behind Eve, he was surprised to realize that as they 'left' the library, they entered a seemingly infinite white void with nothing but a bed, a TV, and a fridge lined up one after another.
In fact, looking a bit closely, he was able to see that all the elements that constituted a modern house were present in the white void, but there just were no walls to separate the spaces.
'What is this place?'
"This is my bedroom."
Adam pinched his eyebrows as he heard those words, "So you have an entire universe as a bedroom?"
Eve laughed under her breath for a while and shook her head, in the end, "Nothing so fancy. This place only gives the illusion of being infinite. In terms of width, I'd say it's only equal to a small continent on Earth."
"Only?"
"Trust me. When you visit the Astral realm, you will understand just what I am trying to mean here."
"I see."
He mused and looked at the fridge, "Speaking of this and that, I am a bit curious. Do you even need to eat? Where does this food come from?"
Eve approached the couch and snapped her finger as popcorn, soda, and chips appeared in front of her on the table.
"The food is not real. It tastes good but it has no other effect than just tasting good."
She invited him to take a seat next to her on the couch as she continued to explain, "My current body is by no means human. In fact, it's not even a physical body in the truest sense but a concentration of energy and the concept of physicality. For all those reasons, I do not need any form of energy to sustain myself."
"So you eat just for fun?"
"Yes."
She chuckled at the look of wonder that was plastered on Adam's face. It had been a long time since anyone had shown any curiosity toward her existence.
"Most Celestial Supernatural entities are energy-type beings who work on a different wavelength from humanity. If the human world is made of physical particles, you can say this one is made of spiritual particles. This is why you can touch me and also touch the books here.
"The problem is… Many of the Celestials were actually mortals before their ascension or death. So, what do you think happens when they become gods?"
She clenched her fists, "They forget the fact that they were once humans."
For the first time, a slight sense of anger could be seen on her face. "Forgetting their roots, looking at humans from above like they are ants and making them suffer. Truly, they are merely ridiculous and pitiful children lost in an illusion of splendors."
Her anger did not last for long though, returning back to her usual expressionless visage, "But you see… I cannot blame them."
Her voice was filled with bitterness and helplessness, "How do you think adults look at their past selves when they were children? Immature, stupid, ignorant, naive, weak and so many more."
"When you can walk in space, erase entire continents, see the past or the future, realize wishes, and be revered by hundreds of millions of people… Is it really possible to see humans as humans?"
"So this is why you eat?"
"Yes. I am a human. No matter what I am now, I will always be a human. This is why I eat and try different things to retain that feeling. All of this to never let the ember of humanity in me vanish completely."
She chuckled, "I am perhaps one of the last true guardians of humanity. I cannot let my own humanity waste away in the process now, can I?"
Adam fell silent. He looked at her as she worked on the remote controller. Eve was a beautiful woman. Her long silver gray hair gave the feeling of facing someone both old and young at the same time. She had a certain softness to her which gave the impression that she was weak and gentle.
In short, she looked like a pushover.
But now, even though she was still smiling, her firm and strong will were still perfectly conveyed to him…
"I think I managed to understand you a little more. But there is something I am curious about… Just why?
"Why do you wish to keep your humanity? Why do you choose to walk the difficult road even though there is an obviously easier one that would make things easier for you? Why keep fighting for people who in reality only vilify you and did so for thousands of years?"
"Haha, Lilith also asked me the same question. She said that I am a dumb and naive woman. But you see…"
She looked at Adam and placed a hand on his head once again, gently ruffling his hair. Her smile was so beautiful that one could only be dazzled by it. The gentleness in her eyes could melt the heart of even the coldest man in the world.
"...Why would a mother need a reason to help and protect her children?"
Adam felt like he could see stars dazzle in her eyes as she spoke, "I am nothing but a poor ghost of a forgotten past. I cannot intervene in the dispute of humanity itself. But I will always make sure that humanity never perishes."
Adam stayed silent. He remembered his discussion with Medusa. The fact that every time humanity needed it, a hero would rise to the occasion to bring victory to them.
Adam did not know much about all the heroes in myths and mythologies.
But… If there was one undeniable fact, then it was that the woman in front of him was without a doubt both one the greatest hero and one the greatest sinners of humanity at the same time.
"Well… We were supposed to watch something interesting, right?"
She smiled as she took out a CD from who knows where, "Let's start with some comedy to bring up the mood, shall we?"
Adam only nodded his head.
For the next few hours, the two watched anime side by side. Sometimes laughing or sometimes clapping in excitement at the ever-changing scenes that portrayed the story of different individuals.
There was no deep discussion between them and nothing particularly memorable. But Adam was now able to understand the woman called Eve far better than before.
She was many things. Not all of them were necessarily good. She was not a perfect being and she had many flaws.
But if someone asked her who she was. Her answer would be clear.
She was a mother.
A mother who watched out for her misbehaving children even though she did not need to and wished nothing but the best for them.
CH 170: GO STUDY
When the credits started to roll, Eve wiped a tear that was threatening to fall from the corner of her eyes.
The anime they just finished watching was a rather old anime about a young man, who met and fell in love with a girl he encountered during his time in high school. Their love bloomed and they spent some magical time together. However, the dream life shattered when he saw her die in his arms as she gave birth to their daughter.
This ended up with the daughter also dying near the end but thanks to certain magic that had been foreshadowed through the two seasons, the reality was rewritten and time rewound up to the moment when the wife gave birth and she was able to survive. [1].
"Even though I have been watching this a few times in a row already, I can't help but fall in love with this story and just tear up every single time. What a wonderful story of love and dedication. Truly beautiful and mesmerizing…"
Adam nodded his head in acknowledgment. He had to admit that it was quite an emotional anime and it was so brilliant and harrowing that it tugged at his heartstrings.
"Adam, you should remember some things when you make an illusion or try making dream worlds in the future."
She pointed at the credits still rolling in front of them, "A dream is called as such because it's different from reality. You should not try to imitate everything down to the minute details. But rather, let the mood guide you and work your way up from here. The stronger the emotions you are able to put inside the dream, the more powerful they would become."
Adam nodded gratefully. This was not the first time she had given him some advice during the time they spent together. Whenever they finished watching an anime, she would point something out to him and help him attain further understanding of some of his powers.
Adam had to admit that he was weirded out at first about the correlation between anime and the advice she was throwing out at him but as time passed he started to realize that she was intentionally using those anime as an excuse to give some information to him that she wasn't really allowed to give due to the Storm of Causality in effect.
"What is the Storm of Causality exactly? Is it something sentient?"
Eve shook her head and mused slightly before answering, "Let's say you enter a server. There are normal members, old higher-level members, the moderators, the admins, and finally you have the server creator, right?"
"Now imagine at first, the server creator, admins, and moderators did nothing. After all, there were only two or three members. But soon, things started to snowball. From two they became four then hundreds and thousands. The moderators went from beings able to deal with all problems to not even caring about them because it's a pain to moderate every little problem."
She clapped her hands, "This is where the server creator finally decided to add moderating bots and give them clear instructions. For example, If someone says something he shouldn't, he gets a warning."
She brought her hand forward and showed him a lightning spark, small fractions of the Causality Storm.
"And if someone goes too far… Then they may be muted forever or kicked out of the server. The bots' moderation abilities are also applied to the Moderators and even the Admins but even so, thanks to their powers, they can somewhat mitigate the abilities and restricting capabilities of the bot in most cases. However, if they go too far they can also get punished in the end or they may even rouse the Server Creator to take action themselves."
She smiled, "Finally, you have a few normal members who know the rules very well and know how to use the loopholes to mask themselves from the bots and do as they please."
Adam listened to her in silence, wondering where things had gone so wrong that he now had to listen to a hundreds of thousands or possibly even millions of years old women talk about servers and bots…
But at least, things had now become far clearer for him. He now had a clue as to what the Storm of Causality truly was.
"Very well Adam, it has already been around two days since we have been having some fun together. But I think it's time for you to go back to your studies."
"Ah… Two days?"
"Indeed. Time flies quite differently here, you should remember that. Currently, in this place, you are more of an energy-type being like me. So you will hardly feel time pass away when just a few days or some months have passed. You will only start noticing things when some years or decades start to pass. So, you need to be always cautious about how you maintain your time in this place."
Adam nodded his head and stood up. He stretched even though he realized that he didn't need to since he wasn't in his real body right now.
If he didn't know that he would die every time he came here, he would have enjoyed this place some more.
"Follow me."
Eve was clearly in a good mood as she walked in front of him and hummed to herself and took different books on her way.
[What is an Immortal?]
[Life and Death]
[Striking the Weakness]
[Hundred Ways to Kill a Being]
The stark difference between her joyous song and the books she was taking out was quite a sight to behold. But she cared not what others thought.
"Where was it again? Oh here."
[Understanding of the Five Senses] || [Illusions and Reality] || [What is a Dream?] || [Introduction to the Sea of Consciousness] || [Psychology for Beginners] || [Psychiatry is not for the crazy]
"Is this… not a little too much?"
Eve ignored him and finally placed a hand on the science section, [Aerodynamics] || [Four Natural Forces] and so on and so forth.
"Adam, I believe that after this you will have mostly outgrown the usefulness of the Bronze library. While you can accumulate more power by spending time in this place, it will not bring you a transformative level of advancement anymore. So I will not give you tickets for this place once you finish the last quest that leads to the passes."
Creating a Free pass burned her own Karma. While she had a very big supply of Karma as the mother of humanity, this didn't mean she wanted to see it tumbling down for no reason.
Without enough Karma, she would truly become a simple prisoner and would thus become unable to defend herself or defend humanity as she had been doing so for Eons.
"The last Free Pass for the Bronze section will be given once you pass that minor ordeal."
She gave him a mischievous smile as she spoke about the last ordeal but didn't dwell on it for too long.
She continued to walk, "I could give you a few books about very very basic magic like Appraisal. But magic is a completely different breed and is far more detailed in the Silver Library. The best way for you, if you are interested in magic, of course, would be to speak to the Avatar of Lilith on Earth or find another good magician to help you with that. It will depend on you, in the end."
She looked at the books on the different shelves but couldn't find the one she was searching for.
"Do not use the Silver Free Pass before you are absolutely sure you know what you want to learn. That pass is really expensive and I won't be able to create many of them outside of very grave circumstances."
'Where the hell did I put this?'
Her eyes shone when she finally found the book she was looking for till now,
[Does the Soul Truly Exist?]
She immediately took it out and added it to the growing number of books in her hand.
"Read this one first. This is absolutely the most important book you must read. This will complete your foundation on your current powers and help you when you need to enter the next level and open one of the Soul Chakra pathways. Of course, the power of your mind and soul will also fuel all your skills."
She nodded to herself, "The body and the soul, like dream and reality are different roads that ultimately lead to the same results. Even so, it's necessary to prepare yourself for what is to come. When the gods finally notice your existence and trust me— they will surely notice, it will be your soul and willpower that will protect you from their machinations and interventions. I am sure you have already understood this fact after facing Asmodeus."
In the Astral Realm, the enemies were Celestial entities who could affect reality and dream in many different ways. Eve knew that soon his curse would evolve, making him even harder to kill. But in this world, Death was actually a release and this was something he needed to understand later.
"For now Adam, do not use the power of [Death]. It's still imperfect and you have not assimilated it into yourself completely. Currently, it's the skill of Cain that you possess. But you should be able to assimilate that authority with the power of [Origin]."
As the first killer and the first entity to have ever brought true Death into the world, Cain was no different than the incarnation of the Concept.
An undying infallible Immortal who could bring absolute and eternal Death to any and all existence in reality— the state of nothingness, the complete annihilation of existence. His power and authority over Destined Death was something that even the gods of death feared and respected.
If Adam used that power he would be immediately caught in the act. It still had too much of Cain's aura. But once it was dyed by the color of his powers, Origin, things would change for the better.
"I will be honest, reading all those books now won't give you a great boost in power. You have already surpassed the level of power that should be obtainable here. But it will give you a strong base and will help you in the future. So you can listen or ignore my suggestions if you want."
Adam stayed silent at the "choice" that was given.
Listening to the million year old grandmother of his who read all the books in this place or move based on his own limited knowledge.
This was a pretty easy choice for him.
"Let's do it."
He looked at the books that looked like a small mountain with dread mixed with anticipation.
Adam felt like a student given homework by his teacher. Only this time, the homework was actually useful things he would use later in life.
He was becoming addicted to growing stronger while reading and understanding those books.
The feeling of being able to control the world at will was like no other.
Furthermore, he was starting to develop certain ideas. In most stories, Telekinesis didn't simply move big things with their minds.
'It should be worth trying.'
He looked in thought as he looked at the book with the title [The Three laws of Thermodynamics].
'Well, let's dive in.'
It was time for another long session.
One that lasted nearly 6 months.
CH 171: NOT A CANNON FODDER ANYMORE
Watching Adam dissipate into particles once again, Eve sat on the balcony of this grandiose library as a sense of melancholy started to wash over her being.
How long had it been since she truly had a fun moment with any of her relatives?
It had been so long that even with her eidetic memory, which could store and remember each and every moment of her life, she was not able to remember the days of such bliss.
'I miss the old times.'
When she became a mortal and was banished to earth with her husband, she truly thought that it had been the end of the world for them.
They were strong without a doubt but there were even stronger creatures roaming on the surface of the planet and even more hovering in the infinite void of space. They had to fight, bleed, and learn absolutely everything from literal scratch to fend for their survival.
Thanks to having eaten the fruit of knowledge, they were quickly able to adapt and form their own house and slowly started to become used to their daily life.
Her first pregnancy had been hell; the pain was like nothing she had ever experienced before.
But, holding her adorable little Cain and Calmana in her arms, had been the most joyous time in her life and made all that pain worth it.
Then came her second pregnancy which brought her Abel and Balbira [1].
They were happy. As happy as they could be in their current circumstance that was no different than hell when compared to their times in heaven.
They created a new and blooming civilization and might have even found a road back to Eden with enough time and effort.
If only that cursed event didn't happen. If only she had been a better mother and able to better guide her children… Perhaps she could have stopped the tragedy that forever divided their family.
"Lost in thoughts once again?"
Eve did not so much as twitch when shadows gathered beside her and Lilith walked out of them in her usual set of provocative attire.
"I am simply thinking about what could have been achieved and wishing for a better future for my children. Nothing more."
"Heh… If you say so."
"What do you want?"
"My avatar on earth shared her memory with me. I must say, the boy surprised me to no end. I must admit that he is indeed 'special'."
"I know you are not here to praise Adam. Speak your mind."
"Indeed… I am not…" Light shimmered in Lilith's eyes as she spoke out her true thoughts to Eve, "Asmodeus wasted a great amount of his Karma for this descent of his and even lost a part of his authority to the boy you are raising."
"So?"
Lilith bristled slightly at the nonchalance of her counterpart but relaxed and sighed out loud before continuing, "Help me bring him down. I want to take back what is mine."
She hated putting herself down like this. But it was slightly bearable since it was none other than Eve, her counterpart.
The authority of Lust belonged to her and her alone. The fact that she had lost a part of it because of her sisters' betrayal still irked her to this day.
She was supposed to be one of the queens of hell. But she had to settle for being something mediocre. And she was having none of that.
Her rightful place was on the throne of hell.
"Hmmm…"
Eve mused before materializing a book in her hands and opening it as she asked her a question, "What do I gain by helping you."
"What do you want?"
Eve smiled slightly at the sharpness of her tone. Since she was such a loving and giving grandma, she had to prepare another gift for her favorite grandson, right?
"[Dream]. I want the greatest share of the Dream authority Asmodeus has. 70% of it, to be exact. You can keep the rest for yourself."
Eve chuckled as she watched Lilith scowl visibly at the contract that she proposed to her. It wasn't every day that she could one-up this woman after all.
Lilith hesitated. While the authority of Lust itself was powerful, it was ultimately limited. Meanwhile, Dream stood at the peak of many laws and concepts and was an authority many would kill to have.
'Tch, I have to make some concessions.'
"Very well." She gritted her teeth as she answered.
"Tututu~ Let's make an oath to the Scales first. Come back later after I have worded our exact contract. I will help you then."
Lilith gave a long look of somber interest at Eve, "You have changed, Eve."
"Well, I can't always be the naive woman who doomed her entire family because of her curiosity now, can I?"
And so the two first women in the history of humanity made a deal. Each for their own reasons but a deal that would without a doubt cause fear in anyone who heard about it.
—
When Adam woke up on Earth, he could feel his body starting to hollow out as the fact that he stayed for 6 months without food or water hit him with the full wrath of god.
It was a process he was now used to and he watched indifferently as his own body started to wither and weaken. His sights dimmed, his stomach growled and brought immense amounts of pain packed in a small amount of time. His mind became weak and he felt parched.
Even through all of this… Even though his body was screaming in pain, Adam felt nearly nothing in his mind.
By focusing on his inner self, he was able to slightly dissociate his body from his mind and all he felt was a slight numbing pain rather than the intense suffering he should have been subjected to due to this entire process.
For an instant, Adam felt like his body was nothing more than a prison putting shackles on his true self and stopping him from advancing forward. Like it was a limiter that brought down his true potential, that still tied him to the weakness of mortality.
'Ugh…'
A slight headache spiked through as this thought destabilized him more than he would have liked but he was otherwise able to stay conscious until the inevitability of death finally took him away once more.
.
.
.
The dead and withered body of Adam stayed still on the bed and then,
Thump~
A heartbeat sounded and life came back to him soaringly. It was like watching a moment being completely inverted. His body started to fill up again, his pale skin took a healthy color and his sunken cheeks were once again rosy and proper.
Opening his eyes, Adam sighed and stood up to stretch his body.
'I feel weird.'
This time, he had managed to stay more than nearly 6 months in the Library. Six months during which he did nothing but study endlessly and assimilate the theories he was given by his millennia-old grandmother.
It was a level of concentration that was absolutely impossible outside of the Library for a human. But even though he went through such a session, he realized the fact that there were no sudden and massive changes in power like his earlier powerups whenever he visited the Library.
Rather than the spike in his powers, he felt more controlled, more at ease with himself and his being. He felt like his thoughts were less jumbled and that using The World felt far less straining than usual.
Snapping his hand, a perfect copy of himself appeared and Adam looked at the illusion with a grin on his face.
He brought his hand slowly and placed it on his shoulder.
'I can feel it.'
He grinned. Even as his hands inevitably passed through the illusion, Adam had the feeling that he was touching something right now.
He could see, smell, and touch. Imagining an apple, Adam bit on it carefully and felt like he was indeed eating a true apple at the moment. The sensation and the taste were all as he imagined them to be, making him jubilant at the progress of his powers.
"So tell me, Adam, who is the most awesome man in the world?"
The second Adam grinned and adjusted his suit, "Me obviously."
"Or perhaps you mean me?"
Another Adam appeared and the 'three Adams' looked at each other while grinning.
"This feels fucking weird."
He muttered as he made the two illusions dissipate. Since he had three different minds currently, he had simply been using those minds to control the illusions and act independently.
In a way, it was something akin to remote play.
For now, this was nothing more than a waste of computing power as using illusions like this meant that there were many other things he could not do.
But this was the perfect alibi for any crime he might perpetrate in the future.
As long as it was in the zone of The World, he could perfectly control those illusions.
Thereby being at different places at the same time.
'My zone is…'
He looked up and realized he went from 500 meters to more than 700 meters after his rigorous training in the Library.
'Many naughty couples in this hotel, I see.'
He thought idly as he 'saw' many things through the walls of the hotel. Some of which he wished he had not seen. But it was the risk of this power.
Finally, Adam opened the book of Genesis and looked at his current stats.
『 Name: Adam Gospel
Affiliation: Hunter Association, Wild Hunt
Alias: Midnight Prince, Cinder, The Magician
Race: Primogenitor
Age: 21
Weakness: Curse of Cain (Undergoing Evolution)
Acquired Power: Book of Genesis
Innate Authority: [Origin] || [Domination ] || [Death]
Unique Skill: [The World] || [Fear] || [The Magician]
Skills: [Eyes of Truth] || [Parallel Thinking] || [Accelerated Perception] || [Silver Tongue] || [Eidetic Memory] || [Soothing Speech] || [Mermaid's Voice]
Strength: D+
Speed: D+
Dexterity: D+
Endurance: D+
Prana: A
Charm: C+
Willpower: A
Luck: EX
Overall Combat Capacity: B+ → A
Remark: Congratulations. You have graduated from being a complete cannon fodder. 』
[1]: So the thing is even though Cain and Abel are talked about every time, they weren't the only children. They had many children. One thing in Genesis 4:17 states that after he had killed Abel, "Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch."
So who was Cain's wife? Well, the thing is Cain and Abel were each born with a twin.
The name of the twin changes in the functions of the religion.
In Muslim tradition, Cain was born with a twin sister who was named Aklima, and Abel with a twin sister named Jumella. For the Jewish texts, Cain's twin sister is called Calmana, and Abel's twin sister is called Balbira.
They say Eve had 20 pairs of twins. The only one without a twin was Seth.
Technically Seth is the father of humanity as he is the Ancestor of Noah. Everyone else got offed during the flood.
CH 172: WHAT IS NEEDED FOR THE NEXT LEVEL
Looking at his stats, Adam couldn't help but feel slightly misty-eyed. From the measly rank of F, he had climbed all the way up to this point in a matter of a few weeks.
In a way, everything went by so fast that he was not able to tell if it was real or not. He had only awakened on the 1st of November. All in all, in the real world, barely a month had gone past since his awakening. But for him, it felt like an eternity had passed at that time.
3 weeks, to be precise. In three weeks he changed so much, died over and over again, went through an entire life of his own, lived through the adventure of the Buddha, faced a Demon Prince from hell, killed hundreds of people, and did so much more.
He discovered that he wasn't just a normal human but the son of the second man to have ever existed in this world. His biological mother was the heiress of some super hidden Japanese noble clan and his adopted mom was some kind of badass berserker warrior who once stood at the top of the food chain.
Moving to the bed, Adam lay down and quietly looked at the ceiling above his head.
It hadn't been easy for him. There were many moments when he contemplated giving up altogether. But he could not, would not give up on this life that he earned through his suffering. He knew very well that even if he played the ostrich and buried his head in the ground, the problems he was facing wouldn't magically vanish into thin air. So, it was time for him to tackle them one at a time.
[Congratulations. You are finally near the door.]
Adam sighed and grinned, "Thanks."
If he was free to do as he wished, he would simply sleep all night or go celebrate to his heart's content. But that was an ideal future that had no chance of transpiring in this life.
"How do I go from here?"
[This will be complicated. Once you reach the A+ rank your soul, mind, and Prana will have reached the theoretical limit of a mortal. Making your vessel completely full. This is where a great many stop their journey. You could say it's equal to the limit of the mortal body at D+ for humans.]
"But… What if I buy more skills."
[Nothing much will change, in fact. Buying skills will increase the width of your abilities but it will not increase the upper limit of your powers. Of course, with enough skills, you may be able to fight far above your rank but that is not something that you should aim for.]
"Heh, like in Xianxia?"
[...]
"You really cannot take a joke, huh."
[I can do anything. Your jokes are not registered as funny in my understanding, however.]
"Damn. This was a good burn."
Adam laughed lightly but soon got into serious mode, "I suppose you don't advise doing this?"
[Indeed. Fighting above your rank is certainly useful and something you will need to be able to do. But the more you strain your vessel the higher the chance of you failing at the most important moment of your life, the moment that will define your entrance to a higher level of existence. What you need to do is to open either the Earth Star Chakra or the Soul Star Chakra. You can also call it the Gate of Truth.]
"So, that's what Medusa meant back then, huh?"
[Who are you? This is the most important question for a mortal seeking the road to eternity. It's through an innate understanding of who you are that you can open yourself to a higher level and surpass the limit of your mortal existence and transcend into the realm of Eternals. Another way of doing so is artificially breaking the limit by using external help.]
Adam thought mused in his mind before speaking, "Divine weapon?"
[Divine weapon, bloodline, or even a contract with a Celestial being. The difference between those who truly opened the gate and those who need help to reach that level need not be stated, I suppose…]
"I guess this is where enlightenment comes into the equation."
[Indeed. I may repeat myself, but had you followed Buddha, you would have skipped all of the steps and would have transcended into a Celestial being already. But it's still commendable that you were able to reach the Awakening stage in such a short time. You only need one more step and reach the Revelation.] [1]
The seven stages of enlightenment were: Common Sense → Awakening → Revelation → The Great Work → Illumination. Transfiguration → Cosmic Consciousness.
When living through the life of Buddha, Adam vaguely remembered going through all the steps up to the Cosmic Consciousness part and basically assimilated himself with the Celestial entity called Buddha. He had instinctively rejected this and even now, he did not regret this decision of his.
[Either way, going through a Revelation and truly understanding who you are will make you cross the Gate of Truth and open the Chakra.]
"Can I pay it with Karma?"
[Without even talking about the exorbitant price you are certainly unable to pay, doing so would be no different from using an external means. Truth be told, this will not affect your growth. But you will always be weaker than those at the same level. Of course, the choice between the two will only matter if you amass enough Karma.]
Adam nodded and turned around. It seemed like even as a Pay to Win, there were some events he could not pass through with the money, or rather, he simply wasn't rich enough. He was nothing more but a pitiful dolphin in a sea filled with whales and even leviathans.
'The grind life never ends, it seems.'
He wasn't even allowed to be happy for long about finally climbing a mountain as he was now told that there were innumerable more mountains to climb.
But Adam did not complain about any of that.
A man should stick to the choice he has made and fight the obstacles on his way in order to reach the destination he wishes to reach.
In order to live happily, he needed the strength to defend this happiness and make sure that even when his identity was finally revealed, no one would dare to think of attacking him or treating him like prey.
His expression became cold as he made up his mind once again.
"Hey, Genesis. You once said if I instilled fear in many people I would receive even more Karma, right?"
[Indeed.]
Adam sighed and put on the pair of glasses he received from Nikola. Scrolling up, he could see the information on all the different gang members that would be present at the scene.
The target had a very large mansion on the outskirts of the city, there would be few to no potential witnesses.
His eyes shone lightly as he made his final decision.
He wouldn't just kill them… Since he had decided to go all out, he would make sure to become their worst nightmares before ending their lives.
Only then would he be able to squeeze them of their full worth.
CH 173: DARKNESS
[Wild Hunt]
As always, Yui was working on the seemingly unending pile of paperwork that was placed on her office desk. But this time, she had difficulty focusing on her work.
Every few minutes, she would look up at the clock, at the time that would slowly crawl by, and then would sigh and go back to working on the papers, inspecting them and then finally signing them to approve them.
Standing in front of her, the massive man called by the codename Mammoth gave a small grin as he looked at his boss acting so fidgety at her desk.
He had been busy for the last few days as he had to focus on the expansion of their territory in the other states.
Finding people they could believe in and delegate work and responsibility was not an easy task, especially so in the world of Supernaturals.
But still, he knew very well what worried her so much at the moment. There was only one person in the world that could make the tigress of a woman, that was the boss of their organization, anxious to no end…
"We can leave at any moment, you know…"
Yui was startled at the sudden call, a sight that was impossible to witness in usual times, but in the end, she simply cleared her throat and shook her head in denial.
"The other cadres will go with Nikola and observe. I can't show up. Anyways. I am sure that Adam will show them what he's made of."
She was in no way worried about what would happen to Adam. She just hoped that the show of force that her little brother was about to display would be enough to bury any sense of discontentment that the core members of her group may have against him.
After all, all the cadres were people she personally chose and saved by her own hands. She saw them more like family than subordinates and while it was hard, she wished for their group to be in a harmonious relationship— where each member had great bonds and relationships with each other.
Unity was a virtue that she desperately sought for the group she had established with her own hands.
"Still. I am still feeling so confused right now. Has the lad really become that powerful now? In such a small amount of time?"
Mammoth really didn't know what to say about this matter. Adam had always been a mysterious boy. But since he didn't have the gift and showed no signs of its manifestation until a few weeks ago, Mammoth had not really been concerned about the boy's power level.
If it was just Yui gushing about how wonderful Adam was, he would have taken this for her usual ramblings of her oh-so-dear little brother. But the fact that even Nikola vouched that Adam was now a powerhouse showed that his powers were now the real deal.
'Way to go lad…'
Mammoth cheered him inwardly but at the same time, he mourned the fact that the once innocent young boy would now have to enter deep into the filth of the underworld and human society from now on.
"Well. It should be about time that he started, right?"
"Indeed. Whatever the outcome is, Eric has to die tonight."
This would be the first message she would send to her enemies and potential traitors.
Do not mess with the Black Tiger.
—
On the outskirts of Los Angeles, the canyons covering this remote region was a sparsely populated place thanks to the harsh surroundings of this region.
As such, those who did have houses there were generally extremely rich people who decided to build a mansion away from the hustle and bustle of the City of Dreams.
Those mansions were generally all gigantic and were proof of their fortunes, and for that very reason, each and every one of them was a masterful piece of art that would mesmerize anyone placing their gazes on them.
One such mansion belonged to the man known as Big Eric. Unlike his name, Eric was never extremely overweight or muscular.
He looked like a normal middle-aged man with a slightly rotund belly, the typical dad bod, but nothing particularly outside of the norm.
Usually, the man would be idly listening to some classic music. All his life, he had grown up in the poor streets of the city so he loved giving himself the illusion of being some sort of aristocrat to mitigate the feelings of poverty that accompanied him most of his life.
But this night, he couldn't help but feel slightly jittery inside for some reason. Leaving the expensive-looking chair that seemed more like a throne than anything else, Big Eric took out his phone and called his security personnel.
"Everything clear?"
Most of the guards of this house were just unraked Hunters but they had still received sufficient military training.
It was usually more than enough to deal with most threats coming his way as long as he didn't mess with the wrong person. Furthermore, he even had a few bronze hunters as personal bodyguards that also served as his trump cards and final line of defense against his enemies.
This would have been normally impossible for someone of his level of money and influence. But thanks to his recent deals, he had been able to hire such powerful personnel to act as his bodyguards.
But on this night, he had an odd feeling that this level of security was just not enough.
'Perhaps I should move ahead of time?'
Soon he had a big deal that would allow him to leave the gang under Yui's control and spread his wings in the truest sense. He was just at the last step and this was why he was all the more worried about what may transpire right now.
[Everything is clear boss. Nothing to be seen for miles on end.]
Eric creased his brows, ruminating on his head but he finally leaked a sigh. Perhaps he was indeed worrying for nothing. It was then,
[Wait… What the hell is this?]
"Hey?"
[A bird…? Argh!]
"Alpha 1! Answer alpha 1!"
The buzzing sounds were all he could hear before finally, someone seemed to have picked up the signal once again.
[This is the first time I'm using this device. Hey, do you hear me?]
Only this time, the voice was completely different from before.
"You… Who are you?"
[Heh… I have been hearing this question so many times lately. Anyways, I am here to give you an ultimatum.]
At the same time as he heard the voice resonating from the intercom, he could hear the voice spreading throughout the entirety of the mansion.
[Hello hello, can everyone hear me? Seems like it. Great. So it seems like you guys have some kind of code of conduct. So I have to say this. Big Eric. Are you ready to surrender?]
'What the fuck is this guy saying?'
[This is also for everyone present inside this property. I will say. Those who surrender will be spared. I will give you 10 seconds to answer. 10… 9…]
"Bastard! Who the hell sent you!"
[7… 6…]
Eric swore inwardly and immediately signaled the bronze hunters. He did not even consider surrendering. He knew very well that as the leader, his fate would not change. All he could do was fight for his life.
[4… 3… 2… 1…]
"Come on, you bastard! I will make sure you regret crossing me."
Even as he spoke, he started to run toward the wall in his second room. He had an elevator that would bring him down to his bunker from where he could observe everything.
'Come, come, come already, dammit!'
Never had the elevator felt so slow.
[0!]
Silence spread for a few moments before the voice echoed once again.
[Very well. Since no one has surrendered willingly, I hereby declare… That all of you have received the death penalty.]
Eric ignored the mutterings of the madman. The door of the elevator finally opened in front of him.
'Finally!'
But… Just as he entered.
Bzzzz—!
Sparks of electricity coursed through the house and then… Everything was plunged into absolute and complete darkness.
CH 174: HORROR (1)
The moment the electrical appliances died out, the mansion was entirely bathed in the eerie embrace of a chilling darkness. Nothing but the light of the softly illuminating moon shined slightly in the light sky and gave some feeble lighting to the occupants of the mansion.
While hunters from powerful families received training to fight in the absolute grasp of uncertain darkness, this was not the case for more independent and weaker hunters who received no particular support for their growth and had to depend only on themselves for everything.
Standing in front of the door, with their guns and heavy weapons grasped tightly in their hands, the three guards gulped audibly as they watched the swaying figure shrouded in a dark cloak in front of them.
The figure's face was covered by a completely blank white mask with not even the slightest features that could be seen by the naked eye and an aura of dread and mystery filled up his surrounding.
Seeing him like that, all of them felt as if they were facing some faceless monster slowly approaching them as the swaying silhouette slowly advanced toward them.
Their hands trembled as an aura of indescribable fear overtook their mind and seemingly wanted to even freeze their heart with dread.
Gulp~
"Fuck this shit! Just die!"
One of the guards could not take the growing aura of dread that was engulfing them anymore and pointed his rifle at the gradually approaching figure and blasted him with a rain of bullets.
"Fuck."
The other two stopped hesitating as well and immediately started firing away with gusto, as if not willing to fall behind the guy who started first in enthusiasm. They poured everything they had into the target, wishing for the annihilation of the dreadful figure.
"Die! Die! Die! Fucking die!"
Bang~! Bang~! Bang~! Bang~!
The sounds of the bullets being fired like there was no tomorrow filled the silent halls of the mansion, and the small light from the weapon showed that the bullets were definitely reaching the target. But while there was hope for their victory they also knew it was slim.
There was a deep gut-wrenching feeling of fear even as they fired every piece of weaponry in their arsenal. But they remembered that even Silver hunters were not completely unfazed by the destruction bullets can cause them. So, they still believed that there was a chance for them to survive.
The seemingly neverending volley of firing lasted for a few seconds without showing any signs of stopping. But, soon the rate started to decrease and at one point it stopped, the guards having poured in everything they had on them. However, as the firing stopped and the dust and debris settled, only a sense of pure despair clouded their faces.
"...How?"
One of them asked feebly even as the rifle fell from his hand. But they received no answer. What greeted their eyes was a sight they could not believe. Stray bullets aside, all the artillery they had launched at the approaching figure's body stopped a few inches short before reaching his body and hovered gently in the air.
"Ah…"
The legs of one of the guards trembled and he fell backward as they watched all the hovering bullets slowly turn and point toward them.
"Run!"
They tried to escape… But it was too late for them already.
All it took was a snap of the intruder's fingers and all the bullets were hurled back at them at almost twice the speed. They could not run out of the trajectory of the objects that reached towards them at supersonic speeds and in the end, only the agonizing and despair-induced screams of the men could be heard in the silent hallway as dozens of holes covered the entirety of their bodies and reaped the life out of them.
Seemingly endless streams of blood flowed out of their bodies that had been deprived of the life they once contained and then as if the strings holding them had been severed, the lifeless bodies fell down powerlessly to the ground.
What those three could not know was that… They were the luckiest out of all those in the house.
Lucky to have been granted the swift and painless embrace of death.
—
What was a haunted house?
For most people, it was just an attraction in which underpaid people worked with shitty costumes and equipment to scare the living shit out of some people. Then there were the abandoned houses— houses that had essentially been abandoned for so long due to some unfortunate reasons that rumors began to circulate of it being haunted by some paranormal entity.
Right now, the mansion of Big Eric was a horror house in the truest sense of the word.
For the guards and the gang members in the mansion, this was supposed to be a day like any other.
Even when some madman sent that flimsy ultimatum, they did not feel fear and only scoffed at the ridiculousness of the words he managed to blurt out like that.
Now though… Fear was all they could feel as they kept running.
Huff~ Huff~ Huff~
Hiding in a corner behind the table in one of the kitchens, one of the higher cadres of Eric's gang was busy looking all around him to ensure that he was not being followed by someone or some horror-inducing entity.
"Hello! Is there someone here?"
A cutesy voice, one akin to that of a child sounded in his ears followed by the slow and light steps of the person in question.
His eyes widened in horror and he immediately covered his mouth while trying to get his breathing under control.
Despite how cute that voice was, he could not forget how this same person had murdered more than ten people earlier in the pool, dyeing the water metallic red with the blood of the people he murdered.
"Hello? Is there no one?"
The voice progressively grew further and further away from him and inwardly he could feel his taunt nerves relax. He had survived, he had managed to hide himself successfully from that walking and breathing disaster.
Now all he had to do was…
"Surprise~!"
All the hair on his body seemed to stand up on end as fear overwhelmed his body. A flashlight shone next to him and showed the mechanical face of a doll with chubby cheeks.
He had no time to scream as the knife of the doll stabbed him through the eyes, robbing him of his life.
CH 175: HORROR (2)
All-encompassing chaos was spreading in the mansion and no matter what they did, there was nothing they could do to get out of this paranormal predicament.
On one side of the house, the bodies of the dead guards were walking stiffly and firing away all that was moving in front of them with the guns in their hands.
On another side, creepy dolls holding knives were giggling and laughing while massacring everything that was moving in the dreadful halls of the mansion.
No matter where one fled, death, chaos, screams, and endless fear abound.
Running was useless. All the doors were locked and even those who were outside from the start seemed to be blocked by a field of who knows what that was obstructing their escape.
Fighting was useless. Even when the targets were destroyed, another one would simply appear and take their places.
Begging was even more useless. No matter what they said, or how much they pleaded for their safety, nothing changed and it only resulted in their inevitable deaths.
There was no way to call for help. No matter how much they screamed, no one could hear them and all the phones and communication devices had been rendered useless from the first electromagnetic blast that had robbed them of the devices.
There was no pity. There was no escape. Men and women alike were killed in the all-encompassing carnage in the most gruesome way possible, whether psychologically or physically. Some were not even left with a complete body.
This was nothing more than pure and absolute annihilation.
And during all this carnage, one man, wearing a black cloak, was floating in the sky and gazing up at the gently illuminating moon.
The swaying smoke coming from the cigarette danced in front of his eyes.
Even though he was the cause of all the massacre that was happening below, he looked completely and utterly detached from everything that was happening beneath him.
The only thing that took his attention was the constant ring of the Karma he was receiving and the faint trembling of his hand.
Clenching his fist, he closed his eyes tightly, and when he finally opened them again after a while, they were now completely devoid of any sort of emotions.
"I think it's time to end this."
He slowly descended until his feet finally touched the ground, ignoring the puddle of blood he had stepped on, he started to walk, slowly, carefully, as if he was in no hurry about what he was about to cause.
The odor of blood and the scream of those who were being killed seemed to be nothing more than an afterthought as he walked leisurely toward his goal.
—
Hiding in his room, Big Eric was trembling like a leaf in midst of a raging storm as he listened to the screams and the cries of his subordinates resonating loudly in the dreadful halls of the mansion.
Surrounding him right now was a makeshift group of top-tier ten unranked hunters and a few bronze-ranked hunters. However, no matter how numerous they were, this did not change the utter horror he was feeling in his mind right now.
"Just what the hell is happening here?"
The hunters did not listen to his despaired mutterings and were simply sharing signals with each other. They were starting to wonder if they should just ditch the target of protection or if they should uphold their duty and fight back against the intruder. But no matter how they looked at it.
It seemed like an utterly hopeless fight to them.
It didn't take long for them to realize that an unsettling and deep silence had befallen the whole mansion all of a sudden.
There were no more sounds of gunshots, no more screams or cries of people, and no more bouts of creepy laughter that abounded the halls of the mansion of slaughter.
Only perfect and absolute silence.
This was why.
Step~
That one step was like the most deafening sound they had ever heard in their lives.
Step~ Step~
Someone was walking toward them in a slow and steady gait— the sounds of those steps mirrored the ever increasing thumping of their hearts and the numbing fear that threatened to swallow them whole.
Finally.
Step~
One last step was heard… The figure had stopped just outside the door.
Someone gulped audibly. Another one gripped the weapon in his hand tightly with nervousness. Most of the others trembled and only the bronze-ranked hunters were showing a semblance of composure among them all.
Knock~ Knock~ Knock~
The gentle taps on the door made them all point their weapons in its direction in unison but…
"I am here."
They all turned around only to widen their eyes as they witnessed someone sitting in the throne-like chair that Eric had been sitting on with their legs crossed and their chins resting on the palm of their hands.
They were unable to distinguish the features of the man. As if his face was completely obscured by a deep and dark shadow.
All they could see was the burning cigarette and those shining but emotionless blue eyes that were looking at them as if they were nothing but corpses.
"Who is Eric?"
As if possessed, they all moved away in tandem, giving the perfect angle for both Eric and the intruder to face each other.
"Fancy meeting you, Big Eric."
Eric gulped slightly before clearing his throat and fighting to calm the trembling of his body.
"Who are… No… What do you want?"
Eric realized that if he was still alive, then that only meant that there was something the assassin sent his way needed from him.
This was perhaps the only way for him to stay alive and he would grasp this chance with all his might even if it was the last thing he could do as this might truly be the last
"You are asking a smarter question. Indeed. What do I want?"
The intruder gave a mocking laugh but they could see from his eyes devoid of any mirths that the figure felt no amusement.
"What I want is simple. Give me the bank account numbers and all your password for one and tell me who you are truly working for."
It was only then that Eric started to realize who had sent the hit on his head and this was all the reason he was in such disbelief.
"Impossible. Yuir would never…"
The Yuri he know was a pushover. A woman who wished for the harmony between the different gangs under her, refused to deal with drugs, and even fought hard to appease the civilians.
Even though she was very powerful, all those made him think that even if she discovered his deals, he would only be slightly punished as long as he begged for forgiveness.
"Please! Let me talk to the boss! I am sure I can explain everything. She would never want such a massacre to continue!"
He stood up, as the light of hope renewed in his eyes, thinking that he was indeed given a second lease at life.
Sadly for him,
"The boss ordered your death."
Adam smirked slightly, watching as the light of hope vanished as swiftly as it appeared.
"So… Those codes?"
Eric gritted his teeth, sweat flowing from his forehead.
"If I say everything I know…Will I be spared?"
"What do you think?"
Eric scowled and took out a button. "Bastard! Don't think about having a good time. If I die, you will die with me."
This was his last resort. The only way he could threaten this man. The whole house was filled with explosives. This was his way to destroy everything after normally hiding in his bunker.
"Even a hunter like you wouldn't be able to survive. So let's discuss shall we?"
He expected many things but he did not expect that assassin to simply continue smirking at him before slowly saying.
"Do it."
"You…"
"Are rather…"
He was unable to react as the assassin was suddenly in front of him with a finger above the red button.
"Let me do it for you."
Eric had never felt time move so slowly as he watched with absolute incomprehension as the finger slowly approached the button before fully pushing it in.
BOOM!
The result was immediate, the entire mansion was razed and burned to the ground as the large explosion ensued.
But…as the dust and smoke and fire slowly started to subside, Eric only watched in horror as absolutely everything but the room they were in was reduced to dust and debris.
Looking at the young face illuminated by the shadow and those cold eyes looking down at him.
Fear finally took full control of his mind as he realized that what he was facing now was in no way a man.
"You….Are you a devil?"
An eerie and soulless smile floated on the face of that monster in human skin standing in front of him and looking down at him like he was nothing more than a bug that was about to be stepped on.
"I am simply a wandering magician."
CH 176: OBSERVATORS
"What. The Hell. Was that?"
Standing nearly a kilometer away on a rather rocky mountain on the outskirts of LA, five people could be seen observing the situation inside the mansion. Among them, three were women while two were men.
The man that was near Nikola, an Asian-looking man with a sword attached to his hips, asked the question in a low and strained voice. Myriads of emotions lay in that low voice of his as he watched the scene with others.
His eyes were filled to the brim with utter disbelief as he glanced toward Nikola, more or less begging her to tell him that what he had just witnessed was just an illusion. A lie, a trick that was being played with his mind right now. He prayed to god that what he was seeing right now was just a form of hallucination that was being inflicted on him by someone. Sadly, his prayers were not heard.
Thankfully, none of the others mocked him for his excessive reaction as they were all feeling much the same as the Asian man.
Initially, when they heard that Yui had brought a new member to the group and incorporated him into the upper ranks of their gang… They had been quite a bit curious about the identity of the man.
This curiosity changed slightly into dissatisfaction when they understood that he would enter the gang not just as a subordinate but as a potential leader after Yui was to step down or was forced to step down by some measure.
The fact that Adam had been one of the first members of the gang before leaving it due to some circumstances in the past did not particularly matter to them.
All they knew was that someone came out of nowhere and was trying to step over their heads and was occupying a position that he may or may not deserve.
This is why all the upper-rankers who were able to free themselves did so without any hesitation and came to take a look.
They were told about the first official mission that the 'new' member would take care of for the group.
Initially, it was supposed to be a hit-and-kill mission with one cadre at the helm and several subordinates supporting him and providing necessary firing power to swiftly and safely kill their target.
The key word here was 'safe' as… even though Eric was just a small fry in the gang he had amassed around himself some pretty heavy protection.
When they were told that this mission will be taken care of by only one person, they could only laugh at the bravado of that individual.
…Now they could laugh no more… for they saw the carnage that took place before them…
What they have just witnessed has been nothing short of terrifying…
That was not just because of the horror of the situation and how the massacre had taken place.
All five of them gathered here were more or less of the silver rank and were infinitely close to the gold rank in terms of power and skills. Yet, all of them here were absolutely certain about one fact… and that was that it would've been impossible for them to enact the scenario that they have witnessed before their eyes.
No, the simple and absolute display of power that was shown to them had been too daunting and quite literally overwhelming.
Without moving, simply flying in the sky as if he was some kind of god, he proceeded to entirely eradicate all presence of life inside the mansion in the creepiest ways possible.
"Just what kind of monster did the boss hire this time?"
"Wasn't he supposed to be a normal human?"
Looking at all her companions acting like startled hens, Nikola could only direct a sad smile toward them and shake her head in helplessness.
After all… she was just as shocked as them, if not more.
After all… unlike them, she had witnessed Adam at his weakest and knew exactly how fast he had progressed to his current state.
He was giving him nearly the same feeling of absolute power and deterrence that Yui usually emanated from her very being.
'Can Lady Yui even do what he did?'
This was not even a question of pure power. Even if Adam was presently weaker than Yui, his skill set seemed to be too large and comprehensive for just one being to handle.
She was able to glean that it seemed to be some sort of domain in which he could act with perfect impunity.
But how large was that domain of his?
She tsked and adjusted her gloves.
"Anyway, this is it. Yui asked you guys to come here to give an opinion about Adam and his entry into the gang. Now that you have watched what he is capable of… if anyone is still against his entry and position you are free to go and talk it out with him."
One of the girls next to her snorted at those words and soon, her eyes shone with an eerie light as numbers 0 and 1 seemed to scroll on her retina.
This was the advanced version of the glasses Nikola had given to Adam.
"I think none of us will be against having that monster in our ranks. People started to disrespect us because we were too kind. I guess after this they will shut up and learn to fear us."
She tapped her temples slightly and the numbers stopped scrolling and her eyes returned to normal.
"The boss was able to see everything live and I recorded everything as well. Do we send it to her?"
Nikola shook her head, "Not yet. Thanks to that last explosion it will be hard to understand what exactly happened so this is quite the perfect outcome."
The light in her eyes was as chilling as it could get.
"We have just cleaned up a traitor. This is not enough. Soon, we will strike a way bigger fish or should I say a shark?"
She sneered slightly after thinking up about her next target. That gang would be a little harder to strike as they were quite numerous and not concentrated in just one zone.
So they had to attack multiple places at the same time.
If the enemies started to be wary of them too soon, this would make the subsequent steps far harder.
'Adam's relationship with that woman will be crucial to the plan.'
Hae-Won, owing to her precarious position in the gang, may have some limitations; but she was still the first lady and had access to a lot of core information that would be useful for their coming ploy.
As long as Adam could obtain those core data, they would make sure to launch a precise strike to obtain the most benefits possible in the shortest time.
She sighed under her breath. She really didn't like how Adam had become so important so fast in the organization but she had no complaints about his code of conduct.
Might was right. In the past, she had only been against him because she thought he would simply ditch them and leave once he got the money he wanted without truly committing to the group.
For her, he had been no different from a leech using his connection to Yui in order to use and abuse her trust.
But now….
Now there was no going back for him.
He was well and truly a criminal and they were fortunate to have this psychopath on their side.
"Very well guys. Why don't we go and say hello to our new companion."
A warm but somewhat strained smile formed on her face.
This gang and all the loyal members were very precious to her and now that Adam was officially part of the family, it was time for her to let go of her animosity and truly try to understand the young man for who he really was.
The others hesitated slightly before nodding their heads.
Either way, they needed to handle the cleanup.
—
While the members of Yui's gangs were calling for the cleaners and preparing everything, somewhere farther away, someone was observing them and even looking at what was happening in the mansion that was now reduced to a sea of fire.
Standing on a rock under the moonlight, she adjusted her long flowing bluish-silver hair and smiled with amusement. She was wearing a short one-piece white dress that showed off her beautiful body and had a blue cardigan over the dress, covering her features.
Her eyes seemed to be multilayered as her pupils had three different colors with blue at the edge and red like a crimson flame in the middle.
But if there was one feature that particularly stood out outside of those, it was the pointed canine that briefly appeared when she smiled.
"I was curious about who ended up dealing with that insult of a vampire. But I must say… This is far more surprising than I would have thought."
She looked up and swung her legs to a song only she could hear. Her face was seemingly covered in bliss as she bathed in the moonlight.
'Should I give him a visit? Would it be appropriate?'
She had been asleep for the past century and did not know much about how men and women interacted in the current era.
Though, from the clothes her attendant gave her, it seemed like women were far more liberal than she remembered them to be.
'Ah… I really cannot wait.'
She had only been curious initially… But after the beautiful display she had witnessed, she felt like her dead heart was beating like never before.
She could even feel a slight blush on her face prompting her to laugh like the teenager she had long ceased to be.
In the end, her pupils became fully blood red and she stood up on her toes.
She couldn't wait any more than this. She would leave for now as he might be high-strung because of this fight and take her as an enemy. There would be another more appropriate moment.
Sooner or later, they would have time for themselves.
'Let's go!'
Then, moving at a speed beyond comprehension, she simply vanished.
CH 177: END OF A BLOODY NIGHT
In the wreckage of what was once a splendid mansion that would have made him jealous of the owner of said mention in the past, Adam was sitting quietly on the throne-like sofa, the only available furniture that was not destroyed during the explosion that swept away the very existence of the opulent mansion.
All the remaining hunters who he had decided to spare on a whim were kneeling in front of him with their heads low.
As for Eric, he was currently floating in the air with a vice-like grip around his neck made using his telekinetic abilities. The grip lodged around his neck was so tight that it only gave him enough room to breathe, albeit with extreme difficulty.
Surrounding Adam right now was a dystopian landscape consisting of fire, smoke, and the debris that had once been part of the towering mansion in this remote region. From here and there, it was possible to see the charred corpses of the people who had been in the house or their dismembered parts also charred by the previous all-encompassing explosion.
The hunters who had survived were all sweating heavily as they kneeled without moving on the ground, wondering what ending awaited them if things were about to go on like this. They were still unable to properly see the face of the terrifying individual that had brought down all the havoc and destruction on this once magnificent place. Only the fire of the cigarette he was inhaling and those terrifying and indifferent blue eyes of his were the visible traits of the individual.
They were sure that even if they survived through this horrific and ominous night, they would be forever traumatized by this sight as it had effectively been imprinted on their brains forever.
'Genesis, how much Karma did I obtain?'
Adam ignored all of the individuals that he terrorized with his mere presence and was focusing on the gains of the night. He needed to distract himself right now from reality as the miraculous cigarette was quite literally equipping him with hyper-awareness.
The plan today would have not been possible without those things. He had to admit that Medusa was really skilled when it came to such a thing.
The first thing he did when coming to this place after threatening Eric was to deploy an EMP bomb through the use of his brand new extended domain. This effectively killed all electrical appliances and made any communication with the outside world utterly impossible.
After enacting that step, he had just been sending different kinds of illusions toward the personnel of the mansion and made it so that those who were watching the scene would think that the illusions were the ones to deliver the killing blow when it was actually he, using his telekinetic powers, who was killing them.
This was also the method he had used to move those corpses and made them fight everyone else.
'I have been a little too unhinged in my methods this time.'
He had simply left his senses to do all the tasks and just watched along. He had yet to master the absolute greatest way to bring the worst possible nightmares to someone and had used his experience and knowledge about horror to do something that could only be evaluated as half-decent at most.
[Karma earned: 1500]
[Total Karma: 8900]
Adam nearly whistled and would have done so if that wouldn't have destroyed the current atmosphere he was trying to build up with all the deathly silence and intimidating posture he was enacting right now.
1000 Karma points were enough to buy a high B-ranked skill or a low A-rank skill if there was a discount due to his opened major chakra pathways.
[There is a way you could have obtained even more if you had been willing to bring more physical torture to the cannon fodders. But I believe this result is enough for you to understand what I had meant previously when you entered my housing.]
Adam stayed silent as he leaned down further on his chair and closed his eyes in contemplation.
There was no denying that going the absolute evil route was the easiest possible way to gather Karma. He had been shown this many times and had obtained the ultimate proof this time.
But…
'I don't like it.'
He did not want to become some emotionless machine whose sole goal was to gather Karma to increase his powers. But at the same time, he did not want to be like he was in the past and not use the system in the most efficient way possible.
This was a dilemma that he knew he would have to struggle with for a long time.
[Are you going to use an excuse once again this time? Something like you only killed them because they are enemies?]
'I am not making an excuse.'
He puffed a few rings of smoke as he mused, 'I believe I am already making enough concessions. I need a code of conduit. Even if I, as a criminal, break the law established by society, I need a set of laws that I will never go past no matter the circumstances.'
His hands were now stained in blood and all he could feel was both a certain indifference and detachment.
As if what he had killed were not living beings but simply bugs that he stepped on while walking. This was becoming more and more recurrent and he was starting to fear what he may become in the future if he continued walking this slippery slope that led to a path that horrified him to just think about it.
The first time he killed someone with his own hands, he felt jittery and guilty even though the ones he killed had been enemies who were after his life.
The second time he took a life, he felt disgusted. Even though the ones he killed were already dead. Nothing more than a glorified zombie possessed by demons. He still felt utterly disgusted and loathed himself for that act.
The third time he did it… His mind went back to Zoe and only overwhelming sadness filled his mind as he remembered the life he led with her.
She was a woman he both knew better than anyone but at the same time knew nearly nothing about.
Finally, the fourth time he had killed, he had been filled with overwhelming rage and a desire for revenge.
But this time….
'I am becoming numb to the sensation of killing.'
He was already becoming numb and indifferent to his own death and the death of others was slowly making him indifferent and apathetic as well.
He wished to become stronger. Far far stronger. But he did not wish to completely lose himself on the way to his ascension.
'Sigh. Let's forget this talk. I think we can discuss more about this later after I make my thoughts clearer on this subject.'
He felt the people entering his domain and approaching him with steady steps.
Recognizing Nikola, he stopped himself from attacking the intruders and focused again on the people kneeling in front of him.
"Do you know why I did not kill you?"
His voice was low, unrecognizable to himself in a way.
The leader of the hunters slightly raised his head, understanding that this was the only chance at saving themselves that he would get from the masked murderer.
"I am willing to… No, please let me work for you. The members of my guild may not be the best but I believe we will prove to be very useful."
Adam smiled under the confines of his mask.
While he loved working with Yui, he knew that he had to be slightly independent so that he could use them for his own agenda.
From what she told him, all the cadre in her organization had their own gangs or subordinates that listened only to them.
What better way to start his own organization than recruiting a few Hunters he had subdued on his very first mission? That sounded quite brilliant to him, in fact.
He had already entirely memorized the list of all the codes Eric had given to him.
He planned to take around 30% or so for himself and leave the rest for Yui.
He didn't know how rich the man was, but if this house was anything to go by, he was without a doubt rich as fuck. This also meant that he was also going to become rich as fuck very soon, even if it was 30% of that wealth.
"Speaking of that… Eric? You must have some other terrain or house in your name, right? They say a rabbit always prepares three burrows for its escape."
Eric trembled when he was called by the masked madman. Remembering the horror Adam made him live through when their eyes crossed, there was no way he would even try to resist him.
Adam smiled and closed his eyes, wishing he could sleep right now.
He had obtained a thousand karma, finished his first mission, obtained a great deal of funds, and even recruited his first subordinates.
This had been without a doubt a very busy night, but it was also a very rewarding one for him, to say the least.
Now, what he had to do was organize the gains of this night and digest them properly.
He sighed as looked at the last remaining quest that was popping up in the quest section of the floating book that he had materialized.
『 3rd Ordeal: Love — The Beginning and The End of All Emotions
Description: Have Shuri break off her shackles and decide to give up on her cheating husband
Reward: 1 free pass to the Bronze section of the library 』
He had been pushing the quest off for far too long now.
The ordeal was in no way obligatory and whatever choice he made, he would receive no punishment for it.
But he wanted that free pass for himself.
The bronze library may not sustain his growth anymore, but he wished to spend some more time with Eve rather than the mere two days he had spent with her watching anime and getting moral lessons.
It was time for him to decide if he was willing to go all the way for this quest and if he had to be honest… There was very little that was actually stopping him.
It seemed like it was time for him to officially try courting his aunt, Shuri.
It was then that his phone vibrated.
Taking it out the phone, he looked at the message he received with a bewildered gaze.
[Sender: Unknown.
Message: This is your new beautiful mentor messaging. Piaget. Don't ask how I got your number. Either way, let's meet tomorrow. I believe we should start learning about each other more for a smoother relationship in the future.]
CH 178: DROWNING IN DREAM
[K-Town; Wild Hunt]
Yui was still fidgeting in her seat while listening to some relaxing music, trying to take her mind off whatever was currently happening.
Thankfully, she did not have to wait for long before finally getting an update on the situation.
Both her and Mammoth's communicators lit up at the same time as they were sent an encrypted video.
The two watched the video received in silence, up until the very end of the video where the member of her group finally reached Adam, where he was sitting with a group of hunters kneeling in front of him in obvious submission.
When the screen finally went dark and the video was erased from all databases, both Yui and Mammoth looked at each other. Their eyes had a mixture of awe, surprise and at the same time — worry.
"Boss…I must say. Adam is really strong."
Mammoth started off hesitantly. Strong was an understatement. Mammoth was without a doubt the strongest executive under Yui's order. He was once a Gold rank hunter and was even officially part of a powerful guild in the past as well as a member of a special army.
Even then, if he fought Adam, from what the boy showed, Mammoth did not think he could win. At least not without sacrificing everything.
Having someone as strong as Adam was a boon that would greatly increase their powers. There was no doubt.
But…"Is he alright?"
The Adam he remembered was a somewhat sassy and brash young man who was willing to work hard in order to get money and sustain himself. He was just a normal young boy.
But what he had just witnessed was not something even a professional killer would do. There was a certain and absolute desire to bring the greatest amount of mental pain that could be observed.
Mammoth had seen many people who enjoyed giving pain to others and enjoyed the feeling of superiority this gave them.
But Adam showed no such thing either. In the video, it was easy to see that Adam seemed to show no sign of happiness or sadness in this situation. Just an apathetic indifference.
He had been torturing them…For no reason? This was pretty gruesome. A little too much even then.
Mammoth wasn't the only one who was worrying. Yui was wondering if Adam's mental state was deteriorating.
It was hard to be happy about the result of the mission if that only resulted in Adam walking further in the path of madness.
But there was nothing she could do about it. This was the path Adam chose to walk out of his own volition. All she could do was assist him as much as she could to make sure he did not lose himself.
"Let's not focus on the bad side. At the very least, this has proven that Adam is more than capable to defend his new position. Even if I name him as my future successor, there will be no backslash from them. Now all we have to do is to spread the news."
As gruesome as it was, people who were able to reconstruct the scene would understand that this message and words would spread. She just needed to contain the effect to not startle the snakes. As long as they believed that she was only focusing on internal matters it would be great.
"Speaking of, what is that idiot brother of mine doing? Did he really enter into contact with Boris? Did grandfather allow it?"
Mammoth shook his head, "The old leader is not particularly against the trade of drugs. But even he balks at the introduction of this new one. The psychedelic effects are too powerful and the addictiveness is unprecedented. From what I understood, once you sniff it, you are able to create an entire dream world inside your mind."
Mammoth grimaced, "One man imagined his life with his relative who died not long ago. Another one created a life where he is rich and happy and so on. This is getting out of hand."
Yui sighed, she could understand the draw of this drug. The effect was simply too potent.
This wasn't just some random high. But the potential to truly live the kind of lives you could have never imagined having. Passing time with loved ones, becoming rich and popular, obtaining your wildest desire.
When this happened once…How many would resist trying to get it a second time? Then a third?
Every time this happens, you would be able to live the perfect life in your dream. Then you would wake up, only to realize how shitty reality is. So you would seek even more drugs until eventually you completely destroyed yourself.
"Very well. Let's see what the old man does. I am sure he understands that if he really lets my stupid brother deal with this shit, once the LAPPD gets a whiff of this news, they will come and crush us."
Fairies were an endangered species and getting the dust from the wings of a fairy was not something easy.
This made these drugs doubly or triply illegal. At least illegal enough that even the LAPPD that usually closes one eye would not hesitate to act.
Yui sighed but then suddenly received a message. She recognized the number as it was one she had saved.
Hae-Won.
Yui's expression grew strange. It was Hae-Won asking for another meeting and wondering if she could request another VIP room for her to meet Adam or rather Cinder.
'In a way…Couldn't it be said I am also selling drugs?'
She was selling dreams to those who could not face reality. To poor women who only wished to be loved; Nothing more nothing less. The money she made depended on how desperate and dependent on her they were.
She chuckled at the irony of the situation and perhaps hypocrisy. But she accepted and recognized her double standard.
In the end, she gave a simple answer about having to wait the weekend and the eventual meeting in the VIP room would depend on Cinder's decision.
If she had to be honest, she did not wish for Adam to become too close to any of the clients as it could spell disaster. But she didn't really have a choice. What she could do now was raise Adam's worth as much as possible.
—-
[K-Town.]
A few kilometers away from Yui's bar, sitting in her bedroom, once again alone, Hae-Won, looked at the message she received with a dazed expression.
All this time, ever since she had that first magical night with her prince, she had been feeling absent-minded and weak.
She wished for nothing more than to call him, but she didn't want to bother him either. She had heard that clingy women annoyed their partners rather fast.
She stood up and advanced to the window. There, on the other side, she could see her five-year-old son, reading and studying even though it was so late in the night.
A boy his age should have been sleeping by now, preparing for the fun of tomorrow. But because of how strict her husband was, such a thing was impossible.
All he wanted was excellence and he wished to show off his son as proof of their fake gods in the new cult he had created.
'I am tired.'
Hae-Won sighed and closed her eyes. All she wanted to do now was to wait and meet him again.
She wished for nothing more than to escape this terrible reality and Adam was the way for her to do so.
No…Not only that. It was so much more.
She was only in her early 30's. But for years, she had felt like she was already in her forty or 50. She had been constantly worried, constantly stressed, and wondering if she was walking the right way.
She had acted like a good and submissive wife for years and all the reward she had obtained was disdain and disregard.
With Adam though…She felt wanted and appreciated. She felt like someone was finally looking at her for who she was and not simply seeing her as a naive and stupid woman.
'Perhaps I should give him a gift?'
She opened her phone and started looking at different things on the internet. She was wondering if she should give him a car. But it might be a little too visible.
'Perhaps a watch? or a new suit?'
She groaned, unable to decide what she should do in this situation. What if he didn't like the model she bought? She didn't know enough about him yet.
In the end, she decided to go for quantity and quality. The price mattered not. What did she care if a watch cost a thousand dollars? As long as it looked good it was enough.
She began toggling different watches and jewelry she thought he might like and only stopped when the price reached around 30K dollars.
'This should be enough, right?'
What if she rented a house for them to meet? This could even become their private nest. Rather than going to a bar or a hotel, they could meet there and have fun.
Her eyes shone as she thought of the different possibilities.
CH 179: BEING A GOOD COP IS HARD
[Outskirt of Los Angeles — Deserted Canyons]
The next day, as the sun rose in the high skies and bathed the world in its blazing light. People in some sort of uniform, belonging to a certain organization, could be seen mingling around in the debris of what used to be a mansion. Some of them were taking pictures of what was left of the corpses before they were put in bags in order to be further studied by the forensics department.
"Ugh… I must say, this is really a sight to give you the chills for days."
"First time? Trust me, stay here long enough and you will only yawn while seeing things of this caliber. You'll become desensitized to everything soon enough."
Two middle-aged men were having a bleak chat as they worked their way on taking out a completely blackened and burned hand without worsening the damage done to the severed limb and commented idly.
"Still. I don't know. Should we say good riddance? I heard the dude who stayed in this place was some kind of gangster or something."
"Well…"
The second man was not allowed to finish his words as someone interrupted their chatter from behind, "Good riddance? You do realize those people were killed in cold blood and most likely tortured heavily, right? Whoever did this is a bloody psycho. An irredeemable lunatic. Not someone to be applauded like you ignorant fellows is doing right now…"
The two men immediately straightened their backs and stood on their feet as they saluted the woman who was wearing a pair of long black pants, a suit, as well as black glasses to block the light of the sun and the sight of her eyes.
"Detective Smith…"
The young man shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. I mean this man was living pretty well using dirty money, right? We can say it's some kind of retribution that he received. He paid for his Karma, so to speak."
Smith shook her head at their words, "We are the police, not some crime-fighting vigilantes. We follow law and order. No one should be above that."
"Well… Those dead guys sure seemed to be above that law and order that we upheld, ma'am. At least when they were alive, that is."
"Stop bothering the guys who are supposed to make our job easier, Smith, and come here."
Smith could only shake her head as she walked carefully to reach the place where her mentor beckoned her to come.
There, she could see a man— a jaded, tired middleman who seemed to simply be tired of life no matter what angle she looked at him from. He was her mentor— Detective Kirishima.
This time he was not smoking as that could just compromise the evidence that was to be collected from this place of horrors. Looking at her mentor, she could see that he just wanted to be done with all of this and just get away from this mess without having anything more to do with it.
'I swear I will never become like him.'
She recognized and respected Kirishima's skills. In the short time the man had been mentoring her, she had learned so much that she would never be able to believe that she would grow so much the first time she had fallen under his lead. She didn't understand how someone so skilled was only a detective and not higher ranked in the system.
But for all his qualities, his one flaw was how jaded he was now. She could see that he was someone who was once as passionate as her but now all his passion had burned out, leaving someone who only worked and did the strict minimum to get his pay and be done with his task.
The police were supposed to be the keeper of justice. They were supposed to enjoy their job and enjoy helping and protecting people while keeping law and order in the area they were delegated to protect.
What she was seeing now was a massacre beyond reason. Even the worst criminal had the right to receive a fair judgment before being sent to prison in order to be rehabilitated into an upstanding member of society. Not mercilessly slaughtered and then buried under the dust and debris of an exploded mansion like this.
"So, what do you make of the situation"
The moment she reached him, Kirishima did not bother with making small talk and asked her opinion about the matter. She knew he was in his mentor role and as such she took her notepad and began giving the elements she had noticed from her recon.
"This seems like a gang war. From the little we gathered, many places were attacked simultaneously and the cause of death found on the bodies ranged from knife wounds to bullets and even blunt force."
Kirishuma nodded to himself, wishing that he could smoke right now. He could barely feel it. This situation was not something people like them should be dealing with.
It was something way above their pay grade or the pay grade of anyone in the LAPD.
He looked at his young and brash protegee, wondering if he should start the induction already. He was still hesitating. In all branches of the Police, it was necessary to have people like him.
Men and women were not really in the supernatural world but were able to perceive it enough to not be affected by the mind alteration effect. Those people were invaluable in the police force and played the role of liaison with the Paranormal department.
He was getting old and Smith had the passion he now lacked and this was why he was hesitating to indict her into the role.
'How long this passion will last when she faces the true horror of this world…'
He sighed, wishing he could just smoke his worries away. Becoming a cop was not a job that could be sustained on passion alone. There will come a moment when you realize that 'Justice' was just a pretty word and that this world was filled with so much injustice that the existence of the word was nothing but a mockery of the highest order.
The situation would just get even worse if she was introduced to the supernatural world.
That was a place of true madness and slaughter. A place where one would be tested beyond the limit of reason alone.
As a cop filled with passion, one would realize that all the passion in the world was useless in front of those beings who possessed the power of the Supernaturals. Even more powerless than what they felt when facing rich entitled people who could buy their way out of prison easily.
Life was unfair and the bad guys generally won. Because they were usually the ones in control of the world.
This was the reality that all cops, supernatural or not, needed to face and adapt to as fast as possible in their lives. Lest it destroys them from the inside.
'Is she ready?'
He looked at the woman who looked more like a straight-A student than a cop and sighed once again.
'Not yet, it seems…'
He has been sighing quite a bit lately and there was nothing he could really do about it, it would seem. He needed to introduce her to the supernatural side of the world one day, he was sure of that. But… He needed to wait for her to be ready… He just needed to wait…
"Let's go. There is not much we can learn from loitering around this place."
He had noticed the trace of cleaning up that could only be done by professionals from the supernatural side.
This whole affair would soon be classified and forgotten in the depths of the files. Like many many others before it.
Such was the fate of most of the crimes in this ill rotten world.
—
Meanwhile, while the police were working on his case, the cause of all the carnage was walking on the streets with a casual air around him.
He would sometimes look at his phone and change roads accordingly.
Finally, after reaching the vicinity of a shop, he stopped and looked up at the sign hanging on the storefront.
"Cat's eye?"
He shrugged at the name of the shop. It wasn't any weirder than "Wild Hunt" now, was it? And he worked there, so yeah, he really didn't have any right to be weirded out by the name. He casually walked and entered the store.
The cafe was mostly deserted, it seemed. It had a certain atmosphere that seemed to put his mind at ease and let him breathe better.
On the side, he could see the barista, an old gentleman with a well-kept silver gray beard and long gray hair kept in a ponytail and wearing what looked like to be a butler attire gently wiping the glasses, cleaning them using the cloth in his hand.
He gave a nod to the man and focused on the very obvious green-haired woman waving at him from a corner.
Medusa or rather Piaget Freud.
It was time to meet the mysterious woman once more.
CH 180: A DATE WITH A SNAKE (1)
The moment Adam sat down next to Medusa, he immediately felt the surrounding space distort slightly before going back to its normal state.
"This…"
"This is a sound barrier."
She pointed toward the barista of the coffee shop he entered. This cafe was one of the rare places in the world which only catered for the hunters and hunters only.
It was a basic communication hub where the hunters gathered to exchange information or simply chat and have a leisurely time while they had some tasty refreshments.
Adam just nodded his head; he did not shift his gaze to observe his surroundings. That action was already being enacted by his skill The World in real time.
This whole place was reeking with Prana the moment he entered the shop.
"Since Hunters have very developed senses, even muttering under one's breath or whispering to one's ear would be no different than speaking with a loudspeaker for them; pretty easy to hear and understand. For those reasons, all shops dedicated to hunters install this kind of sound-blocking system that ensures absolute privacy. It's pretty useful if I say so myself."
"You seem quite happy…"
"Heh. What can I say… This is one of the very few places I can come to drink some alcoholic beverages without having to show my ID and then argue endlessly with the authorities that it isn't a fake ID. The problem here… is that it's indeed a fake ID that I am showing them so I can't really complain much."
Adam chuckled at her explanation.
Medusa indeed looked more like a first-year high schooler than the age-old mythical figure that she was. It was pretty hard for people to see her and reason within themselves that she wasn't a kid.
"Like this is so fucking ridiculous… I can legally buy a gun but I can't legally drink nor gamble yet before three more years? How does that even make sense?"
"What can I say? Gotta protect yourself, I guess…"
"Ugh… Whatever. Either way, there is no such thing as legal age in the hunter world. If you are old enough to kill then you are old enough to make any decision you wish."
She smirked at her own words then shifted her snake slit eyes toward him…
"Speaking of killing… You reek of blood, you know?"
Her voice was eerily calm as she delivered that line to him, as though she was talking about everything stuff, "You also should tone down your bloodlust. You are making all the people in this place agitated by your aura."
She grinned and it was only then that Adam understood the current situation.
The reason the atmosphere in this place had been so tense hadn't just been because he was a newcomer coming out of nowhere. They had been wondering if he was an enemy coming in for slaughter all along.
"Sorry."
He breathed out a sigh and slowly calmed himself down, feeling his mind become noticeably lighter than before.
The change in the atmosphere of the coffee shop was pretty noticeable as even the barista who had his hands under the table resumed his glass cleaning session as though nothing had been wrong from the start.
"Don't be. I do not know what you did yesterday and honestly speaking, I don't really care. As long as you don't start attacking innocent civilians in an indiscriminate manner then I believe even the Association won't bother with whatever killing you are doing in the background."
Might make Right, indeed.
That sentence held the most weight in the world of hunters. As long as the hunter didn't threaten public safety, high-ranked hunters were given an incredible amount of influence and leeway.
"Anyways, that isn't exactly why I called you here. Firstly, congratulations are in order. You officially became registered as a hunter in all our databases under the code name The Magician. Nearly all information about you, except the fact that you are a core member of the Kaminari clan, has been blurred in the databases so you don't have to worry about others digging up your info anytime soon."
She took out two black cases from under the table. The first one contained a pair of contact lenses and the second one had a small black band that she put around his right arm.
"I see that you are currently wearing quite an outdated model of the Virtual Reality Glasses that we used to give out. Either way, the one I am giving you now is more secure and has far more features and capabilities than whatever you're using. I had to get one from that nerd but she is quite proficient when it comes to tech."
She brought her own arm forward and showed the white band that was tied around it. "This is the latest model computer created by that girl. I think her pseudonym is [~S.K~] nowadays. Those things are really handy and only given to Gold-ranked hunters and above. Silver rank and below are given a smartphone to access the database. So, you could say that it's another one of your privileges as a high ranked hunter."
A holographic screen was projected in front of him that was coming out of the band in her arm, "Currently, I have set it to visible so you are able to see the screen. But by using it with those lenses, you can make it completely invisible to anyone but yourself. You can access all the functionality of a computer and it has a special connection to the Internet. So it will always have an internet connection and the world wide web will be available to you no matter where you are on this earth."
The screen started to show different pictures as she imputed the code name, The Magician on her band.
A new page appeared and Adam could see a completely blank profile picture and not a single bit of info was filled in the profile.
"Take this as your social page. You cannot fake information but you can still choose to show or hide the missions you take and all information about you. In principle, this is no different from social media for people searching for work."
She laughed lightly after saying that. The only thing in his profile that attracted others' attention was the golden bird that was attached after his name.
"I don't think I have to explain this to you right? Your grade is the only thing you cannot hide from the others of the Hunter Association. As many people search based on grade first and there's no way to mask your ranking to others as that would make no sense. Your current achievement level is zero, which is unprecedented for a gold ranked hunter. So you might not receive many requests at first as many would think that you got your rank by doing something shady."
Most hunters started small and then progressively grew into the upper ranks. So even the most talented hunters had to start at a low level and while doing missions they would accumulate achievement.
Adam being a gold rank was clear proof that he directly became a hunter from the test alone. People will understandably be hesitant to hire him as there was no precedent of that happening before.
"Of course, the request system is quite risky. Both for the one giving the request and the one accepting it. Even though rare, there are many cases of hunters getting scammed or tricked or doing the scamming on their clients. This is why it's better to go to the official board for your first few missions."
She proceeded to explain that all the official missions were carefully screened by the Association so there was no risk of scamming. The mission from the board had a lesser reward as the Association took a cut of the reward for their process fees. But in exchange, if any problem happened, be it from the hunter or client side, the association would act in accordance and make sure that the problem was quelled and make financial or any other form of amendments if necessary.
"So… Basically I am paying for insurance?"
"I say we are much less scammy than your average insurance company. But that is an apt description of the Association's services."
Adam shook his head at the devious smirk that was etched on her face and focused on the screen.
He had just finished his work from the dark side but it seemed like he would soon be doing some work for his other persona as well. There was just no time for him to rest it seemed.
This was bound to become tiring in the long run but for now, he didn't complain about it.
"So. Do you have a mission for me?"
"I, in fact, do. If I speak of the city of light, love, and fashion… What is the first thing that comes to your mind?"
Adam's eyes widened abruptly. He wasn't the most cultured man around and he definitely wasn't interested in countries outside his own but even someone like him knew about the place that she was referring to.
"Paris?"
"Bingo. Hehe, are you interested in going to France?"
CH 181: A DATE WITH A SNAKE (2)
Adam was very much surprised by her words,
"France? Are you serious?"
France was a country that was quite romanticized in more or less all states of America. Adam, of course, knew that there was no country that was only filled with light and sophistry as they say. Like any other country, there was a fair share or even an excessive share of darkness in that place too.
But that did not really change the rose-tinted views people still had of this country of romance which France is renowned as.
"Take this as one of the perks of having one of the thirteen Zodiacs as your mentor. This was supposed to be an official mission that would have been placed in the mission board columns by now but I snatched it up for you and it will only appear tomorrow on the board if you refuse to take on the mission now."
Medusa looked quite smug as she spoke those words and she had every right in the world to be proud of that, in fact. While she could no longer access her full powers as a Gorgon without immediately ascending as a Constellation and was also limited by the age of her current body, she was still extremely influential in the human world. Be it in America or in the international scene.
"You are really incredible."
Adam praised her without hesitation. Praise was cheap and it cost him absolutely nothing to praise others for their worth. He had no reason to hesitate on this matter.
"As long as you understand, it's fine, I suppose."
Adam chuckled in his mind, wondering if he should tell her that she looked like a little kid hungry for praise right now but decided not to do that, in the end.
He looked at the mission information that was being shown in the hologram of Medusa's band; it was a mission to recuperate a small Statuette from the city of love. The statuette depicted the image of a winged woman wearing a classical robe in the style of the ancient country of Greece with a staff in one hand and a laurel in the other.
"This statue is a depiction of Nikke— the goddess of victory."
There was quite a bit of disdain coloring Medusa's voice as she uttered the name of the goddess. Knowing her history, whatever version of it ended up being the truth, there was no way she would hold any good feelings for the goddess that was the most associated with Athena— the goddess of wisdom and war.
"The way the gears of Fate run is quite intricate, don't you think?"
Medusa chuckled as she continued her thought process, "This is a recuperation mission alongside an elimination one as a bonus. This statue had been showing signs of supernatural activity in the recent past. Our agents were about to retrieve it but it was stolen before we could do anything about it."
The picture blurred and then a new display was enacted before him, showing the pictures of two people— a man and a woman. Both of the individuals had some similarities in their appearance, indicating that they may be related by blood.
"The Shadow Twins. Two individuals that are estimated to be in the gold ranked hunters' level. Both are suspected to have a contract with a powerful god, which increases their danger rating greatly. They have been a pain in our asses for a very long time but this time they have really passed the limit of our tolerance and the association has designated them as prime targets of elimination."
"Why?"
"The statuette is suspected to be an unawakened Divine Weapon related to the authority of Victory. If that turns out to be true, it's a weapon that can affect probability itself. While it might lack any level of offensive power, it certainly is not something that we can allow to be left in the hands of anyone."
A third picture was then displayed on the screen, depicting a large house in the vicinity of a rich neighborhood, "La Louvre des Ombres. Or The Dark Louvre to make it simpler for you. In Paris, the Louvre is one of the most important museums to ever exist in the history of France. The person who established this Dark Louvre is a master in the Dark Market. The statue will be part of a major auction in the underworld."
She smiled and gazed into his eyes, "I must say this first… I was only able to snatch this mission from the Hunter Association of America. Other countries will have the same mission or something similar designated to them too at this time. It is pretty understandable since any Divine Weapon is a tactical piece of immense value. The others won't give a shit that we lost it and akin to shark-smelling blood, they will swarm to it so that they can take it for themselves."
Her eyes showed unconcealed glee as she delivered her next lines, "Furthermore, considering the importance and the way this mission is being spread throughout the world, the leader of the Dark Market, as well as most major forces of the supernatural world, will also get a sniff of this… This will be a true and absolute bloodbath."
Adam could only laugh awkwardly at the excitement Medusa was uncharacteristically leaking from her, "You seem quite… happy, for some reason."
"Haha… Of course, I am happy."
The smile on her face deepened, "Growth can only be attained through hardship and endless fights. Humanity has only shown signs of stagnation in times of peace and only when humans face true danger do they explode with the greatest potential.
"Also imagine, in your very first mission, you will face tens of high-ranked hunters. Going from Silver to Gold and even perhaps Executor level hunters, though the chances are pretty low for an Executor to be deployed there still remains some chance of their appearance. You will fight, fight, and fight on against many powerful enemies and finally, you will prevail above all and stand proud with the prize in your hand.
"How magnificent! How wonderfully epic! Is this not the perfect picture of the Odyssey of a Hero!?"
"Firstly, calm down for a bit."
"Ah…"
The crazy light in her eyes immediately died out as she seemed to realize where she was right now. She was practically inches away from his face while screaming about how much this situation was exciting for her, and while they could not hear the two of them, all the clients in the cafe were looking in their direction, most likely wondering what the hell was happening between them.
"Ahem~! I am sorry once again. I have lost control of myself for an instant there."
Thankfully, Medusa had enough shame to blush and quietly went back to her seat, fanning herself a little before calling one of the waitresses.
"We talked so much but ordered nothing in the meantime. This is really bad on us. Shall we take a little break while you read the details of the mission?"
The sound-blocking barrier was deactivated and after the waitress came, Adam simply ordered the blend of the house while Medusa asked for some whiskey.
The pause was welcome and Adam was looking at the information that was transferred to him. All in all, the budget allowed was in the hundreds of thousands just for the travel and the allocation alone.
There was also a supplementary budget for the situation where he would have no choice but to try and buy the statue in the action. Finally, there would be an entire team of Bronze ranked hunters prepared as his hands and feet for the success of the mission. But all of this did not really interest Adam. What really caught his attention was the Divine Weapon itself.
Probability manipulation. Even if it was only a weak one, this still seemed very useful for him. If he wasn't wrong someone would say something in…
3
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2
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1
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0
[Let's steal it for ourselves.]
—And as always, Genesis never failed to deliver.
'Hello, the devil on my shoulder.'
[Do not talk as if you did not already consider this yourself]
This time, Adam had no comebacks for the book spirit.
'Sigh. You are corrupting me.'
[I am simply opening your eyes to the most efficient solution available to your path to Ascension.]
The banter between them had become lighter, and more natural. But this did not change the importance of their situation.
eaglesnovɐ1,сoМ 'All jokes aside, stealing the weapon should be possible with my 'The Magician' skill. But you never know… They might have a counter for that. So what I was thinking was a bit different.'
[What is your proposal?]
'Do you think… Would it be possible for me to steal or copy the authority of that statue through my innate authority — Origin, as I did with Asmodeus?'
Rather than a statue that might be found out later and cause him trouble, if he could completely steal or simply copy the authority, this would really be marvelous.
Until now, all the skills he obtained thanks to his innate authority— Origin, had been EX ranked skills with limitless potential.
'If it's Probability and Luck, perhaps I should call it… The Wheel of Fortune?'
He had started naming his skills following the Major Arcana more as a joke. But now, he felt like it would be weird to not continue.
'So, what do you think?'
[...This might be possible and it's indeed an even more efficient procedure that will leave us with no future problems. I am impressed by that thinking process.]
'Just how dumb did you think I was?'
[You—]
'Forget it, I don't want to know.'
There was no need to ruin his good mood now for no reason.
CH 182: A LESSON
Medusa gazed at Adam with interest. Her intense gaze was enough to make others uncomfortable but she was too immersed in her observation of Adam's psyche, so she didn't pay much mind to it.
Even though he was silent right now, she could feel the small fluctuations that were emanating from his mind, the change in his heartbeat, and even the small twitches that he didn't even know that he was subconsciously making. These were actions that would have remained unnoticed if it was anyone else, but that wasn't the case for Medusa.
She was the precursor of the science of psychology in this world and obviously, she had mastered her craft beyond the realm of perfection itself.
Her innate authority [The Hierophant] was also very helpful in this regard.
'Who is he talking to, or rather, what is he talking to?'
She could feel no magic, not even the slightest lick of power of another being coming from Adam. So, was he then really talking to a god? Perhaps the god that had bestowed him with his powers?
Medusa rejected this notion. She had already summarized that Adam was either a hybrid or a special human like Arthur or Minamoto no Raiko. [1]
This would not be completely impossible as the Kaminaris were direct descendants of that man.
There was no other explanation for his powers other than that. Since, from the documents she had on him, it was easy to summarize that he had awakened barely one month ago.
No normal human, not even the greatest Hero could grow so fast as soon as they awakened, and that was one of the many things that Adam had that made him all the more special.
Even if his growth slowed down from now on, what would his level be in the coming six months? What would it be just one year from now on? His potential was so staggering that there was no way to measure the power level he would reach at any time.
"Say… since we are waiting for our order to come, why don't we have our first class? If you do well, I will give you a reward."
She spoke lightly, knowing very well that Adam would choose to accept the mission. She had already deciphered the signs of his acceptance that he subtly showed in his actions after she had laid the proposal to take the mission to him.
In fact, she was more or less sure that he was even thinking about taking the statue for himself right now.
This time it wasn't guesswork but rather a hypothesis based on the fact that all hunters reacted the same way when hearing the news of an unobtained Divine Weapon.
No matter how weak it was, a divine weapon would still allow one to become an Executor at the minimum. Albeit one that is at the very bottom of the Executor rank.
Only soldiers fiercely loyal to the state would not have selfish thoughts about such a tempting object and everyone knew about it on the surface. Of course, it didn't mean that the countries would allow the hunters to take that Divine Weapon for themselves.
Except for a few powerful families, most countries did their best to have full control over the supply of divine weapons as that would implicitly also mean controlling the number of potential powerhouses in your country.
Moreover, some divine weapons could easily go from being a tactical weapons to a strategic one in no time. So, there was even more reason to take a firm hold on the supply of these godly weapons.
Anyways, if Adam were to try stealing the weapon for himself, she would have to do some work and take some measures so she could cover up the incident and his involvement in it. Then again, she doubted the state would openly antagonize the potential heir of the Kaminari family for no reason.
Adam separated one of his minds to continue speaking with Genesis while his second one kept a lookout on what was happening in the surrounding and finally, his third mind focused solely on Medusa and proceeded to converse with her.
"What kind of class can we have in a cafe?"
"Let's see…"
Medusa's glasses quite literally seemed to be shining as she looked at her surroundings. Perhaps she was using it to scan the people in their surroundings, Adam thought to himself.
"You said you were interested in psychology, right? Why don't we test how much you can glean from the people here just based on their body language."
"Heh…"
"Of course. No cheating is allowed. Do not use any of your supernatural skills to assist you in this task. The only thing that is allowed is your naturally sharpened senses."
"Well… Okay. This seems to be quite fun."
Adam stood up and placed his chair next to hers. Her position was the best in the whole cafe, as it gave her a vantage point over everything that was happening and she was practically able to see everyone inside the cafe.
"What reward do I get from this game?"
Medusa smiled, "A very interesting reward." Her expression shifted a little as she went back to scanning the room and the people in it.
"Do you know? Many people like to say that every human is unique and different from the others. If there are 9 billion humans on earth right now, then there must be 9 billion different types of mind, personality, and disposition, right?"
She shook her head and put on a derisive expression of ridicule on her face, "But as you see, this is not exactly the case. There are not 9 billion unique minds in the world, that concept in itself is stupendous. There are only 9 billion variations of the same mind."
"Do you sometimes hear things like, all men are the same? I know the type of person you are. You remind me of my son/daughter/friend or anything that draws parallels between people. In the end, people are all the same. Human minds can be studied and placed in different known categories. The shy ones, the nerd ones, the bimbos, the overzealous teachers, the uncaring ones, and so on and so forth. Those different archetypes exist for a reason, you know?"
Her smile deepened, "I have discovered this truth once when I discussed it with a Siren and you would be surprised by what I found out."
She looked at Adam, "Since you follow the path of illusions this is something that might be useful to you. To understand dreams and illusions you must first understand people themselves. Then one day, you must walk into the sea of consciousness of humanity."
Her expression was infinitely serious as she spoke her next words, "For starters, use all your senses. Do not simply look at people superficially, but truly look at them and observe them from the inside out. The speed of their heartbeats, the movements and directions of their limbs, the small twitches that they themselves do not realize exist in their expressions and bodily movements. Through their subconscious actions, people always reveal themselves externally."
"This is one of the reasons why your skill that affects cognition doesn't work on me. I know when you lie. Even when my brain tells me you aren't lying, my skills and senses tell me the truth that I need to know about the person I am observing."
Adam did not expect that he would receive a lecture on the very first day, but this seemed to be quite interesting, to say the least. He indeed needed to better understand those things if he wished to obtain the [Snake Tongue] skill which is the evolution of the [Silver Tongue] skill.
"What are those cues?" [2]
"Hmmm. I have much to teach you so let's take this simple."
She looked around and her gaze settled on two people, one man, and a woman, "Take those two, for example… This place is pretty warm and obviously, as a hunter, even a place that is extremely cold would not pose any problems to them as they can channel their Prana to preserve their body temperature. So… Why do you think she is crossing her arms?
"People have what we call open and closed postures. Someone seated in a closed position might have his/her arms folded in, legs crossed or be positioned at a slight angle from the person with whom they are interacting. In an open posture, you might expect to see someone directly facing you with hands apart on the arms of the chair. An open posture can be used to communicate openness or interest in someone and a readiness to listen, whereas the closed posture might imply discomfort or disinterest with the person you are interacting with."
eaglesnovɐ1,сoМ "Like you, for example… When you came in, you were very wary of me and the same goes for this woman."
"Well…"
"I don't mind at all, to be honest. Trust takes time to build. This is pretty normal for any and all humans. Shall we continue this lesson?"
Adam smiled brightly, "I have always been a good student. Please, continue…"
They received their drinks and then continued the lecture.
CH 183: LESSON (2)
Medusa savored the drink she was served on her lonesome for a while, clearly enjoying the taste of alcohol, which made her momentarily stop her lecture.
"Kuh~ I must say, one of the best things humans have ever been able to create and develop is surely alcohol."
"Does this even affect you?"
Adam knew that high-ranked hunters could regulate their metabolism to eliminate any foreign substances that could be harmful to their bodies. Adam sadly could not do the same, at least not yet, that is. He had already learned this lesson many times now after getting dead drunk. The good thing, at least, was that he could detect if his drink had been doused in poison or any other foreign substance thanks to the use of his extensive observational abilities.
"Well… Yes and no. I can physically get drunk and enjoy the effects of alcohol to the fullest but my mind is always sober. This is the problem with one of my innate powers and there's no two ways around it, unfortunately."
She didn't explain anymore and Adam did not try to pry further. He had many secrets of his as well and he didn't think Medusa would share hers if she didn't deem it necessary to share. So, he was not going to go out of his way to ask just to get denied. More than that, however, he just respected her privacy.
"Well now, let's continue the lesson, shall we? I did some research and I know that you are working with that child called Yui in some underworld gang or something. Now, don't worry… Your aunt, Theresa, made sure to hide most of the information about you so this is only something I know. Anyways, let's talk a bit about women for now…"
She grinned, "Take the purse for instance. In a relationship, a woman's purse is like her heart in a way. When she meets someone for the first time, she usually puts it far away from the other person. But as they get closer, the position progressively changes, going closer and closer to their partners. The same rules apply to phones or even personal computers. Be it men and women, there are always clues that tell you some aspects about the person of observation."
Medusa continued her lesson in a soft tone, using the people in the cafe as a way to illustrate her words and teachings.
The way she taught was very enjoyable, showing her experience with giving such lectures. Millennia of living and walking in this world seemed to have equipped her with phenomenal skills to teach others and make the teachings enjoyable for them.
"Do you know what happens when people lie? There are many aspects to observe. Their pupils, shoulders, neck, and many, many more cue spots. But the most important and easiest to observe is the mouth."
She put a finger on her lips and formed a smile, "Unless they are trained, when people lie, they will feel at least the slightest amount of guilt. So, they will subconsciously try to cover their mouth when lying. They may touch their chin or nose. This is born from a subconscious desire to cover their mouth when they lie. This is an innate instinct and it takes some training to get your way around that habit.
"Since you have the power of illusions and dreams, you should learn how to create a fake face and use it to cover your actual expressions. I am sure this would work wonderfully for you. In fact, by covering yourself entirely in glamor, you would not even need another skill to become the best liar in the world."
She nodded to herself as she spoke those words… As though she was proud to come up with a wonderful usage of his abilities.
"For the same reason, when people hear something they don't want to hear they subconsciously try to cover their ears. They may scratch their ears or their earlobes, well, long story short, their hands will be in the vicinity of their ears. Finally, the most important aspect to observe is… The eyes."
She looked at Adam from the side, her slit pupil and green-colored eyes giving off an eerie atmosphere.
"The eyes are the window to the soul. This is a common expression but it's extremely accurate as it's hard to control. Even when someone smiles, you can see if the smile is genuine or not by observing their eyes."
The lesson continued on as Medusa went on to teach different unconscious body languages that could help in discerning what a person was feeling or thinking.
"Of course, all of this is, in the end, 40% guesswork and 60% experience. Even the greatest psychologist may be wrong in some aspects and make some errors. This is not an exact science after all… Heh… Though that is only for normal humans."
"Once you learn how to decipher all those cues, the human mind will have no more secrets that are hidden from you. You will be able to obtain so much information from just one look that you won't even be able to fathom it right now."
Adam closed his mouth and reassessed the person sitting in front of him. He realized once again that scary people didn't necessarily need to be powerful to be intimidating. Some people could show just how scary they can be simply by showing their personality and skills.
Medusa ignored his assessing gaze as she called the waitress and asked for the bill. In the end, she paid for everything and after a rather generous tip, the two of them walked out of the cafe and started drifting the alleyways with seemingly no purpose.
"I think this will be all for today's lecture. What do you think?"
"I must say. I may have been skeptical at first, but now I realize I shouldn't have. This is simply phenomenal."
Adam felt like his control over the power of Dreams had already become a little better just by hearing that lecture alone. He would have never thought that studying illusions and dreams by following the path of psychology could wield such magnificent results.
Medusa grinned from ear to ear, seemingly happy by his compliment, "Of course, after learning how to read people through cues, you need to learn how to manipulate people through them as well. This is something most humans do unconsciously from their very childhood. But by mastering it, you can control the flow of any discussion in any way you want. You already have a very handsome and charming appearance. You need to make use of them as much as you can to ensnare your targets to do your bidding. That is another application of standard manipulation techniques."
"Does this mean you used those skills on me?"
"What do you think?"
eαglesnᴏνel She gave a small grin at him before laughing slyly. "Well, then… I think I have given you enough time to come to a decision. Will you take that mission? You will need to move on the 10th of December."
"So in two weeks' time, huh…"
"Indeed."
Adam had thought deeply about the possible risks and rewards while he was discussing with Genesis and the decision had been clear all along.
"As you may already know, I will indeed take on this mission."
"Good."
She nodded and put her hand in her pocket before taking out a small vial filled with a crimson liquid of unknown origins.
"This is your reward for today."
"What is it?"
She gave a small look full of longing toward the vile, "This is diluted Gorgon blood. Perhaps one of the rarest and most expensive medicines in the entire world. Give it to your mother. While it won't heal her completely, it can make her feel far better than she does now and give her back some of the strength she has lost over the years.
"You may not know about it… But the blood of Gorgons has many versatile properties. The blood from our right side can bring the life back of those who have died very recently. [1] The blood on our left side is one of the deadliest poisons in existence. Sadly, I cannot access my full form so this is only a diluted version of the elixir I am able to give to you."
She shook the vial quietly and Adam took it with trepidation, "How may I… How can I repay you for this?"
Medusa smirked seeing such an appearance on Adam for the very first time, "I am the last and unique Gorgon on earth, Adam… There's nothing you can do for me that can repay this debt…"
She waved her hand and began to leave.
Watching her back, Adam clenched his fist before gently putting the vial in his pocket.
Medusa's words had been clear.
There was no way he could repay her in any conventional way. This vial was simply priceless.
This was another bribe. Another way to show him just how much advantage having her on his side would be to him.
Adam finally understood why some said that the most expensive things in this world were the things one received for free. You can't sell favors and goodwill with price now, after all…
CH 184: END OF LESSON AND A GIFT
After leaving Adam in what she hoped was the coolest way possible for anyone to enact, Medusa mentally directed a call to someone using her VR set.
In the corner of her vision, the icon of a ringing phone appeared as soon as she made the call before it was finally replaced by the insignia consisting of two letters.
[~S.K~]
[Yah. What are you calling me for ya old snake?]
A boyish but most definitely the voice of a woman came from the other side of the connection. The opening answer was rather rude but this did not anger Medusa a single bit. She knew very well what kind of person she had called to and it was just harmless banter on her side. There was nothing to be taken personally on just this much.
Hence, Medusa merely chuckled at her words, "I am currently younger than you, you know?"
[You are just cheating, ya old hag. Normal humans don't have your skills, you know that right? So, that doesn't count.]
"Blame yourself then. Git Gud, as they say."
[Oh my… You seem to be in a good mood today. What gives?]
"Well… I finally found a protege."
[Oh…]
The laughter in the voice of her friend stopped entirely, as she gave a more serious intonation to her voice…
[I am suddenly curious. Just what kind of person did you choose?]
"Well. He is definitely interesting. He—"
[Sorry to interrupt but… He? A man? Are you friggin serious right now? I thought you hated men?]
"Hmmm…? What made you think so?"
[Seriously? You want me to quote all the instances where you showed your obvious distaste for men now?]
"Well…"
[Damn. Now I am definitely curious about this protege of yours. Anyways, I suppose you wanna ask me to make a custom armor for him, right? Do you have his measurements and data with you?]
Medusa sighed thankfully at the change of conversion her friend did for her, she was not really in the mood to talk about her distastes, "Indeed. He already registered in the association. You should have all the biometric data necessary."
"What will be the main material?"
Medusa coughed slightly as she cleared her throat before muttering to her in a very soft voice, "What do you think of the scales and blood of a Snake?"
[...Seriously?...]
"I have never been more serious than I am now."
[Damn…]
The voice was much much quieter right now,
[Really… Damn fuck! I don't know if I should be impressed, astonished, or just plain old disgusted. Is it some kind of mating ritual or something? Did you take on a protege or a husband?]
A flush covered Medusa but she did not relent on her decision, "I doubt there are many materials equal to the ones coming from me."
[You bet baby. You are literally a walking treasure trove. If you were weak, you would have ended your life in some facility while being used as some kind of renewable resource.]
[~S.K~] laughed at her own joke before sighing out loud,
[Well… Anyways, calm your tits for now. I will create a test armor first and send it as a test model. Once I get the feedback I will finally use your material for the best result possible for this protege of yours.]
[Yooshhh! I am fired up now. I can feel the motivation surging throughout my body already. Send me all the information later. Bye-bye.]
Then, without waiting for Medusa to even respond back to her, she immediately cut the call, most likely starting to draw the Blueprint for the custom armor.
Medusa had no fear. Even a prototype made by this mad woman would be enough to be sold for literal gold.
"Kukuku~ Adam, soon I will always be with you…"
Her eyes shone lightly as she began to vanish in the crowd.
What she could not have known was that Adam had really taken her advice to heart and while she was speaking quietly with a sound barrier, she was still in the domain of his innate skill 'The World.'
When she finally left the confines of his domain, Adam was left alone with his mouth hanging open and goosebumps crawling all over his skin.
"Sigh… Why do I always attract the crazy ones?"
He had heard the conversation from Medusa's side and managed to understand the gist of it.
[Is this not your first experience?]
'I met a girl of this kind when I was in high school. Didn't end on a good note, to be honest, due to her obsession with me.'
He started to wonder if it would be wise to keep contact with Medusa or not. Sadly, even his non-rational side was screaming at him to not fuck up this relationship between them.
'You're already too deep into the rabbit hole to escape now.'
Adam sighed and swept his hair. In the end, he was more mature and powerful than he was in the past. The him now may have made a decision far different from back then.
'I wonder if she is doing alright…'
He knew that Tsubasa was at least in a better place mentally than she was when they were in a relationship.
Now, all he had to do was simply forget this relationship ever happened and focus on what was in front of him.
"I should go back home."
He had been outside for nearly two days now. This hadn't even happened through his delinquent days.
Then again, what he was doing currently was admittedly far, far worse than what he could have ever done in those days.
"Let's go."
He started walking away. The intent of finally resting washed over his body. Tomorrow, he planned to call Shuri and have a discussion with her.
Tonight, he would just go to the bar and have some fun at the Wild Hunt with Yui.
Finally, about whether the vial of blood was safe or not… Even if it was safe to consume, he did not want any unwanted side effects to appear later in Cecilia's body.
He was sure that Medusa would not trick him into something… But at the same time, he barely knew the quite literal mad woman for hours. For all he knew, this was just another facade. A face she was wearing in front of him while she manipulated his mind like the master manipulator she was.
'Well then. Who can I trust about this?'
There was only one person… and that was Eve, his doting grandmother. She was the only one with the power and knowledge necessary to judge the effects of this vial.
Of course, he could also drink a part of it and wait for it to work its wonders. If something happened to him he would just have to kill himself and be done with it.
—
[Wild Hunt]
It was around 10 pm when a car slowly rolled into the parking slot and a sensual woman wearing a beautiful night blue robe and a pair of blue ears, stepped out of her car.
One man immediately came to her and took the keys and another helped her up until they reached the reception desk.
"May I help you, madam? Do you have a reservation?"
"Indeed. This is for a work-related banquet. I reserved one of the VIP rooms."
The expression of the receptionist changed immediately as he took a second list out of the desk… "May I know under what name you are registered and could you show an ID as proof?"
The woman smiled and took out her ID, "It's under the name of Shuri Nakiri."
She looked up quietly at the building. Since she had decided to come, she might as well use it to the fullest.
CH 185: BECOMING RICH
When Adam entered the bar from behind he was slightly frustrated. He had sadly been unable to meet Cecilia when going home. Her phone was unreachable and all she said was that she was having dinner outside with her sister.
Adam was rather happy that Cecilia was tying once again to her sister. But he would have rather had her present when he came with the Medusa potion.
'At least she will be safe with her sister.'
Adam thought simply as he walked down the stairs, invisible to all. This power was really useful and just imagining the number of crimes he could commit with it was astounding.
'Though I need to work on heat.'
He wasn't perfect yet but this was coming. Rome was not built in one day and he was really happy with the result.
"You are here."
When Adam opened the door, he was surprised to hear Yui say this as she looked exactly in his direction.
He moved the image away and appeared in front of her before taking a seat, "How did you find me?"
Yui grinned, "I really don't want to tell you as you will continue teasing me like this. But it could really help you." She shrugged, "Honestly when one isn't ready it's really deadly. But you still move Prana and you cannot completely hide all your physical traces. For example, when you open the door, while you block the sound, the flow of the air becomes different."
She mused a little, "Your illusions are really powerful, but don't fall into the illusion that your illusion is anything but illusions."
She seemed almost proud as she said this, causing Adam to face palm, "How long did you hold this corny wordplay?"
"Hey! I resent that. I think it's quite inspirational."
"Haaa…" He sighed theatrically but grew a little more serious. He was happy to see that Yui thought mirrored his own.
"Though I must say honestly, this isn't the kind of thing anyone can do. The level of concentration necessary for this is harsh and once again, if one isn't exactly ready for this kind of attack they won't notice."
She smiled, "The problem is. Sooner or later people will start knowing what you are capable of. At least as long as you leave any witnesses."
She spoke offhandedly before taking a huge stack of paper and placing it in front of him,
"I hate how despite this technology we still use paper. Whatever. This is the list with the name, power, and important information about the ones you captured for your last job. Good job by the way. Though I have some issues with the way you handled this we can talk about this later."
Adam took the list in silence, knowing that he couldn't exactly explain what happened to Yui. He scanned the documents lightly and kept the information in his head.
"What do you plan to do with them?"
Adam shrugged, "I have my plan. Having subordinates is good and there are other things I want to test."
"Humm…" Yui considered Adam for a moment before nodding and took another list, "Anyway we are taking care of them for now. Any ideas for the name of the organization you will create?"
"I really need a name?"
"If you don't want to end with a name like Prince Cinder I guess you do. But think about this later. Now let's talk about the big prize you bought for me."
Adam looked at the new list he had just received and he felt like his heart missed a beat,
"$65 million."
Yui grinned, "You are sure you only want 30%?"
Adam laughed quietly and shook his head, "You know my situation. This is honestly more money than I have ever seen in my life. But it doesn't matter. I said 30% so it will be 30%."
eαglesnᴏνel Adam had no doubt that he could make much more than this in the future if he was willing. There was no way he would jeopardize his relationship with Yui because of money.
"I see."
Yui smiled, not knowing what to feel at the moment. She had seen too much time and money turn the head of people and while Adam had always been very composed, there was no telling what greed could do to even the staunchest man.
She already decided that the full account would go to him, it would be her little surprise,
"Well, 30% of 65 million is still nearly 20 million. Congratulations Adam. You are now officially part of the elite in America."
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap*
She clapped and Adam's face flushed a little. He had never felt so hot. He may have played it cool but his other minds were furiously shouting in glee and joy.
"Well now here comes the complicated part. We obviously cannot send you the money in your normal bank account."
Adam did not want to be traced back to the murder. Even though he also now had a Hunter bank account from what he read. He wanted to see more about what this was about.
"Don't worry though. Laundering money is one of our most common jobs and it's time for you to have a few secret accounts. Always useful."
She moved a few documents, "Outside of pure cash, that bastard also had a few actions and many properties. We will slowly work on them and later you can decide whether to keep your part or sell it to me."
"I must say. I knew working with you would make me rich. I didn't think it would happen in one day."
"Me neither Adam, trust me."
She moved her pen, "Now about your job, what will you do? You don't really need to work as a Gigolo anymore since you have the money."
Adam shook his head, "I like having some traceable income while not really bright. Also, I honestly like the job. It's a good way to have a connection."
The money he received from being a gigolo would never surpass what he just got. But as he had seen with Hae-Woon, this position really was helpful both for farming Karma in an idle way or to have a somewhat legitimate reason to approach the influential women here.
Adam had not forgotten the super VIP corner of last night. While there were many normal humans, the true prizes were the ones from the supernatural world.
Yui nodded and she finally had a mischievous grin, "Since this is so, I guess you will be happy to know I have kept a particular new client for you today. I wasn't really sure about her name but I realized I wasn't wrong when she came here."
She had once sent many invitations to different women in high positions be they humans or not and while many answered some simply ignored her.
So when one of those special cards came back tonight she had been skeptical and did some digging. Thankfully she did otherwise Adam may have been quite angry.
"Who are you talking about?"
His curiosity piqued, Adam asked, and the answer he got made him gasp in surprise.
From all the people he knew, he would have never guessed that it would be her.
CH 186: TO DRINK OR NOT DRINK.
Inside a booth on the second floor, Shuri observed the people below as they mingled with each other.
She did not really come here to receive some intimacy and she knew that if she were to enter a closed room, things could rapidly turn disadvantageous for her. After all, who knew if this establishment was actually made by an enemy of hers or not?
That very reason was a driving factor why she had given clear instructions to her secretary about her whereabouts and also made sure that she did not drink nor eat anything from this establishment.
Her phone was recording everything from the moment she had entered the establishment and the information was being directly saved on the cloud in real time. Moreover, if anything were to happen to her and she was unable to input a code by tomorrow, the information would be automatically sent to a few of her select friends in the higher echelons of society. Friends that she could count on to extract her from any danger.
This might seem utterly counterproductive when taking in the fact that she was out for a night of fun right now. However, she had dealt with too many cases where people got trapped in the plan of their opponent due to their carelessness and letting their guard down.
She had also personally socially buried many of her opponents by creating this kind of scandal. So she knew what to avoid and how to traverse through these situations.
'What I am even doing here?'
Simply being in this place was a hazard to her life. She was not arrogant enough to think that she could plan for all possible situations and scenarios that could play out against her. It was rather strange for her to take such a risk and come to such a shady place.
But… She needed this. She needed to breathe some air, to see the world outside without thinking of work or the harrowing details of her husband.
'I really want a drink right now.'
She sighed, fighting the desire to buy a bottle and drown her sorrows in alcohol in a place where she knew no one; where dangers were abounding in every corner.
'What should I do now?'
She looked down and smiled quietly as she saw the way the host dealt with the women on the first floor.
'He was never this charming.'
Her marriage with her husband could never be described as exciting per se. It was a rather traditional one. Meeting him on a blind date arranged by their family, hitting it off from the get-go, and then finally marrying each other after a certain time.
This was a commonplace situation in Japan due to the declining birthrate and national crisis of the country.
Even though she saw herself as more of an American than a Japanese, she had not refused her relatives just for the sake of it. She really had no reason to cut her ties with them. All her life, she had been far too busy to establish herself in the world to even think about love and a life outside of work.
Work, work, work, and even more work.
Even after marrying, she was not able to change this lifestyle of hers. Well, she was not able to make any significant changes, at least.
Still… She had once liked and could even say to have loved her husband. Like her, he was not the warmest kind of man. He was also quite focused on his work. She thought that she had found a real partner in him. Someone who could understand her thirst for success and who would walk the way with her until the very end of their lives. She believed that she had met her soulmate.
Even if their relationship never had the fire to illuminate the sky, it had a certain calmness in the coldness that would make it last much longer….At least this was what she thought.
Remembering the photo of his new family. She realized one simple fact.
She had been horribly wrong and she did not even know whether or not she could blame her husband or blame herself for being too much of a workaholic.
'Kuh…Should I just drink?'
Just thinking about her husband had a wife and a child outside while she was alone and childless made her wish to drink a little more.
From a certain perspective it was as if she was actually the mistress and that woman was the official wife.
The idea of a divorce was becoming more and more likely. But at the same time, she feared the repercussion it would have on her company.
A bitter smile formed on her face. Even now she was thinking of her law firm. But anyone could blame her?
She had worked all her life to attain the level she currently had. She had sacrificed so many things, even the simple happiness of a normal woman in order to reach her position.
Was she unhappy? Did she regret it?
Truthfully…She did not. If she was given a second chance, while she would do things differently, she would never give up on her job. This was what allowed me to stand so high. This was her own little baby in a way.
But even though she had everything she could dream of, she had no one she could really share it with expect the son of her best friend.
'I wonder what they are doing?'
The desire to drink was slowly becoming overwhelming. Her class had changed lately.
The group of four that once made her day whenever she came to give class was no more.
Natasha had gone on sick leave, Alberto had seemingly stopped coming to school, Sae had transferred to some school in another state and Adam was ditching class for some time now even though he had woken up.
It was sad to see how things she became used to could change so fast in but an instant and never be the same ever again.
At the very least, Cecilia had called her to say that Adam was alright though she had yet to go and visit him as she was too swamped with her own personal problem.
She had also started having rather disturbing ideas about him she was not supposed to have and did not wish to let her desire shrouded with loneliness affect the relationship she had with her friend.
'Fuck it. I am just going to drink. Fuck the possible consequences.'
All her life, she had lived in the most stable and structured possible way. There are many moments she missed in her youth out of caution.
Could she not allow herself to go all out now?
She took her phone and took a photo of herself and the place she was and sent it to the cloud.
'Just in case.'
"Now then. I think I will drink."
"My. Then should I accompany you?"
Shuri nearly let out an unlady-like curse when she heard the voice from behind her and she was even more spooked when she turned around and was faced with someone wearing a mask.
"Who…Who are you?"
Was she already facing the consequence of her first night of having fun outside? Was the man some kind of serial killer?
"Well, I wouldn't really say who I am while wearing a mask, right?"
The man chuckled as he took a few steps back and gave a respectful bow.
"I think knowing who I am will not really interest you. What matter is what I can do for you."
A gentle laughter escaped from his mask, "In this place, they call me Cinder and I will be your host. Happy to meet you, dear princess."
CH 187: TO DRINK IS TO BE
Princess.
It was a very simple term. The best way for Gigolos and any other people in the hosting industry to call their clients without having to remember their actual names.
After all, if everyone was a princess why bother calling them with their names? Why follow the tedious route of remembering each and every name you would encounter?
The reason Adam used this way of speaking was, of course, because he couldn't come out of nowhere and call Shuri by her true name now, could she?
This would only make the situation more complicated for him. So now here he was, wondering why Shuri was in this place while mustering the courage inside of him to call out to her.
'Haha. This feels so much more stressful than usual.'
With those idle thoughts in mind, he took a seat not far away from Shuri and adjusted himself to be in a relaxed position. However, his posture and everything about him was in reality an illusion that he had conjured from the get-go.
The 'real' him was standing two steps away from her as he took her appearance in more readily.
Shuri was a truly beautiful woman, it was something he had always known about her, and clearly, he was even subconsciously attracted to that beauty of hers.
That wonderful beauty of hers became even more pronounced at this very moment with that evening gown she wore. It further accentuated her plump and mature body and voluptuous form, making her look absolutely ravishing.
Adam remembered the final ordeal he had left for himself.
『 3rd Ordeal: Love — The Beginning and The End of All Emotions
Description: Have Shuri break off her shackles and decide to give up on her cheating husband
Reward: 1 free pass to the Bronze section of the library 』
It wasn't hard to understand that Shuri had come to this place in order to relax slightly from her daily life and perhaps to forget the pain that accompanied her with the knowledge that her husband was cheating on her.
In the same way, the fact that she was here meant that she was already entertaining the thoughts of completely breaking things off with her significant other once and for all.
Even if it was just an afterthought for now, this was still a very important first step and something that he couldn't afford to let go.
Adam took a deep breath and finally walked out of his illusion before perfectly changing places with his imaginary silhouette.
"So, are you the host?"
His change had been at the perfect time. Just when she had asked him a crucial question.
"I am not the host; I am 'your' host. For this night, I will be with you and make it as magical for you as possible."
Shuri chuckled at his words and crossed her arms, "Magical heh… I was getting bored so let's see how this goes."
She took her phone out and showed it to him, "You don't mind if I take a photo of you, right?"
"Why not? Should we take a photo together then?"
"There is no need. One photo of you will be enough."
She did not ask him to take off his mask for she knew that the chances of him going through with her words were minimal. She didn't really need to take a photo either. Even more so since he was a masked individual.
But she knew that people were less likely to commit a crime when they knew that they wouldn't be able to easily walk their way out of it.
By showing this to him she was basically screaming in his face that she was prepared for anything if things were to go south.
Adam nodded his head and knew that it was the perfect occasion to finally put Medusa's teachings into action.
The problem was—
[Emotions: Sad, confused, wary, intrigued]
—He didn't really need to learn how to observe her small subconscious actions when he could easily see her emotional stats by simply using the 'Eyes of Truth.'
'Well, it wouldn't hurt to get some practical lessons now, would it?'
Since he had the skills that could make a lie into truth and some people could block him from prying into their information, having some skills to read them without the use of his abilities was a must.
He could see that Shuri was clearly acting withdrawn and conservatively, and from the way she distanced herself from him, it was clear to see that she was definitely wary of him as well.
The thing he had to accomplish here was to make her wariness vanish and increase the interest and intrigue she had in him.
The good thing here was… He also had another ability that could help him to accomplish that objective. All he needed to do was just keep on talking and the ability will work in itself to calm her wariness.
"So, tell me, Cinder, what makes a young man such as you join this line of work?"
Adam wasn't the only one observing here. While the voice coming from behind Adam's mask was slightly muffled, she was still able to distinguish that this was not the voice of an old man that was speaking to her.
The shape of his body as well as his hands was another proof that she was facing a pretty young man. Most likely the masked man before her was in his 20s.
"Oh… We are starting by talking about me now, are we?"
Adam smiled beneath his mask and leaked a slight chuckle through the confines of his mask, "I guess, I chose this line of job for the same reason as many did before me. Because I wish to earn money at a fast pace and this is the best place for me to do just that."
"Oh…? You are quite upfront about your goals. Weren't you supposed to say that you were doing this for more… decent reason, hmm?"
Adam shrugged in response to her words, "This world is one that runs entirely on money. That is something none of us can live without. I am not willing to lie for being realistic in my intentions and goals."
He smiled as he spoke those words and though she could not see his face due to his mask, from the way his eyes almost twinkled she was sure of that fact. She heard him emit another chuckle from beneath his mask, "Of course, while money is very important, I believe that honesty is also a requirement to live life to the fullest."
He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes closed as he spoke, "We are the sellers of dreams. But the dreams we sell are not cheap dreams based on lies and deceit. At least, not the dreams I sell to my clients. I believe that honesty is the key that holds any relationship. Without honesty, only disappointment is bound to come to everyone involved. What do you think, princess?"
Shuri closed her eyes at his words, before sighing as she spoke, "This is pretty interesting coming from someone who is wearing a mask like you do… But… You are at least right in thinking like that. Honesty is the most important element of a relationship and without it… none of them can truly last for long."
Her voice became lower as she delivered those last words and Adam brought himself closer to her with each small whisper she leaked, "Is this disappointment I feel in you, princess? Would you mind talking about what's hurting you right now?"
"Haha… Why should I talk to a stranger about my problems now?"
"For the same reason that we spend hundreds of dollars to visit psychiatrists and shrink to get some therapy, I guess…"
This time, a more genuine laugh escaped Shuri's lips as he listened to those sensible words coming from the masked man. It was possible to see that her shoulders had visibly relaxed ever so slightly as she uncrossed her arms and took a more comfortable position with her hands on her lap.
"What kind of drink do you have in this establishment? We can't really have a long discussion without something good to drink now, could we?"
"Well, all of our wines are pretty expensive. Are you sure you can afford it, milady?"
The way he spoke made it clear that he was just jesting with her and Shuri understood his intentions and mimicked his way of speaking with a small smile tugging on her lips,
"My brave… believe me, I am richer than you could possibly imagine."
She spoke with a haughty tone underlining her usual mature voice, like a princess looking down at a simple servant.
"Then… I guess only the best of drinks is fit to grace your lips."
He snapped his fingers and a few moments later, the door opened as someone entered with a cold bucket with a vintage wine bottle held inside.
"Time to start this magical night."
CH 188: EXPENSIVE WINES
Shuri's eyes suddenly shone when she saw the wine that was brought by the waiter. She didn't know what kind of signal Adam sent, but it didn't matter in her opinion.
"Oh my, this is quite the interesting wine you have here?"
"It seems like you are quite the connoisseur."
Shuri didn't speak and simply gently caressed the top of the wine.
"Do you recognize this bottle of wine?"
Adam shook his head. He could easily find the information by cheating but he could feel that at this moment Shuri wanted to show off a little.
Why stop her?
Indeed, Shuri acted like a fan speaking about her idols.
"This is one of the finest types of wine, Romanée-Conti. It is the 'king' of the wine production area of Burgundy in France. It was the pride of Burgundy, and a wine master once said that Burgundy, just by relying on Romanée-Conti alone, was superior to all eight of the chateaux of Bordeaux. It is the most exalted red wine in the world."
Shuri continued to explain as if she was transfixed, her eyes already showing signs of intoxication, "This is a sort of flavor that can sink into your taste buds and your teeth. It is a flavor that feels as though it could burrow into every single cell of your body.
Its fragrance is a long-lasting one, and it is both exquisite and heavy, both delicate and strong, both balanced and condensed. It has the smooth, graceful texture of velvet. It is virtually the distilled essence of the finest strengths of Pinot Noir grapes. It is an inimitable, fantasy-like wine."
Shuri breathed deeply. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford some Romanèe-Conti. The lowest grade only cost between 6000 dollars to 23000 dollars. While she was extravagant enough to buy one regularly, at least once every year or so was enough for her.
The last one she had drunk was from a relatively old vintage, one near the year 2000 and while it hadn't been one of the legendary ones, she was still transfixed by the taste. [1]
Things started to change when you reached the high tier and the one in front of her was without a doubt one of the highest.
She gulped as she looked at the date "One unicorn vintage."
There were only 600 bottles made of the 1945 vintage and one bottle once sold at $558000 during an auction.
'Haha, Holy Shit…Yui is going to kill me.'
When Shuri finished her explanation, Adam could only laugh bitterly inwardly while keeping his reaction in check.
He had no particular knowledge of wine and just grabbed one that looked good. Though now it seemed like the choice he made had been a little too good.
$500K might not be too much for Yui. But this was a rare collectible. Taking it without asking for her permission was too much.
'Should I swap?' Adam mused quietly. Though with her experience, she should be able to differentiate based on the taste and Adam did not think he had enough experience to affect the taste of
Shuri gently caressed the bottle before shaking her head and placing it.
"Do you have another less expensive bottle? I do not have the means to buy something like this. Furthermore, it would be an insult to the wine to drink it in this condition."
Adam chuckled confidently while inward he was screaming in joy at the danger he just went through and managed to escape from.
Of course, he couldn't let go of this perfect occasion Shuri had handed to him.
"I thought you said you were richer than I could imagine?"
Shuri blushed a little, how could she have imagined that her words would be used against her so fast?
It was rather ironic considering her job and the fact that she always had to warn clients that their words could be used against them.
She usually would not be so careless. But she had to admit that she was slowly feeling more at ease currently. Her taut nerves were more relaxed and even breathing felt easier.
"*Ahem* I admit. I might have underestimated your establishment."
She had perhaps more than just underestimated it.
Any nouveau riche could come and build some VIP bar. This was perhaps one of the most common themes in all of LA and America. But this kind of wine could only be obtained by people with a lot of money and influence.
'I should do some research about the boss of this bar later.'
She was no stranger to people in the underworld. It was impossible to do her job without having to deal with them sometimes and having some connections was always very useful.
Of course, she was definitely not doing this just because she wanted to see and admire the entire wine collection they may have.
'Well, let's just have fun a little today.'
She realized that she was falling once again into her bad habit of thinking about work.
Adam, happy to have a good excuse didn't try to put down Shuri,
"I guess I got a little excited. Though if you don't mind, could you explain to me what is the best way to drink such wine?"
Since Shuri seemed quite interested in this, this was something worth asking and obviously, having more knowledge would not hurt.
Shuri hesitated. She didn't tell many people about her how much of a nerd she was for wine.
It wasn't as if she was ashamed but she had a certain image to uphold and she knew people could be quite ticked off when she tried correcting them.
She knew very well that the mysterious man in front of her was just using this as a tactic to get her to talk.
As a lawyer, she was usually the one using these tactics on clients or witnesses.
She had to admit that being on the other side didn't feel bad. Having someone willing to listen to you no matter how much you complained was a great feeling.
"Well, before I start, should you not bring another bottle?"
She felt slightly parched. If they had something like an authentic Romanée-Conti then she could only hope to guess what else they may have.
Adam nodded, "A moment please."
This time he made sure to send an "avatar" to speak with Yui. He decided that directly using sounds to talk to her would be too spooky.
Thankfully she gave him a good brand, obviously after laughing at him and telling him to not worry about the previous mistake, and then changed the appearance of this clone he came with the new wine he had selected.
Shuri's eyes lit up when she saw this one,
"A Chardonnay from Bâtard-Montrachet."
CH 189: ENCORE
Shuri's love for wine was akin to man's love for his car collection.
She knew much about this topic and immediately knew what it was.
Domaine d'Auvenay Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru may not be as legendary as the previous wine but it was still worth more than $25k at minimum per bottle.
Even the "cheap" wines of Domaine d' Auvenay sold at 5k at minimum.
"I would love to hear what you know about this wine."
Shuri gulped quietly before looking at the mysterious man with new interest.
Not only was this establishment special but she had the clear and distinct impression that this man had a far higher position than all the other hosts in this place.
She briefly wondered if he was the owner but she distinctively remembered that the owner was a woman.
"Well, there is not much to be said about this. The wines made under this label are also part of the most expensive wines ever made. Though this batch, in particular, has nothing special."
She smiled, "Drinking and savoring wine by itself is a form of art. Domaine d'Auvenay Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru makes its presence felt with tangy acids, a fleshy body, and a smooth, honeyed finish. Critics have compared it to a more dynamic version of the estate's Enseignières."
'What the fuck is Enseignieres?'
Adam had never felt like such an illiterate.
'Is this the difference between a nouveau riche and a noble?'
Excited as she was, Shuri started by explaining how the Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru had to be kept at a temperature of 13°C and with what kind of food it could be accompanied.
She continued to talk straight for more than ten minutes. Going from the taste to the history of the wine, the history of the creator, the geographical position, how the wine had been created, and in what condition.
It was only after calming down that she realized that she had been somewhat acting like a teacher giving a lecture. It was quite the faux pas.
"I am sorry. Are you sure I am not boring you?"
"Why would I be bored by speaking to such an intelligent person as yourself? I believe that any knowledge is worth acquiring."
Adam chuckled, "As you can see, I am lacking in such general knowledge and I am happy to learn."
"Happy to learn about wine?"
"Happy to learn about you and the wine."
He leaned forward slightly, "You see. I believe that the most important thing is communication and understanding of each other. People are not mind-readers."
'Though I will one day be and technically already am.'
"It's impossible to know everything about someone with just a look."
'Impossible for you. Not for me.'
"So shall we finally drink? You have made me very curious about what it will taste like?"
"Can you even drink with your mask on?"
"Well, we will have to find out, will we?"
The two chatted amicably until the wee of the night. Doing nothing much and not even touching each other.
Shuri had come to this place to find a way to distract herself and she had to admit that…She had found a very interesting one.
Watching him drink while pushing the mask aside had been rather funny.
"You know. This may be the most cliche Line either, but I really feel like I know you. You remind me of someone else."
"Oh?"
Adam's heart skipped a beat but he did not show this.
"Mind telling me who I remind you of? I hope it's someone pleasant."
She smiled, "He is indeed very pleasant."
Shuri had been drinking for quite a while now and she could feel her face was slightly flushed.
She was not drunk. But the wine had helped her relax further.
"He is a special boy who while he didn't have it easy, never let it get to him. Now he is a very good student and I am waiting for him to graduate and take him in my firm if he wishes."
She shook her head, "Just to be clear this is not nepotism. I simply wish to have him on my side and he has the knowledge necessary to be s very good lawyer."
"Though she needs to be a little more extroverted I think."
Adam nearly choked at this, "Extroverted?"
"The one I am speaking about is very smart. One of the smartest boys I know. But being a lawyer isn't just about knowing the law. I really have many things I want to teach him. Since he isn't really a people person."
She took another sip of the wine and savored it slowly.
"You seem to like him quite a bit. Is he family?"
"Family?..."
Shuri thought about Adam and blushed slightly before sighing, "I guess he is. He sees me as his aunt."
".And you don't?"
"I have been having weird ideas about him lately so I don't really know if I can still call myself family in good conscience."
'Why the hell am I telling this to him?'
She sighed. Perhaps this was indeed the best way.
Adam was major in all eyes of the law so even if rumors spread, nothing would happen.
She had no one to talk to about the thing that had been weighing on her heart.
"Can I tell you a secret?"
Adam placed a finger where his lips should be as a clear sign.
"Haha…Well. To be honest, I am starting to see him as more than a cute kid and this is messing with my mind."
"Oh…"
"I mean. Adam is not a kid anymore. Be it physical or mentally. But…wouldn't it be like grooming? Isn't it creepy? And what would his mother think? In the first place, does he even see me like this?"
Once she started, nothing could stop her. Glad to finally have someone she could discuss with, she continued non-stop.
"As if it wasn't enough I may be facing a divorce soon. Does it mean I am latching at him because he is the nearest male available? Is it just a way of coping against the pain?"
Shuri was confused about her own feeling. She was sure that what she was feeling for Adam was not love but mostly physical attraction.
Even so, would he even be interested in her? And how would their relationship change after?
While it was true that she wasn't his blood-related aunt, she had still been around when Adam was nothing more than a baby.
She had watched him grow all the way and even helped in raising him some time.
Adam quietly filled her glasses and let Shuri down in one shot before talking.
"Your issues are certainly complicated."
Adam said as he thought about how he had missed the timing of revealing himself.
He had never thought he would come to hear about things like this. He felt both glad and slightly worried as he had violated her intimacy.
"I do not know your circumstances. But I believe that rather than stopping because of what society dictates you should act based on what your heart tells you. Only by doing so will you avoid any regrets."
He continued, "Your action might indeed be found disgusting by certain. But, as long as you broke no law and are not hurting anyone, why should you care?"
"Easier said than done."
"It's because it's hard that it's valuable." He continued, "Of course, if this doesn't work, I am perfectly willing to wait for you."
"Haha, you are quite forward."
"Intelligent, witty, and a sense of responsibility. What not to like?"
Shuri smiled as none of the praise went about her physical appearance.
The man really knew what he was doing.
The rest of the night continued on this tempo.
For once in her life, this had been all about her and while the so-called Cinder never acted outwardly outside of some compliment carefully placed, Shuri had to admit that she understood now how some of them could ensnare women so easily.
For an instant, she had even forgotten that the one facing her was literally being paid to act friendly with her.
This was quite frightening when one thought about it.
"Well, we are about to close. What will you do? If you do not mind, I can take you back."
While she wasn't quite drunk, she had still taken enough wine that driving was not safe.
"Of course, if you are uncomfortable we can ask a female staff member to bring you back."
Shuri smiled and shook her head,
"I will just call my secretary. She also works as my driver."
It was a little too soon to think about bringing a man she had just met to her house.
No matter how charming said man was.
"Very well then let's have one last drink to celebrate this beautiful night."
"Cheers !"
The clicking sound of the glass filled their ears.
A few moments later, Adam watched from the sky as the car left with Shuri inside.
It was easy for him to completely become invisible by hiding himself behind an illusion.
He had been worried and decided to follow her for a few moments in order to be sure everything was alright and she reached home safely.
But…Just as he was about to be satisfied and simply go home, from the corner of his domain he could feel people that seemed like they were following her car.
'Hum….What is this about?'
It seemed like the night was just beginning.
CH 190: SHOCK
Los Angeles— often hailed as the city that never slept and true to that name, even at the late hours of the night, on the asphalt that ran throughout the entirety of the city, it was possible to see a large activity as cars buzzed and honked on the road, carrying people that were traveling to accomplish their tasks on this world.
Sitting comfortably in the back seat of her car while her secretary expertly maneuvered through the roads of the lively city, she found herself slowly drifting to sleep as the effect of alcohol started to kick in. Her mind had become slightly groggy, but she barely managed to keep herself awake by thinking about the night she had spent on the illustrious bar known as 'The Wild Hunt.'
She didn't really know what she had expected when entering that place at first. In her mind, when thinking of the hosting business she could only imagine the so called hosts being hookers who sold their bodies to others for quick cash while the establishments that ran these sorts of businesses being riddled with drugs, cheap and trashy alcohol, and flashy vulgar music that could only attract shoddy people to its doors.
However, once she made up her mind to experience it for herself, what she had been greeted with was completely different from anything she had ever imagined. It was an elegant estate, a calm interior full of cultured young men who were in no way close to the word 'vulgar.' It was a place riddled with charming people who entertained their clients with their charismatic presence.
That alone had been enough to impress her to no end. She felt like she had walked into an English salon and she could see how these kinds of places could be very useful for business discussion. After all, she had many clients who were women and visiting this establishment with them in tow could definitely help them relax their minds and enjoy themselves which could serve to deliver her an upper hand on the deals.
It was sad that even in a place where she came to enjoy herself, she was forced to think about her job. It was a truly saddening fact that she could do nothing about. But such thoughts did not last in her mind for long as she reminisced about a man shrouded in mysteries and intrigue.
Cinder— The mysterious masked young man who had served as her host had been more than just an intriguing encounter for her. Just meeting with him was enough to make this visit of hers a fruitful event. Why wouldn't it?
He was a very charming and witty fellow that she immediately felt a connection with. Moreover, while he didn't seem to be of high birth, he had clearly received a good education and knew how to listen to others and speak accordingly.
How long had it been since she last enjoyed such a discussion? In her mind, this kind of thing only happened when she was with Adam and Cecilia. No one else could ever invoke such satisfaction inside of her from a mere conversation alone.
Now though, a third person was added to this list and it was someone she did not even know the face of. What an irony it was…
'Life is truly filled with so many surprises.'
She had gone to the club with a hint of resignation— a simple desire to do something bad at least once in her life. Something that she would perhaps regret in the future but even then something that was wholly hers, something that she would definitely enjoy, and something that was at least a fraction different than her usual boring life.
But she had found something much, much more interesting than the simple, casual, and definitely meaningless sex that she once had in her mind.
'Perhaps I should go there another time?'
What was supposed to be a simple and single outing was slowly shaping to become more of a recurring event for her.
Was it a bad thing that she was so interested to visit such an establishment for a second time? She didn't really know. But wasn't it what people found out through trial and error? The insecurity and the lack of knowledge about the outcome even though you committed greatly to something was something that could also lead to something enjoyable.
This fear and anxiety of uncertainty also brought with it a certain exhilarating feeling in the pit of her stomach that was hard to brush off. A mixture between fear, excitement, and curiosity was the content of the emotions that were churning within her at this moment.
It was then…
"We are being followed, Madam."
Shuri's mind immediately sobered up and she sat up with a straight and taut posture. She said nothing as she rummaged through her seat to take out two handguns and put one in her purse. She also pulled out some spraying bombs from one of the compartments of her car and she activated the tracker that was connected to her phone. This would send an SOS signal to her security team.
For now, the signal was only yellow. But if nothing was done to stop it, it would become red very fast.
For security, the tracking chips were in reality one of her hearing devices. Once this was done, Shuri nodded to her driver.
Shuri was a very successful lawyer. One did not reach the height she was able to reach without ruffling a few feathers and she was someone that had ruffled more than just a few feathers in the path of her ascension to her current status.
She had caused the death, incarceration, and loss of property for many people she had fought against in the open court.
She would have no complaints even if she was sent to hell. But even though this was the case she did not really mean that she would let herself die without putting up a fight.
It was necessary to always be prepared for as many possibilities as possible.
Suddenly, the car moved violently as someone else came toward them in full force and crashed against them.
Shuri was surprised when she realized that she felt basically no trembles or shakes even though the car was moving so violently across the road. The car may be bulletproof, but it didn't have anti-shock capabilities of this magnitude.
'I wonder who they are?'
Was it perhaps the Mafia? She had been slowly cutting her relationship with them. After all, she had always been careful about never truly breaking the law and the few mafioso she had protected had relatively clean records. She had made sure of that before taking them as her clients.
Still, as she wanted to let Adam inherit a clean group she had limited the money that was sent by them.
'I doubt it is them.'
The mafia at the upper echelons was anything but mindless. They would never bring such terror for no reason without giving a chance for reconciliation.
If it was not the crime lords, then it only left her to think about her personal enemies. Most likely, someone was hired to mess with her.
"Just what the hell is happening exactly?'
CH 191: ORDEAL
Above her, in the skies, Adam frowned as he watched the situation underneath.
Aside from the car that had been following Shuri, another one appeared out of nowhere and crashed against Shuri's car in full force.
Adam was just about to completely stop the crash when he had the words from Genesis in his mind.
[Have you heard about the principle of the hero saving the beauty? What about the suspension bridge effect?"]
"Huh?"
Adam was at a complete loss for words at the sudden declaration of Genesis. He used his accelerated perception and suddenly, the world around him seemed to come to a crawl.
"What do you mean?"
Adam spoke out loud, curious about what Genesis wanted to convey to him.
[Do not save her. Wait a little and awe her then she will start worshiping you…]
Adam groaned, "Was your data corrupted by some weird glitches in the knowledge you received?"
[Think about it. Obviously, the chance of her falling for you just because of this is abysmal. But wouldn't it be rather fun to start your relationship with a heroic arc…]
Genesis did not understand the human world very much but he knew that simply being saved by someone didn't mean you would fall in love with your savior…
This was an irrational way of thinking and if it were to be real then women would only fall for cops or doctors and so on. But there was no denying that being in such a situation increased the chance of falling in love with the savior of their life.
Adam obviously also understood the suspension bridge effect.
Should I do it?
Should he use such despicable tactics to put his aunt in danger just because he wanted some free pass and found her hot?
Adam hesitated for a while before steeling himself. Either way, they needed a justification to act.
If the government knew that he killed people without any reason, this might cause some problems for him.
'At least I can hide my face. Though I wonder if they have any opinion about what happened last night.'
He thought slowly and began his descent toward Shuri's car, the car slammed at full force against her car, but using his power, Adam was able to deflect the full brunt of the impact and make sure that the car didn't even have any dents.
He could see Shuri preparing her weapon and while it was impressive, he knew very well that Shuri was no fighter and a stray ball could always end a fight in an instant if one was not careful enough.
Suspension bridge effect or whatever was not worth taking the risk of having Shuri get wounded or die stupidly. He was not about to let a loved one experience fatal danger just because he wanted to get in their pants. It was honestly not worth it.
Back to the situation at hand, when the two cars crashed against each other, the other cars began to scramble in different directions. Some onlookers started walking out, certain people even started filming or leaving without a second glance at the event.
But Adam did not care about any of that. He immediately used his telekinetic powers to twist the heads and break the limbs of the two drivers in the cars to make their last state as horrific looking as possible to the onlookers.
He didn't care that this incident didn't look like an accident but rather a murder of some sort or even a supernatural event. It was enough for them to die, he thought in his mind.
'Now… While the police and Shuri's team take care of this, I have another work to do.'
Once he made sure that Shuri was in good condition and showed no signs of being shocked, he focused on the first car that had been following Shuri from afar.
He could see them slowly leaving the area, as if nothing was wrong in the slightest but when he read their information, he immediately knew that this was not the case and that he had not been mistaken about them.
But what really surprised him, was the name of their affiliation he had managed to glean from the 'Eyes of Truth.'
"Blue Shark?"
He remembered this name. How could he ever forget this name?
This was the organisation that Yui wanted to take down.
This was the gang that was under the direct order of Hae-Won's husband.
A cold light shone in Adam's eyes. He had been quite leisurely about this whole affair initially.
After all, he had no personal stake in it. But now this was truly personal. Had he not been here, Shuri would have been wounded gravely at minimum.
If that gang leader had anything to do with this attack, he would make sure to completely and absolutely destroy the boss of this organization and leave no possibility for him to survive.
『 Major Ordeal: Black Knight
Description: Eradicate all the members of Blue Shark with no exceptions.
Reward: 1000 Karma points.
Note: For every member killed, you get an additional 10 Karma. 』
『 Major Ordeal: White Knight
Description: Forgiveness is the path. Everyone is worthy of second chances. Make the leader of the blue shark repent and give himself to the authorities of justice.
Reward: 1500 Karma points.
Note: The deeper the change the more the reward will increase. 』
『 Major Ordeal: Grey Knight
Description: Do not let anger cloud your mind. Follow the most optimum path to obtain your goals. There is no such thing as friend or enemy. Only eternal benefits. Vengeance brings nothing. Work with the leader of the blue Shark to obtain more benefits.
Reward: 3000 Karma points. 』
CH 192: HARD CHOICE
Using one of his minds to focus on the fleeing criminals as he flew above them in the skies, following their trail, Adam's other mind went back to looking at the sudden prompts he had received from the Book of Genesis. It seemed like it was time for him to face another ordeal.
『 Major Ordeal: Black Knight
Description: Eradicate all the members of Blue Shark with no exceptions.
Reward: 1000 Karma points.
Note: For every member killed, you get an additional 10 Karma. 』
『 Major Ordeal: White Knight
Description: Forgiveness is the path. Everyone is worthy of second chances. Make the leader of the blue shark repent and give himself to the authorities of justice.
Reward: 1500 Karma points.
Note: The deeper the change the more the reward will increase. 』
『 Major Ordeal: Grey Knight
Description: Do not let anger cloud your mind. Follow the most optimum path to obtain your goals. There is no such thing as friend or enemy. Only eternal benefits. Vengeance brings nothing. Work with the leader of the blue Shark to obtain more benefits.
Reward: 3000 Karma points. 』
As he had expected, the Book of Genesis had given him some ordeals to complete. Once again he received three quests that were more akin to morality choices than just being your average quests you would see in the RPG games or LitRPG series.
However, there was something different with the choices he had received. This time — unlike the time in the park, when he was helpless to truly take some of the other paths — he was freely able to choose any of the three choices that had been presented to him. No matter which ordeal or moral he wished to pursue it would only end in an advantage for him.
Be it killing everyone, allying with them, or forcing the leader to repent, they would all result in the Blue Sharks gang either weakening or the gang being swallowed up by their gang in the end. Moreover, no matter what choice he decided to make the Karma points that would be rewarded to him would still be quite staggering.
'I…What do you think of this, Genesis?'
[I believe that the least effective path is the one of White Knight. But at the same time, it may be the one with the greatest reward that you will be able to accumulate through this ordeal.]
[Note: The deeper the change the more the reward will increase.]
What did that notice even mean in the first place? By how much would the Karma point increase? What were the factors and basis that would be used to determine the increase in rewards? Just how much did he even need to change the person to receive the maximum possible benefits? There were so many questions but answers to not a single one.
The additional rewards that would be given to him were quite vague and Adam understood the reason behind this phenomenon.
People did not do good acts expecting a huge reward in return for their sincerity. Sometimes good people were rewarded greatly for their works but oftentimes the kindness they bestowed upon others gave them nothing in return, but they still had the self-satisfaction of having done something that resonated with their morality.
The Grey Knight path was quite appealing to him at a glance, however, since the Blue Sharks were the enemy of Yui and her gang, following this path may lead to more complications for him in the future.
Furthermore, he was not aware of the reason behind the gang targeting his aunt Shuri. He did not even know if the leader was even the cause of this sudden attack. There were too many unknown variables that constricted him on this path.
Finally, the Black Knight path.
Adam could only give a bitter smile once he realized that this path, which would have once disgusted him to no end, only caused a very mild amount of repulsion and disgust in him. Moreover, he was seriously entertaining the idea of simply exterminating everyone from the get go.
His finger unconsciously moved toward the Black Knight path and he was about to accept it when he stopped suddenly and started carefully reading the description of the ordeal that he would need to accomplish once he chose to go through with it.
[Description: Eradicate all the members of Blue Shark with no exceptions.]
What did it take to count as a member of a particular gang?
Unlike what people thought, a gang was not only filled with gangsters. There were many more additional staffs and helpers that constituted the internal structure of a gang. Moreover, there were also outside relations that would do minor jobs but would also count as an extended body of the gang. Even the company they protected could be said to be part of the gang as well.
In the case of Yui, for example, all the gigolos and waiters in the bar were considered to be part of her gang in their affiliation. Even though they were not aware of the dealings that were done in the shadows or didn't even know that who they were working for was a gang in the first place.
'This is…'
Furthermore, even without taking into account the potentially innumerable people that he needed to kill in order to accomplish this ordeal, Hae-Won and her child should also be part of the gang as an extension of the whole.
'Genesis. When they say all members. Does it take into account all indirect members as well?'
[Indeed.]
Adam groaned and cursed in his mind, wishing there was at least a counter to this scenario akin to the last ordeal, but he was not given such a luxury this time around. If he undertook this ordeal then he needed to go all the way through, there was no way around it. He would need to kill and exterminate absolutely everyone without any exceptions.
He sighed and began to think about not only the moral questions that accompanied this choice but more importantly, which one of them would be less of a hassle for him.
'Would I be bothered if I kill Hae-Won?'
He quietly contemplated that question. Truthfully speaking, he felt only the slightest bit of compassion for the woman. Aside from this, he could not really find himself feeling much for her aside from pure and raw lust for her beauty and body.
He didn't have to take responsibility for someone's life simply because he had fucked her once, right?
'Ugh… Fuck it!'
A tumultuous frustration was growing in his heart the more he pondered on this subject. He was really indecisive about this.
'Do I need to take a decision now?'
[The quest will always be here until the cause of this quest vanishes altogether.]
Adam nodded and slowly began to approach the ground. He lacked information, way too much information to make an educated choice on this matter.
He would have to first discuss with Yui about the situation at hand but first things first… He needed to obtain the information necessary for him to make a firm choice that he would not have any regrets over.
—
When the car finally stopped close to the docks, one man and a woman walked out of the car hurriedly after making sure that they had left no traces of their arrival at this place and hurriedly went toward the inner part of the Dock.
"What the hell was that?"
"I don't know. But we have to inform the team leader."
They had received quite a simple mission and it shouldn't have been too complicated for them to accomplish it. After all, the target, despite her position as a lawyer, was just a normal woman. She knew nothing about the true horrors that lay under the veil of darkness.
The only reason they hadn't gone for a more direct strike was because of the laws of the hunter association.
It was one thing having the LAPD after them, it was another to have the LAPPD after them. Even more so after the recent major event that had taken place in the city.
But this simple mission was proving to be far more complicated than they initially expected.
After all, they had already lost two companions at the very first part of their plan. They needed to inform the leader that supernatural forces were in place to protect the target.
But it was then…
The two immediately stopped, not due to their own will but due to the overwhelming feeling of dread and horror that was coursing through their body for a particular reason.
The darkness seemed to become thicker and a shadow walked out of it. They could see nothing but dreadful red eyes and the sound of the ever-approaching steps.
The shadow opened its mouth, like the maw of a large beast ready to swallow them whole at any moment without the slightest hesitation.
They felt fear… True unadulterated fear.
Sweat covered their brows and all their limbs shivered in fright. They did not even entertain the thought of fighting back or defending themselves. Even the option of fleeing was non-existent.
"Hello… Do you want to play a game?"
'Ah…' They thought, 'So this is how all of it ends, huh…'
There was no escape. It was simply an inevitability.
Later on, the scream of the two filled the sky. But no one could hear them as that sound was stifled by the gravity of the surroundings.
CH 193: MAKE THEM SING
When the shadow receded, Adam walked away while whistling calmly under the moonlight. From the outside, he simply looked like a middle-aged man wearing a large cloak that hid much of his body.
Reaching a little farther into the dock, he took his phone and called Nikola,
"Come to my position, I have a gift you should appreciate."
From what Adam understood in the organization, Mammoth and Nikola were the direct subordinate of Yui and the ones who could play the role of representative when Yuir was absent.
[What do you mean?]
The voice that came may have been grumpy but she was definitely less hostile than in the past. It was good news since it would have been tiring to have an enemy in the same organization.
"Just come. You will thank me later. Also come with the cleaning crew."
[...I see. Very well.]
Nikola could feel the seriousness of the matter when Adam mentioned the cleaning crew. She simply prayed that there was not as much bloodshed as the carnage he wrought last time.
Once he hung up, Adam sighed and looked up at the sky, he thought briefly about taking a smoke but decided against it.
Even with the money he had just obtained, he could only barely buy two cigarettes of this caliber. He felt no headache and his mind was not strained.
'I am certainly becoming used to using my power so proactively.'
He remembered how simply using Accelerated thinking the first time made him feel like he was about to die with his head exploding.
Now he could do so much more and so easily. In a way, it was a feeling that could easily overtake him and inflate his ego.
Thankfully, he had already met so many monsters. That he didn't think he would even start to entertain the thought that he was somehow unrivaled.
'Sigh…Now what to do?'
He had interrogated the two earlier and what he had found had not managed to satiate his appetite.
Whether this was because they were too low ranked or because he didn't have a good understanding of torture, he didn't know. As such, it was better to let the pro do their job.
As for him, all he should do was focus on what he would do in the immediate future.
Looking at the contact list of his number, his finger hovered briefly before he finally pushed the number.
The call rang two or three times before finally, someone answered,
[Hi. Adam, how are you?]
The voice of Shuri filled his ears, causing Adma to chuckle, even after going through such shocking events, her voice was still calm and she even cared about him first.
Adam sighed and made sure to control his intonation to not sound like his Cinder persona.
"I am doing well. I was thinking of calling you to visit your house. I don't know what you are doing now?"
[Ah…]
Shuri seemingly covered the phone and talked to someone else. Even though it was blurry, it was still pretty clear to his ears.
She was talking to her secretary about the security of the place. The secretary seemed to be rather against him coming but in the end Shuri convinced her.
[I am back and you can come in….1H? Huh, No? okay okay. Sorry, Adam. It's a little late now.]
"Something happened?"
[...]
The sound died for an instant, before a sigh sounded, [I am at the police station. Come if you can.]
"The police!?" Even though he wasn't particularly surprised, he still acted that way and nodded, "I am coming soon. Wait for me."
Adam hung up once again and stood up, and as if on cue, he could see three cars coming up to him and from one of them, Nikola came out while wearing her usual handsome suit and her pair of gloves.
"So, Why bring me to this place on this cold night?"
"I wanted to share the wonderful view while in good company."
Nikola seemed a little taken aback by his words but only chuckled and shook her head,
"I am not one of your clients."
She looked around and sniffed, "Anyways who did you kill this time?"
A few people dressed in black cloaks and wearing masks that made them look like mad scientists walked out of the cars and stood in rows behind her.
The cleaning crew. This was a group necessary for people of the supernatural world and while they worked in the shadows, their utility needed not to be proven.
Adam shrugged and pointed to a certain place. Where there had been nothing but a wall of a building, shimmered and gave place to two unconscious and bloody gangsters.
Nikola once again sighed at the breath of power Adam was showing before indicating her goon to take charge.
"Explain please."
"Blue shark attacked one of our clients. More precisely I mean my client."
The only ones who knew his personal life in this place were Yui and Mammoth and he intended to keep it this way. He believed in no one else in the gang and wouldn't give him a weakness of his so easily.
Though talking about Shuri, it was clear that Nikola would have a deeper insight into his life sooner or later.
"There were four. I already killed two. The ones who attacked. As for those two, they were tight-lipped. But it seemed like it was a mixture of two coincidences."
From what they understood, Shuri was not initially a target of elimination. But after she entered the bar, they summarized that she was about to ally with Yui.
This made the order go from intimidation to elimination. This would bring triple success.
Killing someone annoying, stopping two enemies to become allies, and smearing the name of Yui.
Nikola listened in silence before a beautiful smile formed on her face. But it was one Adam could see was filled with cold anger.
Nikola obviously did not care about Shuri. But it was true that if a client was killed just after leaving their bar, it wouldn't look good.
She nodded and adjusted her gloves.
"Leave it to me."
She wouldn't just make them talk. She swore she would make them sing.
CH 194: OPPOSITE (1)
After handing the matter over to Nikola, Adam now found himself standing in front of the police station.
Thinking about it now, it was rather humorous how he had managed to avoid this place despite his whole affair with Jack the Ripper. However, he had somehow still found his way here because of another problem that was technically not directly tied to him.
'Well. For Shuri, it's definitely worth it.'
The LAPD bureau was rather large all things considered.
Entering the establishment, he could see that all the people here were either wearing the traditional uniform of cops or donned similar clothing that screamed their identity as detectives. The cops were walking around all over the place, coming to and from as they did their jobs of saving the city from the clutches of crime.
Well… Most of them, he thought in his mind.
Some of them would sometimes give him a look but would otherwise avoid his existence, probably thinking that he was here to make a complaint or something.
After wandering around the large bureau for a while, he was finally able to reach a place that he thought was the entrance of the main door.
"Sorry, I need to check you."
Adam nodded as he was stopped from entering by two men that served as security guards of the precinct. They brought a metal detector from inside and started inspecting him from head to toe for anomalies.
Thankfully, he had already hidden his weapons so there was no way for him to be ratted out by the detectors.
His weapons were, in fact, floating above him right now, hidden by the use of his illusions, and once he went past the check, he would re-equip them on his body once more.
"Your motive for coming here?"
"A close friend of mine is currently being interrogated in this place. I came to visit her."
"I see… Name, Address, and the name of the person you are visiting?"
A series of questions and authentication procedures assaulted him thereafter, making Adam wonder in his mind just why he hadn't just gone invisible and avoided this hassle altogether.
Looking around the crowd, he was quite a bit surprised to see that many Hunters and even supernatural creatures were mixed in with the people that are supposed to be sent to prison.
It was rather weird to see how they were listening to the orders of the police officers even though they had the power and strength to completely break out of their bounds and kill everyone here.
Adam realized once again that he knew surprisingly little about the rules of the supernatural world and that, as always, there was so much that he needed to learn and understand about this world still.
Finally, after what seemed like an interminable time he was able to flee from the endless waves of questions that had been directed his way to the security guards and entered the true heart of the police bureau.
—
In the interrogation room, a blonde woman wearing comfortable pants and a gentlemanly shirt was currently having a staring contest with Shuri.
Even though the woman had somewhat of a scowl etched on her face, Shuri's expression mirrored the perfect opposite of the detective's as she calmly gazed at the detective with a serene thin smile on her lips.
"Madam Nakiri, I would really like it if you could be more forthcoming about what happened. This 'accident' that you are speaking of was clearly a staged murder attempt. By helping us understand your situation you are actually helping yourself. Why are you not being cooperative then?"
All she received in response was silence and the same serene smile that had never left Shuri's face for even a moment since she had started interrogating her. The scowl that had marred the detective's face could only grow thicker and more prominent when she saw that calm and serene smile of Shuri.
If it was a mocking or derisive smile that she was directing at her, then she could have simply pushed it off. She was already used to being looked down on when interrogating possible suspects.
But this smile full of benevolence and peace that she was directing at her made her feel like she was looking down at a silly child that had yet to learn much of the world and this irked her to no end.
Fighting the urge to smile, she stood up and walked out, going to the other side of the interrogation room.
"Seems like you didn't have much luck, huh?"
Her mentor, Kirishima, chuckled lightly after seeing her leaving the room, "Why don't you come and help?"
"And being sued later because of attempting coercion. Yeah, no thanks. This woman is an old fox. Don't let her look fool you. You should personally know that it isn't the smartest move."
Smith sighed and ruffled her hair lightly, "What about the Secretary?"
"Even more silent. You better let go. Those two are the victims in this case. We have no justification to keep them any longer. If we try, they will sue our ass to no tomorrow and the high up won't be happy."
"Argh!"
She groaned at this, "Always excuses, always politics. Isn't there one fucking moment where we can simply talk about what is wrong? This case is clearly a hit! This was no accident. Furthermore, the cause of the death of the other two doesn't seem to match the damage they should have received."
"Firstly, lower your tone. I hope you do not forget that I am your superior first and foremost."
Kirishima calmly talked to her despite her outburst, this made Smith deflate as she realized that she was acting like a petulant child to someone who had always shown respect to her.
"I am sorry."
He smiled and patted her shoulder, "Good this is what I like about you. So now let me talk to you not as a superior but as a friend."
He slowly withdrew his hand and his smile vanished alongside,
"I do not understand what kind of delusions you had when you decided to become a cop. It seems like you mostly had many great dreams. But you need to wake up to reality now."
"..."
"You are putting your nose in matters that do not concern you. Your desire to help people, bring justice and keep the peace is great and beautiful. But you need to understand that the world does not care about what you wish."
He shook his head and looked at the one way mirror, clicking on the button linked to the mic.
"We are sorry about the inconveniences. I think we have enough information. You can leave now and we are very sorry about what happened to you, we will make sure to give a word to your assurance."
After he said so, he turned around and could see Smith looking at him with stubbornness,
"So I am wrong? Is it wrong to expect cops to work for justice? Isn't it exactly the oath we all took? To protect and serve?"
Her eyes reddened a little, "Why does everything have to revolve around politics and wealth?"
Kirishima closed his eyes. He was painfully aware of what she was feeling now.
After all, he also went through the same situation. Only, unlike him, he had had no one to help him realize and he nearly burned himself.
Concern entered his voice, "I am not saying that you're wrong. I am saying that you are going at it wrong. If you continue like this, you will get yourself killed sooner or later."
Looking at her, he knew that what he had just said had barely entered her mind.
"Take a walk outside, cool your head and think straight. I think you need another vacation."
"I …"
"This is an order. Leave now."
"Understood."
She nodded and walked away.
Her mind was complicated. It wasn't as if she was stupid.
She perfectly understood that her dream and aspiration about what the police should be were childish at best. Perhaps in the eyes of many she was just a stupid child who refused to understand reality.
But she understood reality and this was because she understood it that she could not understand.
Why was it so bad for her to wish to see justice being served when it needed to be so?
Why was it the norm that people like her were considered as outside of the norm and everyone considered corruption, injustice, and manipulation through influence and money to be tye norm?
She felt a headache just thinking about this.
'I wonder what my brother is doing?'
She sighed and decided to take a coffee. Her brother always went abroad for his work and could be out for Days and weeks.
She initially suspected it was something illegal but after digging she realized it was some kind of minor company.
Like her he was also a little too straight laced and it seemed like this also caused him problems in his job.
In moments like this, she took solace in talking with him as he was the only one who seemed to understand her.
"Coffee?"
"Yeah thanks."
When she reached the machine, she nodded and accepted the sudden proposal and sighed again when she received the cup.
"I feel alive now."
"Well, a cup of coffee during the night can certainly help."
Smith stopped short when she raised her face in order to thank the man who helped her.
Her eyes widened when she immediately recognized one of the targets of her investigation that caused her to take a short "vacation" not long ago.
"Adam Gospel."
The sole survivor of Jack the Ripper.
CH 195: OPPOSITE (2)
"Adam Gospel."
When Smith uttered his name she could see the young man tilting his head in wonder and curiosity as he looked at her with a sense of bewilderment and intrigue in his eyes. His reactions were enough for her to quickly understand that he had not recognized her at all.
Weirdly enough, however, it was only when he looked at the top of her head that he could see his eyes widen slightly and the light of recognition shimmered in his beautiful blue eyes, indicating that he was finally able to recognize who she was.
'What is he looking at on my head?'
Her brows furrowed as she was not able to understand what this enigmatic young man was up to. Meanwhile, Adam's eyes quickly refocused on his face as he spoke to her with a smile on his face, "Good Evening, detective. Though with the current time, I guess we could say that it's good morning perhaps?"
His smile that was directed at her was one of leisure and relaxation. It was filled with a sense of calm that she found both intriguing and worrying at the same time.
The young man had changed…
Her instincts that had been honed over the years were screaming at her of that fact. The young man that was now standing in front of her was definitely marginally different from the one she had seen on that night.
Even back then, he had been calm and quite a bit composed when facing her but now… the very aura and atmosphere that was revolving around him had changed into something entirely different.
Instantly, her mind flashed to all the information she had managed to glean on him before being put on forced vacation.
Adam Gospel. Now 21 years old. He had undergone a childhood that was not particularly different from hundreds of boys living in America. Living with a single mother, growing up in a relatively normal environment with values and morality etched on his bones. He was the typical model citizen that roamed the streets of LA.
The first thing that made him a bit more special than others was the fact that he lived in a relatively wealthy neighborhood despite the economic situation of his family.
That alone was enough to show that he was not a normal young man, but rather someone with connections and possibly a hidden background or backing. From the records, his high school life was filled with weeks and months of missed school days and acts of delinquency but there were no bad reports on his report card that was able to show a reflection of those moments.
It was as if his records had been completely wiped clean, leaving only the good parts while completely omitting any signs of deviation. Following that period of deviation, Adam's Gospel became something akin to a perfect student and there would have been nothing out of the ordinary if not for the fact that he was friends with the children of people in high power or rather well-paying jobs.
Everything she had read about him and his life gave her the feeling that the boy was akin to the darling of lady luck. Whatever happened to him, there was always someone to wipe his ass and take care of everything for him.
Finally, there was even the case of him being protected by the Triads and the Yakuza of the underworld.
'Tch!'
Just thinking about all of that was enough to piss her off. Why was someone like him allowed to walk free into the streets? Why were well-known mafia bosses and criminals able to enjoy life as they wished with no problems when they should be rotting in jail for the actions of disorder and deviation that they caused in society?
She forced herself to calm down. She knew the exact reason behind such phenomena. She knew the rules that governed this insufferable world. Because there were laws that prohibited them from enacting true justice. Because they could not just arrest someone based on allegations without enough proof and witness to build a case.
Because, Because, Because. So many reasons. So many excuses. All in favor of the bad and the wicked.
In the end — Criminals should simply all die for their misdeeds.
"Hmmm… May I know what I have done to you? You are glaring at me pretty hard there."
Detective Smith was startled and closed her eyes to get her bearings straight as she felt her mind snap back to reality due to the young man's words. The progressively increasing stress was getting to her lately and this made her thoughts become darker and darker without her really understanding why that was the case.
Sighing, she waved her hand, "I am Detective Smith. Themis Smith. I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable due to my… untoward actions. I guess I was just a bit too focused on certain problems in my life and it projected toward you… I am sorry again."
While she had many doubts about the young man in front of her, the reality was that she had been taught to be polite and to never forget her manners no matter who she interacted with. As such she readily apologized to him for her behavior,
"May I ask what brings you here?"
Adam's eyebrows rose at her question before he responded to her with a small smile on his face, "I have come to pick up my aunt from the police station."
"I see."
She hesitated for a moment, feeling her mind calm slightly at his oddly soothing voice, "I was with Detective Kirishima during your incident. I am happy to see that you are living well now after the events that you have gone through."
He nodded his head in response, "It wasn't easy and even now I still remember that day vividly. But this ordeal allowed me to mature in a way."
A bitter smile formed on his face as he continued with his words, "So, you seemed quite down there detective. May I know what happened for you to feel like that? Is it because of a difficult case?"
She chuckled as she drank the coffee that was offered to her by the young boy. It was weird for her to be counter-interrogated in this situation but what could she say, there were many things she wanted to get out of her chest, and needed an outlet for that to happen.
"I was just thinking about the situation of the police and how we could do a better job to protect the citizens of the city."
"I guess this must not be an easy task for you guys?"
"Well, it is truly fucking hard."
She laughed self-deprecatively, feeling despondent, "We are supposed to protect the citizens, but they fear and hate us rather than respect us for it. Wherever we try to help, we meet more resistance than the criminals roaming the streets."
She was quite sad. The first time she became a cop, she had been filled with so much joy that it was simply indescribable. But even in the neighborhood where she lived, people started to look at her with eyes filled with suspicions and rejection.
As if they feared she would suddenly arrest them for no particular reason or find a way to make their lives miserable.
The people that used to be her friends saw her job either as a pass to make mistakes as they believed she would always bail them out or as a reason to distance themselves from her as they considered that she was not someone they could have fun being around with.
They were supposed to be the protectors of the people. She had never thought about becoming acclaimed and praised when she took this job.
But not even one small thanks for the things she did for others?
Of course, she understood that this visceral reaction was normal. How could the citizens believe in the police when there were so many incidents that tarnished their reputations?
But this was why she found this all the more sad and despairing.
As always, a few bad apples made the whole basket look bad. People focused so much on the mistakes that a select few cops made that they forgot all the good they did alongside them.
But even the best cop could do nothing when faced with politics.
In the end, whose fault was it?
The citizens who refused to help?
The cops who became corrupt because everyone else was corrupt?
Or the higher-ups who took advantage of both and filled their pockets while ignoring the law with total impunity?
Was it impossible to have true peace and justice in this world?
If this really was impossible then… were humans at fault or was it the fault of the world itself?
She felt like she just wanted to sit down and sleep through all her worries and stress.
Perhaps she was really not suited to be a cop, after all…
CH 196: TALK IS CHEAP
The situation was very awkward, to say the least.
'What the fuck is going on here now?'
Adam's lips almost twitched out of disbelief as he observed the detective, with an overly passionate sense of justice, complaining in front of him about the woes of her job. He was absolutely baffled by her sudden behavior and didn't know what to do.
When he had initially seen her in the hallway of the bureau, he had even forgotten who the hell she was and was actually quite a bit surprised when he had spoken out his name as if she had known him for a long time.
It was only after reading her information that he remembered about this cop that had come to the hospital to investigate his circumstances back then with Sae's father.
Since she was the partner of Sae's father, he had decided to be as polite with her as he was able to and he had honestly no reason to act like a douche with her.
But what followed in the last few minutes made him feel like he was talking to a person who might have a severe case of bipolar syndrome or multiple personality disorder. He wasn't exaggerating here. Her behavior had been just way out of the top from the moment she had laid her eyes on him.
From looking at him like he was the killer of her parents to apologizing to him out of nowhere with a truly apologetic tone in her voice. Then, completely out of nowhere, she started talking to him like they were old bosom friends, complaining about her job, and acting all philosophical.
Even looking at the state of her emotional stats made him feel dizzy as they switched and moved so damn fast that Adam almost felt like there was something wrong with his powers.
The way her emotions changed would even make a roller coaster going at full speed blush in shame and feel inadequate for not being able to deliver the twists and turns and spontaneity that the riders would be able to feel fulfilled with.
'Is this woman mentally sick or something?'
He wondered briefly before deciding that whatever she was feeling, it wasn't his problem at all. He was not about to deal with a literal mental woman when he had come here to just fetch Shuri from this place.
His training as a psychologist was only for his own self-interest. He had no interest in giving counseling to someone who was not his client or someone he was not really particularly close to.
The only reason he didn't immediately leave was that the topic she had brought up was something that he was also deeply immersed in these days for quite some time.
In a way, the two of them had many similarities but the differences between them were even more startling. He had studied to become a lawyer and she had studied to become a cop.
He did it in order to become rich, she did it for justice and to save the people in need.
Even now, his motivation in life was always related to the accumulation of more and more power and nothing else. It was money when he thought that he only lived in a capitalistic society and it became the pursuit of strength and might when he realized that the real world was actually a jungle with the law of survival of the fittest being applied at every moment.
Even then, this transition had not been easy for him. It was not easy for him at all. Adam had been raised to respect the law and order of the society and outside of some minor offenses, he had never broken any big laws even while working as a fighter for Yui in the underworld fighting arenas.
However, the philosophy he had been living with changed in its entirety when he had awakened to the supernatural world. The rules and laws of the supernatural world were very much different from those of the human world and he had to quickly adapt to them in order to survive.
Even though there was a smidgen of order on the surface of things, this was only done to hide the cruel reality that ran deep in the world of the supernatural. Adam had chosen to not be on the side of those who refused to fight back. He also refused to be on the side of those who never took the initiative to fight for themselves or for the ones they loved and cherished.
In order to protect himself, to become stronger, and to reach greater heights in this life… he had decided to trample on others in order to not be trampled on in return. To take the life of another in order to protect his own and the lives of those who cared for him. That was Adam's new philosophy and view of the life he was currently living.
"Miss Detective, may I ask you a question?"
"Hmmm?"
"If you were given true and absolute power, a power that would let you ignore anything and anyone if you could have as much influence as you wished… Do you really think you would be able to bring true justice to this world?"
Detective Themis Smith kept her silence as he heard his words. She knew very well that the world was not as easy as that and that there were way too many variables for just absolute power to establish what one wished. But still, she spoke…
"If I had power…"
She laughed quietly, dark thoughts swirling in her mind as she replied in a weak voice, "If I had the power I would make a difference…"
Adam smiled at her and replied in a blunt manner, "I think you wouldn't." His words may be cruel but there was no doubt about this in his opinion.
She looked up and growled slightly under her breath as she replied to him in a slightly hostile tone, "What do you mean?"
Adam simply looked at her, unimpressed by her anger, he had faced a literal prince of hell. This show of emotion could not even make him twitch "Let me tell you something I learned from my little experiences."
He pointed at himself and spoke out in a soft but steady tone, "Those who say, I would do it if I could are just people who like to talk big but never deliver when it actually matters.
"Talk is cheap. Action speaks louder than any words ever could. You complain about the injustice and cruelty of the world that we live in. But what did you actually do to change the situation, huh? Can you tell me about that? Well, outside of just complaining like a 12-year-old, that is…"
Adam hated Whiner. Whining did nothing to change your situation. He also wanted to whine. But life was a bitch and showed him many times that if he had enough time to whine then he had enough time to grind.
He laughed quietly, a slight edge in his tone that he unconsciously leaked out, "Did you try increasing your rank to obtain more power in the bureau? Did you try to do some manifestation? Perhaps a petition to convert this situation?"
"I…"
"Of course, I am sure you have a very logical reason for not doing so and there is nothing wrong with that… But… If you can give excuses for your inactions. Why can't the others do the same for the convictions they believe in?"
This was simply the way of thinking of hypocritical bastards. Adam knew. After all, he was sometimes a hypocrite as well.
He smirked when he saw her eyes widen in disbelief, "You became a cop. Clap~ Clap~ Clap~ Good. Wonderful. But what else? What did you actually try to do to make a difference in our society, huh? I am all ears…"
He waited in silence… When he received no answer even after waiting for some time, he just nodded, "I thought so. Before fixing the world, try fixing yourself first."
Adam stood up and straightened his clothes, "Well, it was enjoyable having this discussion with you."
He waved his hand and left Themis alone in front of the vending machine as she started to think deeply about the discussion she just had that left her completely speechless.
Indeed. What had she done until now?
Nothing. Not a single thing worth mentioning…
She suddenly felt utterly useless…
'I… What can I do then?'
She wanted to ask him while shouting her lungs out… But he was already gone before she could even do anything, leaving her to her own thoughts.
'If I wish to change the world, I need to change myself, huh…'
One idea kept swimming in her mind, refusing to leave no matter how she fought it. If the police could not help her in her goal of bringing justice… Then shouldn't she take the matter into her own hands?
She looked quietly at the black coffee in her hands, after all, wasn't it said that no one can do it better than yourself?
She kept staring at the coffee in her hands… Her thoughts, unknown…
CH 197: ARE YOU INTERESTED IN WINE?
After Adam left Detective Smith behind to fend for her own thoughts, it didn't take a long time for him to find the person he had been searching for and the reason behind his visit to the LAPD bureau. The police center was hella big and was filled with so many people that using his domain in this place was nothing short of an epic-grade nightmare.
Cops, criminals, and people of all kinds. But more than anything… people… lots and lots and lots of people… So high was the number that his brain felt like it would melt by just keeping the domain active and scanning the general outline of their existence. But he didn't deactivate his domain. This was good training for his mental endurance.
When he finally reached the place Shuri was currently at, he could see her sitting there, a pen in her hand as she was filling out something… Most likely, they were some forms about her statement and the procedures that needed her signatures that would allow her to quickly leave this place.
Shuri had not changed her clothes from her time at the bar and despite the earlier hectic and life-threatening events that had taken place not long ago, she still had the mental capacity and bearings to don a very composed smile and a calm expression on her face.
No matter which angle he looked at her from, Shuri seemed to be the example of the perfect model citizen. The kind that would lead very honest lives and would uphold the law and order in the direst hours. However, he still remembered vividly the images of her calm and experienced actions and the orders she had given during the time she realized that someone was attacking her and perhaps aiming for her life.
Keeping calm, taking her guns out of her handbag like that was the most natural thing to do, and preparing for a fight like she was some master spy under disguise. He had noticed it, but it seemed like all the women in his life were quite fierce and not the kind to let themselves be those princesses in the fairytales, the so-called damsels in distress.
When Shuri saw him approach her from far away, she simply smiled and nodded at him before continuing to fill out the form at a swift pace.
A few moments later she waved at the officer and walked up to him with her handbag in her hand. Just moments earlier, there were guns inside the bag, he wondered if they were still there or not but he didn't go out of his way to find out.
"Adam… I am happy to see that you have come here to fetch me."
Adam walked up to her and before she could react, he hugged her gently into his arms, putting slight pressure as he brought her deep into his embrace, "I am glad you're alright. I was worried when I heard that you were at the police station."
Hugging her tightly like this, Adam could feel her bountiful form, her pillowy and full bosom, and her soft body against his own. This was truly a sensation like no other, which made him cough slightly under his breath and quickly distance himself from her.
Shuri had also been the slightest bit flustered by his sudden intimate action. Adam had never been short nor tall but now the difference between them was all the more evident for her to see. His body felt stronger. More muscular without entering the domain of being overly big. He had a very lean and shredded physique which seemed to be the perfect point any male physique could ever reach.
As for his face… She didn't know if it was because she was somewhat used to him or something, but she was sure that if she had seen him with his current demeanor for the first time, she would have been already captivated by him and would struggle to interact with him without completely falling for his charms.
'Though… I feel like I recognize this perfume somewhat.'
She was quite confused. Adam was wearing simple black jeans and a blazer above your usual business white shirt. It gave him a simple but effective appearance and made his looks stand out a bit more due to the contrast they made with his plain clothing.
"As you can see. I am good. Not even a scratch on my body."
She was surprised even as she said this. The crash had been strong enough to kill whoever was trying to attack her. But there was nearly no traces of its remnants on her car and she barely even felt the shock of the crash. All of this was very confusing to her.
She knew the defense of her car was great but she doubted it was strong enough for the current events to unfold. If it really had been so strong then she was sure that she had seriously underpaid the manufacturer.
"Well, let's go, shall we? This isn't exactly the place to discuss these things and catch up."
Shuri was curious about why Adam was calling her at this time of the night and came to see her like this but she was happy to have someone she was close to in this hectic situation.
—
When the two walked out of the police bureau, they were escorted by a full security team of guards to her car.
"Your team is…"
"Well. I never really showed you this side of the business that I do, huh…."
She grimaced slightly as the car started advancing along the night road. The driver was once again her secretary. She was one of the rare people she really trusted with her safety and well-being.
Even her protection group was made of three different teams with different origins and different orders. This was done in order to avoid any collusion between them and the potential risk of betrayal which is too easy to happen these days.
After all, loyalty obtained through money could also be easily lost with enough money from the other side. It was a gamble and the side with the bigger coffers would always win. She didn't believe for even a second that she was one with the side of the bigger coffers. Hence, the current arrangement.
"Being a lawyer at my level is not easy, you see… There is also the fact that I have to deal with many people in high positions and authority in society."
She was not a righteous lawyer who fought for justice. Her company had done many shady deals and protected many people who had dirty secrets that they did not want to be revealed to the surface.
"Security is paramount for us in this business. Because of this, I keep all important information in different backup servers and top secret places. Some of them are not even in my possession or in the country. Some documents are in written copy and many are digital and are scattered all over the web."
She chuckled, "This is how you survive when you aren't high in the hierarchy of the world of influence. Be dangerous enough that people decide that dealing with you isn't worth the results but not so dangerous that they decide to bear the risk to off you. You need to maintain a balance."
Two fists could not stop four. She could not count the number of times when people she knew were erased quietly because they reached farther than they should ever hope to reach… Because they were stupid enough to believe in their trump cards and think that they were invincible due to the secrets they held.
"You seem to have many enemies."
Shuri stopped her monologue and spoke, "I do have some. Not many. Thankfully, I also have many allies.
"In order to reach where I am now standing on, I had to crush and trample on many people. I am not proud of all of the things I had to do to reach here but this is just the reality."
Her voice was calm and composed. This was a side of her she had always hidden from Adam.
She wished she could always appear as the sweet and gentle aunt Shuri to him. But that was only when she saw him as a kid.
Now that she was starting to see him as a man, she decided that perhaps it was time to show her other and darker side to him. The real her that dealt with the world of darkness with the darkness of her own.
'I guess I have to thank Cinder for that.'
Next time she visited that place perhaps she would bring some wine from her own collection to share with him.
She sighed and avoided looking at Adam even as she spoke,
"What do you think, are you surprised?"
She didn't really know what she would say if Adam decided that her way was wrong and started having negative thoughts about her.
She knew her way was not perfect. Her husband had told her this many times and that had been one of the causes of the dissension between them that ultimately led to his infidelity.
Even at work, many talked behind her back while thinking their words would not reach her ears. Saying that she was more of a man than a woman and that her husband must have it hard.
All of this had been hard to bear for her. But she never once complained.
While she was underestimated as a woman. It was exactly because her opponents underestimated her that she was able to take over them and stride forward on her business.
"I admit I am surprised by this sudden dump of info I am receiving here. But, this simply goes to show how awesome you are."
He gave her a smile full of encouragement.
"Hehe look at your face… I am not going to judge you. Everyone lives their life as they see fit to do."
Even though he was saying this to her, it felt like Adam was talking to himself in a certain way.
Shuri smiled, feelings a burden lift off her shoulder.
She hesitated for an instant, "Say, are you interested in wine? I have quite the collection at home."
She felt slightly lightheaded even as she told him about this, "Ahem~ of course, if you would rather go home then I can take you back. You can still catch some sleep."
"I have no reason to refuse about learning something new. Let's go to your house, shall we?"
Shuri nodded, feeling her throat become dry instantly.
She didn't know what the hell was about to happen but she felt that, by the end of this night, everything would change between the two of them.
CH 198: STALLING FOR TIME
[Wild Hunt]
Wearing a doctor's gown, Nikola was whistling as she cleaned up her tools. Her face was slightly covered in blood and her gown was completely drenched in the same liquid but looking at her, one would think that she was simply cooking or having fun.
Torture was an art. This was the belief that was instilled in her while she grew up in the camp with the other children. Since they were all trained to become assassins, torture had been obviously on the curriculum, and for all artists, the tool they used was no different from their souls.
"Ugh. I can never get used to this."
The voice of Mammoth sounded as he stepped into the room. The torture room they used was entirely covered in white plastics that were liquid-proof. This was the best way to stop the blood, flesh, and other disgusting liquids from covering the ground or the ceiling for that matter.
"Oh Mammoth, you came soon."
Mammoth sighed as he looked at the rosy face of Nikola as well as the giant smile on her face. It seemed that only in moments like this or when she was talking to Yui that could she show a smile so genuine.
"The boss wanted to come down but I stopped her. Can't have her smelling blood just as she is about to meet the old boss."
"Old boss? Hum, the leader of the Feng family?"
Nikola nodded to herself. She knew that it should be about the drug matter. Yui was not righteous. While she stopped dealing drugs in her territory, she understood that it was a business that was hard to fight so she could make concessions on some that were not particularly harmful or that were legal in other countries. The best example is the Cannabis that was legal in Canada.
But the Fairy Dust was another matter entirely. That drug was extremely harmful to the human mind and extremely addictive. This applied even to hunters and having such drugs circulating in her territory would mean more unwanted attention from the LAPPD.
"Well, she should be happy to learn that I managed to make them sing and it seems like the Blue Shark are related to those drugs."
Mammoth frowned, this was becoming complicated, or rather this was becoming even more complicated. Anyone who could produce this drug in such quantity was without a doubt very powerful and influential. If such an organization gave its backing to the blue shark…
"Well, I guess we really need some big guns as well."
Nikola shrugged, "Anyways, this doesn't matter. We will just have to erase them when it comes to it. But I think it's possible to obtain more information first."
Never underestimate a cornered rat. The Blue Sharks may not have the same high-end power level but they were more numerous and had a greater influence. It wouldn't be impossible for them to have some hidden alliance.
Yui's gang was not related to the Feng or Hanekewa so even if the gang was eradicated the only one they would care about would be Yui.
"So everything will depend on that boy."
"Heh. Adam really became a big shot, I really wanna talk to him now but I didn't have the time."
Mammoth was quite happy about Adam's rise. Having someone strong in your team that you knew you could trust was always welcome. It didn't help that he was sure that Adam may become the young master of their gangs with how things were progressing.
Sooner or later, Yui will stop holding back and that day would be worth seeing.
"Well…You guys are making me look like the bad guys in this but we need someone to be skeptical."
Trust was nice and all but having your guard up at all time was a necessity. Her job wasn't to trust. Her job was to doubt. To always make sure those at the top showed no sign of betrayal.
She was the hound, the snitch, the one no one liked but that was always necessary in all large organizations.
She had already made plans to make sure she could kill any and every member of the gang at a moment's notice if it was necessary.
Mammoth was no expectation.
Adam would not be either.
This was not personal. This was just her job and she wanted to do it well. Whether she was cursed or despised did not matter as long as she made sure no one betrayed her.
"You should go take a bath now, your smell can make the dead rise."
Mammoth pinched his nose and waved his hands before leaving a dumbstruck Nikola.
Looking down, she brought her face to her armpit and sniffed a little,
"Hum…I don't really smell bad though."
Still, taking a bath wouldn't hurt.
Shrugging, she walked away, leaving the two bloody naked corpses sitting on a chair. The cleaning crew would make sure to take care of it later on.
—-
While the cog of the first gang war he would participate one were turning, Adam found himself sitting in Shuri's house as she went to take a bath and change herself.
The main house Shuri lived in was quite large and well-guarded but at the same time, he couldn't help but wonder how lonely one must feel living alone in this place.
It was large mansion with three floors and a garden, it seemed like she had taken the typical American dream house and increased it exponentially.
The interior was richly decorated with lavish chandeliers on the ceiling, a large wall where a TV that looked more like a small cinema screen was hooked on, a few sofa there and here that was made of velvet.
It was the kind of mansion that, at first glance mixed grace and opulence without being flashy about it and made anyone who entered this house feel immense respect.
'Shuri should be from some noble family, right?'
He had never really asked about her situation from her family. For as long as he remembered, Shuri had always been alone and the only relative of her he knew was her husband.
Standing up, Adam began to walk around in the living room, while making sure to inspect the entire house for any trace of hidden listening device or camera.
'Nothing at first glance.'
He nodded once he made sure that everything was alright. Shuri's life was in danger but there was little he could do before completely exterminating the Blue Shark or making sure they would not be a liability.
'Genesis. Can you find a skill related to teleportation? I will start buying the skills related to that tree. If teleportation is something, what about something akin to a mark that would let me know when the one marked are facing danger?'
[All teleportation is related to space and thereby S rank of the highest level by default.]
Adam winced. S rank skill costs between a Hundred thousand to One million Karma. If it was of the highest degree, this would mean that even with a discount he would need 100K karma just to obtain the skill.
This was without counting the fact that from A rank onward, all skills had prerequisites skills necessary.
Adam had been planning to save Karma in order to buy the next Chakra as it would be quite costly.
'Do you think it's possible for me to learn one such skills by myself?'
[In the silver library there should be B and A rank skills related to space so it's in the realm of possibility. But I doubt very much you would be able to master such skills with just one pass. The only way then would be for you to awaken it yourself through the World.]
'If it was so easy to awaken skills, I would have thousand of them.'
Furthermore, even if he obtained such a skill through the World, the skill would be limited by the zone covered by The World. What he wanted was true teleportation.
[Then the only possible way would be to make a contract with a special entity related to space or learn from a powerful mage.]
One person came to his mind when he thought about mages.
A mysterious woman he once meet when he had just awakened and did not even have any particularly special power.
Bridget Bishop.
The headmaster of the academy.
CH 199: WHAT IS AGE? WHAT IS JAIL?
The sounds of splashing water echoed inside of the bathroom; hazy streams of steam rise into the air, covering the enchanting scene hidden underneath the realm of fog from being displayed openly to the world.
The bathroom was very spacious and the overall design of the interior was designed in the theme of Victorian antiquity. The luxurious drapings adorning the walls and the intricate designs made it worthy to house the royalty and in the middle of such luxury was a spacious bathtub that was large enough to accommodate more than two or three people at a time.
Resting inside the hot water of the steamy bath, Shuri sighed heavily, feeling the day's weariness literally melt away from her body as though it never even existed in the first place. Her mind now felt utterly refreshed and invigorated and she was now able to calmly assess the current circumstances at hand.
But, at this very moment, her thoughts were not filled with matters such as her first visit to the renowned host bar, which had been surprisingly enjoyable by a large margin, or the fact that she had just faced death through what could only be called an assassination attempt.
No. The only thing that occupied her mind right now was the fact that… downstairs, just below the room she was currently situated in, sat a patiently waiting Adam whose wait was only meant for her.
'Shuri, Shuri, you stupid woman… just what the hell were you thinking?'
Adam was the son of her friend, maybe even best friend, and she had seen him grow up from a tiny toddler to the young man he was now with her own eyes.
A young, fit, and very, very handsome young man, so to speak. Her face flushed as she thought about the sensations of his muscular and well-defined body hugging her so tightly in its gentle embrace.
'Get a grip already!'
She shouted in her mind in order to calm down her frantically beating heart and chase away any and all inappropriate pictures that she was continuously weaving in her mind without a sign of stopping like some lustful deviant.
She didn't know why… but today, she felt innumerably more excited than any other day and could somehow feel everything more vividly than usual.
She could only chalk this phenomenon up to that stupid decision of hers to drink a staggering quantity of wine during her stay at the host club in addition to the earlier life-and-death situation keeping her mind on the edge. After all, she would have never let Adam enter her home at this time of the day if her judgment had not been impaired for one reason or another. She vehemently told herself of that fact as though brainwashing herself to have complete belief in that statement.
'Sigh~ Let's focus on the important matters.'
She needed to find out who had attacked her some time ago and the reason behind this sudden attack. There was no way that this life-threatening event she was now a part of would stop after just a single attempt at her life. If the ultimate goal was taking her life then they would target her once more and at that time… she might not be as lucky as she had been earlier today.
Death was all too real an outcome for her now.
'I really made a mistake.'
Nothing like thinking about the possibility of dying to wake someone up even from the deepest haze that their mind could be in.
Her eyes changed. Gone was the confused young woman who acted like a high schooler who had just found out that she had a crush on someone for the first time in their life.
In place of that naive girl was now the ruthless lawyer with many widespread connections in her arsenal. She knew that the chance of her being attacked in the incoming days was rather slim and nearly non-existent if thought rationally. They would know that she was about to reinforce her defense and this was where the problem lay.
After all, she could not guard eternally against an invisible enemy that she had no idea about and wasn't sure when they would strike now, could she? As long as they stayed in the darkness, like an invisible dagger aiming at her from behind, she would one day let her guard down again and get shot dead by their heartless methods.
And due to that, what she needed now wasn't to defend but to counterattack. She needed to find her target and clearly learn the motive behind the attack otherwise, she would never be able to rest with her two eyes closed with that invisible blade waiting in the shadows for her negligence.
'One of my relatives perhaps?'
It wouldn't be outside of possibility, to be honest. She had already made it clear that the vast majority of her wealth would not go to her relatives. But as she was now, she had been childless even after years of marriage, perhaps offing her and inheriting the money was not in their plans?
'I nearly finished all the preparation to transfer the wealth to Adam but I wanted to keep it a secret for now.'
As Adam was now, he was too vulnerable. Those vultures would stop at nothing to attain their goals and this might affect Adam and Cecilia's life negatively.
But if she made it clear that she already had a will, the attack might stop. Of course, perhaps she was making a problem out of nothing and that it was just an outlier.
'I need to make everything clear.'
She chuckled and slowly stood up from the bath, the water slowly streamed down from her beautiful body and enchantingly bountiful curves.
Walking toward the mirror, she observed herself keenly. It might have been a little narcissistic of her but she believed that despite her age she was still an extremely beautiful and desirable woman. She was only in her late 30s. after all, and time had yet to leave a trace on her supple and alluring body.
Her breasts were large and full. A little too large, she thought in her mind, as they sometimes hurt her shoulders badly but even despite the years, they were not sagging and in fact still stood proud and unwavering; ready to seduce her prey. Her thighs were supple, and she regularly did sports and went to the gym. She did just enough so that her body would not become overly toned and muscular but would still stay healthy, well, and fit for any task.
She had a small bush coiling above her private parts that was well-trimmed but not so much that it could be said to be completely shaved. It was something that had been instilled in her for as long as she could remember by her parents. After all, in their tradition, being completely shaved was not something acceptable by society.
'I wonder what I look like from the perspective of a young man?'
She blushed, imagining Adam putting his hands on her supple body, slowly going from the top of her breasts to her most secret place. She wondered what expression he would have if he saw her naked body in its full glory. What would he do to her? Which part of her body would he fixate on?
She could see him trailing kisses down her collarbones while his fingers moved in and out in order to bring her to climax.
The vividness of the picture in her mind made her blush heavily and she became even more embarrassed about the current situation and her thoughts when she realized that her nipples were standing straight as if they were ready to cut diamonds already. Furthermore, she could feel a certain stickiness trailing down in her privates and she was pretty sure that this sensation wasn't due to the water.
'Get a grip on yourself, woman!'
She really felt like she was acting like some girl facing her first love and thinking of being one with them. But in a way, was it not the case?
She could not really say that her situation when she was with her husband was some deep story about endless love and passion. A dry marriage, a monotonous life, with no spark or explosion of the vivid colors of emotions supporting their journey together. Merely a bleak and achromatic road filled with normalcy.
'Let's go.'
She thought about Cinder and the advice he had given her today and decided to simply have some fun with Adam and stop thinking hard about complicated things. Perhaps she was behaving like a predator but who really cared about that? She knew that she didn't/
Wasn't age just a number?
"And jail is just a room."
She laughed at her own corny joke and moved on to her room. She had made him wait long enough already.
All she had to do now was to find some good wine and have a discussion with him, try to find what he was doing nowadays, give him a room, and make sure that he leaves tomorrow and reaches his home safe and sound.
Nothing more would happen. Just a normal conversation between a nephew and his aunt.
She had nothing to reproach herself and her best friend would not wring her neck because of her indecent mind and actions.
She just needed to focus now.
It would be simple, right?
…Right?
CH 200: K
When Adam heard the sound of Shuri's steps, descending down the stairs, he looked up and fought to keep his mouth from opening wide at the sight that greeted him soon after.
He had made sure to not spy on her in order to not breach her intimacy while she was bathing and changing her clothes. After all, while she would never know if he had peeped or not, he would know and he was not some creep who would do something like that to someone he knew and cared for.
At least Adam was sure that he would never do that to her; his mother was out of the equation altogether so there was not even a need to mention it. Peeping could be quite an exciting hobby, after all.
Currently, Shuri was wearing a simple white robe that had no particular decorations attached to it other than the designs on the robe itself. It was clearly a simple robe used for women to stay at home but on that luscious and mesmerizingly voluptuous body of hers, it gave her a sensual air that was so subtle that he could hardly pinpoint it. But he was able to detect that and it was enough to make his heart palpate with excitement and yearning.
Shuri's body proportions were simply heavenly and there was no heterosexual man who would not be attracted by what she had to offer to them.
Rich, beautiful, kind, smart, well-spoken, and simply and irrevocably beautiful. Did he say that she was absolutely beautiful already? Well, there was no problem in repeating that as no matter how much he repeated that truth, he felt like it would not be enough to describe her beauty.
Adam laughed in his head. He felt like his brain had short-circuited and this time, it wasn't because of an overload of information from overusing 'The World.'
If Adam had any doubts about his intention in courting Shuri, all those doubts and hesitation had simply gone out the proverbial window as his two small brains below drop-kicked his big brain before bitch slapping it and telling it to shut up and let them cook.
Looking down, at the reaction Adam visibly showed at her appearance, Shuri couldn't help but let her lips curl into a proud smile. She was indeed right; she still had it in her. Even though she was no young maiden anymore, she was still able to make young men turn their heads at the mere sight of her. Her hesitant confidence soared up to cloud nine with that single detail alone.
"I am sorry Adam. I hope I didn't make you wait too long. I really needed to take a bath and wipe away the grim and dirt of the day…"
'…As well as the dirt that had stained my mind.'
Shuri kept the last part of her words to herself but while she could hide her feelings from showing on her face, she could not hide them at all from Adam's 'Eye of Truth.'
[Emotions: Excited, worried, confused, marginally aroused.]
The emotions that were being shown on the screen were not fluctuating like no tomorrow like it had been with Detective Themis Smith earlier, hence Adam was able to get a good read on what Shuri was feeling right now. Or more accurately, what feelings she had for him.
He also had the advantage of having discussed with her while working as Cinder and this gave him a deeper insight into what her feelings regarding him were.
"Don't worry. I was just admiring the place. So I couldn't really tell when the time just slipped by."
"Good. Well, at least, I have something good in my hands to compensate for your wait. I believe this will make you forgive me."
She brought out a bottle of wine and placed it on the table. Then, a few minutes later, after searching through all the rooms for different tools, small bread, and a few amuse bouche, she proudly presented everything she had on her in front of him.
"Firstly, drink some water. I added a little bit of lemon. This should be enough to cleanse your palate. Of course, just this isn't enough for me. So eat some bread if you want."
It was a necessary procedure in order to make sure one could fully enjoy the taste of the wine on their tongue. Her wine was not anything as extraordinary as the ones she had the chance to see in that Bar but they were still quite high-grade.
Furthermore, since she planned to slowly introduce Adam to high society, it was necessary for her to teach him certain manners and common sense so that he was prepared to mingle with people from that sphere of life. Thankfully, she had been working on this for years now and at least taught him many small lessons such as how to use all covers for their specific purpose rather than just taking what was at hand for all use.
"What kind of wine is it?"
"Ah… Are you… interested?"
"To be honest, no, not really. But there is nothing wrong with knowing more, is there?"
Shuri frowned inwardly, feeling strangely familiar with this way of speaking but she wasn't able to pinpoint where she had heard those words and merely nodded slowly. She had already been talking about wine all night earlier. But, as a fine connoisseur and an avid fan, how could she be unhappy talking about what she loved so dearly?
She was only happy to share her hobby and did so with gusto.
Adam listened quietly and patiently. Even though this was the second time he was hearing these details from her, he showed no signs of distraction and fully concentrated on her words. There was just something about watching someone talk about the things they genuinely loved and were enthusiastic about.
The way a giant smile would light up their entire face with joy and a grin filled with pure love and elation when they talked about those things…
That was a very beautiful scene and he had no problem listening to this again and again as many times as it would be necessary.
Like this, unknowingly, the two of them slowly started to approach each other. There had been quite a bit of distance between them earlier, but now they were just one or two steps away.
Thanks to his sensitive sense, Adam could already vividly feel the cozy heat coming from Shuri's charming body.
He had to give his all to stop himself from suddenly touching her and startling her out of the blue with his actions.
The wine was simply raining down, always filling their glasses with no hesitation and even Adam was starting to get slightly drunk due to the overdosage of wine.
There was a certain ambiguity in the air, a tension that was progressively growing between them and making them more aware of each other's presence.
Adam was not the inexperienced young man he once was and while Shuri only had one partner in all her life, her intuition was clearly telling her that something was coming…
A pivotal moment was approaching.
How they dealt with it would change their lives and the course of their relationship forever.
What would they do? What should she do?
Shuri had no time to answer this deep and fundamental question about the future of their relationship.
After all, at this very instant, she could only open her eyes wide in surprise as she felt something hot and soft touch her lips.
It was then that she realized what was happening.
….Adam was kissing her.
Or was she kissing him?
Did it even matter at this point?
CH 201: BLOCK
The kiss between the two started in a calm and slow tempo…
His face drew closer and closer to her until she could feel his breaths upon her quivering lips. When his lips pressed down onto hers, she instinctively closed her eyes and accepted it like it was the most natural thing.
It was hard to say who actually initiated the kiss and in the current situation, neither of them actually cared about that small detail anyways.
All that mattered to them was that the lips of each other were now overlapping in the most sensual and primal way known to humankind.
A kiss.
Depending on the culture, it was an action that could have many different meanings. But in this situation, the meaning behind this action was quite clear for anyone to understand.
A hot, torrid kiss filled with no ambiguity or question about the intent behind the action.
The delicious taste of the wine filled their tongues and the combined effect of the sensuous action and the delirium from the wine almost instantly intoxicated their mind; or was it simply the atmosphere that made them drown in this pleasure-seeking action?
At first, Shuri was immensely clumsy with her responses. It had been a long time since she had such an intimate contact with anyone. As such, she was rather lost about what she needed to do and how she should do it at the beginning and could only wait for Adam to lead it on.
But wasn't it said that humans were creatures of instincts? Or perhaps it was because she already had some experience in this field already? But it did not take long for her to start adapting to the situation and even reciprocating with full force.
As their kiss deepened further, she was surprised to discover how skilled Adam was at kissing but she was not allowed to think much more along that line as things were starting to get heavy and more sensual.
Soon, his lips started firmly pressing against hers with a rougher note and a soft piece of flesh intruded inside the confines of her mouth.
'Ah…'
His tongue smoothly ravaged the inside of her mouth. He slowly made his way around her teeth and the sides of her cheeks. She felt a jolting pleasure when his tongue met hers.
It was simply intoxicating. The taste of wine melted in her mouth like never before, making her start thinking that she would probably never be able to appreciate the taste of wine without the accompanying memory of this melting kiss disorienting her mind.
Even without a mirror, she could feel a searing heat on her cheeks and it didn't take a genius to know that she was blushing and was probably as red as a ripe tomato at the moment.
When the two finally parted their lips, Shuri took a deep breath instinctively to fill her lungs. She had forgotten to breathe and this had caused her to feel even more lightheaded than she should have initially.
"This was…"
She was lost for words. It wasn't as if she had not thought of the possibility of this happening today. In fact, if she had to be honest, in a corner of her heart, she had hoped something like this would come to be.
Though the kiss she received was something beyond even her wildest imagination. Adam had gone above and beyond anything she could ever think of with her meager experience.
"Adam, I…"
She was not given time to ponder or articulate the matter as she felt his hands on her shoulder followed by another deep kiss ravaging her mind and mouth.
Their lips locked once more, dizzying her with a mixture of feeling she could hardly make head or tails of.
Their tongues wrestled while their saliva mixed and sloshed in their mouths. He was focused on exploring the inside of her mouth through kissing. His tongue twisted and his lips sucked on, then let go of her only to repeat the process all over again.
"Hu….."
A throaty moan escaped from deep within her throat. The soft kiss gradually heated up to gather more and more sensuous notes. His gentle tongue suddenly pressed firmly inside her mouth, and when he continued to massage a sensitive spot on the upper corner, she unconsciously ended up firmly grasping his shoulder, not knowing what to do with her hands.
He kept making her breathless until she reached her limit. Then he parted his lips from hers, and after letting her catch her breath, he started the carnal cycle all over again.
Their kiss continued that way for many more rounds. She was sure that after this her lips would become quite swollen. But at this moment the only thing that mattered was the feelings that were surging deep within her heart.
Shuri's shoulders, which had been stiff from nerves, gradually relaxed with time. His kisses were sweet and soothing.
She could feel it deeply. He wasn't just seeking her hungrily like a beast who had no restraint and only saw the prey that was in front of it to devour and satiate its hunger.
He wasn't acting passively either as he did succeed early in making her feel like her entire body was filled with heat and ecstasy. She loved this feeling, the feeling of being sought after, loved, and appreciated. She wished for nothing more than to bask in it every day and every single moment of her life with no hesitation for as long as she was allowed to.
Slowly, their hands started to move in unison as they roamed each other's bodies without hesitation.
Shuri shivered when she felt his large manly hands wrap around her waist. She did not know if she wished for him to move those hands higher and reach for her chest or not. The image that had floated in her mind while she was taking a bath seemed to be coming to reality right in front of her and this synchronization seemed to increase all the sensations she was feeling in her body. Her body's sensitivity had reached an all new height.
She had never felt so sensitive in her entire life, even the feeling of her clothes on her skin made her excited and made her body quiver in pleasure. She knew that even the place below must be feeling noticeably damper due to the carnal pleasure she was feeling right now, not because of something like sweat.
She wanted to feel more, way more than just this.
"Higher."
Her desire seemed to take precedence over her mind as she blurted those words out almost unconsciously.
Realizing this, Shuri suddenly felt a surge of shame drown her body. She wished she could hide inside a hole right now to mask her shame. But the smile Adam gave her as his hands started to move higher made her feel even more shameful but more than that it also brought about a thrilling excitement that overrode everything else.
The excitement was at its peak, she could see it happening, as if it were in slow motion— how his hands were slowly reaching for her breast.
'Ah…Fina—'
Ring~ Ring~
Like a lie, the atmosphere was broken when the sound of Shuri's phone started to buzz, seemingly someone had called her.
The two looked at each other and tried to continue on… but the persistent ringing of the phone made Shuri sigh as she gave up and went to pick up the phone.
Her expression darkened when she realized that it was her husband. She sighed, she felt like she had been woken up from a haze and she realized what she had just done.
Shaking her head, she gave an awkward smile to Adam and said, "I am sorry. Why don't we stop here? I don't know what I am doing anymore…"
Adam looked at her quietly before approaching her and giving her a tight hug and encasing her body in his embrace.
"I will let go for today. But this will be the first and last time I will ever let you go."
He muttered in her ears before lightly biting on her earlobes and walking away.
"Adam…"
"Don't worry. It may be late. But I can find my way home. I will call for a taxi."
Shuri could only leak out a devastated sigh. But at the same time, she felt a little better. She had been worried that Adam would try and continue despite her reluctance in this matter.
She didn't know if she would have gone with it. But at the very least, her impressions of him would have been greatly damaged.
'Is this what they call a tease?'
She chewed her lips in bitterness before finally taking the call.
"What do you want?"
Her tone was harsh. If it wasn't because of this bastard, right now she would be having the time of her life.
[Your cousin contacted me.]
Shuri closed her mouth. Her expression became even colder than an iceberg.
It seemed like she had found a tail.
CH 202: HUMANITY
The air was chilly as Adam walked quietly in the dark night. Thankfully, even though all he had on him was just a coat, he could barely feel the cold by protecting his body with his prana.
'I wonder when I will totally master thermodynamics.'
If he managed to control this force, he would be able to have a vaster control of other finer forces like kinetic energy and many more. He could already indirectly control velocity so it shouldn't be that hard.
It was interesting to see that even this late at night, the world seemed to be still moving. We were very far from the earlier time where the fall of the night mean the cessation of all activities.
[Why did you stop?]
Genesis asked quietly. It had learned that coming on strong on Adam to share his opinion would simply backfire as the boy could be quite stubborn in his way. It was easier for everyone to simply come in a simple and calm way.
'Continuing would have been detrimental.'
Adam shrugged. He didn't feel particularly dejected about the way the night ended. In fact, this was quite a large step.
"The reason Hae-Won was such a easy prey was simply that she was feeling insecure and in need of validation. Feeling appreciated and wanted made her feel light. Shuri is different."
Even though Shuri should be hurt by the way her marriage was going, she did not underestimate herself and her pride was completely intact.
'Not only does she take her vow seriously even though he cheated on her but she also isn't the type to need a man in order to feel better about herself.'
If his goal had simply been to have sex with her, then things would have been easy. The way he was, with his voice and other skills, having sex was perhaps the easiest thing possible for him and he doubted any mortal woman could actually resist it if he used all his abilities.
But the goal was never just sex.
From the perspective of the Ordeal. The goal was to make Shuri give up on her failing marriage and from his own personal perspective his goal was to have a sustainable relationship with her rather than some one-night stand.
'Sometimes everything is a simple matter of mood.'
Once the right atmosphere was destroyed, it was better to simply stop and gather energy for another moment.
[...Humans are so complicated. Why turn around so much when you both know you are attracted to each other? Why so much hesitation and useless steps? Is it some kind of mating ritual?]
Adam laughed out loud. It was rare for this super entity that seemed to be more like a computer or some Artifial intelligence to actually be completely bewildered and lost about something.
But Adam could understand him.
Indeed, humans were the most irrational beings. They acted mainly not out of necessity, duty, or survival but mainly for seeking pleasure. Be it through sex, food, entertainment, and many more.
Rationality was one of the strengths of humanity but it was a strength that was generally ignored in order to seek amusement. Sometimes even if said amusement cost them everything.
'This is how humans are.'
[I do not understand. Humanity is a race endowed with infinite potential and endless possibilities. But you mostly waste all of it away in futility that brings no advancement to your society as a well. Only a select few individuals managed to bring humanity forward while the mass is happily sitting and observing.]
Genesis voice seemed to become heated even though the inflection in the voice he could hear did not change.
[Humanity as a whole is flawed. The few lead the many. But many always complain about inequality without actually trying to change said inequality. All too happy to leave the fight to others for them. They seek change but do not try to bring change. They can place hundred of arguments from the security of their screens but once in the open become mute. They preach virtues to others when they themselves are sinful.]
Adam stayed silent. Wondering how the discussion went from making love with his aunt to discussing the fault and futility of humanity.
This was such a big leap that he was left lost about what to say. Thankfully, Adam was used to such sudden debate by now. It seemed like this was the only thing he had been doing lately in fact.
'I believe you are right in all front.'
Humanity was flawed. This was an undeniable fact. It was a flawed world filled with pain and suffering.
'They say that from afar, life is a comedy but from close up it was a tragedy.'
If the statistic were to be believed, tens of thousands of rape happened every year, more than a Hundred thousand people died every day and two people died every second. 110 deaths every minute, 6600 death every hour, and more than 158 000 death every day.
When you thought about the reality of this world, only a bleak picture appeared. As such, they simply ignored it.
He didn't know if it was an unconscious defensive mechanism but humans were abe to ignore many things.
All humans knew that they could die at any moment. But they ignored this impending death.
They made party for their birthday when it only means that they had one year less to live in this world.
They would hurt others without much hesitation when it came to their self interest as self-interest surpassed that of the race.
Even though humans were social animals, they were also extremely selfish and individualist.
What did not happen to them directly would never be more than an offthought.
Indeed. Humans were imperfect. Capable of both the greatest atrocities and the most selfless sacrifice at the drop of a hat.
A mass murderer could be a caring father and a man preaching the way of Heaven could be the greatest sinner of earth.
This was the duality of humanity, the reality of Good and evil.
"Honestly, wouldn't Eve be the best one for this discussion?"
After all, she was the one who bestowed humans the ability to perceive and understand good and evil after eating the forbidden fruit.
CH 203: LET'S CHEERS
His voice was calm even as he made sure it did not spread,
"I only lived 21 years, you know? I do not think I have enough experience to put a judgment on the whole of humanity. But what I believe is that humanity as a whole should not be judged. Only an individual."
Adam had, in one month, gone through more events than many would go through in their entire life. But did this mean that he was suddenly some specialist about the woe of humanity?
Far from it. Despite all he lived, his experience was ridiculously small when compared to some entities.
Adam thought of Eve. A seemingly gentle woman who had existed since the dawn of humanity and had seen the high and low of the world.
Perhaps only someone of this caliber or people like Medusa had the credentials necessary to talk about humanity as a whole. As such, all he could give was his modest opinion based on his meager experience.
In his opinion, putting a judgment on an entire race was impossible as even though all humans were born equal, they did not grow up in the same circumstance nor did they perceive the world in the same way.
He smiled and put his hands in his pockets, 'Hey Genesis. You know, I really don't like you.'
It was another sudden change in topic but Adam did so intentionally. Speaking about the reality of humanity was cool and all but it brought nothing to him aside from wasting his time.
[...]
"Your overly rational way generally goes against my more human reaction and emotions which make us clash often. This is undeniable. But the two of us will be together for a very long time. Perhaps for all eternity? I can't even grasp it honestly."
[What do you want to say?]
"It's pretty simple honestly. I hope the two of us will go along. Rationally speaking, don't you think things will be easier if we see each other as friends or partners?"
[...You are right…Your reasoning is logical.]
"Heh…Well then, what should I call you?"
[...What?]
'I mean. Genesis isn't your name, right? It's the name of the book. Not your. What is your name?'
[Are names important?]
"Names are very important. This is a process of self-identification. In order to know who you are, knowing your name is important, right?"
[I…I have not been bestowed a name.]
"Well. Since I need to discover who I am or whatever in order to grow stronger. Why don't we walk together in this journey of self-discovery? Perhaps you will find a name that will please you.]
Genesis or rather, the spirit of the Book of Genesis did not answer but Adam smiled quietly. Knowing that today he had taken two important steps in two very different relationships.
He didn't know what might happen in the future but at the very least, the harvest that night had unexpectedly been very good.
'Now I guess I should go home?'
He thought inwardly as he slowly started to levitate, his image became blurry as he camouflaged himself and left at the speed of the sound.
—-
While Adam was flying back to his sweet home, his mother, aunt, and cousin were having a very important discussion.
Theresa spoke menacingly, her guns on the table as she asked Cecilia,
"So…Tell me. What is better? Beef or Chicken?"
Cecilia rested her chin on her hand and looked arrogantly at Theresa.
"Dear sister. You disappoint me if you ask such a fundamental question. The best is evidently Beef and Chicken. There is no Or, no If, and no But. Meat always reigns supreme."
On the side, Makoto raised her hand with her usual blank expression, "I am vegetarian."
Cecilia opened her eyes wide in surprise before turning to look at Theresa who gave a sigh full of lament,
"What can I say? I tried everything but she refused to understand how delicious meat is."
"I do not dislike meat. I just do not particularly like it."
Makoto spoke quietly as if trying to defend herself to which Cecilia chuckled, "You are really a cute girl. Must be fun to tease."
"Heh, I knew you would immediately understand the charm of my disciple."
Makoto looked up, wondering if her only quality was being teasable.
"Still, life truly flies. Who would have thought that the headstrong and prideful Theresa would have a student."
"This is less unbelievable than the mad dog becoming a mother."
"It is…isn't it. But this is perhaps the most beautiful thing that happened in my life."
Cecilia smiled softly and sipped on her drink, a gentle light twinkled in her eyes as she continued to speak.
"I really hope you will spend more time with Adam. I am sure you will come to like him."
"And whose fault is it that I only found his existence 21 years after his birth?"
"I am sorry."
"..."
Theresa pursed her lips, "You really changed too much. I guess motherhood made you weak."
"It did not."
This time her tone was firm and he voice was clear even as she looked deeply in the eyes of her sister,
"Motherhood gave me a strength I never knew existed. It also gave me more happiness than I could have imagined."
"But he is not your son."
"He is."
"Sister."
"He is my son in all but blood and I would go to hell for him."
She placed her drink quietly, "Theresa, we already talked about this and I am sure that by now the old elderly bastards in the family should be making a fuss."
No matter how much she wanted to hide, now that Adam was a gold hunter then the Kaminari family should be already in the know.
It was only a question of time before they decided to send someone or asked him to come back.
"I honestly don't care whether they choose to accept Adam as the next heir or not. In fact, I would be happy if they didn't. Adam does not need them. But…"
Her voice became law and threatening, "If one of those old bastards dare to stage an elimination order on him, I swear I will eradicate every last one of them even if it's the last thing I will do."
Theresa looked at Cecilia.
This was it. This was the sister she remembered.
Not the apologizing and feeble woman of a few moments but a woman full of supreme pride and absolute power. A tyrant who destroyed all that stood on her path with no pity not hesitation.
Taking her glass, she filled it with the beer and raised it high,
"I heard your warning loud and clear, sister. I will make sure those idiots don't doom us all. In the meanwhile, why don't we drink to celebrate?"
"I can never say no to Alcohol."
Makoto looked blankly at the flow of the events that just went on. From talking about meat to family then threat of mass massacre.
She looked down at the amber liquid and started to wonder if she should perhaps take a drink to calm the growing headache this discussion gave her.
CH 204: TIME IS MERCILESS
The two sisters spent an enjoyable time and it didn't take long for Makoto to fall under the weight of alcohol.
Normally it would be easy for her to block the beverage from affecting her mental capacity but it was a rule to not use Prana to protect yourself when drinking with Seniors.
Theresa chuckled as she looked at her disciple that was now down for the count and put a coat on her.
"You seem to really like that child."
Theresa shrugged, "She is a good girl. Hardworking and talented and also listen to me very well. What to not like?"
Cecilia nodded, "It must have been hard for her."
"Indeed."
Theresa usually fierce or mocking eyes softened a little, "The old man Musashi isn't discriminatory. He only cares about results and talent. But for the other elders and the family as a whole isn't this open-minded. The fact that a branch family member became the lightning blade is causing unrest."
No organization could stay monolithic once it went past a certain scale. Even though the Kaminari family was respected as a whole, it was in fact composed of many side branches who did not have the same right and opportunities as those of the main branch.
In fact, the people of the branch family were trained to serve and respect the main family member.
It was a first for a branch member to get such an important title. After all, until now the Title of Lightning Blade and the divine sword were considered to be symbols of the heir and future leader of the family.
"The elder of the branch family are plotting to use her. Those from the main family are plotting to discard her. She has no friends. Only people who want to use or destroy her. I guess this is why the old asked me to raise her. At least with my protection, all those bastards calmed down a little."
"Hehe~! my sister is a big shot now."
"Don't 'Hehe' me. The girl still has yet to awaken a Truth and obtain the full approval of the sword. Her situation is precarious but she was unshakable because she was the best of her generation. But now…"
"I guess the elders will push for Adam once they hear of him."
"Yeah. No doubt. In the past when the elders were complaining, Musashi said that any one of the younger generation who could beat her would take the title. Obviously, she won all her fights with ease. But not long ago, she technically lost a Kaminari."
"Adam."
"Your son, who also happens to be Mei's biological son, which means that he is the Heir. Haha. The Heir apparently managed to beat the 'fake lightning blade.' I can imagine how excited they will be."
Cecilia's groaned. But Theresa wasn't finished, "Furthermore this will also undermine our position."
"What do you mean."
"Look at this from an outside perspective. Okay?"
Theresa chuckled and took a finger, "Here we are, two outsiders who were added to the family on Musashi's order. We grew and obtained big influence be it within or outside the family. Obviously, they don't like us. But we were spotless, so they could only shut up. Now though things are complicated."
"Firstly there is you. You vanished twenty years ago with the child of Mei and Mei is dead. You raised her son for twenty years. Now there is me, who is raising another potential heir and by some coincidence, the first mission I take her on happens to be where you are."
Cecilia covered her face and leaked a groan. She could already picture. No matter how one looked at it, it felt like the two of them were raising a potential heir each and were trying to increase their influence or even take complete control.
"It doesn't matter how outlandish it looks. They just need something to latch on and Musashi is not getting younger. The old man is truly getting old now."
Musashi was already more than one hundred years old and he was nearing the two hundred.
Thanks to his power as a hunter he had already surpassed the time that should be possible for a human. But there was a limit and the only way to prolong his lifespan was for him to act less and fight less. But death was inevitable and it was fast approaching.
Everyone knew this and this was why the family was like a cesspool now or more like a minefield ready to explode at any moment.
There was nothing more Cecilia could say to this.
"Do you think…Can the old man transcend?"
"The last transcendent ascended around 1400 years ago. What do you think?"
Theresa closed her mouth, knowing that her words came harsher than she would have liked.
Musashi represented simply too much for the two of them. He was the one who saved them.
adopted them and trained them.
When the world was nothing but a dark place with nowhere to go, he adopted them and sheltered them.
He trained them and helped the two powerless girls to become strong fighters and splendid women.
Everything they had and everything they were was without a doubt thanks to his grace.
"You need to come back to Japan soon and see him. Even if only once. This may very well be the last time. You also need to bring Adam with you."
Cecilia did not speak, she simply drained the alcohol in her glass in silence.
"What about the elders?"
Theresa smirked, "I don't really care about their dirty scheme and stupid politics. If they dare to step out of the line by trying to keep us in check…"
She did not finish her sentence but the bloodthirst in her eyes was evident.
Cecilia's heart was bitter.
Her sister had also changed very much.
For long-lived species, twenty years was just a flash.
—But for humans like them, twenty years was akin to an entire lifetime.
CH 205: DEEP CONVERSATION
When Adam reached home, he was surprised to see that there was still some light coming from the living room.
'A bulgar?'
He immediately denied this. Not only was this neighbor rather secure but Cecilia had also placed many types of security against supernatural force from what she told him.
It was only after entering that he realized that it was Makarov.
"Oh, Adam. Been a while son, I thought you wouldn't come home tonight."
As always, Makarov was quite the imposing old man. Thick muscle, thick beards, a rough voice, and a rugged face.
No matter how one looked at it, he looked more like some biker gang member or some ex-convict.
Adam knew this was rather stereotypical but those existed for a reason after all.
"I am sorry. I have been pretty busy lately."
"Well, I can understand this. With you becoming a gold hunter so suddenly. You must already be crushed by the number of missions you can do."
Makarov finished assembling his sandwich and gave a look at Adam, "Want some? Ah whatever. I will make one for you."
He didn't even let Adam answer that he was already working on a sandwich, "I wanted to make something more filling but Cecilia is as slovenly as I remember. I am surprised there is even enough for a sandwich in this fridge."
Adam chuckled as he took place on the dinner table, "Mom isn't the one who fills the fridge. It's either me or Shuri."
"Hahaha. I am not surprised."
Makarov gave a boisterous laugh before finishing the simple preparation. It was nothing much and Adam wasn't particularly hungry. But he wasn't one to say no to good food.
"Where is Viktor?"
"I kicked him out of the house."
Adam, who was about to bite down on the sandwich, kept his mouth open wide at those startling words.
"Ah?"
Makarov shrugged, "I like the enthusiasm of the kid but I need him to rest a little more. Can't have him make the same mistake and live for years with no one to call a friend."
A laugh escaped his lips as he proceeded to explain how Viktor had received a call from a young woman he had met in the Park.
"It seems like she was a hunter and from the photo I saw, a very charming young woman. It would have been criminal to make him stay home."
'Damn… Is this how grandpas are nowadays? What about traditions and whatever?'
"Heh, I can see what you are thinking.'
Adam chuckled awkwardly, it was starting to look like everyone could see what he was thinking from his expressions alone.
Should he permanently keep an illusion over his face?
"I don't mind my grandson having some fun, you know? You can't really afford to be traditional and all when you don't know when you will die."
No humans knew when they would die. This was reality. But this was a reality that was far away from normal humans.
Meanwhile, for a hunter, death was like a debtor that constantly followed you,
"Every time we survive a mission, we increase our debt and sooner or later, the reaper comes to collect it. So I want him to have fun. To enjoy life and not just focus on work. Even if it's his passion. After all, I won't always be with him."
Makarov spoke off handely and started to bite on his sandwich with gusto. It was as if he had not just been talking about his impending death.
Adam looked down, his respect for the old man soaring. He wondered if he would have the same state of mind if he could actually die.
What did one feel knowing that the night they went to bed might be their last?
"You are strong."
"No. I am just old."
"I don't think many old people think like you."
Research about eternal youth was something that would never stop and the number of surgical operations some went through to keep an appearance of youth was sad in a certain way.
"They are just fools."
He shrugged, "I have seen what immortality could do, and trust me, it doesn't look good."
He finished the food and brought the plate to the sink, "I personally think that making us lose our immortality was the greatest gift Eve ever brought to us."
His voice was low, "Don't you find it interesting? A vampire isn't any more stupid than a human. In fact, I argue that they are much smarter and they have the advantage of time to gather knowledge. Despite this, we surpass them in technology."
"I believe there are two answers. One is that they don't need it. Why strive for science when you can have someone else do it for you? This is something that had been observed many times with how the dwarves keep getting enslaved in the past. But another reason is simply that they have too much time."
One of the greatest reasons behind human fast advancement was how short they live.
Humans wanted to leave a trace. To be remembered, to not simply die with nothing.
So they fought. They studied, thrived, and trudged in order to reach higher and higher. All this is because from the very moment they were born, humans were on a limited countdown.
But what kind of hurry could someone who could live hundreds of years feel? Why would someone who considered ten years as a simple nap and hundred years as a long sleep bother about lacking enough time to succeed?
"We may live in the same world, but our way of understanding time is so different. The result then speaks for themselves."
Makarov washed his hand and dried them before patting Adam on the back, "So enjoy your time boy. It may be limited but it will be wonderful and when the time finally comes for you, you will be able to face it calmly as it will be the end of a long but fulfilling journey."
On those words, the old man walked away back to his forge. He was waiting for a shipment and soon would try a new prototype.
Now alone, Adam finally started to eat in silence.
But he could barely taste the food.
After all, the time Makarov spoke about would never be a reality for him.
The sweet embrace of death would never be able to keep him for long as he would always come back.
'Well… I guess it isn't all bad.'
His perception of time was still very much human. He didn't know what he would become in the future, but at the very least, this was enough for him.
His phone started to buzz as he received a message.
Looking at the phone, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
Indeed. He was still very much human and he was not the kind of gentleman who would wait ten years to obtain his vengeance.
[Sender: Yui
Message: We are starting in earnest tomorrow. Start getting information from that woman.]
He closed his phone.
It was too bad for Hae-Won but it seemed like he would have to use her in earnest in order to further his goal.
CH 206: WHAT?
The next morning, Adam was still sitting on the sofa and waiting for his mother's arrival. He hadn't felt the need to sleep as it was already near morning when he finished his rather profound and slightly depressing conversation with Makarov. Thankfully, with his current body, pulling a few all-nighters would do nothing to his body.
Later during the night, he planned to start working on Hae-Won and make her spill as much information as possible. He still hadn't decided what he would do with the woman and what choice to make out of the three possible ones for his ordeal but he was in no hurry in the first place. He would take it slow for the time being.
For now, he was just studying. Clearly, he would never be able to escape from studying and gathering more and more knowledge as this was basically the foundation of all his powers and his way toward eternal growth. His acquired power was literally a book, at the end of the day, so that said a lot about his circumstances.
He was working on the so-called dreamscape or dream world and the only way for him to start was by studying the book Eve had given him the last time he visited the library.
He had been curious about certain terms Eve used during their discussion. Thankfully, while he did not have the Library of Akasha back here on earth, he had something nearly as good.
Internet. But more precisely— Google. Perhaps the greatest creation made by man.
From the research he made on the internet, the [Blind Idiot] referred to an immensely powerful deity that was mentioned in the books by a man called H.P. Lovecraft. He created a mythos, a generation of stories about the other gods which was dubbed the name of Lovecraftian mythos by many.
[The Blind Idiot God] || [Deep Dark] || [Nuclear Chaos] || [Sleeping Chaos]
They were pseudonyms of some of the most powerful outer gods in existence in the Lovecraftian mythos. The deity Eve had mentioned to him was called Azathoth, an outer god and a supreme omnipotent being who was also dubbed as the greatest of all outer gods. By far, one of his pseudonyms that caught his eye the most was… [The Oldest Dream]...
Adam, like any contemporain young man, had of course some offhand knowledge about the Lovecraftian mythos and while he had never delved deep into them, it was easy to know that all of them were related to madness and chaos.
Azathoth in particular was said to be an entity who was always asleep and who needed to be kept asleep, as the entire universe was born from his dream and was maintained because he dreamed of it, and thus came one of his most prominent titles… [The Oldest Dream]...
When he dreams, a universe is created and when he wakes up, a universe is destroyed. That is the cycle that is maintained by the lord of the gods.
In terms of scale, this was a magnitude above and beyond anything he had created even when using the powers of Asmodeus.
Just thinking about how a being could create an entire universe from scratch with just a thought sent shivers down his spine.
'I wonder if all the beings in the Cthulhu Mythos really exist…'
He shook his head and focused on his current circumstance.
Reading the information through Genesis was giving him a headache.
Every time he turned a page, he felt like he had read nothing and remembered nothing. But when he would reread the page he would remember exactly what was said in it.
This situation seemed outside of the control of even his Eidetic Memory.
'What is happening?'
[The author of this book is the [Crawling Chaos]— a very nasty being as Eve had mentioned. All the books he writes have the attribute of madness inducement…]
Adam could feel as though Genesis was admiring this entity which caused him to be perplexed as he had never seen Genesis admiring anyone.
Nyarlathotep, the [Crawling Chaos]... If one had to give an analogy, he was the equivalent of Hermes.
A deity that served as the messenger on earth for all the Outer Gods. He was also the spawn of Azathoth.
[Unlike the exiled Outer Gods, [Crawling Chaos] is the only one who can walk on Earth. Though he is extremely limited and suppressed by the restrictions of the world.]
Nyarlathotep, as his epithet showed, loved leaving chaos wherever he went by bestowing snippets of information that would drive humans crazy.
[Since you are reading this book through me the madness inducement is largely countered. But he is still an entity too large and powerful for even the book to completely counteract. So reading this information will still affect you somewhat.]
'And you have a reason for not informing me about this earlier?'
[Indeed. Outside of the fact that you asked me nothing earlier, the thing here is that just trying to read this is a great form of training for your soul. Furthermore, many books in the silver section will have some form of restriction like this one in them as they will be filled with the aura of those it originates from.]
Peering in the world of gods was not something anyone could do.
It needed a powerful soul and great strength.
[If you can build up resistance to this phenomenon, then you will be less susceptible to mental attacks. Do not forget that you made an enemy of Asmodeus.]
Adam chuckled under his breath; he still remembered the somewhat confused Asmodeus had made after he managed to beat him.
It was very entertaining. Adam knew of course that this was just thanks to the situation and he wouldn't have won against a fully powered Asmodeus.
'Heh, if it was a game I could have gained a new title from this.'
He distracted himself with these idle thoughts as he continued to try and read the ever-elusive book.
From a psychological point, Dreams were the projection of the mind and our most inner and repressed desires.
But this book followed a more mystical way.
Dreams were not just desires. They also sometimes showed an alternative reality, a window to a Parallel World… A connection to our parallel selves where the lives we led embarked on a different path…
Through Akasha, Adam already had the confirmation that parallel universes did, in fact, exist…
'I wonder. Do many Eves exist in different universes?'
[Since she is tied to the Library, Eve exists above time and space. She is a singularity and there is only one Eve across all the multiverse. There can never be more than one of her as that would lead to the collapse of all time and space…]
'What about the other gods?'
[The gods have variations across different universes but they are all one in a way. Sharing the same center and information. You can take it as a hub. Now, stop stalling and continue reading. Knowing about gods when you haven't even opened your own Gate of Truth is a waste of time.]
Adam groaned as he could not refute the veracity of those words. He briefly entertained talking about a proper name for Genesis.
But this was something he had already used to further the bond between them. He didn't wish to use this argument just to not work.
Continuing to read, Adam found something interesting.
A fact about Dreamscape, also known as the collective dreams or the sea of the collective subconscious.
It seemed that it was a place where the dreams of all of humanity were connected, making it seem like humanity had, in reality, one hive mind.
It was to be noted that this place was not just about humanity but all races with the capability to dream.
It seemed that high-level Succubi could use this as a sort of pathway to enter the dreams of their targets.
Those Succubi or anyone who reached this level were known as Dream Walkers.
It seemed to be a marvelous place where anything was possible with no language barrier. But it was also a place that was extremely deadly as it was easy for one to lose their own sense of self if they were to traverse it without the necessary protection and capabilities.
'It seems like I really need someone to teach me about this.'
The level of difficulty this book was offering was off the charts and there were many things he didn't dare to attempt without someone keeping him safe.
The only way for him to reach a higher level was to have someone guide his path or spend an unknown amount of time studying this knowledge from the book.
'Why is it that… no matter what I do, my path seems to be pushing me towards Lilith and Bridget?'
This was starting to become uncanny. Adam sighed but then looked in the direction of the door as if he was tired.
"Mom, you should enter. You know I can see you directly with my domain, right?"
"Hehehe."
The door opened and Cecilia entered with a sheepish smile on her face, "Sorry, I didn't think anyone would be awake by now."
Adam shrugged, "Take a seat. I need to show you something before you crash on your bed."
Adam took out the serum Medusa gave him and placed it on the table. It was about time to give her this potion and relieve some of her ailments.
"What is this? Adam, I hope you aren't taking some weird shit."
Cecilia gave a worried glance toward Adam and even placed a hand on his forehead as if measuring his temperature.
"Stop joking."
Adam swatted the hand aside, "This is a potion made from Gorgon's blood."
The amused expression on Cecilia's face immediately vanished and she sat close to Adam before observing this object.
"How did you get something like this?"
She hissed quietly. Even at her peak, this kind of potion couldn't be obtained by her capabilities alone. Saying that this alone could cause a bloodbath in the hunter world was not an understatement. She was already wondering if they should start gearing up the defense of the house in order to protect themselves from an incoming attack when Adam threw another bomb at her.
"Someone gave it to me."
"..."
"..."
"...What?"
CH 207: THIS IS NUT
Cecilia had a serious expression on her face as a dark and gloomy shadow covered her face and she clasped her two hands as if she was deep in thought.
"So let me summarize things a little here…
"This is gorgon blood, right?"
"Indeed."
"The blood is something that you got from the still very much alive Medusa who incidentally also happens to be a member of the Zodiacs, correct?"
"That is so."
"Medusa, who now works under the name of Piaget Freud, also decided to take you under her wings as her protege and is giving you many preferential treatment such as giving you some cigarette pack worth 300 million dollars or something."
"Yep."
"Last but not least, it seems like she is also planning to have the one and only [~S.K~] build a custom armor for you by using her scales."
"You got it all right."
"..."
"..."
"What in the actual fuck!?"
"I had the same thought as you too for some time."
If she could, Cecilia would have flipped over the table to make it as clear and concise as possible just how bewildered and flabbergasted she was feeling right now.
She massaged her forehead, feeling the mother of all headaches about to sweep in and even wondered if the beer she drank earlier didn't have some kind of hallucinogens effect in it to make her dream of such a wild and delusional scenario.
Taking a deep and steady breath, she forced herself to calm down, "Okay. Let's not talk about how someone who has been decapitated by a literal demigod is still alive to this day. This is nothing new. We can roll with it."
She was trying to make sense of the situation, "Why is she helping you then?"
Adam could only show her a bitter smile as a response, "She gave me a reason. Though I do not know whether this is a good reason or not, I believe that she was honest in her intentions."
"Oh… and the reason behind that is…?"
Adam proceeded to explain the reasoning about the Heroes throughout the generations that Medusa brought forward to him. He also spoke about the meeting he had with the snake lady yesterday.
Cecilia listened quietly through all the explanations. In the end, there was very little she could do about it. When Adam finally finished speaking, she just let out a quiet sigh and covered her face with her hands.
This was a little too much information for her after just coming from a night filled with booze showdowns with her sister. But this was extremely important.
As Adam watched Cecilia behave like this, he felt a little guilty inside. He could imagine the sudden level of stress Cecilia must be facing due to him.
The fact of the matter was that Medusa was a literal Zodiac. It didn't matter how powerful she was. The simple fact that she was a Zodiac gave her a level of influence like no other hunter could ever hope to have. At least in America.
Moreover, adding the fact that she was most likely more than two thousand years old, showed that she was in no way the kind of person they could afford to mess around with.
Of course, there was one thing Adam was completely wrong about.
'Sigh, if I was at my old level I would have tried to challenge her.'
Cecilia was in no way worried about Medusa herself. Cecilia knew that if she was ready to sacrifice her life, she could bring back her old level of power, and at her peak, she feared no Zodiac whatsoever. No matter where they were from and how much power they had.
The only thing that was worrying her was the intention behind Medusa's actions but…
'I won't always be with Adam.'
Cecilia had many questions she wanted to ask. But she refrained from doing so. The reality was that her time in this world was very limited and she had sometimes babysat Adam a bit too much over the years.
He was a young and independent man and it was necessary to treat him as such. Be it a mistake or success, this would be the best way to pave his growth.
Better he fail while she was still alive and could hold the sky for him if needed. This was just her job as a parent.
Not holding the hand of your child, but walking the way alongside them and being there for them through success and failure.
"Adam, do you think she is trustworthy?"
"No."
His answer was clear and direct with no hesitation whatsoever,
"Medusa has no interest in me personally. I believe she has an interest in something she sees in me. Obviously, if I do not show that something or If I fail her expectations she will have no reason to keep helping me."
Despite how helpful Medusa was or rather because of how helpful Medusa was, Adam had to always remind himself of the absolute truth in this matter.
Medusa was not a friend. She was not a trustworthy companion. She was someone who would be there for him for as long as he satisfied certain conditions. This was nothing more than a business transaction between them with his future and potential as leverage.
She was an investor and Adam was the CEO of the firm she made an investment on. If he failed to deliver results, she would just stop being an investor. It was as simple as that.
"Very well. I will believe you if you say so."
She sighed, relieved at his answer. Not everyone who came at you with a smile had good intentions in mind and wanted to be friends. It was important to make the distinction between friends and partners.
"Now then… Do you think this potion is legit?"
"I do."
Once again the answer was clear and direct. Adam had no doubt about it as he had verified the legitimacy with the 'Eye of Truth.' He didn't know how much effect this would bring but this would certainly be useful for Cecilia's current situation.
"Then… Since you believe in her, I will also do the same."
Cecilia did not believe in Medusa. She believed in Adam who believed in Medusa. She took the potion with a tremble in her hands.
She may not have shown it openly but Cecilia hated her current situation. This feeling of ever-growing weakness gnawed at her mind and soul. The inability to move at the speed she was used to and handle Prana like in the past was a constant thorn in her heart, no pun intended.
It was painful. It was excruciating. The only thing that allowed her to hold on was because she had already once seen the bottom and because she thought it was worth it since it benefited Adam.
Even then, becoming so much weaker was not easy for her, and now… This red potion may perhaps be the key for her to regain some of her lost powers.
Even if she couldn't heal completely, the more power she could harness the more she could protect Adam from anything that may wish to hurt him.
This was enough. More than enough even.
"Let's do it."
And so she drank with no hesitation.
And the result was more than just immediate.
CH 208: UGH!
What was Cecilia's main problem?
If she had to be honest, it was hard for her to even explain it properly.
Her meeting with Eve was still blurry in her mind but in the end, it boiled down to one thing.
Using her body, soul, and everything in order to stop the awakening of Cain's curse on Adam.
Had she succeeded, Adam would have simply been a normal human and would have perhaps never been affected by the curse and even die a normal death.
What this means in essence was that she used her body, as a mortal, to fight the power of a divine celestial entity.
The results were clear.
Every year, each time Adam's curse tried to fight back, she would be the one taking the brunt of it.
Like a small dam broking gallons of water and stopping the flow of an entire river.
Things were easy at first but as time went by, the small stream became a river then a lake, and finally a sea.
Breaking down her defense constantly and ever-weakening her.
The final results were what we had. Her heart finally started to collapse under the weight she was putting on it.
Her strength started to decline and the weaker she became, the harder it was to block the curse, which in return would make her even weaker, creating a vicious cycle that would have eventually ended in her death.
Those twenty years of constant abuse were not kind to her body.
Since her heart, which was the source of her power, was in constant decline, she had to control where that power went which forced her to limit her power.
The best analogy she could give was that her heart was a generator supposed to give energy to a certain number of houses but since the generator started to malfunction, they had to shut down some facilities.
As if it wasn't enough, the generator was constantly breaking down, causing more and more facilities to be forced shut down.
In the end, the only solution was to either repair the generator or switch to a new one.
Only in this case, finding a better generator was nearly impossible. Finding one as good was difficult and finding one worse means permanently shutting down certain facilities
As for repairing it…it should have been impossible. As it was broken beyond repair.
But suddenly someone came and assured them they could give some first aid. Even if not totally repairing, they could at least assure bringing it backup to a certain level.
It was hard to say what was going through in Cecilia's mind as she held the potion that may change her destiny.
But as the liquid poured into her throat and slowly filled her body, she was immediately able to understand that she had made the right bet in believing Adam.
"Ugh."
At the same time she knew she made a mistake in drinking this potion in the living room.
'I should have done this in the bathroom.'
She groaned even as the power of the potion started to work on her.
*Crack*
She was sure that she had just heard on of her bone crack.
*Crack* *Crack*
'Ah.. This wasn't an illusion.'
Pain shot through her brain as she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.
Was it because it had been twenty years since the last time she drank a potion of this kind?
She had forgotten that this was generally always accompanied by pain.
Thankfully…Pain had been her constant companion for more than 20 years and even before that.
"Adam…Bring me to the bathroom…fast."
She struggled to keep her as shut as possible, feeling that something was coming back up and some other things were trying to go back down and out.
"Do it fast!" She sucked in her breath, feeling the impeding disgusting river fall that was coming with full force. "I swear to god I will not be the one to clean the mess that is about to happen."
She was sure that even the most professional cleaning crew would refuse to take care fo what was about to happen.
Adam was bewildered at first but, remembering certain things he read or heard from Sae, he immediately understood what was about to happen and paled like never before.
Faster than even a starved dog seeing a bone, he lifted Cecilia with his telekinesis before bringing him to the shower room at full speed.
Once there Cecilia released a sigh of relief. The mess would still be horrible, but they were technically safe now.
She covered her mouth and wobbled before approaching the toilet seat and finally….She opened her mouth.
*Blerg*
Her stomach churned like a rumbling done by an army of giants walking on Earth. It didn't take long for half-digested food, alcohol, and blood, mixed with flesh and bits of broken bones to come pouring like they had been waiting for this moment all along.
She was sure that there were even some parts of her liver… and was it her appendices or her pancreas she could see on the side?
She gagged a little more…Well, a lot more. Much more and even some of her teeth started to fall with the flow.
'I knew it. Body cleansing. Ugh. This is going to be uglier.'
She had only experienced something like this a few times. Like when she opened her Gate of Truth for the first time back in the day or when she first awakened and opened her Chakra. But this clearly was something at a different level.
It was surprising a potion could bring cleansing but if it was anything like she remembered, she was sure that Adam would never look at her the same.
'Poor boy.'
This was the last thought she had as her body was finally engulfed with pain.
—
"What in the actual fuck ?"
All words left Adam and his vocabulary regressed to mere street curses as observed something that was both so horribly disgusting he wanted to vomit but at the same time so morbidly fascinating.
He understood now why Cecilia had asked him to bring her here. He also now regretted not having left immediately after leaving her here.
What he was witnessing was akin to a snake shedding his skin but much worse.
For an hour, he watched… transfixed as Cecilia's body broke down and contorted in angles that should have been humanly impossible.
He watched as all the pores of her body let out what looked like a black liquid that smelled as if hundreds of putrid corpses were placed together.
Her luxurious red hair fell off, showing a shining bald head before new hair started to grow.
Black blood leaked from her lips, nose, eyes and even ears, her teeth fell again and again before growing up again.
Her skin started to shed ever so slowly and her clothes were destroyed in the process, leaving her utterly naked.
Giving Adam an even greater view of the horror show that was happening in front of his eyes, making him wonder just how much filth could be present in the body of a human, and filling his nose with such a nauseating odor that Adam swore he could see the other side of the river.
Even the curse of Cain seemed powerless in front of this death.
The worst in all of this for Adam was…He had a perfect memory.
'Oh, my god.'
He physically cringed as sounds of breaking bones filled the bathroom like it was some special music.
His eyes, his nose, and his ears were forever traumatized.
But…
But…
When all this literal shit show ended, Adam looked at the current stats in the bathroom with quiet awe.
It felt like some psycho had murdered someone in here before cutting his body with a chainsaw and was now trying to destroy all the evidence with acid. Blood, flesh, vomit, bones, hair; skins, and body waste of all kinds he refused to think off were littering the ground, covering the wall, and did not even leave the ceiling alone.
For a moment, Adam couldn't help but wonder if he should just nuke the entire room as there was no cleaning product that could ever work on this and make this room ever clean again.
'Let's look at what changed now.'
Ignoring, or at least, trying to ignore the disgusting stench and vision in front of him, Adam looked at Cecilia through the Eye of Truth and what he saw surprised him.
He was forced to admit it.
This potion had an extremely disgusting way of working. He didn't know why Medusa hadn't warned him about this and he might call her to ask if she had anyways to clean everything up.
But this traumatizing experience was in a way more than worth it and the result spoke for themselves.
『 Name: Cecilia Kaminari/Gospel
Affiliation: Mei Kaminari/Adam Gospel
Alias: Mad Hound || Destroyer || Vermillon Knight || Mother
Race: Human
Age: 34 (43)
Affection: Familial Love (MAX) 』
『 Stats
Strength: F→D (D+)
Speed: F→E+(D-)
Dexterity: F →E+(D-)
Endurance: F →D+
Prana: C→S (SS+)
Charm: C— C+
Willpower: S+ →SS-
Luck: B → A
Overall Combat Capacity: S+ (SSS)
Remark: A monster is slowly going back to its peak. She even became younger.』
CH 209: LET'S FIGHT?
Adam was now forced to come face to face with a very existential question of his life…
Does he love his mother?
The answer was undoubtedly a resounding yes. Adam adored and respected Cecilia to the highest degree. Her opinion was extremely important for him and there were very few things he wouldn't be willing to do for her.
So, the question of whether he loved her or not was invalid, to begin with. There was no way he didn't love her.
So the real question here was… Did he love her enough to clean the mess she had inadvertently made all alone?
.
.
.
Adam would have never imagined that his feelings for the one he loved and cared for the most in this whole world would be tested here in such a way.
He hesitated, tittered, and began to think of all possible situations… but in the end, the reality was that he had no other way around this situation…
"Ugh…"
He groaned in despondence even though the choice was more than evident for him from the get-go.
'I wish I had magic for worst-case scenarios like these.'
Sighing, he snapped his fingers and like a lie, the disgusting scene entirely vanished and even the foul odor stopped filling his nose.
At first glance, it looked like the entire room had never gone through what could only be considered biological warfare but he knew that it was a lie. He had just used his power of illusions to mask the carnage that had gone through in this room.
'This will do for now. But I need some good products to clean this mess. I don't think anything that I have in here can ever clean all of this shit up.'
Taking out his phone, he went over the different numbers in his contacts before his finger landed on the contact of Medusa.
No sooner did he start the call that it was answered from the other side.
[Hi. Is there anything you need help with, Adam?]
"Hello, Medusa. For starters… I want to thank you again for the potion. Words are not enough to show my gratitude, but still… thanks. The effects were nothing short of amazing."
[Oh? Have you tested it? How did it go?]
"You didn't know how it would go?"
[I always test my product on myself first in an intensive and thorough manner to check out the effects. So I know most of the results that my products may show… Even then, your mother is the first human to receive my blood, so, I wanted to be sure if there were any adverse effects or not.]
"Well…"
Adam looked at the gorey mess past the illusions he had put up.
"Let's say that the results will be remembered for a long time."
'Perhaps forever with my eidetic memory.'
He proceeded to lift Cecilia with his telekinesis, making sure to move all the disgusting stuff away from her and then finally set her inside the bathtub.
First things first, he turned on the shower so that he could wash off all the blood, waste, grime, and filth that were covering her body… along with the dubious substances whose identity he had no idea about nor he wanted to learn.
While he was washing her and making sure to clean off everything that was marring her beautiful countenance and physique, he proceeded to explain the after-effects of the potion to Medusa who couldn't help but exclaim out in surprise at the results.
[This is quite the interesting result we have here. The quantity of blood I had placed inside the vile should not have been sufficient for a partial metamorphosis like the one your mother had sustained. If you have the time, just bring her over later to my lab; I could examine her to see how the effects came to be.]
Medusa spoke off-handedly before continuing her monologue,
[For the cleaning don't worry about that stuff. With how bloody the Hunter world is, one of the most necessary products is the one that can clean bodies, blood, and any other mess that supernatural creatures are able to produce during their mayhem. I created my own line of products for that very reason for some quick money and you can just use them for the cleaning.]
He could hear a few beeps coming from the other side before Medusa's voice floated over once again,
[I don't have a way to teleport the product to you so I have just written down your address. You should receive the delivery product in just a few hours. Well, later then… I am currently studying something urgent. Call me if you need further assistance. Bye…]
Adam sighed as Medusa moved and talked like a literal whirlwind. It seemed like he had bothered her at a particularly bad time and couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for doing that.
Thankfully, this endeavor had not been useless, in the end, as she did have what he needed at the moment.
'Now then…'
It was time to wash his dear mother properly and get rid of whatever the hell was covering her whole physique.
—
One hour later, as Cecilia began to finally wake up from her slumber, she could see that world had become a mix of haze and blur as her mind slowly began to kickstart everything and tried to give her information about where she was and the state she was in currently.
'Ah…'
Her body felt sluggish, her mind lethargic. However, it didn't take long for her mind to completely wake up and clear the lethargy away to analyze everything.
For the first time in a very, very long time, Cecilia could truly breathe freely; as though there was no lump of iron trying to block her airpipes anymore.
The world seemed to open wide in front of her as all her old senses were starting to wake up from their slumbering state. The feeling of strength and might filled all of her limbs, the powerful beating of her heart, and more than anything….
—The Gate of Truth opened deep within her subconscious.
There was no mistaking it. While she was still far from her peak power, she had definitely gone back to being at least slightly stronger than the pathetic state her body was in previously.
"You finished marveling at all your changes, Mom?"
Her thoughts were broken as Adam's bitter voice resounded from next to her.
It was only then that Cecilia remembered what had happened not long ago.
Now looking at herself encased in a robe, on her bed, and entirely clean from any and all filth and grime, she easily understood that Adam had taken care of her from start to finish.
"Holy… You really washed me up?"
"You weren't really in a state of doing so yourself now, were you?"
She cackled out loud at those words, "Thanks. I really don't think I would have even had the courage to wash myself with how disgusting I had looked after all of that shit ended."
"I have been traumatized for life. Thank you very much…"
"Hahaha. Take this as a payback for forcing me to change your diapers when you were a baby."
Adam could only facepalm but there was not much he could say to make a comeback to that statement. Babies could indeed be very dirty and as a single mother without a babysitter, taking care of all his needs must have been quite complicated for her.
The two shared a quiet laugh before things finally settled down.
"How good are you now?"
"Good. Great, I think."
She rose from the bed and started stretching out, sounds of bones seemingly snapping back in their rightful places filled the air and when she ended, Cecilia let out a sigh of contentment.
"Yeah, I feel more than just great. My physical capacity is nearly back to its full status I think and the same goes for my Prana usage as well."
Adam nodded and explained the difference and evolution in her stats before and after the transformation.
"Hmm… Well, I honestly don't understand how the grading of your system works. So… Why don't we do this the old-fashioned way?"
She grinned and rotated her shoulders slightly,
"What do you mean?"
"What else would I mean? You remember the many fights we had during the time I was teaching you martial arts in your teens, right?"
Adam cringed at the mention of his teenage years and martial art lessons. He could never forget about that. His mother had been quite vicious back then in her teachings.
"Heh. Even though we fought many times, it was always for training. But now that I have this astoundingly healed and fresh body for myself… why don't we try something a lot more hardcore, huh?"
A grin full of battle thirst filled Cecilia's face. This was the sort of grin only a perverted battle junkie could ever hope to make and anyone would cringe at the sight…
She had been unable to have a proper fight for years. So, it was understandable why she was behaving like that…
"What do you say?"
"Let's do it."
Adam did not hesitate in accepting the challenge.
After all, he was also curious… Just how strong was his mother right now?
He has barely seen anything during the events of the Park.
This was the perfect way to test it out himself.
"Ah, by the way…"
Adam scratched his head and muttered in a low voice, "I cleaned you… Doesn't mean that I cleaned the bathroom though. No way in hell I am working on that alone."
"Tch… I hoped that you forgot about that."
"Did you just click your tongue at me, young lady?"
"I certainly did not. Must have been your imagination playing with your mind. Also young lady?"
She rose an eyebrow at this, "You should look at the mirror. From my Eye of Truth it seems like you became around ten years younger."
"*Whistle* Damn…"
"Haha, well, either way, before fighting we need to clean everything up. You can also admire yourself all you want then."
Cecilia groaned. It seemed like escaping from this chore would not be easy.
It was in this way that the two important members of the royal Kaminari family decided to clean shit up before fighting to the death.
CH 210: LET'S CLEAN?
A few hours later, Adam received the delivery package from some flying drone… which worried him quite a bit…
He already had an inkling that Medusa had a certain stalker-like attitude toward him and those suspicions were confirmed a little bit more with each day. Since he had already dealt with such a case once in the past, he was not particularly surprised and just chose to focus on the product she had sent to her while throwing every other thought to the back of his mind.
"So, how do I use this?"
It seemed like it was a dissolving powder that was extremely biodegradable as well. One simply needed to cover the gory bits they wanted gone and the waste should just vanish… just like that.
As a warning, it was advised to not work with the dissolving agent if the user had any form of wounds as that would cause some unfortunate incidents.
"You got it?"
"Yeah let's get this finished."
Adam walked to his computer and put on some loud blasting music and the two changed into a pair of shorts, sandals, and finally… some disposable shirts.
"Time to clean."
"That it is."
"What the hell is going on here?"
The epic scene of the two preparing to walk up and clean was blocked off by Makarov entering the scene with a loud thud.
"Also, what is this god-awful stench? Even a group of trolls who did not bathe for a month would smell better than this?" He looked around before his eyes finally settled on Cecilia and widened slightly, "Girl, what did you do again this time?"
"Hey! I resent those eyes full of accusation. Why did you immediately assume that I was the culprit?"
"Seriously? Do I really need to say it out loud?"
He looked at her with such judgemental eyes that Cecilia was forced to cough awkwardly and look away from him and avoid his gaze,
"Well, I am technically the culprit this time… but being prejudiced like that is a bad thing, you know?"
"They ain't bad when they are right. Cecilia, I have a certain understanding of things related to you. If something explodes or is covered in blood and you are in the surroundings, then chances are that you are at least partially at fault."
"This…"
Cecilia opened her mouth, trying to refute, but on further thought, she realized that his words were technically not wrong. It was indeed the truth that wherever she went in the past, something big and scary happened. But it wasn't her wish to harm others.
Imagine going on vacation idly in London and facing the summoning of an entity that is supposed to bring the end of the world.
"Anyways, explain what is happening while I help."
Makarov shrugged and rolled his sleeves, "I have been meaning to help with the chores anyway. Though this is pretty hardcore. Heh, you get it?"
"..."
"..."
"...Haha.."
Adam just gave a low and mechanical laugh, trying to be polite and react to the joke in order to make the old man feel better but Makarov stopped him.
"Don't force yourself. Young'uns these days don't understand humor anymore."
"Pfft…"
Cecilia chuckled at the despondent face Makarov was making. It was hard to think about it, but despite looking like some ex-convict who only trained every day and thought about gains in his sleep, Makarov was someone with a very gentle heart.
"So… Shall we begin with the cleaning?"
.
.
.
More than three hours later, after everything had been devoured by the product Medusa had sent to him and the entire bathroom was now smelling like a garden of roses, Makarov wiped the sweat away from between his eyebrows and stretched his back to relieve the tension. Loud popping noises accompanied his stretching motion, making him feel particularly refreshed.
Adam was absent as he went down to change the water and the ashes of the remains. Cecilia had burnt through everything the product could not clean. Her reasons were pretty simple as with this quantity of blood, it would be easy to send a Hex her way.
"In my nearly hundred years of life, I never thought I would one day watch the skin of a woman from the other side."
He massaged his forehead with his hands at the exasperation he was feeling with the current situation.
"And I never thought that said skin would be mine, old man. So enough with the complaints already!"
"Aye aye, boss. Though… Now that I look at you, it seems like whatever happened really did help you out a lot. You are even looking younger than before."
Cecilia nodded before clenching her fists; a strength that she hadn't felt in a long, long time flowing in them with just that mere action, "Now I feel like I can use my weapon better once again. At least, I can better protect everyone now."
Cecilia hesitated for a moment but just as she was about to speak, "Don't. Even if you find a potion like this again, you should use it. I do not want it nor do I care about becoming younger once again. I really don't need it, lass…"
"Makarov…"
"I can feel the fire of desperation making my skills rise to a greater height. Finally, I can envision this feeling once again. Should I stop and obtain safety, that fire would go down and the final result would only be mere trash."
"I think anything made by you is a masterpiece."
"Thanks for the compliment but it's not enough. I need to create one. One true Divine Weapon. The greatest of them all…"
A great surge of obsession and determination was shining in his eyes as he spoke.
"What about Surtr?"
"This weapon was created using the core of the true Surtr and a fragment of his weapon as well as his concept of fire. It was already a Divine Weapon before even being created and given a form. I only gave form to it to suit your standards."
Makarov waved his hand away as if doing something like that was not worth mentioning.
"What I want, is to create a true Divine Weapon from scratch, by simply using my mortal hands."
"...Very well. I am the one who called you so it would be hypocritical of me to complain now."
She scratched her head, "Do you have the coordinates for a large space upper ground where I can fight?"
"Hmm… Why? You wanna test your powers?"
"More than that. Heh, you've never seen Adam give his all, right? Why not use this occasion? I believe seeing him at his full power will be the perfect way for you to understand his powers and fighting style."
"Ohhh… That is indeed a pretty interesting thought. Wait, let me see if I have one."
They were walking downstairs, ready to change after putting down the stained clothes and burning them as well when the door was once again opened.
"Oh…"
Like a deer in front of a running headlight, Viktor stopped at the door and looked at the two of them blankly. He was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday and his hair was quite a bit disheveled.
A few seconds later, Makarove showed a proud grin as he looked at the time on the clock.
"Seems like my little boy had some good time, heh?"
Viktor had never felt so embarrassed in his entire life.
CH 211: A GOOD PLACE
After both Cecilia and Makarov made enough fun of Viktor and Adam joined them in the cleaning process, the painstaking and arduous cleaning had finally finished.
Since they were at it, Viktor also chimed in to lessen their workload and they started cleaning the entire house at once to be done with it all.
Though it would be more accurate to say that Adam was cleaning and they were helping him out every now and then. After all, it was hard to compete against him when he was literally cleaning the entire house by himself through his telekinetic abilities.
What was even funnier was how Viktor and Makarov were also taking notes of his action on a notepad even as he was cleaning the house. They had made different tests about his abilities already but seeing the ease with which Adam was moving now made many of their many tests completely outdated.
"Bloody hell! Seems like we need to scratch the current prototype and work on it again."
This was becoming a recurring scenario for them and Makarov recognized that any normal weapon would never be enough to keep up with Adam's abilities in the long run. Hell, with the speed at which he was growing, it would be fortunate for them if he could even go one month with a single weapon of theirs.
"Analyzing his future growth also seems to be quite complicated and arduous."
"Ugh… We need something that can adapt and evolve with his capabilities otherwise it would just be meaningless to give anything to him."
He groaned before nodding in acknowledgment of that statement. Ideas began to churn in his mind as more and more possibilities began to develop before he finally came to a decision, "Cecilia, you still up for that fight with Adam?"
They had finished cleaning but it was already the afternoon of the day. It was a hard time to fight but it did not really matter to the mother and son duo.
"We are ready for it. All we lack is a good venue to duke it out."
"Very well… Come with me. I have a good place in mind for you two to fight with you all. Though we are unable to access the location on a regular basis, it should just be good enough to conduct one or two fights there."
—
A few minutes later, after Makarov had finished changing the coordinates of the spatial gate in the basement of Adam's home, the four of them crossed the realms through the gate and found themselves in what seemed to be an open-air area somewhere unknown.
"Just… where is this?"
"A sanctuary where warriors were initiated and trained centuries ago. This holy plane had been destroyed during a fight between the Knights of the Round Table and the Paladins of Charlemagne [1]. It was taken over by the dwarves and then remodeled later on to suit their tastes so it is a bit different from how it was in the past."
"All I can see is a flat clearing as far as the eyes can see. I don't see anyways that this plane was remodeled though. How was it remodeled?"
"This place used to be a mountain range. And… you can see the rest for yourself…"
"...Oh…"
"Indeed. Oh... Hahaha…. This was a fight of epic proportions from what some of the faeries informed me. They couldn't believe that it was humans who were fighting in this place. It felt more like a showdown between titans. Though they also told that if both Charlemagne and Arthur Pendragon fought against each other, then chances were that this place would have changed from a mountain range to a vast and deep canyon."
Makarov grinned at those words, his hands twitching and trembling in awe even as he merely told this part of supernatural history. It was a time… an era… he wished he could have been part of. How proud would he have been if he could make the armor and weapons of the King at the caliber of Arthur Pendragon or the great heroes of that time like Roland and Jeanne d'Arc?
The only grace in his long career had been to meet and create a weapon for Cecilia. Despite all the accolades he had received throughout his long life, this was the only achievement and creation that he could truly say that he was proud of.
"Very well. You can go all out here. The fairy might not be able to visit this place at will anymore but who knows? if they like the fight they might give some gifts later on."
Adam nodded and started exploring the place with his domain to scout out any anomalies around the area. He brought the range of his domain to the maximum it was able to cover… and once he absolutely made sure that there was no one in this area that could think of disturbing them… he lowered the range and compressed and overlapped his domain until it reached the 100 meters mark.
He doubted he would need a larger domain than this while dealing with his mom. This reduced range would greatly enhance his focus and senses, allowing him to not just simply get destroyed during the fight with his OP mother.
'Genesis… be honest with me here, what are my chances of winning against Mom?'
[I am unable to determine the results. Your abilities are outstanding and you have certainly grown a lot from your initial powerless state. If it was before she drank the potion, I would even say that you had a chance of winning if you went all out and got lucky enough but… now… I don't think I need to say this out loud…]
Adam grinned at the response and focused on the incoming fight. Both Viktor and Makarov had moved as far away as possible to keep themselves from being swept away by the crazy pair of mother and son.
At the moment, Cecilia was wearing a simple body-fitting black suit and a shirt over it to hide her more feminine features but it was not able to hide her alluring shape. The tight body suit defined her body in all its glory and allowed him to see some of her well-defined muscles, proof of all the training she went through all her life.
"No weapons?"
Cecilia grinned, "It might be surprising to hear but while I use a great sword, my main style has always been that of a brawler."
Adam chuckled, remembering all the box fights they had in the past, "No, trust me. That isn't surprising at all."
"Either way, using a Divine Weapon in a sparring match is disrespectful and cowardly to your opponent. It's a way to admit that I could not beat you without a boost in strength from the weapon. This is why Makoto gave up the fight the moment the sword protected her, even if it was against her will."
"Very well." He moved his hand, slightly flicking his wrist, and two straight daggers appeared in his hands. These were the weapons Makarov and Viktor had finely crafted for him not long ago and he finally got the chance to use them now.
Sadly, he had not really gotten the chance to use them in the time since he had received them from Makrov and Viktor. It wasn't really because he didn't want to, but sometimes it was simply better to crush people directly and the last time he fought, he was more focused on bringing them absolute fear rather than whittling them down using his weapons.
"What are the rules?"
"None in particular. The goal is to test how much strength I recovered after drinking the potion and for them to get more accurate data on you to refine your weapons. I will be using my power without hesitation though. So be careful."
Adam grinned at those words, "I became pretty strong, you know Mom… Perhaps you should be the one to be careful."
"Oh, Adam… It seems like I need to show a little more of what I am really capable of to you, you little brat!"
With those words spoken, she walked away, increasing the distance that separated her from Adam to around 50 meters.
Since Adam was a long-range fighter, it was pretty weird to give him this advantage but perhaps it was kind of a handicap for him to make use of.
The moment Makarov gave the signal to start the fight, the two of them stayed silent for a while before Cecilia spoke. Despite the distance, he felt like he could perfectly hear her words.
She changed her position and went in a punching stance, from afar he could see her muscles tighten briefly and even her vascular veins appeared on top of her skin as power coursed through all over her body… power that she hadn't been able to feel in a long while… It exhilarated her senses and made her feel that she had recovered just a bit more of her previous invincible state…
"Lesson 1… Never assume you are the one in advantage with the distance, my son…"
Shivers went down his spine and he immediately activated his psychic shield on instinct.
That was definitely the right thing to do for what came next…
BOOM~!
CH 212: MOTHER VS SON
The start of the fight between the mother and son pair was electrifying, to say the least. Viktor thought as such while he watched the dainty woman so much smaller than him throw a punch that created a long trench through space at chaotic speeds before reaching Adam in a flash.
The attack had been so sudden and instantaneous that all it took was a blink of an eye to lose what transpired before them. This had already gone out of the realms of the average supernatural fight and it was only a spar…
'What..'
The ground rumbled and a wall of dust and rubble settled on the atmosphere along with the barrage of the super speedy attack, but when it finally settled down, they were able to witness Adam's visage, completely unscathed from the previous blow.
There was a translucent wall of intangible space surrounding him. Most likely, the intangible space was some sort of ability he had used to protect himself at the very last moment from Cecilia's attack.
"Heh, I would have been sorely disappointed if you had become down for the count with just that."
Cecilia laughed under her breath and began to stretch her body even more, a bloodthirsty, battle-hungry grin was plastered on her face as her eyes reflected the vigilant and cold look of her son.
"Very well Adam, let's continue the warm-up, shall we?"
She was not finished speaking before… she suddenly buckled down slightly. As though she was suddenly weighing too much or something was pressing down on her body, she crouched on the solid ground hard. It seemed like an intangible undetectable force was forcing her down to the ground…
The ground cracked under her feet and Viktor immediately understood that Adam was using his power over gravity to suppress Cecilia down to the ground. Surely, this skill of his was extremely versatile. Even if all he could do was increase or decrease the gravity of his surroundings, it was still a game changer.
"Oh? Been a while since I felt my weight increase so much. But you see Adam… That is completely useless against me. Anything is before absolute power…"
Cecilia took one step forward and instantly, her body flashed before landing right in front of Adam as though the previous suppression on her body had been a lie, ready to bring her son down with another one of her deadly punches.
Adam reacted much more readily this time, deflecting her fists rather than clashing against them head-on. Then the spectators could only watch as the two started exchanging punches and kicks and all sorts of combat techniques at speeds many times faster than what even supernaturally trained eyes could perceive.
"Grandfather. I thought Adam was a long-range fighter."
"He is. But take a closer look, he is quite skilled at short range too, all things considered. He realized that fighting directly against her would be severely hard. Almost impossible. From the information we have of him, I believe he is slowing down her movements in his mind with his Accelerated perception. Then, using gravity to lower his own weight while increasing that of Cecilia, he is able to react much faster than what he would be able to do in normal situations."
Viktor looked at Makarov with new eyes before focusing once again on the fight. He filled his eyes with Prana and while things still looked blurry, he was at least able to perceive the fight between them a bit better than before. It was clear enough for him to understand the general trend of the fight.
"It seems like Adam has the advantage for now?"
Even though Adam was under multiple attacks, it was clear that he could parry all of them with ease. He simply needed an opening to put Cecilia down! Or so Viktor thought in his mind…
"Well, the boy is certainly giving us a great show of his capabilities. But… This is just the start. He needs to take his distance if he wants to survive against Cecilia."
Indeed, even though Adam was able to follow and repulse Cecilia's attacks to a certain extent, even the wind pressure coming from her fists was enough to leave wounds and scratches all over his body.
Furthermore, his arms and hands were not unscathed either. He could feel them throbbing even as he fought against Cecilia with all his might. His psychic shield was also under great pressure due to the constant battering of his mother's attacks.
'She really is way too fucking strong.'
He cursed in his mind as he acknowledged his mother's undeniable supremacy. It was quite clear that she was simply playing around for now but the results had become evident from just that.
'Using close combat against her is blatantly stupid of me.'
He made up his mind to go all out. He increased his perception of time through his skill… it was to the point where her fist became so slow, they looked like they were now normal jabs that came from an ordinary back alley ruffian.
Bending his waist, he managed to avoid her attack narrowly and grabbed her by the arms before making a throwing motion.
"Oh?"
Once Cecilia was in the air, he immediately used his telekinesis to grip her body tightly.
Huff~
Breathing deeply, Adam spoke as he smiled,
"It seems like I managed to incapacitate you."
Moving and reacting at the speed Cecilia had been casually going against him had not been easy. She was basically as fast as Makoto at her fastest possible speed and it seemed like she had not even begun to start trying anything.
Cecilia shrugged, "Being caught like this does feel weird I must say. I can feel the Prana around me, but it doesn't really feel like you are grabbing me that way. How interesting."
"You seem quite relaxed, Mom."
"Oh, I am. I had quite a good warm-up because of you. I am happy to see that you still know how to use your fists despite your newly acquired powers."
"I have had a good teacher."
"Heh, indeed. So let me teach you something else today."
A large and menacing grin formed on her face. Adam suddenly felt the temperature around him rise sharply. So fast in fact that the air itself seemed to ignite.
He immediately threw Cecilia as far away as possible from him and…
Whoosh~
The sky seemed to be covered in a blood-red glow as a crimson light lit up the surroundings in the air.
Then, like a star rushing at him, Adam could see Cecilia coming at him once again.
But this time… She was flying.
Fiery tongues of crimson red light had entirely covered her legs and it looked like she had attached a high-speed jet propulsor to her feet with how she was coming at him like that…
Adam let out a laugh filled with utter disbelief and immediately covered his body in silverly blue electrical lines that zapped away at his surroundings before also starting to fly in the sky… immediately rushing toward her with his dagger in hand.
What followed was a true clash that seemed to have come out of a mystical tale as blue and crimson light left traces in the air and zapped all around like there was no tomorrow.
Every time they clashed there would be explosions of power caused by the different elements they were both using.
Sometimes, Adam would create illusions of himself to throw her out of her game, but like a homing machine, she would always find him and make sure he could not escape her barrage of attacks.
The damage that Adam was receiving was progressively building as more and more time went on but he did not care, he did not have the time to compare. He was simply lost in the fight, used all his time to focus on his opponent, as he started using everything he had at his disposal.
He realized fast that Cecilia did not seem to use logic and reasoning for the duration of a fight. The reason why she could distinguish his illusions from reality wasn't just because she was strong.
She was basically purely moving out of her supernatural bestial instincts. Her mental fortitude was also such that his illusions seemed useless against her.
It was hard. But the more he went on, the more he understood just how rewarding his current clash against his mother was.
When they finally stopped, more than half of the plain surrounding them had been destroyed as the fire and lava that seemed to have erupted from hell spread everywhere as far as the eyes could see. The sky was also covered in black clouds, and the wind was picking up in the distance and slowly covering up the atmosphere.
"Adam, I think it's time to end this here."
This was not an official match after all, never was it a fight to the death either. There was a limit to how far they could go.
"I can still fight."
"Oh… I am sure you can still fight. But Adam…"
Even though they had been fighting for so long and were wounded to varying degrees, it was clear that Cecilia still somewhat held the upper hand in this fight.
If she had to be honest, she was surprised Adam had managed to even last this long against her. It had only been a few days since his fight against Makato but he was already showing signs of great growth. His speed of growing was simply unprecedented in all of history…
"Adam, you are really talented. Perhaps too much even. Which is why, I will teach you the greatest lesson I was taught as a Kid."
The relaxed atmosphere around her vanished completely.
"Sometimes, when you have no other choice, it's necessary to throw all caution to the wind and fight like a madman. This is the reality. But you see… Sometimes… It's okay to run. Running means that you survive long enough to fight another day…"
She knew that Adam was immortal. But he did not have some sort of super regeneration under his belt.
"So. Adam, let me show you something… let me show you… what it means to open the Gate of Truth."
She could easily use a power level between an executor and a director. It wasn't enough for her. But for now… This would do.
The air became dry as though the very existence of air itself was being turned nonexistent.
The grasses turned to ashes as they ceased to exist due to the fire that seemed it could annihilate everything without the slightest exception…
The clouds in the sky scattered as they made way for the void above and even there… the space distorted as though it was having a hard time existing before this power that was about to be released.
『 Phantasm Realm -::- Múspellsheimr 』 [1]
When Adam opened his eyes, he realized that he had been transported in a place that was much different from what he remembered.
Flame, flames, flames everywhere with seemingly absolutely no limit even when inspected with his dimension.
'Where is this place.'
"This place is the manifestation of my inner heart. Quite beautiful sad isn't. Well, Adam… Welcome to my world. "
CH 213: I DO NOT DIE WHEN I AM KILLED
It was hot.
So very hot.
But at the same time, all that registered in Adam's senses… was a certain feeling of gentle warmth. It enveloped his whole body and wrapped him up snugly.
He wondered in his mind if what he was seeing right now was some kind of illusion he had been thrown into or not. Otherwise, he just wasn't able to make sense of what his mother had just invoked right now.
"This is very much real, I assure you that, my son. I simply made sure that you are not considered a target of my realm. If you were, then you would have been instantly incinerated to nothingness. That is the power of this world of fire and ashes…"
Adam looked all around him in utter awe. He could not sense the normal world anymore, even though he had stretched his domain as far as he was able to with all his might. This was unspeakably shocking. It seemed like they had changed realms.
"The place you are now standing on… is my world, or rather it's the expression of my inner heart brought to reality and contained inside of a domain that I have invoked with my powers— The Phantasm Realm. The ultimate realization of the Truth you have comprehended in your life. It is a 100% sure hit technique. Adam… let me make this clear for you, if you face anyone who can bring forth this skill, then simply run or play dead."
Cecilia was not joking right now. She needed to bring this information to him and make it stick into that genius head of his. The phantasm realm was perhaps the greatest expression of the potential for humans to surpass the supernatural. This was also the skill that separated the weak from the truly strong. Before you were able to reach this realm… you would only be equivalent to an ant in the true supernatural community.
In a fight, normally, there was never anything certain. One could win even against someone stronger than them through the use of strategy and trickery. But the advent of the phantasm realm destroyed this stereotype in its entirety.
Once the target was inside the realm domain, the only outcome, if you did not have a realm of yourself to counteract against it, was death. At least, if it was a realm focused on lethality like hers.
"What are the chances of meeting someone with this power?"
"Normally? Extremely low. You already saw the dream world of Asmodeus so you should understand how rare meeting someone who can do something like this should be. But…"
In the end, she couldn't help but laugh, "You should understand, right? The lower the chances of you normally meeting someone like this is… The more I am sure that you will end up meeting one. After all, you are like me. Always at the wrong place at the wrong time."
There was a certain bitterness that was attached to her words. A resignation to the reality that peace had never been a possibility for her in this life.
Adam had a strong fate. In the same way, he was killed during Halloween… even if Adam did nothing and hid somewhere deep in the woods, somehow, someway, something would happen and implicate him in the games of destiny.
"Does this technique have any drawbacks?"
Adam could not understand how such a somehow absolute power could exist without a certain limit attached to it.
"Of course there are. For starters, just invoking this technique consumes a massive amount of energy. Even now, maintaining this place is only possible because I did not imbue my desire to kill and destroy into the realm. Thereby, I was able to diminish the consumption of energy by a lot and only needed to supply enough energy to maintain it."
The way she spoke nonchalantly about the dark desires in her heart made Adam understand that he wasn't the only one with psychological issues in his family.
"The second problem is that this is a fake world that goes against the will of the world. Simply maintaining this barrier is extremely straining not only because of the innate consumption but also because of the rejection of the world itself and this brings me to something I always wanted to say to you…"
She looked all around, her eyes shining with red light. In this place, it was possible for her to observe the boundaries of Adam's most used and useful skill in combat— 'The World.'
"Your skill— The World. I believe it's an incomplete domain. A phantasm realm without any signs of boundaries. That is what makes this skill really, really deadly… far deadlier than you can imagine, my son. You can maintain this domain forever with no problems and you face no rejection from the world itself. The World is somehow able to fuse and is accepted seamlessly in the normal world and you can affect the rules of nature with no consequences whatsoever."
The words that Cecilia spoke right now made him think back to an old discussion he once had with Eve a little after he awakened 'The World.' A talk about the Divine Kingdoms and the territory of the Gods roaming the cosmos.
If he was right, the Phantasm Realm should be something akin to the first step to building the Divine Kingdom and ascension into the realm of gods. As for him, by following the enlightenment of Buddha, he had been able to maintain a partial domain or a fake Phantasm Realm.
'One of the things I lack is a boundary I guess.'
This fake world included a certain mastery of space. Idea after idea swam inside of his head and he honestly wanted to ask Cecilia to let him die once or twice inside her world of fire and ashes…
He tilted his head for a moment, he truly wondered what it would feel like to die due to fire.
"Mom… Let me take a bath in the fire… please…"
What would happen if he was completely incinerated? Until now, all his death had always left him with a relatively intact body, which allowed for a speedy recovery.
But what about being entirely reduced to ashes? Would he truly die? He doubted that. If a fire was enough to bring him true death with the Curse of Cain then this would really be a lousy curse.
Cecilia opened her mouth wide, "Are you crazy?"
"…Perhaps I am… But hey, gotta be crazy to survive right? What is better? Me being burnt to death under your supervision or me being burnt to death while fighting an enemy?"
"How about not being burnt at all, you dimwit!?"
"Even if death by fire isn't on the table like you said… sooner or later I might face some power that can completely crush me in a matter of seconds. To be honest, I have always wanted to test the limits of my immortality. This is as good a time as any."
Cecilia wondered what was crazier…
The fact that her son was asking her to reduce him to ashes or the fact that… His arguments somehow made sense in her ears and she was really thinking about fulfilling his wishes for a moment…
"I…"
She hesitated but… Looking at the firm will shining in his eyes, she knew that she had been beaten by his reasoning. Even if not here, Adam would make sure to test it somewhere outside or worse, like he said, while fighting.
In the past, temporarily killing vampires to capture and study them was a practice quite common in the hunter world and she had no doubt that this could be used on Adam as soon as people started to realize his immortality.
Looking at the struggle evident in her eyes, Adam realized his mistake.
He had become so desensitized about his life and death that he had been able to ask this almost naturally. But for most people, this was in no way normal.
Even for someone as unhinged as Cecilia, asking her to kill her own son was a little too much.
"Mom…"
"Don't…"
She stopped him from speaking further, knowing full well what he was about to say.
"I chose to raise you and now that you have awakened, I chose to accept your supernatural nature. No one forced me into it. This is my own choice and with those choices come my own share of responsibilities. No matter how heavy they may be."
She looked all around, her energy was draining rather fast but she could still pull enough energy out of her that she could use to do a single attack.
"Very well. You asked for it. Generally, I like leaving the intensity intentionally lower in order to torture the heretics I catch but this time I will make sure to make it painless for you and directly incinerate you. I hope you are ready… my son…"
The flames inside of her hellish world roared to life and the crimson color of the world of fire and ashes progressively began to change until it became entirely white. [1]
She could not produce blue flames yet with her current strength but this did not matter to her. In this place, the fire present was obviously not natural fire and did need to follow the natural order for it to reach a higher concentration of temperature and fire.
Cecilia moved her hands and the raging fire covering the world moved along with each of her gestures.
But, just as she finally brought down the barrier that protected Adam from the fire, Adam's eyes opened white when he realized that they had forgotten one thing.
'My clothes and weapons… Fuck…'
Those were his last thoughts as he was engulfed in a sea of flame and reduced to absolutely nothing in but an instant.
CH 214: TIME TO MOVE
A few hours later… after the earth-shaking battle between the mother and son pair was done commencing,
"My baby!"
The wailing cries of a despairing old man resonated in the air, filling the sky with the sorrow and gut-wrenching pain he was feeling in the depths of his soul…
"Haha…"
Cecilia stood awkwardly while scratching her hair and beside her, Adam, wearing clothes weaved from his illusions was standing with an equally awkward expression on his face. Both of them did not know what to say in this situation as they were equally responsible culprits of this situation.
The two of them had been so deeply focused on their conversation that they had completely forgotten about the weapon Makarov and Viktor had created for Adam.
It was only at the very last minute that Adam was able to remember about the weapon, and the possible annihilation of it due to Cecilia's power, but by then it was already too late. At the very least, he was able to keep himself from being humiliated thanks to the power of his illusions but that wasn't able to salvage the weapon the mother and son pair had destroyed.
Right now, all that was left of the once beautiful and deadly weapon were just some broken bits of metal and charred pieces of sturdy materials that were able to barely withstand the hellfire of Cecilia's domain.
In a way, it was a testament to the durability of the prototype weapon that Makarov and Viktor had made for Adam. It was a testament to their skills. After all, he doubted that there would be many weapons out there that could even keep a semblance of their shape after being bombarded with Cecilia's hellfire.
"I am sorry. I was careless."
Makarov glared at Cecilia before sighing and then standing up from his crouching position. He couldn't touch the weapon for now as it was way too bloody hot.
"No, just forget about it. It's my fault for not taking into account the power of a brute like you. We gathered some good data from this bout between the two of you and so I am going to immerse myself in work with these data."
He tried to find solace in that reality. At the very least, he had managed to glean that just a weapon that was based on pure close-quarter combat won't do for Adam with all of his different abilities that were based on the supernatural forces of nature.
He needed a new weapon design that would be more suitable for Adam than mere dual blades. He also needed to make it malleable and far more durable than anything else, enough to withstand the most powerful waves of fire that Cecilia would be able to generate inside her domain.
He groaned for some time before finally shaking his head. Ideas were constantly streaming through his mind, ideas that could help him make the best weapon of his life for Adam, but he couldn't lose himself in the realms of his mind right now. He needed to focus on what was happening right now.
"Let's do a summary of the fight, shall we? This will be useful for all of us in the long run. After that is done, we will leave this plain."
"Hmm… What should we do with this place though?"
Adam looked all around, greatly embarrassed about the chaos they had wrought in the land of the dwarves. Nearly any distance the eyes and even his domain could witness, there were only the vestiges of annihilation and destruction… wrought about by Cecilia's hellfire…
"Don't worry about that, laddie. This place was created to welcome formidable warriors in the first place. I do not know if the Fairies saw us but if they did they would certainly be happy to see the battle that the two of you have enacted in here."
Fairies were strange childlike creatures who loved entertainment. As they were celestial is it was quite rare to see them on earth nowadays but it wasn't impossible.
"Is that so?"
Adam gave one last glance at the surroundings before finally leaving with the group. He also made sure to take the remaining of the weapon as he could simply transport it with his power with no fear of the heat.
—
After a long session of interrogation, as Makarov took all the information he could from him, Adam found himself inside the bathroom.
It was hard for him to relax, knowing full well what happened not long ago in this place but… The moment he entered the hot bath, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief and relaxation as he felt the fatigue that had accumulated inside of his mind and body be washed away by the cozy bath.
His mind drifted immediately to the sensations and epiphany he had received the moment Cecilia had stopped holding back.
It had been so fast he could not even feel the aura of death touch his soul, nor could he feel the time pass as he was delivered to his death.
But doing so had allowed him to become certain of some information.
He was indeed immortal. He literally came back to perfect condition from being reduced to ashes. If this wasn't immortal enough then nothing would be; he was sure of that.
It wasn't as if he had been doubting this immortality but there was something different about personally treading the limits of his powers and thus learning what he could or could not do.
For now, there were many 'coulds' and a few 'could not dos.'
When he woke up, Cecilia told him that he had been dead for about 3 hours. From the small tears of relief, he could see in the corner of her eyes, it had become clear just how torturous those 3 hours must have been for her.
He could not even begin to comprehend the amount of anguish and apprehension she must have felt in the time he had taken to revive back to his optimal state.
But… Whether this had been worth it or not… was a really hard question to answer. Adam felt like he had grabbed hold of a new weird technique but he had not been able to completely grasp it yet. It was something related to the power of Thermodynamics he was recently pursuing…
He had also learned a humbling lesson from this fight. He hadn't ever been arrogant. But because of his recent experiences, he was somewhat made to believe that he could not lose.
This was a mindset that was born from all the victories he achieved non-stop since the day he had awakened. He had started to believe that he was somehow invincible and could win with just about everyone if certain conditions were to be met, or he could control the flow of battle.
How naive of him to think like that.
Thankfully, this naivety or, perhaps indeed, arrogance had passed away with the fight and now he could focus on the reality of his powers.
'Huff. Enough with the introspection.'
He stood up and looked at himself once again in the mirror. It was easy to see that the young man in front of him was quite a desirable piece of company.
His physical appearance was outstanding and he had the ability to give some small inducement to others with his charms alone.
He understood why so many women somehow fell in love with him even though he had not particularly tried to do much to seduce them.
This night, once again, he would put on the uniform of Prince Cinder and play the bad boy.
'I am sorry but….'
He had already made his decision and he would not hesitate in using that poor woman for all she was worth.
As for the new skill? He needed to work on it a little more and he was sure that someone would give him the opportunity to use the power on him or her.
There would always be people willing to come at him and engage in mortal combat.
.
.
.
Finally, when the night arrived.
"Well then… Shall we go?"
It was time to move indeed.
