Adam took a shower to wash off the blood and sweat that had racked up in the recent incident.
His eyes dark and empty…
'Who is at fault here?' He couldn't understand why he was suddenly attacked without any forewarning.
And that too in his very own house…!
He was lost in thoughts:
'Was I too careless?' He thought that maybe he should have taken better precautions in this world.
At first, he thought that maybe petty crimes was all he had to worry about… but now he wasn't sure.
This incident felt too deliberate to be written off.
'Maybe I should have developed this place more.' A regret of not even looking at his land arose within.
If he had hired more workers and made his land secure, then he wouldn't have went through pain.
No, was it really his fault to begin with?
'Maybe it WAS them.' The timing of the attack on him and how his guests arrived was impeccable.
Was it really a coincidence?
He thought back to recent events more thoroughly.
Maybe it was Jake Arcadia who sent those intruders. They might've been here to capture him.
But it didn't seem the feisty guy's style.
Moreover, he wasn't bad enough to use assassins.
The only thing he could think of was that it likely had to do with Duke Bryan. That mad scientist…
If he somehow got word of his immortality, then there was a chance he'd do everything to get him.
Nothing was too low for such a prideful bastard.
'Reluctance will only harm me. I need to contact a Royal and get support.' This was his best option.
He knew of the messy relationship Linda had with the now Crowned King, but that was all there was.
The two of them were on good enough terms that Ramos Pandorica would likely protect him properly.
The Arcadia name wouldn't move him one bit.
'What cards do I have? What cards can be used for later?' Adam got out of the bath and made a plan.
He had to use everything at his disposal if he wanted to create a long-term plan for a long life.
Winging it wasn't an option anymore.
That's why he sat everyone down together the next day after reporting what happened in his mansion.
There was some outrage, but the incident died down solely because blowing it up had no benefits.
Not only would it advertise his weakness, but those who'd sent the intruders would be become alert.
The three guests of his had recovered and regained their senses while things were going on.
He wasn't the only one deeply effected by this.
Sebastian looked down the most out of all of them.
As a battlefield retiree, he looked worse for ware after realising how powerless he was in this world.
The same could be said for Kang Hyuk. Though he tried to pretend nothing was bothering him lately.
It was only Simon who looked truly unbothered by recent circumstances. His mood sunny and bright.
"Do you want to start training now?"
"Not yet." After all, there were things they needed to address if they were going to continue forward.
"Then why did you ask us to come?"
"I'm planning to hire both you and Sebastian as my instructors. One for battle, and the other for magic." His words caused the depressed Magician to realise he'd been found out since earlier.
"You saw how powerless I was earlier, but you still want to learn from me?" He pointed at himself.
Hyuk was unusually quite at this statement. Not wanting to interrupt and make him feel worse.
"It's better to keep you all close me me."
"Why?"
"You all know 'Why?'… Now, can I ask you a personal question?" This tone made Sebas frown.
He knew exactly what Adam was planning to ask.
The Magician looked between the curious eyes of Hyuk and the sleepy demeanour of his 'coworker'.
The former looked like he'd burn holes through him. A normal reaction to what he'd witnessed.
"If the question is if I'm immortal, then 'Yes' and 'No'." Sebastian came out with it immediately.
Though the answer confused all of them.
"What does that mean?"
"It would be easier to show it than using words alone." He brought up a lot of his status window.
[Name: Sebastian Pegasus
Job: Battlefield Retiree
Titles: Otherworlder
Personal Skills: Mana Sense (Common)
Growth Characteristic: Concerned Instructor/ Justice Justifier
Unique Skill: Observer Effect of Death Inconsistency
Intrinsic Skill: Battlefield Experience (Common), Instructor Experience (Common), Modern Education (Common), Potential Expansion (Special),
Imaginary Attribute: Cat Zodiac, Victor Frankenstein
Magic Affinity: Lightning
Gift Slot: Unawakened/Untrained
Power Tier= D (Heroic)
Agility Tier= C (Legendary)
Speed Tier= D (Rare)
Defence Tier= E (Rare)
Combat Prowess= B (Professional Magician)]
More questions appeared in his head after seeing these parts of his data. He couldn't quite grasp it.
However, Sebastian took the time to explain it:
"People of my world called 'Imaginary Attributes' as 'Spectre Possessions'. We believed there were beings just beyond our realm, but not completely separated from us like the 'Divine Realm' we're in."
"What does that have to do with your Skill?"
"Everything. In fact: I never had a Unique Skill before coming to this world, nor a second Imaginary Attribute." These words picked his interest. Was having that part filled in important?
"What is an Imaginary Attribute?" Besides Simon, it looked like Hyuk and him were on the same page.
It was likely that guy didn't have one as well.
"From what I can imagine, they are spirits that don't technically exist." Things became weirder.
Why did Sebas describe it like that?
"Was that supposed to be a pun or something?"
"Not quite… In my world, 'Spectres' were creatures that existed in beyond our scope of science and understanding. Then possessing humans gave them abilities similar to the nature they had."
"So you're saying they're like ghosts?"
"That was similar to what we believed to be true at the time. We thought they were ancient spirits?"
"And one was called 'Victor Frankenstein'?"
"No… From what I know, 'Victor Frankenstein' is a character in a story. He doesn't actually exist."
These words hit Adam deeply. It was to the point he came to a conclusion Sebastian didn't expect:
"Could it be that… He's a spirit from another world?" These words didn't have any evidence.
However, he thought back to the Otome Game and Linda Arcadia. They were 'fictional' at one point.
So did that mean 'Imaginary Attributes' were spirits of the dead possessing the bodies of the living?
If so, why not take over their host's body?
Sebastian thought about it for a moment… before personally putting this theory about them to rest.
"That's a good idea. I'd never thought of how there might be more realms that we actually know of."
"You're gonna say 'However' now, aren't you!"
"…Right. Anyway, that would explain the 'Victor Frankenstein' part, but not the 'Cat Zodiac' I have."
"You gained that after coming to this world?"
"Yes. That, along with a Unique Skill that combined aspects from both my Imaginary Attributes. What you said can explain the individual spirit, but it can't explain the constellation. On top of that…."
"What now?"
"The 'Cat Zodiac' doesn't exist."
"Huh?" Things were getting confusing, but all he got from it was that Gaia gave him this power.
Why him…?
From what Sebas explained, the 'Cat Zodiac' was apparently not of the western or Chinese Zodiacs listed in the records anywhere between worlds. It was a 13th Zodiac that similar to Serperantarius.
"What I've speculated is that spirits both real and imaginary at the same time is what 'Spectres' are."
"That's… a nice lore dump." Knowing this helped him understand what Gaia meant by her words.
Since she was born from the collective imagination of the living, her looks wasn't set to anything.
Since no one knew of Mother Nature's appearance.
It was all different depending on who you asked.
If that was the case, why was she in charge of this world? Shouldn't a 'God' be used as a placeholder?
On top of that, how was she so powerful even though there were myths of Gods and Devils?
If it was all about popularity, then there were a lot of other deities worshipped more than the world.
Regardless, speculations about it didn't matter.
Adam went back to the point of the conversation:
"I'm guessing 'Observer Effect of Death Inconsistency' came from Schrödinger's cat?"
"I've read the novel 'Frankenstein'. From what it said: Victor Frankenstein had apparently learned 'all forms of science' in his zeal for knowledge. The thought experiment you mean likely counts."
"Who was the author of it?"
"Mary Shelley. And what about you?"
"Same." The both of them became quite at the realisation of what that statement possibly meant.
"…What have you two been talking about?" It looked like the only other listener was lost.
Both of them looked at Kang Hyuk's innocent face and decided against voicing out their theory.
That part wasn't important anyway.
"If I simplify what he's trying to say, the two Imaginary Attributes created a Skill. It probably has to do with 'Potential Expansion' Intrinsic Skill or something." Adam tried changing the subject.
"I'm not sure about that. From what the description says: I can choose if I'm 'alive' or 'dead' so long as no one is directly looking at me." This sounded so overpowered that Adam and Kang Hyuk gaped.
"You can do that?!" The both of them jumped.
"Yeah… But it comes with a big catch. Injuries to my body don't heal, they only get better if I stitch myself together." Sebastian moved his fringe to show the bullet wound hadn't fully regenerated.
"You mean like with him?" Hyuk pointed at the unconcerned Simon. He was still drinking heavily.
"I usually fixed some life support Spells on myself in the moment. Putting myself back together. If I don't do that, then the moment someone looks at me, I'll be considered as 'dead' in their eyes again."
"That sounds real inconvenient…"
"It is, so don't misuse what I'm telling you." These words made him remember why Sebas told him.
"Don't worry. I'll tell you my secret in return." Adam then went on to sharing what happened back then.
How he'd actually met Gaia and the fact he really believed that Duke Bryan was responsible for this.
It was something he hadn't expected to do before.
However, maybe because they all survived a fight(?) between life and death, Adam opened up a little. There was no point making things harder by not sharing this crucial information with them.
The murky eyed Simon slammed his glass down and made eye contact, which all of them returned.
A smile appeared on their faces when they understood that all of them trusted one another.
This wasn't just a partnership out of necessity.
Kang Hyuk also took this opportunity tell them about himself. How he actually missed his world…
Apparently, he felt that all women of the Martial World would cry because a good man departed.
A statement that made them look at him like he was an idiot. One hell of a powerful one at that.
Especially when he brought up that he was a Martial King that ascended using Dual Cultivation.
These words caused one person's eyes to light up.
Wasn't that getting stronger via having sex? Was it possible to get strong without putting any work in?
The opportunity to laze made Adam snap at him:
"Teach me."
"Hmph! So you know my greatness." Kang Hyuk felt proud. This reaction was common in his world.
The pervert snorted in pride…
He couldn't remember how many had asked for his guidance on how to become the man he was today.
But there was one problem:
"I can teach you if you get a girlfriend or full-on get married. Even better if it's a resident of this nation."
"…I can't."
"Then what? Are you planning to do it with me~? I can't do that too. You see, I'm too straight for that."
"…" Seeing how realistically Hyuk was giving his rejection made Adam question his decision making.
Was he really going to take him on as a teacher?
…But the alternative was 'pushing past his limits' and almost dying to swiftly get a strong Qi Centre.
How was he going to fix this issue?
Adam mulled over a few ideas and realised the card to getting what he wanted was here all along.
Wasn't his first transaction hiding some Ascenders that had nowhere to go and needed to be hidden?
"I got an idea."
If he put his mind to it, he has a lot of things he could use to tie himself to the royal bloodline.
Not only did he own a piece of territory in the Capitol of the nation, but he was also a bachelor.
So…
"I'm gonna go marry a beautiful princess!"