Hyuk described a scene of total carnage.
After the blessing of 'Narration' would come the worldly domain, 'Babylonia'. Abominations born.
Regardless of what they were, Hyuk described them as beings that would only hunt humanity.
Our predators…
It was strange to call such a curse something sacred, but Adam didn't care about the naming.
The third blessing would be a 'Boon'.
All human beings will have the chance to awaken or reawaken their Gifts, while being presented an arm.
Weapons born from the Imaginary Realm itself.
It was a choice Adam would get in the future too.
The only thing he was worried about was the fourth blessing 'Trail', and the fifth and final blessing.
'Wisdom'…
Whatever these blessing meant, Adam could infer that the world would change in a militaristic way.
Everyone with power might have to be conscripted.
With this in mind, he entered the realm of stars again to find the final recipe for his last freebie.
It would be better to get a different type from the ones he already had: 'Blood Nurture', 'Toxic Blade'…
The former was a survival supportive type, while the latter would be used to increase his comrades.
Now all he needed was personal power.
After all, who could be more useful than oneself?
There were a lot of good ones like 'Continent Sword' and 'War Hysteria', but he chose two Gifts.
Ones that didn't seem to have instant effects.
[Gift Name: Technique Thievery (Rat)
Description: Able to trace and understand the origin of all techniques used through the roots. It can allow you to learn any fighting style or form physically seen. Cannot copy Gifts and Traits.]
Although the last part made it sound limited, this Gift was actually the one with the biggest potential.
Especially with what he had seen before…
The second ability chosen also didn't seem that useful, but it would help him more in the long run.
[Gift Name: Unshakable Tranquility (Ishtar)
Description: Allows one to gain immunity to mental ailments and unshakable in the face of insanity. A complete balance between the Soul, Heart, Mind, and Flesh could allow the birth of sub abilities. It depends on the user's traits what will be gained.]
There didn't seem to be much to be gained by having this ability. After all, it wasn't related to strength or survival. The power of 'being calm' sounded useless at first when Adam looked at it.
But then he started to ask himself what he wanted.
Was this really it?
He could probably make bigger waves if he chose something like 'Direct Assault' or 'Neurotoxic Mist'.
However, there was something he wanted beyond that. Especially when he read this ability's traits.
He always considered himself to be logical and reasonable, but recently he started to doubt that.
Has his actions truly been completely rational?
If didn't find an answer, he wouldn't be able to sleep in peace. His mind filled with suspicion.
And the only way to grow out of that was by maturing, or by gaining tranquility with this Gift.
And so, Adam added it to the fusion process.
The last Gift had been blended and refined…
What came out after putting these two Gifts in was something he hadn't expected to have gained.
[Gift Name: Insightful Savant (Transient Mouse of Mesopotamian Goddesses)
Description: You have gained the ability to incorporate techniques into your body. Your mind has become unshakable. It is possible to alter and reconstruct techniques when fully comprehended.]
When the ability entered him, he found his once blurry thoughts to become more straightened.
The fake calmness he had been showing all this time had become real tranquility from the soul.
It was finally time.
Adam put on a jacket and dressed himself up well.
Right now wasn't the time to meet his enemies nor potential allies, but to become formidable himself.
Able to handle himself.
Thus, he left the apartment complex and decided to book a short private vacation to the mountains.
Simply going there by taxi.
Since it wasn't nearby, the fair was particularly big.
However, it wasn't like him to back down just because there were small hurdles like this.
In fact, money was never a problem.
He happily paid such an exorbitant amount and went to the nearest place he could test his Gifts.
Adam found taking in a breath of fresh air felt nice.
He got off the paved road and walked directly to the far places normal people would never travel.
After all, getting a taxi back would be really difficult. There also wasn't any signal at this place.
Which only made things even better for him.
He found an empty space after walking for a while and finally decided to take out his personal arm.
The 'Toxic Blade' materialised…
A pink blade glowed in his hand, and it wasn't like he knew anything at all about swordsmanship.
Not even the basics.
However, there were two people he had seen and experienced the lives of that DID have that wisdom.
Adam believed that the techniques of the alternate world Sidmund and fallen heiress Clarissa were more than enough. They might have had completely different origins of techniques, but…
Would that matter to him?
He slapped a nearby true with his sword and let the leaves fall, then copied Clarissa's swordsmanship.
"Double Stab…" He murmured in order to get a better visualise the move used for the first time.
This was followed by 'Triple Stab', 'Quad Stab', 'Quint Stab', and 'Hex Stab'. When he was done stabbing, he started doing the same thing with slashes… until he'd taken on the woman's style.
It was a little altered to suite his male body and different blades weapon, but worked well on him.
He forgot about time…
Dedicating his entire day to bringing out the skills he had seen from Clarissa in that final moment.
He felt a strange power awakening.
A clapping sound could be heard from nearby.
"I'd never thought I'd see someone go from being a complete newbie to using 'Sword Qi' on the first try." Hyuk praised him openly, but his words weren't taken seriously by the panting figure.
The more he mastered 'her' sword by himself, the more oppressive the Sword Qi became inside him.
Making him feel lethargic.
Hyuk quickly stopped him.
"That's enough. You can copy the technique, but the requirement for using this swordsmanship can't be replicated in a day. You would have to train for ten years or so to make it a part of your body." The words of the PIXIE woke Adam back to reality.
"Right… Thanks." He almost forgot that complete replication of her swordsmanship wasn't the goal.
He'd been to engrossed to notice such a thing.
Adam put away his blade and decided to cross his legs on the grass. Letting his pants get dirty.
Usually, he'd hate nature and camping as a whole…
…but Adam had warmed up to the idea recently.
Mostly because he wasn't petty enough to be moved by small things like getting dirt on himself.
The young man gathered the Sword Qi within him and allowed it to circulate through his breathing.
Since he didn't have the 'Heavenly Sword' Gift by itself, he could never gain the same benefits Clarissa did. However, Sword Qi itself was a beneficial tool that would be handy in the future.
Especially when he added Sidmund's techniques.
From what he learned, that world he'd saw had a different mindset when it concerned inner energy.
Rather than using it to enhance the body, 'Magic Circles' were made and applied onto enemies.
Allowing for varied effects.
A sword shaped Magic Circle… 'Sword Circle', had appeared atop of Adam's hand after being written.
He created a new formula for this technique.
Then applied it to his sword. The runic sword energy implanted, then naturally became a skill.
'Hack…?' As if by intuition, Adam somehow understood the workings of this new technique.
Thanks to the combination of two wildly different styles, he was able to use this in two ways.
The first was enhancing the sword's effect by directly applying the sigil onto the Toxic Blade.
Increasing its cutting power.
A pretty straightforward and lacklustre skill compared to what his Gifts were capable of.
The variant technique came from using the sword as a medium to apply the Sword Circle on others.
Allowing one to use energy to directly cut targets.
Not only did it not have to be detonated immediately after applying it on others, but the technique also had the ability to grow. The only thing he needed to do was increase the 'Stacks'.
A lot different from both Sidmund and Clarissa.
If he had to measure his strength objectively, he wouldn't be able to hold a candle to them yet.
However, it wasn't like he needed to beat them up.
This power was mainly being cultivated so that he had a last resort. Something he could use himself.
Thus, after having completed his training without any errors, he decided to go back to his apartment.
Using the same method as Clarissa to head home.
Adam felt proud of himself. Having dedicated himself to training and got some good results.
Only to be disappointed while heading back…
'Damn…' He realised after a while of running that it was useless. His strength incomparable to HER.
Even Sidmund had better skills for mobility.
But it was while he was working his ass off that he started to fall into a state he'd never felt before.
And started to ask himself strange questions…
'Is this how Clarissa felt?' Adam started to wonder while letting his body adapt to his new powers.
That girl, Clarissa Pine, had also worked her butt off for the sake of family. Her goal being to protect.
Only to be disappointed to the bitter end.
Her life now in the hands of an unfeeling and cruel noble. A girl wanting nothing but money and power.
'I will be different.' Adam believed he won't end up the same way as her. His nature wasn't easy.
Espionage wasn't his strongest point, but he was adept in dealing with schemes and machinations.
'I will help you.' For the first time, he felt like helping someone who was somehow similar to himself.
Making his way back to civilisation and calling a cab, then going directly back to the big building.
The young man didn't return to his room.
He looked at the mix between buff and scarred girls, then walked to a certain point SHE was at.
"Is your name Clarissa?" Adam called out to her.
A familiar white set of hair and masculine features entered his vision. Turning around after listening.
"You're… the 'Landlord' of this place, huh?" The young woman immediately recognised his face.
The rest of the girls immediately looked at him curiously. It made him gesture if she had a minute.
It was a pretty informal way of calling her to the side, but she found this kind of thing more familiar.
Compared to useless formalities, she liked getting straight to the point without any useless detours.
Something he'd learnt from 'experiencing' her.
"What did you call me here for?" Clarissa didn't seem to have a bad impression just yet, but she wasn't the type to entertain small talk. Whether it be from someone important to her business or not.
"I thought it was better to get to know you." Adam didn't blindside her. Better to get comfortable.
Only then would his words have weight.
"You don't have to." Clarissa's mood seemed to drop when she thought this was some useless talk.
Adam saw her eyes, but still felt unshaken.
A person couldn't force a relationship to happen.
Even if he failed here, all he needed to do was adjust and come up with different future plans.
So long as there was SOMETHING, he would find a way. Only… that was just his determination talking.
He really didn't want thing to go south so easily.
"Is there a reason?" He framed it as a reasonable question while pretending to be a little tired.
His tracksuit and half drank water bottle made it look like he had just came back from a long jog.
Moreover, this wasn't a lie.
He really was tired…
"…You're different from what I'd heard." Rather than showing straightforwardness, she tilted her head.
Clarissa seemed to be puzzled.
"How so?" It made Adam feel interested.
"I heard you were a friendless asshole that only cared about direct family." Her voice was plain.
As if what she had said didn't mean much.
It was just that her words made him cough out the water he was drinking. Making him smile bitterly.
This was going to be harder than he thought.