Waking up refreshed, he looked at the clock and realized it was almost time for his university. To get back to his original home, he would have to first get to know the situation surrounding him and find out what would help him in his goals. But before he could get his hands on any leads, he planned to continue according to the previous schedule of his predecessor before making changes according to circumstances.
He first got ready and donned an attire appropriate for a university. Midway throughout, he noticed that the door to his sister's bedroom was locked, indicating she was probably asleep after the late night. Looking at the covered breakfast on the dining table though, Maximus pursed his lips, deep in thought.
'Could she be one of the accomplices of the plan? But she did have previous late nights where she similarly instructed to eat out and has never displayed explicit hate like how William had shown to her. On the other hand, it's David who showed an abnormal reaction as he was similar to William but less lazy, what work could he possibly have for several days.'
After some thought, he touched the food and attempted to extract the 'poisonous' aspect of it.
…
…
…
Nothing happened. Immediately, Maximus heaved a huge sigh as he gobbled down the food. After a second thought, he cleaned the dishes and attached a small note on the fridge, where his sister usually placed the notes. Flinging the bag on his shoulder, he left for the university.
*****
A few hours after Maximus had left for university, the doorknob to his sister's bedroom turned, and the door swung open to reveal a tall woman stepping out.
Her slender figure hinted at the toll of overwork, with jet-black hair cascading messily across her face and down to her stomach. She made her way out of the room, securing the door behind her before heading towards the kitchen. Her footsteps were unsteady, a sign of just having woken up.
She approached the kitchen in order to begin cooking for her meals for today but just as she entered, a peculiar object entered her range of vision. A note. She always cleared her sticky notes after the job was done and she had cleared the last one previous week and didn't stick another one. Curious, she got near and was surprised to find what was written.
"Thank you for the breakfast."
She raised her eyebrows as she looked at it. What got into that brat? It couldn't be anything good. Thinking about something, she dialed a number.
*****
Maximus settled down onto his bench on the last row near the window while he took in the sight of his classmates talking among themselves. The previous owner of the body was neither an introvert nor so much of an extrovert. He talked with everyone around him, but preferred not to hangout with anyone after class. According to him, 12 to 6, the time for university classes was his social time but anything outside that was his personal time.
Keeping that in mind, Maximus made small talk with people surrounding him as he kept note of the notable people according to the memories. At one point he also noticed David entering the class, who acted just the same as before with him.
'Was he not told the entire plan which basically involves killing me? Was he simply told to not go out to buy food with me? That seems probable. If he was told the entire plan, setting aside the fact about how telling the entire plan to outsiders is idiotic and how it would be unsure if he agreed, he would show some reaction if he saw me alive today. But I guess not.'
Snapping out of his thoughts, he looked towards the professor who had entered the class. The lectures began on time, during which nothing noticeable happened. Sleeping during class, operating mobile phones, covertly listening to music, talking with friends, these things happened even in his original world so it wasn't anything out of ordinary to him.
Towards the end of the lectures though, everyone was invited to the public square where a fat man walked in, black haired and clothed casually. Standing on the podium, he gestured for everyone to fall into silence, which they naturally did, for he was the principal, then he announced,
"The university will be organizing a trip to the wilderness near the outskirts of the north of the city. We are inviting all the students to escape the city hustle and experience the beauty of nature with your fellow professors. We'll be hiking, camping, and exploring the breathtaking landscapes together. Sign up at the Student Affairs Office to secure your spot. For your and your parent's peace of mind, we'll have guards there in case of any emergencies. See you there!"
And he was gone. That was exactly how he was like, straight to the point, unwilling to entertain the students more than necessary and ever busy. The job of answering the questions then naturally fell on the student council as they appeased the noisy crowd.
Seeing that there was nothing else planned, Maximus slipped away from the crowd and headed home. Yesterday the cops told him that the gang which planned his demise have been cracked down but not all members should have been caught right? It was likely that the peripheral members were used as scapegoats while the main ones ran away to establish themselves elsewhere.
He could start with tracking down his killer while gradually expanding his circle of influence or connections. William, quite honestly, had no connections, no people he could turn to for help, no close friends he could rely on, nothing. So it was entirely up to him from square zero to work his way around. Well, he could start from his sister though, they already had a blood relationship to work with after all.
First though, he would need a reliable source from where he could buy the very basic things such as, grappling hooks, utility belt and other accessories.
On his way home, Maximus thought of various ideas before eventually setting upon one. He first bought ingredients to fill up his stock as he couldn't keep waiting for David, then went home to research the different slums near his residence, his sister was nowhere to be seen, likely went back to work again. There have to be some gangs controlling or dwelling in the slums right? He planned to follow one back to their home and order the necessary tools by speed delivery to the gang member's house before leaving to continue with his goal.
With a mask on, cap on his head, stacks and stacks of shirts and jackets to mislead the people about his physique, he did all he could to hide his identity. He also put several layers of cloth in his shoes which already had thick soles to disguise his height.
An hour later, he disembarked from the taxi and walked in a particular direction until he found the familiar shacks and brick houses near the construction grounds of half completed buildings. He was near the outside portion south of the middle area of the city. The cities in this world were mostly circular, with the population living from rich and important in the inner area to poor and worthless in the outer area.
Maximus put his hands in the pocket and cautiously ventured into the slum area, his footsteps echoing against the dilapidated walls. As he delved deeper into the heart of the slum, the sounds of bustling activity grew louder. The cacophony of voices, clinking bottles, and distant sirens reverberated through the narrow streets. Maximus' senses heightened, absorbing every detail—the scuffling of feet, the distant laughter, and the whispers that seemed to linger in the air.
Through the cracked windows and half-opened doors, glimpses of lives lived on the edge came into view. Flickering television screens illuminated weathered faces peering out, their expressions a mix of weariness and guarded curiosity. His presence did not go unnoticed, wary eyes following his every move, but his face concealed beneath the cap and mask remained indistinguishable.
Finally, he caught a glimpse of a bald man roaming the streets. His bulged pocket outlining a pistol and looks of fear evident on people's faces as he passed by gave away his identity to Maximus. Standing beneath the shadow of the nearby house, he watched the man take a turn and enter another alley.
With light steps befitting of an archeologist, he followed after the man using bits of tips he searched online not too long ago. Quickly, he had also used his Probability Manipulation on the man and decreased the probability of him discovering him following.
When he had experimented with probability manipulation after getting home from university. He had noticed that it increased or decreased the probability by 10% and could only be used on a single target which needs to be in sight.
The follow-up went pretty smoothly as the man took several items from a shop, yes, took, no one dared to accept money from one of the gang members. Then he went home, his work for the night probably over. Maximus quickly employed his tactics at work there, using his spoon cleverly before the man had any chance to draw his pistol, probably the familiar environment of home lowering his vigilance.
Wearing disposable gloves, he then tied the man and gagged his mouth as he sat on the sofa to shop for items from the man's phone. There were two of them, one given by the gang and one personal. The former had no password, lessening Maximus' workload as he was prepared to beat the man to get the password.
The following 3 hours were pretty much a blur as the items were speed delivered, it was by some shop which didn't have many reviews but was also the closest one so he had to choose that. It was deep into midnight and the sounds in the surroundings were almost negligible when Maximus left the bald man's house. He didn't kill him as he hadn't done anything to him, as for him being a gang member? Passing judgment on other people was not what Maximus was fond of. Just as he was tracing back the steps to leave the slums though, a distant explosion caught his eye.
The sound was so disturbingly high it woke up everyone in the surroundings, just as Maximus was about to leave through the growing crowd of people leaving their home. His Reality Manipulation suddenly activated. This time not actively but passively, a feeling of something tugging his soul. Following his gut instincts, he turned left to look at the deserted section of the far end of the wall.
Suddenly, a small pitch black oval portal opened up there, out of which a man crawled out with a grin, but quickly though, he waved his hands and the portal disappeared, only to have another appear in front of him, into which he stepped, the portal vanishing as soon as he did so.
Eyes as wide as saucers, Maximus quickly got a hold of himself and continued walking with a wildly beating heart. But not long after he resumed walking, the familiar sensation of his soul being tugged at reappeared. His wildly beating heart almost came to an immediate stop as he followed this sensation to look slightly near the left ahead.
There was simply a brick wall there. Well, not anymore. As an explosion took place immediately after Maximus looked and the wall crumbled. No one emerged this time though, as people fled in panic. Deliberately lagging behind the crowd, he looked behind one last time and noticed two figures emerging from behind the rubble. To avoid alerting them, he took a last glance, this time at their intertwined hands as he turned his gaze ahead and escaped.
*****
"Hahh"
Heaving a huge sigh, Maximus laid on his bed after taking a shower and hiding his newly acquired items. He hid it in a spot near his building to prevent his sister from mistakenly finding it. Today was his first step forward towards his goal. He also finally met, or at better yet, witnessed, people with supernatural abilities. As for yesterday? It was simply him retaliating to what was thrown at him.
*****
Yawning loudly while standing in the line. He waited for his turn to register for the field trip. He of course wanted to go, any variable in his daily schedule was welcomed as it brought him a chance to potentially expand his circle.
A seat in the student council seemed like a pretty lucrative position as Maximus could see, probably a couple, sitting in the corner of the room overseeing the registration. If he could find his way up there, he could also spend time polishing his combat skills in the training ground of the campus rather than in the lectures.
When it was finally his turn, he retrieved the pen from his pocket and filled in the details on the form given and answered the questions by the person registering information on the computer. After he finished, just as he was about to leave, his gaze momentarily froze, but he quickly covered it up by dropping his pen then leaving after recovering it. Only one thought dominated his mind at the moment though,
'That couple has the same tattoo as the two individuals last night!!!'