Keon crossed his arms, his expression cautious. "So… is there a problem with me having a System?"
Aban shook his head. "No, not really."
Keon let out a small breath of relief—until Adan continued.
"We've actually signed a contract with one of the Outsiders. It prevents us from looking into an Outsider's privacy unless they willingly tell us." He snapped his book shut and gave Keon a pointed look. "But I do still need to register your name and how you arrived."
Keon frowned. "That sounds a lot like you're still keeping tabs on me."
Aban smirked. "Oh, we are. Just… respectfully."
Before Keon could respond, Mike suddenly perked up, his tail flicking excitedly. "Wait, does your System have a name?"
Keon hesitated. "Uh…"
Mike, now practically vibrating with curiosity, leaned closer. "Also, I can barely sense your presence unless you're standing right in front of me. Is that your System's doing too?"
Keon blinked. "...That is a good question." He glanced at Adan. "You got an answer for that, Mr. Librarian?"
Aban narrowed his eyes, his pride as a librarian clearly being poked at. He adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. "Are you… challenging my knowledge?"
Keon smirked. "Maybe."
Aban huffed and flipped open his book. "Fine. I do have an explanation. But," he tapped the page, "it might not be entirely accurate unless you tell me a few details about your System first."
He looked at Keon expectantly. "For example… does it have a name?"
Keon furrowed his brows, trying to recall the moment everything changed. "Well… the first time I arrived in this world, the System appeared almost immediately."
He crossed his arms, his expression thoughtful. "I woke up in some underground place connected to the sewers. Turns out, I was in the body of some abandoned criminal kid. Before I could process anything, a strange rift appeared in front of me. A voice called to me, and when I stepped through… I ended up in a dying dungeon."
Aban and Mike listened intently.
Keon continued, "Inside, I met this Demonic Skeleton Dragon. It wasn't exactly friendly—it tried to kill me, actually. But then, my System gave me a mission: to form a contract with the dungeon's master. If I failed, I'd die."
Mike's ears perked up. "Wait, you made a contract with a dying Dungeon Lord?"
Keon nodded. "Yeah. And that's when my System fully awakened. It's called the Immortal Eclipse System."
Aban tapped his chin, deep in thought. "Hmm… is there anything about your System that might be related to your Esliple ability?"
Keon immediately waved his hands. "Nope! Absolutely not! I don't have anything like that. I've just been, you know, forcefully leaping through worlds. Totally normal."
Mike squinted at him suspiciously, his tail flicking.
Aban, unfazed, flipped through his book and nodded. "Alright. Then I have two possible explanations."
Keon sighed. "Of course you do."
Aban adjusted his glasses, tapping his quill against his book. "Alright, first explanation—your body might still be following the laws and rules of your original world."
Keon gave him a blank stare. "And that means… what exactly?"
Aban shut his book again with a soft thud. "It means that, at a fundamental level, you might be rejecting the natural laws of this world. Instead of adapting like most Outsiders, your existence is denying the reality here, making you immune to detection. Basically, your body isn't fully acknowledging the rules that govern this place."
Keon blinked. "...So, what you're saying is, I'm like some kind of glitch in reality?"
Mike's ears perked up, and he let out an excited gasp. "Ooooh, that sounds cool! Like a rogue existence, untouchable and unseen!"
Keon deadpanned. "That's just a fancy way of saying I'm an error."
Mike tilted his head. "A cool error!"
Keon sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, real reassuring."
Aban smirked. "If it makes you feel better, this is just one theory. I have another."
Keon groaned. "Oh, great. Can't wait."
Aban tapped his quill against his book before looking at Keon with a serious expression. "Before I give you the second explanation… do you have any questions? Or is there anything about your System that you haven't mentioned yet?"
Keon paused, crossing his arms as he thought. "Hmmm… I think I covered the main points. Contract with a dying Dungeon Lord, forced world-leaping, immune to detection—oh, and I got a pretty sweet elixir early on."
Mike's ears perked up. "Ooooh! What kind of elixir?"
Keon smirked. "Something called the Elixir of Rebirth. A single drop can restore my body to its peak condition."
Aban and Mike stared at him in silence.
Keon blinked. "…Why do you both look like I just said something insane?"
Before Adan or Mike could say anything, Keon suddenly snapped his fingers. "Wait, I do remember something!"
Aban raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."
Keon leaned back, stretching his arms. "I'm immune to damage—or at least, nothing has been able to physically harm me so far. When I first arrived, a Skeleton Centipede tried to claw me, but it just passed right through me like I was made of smoke."
Mike's tail flicked excitedly. "That does explain why I can barely sense you!"
Keon nodded. "Yeah, but now I have a question—are there others like me? People who reject the laws of this world?"
Aban tapped his chin, deep in thought. "That… is an interesting question."
Aban hummed, tapping his quill against his book. "Actually… there is one person who rejects the laws of this world."
Keon's eyes narrowed. "Oh? Who?"
Aban smirked. "Patience. I'll tell you, but first—do you want to hear my second theory about your System, or do you want to know about this individual first?"
Keon crossed his arms, deep in thought. "Hmmm… choices, choices."
Mike, still perched on Keon's shoulder, swayed his tail. "Ooooh, mysterious! I kinda wanna know about both!"
Keon sighed. "Yeah, same. But since I can't have both at once…" He glanced at Adan. "Which one should I be more worried about?"