《Everything Is Connected》


 001 A String Of Fate Has Been Plucked

    It was around half past nine on a moonlit Friday night. A university student named Jay had just finished his final class for the day.


    He had spare cash and no immediate academic responsibilities. It was the perfect time for some ice-cold beer.


    He was about to head out when someone called him from behind.


    "Yo Jay, are you coming with us tonight?"


    "Nah, I''m too tired. Just wanna sleep right away."


    "You sure?"


    His friend didn''t believe him in the slightest. This wasn''t the first time Jay ditched his friends to do his own stuff.


    "Yeah, what about it though?"


    Jay didn''t really feel like going out with them this time.


    Of course, he didn''t have any bad thoughts, as they had actually been good drinking buddies so far.


    It was just that he wanted to be alone tonight, nothing more.


    The other guy could only shrug in resignation, as there was no point in arguing about it, especially with an introverted guy like Jay.


    That was just how most college friendships worked. Easygoing and free from expectations.


    -


    It was a habit for some college students to head to local drinking establishments during their free time.


    Many say it was only to relieve stress, but few still drink regardless of their mental state or circumstances.


    Perhaps some people just love looking at the world with liquor-tinted glasses every so often, seeking a brief adventure to a parallel world brought by a mere slight change in perspective.


    -


    Later that night, Jay was queueing in a convenience store, carrying three ice-cold cans of Crimson Horse beer.


    It was his favorite after the Mountain Moisture soft drink. It had a 6.9% alcohol content, with just the right mix of sweet and bitter.


    He planned on having it on the benches above the store, as the place was already vacant by this time.


    To be fair, he could''ve just gone to a proper drinking place since he was already in the town square.


    However, drinking alone was cheaper and more peaceful, even though he was technically still in a public place, albeit devoid of people.


    Jay only bought three 330-mL cans in the meantime.


    Two would leave him wanting more, while more than three would only be enjoyable depending on his condition, that is, if he was not feeling bloated from all the beer and the dinner he had beforehand.


    Intoxication was not in his considerations. He believed that he had enough discipline to return home without causing unnecessary trouble.


    Of course, this belief had been proven enough times for him to take it for granted.


    Looking at memes on social media, listening to music, and observing passers-by.


    Jay enjoyed such activities, even more so when intoxicated, as it brings a different flavor to experiences considered mundane otherwise.


    To be fair, if not for the constraints of resources and responsibilities, he might actually never have a sober moment in his life.


    -


    In the end, Jay got carried away and finished seven cans, feeling that he was in good condition and had more spare cash than usual.


    It was about an hour past midnight when he cleaned up his spot and went home, just in time for the liquor ban in his city.


    A while after drinking, after the bloating sensation had faded away, Jay would always feel hungry.


    That was why he was currently sitting in a Moment Burger store, waiting for his double patty buy-one-take-one burger with an extra lightly fried egg for each bun.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    There was a chance that he would just vomit everything later, but that didn''t concern him at the moment, at least not while he was intoxicated.


    Not long after, Jay made his way to his small rented room, carrying a paper bag of takeout.


    He preferred to eat in the comfort of his place in his birthday suit, his go-to attire if not for social conventions and legal repercussions. Even his eyeglasses were not exempt.


    He opened a wrapped burger and took careful bites, since the fillings might slide out of the bun.


    The burger had two patties and a fried egg, stuffed in a bun sliced for each patty, with the egg and dressing placed wherever convenient. Stable wasn¡¯t how you would describe it.


    Jay was halfway through his first burger when he felt that he was losing control of his body, as if his soul had suddenly disengaged from its vessel.


    His consciousness then began to fade away as his body fell.


    Dire as it might have seemed, he had only two thoughts at the moment.


    One, he was lucky that he was sitting on his bed as he ate, and two, his body had not let go of the half-eaten burger.


    -


    Meanwhile, in another part of the city.


    Two middle-aged men, one bald and another long-haired, were having a conversation while looking down at the city lights below.


    It was an otherwise mundane scene, except that they weren''t looking down from a tall building.


    They were actually looking at a dynamic projection of the entire city on a swimming pool.


    The bald man, absorbed in his speech, had just noticed that the other had stopped responding for a while and was staring blankly at the pool.


    He let his friend indulge in silence for some time, but became impatient when it seemed like the other wouldn''t stop anytime soon.


    "Is there something wrong, my friend? You''ve been awfully quiet for the last minute. I haven''t said anything surprising though. I was just talking about the rising prices of beer¡­"


    "Shush. Don''t bother me. Something is happening right now¡­"


    The long-haired man waved his hand towards him, not even glancing his way.


    It was rare for the other man to abruptly end a conversation, which made the bald man a bit uneasy.


    In the end, he just kept silent while waiting for the other man to finish. He wanted to keep talking, but he was aware that duty must come first.


    The two of them were part of a secret government agency, which was primarily composed of ascended humans, tasked with overseeing population centers throughout the country.


    Due to scarcity of qualified personnel, patrol teams usually only consisted of two people, one specialized in reconnaissance or divination and the other one in combat or relocation.


    However, the teams varied widely in specialty and strength, since no two ascendants have the same abilities, primarily due to their different life experiences.


    People hailing from identical inheritances were not exempt from this. This was already accepted as fact by most ascendants.


    The duo of the bald man and long-haired man was one of the most experienced and versatile teams in the region.


    Even so, there were times when people of great ability and experience didn''t have all the answers.


    "I can''t determine the nature of the anomaly. I only know that it occurred in the area covered by the projection. I know nothing else beyond that."


    The long-haired man''s brow was deeply furrowed as he spoke.


    This wasn''t something he was used to. Usually, he could easily sense a supernatural anomaly in his area of observation and divert his entire perception to it at once, gathering scattered information that most humans could never withstand, including most ascendants.


    He would swiftly reorganize this information into data, which he would then use to infer events and possibilities to a surprisingly high degree of accuracy.


    Of course, he was far from being omniscient. He only did routine checks of specified public areas and notable events, such as accidents and large gatherings.


    He couldn''t manually check every single person and area in a city as that would take an inordinate amount of time and resources.


    If he could do it, then he would already be a god, which meant that he wouldn''t have taken this job in the first place.


    The long-haired man continued speaking after a moment.


    "This bears resemblance to reports submitted by other branches. However, there seems to be no pattern to the location and time. Hmm. It looks like we''re going to be busy sometime soon, my friend. Just like you wanted."


    "I did want something to happen, true. I just didn''t expect something like this."


    The bald man loved to get into action, but he didn''t want to go in blind, especially when even the reconnaissance expert by his side couldn''t even see crap.


    "Oh. It''s more fun this way, though. It''s not every day I face something even I couldn''t observe. It has been a long time indeed."


    The long-haired man sighed with anticipation as he completed a telepathic transmission of tonight''s report to the main database of the organization.


    -


    Early the next morning, Jay woke up with a splitting headache.


    Despite the pain, the first thing he thought of was the condition of his half-finished burger. Fortunately, it landed on his bed with the wrapper covering most parts.


    This miserly behavior might have seemed contradictory, considering that he had spent more than he should have on beer and burgers recently.


    Of course, it was only because of intoxication that he even thought of indulging in his desires, given that he didn''t consider them harmful in the first place.


    To be fair, it was a bit harmful to his finances, but there was always a price to pay for having a good time.


    After regaining his composure after a long while, Jay reached out for his burger and took a bite. At the moment, he only had food on his mind.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t want to think about what had just happened. It was just that he was unusually extremely hungry and tired.


    It didn''t take long for him to finish the burgers, but the hunger still lingered faintly.


    He was left with no choice but to sluggishly put on his clothes and go out to search for food.


    It was early Saturday morning and most nearby eateries were still closed, which likely meant that he would have to walk farther and his choices were limited.


    Fortunately, one of his favorite eateries was already open, already having a decent selection of food.


    Jay bought four sunny-side-up eggs, three large hotdogs, two cups of rice, and a bottle of Mountain Moisture.


    It was quite sizable compared to his usual breakfast, though he doubted it was enough in his current state.


    He secured the hotdog with his fork, sliced it with his spoon, and scooped it along with a spoonful of rice.


    He found the hotdog delicious, especially with the generous amount of cheese inside.


    He wondered what brand it could''ve been.


    Unexpectedly, in the instant after the last thought formed in his head, another one emerged, albeit strangely foreign yet somehow familiar.


    ¡°The hotdog is from Surefoods.¡±


    The strange thought wasn''t conveyed through a mental voice.


    It was more like the information was directly implanted into his mind, as if he knew it all along and was just recalling it.


    Jay squinted at his plate for a long while before continuing his breakfast as if nothing had happened.


    However, he was bubbling with excitement deep down.


    This was what he always wanted. A major variable substantial enough to turn his life upside down.


    In a good way, of course.

 002 The Nail That Doesnt Want To Stick Out

    It was Wednesday afternoon. A few days had passed since the strange event.


    Jay sat in class, listening intently to the lecturer while pressing buttons on his calculator, just like everyone else in the room.


    He was currently a fourth-year Electrical Engineering student at one of the most prominent universities in the region.


    Even though a life-changing event had happened to him recently, Jay wasn''t the type to neglect his existing responsibilities just to chase after the next big thing.


    He believed that boons always came with a price, so he wanted to figure things out before everything else.


    Over the past few days, Jay had made several observations regarding his supernatural ability, which he aptly named Identification.


    Potential targets included inanimate objects and, surprisingly, living creatures.


    However, he had to make continuous physical contact with the target to Identify it.


    This was a significant limitation, considering that he wanted to use his ability as often and discreetly as possible.


    Identification only worked for the target''s entirety.


    He couldn''t target a specific component in isolation, despite touching the target only at the corresponding area of interest.


    The definition of the ''entirety'' of a target depended on the concept it embodied.


    For instance, usage on a broken minute hand would target the clock it originated from since the hand itself was only part of that ''clock.''


    The initial information gained from usage would always be about the target''s origins, and subsequent usage would yield information about its physical characteristics.


    Information was acquired immediately after the thought of usage was formed in his mind.


    Contrary to his earlier assumptions, he didn''t have control over which specific information to acquire, at least not yet.


    This greatly diminished the utility of Identification, although it was still quite powerful in its own right.


    Fortunately, the aforementioned limitations would eventually ease with enough effort and patience.


    Repeated usage of Identification holistically improved the ability in small increments, but the degree of improvement remained unquantifiable.


    Also, usage of the ability''s improved version on a previous target would yield more information.


    However, subsequent usage on the same target would not contribute to the improvement of the ability.


    There seemed to be virtually no consumption of any form of energy and no downtime to the usage. Frequent and successive use was actually possible.


    However, the sheer volume of information from excessive usage imposed a considerable burden on the mind, akin to the mental fatigue from hours of continuously solving math problems.


    The final observation may or may not have been related to Identification.


    Jay seemed to have become more curious about everything, detrimentally so.


    He had noticed it when he was waiting for his takeout in an eatery one day.


    People were having conversations over the table as usual.


    Normally, Jay could easily filter out these sounds into the background.


    However, at that moment, he felt a faint desire to listen intently and figure out the essence of their conversations.


    Although he was able to resist this strange but weak compulsion easily, he was bothered by it nonetheless.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Somehow, he was inclined to think that this aggravated form of curiosity came with the ability, as opposed to the possibility that his innate desire for knowledge was stoked by the reality that he now had the capability to ''know'' everything if he truly wanted to.


    This scenario was quite similar to one of the web novels he was currently reading.


    The ability users in the novel had supernatural abilities with corresponding weaknesses.


    The main difference was that their power system had a robust structure, which required the user to perform specific rituals with the necessary ingredients to advance in the hierarchy, whereas the power within him seemingly came out of nowhere and whether it was part of a mature system or not remained to be seen.


    Perhaps this detrimental form of curiosity was the price for the boon, and it would most probably intensify the more his ability improved.


    He wasn''t deterred by it though. In fact, he felt that it was necessary to keep him grounded, lest he became arrogant and careless from his newfound power.


    As for the source of the ability, he had no idea where to start.


    He also didn''t have the confidence to begin investigating, as he might attract attention that he couldn''t withstand.


    It seemed like he would have to keep this matter in the back of his mind for now, and focus on more immediate goals, such as self-improvement.


    To facilitate the growth of Identification, Jay had incorporated its usage into his daily life.


    He would try to use it on everything he touched, as long as it was convenient.


    At first, he was burdened by the large volume of information accumulated in his mind.


    However, his cognitive functions seemed to improve accordingly to accommodate his new habit.


    Whether it was due to the natural adaptability of the human brain, the additional enhancement from his ability, or a combination of both, remained unknown.


    He was already considered to be an intelligent young man, but the changes brought about by his ability elevated him half a step to another level.


    Of course, he wasn''t conceited enough to think that he had somehow surpassed those natural geniuses and accomplished scholars.


    However, he was fully aware that his cognitive ability and knowledge reserves could go beyond the limitations of human potential.


    He could keenly sense that he was getting closer to it, slowly but surely.


    There were times when he had the urge to showcase his improvements to the world, just like any other young man, hot-blooded or not.


    However, a short bout of thinking would always lead him to the same conclusion.


    The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.


    There were countless reasons for him to remain inconspicuous.


    A wrong move might lead to him being subjected to experiments due to his uniqueness, enslaved for his utility, or simply killed for the threat he posed.


    He might even implicate his family, which had a high likelihood considering the lengths that some people would go to.


    For now, he planned on improving himself quietly under the basic, but fragile, protection offered by society.


    He also didn''t plan on doing heroics anytime soon, as he didn''t even have the assurance to keep himself safe, let alone his family and friends.


    Perhaps when he became confident and powerful enough, he would think of ways to benefit society in his own way.


    Until then, the world would have to wait.


    -


    It was nearing half past three in the afternoon, and class was about to end.


    Jay had about four hours until the next class. He planned on using the time to head to a popular shopping mall one jeepney ride away from the university to do some ''exercise.''


    Having several hours between classes felt restrictive, especially since successive classes would essentially free up the rest of the day for many other things, such as chores and grocery.


    Fortunately, Jay''s rented room was only a minute''s walk away from the university gates.


    Usually, he would head straight to his room for a proper rest during the long break.


    However, he recently picked up a new hobby of ¡®item touching,¡¯ which he practiced in the nearest malls and markets whenever convenient.


    Currently, he was in the department store of a popular mall in the heart of the city.


    He would rub his chin and squint his eyes as he touched random products here and there.


    However, he was often forced to smile apologetically and decline clerks when they wanted to help him, as it looked to them that he seemed to have a hard time in choosing.


    After deflecting their attention, he would then go to another area, and the cycle would repeat once more, much to his embarrassment.


    In the past, Jay would only go to commercial centers when he actually had something to buy.


    He felt that he had to buy something when he went to such places, or else he would somehow feel guilty.


    Interestingly enough, he didn''t feel this way now as he touched random things here and there, while pretending to seriously consider the viability of each product.


    Perhaps the only party he felt guilt toward was himself, knowing deep down that he should''ve been doing something useful instead of wandering aimlessly in a commercial center.


    He had been doing this new hobby for a couple of days now, and his ability had shown significant improvement compared to its initial state.


    However, the limitations from before were still there, but the quality of information had improved significantly, to the point where he was essentially an authentic psychic by now.


    He could even support himself if he ever decided to make a living out of it, but that would just put a target on his back, which he wouldn¡¯t quite like.


    As he expected, the corresponding weakness, which he aptly named Nosiness, had also aggravated along with the improvement.


    However, he was conveniently well-equipped to handle this flaw, as he was naturally cautious and steadfast, which made him significantly less susceptible to detrimental acts like overstepping social boundaries in pursuit of curiosity.


    For now, he could gracefully handle such a flaw, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for the future, so he didn¡¯t dare to be careless anytime soon.


    Although he had made great strides in nurturing his Identification ability, it still gnaws at his heart that he couldn''t use it in practical applications.


    To be precise, it wasn''t that he couldn''t, but he wouldn''t.


    He felt that he still couldn''t guarantee his safety, which was his fundamental requirement in everything he did.


    It seemed like things would remain this way in the foreseeable future, at least until a qualitative change occurred, particularly concerning the requirement of his physical presence during usage.


    It would be much more convenient and safer if he could use his abilities remotely, ideally without the need for a medium that could be traced back to him.


    That feature would allow him to have the capital to interfere with the workings of society.


    In a good manner, of course.

 003 A Birds Foot Caught In The Branches

    It had been a month since Jay acquired Identification when the first qualitative change finally occurred.


    It was the weekend, and Jay was doing his rounds at a shopping mall two jeepney rides away from home.


    By this time, he had been doing this stuff for a month already, but his enthusiasm had never waned.


    There was something magical about feeling himself improve, especially in his case, where the rate of improvement over time was quite high.


    Of course, he was only human. Eventually, he would grow tired of doing the same thing repeatedly, and he also had other responsibilities to consider.


    As a compromise, he allotted a few hours every day for this activity, giving him enough respite to prevent burnout and time to carry out other responsibilities.


    Jay was already browsing for more than an hour, and he was beginning to feel hungry, so he went out of the department store to look for food.


    On the way, he rested his hand on the escalator while mindlessly using Identification on it.


    He was casually perusing the acquired information while glancing around the mall when he felt a sudden sensation akin to a brain freeze.


    However, the feeling was already gone before he even had the time to scrunch his face.


    He didn''t even have time to think about what had just happened when a large volume of information suddenly bombarded his mind.


    All of a sudden, he could grasp the basic information of every entity, both living and inanimate, that had contact with the escalator within a short period before the usage of Identification.


    However, the mental strain from the drastically increased volume wasn''t something he could handle even for a short while, so he had to empty his thoughts and let go of the acquired information reluctantly.


    His initial observation was that he gained the ability to see the ''history'' of the target, albeit only within a short time before the present.


    Nevertheless, it was a major upgrade that had great potential.


    In its extremity, he might even be able to trace the ''history'' of a pebble to the formation of the Earth itself.


    Of course, he would already be a god by then, doing things far more important than Identifying random stones.


    After getting beef shawarma from a food stall, Jay swiftly found himself an empty bench nearby.


    He wanted to try Identification on it, since he figured that a bench would probably provide a significantly lower density of information compared to an escalator, based on the speculated number of users over time between them.


    The information density of the bench was indeed within his capacity, albeit with a bit of strain.


    Even so, he believed that it wouldn''t take long for his cognitive abilities to adapt as long as he exercised Identification cautiously.


    At the moment, the worst-case scenario for him would be to accidentally use Identification on the columns, which were considered an integral part of the structure of the mall.


    The sheer volume of information from the ''history'' of the entire mall probably wasn''t something a mortal could handle. His head might instantly explode after an attempt.


    After testing his ability on the bench, a thought came to Jay.


    He turned his gaze towards a nearby empty bench and tried to use Identification on it.


    Surprisingly, its information showed up in his head. However, the information from its ''history'' was missing, which was a bit disappointing.


    Nevertheless, it was a drastic improvement that opened up a lot of possibilities.


    Of course, he had to do a few tests first to avoid stupid mistakes later.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    The first thing Jay did afterward was look at Facetome, the premier social networking site in his country.


    He scrolled past random memes to find an image of anything that existed in real life.


    He had to scroll for a few seconds until he found a picture of a reviewer booklet for sale, posted by a senior in his department.


    Unfortunately, there was no reaction when he tried Identification on the image of the booklet.


    He was a bit disappointed for a moment, but he quickly recovered afterward.


    There was no point in mulling over what could''ve been when he was already fortunate enough to have the recent major enhancement.


    The next thing he tested was the range.


    He went to the mall atrium and tried looking at the farthest thing his negative 5.0 eyeglasses could afford him.


    He gradually focused on a barely visible life-sized Jolluboat figure at the entrance of a popular fast-food chain with the same name.


    There were people around the figure, but it didn''t matter since his ability was considered single-target according to gaming jargon.


    Fortunately, he succeeded this time, much to his relief.


    Furthermore, the quality of information was comparable to that of the nearby bench earlier.


    It seemed like he would have to invest in binoculars sometime soon.


    Of course, whether it would work or not remained to be seen, although it seemed hopeful since he was technically already in avail of assisted vision through his eyeglasses.


    It might have seemed like his options had expanded widely, but Jay knew that he would have to be even more careful from now on.


    Previously, he would avoid using Identification on people.


    He couldn''t be certain if other people possessed abilities of their own and might discover him ''spying'' on them, which could lead to conflicts he wasn''t equipped to handle.


    To be fair, he was inclined to think that such people had always existed in every era.


    Myths and legends couldn''t have come out of nowhere.


    Even if they were exaggerated over time from word of mouth, they still had to come from something.


    Of course, these sources might have been outright fabrications by themselves, but there was still a slight chance that some of them had some sort of reasonable basis.


    In any case, he didn''t want to meet them anytime soon unless he was certain that he held a significant advantage over the other party.


    But this was a conundrum by itself. How could he ever hope to understand them when he wouldn''t even take the initiative to find and observe them?


    Nevertheless, he could only rely on himself in the end, which was why he had to keep improving regardless of external factors.


    Unfortunately for him, fate had a way of messing things up when one least expects it.


    -


    Somewhere else in the same mall, the long-haired observer was on his day off and was taking his siblings'' children out to play.


    They were planning to have some snacks at Jolluboat, which was a premier food destination for many people in the country, both young and old.


    The kids in the group immediately saw the life-sized figure of Jolluboat, an anthropomorphized boat with a happy smile, and ran up to it while dragging everyone with them.


    The older kids in the group, affected by the joyful atmosphere, brought out their phones and took pictures of the little children beside the mascot.


    Eventually, they even dragged their uncle with them. The latter could only go with the flow as he didn''t want to ruin their smiling faces.


    He was resting his arms around the shoulders of the mascot with a helpless smile when he felt a slight tingling sensation coming from the figure beside him.


    He was quite sensitive to metaphysical fluctuations, especially if the source was in direct contact with him. He didn''t sense any form of threat, however.


    Most likely, it was a reconnaissance or divination attempt aimed at the mascot beside him.


    If the unknown ascendant had designated him as the target, he would''ve noticed it earlier and even launched a direct counter-investigation in the blink of an eye.


    It was supposed to be his day off, but it''s not as if other people had the obligation to honor it.


    Of course, he wasn''t going to let it ruin his moment with his nieces and nephews.


    People might see an awkward middle-aged man having his picture taken next to a Jolluboat figure, but a lot was happening behind the scenes.


    Immediately after he sensed the fluctuation, he unfolded a dynamic projection of the entire mall in his mental space, where he could monitor the movements of everyone in the vicinity in real time.


    It was only a general form of observation though, as he couldn''t focus his perception on random people in prevention of offending other ascendants.


    To reduce the burden on his mind, he narrowed down his options to living beings.


    Most ascendants could only exert the purest form of their ability near their physical bodies, while those few that could employ an external medium were almost impossible to trace and probably had something better to do than cast their abilities on a random Jolluboat figure.


    After half a minute of observation, he had already noticed seventy-two people whose line of sight had been focused on the Jolluboat figure at least for a moment during this period.


    He noted their exact positions when their sight coincided with the mascot. He would approach these locations later to look for traces of metaphysical fluctuations.


    Touch was the most common medium of ability usage, but sight was the most convenient.


    Also, he was the only one touching the mascot during this period, which eliminated the possibility of application through touch, so he focused on the latter sense.


    On the other hand, people who relied on other senses were much harder to observe without focusing his ability on them, rendering an attempt at investigation pointless.


    Nevertheless, he still took note of everyone in the immediate vicinity just in case he was forced to investigate in this direction.


    Among the seventy-two tagged people, one stood out the most.


    It was a tall, bespectacled young man who had been squinting hard in his direction.


    The young man in question had spent the longest time looking at the mascot, while also seeming to be deep in thought.


    Clearly, the young man was the prime suspect, but that wasn''t enough to discount other possibilities. He still had to personally visit every spot in person.


    -


    Jay, unaware that his attempts at concealment had already failed, was casually walking towards the department store.


    This time, he would buy something in celebration of the recent development, much to the relief of some clerks who had already become familiar with him.

 004 Caught In Fates Web

    "Have you withdrawn your allowance already? Don''t spend it all on junk food and soft drinks. You¡¯d better make sure you''re eating right.


    Also, did you wish your grandfather a happy birthday yesterday? He was rambling on about missing his grandchildren when we video-called some time ago. You should free up some time to see him, you know."


    Jay''s mother was currently giving her eldest son some much-needed care through a video call in the middle of the day.


    "Yes, ma''am, I already withdrew it a few days ago. Yes, I''m eating quite well. It''s not like you don''t know it''s been a long time since I''ve eaten junk food. They just make me hungry. I can''t promise anything about the soft drinks though.


    Yes, ma''am, I chatted with him yesterday, though I can''t go back to our hometown until the semestral break. You know how busy college is."


    Jay dutifully answered every topic his mother brought up.


    This was his weekly correspondence with his parents, who were working abroad.


    Even though his parents were a bit chatty, he didn''t mind it at all.


    He was even looking forward to such conversations, considering that it had been quite some time since they had last seen each other.


    "Oh, I almost forgot. Do you want us to get something to include in the package? The package will arrive around mid-December, so consider it your Christmas gift."


    "Hmm. Can you get me the perfume you bought me last time? The one called Rising Wave. They''re not available even in online stores here, somehow."


    His father, who was cooking in the background, chimed in.


    "What about that hair wax you always bugged us about? I think it was Gatsbee something."


    "Ah, right. It''s called Gatsbee Grunge Matte. You don''t need to get it, though. I already found it online."


    "But wouldn''t it be significantly more expensive though? You know how it is with imported products."


    His mother was quite sensitive when it came to finances.


    "You don''t need to worry about that, ma. The prices are quite close after conversion. I already checked."


    "Oh, okay. Good. Anyway, if you want anything else, make sure to tell us while it''s still early. We still have to budget the space inside the box."


    "Alright, ma. I''ll message you if I think of something."


    Their conversation then floated towards other mundane matters, such as ''How was school recently?'' or ''How are you faring living on your own?''


    It was only after half an hour that they said goodbye, and the conversation ended with his mother''s gentle nagging.


    In the past, Jay would get annoyed by the care and concern shown by his family, especially his parents.


    Now, he even found his family''s nagging quite soothing to the ears.


    His solitary life in the city made him think about many things he took for granted.


    One of them was the bond he had with his family.


    He realized that it was the strongest rope that tied him to the realm of sanity, preventing him from floating away to the endless skies of delusion or falling down into the deep abyss of despair.


    -


    Unbeknownst to Jay, a certain observer was enjoying his chocolate frappe in a nearby coffee shop.


    The long-haired middle-aged man had been observing Jay for a few hours every day during the past week, assessing the latter''s aptitude and conduct.


    The observer had already determined Jay to be last week''s suspect and was currently deciding if the latter was a threat to society or a talent worth nurturing.


    So far, he was satisfied by what he had seen.


    He was only waiting for confirmation from the local headquarters to finalize his next course of action.


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    The observer found Jay to be an intriguing young man.


    The latter was quite high on the scale of introversion, yet seemed to have no issues in using words to get by.


    The young man always carried an indifferent face, which gave the impression that he didn''t care about anything besides himself, but was quite conscientious and polite in reality.


    The young man would make way for others without a word if he felt that he was being a hindrance, offering a slight bow with an apologetic smile.


    The observer had even seen him picking up trash in a hallway while walking to class, albeit muttering curses with squinted eyes along the way to the nearest trash bin.


    The local headquarters was currently deciding if they would leave the young man alone or allow the long-haired observer his request.


    Personally, the observer would like to take the young man as a student, considering the many intersections between their specialties.


    Throughout the past week, the observer had already formed some assumptions regarding Jay''s ability, which he derived from the latter''s actions and his own knowledge base.


    It seemed like the young man was extremely suited for the role of an observer, both ability and personality-wise.


    -


    It was a hot weekend afternoon, and Jay had the urge to get something cool and sweet.


    Coincidentally, there was a nearby coffee shop just a minute''s walk from his room.


    The problem with some coffee shops and restaurants was their wordy menus filled with jargon.


    Jay, not wanting to deal with decision fatigue, just chose the first ''okay'' item he read without looking at the price.


    It wasn''t that he didn''t care about money. It was that he was already familiar with the price range of this type of item.


    "I''ll have a chocolate frappe, please." Jay took out a hundred-peso bill from his wallet.


    "Alright. That will be eighty-five pesos."


    Seeing the bill in his hand, the cashier paused for a moment.


    "Can you add another five pesos? I''ll give you a twenty-peso bill."


    "Alright, here you go."


    Jay already expected this after hearing the price, so he had already taken out a five-peso coin from his transparent coin pouch while the cashier was speaking.


    Jay kept his coins separate to keep his wallet thin.


    Also, having a coin pouch greatly eased the search for specific coins, especially during jeepney rides.


    Some drivers tended to give back less change when handed a bill.


    He didn''t want to waste his time arguing in public over just a peso or two, so he preferred to pay the exact amount, despite the extra effort.


    After getting the drink, Jay found an empty seat near the corner, along the same wall as the entrance.


    This was a good spot that wasn''t too exposed and offered a decent view of the entire coffee shop while being near the entrance.


    As for why he chose to drink in the shop instead of his room, he merely found plastic cups bothersome to dispose of.


    There was a gentleman at the neighboring table, drinking the same chocolate frappe as him.


    However, he didn''t think much of it, and began enjoying his own.


    Out of habit, he used Identification on the cup while glancing around the coffee shop.


    It just so happened that his eyes met with the nearby gentleman, who raised his cup toward him with a smile.


    Jay subconsciously reciprocated the gesture and was turning back to his own table when the gentleman spoke.


    "It''s a nice cup, isn''t it? I think this was made by Polymind Plastics. I heard that they have a factory on the northern outskirts of the city. This cup probably came from there."


    Jay already knew that, but he had to act as if he didn''t.


    This had been an inconvenience that had popped up from time to time ever since he got his Identification ability.


    He found it rather bothersome, but he was also aware that having this sort of problem was much better than not having it.


    "Oh, is that so? Hmm. How much do you think this cup costs, mister?"


    Jay had some experience dealing with older people.


    He found that most of them liked to talk, albeit falling into loops sometimes, so he had to ask relevant questions at times to keep the conversation going.


    He didn''t have anything urgent to do later, so he might as well humor this older gentleman for a while.


    "Well, factories generally deal with bulk orders, so I won''t be surprised if individual cups only cost a peso or even less. I don''t know how much, though."


    At this moment, the gentleman showed a smile that wasn''t quite a smile.


    "But I bet you can tell me the exact amount, no?"


    "How would I know that, mister? You''re thinking too highly of me."


    Jay felt unnerved by the knowing look the gentleman gave him.


    The stalemate continued for a while as the gentleman maintained his expression without saying a word.


    Jay, on the other hand, was still waiting for the gentleman''s reply even though he was already feeling uncomfortable.


    After half a minute or so, the gentleman finally let go of his weird expression and let out a small laugh.


    "Alright, I won''t mess around with you anymore, young man.


    You don''t need to feel alarmed, though. I came here with good intentions.


    Consider me a comrade. You know what I mean."


    Jay knew that he had already been exposed, and there was no point in denying it, considering the certainty in the gentleman''s words.


    "Was it that obvious, mister? I like to think that I have been careful enough though."


    Jay could only let out a helpless smile as he asked.


    The gentleman had just finished wiping his previous table and was occupying the opposing seat at Jay''s table.


    "Not really. I think you''ve been cautious enough, considering your basic understanding of metaphysics. I only came upon your trail by chance. Do you remember that Jolluboat figure last week?"


    "Oh, that one. Were you among the people surrounding the mascot, mister? I couldn''t see well that far."


    Jay ran his fingers through his hair in disappointment. It seemed like he had thought too simply of matters.


    "Yes. Although if it was someone other than me, you probably wouldn''t have been discovered. In a sense, you''re very lucky, young man."


    The gentleman chuckled softly, though it felt like a sneer to Jay.


    "Well, I''m already caught either way. What''s going to happen to me, mister?"


    Jay didn''t have thoughts of resisting, especially when the gentleman had been amiable so far.


    It might also lessen the severity of his possible offense if he complied peacefully.


    "Oh, you don''t have to worry about that. You did nothing wrong.


    In fact, I''m here to take you in as my student. Are you interested?


    You are free to ask questions. I will answer as long as it''s not beyond my clearance."


    The gentleman had just received approval from the local headquarters about his request.


    If the young man accepted, then they would have another intern observer in their ranks.

 005 When Life Gives You A Mentor, Ask Questions

    "First of all, how should I address you, mister?"


    Jay had to ask the relevant questions first before agreeing to anything.


    For now, he decided to go with the flow since he was already exposed anyway.


    Frankly, he was relieved after observing the gentleman''s attitude toward the matter.


    It seemed that people like him were not that unique.


    This was better because it would technically lower his value and paint a smaller target on his back.


    For now, he could only adjust his course of action to the new circumstances and try to make the most out of it.


    "Arthas Rodriguez, at your service."


    The gentleman did a slight bow with his head.


    "Arthas¡­ As in the game character?"


    Jay was confused since the gentleman seemed much older than a certain game.


    "I seem to hear that a lot from our younger associates. Well, yes, we share the same name by coincidence.


    I''m not familiar with the character, though. I''m not into video games like you youngsters."


    "Oh, okay. Hmm, you said earlier that you wanted to take me in as a student. But what do you do exactly, Mr. Arthas?"


    "Good question. But first, let me take care of security measures. Also, don''t be too formal. Just call me uncle. Or if you don¡¯t feel like it, call me sir."


    "Alright, sir."


    Arthas sighed at the young man''s quick response.


    It was understandable though, considering that he was technically a random stranger to the young man at the moment.


    Although Mr. Arthas said he would do something, nothing changed in the environment.


    Jay was about to ask the older man when the latter spoke first.


    "It might seem like nothing happened from your perspective, but people outside the domain I created would subconsciously ignore us.


    I know you have a lot of questions, but you will have your answers in due time."


    Jay recognized that this was a deeper topic he wasn''t qualified to understand yet, so he could only nod his head in understanding.


    "Alright. Let''s continue. Before I tell you about what we do, let me open with another topic first.


    People like us are collectively considered ascended humans, and we refer to ourselves as ascendants. Now, how many ascendants do you think exist in the city right now?"


    "Hmm, maybe around hundreds, sir?"


    ''Ascendants'' like them should be extremely rare, Otherwise, it would''ve already been public knowledge by now.


    "Not quite. The registered ascendants in this city alone number in the thousands, with a few hidden ones here and there.


    Considering the entire country would scale it up to the hundreds of thousands."


    Jay squinted his eyes in thought. If there were that many of them, how come the public had no clue about it?


    "You must be thinking that society was too quiet for numbers like these. But you must also consider that people like us have existed since time immemorial.


    The systems in place are mature enough to deal with most things. However, some anomalies do appear from time to time. That''s where we come in."


    "So, you''re like the police for ascendants, sir?"


    "Not quite. Aside from ascendants, there are many other supernatural phenomena, but that is a lesson for another time.


    So, that''s a glimpse of what we do and what I will be training you for. Do you have any other questions for now?"


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    "If ascendants have existed for a long time, surely some people had attempted to monopolize power, right, sir?"


    Jay felt that this was an important topic, considering that he greatly valued his autonomy, or a semblance of it at least.


    "Ah, right. You may have heard of the saying that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down. The same applies to us, albeit in a more literal interpretation where people are indeed struck down to death.


    To better grasp the idea, I should tell you first that there are no clear divisions of strength between ascendants. There isn''t even a unified power system in our country, much less the entire world.


    It means that even a neophyte could defeat a master given enough luck. Of course, it doesn''t mean that disparities between mastery don''t exist. It''s only that different abilities are good in different situations.


    Since the playing field is not that uneven, it is very difficult for individuals or even entire factions to claim dominance.


    Long story short, consider it a form of mutual restraint but countless parties of indeterminate strength are involved. If you didn''t know your place, you wouldn''t even know how you died.


    But that''s just the summary though. The nuances, at least those that I''m aware of, are not something I can convey without a lot of time and effort.


    So, you''ll just have to learn things on your own along the way."


    The situation was much better than Jay expected.


    Of course, he was still hesitant to interact with other ascendants, at least until he gathered a reasonable volume of knowledge regarding metaphysics.


    "Alright, sir. I still have another question though. Why do you want to take me in as a student? Are there incentives in your organization for taking in newbies?"


    Jay was aware that nothing came for free.


    Although Mr. Arthas had been nice so far and he didn''t sense any sign of falsehood from him, the fact still stands that no sane person would do things that wouldn''t benefit them in some way.


    Even genuinely benevolent people did good things because it made them happy, which was essentially another form of reward.


    Arthas didn''t want to deceive the young man, whom he had a good impression of.


    There was indeed something else on his mind when he wanted to take Jay in as a student, aside from recognizing the latter''s attitude and potential.


    "Alright, you got me.


    There''s no direct incentive for us to nurture talents, although we don''t mind having a grateful helper on our side. But before I tell you my true purpose, let me tell you something else first.


    Although there are no dominant factions in ascendant society, interest groups still exist. They may take the form of clans, sects, guilds, or even cults. But essentially, they are mostly collectives centered around specific inheritances or cultures.


    Most of them have developed systematic ways of ascendance, which they had kept within their circles for generations. Ascendants of this nature are referred to as legacy ascendants.


    On the other hand, ascendants who had inadvertently awakened their potential are referred to as natural ascendants.


    The founders of most interest groups were most likely natural ascendants, who had found ways to impart their advantages through bloodlines, rituals, contracts, or even other obscure methods.


    As you can infer, natural ascendants tend to have no support groups of their own, which sets them back in terms of metaphysical research and resource exchange.


    There''s no conflict between these two types of ascendants though, except for a few legacy individuals who look down on naturals for the latter''s lack of knowledge and heritage. But that''s just how it is in any form of society.


    Now, back to your question. I am a natural ascendant just like you. My ability deals with information, and I inferred that we are similar in this regard, though I won''t ask you for details and I suggest you also don''t let others know.


    I am trying to build an interest group, preferably with people possessing information-related abilities. You seem to be an astute young man. You should know how powerful information can be, especially in the right hands.


    So, have I answered your question?"


    "Of course, sir, thank you for the clarification. To be honest, I''m already inclined to join right now, but I still have another concern."


    "Is this about the safety of your family and friends?"


    Arthas had observed Jay well enough to anticipate this matter.


    "Yes, sir. Should I worry about their safety?"


    "Hmm. Most natural ascendants have similar concerns, considering that our family and friends are most likely ordinary people.


    Although ascendants who include unrelated ordinary people in disputes are shunned in our society, it''s best not to tempt fate by relying on the whims of others.


    Fortunately, our organization owns an artifact that can detect metaphysical threats in advance. Of course, its coverage is limited, so its functions are only reserved for the members'' immediate family.


    Bear in mind that it only predicts threats in advance and only metaphysics-related ones. You still have to resolve things on your own."


    Jay was about to interrupt with a hesitant face but Arthas raised his hand and continued speaking.


    "Of course, I will also teach you additional methods to ensure their safety by utilizing your own advantages.


    For ascendants, it''s not always good to rely on external objects for something as crucial as safety, since that would inhibit your desire for improvement due to the diminishing necessity to develop your ability.


    And if all else fails, your support group will lend you a hand if you ask for it. I can guarantee it."


    To be fair, no one can truly guarantee absolute safety even in the most mundane of situations.


    Perhaps everything was so new and strange to Jay that he couldn''t help but let his cautiousness evolve into paranoia.


    Everything that he had learned so far had stoked the adventurous spirit within him.


    It would be a pity if he missed this opportunity due to fear from the unknown.


    "Oh, then that''s fine, sir. It''s just that I heard many strange, new things today, and I let them get to my head.


    Sorry if I came across as paranoid, sir. I hope you''ll still take me in."


    "Haha, don''t be ridiculous. If you weren''t concerned about this kind of thing, I wouldn''t have asked you to become my student.


    So, are you accepting me as your teacher?"


    "Good day, teacher."


    Jay was unsure which gesture should accompany his words, so he ended up making an awkward bow.


    "Dispense with the formalities, young man. There''s a reason why I chose the teacher and student association instead of more formal ones like master and disciple.


    I have a more casual style, you see, and I figured you''re also the same."


    "Well, sorry for that, sir. I just thought I should make a gesture of respect to my teacher.


    I am a keen adherent of the saying, ''A teacher for a day, a father for a lifetime.¡¯"


    Jay said with a somewhat serious expression, leaving his sincerity in doubt.


    "Hahaha, what a good young man. I haven''t even started teaching you, yet you''re already buttering up to me.


    Well, if you''re that eager to learn, let''s start your internship tonight."


    Arthas'' team had their shift tonight, just in time to give this young man a taste of the world of ascendants.

 006 The Newborn Bird Sees The Forest Around And The Sky Above

    It was around midnight when Jay woke up.


    Mr. Arthas had told him to sleep early, as the elder would bring him along during their shift tonight.


    He hadn''t slept well due to the excitement and the disruption to his body rhythm.


    Nevertheless, the thought of formally stepping into the world of ascendants pushed him to get dressed.


    -


    Jay stood on the sidewalk, waiting for Mr. Arthas to pick him up.


    He had been standing for about fifteen minutes, which was quite a long time for a waiting person.


    He hoped the elder would arrive quickly, lest he was mistaken as a delinquent by the authorities, considering his slightly robust build and fairly casual bearing.


    Two minutes later, Mr. Arthas arrived in a black pickup truck.


    "Sorry for being late. I had to do work along the way here, unfortunately."


    Arthas apologized for making his student wait even though it was the latter''s first exposure to the ascendant world, which was quite a big deal in itself.


    "It''s okay, sir. It hasn''t been long."


    Jay spoke as he put on the seat belt in the front passenger seat.


    "Thank you for understanding. Now I will bring you to a house on the southern outskirts of the city. We mostly do our operations there."


    "Wait, sir. If you''re something like the police, wouldn''t it make more sense to move within the city?"


    Even if they could do reconnaissance remotely, they probably still had to apprehend or investigate anomalies in person.


    "Oh, about that. I have a partner that takes care of that. Remotely, mind you.


    You see, ascendants have a variety of means at their disposal. An ill-informed person wouldn''t even know how they died if they rashly faced metaphysical matters.


    Although, even if one is considered knowledgeable in metaphysics, it''s still impossible to guard against everything. That''s why it''s best to remain obscure whenever possible.


    The best method of concealment we can readily do is remaining far from the observation area.


    Information-related abilities like ours can counter this method, but they are quite rare, and most who have it cannot perform a counter-investigation without a medium. Considerable physical distance also greatly weakens such attempts.


    On the other hand, as others find it hard to counter-investigate, we also can''t perform in-depth observation, since we might produce metaphysical fluctuations strong enough to be distinguishable from ambient ones."


    Having a mentor was a great boon to any struggling learner.


    Jay had been fumbling about with his ability on his own.


    Although he had made strides in learning about his capability, he was utterly clueless in everything else metaphysical.


    This was a hidden danger since he would be prone to overestimate his ability and underestimate others if he only focused on understanding himself without understanding others.


    "Alright, sir. Then how do you take action if you do find an anomaly? Does your partner perform a long-distance attack or even a curse?"


    "Haha. Not really. I won''t tell you now. It''s best if you see it in person later."


    "Oh, okay, sir. I have another question. Do you have your shifts at this time every day?


    You also seem active in the daytime, like in the coffee shop earlier. It seems unhealthy."


    Jay''s sleep routine had stayed the same even after being an ascendant for a month.


    Perhaps advanced ascendants like Mr. Arthas didn''t need sleep, like the immortals in some novels he read.


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    "We only do this every other day, for about eight hours per shift. We share this post with several other teams. Shifts even overlap with one another at times to prevent downtime.


    As for health concerns, it''s not a big deal. As ascendants develop their abilities, they also gain physical enhancements to keep up with the increasing strain of ability usage, so the need for rest isn''t as prevalent.


    Of course, we get tired eventually since we consume physical and mental resources whenever we use our ability.


    It''s not that noticeable at your stage since you''re only using a rudimentary form of your ability. More experienced ascendants have developed diverse and potent applications that consume resources when applied."


    "Do you only rely on natural recovery, sir? Or do you have anything like supplements or medicine for that?"


    Ascendant society probably had alchemists or other production-specialized people, considering the sheer variety of ascendant specialties.


    "Natural recovery is optimal, of course, since it doesn''t cost anything and is free of sequelae.


    But there are situations where quick recovery is necessary, and there are specialized medicines for that. There are even medicines that could temporarily enhance physical and mental attributes.


    They''re not cheap, though. Few ascendants are qualified to create consumables useful to other ascendants, hence the inflated prices.


    Of course, they won''t dare to abuse the demand, lest they find themselves threatened, or even enslaved, since nobody would want to stand up for them."


    "Can we use our information-related ability to perform artisanal tasks, sir? Perhaps we could imbue our advantages into talismans to sell?


    I never thought we would also need money in ascendant society, just like the regular one."


    "You could try. But that is usually an advanced application of an ability and typically consumes many resources.


    I could do it if I wanted to, but I could earn significantly more doing other things, like working for the organization or selling information.


    Also, having a portable version of your ability would allow malicious people to acquire your traces or even understand your capabilities. Very dangerous."


    "Oh, is that so? What a pity."


    Jay could only sigh at his situation.


    He was an ordinary student with no income in real life, and it seemed like he would still be one even in ascendant society.


    The only comfort he had was that the upward mobility in ascendant society seemed to be more accessible compared to the regular one, especially with the latter¡¯s bothersome streamlined processes of acquiring credentials.


    "By the way, sir. You mentioned the organization, but what is it exactly?"


    Jay was curious about the organization that could keep hundreds of thousands of ascendants in the country in check.


    "Oh, right. I was so focused on introducing you to the basics of ascendant society that I forgot to tell you about it.


    Our organization is named Kawal, and it encompasses the entire country.


    I know what you''re thinking. The name means soldier or follower in our official language, so how does it connect to a supervisory organization that holds significant power in our country? It means that we are servants of the country.


    Of course, some people want to use its authority for themselves, but nobody has ever succeeded. Not even close. Some of those people, along with their interest groups, were even disposed of by some furious members of Kawal.


    Formal members of Kawal have great personal ability and perhaps influence, each having a steadfast dedication to serving the country. Politics is not tolerated in the organization.


    Ah, I can see that you''re satisfied with that. That is one of the reasons I opted to take you in as a student, to be inducted as a formal member after your internship, seeing that your personality is quite fitting."


    "You flatter me, sir. I just think it''s good that such an organization exists. But can you be certain that bad apples don''t exist in it, sir?"


    "Haha. You''re comparing a formal ascendant organization to the ones you know.


    As I''ve told you, ascendants have varied means, much more than you can imagine. Monitoring the loyalty of every member is quite trivial for the organization''s prized artifact."


    "Oh, okay, sir. Is that the same artifact you told me about earlier, sir? Can you tell me more about it?"


    Jay was very interested in the seemingly omnipotent artifact and the people who could wield such an artifact.


    "Yes, it is the same one. I don''t know much about it, honestly. I don''t even know its name. I only know that it is jointly operated by four of the most formidable ascendants in our country.


    Although I told you that there are no clear divisions between power levels, there are ascendants who have distinguished themselves to be at the apex of their specialty. We refer to them as transcendents.


    To give you an inkling of their significance in society, you should know that ascendants from around the world will acknowledge the existence of a country only if it has at least three native transcendents. Think of it as you will."


    Jay was increasingly amazed at every piece of information Mr. Arthas revealed, but this latest one was a fascinating fact with many implications.


    Perhaps this was how tiny or newly independent countries even existed.


    It wasn''t about the geographical area or the economy. It wasn''t even about its political or cultural significance.


    It was actually about its influence in the ascendant world.


    "Transcendent, huh." Jay could only mutter in amazement, thinking about what such a word implied.


    Even Mr. Arthas spoke about them like they''re unreachable legends. Did a newbie like him even have a shot at becoming one?


    "I know that look. It''s good to have that sort of ambition. Don''t lose it."


    Arthas had a reminiscent look on his face while he spoke, barely visible in Jay''s peripheral vision.


    "Is it that difficult, sir?"


    "Ah, I''m not discouraging you if that''s how you thought I meant.


    No one actually knows how to reach that level or what it takes to become one. This is especially so since ascendants have their own unique paths.


    I guess you''ll have to find out for yourself."


    Jay felt that Mr. Arthas'' mood had dropped, so he stayed quiet for a while.


    Could it be that Mr. Arthas once had the chance to reach that level but lost it somehow?


    Or did he have a lover who reached that level and became estranged from him due to their vastly different status?


    Or was he someone at that level in the past, but his abilities have regressed significantly?


    "Don''t overthink it, young man. I''m just in a thoughtful mood, nothing more.


    The more you live in the world of ascendants, the more you may think that transcendence seems illusory.


    But the unfortunate part is that it exists. It''s only that you don''t know the path yet."


    "Oh, okay, sir."


    Jay didn''t want to dampen the elder¡¯s mood any longer, so he could only switch to mundane topics for the rest of the ride.

 007 Peeking Behind The Curtains

    After half an hour, Jay and Arthas finally arrived at the neighborhood of the house in the southernmost part of the city.


    "It''s good that there''s no traffic, sir. Otherwise, it might have taken us about an hour to get here."


    Jay wasn''t used to traveling within the city unimpeded, considering the sheer number of vehicles on the roads almost the entire day.


    "Well, that''s one reason why we chose this shift."


    Arthas spoke while looking for a good parking spot along the road in front of the house.


    Fortunately, it was a sparse rural neighborhood with plenty of apparent space and a lack of competition.


    "Is your team already inside, sir? What should I say to them later?"


    Jay was a little tense that he might have to face more people of Mr. Arthas'' caliber.


    It was never comfortable for anyone to hang out with a crowd far from their likeness.


    "Them? Oh, I haven''t told you that most teams in our organization only consist of two members.


    One is specialized in reconnaissance or divination and the other in combat or relocation. I am the former."


    It seemed like Mr. Arthas'' mood had already improved from the earlier conversation about transcendents, seeing that he was speaking about ascendant matters again.


    "Oh, alright, sir. Hmm. I understand the logic behind the configuration, but it seems too small for a monumental task such as monitoring an entire city, especially one as large as ours."


    Jay thought the team members should have near-godlike abilities to monitor an entire city in real time.


    Or they have significantly narrowed down their observation areas to several locations and utilized rotations.


    Either way, such a team could use a few more members at least.


    "Well, ascendants with suitable abilities are far and few between, much less those with the right mindset, hence the personnel shortage. Also, we can''t monitor the city in its entirety. Not even close.


    If we could do that, we would already be beyond transcendent, giving us no reason to work as observers in the first place.


    There are a few areas that we focus on, but we still look out for strong metaphysical fluctuations from everywhere in the city. If we sensed one, we would try to focus on it on a case-to-case basis."


    "Even so, you''re still very powerful, sir. The thought of sensing metaphysical fluctuations from everywhere in the entire city, even from far away, seems like a dream for me."


    Jay couldn''t even imagine how long it would take him to reach this level, considering his current rate of improvement.


    "Haha. You''re giving us too much credit. We have specified tools to assist us in this task, courtesy of the organization.


    Although I said earlier that we shouldn''t rely too much on tools for our safety, they are still helpful if handled with caution, even reverence."


    "Reverence, sir?"


    "Yes. Reverence. Respect their abilities and the assistance they provide you, but always keep a sense of distance and awe at the same time.


    You don''t want to reach the point where you subconsciously think they are part of your power. They are external help, and they always will be. They can be taken from you anytime.


    The artifacts themselves could even take over you if you''re not careful."


    Arthas had a solemn look as he spoke while passing bags to Jay from the back of the pickup truck.


    "What? Are they alive, sir?"


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    Jay couldn''t help but tense up because of Mr. Arthas'' solemn delivery and ominous words.


    "In a way, yes. Thoughts and emotions are deeply embedded in every object in varying concentrations, often negligible.


    This is especially pronounced for metaphysical articles such as artifacts and potions. They are often contaminated with trace amounts of thoughts and emotions from their maker, the materials, or even the environment.


    Frequent unregulated use of even the ''purest'' of articles would gradually taint the user''s psyche unnoticeably. If you''re not careful, you might become a chaotic amalgamation of thoughts with no sense of self, which is a potent source of mental pollution."


    "How do you address that kind of problem, sir?"


    Jay could only scrap the thought of hoarding metaphysical articles in the future.


    Although, this was a good thing in itself. It meant the gap between neophytes and veterans wasn''t hopelessly wide, albeit only regarding metaphysical resources.


    "As long as you are aware of the problem, simple self-suggestion will suffice, albeit the difficulty is having awareness in the first place.


    There are metaphysical methods such as hypnotism and purification, but they introduce another instance of risks on their own. Frequent self-reflection is one way, though it''s far from enough.


    I know it''s not your cup of tea, but you should interact with people more. The onlooker sees more of the game. Other people often notice subtle changes in your mentality that you can''t sense yourself."


    "Alright, sir. I''ll keep that in mind."


    Jay wasn''t a social reject by any chance.


    Although he preferred to keep to himself, he had no problem maintaining a decent social presence.


    He could readily count on others to tell him if he acted strangely.


    "Well, that''s enough for now. Let''s go inside, shall we?"


    They were already standing at the door after retrieving some supplies from the back of the pickup truck.


    -


    Bare. That was Jay''s first impression of the house.


    Although it looked like a typical inhabited house from the outside, with curtains adorning the glass windows and whatnot, the inside was almost empty, save for some basic furniture like chairs.


    "Empty, right? Well, there''s always a chance that a confrontation might happen here, so it''s better to keep it as bare as possible.


    Follow me to the back. My partner is waiting there."


    There was a small in-ground pool at the back with a table and a few chairs at the side.


    A bald, middle-aged man was sitting on a chair facing the pool, fiddling with his phone.


    "It''s about time. Oh, is that the promising young friend you were talking about before?"


    The bald man greeted his friend and noticed a young man at the back.


    "Yes, he is."


    Mr. Arthas just nodded and replied curtly while putting down a bag of supplies.


    Jay took over the conversation when he saw the bald man looking over with a smile.


    "Hello, sir. I''m Jay Cruz, Mr. Arthas'' new student. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."


    "Likewise, young man. I''m old man Arthas'' teammate, Vergil Gil.


    Oh, I know that expression. Yeah, I have the same name as a game character. I''ve been told that many times already.


    But I assure you it''s only a coincidence, considering I was already busting balls when the game''s creators were still in their fathers¡¯."


    Both of them shared the same names as video game villains, which Jay hoped wasn''t an omen of sorts.


    "Don''t let this man''s vulgarity rub off on you, young man."


    Arthas jokingly warned Jay while setting up something in the middle of the table.


    Unwilling to comment about a senior in front of them, even in jest, Jay swiftly found another relevant matter to speak about.


    "Umm. What are you setting up, sir? It looks like a crystal ball, like the one fortune-tellers in movies use."


    "Ah, yes. This is a standard-issue multi-purpose Amplification Orb.


    As the name suggests, it amplifies ability output, albeit with a significant, non-linear increase in energy consumption. In essence, we are trading an unfair amount of energy for a reasonable increase in performance.


    Fortunately, the burden isn''t only ours to bear. The organization has also set up an energy convergence array to assist with its usage."


    "But won¡¯t it make this place conspicuous, sir?"


    Jay had shallow knowledge of metaphysics, but common sense dictates that any form of convergence was bound to attract attention.


    "It will, but not by much. The world is lively with ambient metaphysical fluctuations here and there, either from the environment or other ascendants, which somehow help cover up the situation here.


    Also, even if it attracts malice from others, immediate retaliation from afar would follow should they attempt to poke around. Higher-ranking members leave their own forms of insurance at important locations.


    And finally, as another layer of insurance, the two of us are not exactly weak by any means."


    By this time, Arthas had finished setting up the artifact.


    Not long after, the still pool waters began to fluctuate, gradually showing an overhead view of a place somewhere in the city, replaced with sights of different locations after short intervals.


    Jay forgot to ask follow-up questions as he stared blankly at the still pool waters, which resembled a movie theater screen.


    This was the first time he had witnessed a metaphysical phenomenon in a visually striking manner.


    So far, his experience with metaphysics had always been abstract, which was why this moment truly caught him off-guard.


    "It''s marvelous, isn''t it? Too bad this geezer refuses to use it for peeking into toilets and dressing rooms."


    Vergil made snide remarks about his partner, waking up Jay from his reverie.


    "If you want trouble, do it without me."


    "I would if I could. Too bad my specialty lies elsewhere."


    Jay couldn''t join in their banter, even though he would like to.


    The wide generational gap and the short period of acquaintance between them were there, at least for now.


    "Alright, save your chatter for later. I''m taking this young man on his first exposure to the world of descendants. Don''t mess things up."


    "Well, if you insist."


    Vergil then turned to Jay.


    "Listen carefully to this geezer. He might come off as somewhat stern, but he''s an effective teacher. I can vouch for that."


    "Thank you for the praise. Haven''t heard that in a while."


    Arthas addressed his rowdy friend before turning his attention towards Jay.


    "Come closer, young man. I''ll show you a glimpse of the true world behind the veil of the ordinary."

 008 Thinking It Was Heaven, Not Wondering Why It Was Hot

    "Oh. I was right about you. You are one lucky young man indeed."


    Arthas muttered as he changed the projection to another location outside the predetermined sequence.


    "Is there something wrong, sir?"


    Jay wasn''t sure whether it was truly fortunate that he had encountered something notable on his very first foray into the world of ascendants.


    In most novels he had read, such discoveries typically led to a series of conspiracies that escalated with each revelation, often culminating in the involvement of intergalactic overlords or similar entities.


    "We don''t know yet. It could be something as random as a metaphysical researcher blowing up a lab after their flatulence reacted with an unknown substance.


    Oh, don''t smile, young man. Situations like that are more common than you might think."


    Arthas had finished refocusing the projection not long after.


    "You''re truly lucky, young man. I''m not jesting this time. This is perfect for a first real-life lesson.


    Vergil, come and look at this."


    "What''s the matter, old man?"


    Vergil spoke from Jay''s side, startling the latter.


    Jay didn''t notice that Mr. Vergil, who was sitting in a chair at some distance away, was already by their side.


    Mr. Vergil''s previous position remained within Jay''s peripheral vision.


    Even if he had been focused on the projection, there was no reason for him to miss conspicuous movements, particularly with his enhanced cognitive abilities.


    Perhaps Mr. Vergil''s ability was related to speed, stealth, or even spatial manipulation.


    "We''ve got a rogue metaphysical creature. Headquarters notified me just now. I''ve already locked onto it. Look."


    The real-time projection zoomed in from an overhead view into a close-up of something.


    Upon closer look, that something seemed to be... a human?


    "Where''s the metaphysical creature, sir?"


    Jay could only see an ordinary salaryman who had seemingly worked overtime, trying to catch a jeep somewhere downtown.


    "I understand your confusion. When you first hear the words ''metaphysical creature,'' you might think of beasts or something else common in the media representation of fantasy.


    While that is true to a certain extent, it''s best if you loosen your definition of ''creature'' in regards to metaphysical matters. What you''re seeing might be an ordinary salaryman, but seasoned ascendants see sadness manifest.


    Let me share a portion of the enhancement from the Amplifying Orb. You''ll see what I mean."


    Immediately after Mr. Arthas'' explanation, Jay could feel significantly more sensations outside the ordinary five senses.


    These might be the metaphysical fluctuations that Mr. Arthas talked about.


    Jay felt like he was in the middle of the ocean, with the waves pushing him here and there.


    Fortunately, he quickly adapted after a short while, eliciting a startled look from Mr. Arthas, a reaction that he didn''t notice.


    After regaining his composure, Jay focused his gaze on the projection below.


    Before, he could only see a tired salaryman waiting for a jeep.


    Now, there was something else superimposed with the man''s figure, although undetectable with mere sight.


    It didn''t mean that Jay could suddenly see colors and figures that weren''t there before.


    He only felt its presence, albeit in an abstract manner.


    Although he was only looking at it through a projection, he could feel a slight shiver running down his spine.


    He felt that it wasn''t only due to the cold night wind, as he could feel a sliver of fear bubbling up inside him.


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    The chilling sensation only disappeared when he focused his gaze elsewhere.


    "This man has been polluted with metaphysical influence for quite a while.


    His intense sadness continually fed this contaminant until it formed into a complete psionic lifeform. Now, it wouldn''t be right to call this lifeform a contaminant anymore.


    You must remember, young man, every form of life deserves respect, but whether you should let it live is another matter altogether.


    Of course, I''m not saying that we should immediately eliminate this lifeform. We still have to perform our due diligence."


    Mr. Vergil chimed in immediately after Mr. Arthas finished his sentence.


    "That''s right, young man. This psionic lifeform has only been born recently. Essentially, it''s an innocent creature, although that doesn''t negate the fact that its mere presence is dangerous in itself.


    On another note, do you know why old man Arthas emphasized that you''re lucky? It''s because he wanted you to have it as a pet! Great, isn''t it?"


    Jay was somewhat confused at the turn of events.


    They had just discovered an anomaly, a potentially dangerous psionic lifeform, which went against what he knew about living creatures all his life.


    Yet, they were already talking about giving it to him as a pet?


    "I don''t quite follow, sir."


    "Don''t confuse the young man. Didn''t I tell you not to make a mess of things? You don''t know anything about teaching."


    Arthas turned his attention to Jay after chiding his unruly partner.


    "Don''t mind him, young man. I know you have questions of your own. Just ask."


    "Oh. Okay, sir. Can you elaborate about psionic lifeforms? Of course, only if you''re not busy."


    Jay was a bit hesitant to ask questions at this moment, considering that they were in the middle of addressing a potential hazard.


    "Don''t worry. Though it seems like we''re loitering right now, we''re actually in correspondence with the local headquarters, deliberating about the proper course of action.


    Now, on to the question. There isn''t really much known about them except that they are energy-based lifeforms. As to what type of energy, there is no unified answer. They cannot be perceived through our five senses, and can only be interacted with through metaphysical energy manipulation.


    Right now, we don''t know anything about this specific creature except that it''s somewhat a manifestation of sadness, which was most likely because it was the catalyst that brought it into existence.


    The most prudent thing to do at the moment is to perform a thorough inspection of it, although it might prove intrusive toward the other party."


    "And that''s my job."


    Vergil intruded on the conversation once again, earning Arthas'' glare, which he didn''t mind at all.


    "We had just finalized our course of action. We''re going to wait until this man gets home, then we will deploy a psionic manifestation at his location to conduct an in-depth investigation.


    It sounds pretty obvious when you hear about it, but there are nuances behind it that you''re going to have to learn on your own. Now, it''s not that I won''t tell you. It''s just that some things cannot be taught directly. Otherwise, you might treat them like textbook knowledge and wouldn''t be able to use them instinctively.


    Of course, general knowledge like definitions, the things old man Arthas talks about, is a different story. Am I not correct, Mr. Arthas?"


    "I''m starting to think you''re jealous of me for having a student of my own, Mr. Vergil."


    Arthas once again had to take back the conversation from his partner. "He''s correct, young man. I can only teach you information about matters.


    There are some realizations that you have to make yourself if you want true improvement. I think you already understand, no?"


    Jay fully understood this reasoning, as he was very familiar with it.


    Shortcuts in solving and relationships between mathematical formulas were significantly easier to internalize when he realized them himself during solving sessions.


    "Yes, sir. I actually do."


    "Good. Now, back to the matter at hand. For now, we are going to mark this person while going back to monitor our routine observation areas. We will proceed with the investigation once he''s in a secluded place, most likely his room."


    "Alright, sir. Umm. Am I going to witness the action later?"


    "Regrettably, I can''t allow that. At your level of development, it''s far too dangerous for you to get involved at this level. Even now, I can only make an exception to bring you during our shift.


    Actually, if we weren''t protecting you earlier, you might have unintentionally been contaminated by the psionic lifeform just by observing it through the projection. As you can see, the world of ascendants is full of hidden dangers."


    "I understand, sir. I have been careless."


    Jay understood now that this was actually the first lesson Mr. Arthas wanted to teach him.


    What he thought was just casual observation of metaphysical phenomenon was actually a dangerous matter if not for the protection of more accomplished seniors.


    Now that he thought about it, he felt a shiver earlier when he looked at the psionic lifeform.


    Perhaps it was due to the influx of new and interesting information that he had the mistaken impression he knew enough about the metaphysical world to survive.


    It seemed that he needed to accumulate significantly more knowledge, or else he might die without even knowing how.


    "Don''t scare the young man too much, my friend."


    This time, it was Vergil''s turn to admonish the other. He then turned his attention to Jay.


    "Listen carefully, young man. While there are many unknowns in the world of ascendants, you still have to maintain a sense of curiosity amid the danger. It''s hard to move forward if all you do is focus solely on survival. If that''s all you want, you''d be better off staying an ordinary person.


    It''s quite ironic if you think about it. You''re actually safer as a powerless individual than as someone who actually grasps the means to protect themselves. Do you know why that is?"


    "I''m not sure, sir."


    Jay had some inkling of the situation, but he felt that it would still be better to listen to an already knowledgeable person.


    "If you''re thinking along the lines of ''the weak are protected by the capable,'' then you''re mostly wrong. Even if that aspect does exist, the main reason is that you have already been influenced by the metaphysical world.


    When you received the enhancement from the Amplification Orb earlier, did you feel like you were in the middle of the ocean, tossed by waves?


    You did? Quite impressive, young man, though you''ll have to find out yourself the reason.


    Anyway. From the moment you awakened your potential, you were already thrown into the figurative ocean of the metaphysical world. You might not feel it now due to your weak sensitivity, but you are constantly being subjected to metaphysical fluctuations, which are actively pushing you toward metaphysical phenomena, regardless of your will.


    That''s why you can''t afford to live passively from now on. You have to become stronger, lest you be overwhelmed by the waves."


    Jay thought he had stumbled upon a treasure, but it seemed that he had actually opened a man-eating chest, and he had just been bitten in the balls.

 009 There鈥檚 No Correct Decision, Only One Made With Your Heart

    It was already high noon, but Jay still lay flat in his bed, staring at the upper bunk of his double-deck, cluttered with belongings.


    He had returned to his room about an hour ago, courtesy of Mr. Arthas.


    Surprisingly, the all-nighter had little effect on him.


    He was still the same as he had been yesterday, even with the disruption to his circadian rhythm.


    Perhaps it was because of the convergence of metaphysical energy at the observation base, which might have rejuvenated his body through mere exposure.


    However, despite his good condition, he wasn''t in the mood to do anything, not even sleeping.


    Jay had learned too much during this time, starting with his encounter with Mr. Arthas at the coffee shop.


    While the volume of information couldn¡¯t be compared to what he had accumulated through every use of Identification, the significance of Mr. Arthas'' successive revelations was far too tremendous to digest in such a short time.


    When he first acquired his ability, he thought he had struck lucky, finally having the chance to transcend the mundane like he had always fantasized.


    He had been completely engrossed with his new ability, seeking improvement just to see where it would lead him.


    After learning some things from Mr. Arthas at the beginning, Jay became quite interested in the mystical world beneath modern society.


    He was especially fascinated by the existence of another layer of society that had managed to remain hidden from the public for countless generations.


    There were too many questions to be answered, despite Mr. Arthas¡¯ already extensive explanations.


    His weakness, Nosiness, had only exacerbated his desire to delve into that hidden world.


    It was only recently that he learned of things that brought his enthusiasm back from the sky.


    It seemed like he had thought of things too simply for his own good.


    He had been too focused on asking questions and expanding his knowledge, but failed to consider the hidden dangers beneath, despite Mr. Arthas¡¯ implications.


    The world of ascendants was like the ocean, and he was merely wading his feet in a small river somewhere in the middle of land.


    He wasn''t even on the beach, all things considered. At least, that''s what he understood from Mr. Arthas'' and Mr. Vergil''s implications.


    Jay was intuitively aware of the gravity of the situation, but he couldn''t help having a relatively careless mindset regardless.


    Although he had been informed of the potential dangers, they were still too distant for him, as he hadn''t really experienced them firsthand.


    Of course, he had already realized this problem, which was why he brought up this matter to his teacher.


    He wanted to experience it for himself, albeit with Mr. Arthas¡¯ guidance.


    "Before I let you dip into the murky waters of the ascendant world, you need to reach a certain threshold of development.


    You should remember that the reason I brought you here was that you can have a glimpse of the hidden world, not because of your personal merit. To be fair, you don¡¯t have the qualifications yet.


    I know that you seek to transcend the mundane for your own reasons, perhaps out of boredom and curiosity. But you must be patient and give yourself time to grow. Otherwise, you might cripple your legs long before your journey even begins."


    Mr. Arthas was right. Jay didn''t have any grudges to settle or any love to pursue.


    There was actually no compelling reason for him to dive head-first into the metaphysical world in a hurry.


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    Regardless, he was still quite intrigued by it, likely because of the endless possibilities it offered him.


    Now that he thought about it, he had somewhat accepted every strange event that had come his way ever since the awakening of his ability. This was quite interesting in itself.


    He was usually cautious toward unfamiliar matters, especially with something as unusual as an unexpected supernatural ability.


    He had accepted it easily. Too easily, in fact, as if he knew deep down that it was how it should¡¯ve been in the first place.


    Even intense curiosity wouldn''t have made him neglect the strangeness of the matter in favor of smooth acceptance, regardless of how astonishing it was.


    This was something he needed to look into, even though he didn''t know where to start. He had even tried Identification on himself to no avail.


    For now, he would have to keep this matter in the back of his mind and revisit it when he had accumulated more metaphysical knowledge.


    If Mr. Vergil¡¯s words were true, then the only logical thing to do in the meantime was to keep moving forward.


    If he eventually found himself in metaphysics-related events by sheer inevitability, he would rather face them with a reasonable degree of ability and preparation than be caught with his pants down, unable to resist.


    -


    "So, what do you think of the young man?"


    Arthas was currently having brunch with Vergil at an outdoor caf¨¦ somewhere in the city.


    "Seems promising. Say, do you think he''s related to the anomaly about a month ago? From what we know, it should be around that time when he awakened his ability."


    Vergil was quite impressed by the young man in the short time they had met. Especially regarding his sensitivity and adaptability.


    They had intended to enhance the metaphysical sensitivity of the young man just enough to perceive the psionic lifeform through the projection, which would usually be accompanied by a mild disorienting feeling.


    However, instead of the mild reaction they had expected, the young man actually experienced the figurative ocean of the metaphysical world itself.


    Vergil understood it when he saw the uncomfortable expression on the young man¡¯s face, uncharacteristic of the mild disorientation he was supposed to experience.


    He then casually slipped the question about the similarity to being in the middle of the ocean, to which he was replied with affirmation.


    No neophyte was supposed to be calm when suddenly thrown into a turbulent ocean of strange energies, but the young man regained his bearing quickly even without their assistance.


    It didn''t seem like the performance of a newbie, despite the already verified conclusion that the young man was indeed one.


    "Perhaps. There has been a recent surge in awakened naturals over the past few months.


    In the past, there would only be one every other year. But we already have five, and the year is far from over. It''s hard to think there''s nothing amiss."


    "You know that there are no true coincidences, right? There''s bound to be someone behind this, somewhere out there."


    "Even if there is malicious intent behind it, there will be others to answer it, considering the sheer number of people far more powerful than us.


    So, let''s stop worrying about it and just do our part. We might even be pivotal characters in the upcoming turmoil, if we¡¯re lucky enough."


    "Turmoil? Haha. You sound calm but you¡¯re even more pessimistic than I am.


    Alright, since we''re talking about turmoil, how will you ensure survival if there ever was one?


    Do you finally plan on taking the last step? You know, I''m quite envious of your situation. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed.


    Immense power is already within arm¡¯s length and all you need to do is to reach out on your own volition. I haven''t asked you about it all this time, but this conversation made me reconsider somehow. So why won''t you reach out? Care to tell me?"


    Arthas sighed.


    "You''re quite tactful in things that matter. I had always been wondering why you never asked about it. I just assumed you were oblivious to my true progress.


    Well, I was going to tell you about this sooner or later anyway.¡±


    Arthas didn¡¯t continue immediately. He reached out for a cigarette in his pocket and put it in his mouth.


    Curiously, he didn¡¯t need a match or lighter for it. It simply ignited on its own.


    It was a sophisticated manipulation of ambient metaphysical energy. A small convergence of energy on the cigarette tip was instantaneously converted into heat.


    It was also worth mentioning that he dared to light a cigarette in a public place, yet no one came to reprimand him.


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t care for the city¡¯s no smoking policy, but that he had already isolated the immediate vicinity from the real world.


    Even the smoke was purified into pure metaphysical energy immediately after forming, keeping the environment fresh.


    ¡°My advancement to transcendence requires me to leave my humanity behind. I will still retain the form of a human but without the empathy that defines one.


    I will become a living supercomputer in a human-shaped vessel. Although I can easily simulate human emotions at that level, it¡¯s not gonna be enough to prevent me from treating human lives more than mere statistics.


    You know me well enough to recognize that such a state might very well be the same as dying. Are you satisfied with my answer, my friend?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Despite Vergil¡¯s playful nature, he couldn¡¯t find the right words to say at the moment.


    He truly admired his old friend¡¯s conviction to preserve his humanity, yet he also felt that the latter was too foolish for renouncing his opportunity to advance, which would actually enable him to help the world more.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not stress upon it any further. Who knows, there might come a day when I have to abandon my humanity to protect those who made me human in the first place.


    You know what they say, there''s no correct decision, only one made with your heart.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone even say that? First time I¡¯ve heard of it.¡±


    Despite his misgivings, Vergil agreed that there was no point in thinking too much about making the correct choice.


    In the end, it was not his decision to make. He would just support his old friend no matter the circumstance.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter as long as it makes sense. Oh, I almost forgot about that psionic lifeform from earlier. Let¡¯s give it to the young man later before going to work. This will be considered his commemorative present for entering our world.¡±

 010 A Visit To The Realm Of Unconsciousness, Again

    It was already late in the evening when Jay woke up. He intended to get up in the late afternoon, even setting up an alarm for it.


    He had class tomorrow, and it wouldn¡¯t be ideal if he didn¡¯t feel sleepy enough for his regular sleep schedule.


    Unfortunately, it seemed like he had been sleeping so deeply that even the usually loud ringtone failed to stir him even a little bit.


    Despite the rejuvenating effect of the enhanced ambient metaphysical energy of the observation base, he still had to deal with mental fatigue, especially with the volume of astonishing information he had absorbed recently.


    The only consolation was that his classes start late in the morning, so he wasn¡¯t that bothered by it.


    To induce sleepiness, he planned to tire himself out with some dumbbell and body weight exercise.


    He wasn¡¯t a gym enthusiast by any means, but he was making a conscious effort to take care of his body for what it¡¯s worth.


    He had found out that his mind had become more agile ever since he tried exercising, even it wasn¡¯t considered intense.


    Although, before everything else, he had to eat first.


    His rumbling stomach had just reminded him that he forgot about lunch in all his reverie earlier at noon.


    It seemed that he had just dozed off out of nowhere, which was something you would expect if you stayed still for too long.


    Jay was about to get dressed when a voice appeared in his head.


    ¡°Hello, young man. This is Arthas. We have come to give you the psionic lifeform, as we discussed earlier.


    It has already been pacified for your safety. Come down. We¡¯re outside the building.¡±


    Earlier, during the shift, Mr. Arthas and Mr. Vergil had captured the psionic lifeform without harming it and its host.


    Mr. Vergil had apparently sent a psionic manifestation into the contaminated salaryman¡¯s residence.


    Although he could¡¯ve technically viewed the spectacle through the projection, Mr. Arthas didn¡¯t want to take the risk as they won¡¯t be able to focus on his safety if things went wrong.


    ¡°Good evening, sirs. Do you want to come inside? It might not be spacious, so I¡¯ll have to apologize in advance.¡±


    ¡°No need. We¡¯re going to the observation base after this anyway.


    Well then, are you ready to accept it, young man? I trust that you¡¯re aware of the implications, so I¡¯ll leave things to your discretion.


    But I have to stress an important matter before anything else. This psionic lifeform is not a tool. You should do well to remember that.¡±


    The psionic lifeform must be sentient enough for Mr. Arthas to give such a reminder.


    It was fine, as Jay didn¡¯t intend to treat it like an object in the first place.


    He too respected the miracle of life. A newborn entity like it, despite its potential danger, was a pure soul and should be treated like one.


    He believed that the circumstance of birth was not as important as the care that followed.


    ¡°Alright, sir. I am ready.¡±


    A few breaths had passed when Arthas replied.


    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s done.¡±


    Jay could only make a confused expression as he didn¡¯t really understand what just happened.


    He was about to ask Mr. Arthas when Mr. Vergil spoke suddenly.


    ¡°Oh, would you look at that? Headquarters requires our immediate presence. Sorry, young man, we¡¯ll have to speak with you some other time.¡±


    Soon after Mr. Vergil finished speaking, the two of them vanished out of thin air in the blink of an eye.


    Passersby didn¡¯t even glance at his location, as if he had been alone this whole time.


    It implied a smooth transition from isolated space into reality, with none the wiser, not even himself.


    Regardless of his astonishment, Jay felt quite frustrated at the moment.


    Surely, there weren¡¯t any urgent business like Mr. Vergil said. From what he had observed, elders like them certainly valued propriety even in mundane situations.


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    For them to leave suddenly without explaining matters made Jay thoughtful for a while.


    He had been asking too many questions recently.


    Perhaps they wanted him to explore on his own, which was understandable, considering that some information requires personal interpretation to become useful.


    Nevertheless, a simple overview would¡¯ve helped Jay a lot.


    Now, he didn¡¯t even know where to find the supposed psionic lifeform that was entrusted to him, let alone get to know it.


    -


    Back in the observation base, Arthas and Vergil appeared instantly in the living room.


    It was a literal instant, as if reality had stopped for a moment just to wait for them to get into position, before resuming as if nothing even happened.


    ¡°Are you sure that was the right thing to do? We didn¡¯t even get to teach him how to sense it.


    I don¡¯t think he has the capability to find out on his own, at least not for quite some time.¡±


    ¡°Bah. Don¡¯t worry about it. We both know he¡¯s not an ordinary young man, and ascendant for that matter. He¡¯ll figure it out.


    Besides, let¡¯s allow the psionic lifeform some time to observe him. It wouldn¡¯t be good if we forced things and they didn¡¯t get along.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Good point. Anyway, you praised me for my progress earlier but you¡¯re not bad yourself.


    However, I¡¯m still quite ahead of you, all things considered.¡±


    ¡°Tch.¡±


    -


    It had been a few days since Jay¡¯s last meeting with the two elders.


    So far, he hasn¡¯t made contact with the supposed psionic entity, since the only metaphysical action he could perform for now was his Identification ability.


    The only problem was that he couldn¡¯t even observe the target, let alone touch it. He even tried using his ability on himself, to no avail.


    He knew that he couldn¡¯t do it by his own merit, considering his poor knowledge of metaphysics and his underdeveloped ability.


    He also didn¡¯t have access to the former, especially since Mr. Arthas hadn¡¯t contacted him at all during the past few days, so he could only focus on the latter.


    Now that he thought about it, he forgot to ask about their contact details.


    He had been too engrossed in metaphysical matters that he neglected this mundane yet crucial task.


    It seems like it wasn¡¯t too good to keep his head up in the clouds, while refusing to look at the ground once in a while.


    Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t affect his normal life too much. In the back of his mind, he considered his ascendance as something like a cherry on top.


    It was good to have, but not to the point where it would become his sole focus from here onwards.


    There was no point to having power while completely forgoing the other interesting aspects of life.


    To Jay, power was only a means, not an end, although he hadn¡¯t decided yet about what he really wanted to do with it.


    He was only interested in advancing because of curiosity, as well as preparation for the supposedly inevitable encounters with metaphysical-related matters, as forewarned by Mr. Vergil.


    For the past few days, he had been living his life as he did during the recent month.


    He did his academic responsibilities, practiced his ability in various commercial areas, and had occasional drinks either at home or somewhere quiet outside.


    In essence, one could say that his life had seamlessly returned to a semblance of normalcy, which wasn¡¯t too bad, as he didn¡¯t want to lose himself completely in metaphysical matters.


    He knew that he was still had a long way toward having the capability to observe the psionic entity on his own, so he decided to take his time.


    Although he could try to ask for the elders¡¯ assistance, he felt that it wasn¡¯t too appropriate.


    His current situation was probably intended by the elders for him to achieve natural growth, which was beneficial for him in the long run.


    He didn¡¯t have the capability to communicate with the psionic entity, but the same couldn¡¯t be said the other way.


    -


    As midnight approached, Jay was about to sleep after another satisfying day of improvement in academics and metaphysics when something unusual happened.


    He had been in a good mood since earlier, primarily due to the absence of hindrances as he went about his day.


    He even managed to catch a jeep immediately after arriving at the designated loading spot.


    Of course, the usual traffic was still there, but it didn¡¯t bother him at all. He already considered it a constant by now, hence his nonchalance.


    Logically, he had no reason to be sad at the moment, especially since he was about to sleep.


    However, an intense feeling of melancholy pervaded his psyche without warning.


    Despite his usual calm demeanor, Jay felt confused and terrified at that moment.


    This was the first time he received some sort of metaphysical ¡®attack¡¯. Worse, he was clueless about the possible motive and the method.


    Fortunately, his survival instincts became alive immediately, giving him the clarity he needed to analyze his situation.


    The only meaningful interactions he had in the metaphysical world were with Mr. Arthas and Mr. Vergil.


    Surely, they had no motive in giving him the scare of his life, even if it was for training.


    There were better ways of teaching, and inducing a traumatic event would only twist his perception of the metaphysical world.


    It might even make him unnecessarily fearful of everything metaphysical, which would severely hamper his growth.


    This leaves him with the psionic lifeform, although it wasn¡¯t technically an interaction, as it was a one-sided observation, through a projection no less.


    Even now, although it had already been entrusted to him supposedly, there hasn¡¯t been an inkling of interaction so far.


    However, Jay was inclined to think that this situation was definitely the psionic lifeform¡¯s doing.


    The probability that he was targeted by a completely random and unfamiliar existence was extremely low, considering the precautions performed by the elders, as well as his own for what it¡¯s worth.


    Despite his suspicions, he didn¡¯t really know much about the psionic lifeform.


    He only knew that it was a potentially dangerous newborn sentient energy entity, as stated by Mr. Arthas.


    He didn¡¯t know about its degree of sentience, whether it had a mature mind, a child-like one, or if it¡¯s even something similar to humans in the first place.


    The only course of action he could think of at the moment was to use Identification on himself, as that was his only form of interaction with metaphysical phenomena for now.


    He had already tried it on himself many times during these past few days, but nothing regarding the psionic entity ever came up.


    This time was bound to be different though. He was quite certain of it.


    Although this string of thoughts might have seemed long, it only occurred in the span of a few breaths, courtesy of his enhanced cognitive functions, as well as the adrenaline rush induced by the situation.


    When using Identification on himself, he didn¡¯t need to make any physical movements, as he was already technically in ¡®touch¡¯ with himself.


    As soon as the thought of usage formed in his mind, a surge of information suddenly pervaded his mind.


    Although his mind had already been tempered through his frequent usage of Identification, especially since he gained the ability to retrieve the ¡®history¡¯ of targets, he was still overwhelmed by the volume of information that flooded his mind.


    Unable to cope with the torrent, Jay¡¯s mind could only shut itself down to prevent further complications.


    During his last moments of consciousness, when the surge of information finally subsided, he felt a sense of relief wash over him.


    The only consolation he had was that his head didn¡¯t blow up due to information overload like he had always feared.

 011 A Journey Into The Metaphorical Fog Of Confusion

    This was the second time Jay lost his consciousness due to metaphysics-related matters.


    However, this experience was bound to be different.


    He was no longer an ordinary human, and he was now involved with a potentially dangerous psionic lifeform possessing strange qualities.


    Unbeknownst to him, his ability had undergone a drastic change amid the torrent of intense information.


    Perhaps it was because of the sheer volume of information, the unique circumstance of the target, or it might have been something else entirely.


    During his bout of unconsciousness, the large volume of acquired information had somehow reorganized themselves into another format.


    In the past, it was only directly embedded into his memory as if it was something he had read from somewhere and was just recalling it.


    It resembled textbook knowledge more than memories accompanied by thoughts and emotions, with the latter being undoubtedly more impressionable.


    Unlike the previous time, Jay wasn¡¯t completely unconscious at the moment. His naked body lay sprawled on the bed, but his mind was elsewhere.


    Although his perception was muddled, he still had a modicum of awareness in the mystical state he was in.


    His consciousness appeared in a somewhat familiar place, albeit shrouded in fog that concealed many details of the environment.


    Despite the minimal cognitive ability he could muster, he could still observe enough of the environment to assess the situation.


    It was akin to living with perpetually heavy eyelids that threatened to close at any moment.


    As he tried to make sense of his own situation, he observed that his consciousness seemed to have been superimposed on a young man.


    That was the limit of his deductions at the moment, gleaned by observing the body parts that fell within the occupied body¡¯s line of sight, as well as the apparent distance of the ground to the eye level.


    The hazy environment and his inability to influence the body¡¯s movements made observation quite difficult.


    He couldn¡¯t even determine the time of day nor the extent of the area he was in.


    At the very least, he could tell that the fog was significantly denser outside the room, courtesy of the minor transparency of jalousie windows.


    Jay saw the young man perform routinary tasks that suggested he was preparing to go out.


    The features of the arm that often crossed his line of sight bore some similarities to his own, suggesting that their age and race might not be too far apart.


    The environment seemed to be a small rented room. Despite the fog, he could observe an in-wall sink, a small bathroom, and a double-deck bed.


    There was space for a small cabinet, a clothes rack, and small household devices, with plenty left over.


    He also hadn¡¯t seen another person, not even a hint, during this short time.


    It seemed that the young man¡¯s living conditions were quite similar to his own.


    Despite taking the role of a mere passenger in the young man¡¯s body, Jay could sense hints of anger and frustration in his every movement.


    The body¡¯s forceful yet concise movements gave him such a feeling.


    He didn¡¯t see it clearly, but there seemed to be a knife among the things that the young man prepared in his bag.


    Perhaps this was where the similarities ended between their lives.


    The implication so far was that this world wasn¡¯t quite peaceful compared to his own.


    The young man was almost finished preparing his things, and approached the mirror by the in-wall sink for one last look before heading out.


    In the mirror was a bespectacled young man with a grave look on his face.


    His thick, disheveled, black hair covered parts of his forehead, which gave him a hint of savageness in contrast to the orderliness of his stern face adorned by spectacles.


    Upon closer look, Jay found the face quite familiar.


    He struggled to focus his attention on the mirror despite his muddle-headedness.


    It was only when the face in the mirror showed a cold smile that he realized a possibility that had been in the back of his mind all this time.


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    Despite the difference in temperament, the young man¡¯s face was uncannily similar to his own.


    Even the minor gestures and habits were quite similar, such as his penchant for playing with his hair out of nowhere sometimes when his hands were free.


    Curiously, Jay wasn¡¯t surprised by this realization somehow.


    Perhaps it was because he had been surrounded by a familiar environment ever since his entry into this hazy world, or it might¡¯ve been just because of his muddle-headed state at the moment.


    He was now determined to figure out the essence of the situation, despite his severely impaired cognitive abilities.


    He no longer viewed himself as an outsider to the circumstances, as he wasn¡¯t seeing the life of a random stranger anymore, but someone closely related to him.


    At least, that was what his instincts were telling him.


    After checking himself on the mirror, the doppelganger finally decided to head out of the room.


    The thicker fog outside suddenly rushed into the room through the gap in the door when the doppelganger opened it.


    The doppelganger didn¡¯t seem to have any reaction to this situation, but it was quite different for Jay.


    The latter felt as though he was slowly being dissolved into nothingness, as if he was being expelled from this alternate reality by the fog.


    Even at his peak, for what it¡¯s worth, Jay didn¡¯t have the capability to resist due to his lacking metaphysical repertoire, let alone in his current muddle-headed state.


    He could only let the thick fog sweep his consciousness away from the doppelganger¡¯s mind space, while the latter stepped out of his room unaware of the spectacle in another layer of reality.


    -


    It was around dawn when Jay woke up with another splitting headache, just like the first time he fell unconscious.


    The difference was that he didn¡¯t feel hungry and tired at the moment.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to regain his bearings, likely because of his enhanced cognitive abilities and metaphysical attributes.


    He finally had the ability to think properly, giving him the means to analyze his recent journey into another reality, which remained oddly vivid in his mind.


    It should be noted that the intense feeling of melancholy from before hadn¡¯t appeared again, but Jay¡¯s mind was too preoccupied with the recent event to even think about the matter.


    There were quite a few questions on his mind at the moment, like the reason why the thick fog outside the door rushed inside only when the doppelganger opened the door.


    Surely, even if the windows were sealed shut, gas could still pass through the gap along the door hinges.


    Also, it wasn¡¯t practical, or even possible for that matter, for a living space to be air-tight.


    The most likely explanation was that it wasn¡¯t true fog, but a metaphysical phenomenon that manifested as such. He only had guesses as to what it might have been.


    It was impossible for him to decipher many things at the moment, such as the identity of the young man that seemed to be a parallel version of himself in a world that was seemingly less peaceful than his own.


    So, he decided to forgo an investigation at the moment. He would have to revisit this matter when he had accumulated a decent collection of metaphysical knowledge.


    For now, he could only satisfy his curiosity with mere guesswork, as to provide a direction for his thoughts and future investigation.


    Now that he thought about it, what happened to the psionic entity that supposedly caused this incident?


    He hadn¡¯t noticed it until now, but the feeling of melancholy earlier hadn¡¯t appeared again.


    Also, he knew that his usage of Identification on himself had undoubtedly included the psionic lifeform, courtesy of the ¡®history¡¯ function of his ability.


    Was it in direct contact with him at that time? If so, then it was probably during the time he felt the pervasion of the intense negative emotions.


    Looking back, he hadn¡¯t felt any physical interaction from anything besides his clothes and the bed he laid on.


    Perhaps the so-called ¡®touch¡¯ wasn¡¯t limited to the physical definition he was familiar with.


    Along this line of thinking, another problem could be traced about.


    His usage of Identification through ¡®touch¡¯ could only acquire the basic information of secondary targets.


    It wasn¡¯t like the earlier incident where his consciousness had been transported to another place, superimposed on another entity.


    Were the circumstances special? If so, how does the psionic lifeform and his doppelganger fit into it?


    The more he thought about it, the more questions arose, which made him quite confused and frustrated.


    He didn¡¯t dare to take matters lightly, especially when it concerned his well-being.


    He hoped Mr. Arthas would contact him soon, otherwise he might go crazy from curiosity and paranoia.


    He decided to perform the only metaphysical action he could do at the moment, which was to use Identification.


    Despite the unease, he used his ability on himself to verify some matters.


    In this attempt, the information he expected to receive was about himself and everything in direct physical contact with him, such as his clothes and bed.


    It had been about four hours since the psionic lifeform made ¡®contact¡¯ with him, so he wasn¡¯t worried about this aspect.


    What he truly felt uneasy about was the mutation that the incident could¡¯ve induced in his ability.


    Upon the thought of usage, a large torrent of information engulfed his mind.


    To his surprise, he wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by it this time, albeit it was weaker than the most recent one by a large margin.


    Despite that, it was still a substantial volume that was significantly larger than the previous usage before the incident.


    It took a few breaths for the information acquisition to finish, and immediately after, it coalesced into something more substantial than mere memory.


    He had been used to the textbook-like format of the acquired information, but the new sensation felt like it was some sort of memory affixed with something else he couldn¡¯t describe.


    It felt as if he could recall the information as vividly as the memory of accidentally snorting seawater when he was three years old.


    Of course, they weren¡¯t quite the same, since the former did not technically ¡®happen¡¯ to him, unlike the latter, which was an unfortunate event that he remembered to this day.


    A better interpretation of the matter was that he somehow ¡®experienced¡¯ the recently-acquired information.


    This new enhancement was supposed to be a cause for celebration, but this wasn¡¯t what Jay wanted to know at the moment.


    How did this new enhancement relate to the experience he had while he was unconscious?


    Although his Identification had been upgraded significantly, it was still a far cry from experiencing another reality.


    There was a huge secret within the psionic lifeform.


    Jay was quite certain of it, although he didn¡¯t know if the elders knew about it, especially since it concerned his own uniqueness.


    Perhaps it wasn¡¯t only the psionic lifeform who was the source of the anomaly.


    It could very well be himself.


    With a deep sigh, he decided to set aside the matter for now, lest he pull out his hair out of frustration.


    He decided to focus on Identification in the meantime, especially with the recent enhancement.


    Perhaps all this confusion would be solved with enough personal power, enabling him to blow away the metaphorical fog of confusion with sheer force, regardless of external circumstances.


    At the moment, there was nothing more he wanted than to reach the elders¡¯ level, or even beyond.


    This feeling of being kept in the dark while being unable to do anything felt extremely stifling to Jay.


    He even felt anger towards the psionic lifeform for ruining his peaceful day, as well as himself for being powerless to do anything.


    What he didn¡¯t notice at the moment was that his weakness had also aggravated significantly, which could become quite dangerous if left unattended.


    With these thoughts weighing on him, Jay resolved to delve deeper into the metaphysical world and seek the answers he so desperately needed.

 012 The Lost One Finds His Way

    As soon as he regained his bearings after the incident, Jay immediately decided to head to the observation base at the southern outskirts of the city to seek help from the elders.


    It was still dawn at the moment, and jeepneys were scarce. He had no choice but to hail a taxi despite the inevitable dent to his wallet.


    In his troubled state, he only told the driver to follow the highway down south, thinking that he could just guide the latter along the way.


    Unfortunately for him, when they were about to leave downtown, he realized that he had actually forgotten about the location.


    The only information that remained in his head was that it was located on the southern outskirts, which was a vast area in itself.


    It was worth mentioning that his cognitive abilities had grown far beyond its initial state at this point. It was impossible for him to forget something as crucial as that.


    The only reasonable explanation was that the elders didn¡¯t intend for him to overly rely on them, so the former had erased the memory regarding the exact location of the observation base, which was quite an astonishing act by itself.


    As for the possibility that the elders had tampered with other memories, he dismissed it without second thought.


    He could sense the sincerity and goodwill of the elders through their interactions so far, though he wasn¡¯t quite sure if it was purely psychological or something else metaphysical in nature.


    The possibility of the recent incident tampering with his memories had also crossed his mind, but he dismissed it after a thorough inspection of his existing memories.


    He had accumulated quite a lot of ¡®memories¡¯ by now, courtesy of his frequent usage of Identification.


    Through interconnection, even a minor discrepancy would become quite glaring when he actively traced them.


    That was why the feat performed by the elders was truly astonishing.


    They had seamlessly removed only the information regarding the exact location and somehow managed to avoid conflicts with the neighboring memories.


    It had to be said that Jay could still vividly remember his time at the observation base, which contributed a lot to his astonishment.


    After realizing his blunder, he could only ask the driver to turn around, saying that he had something important to do and he had just remembered.


    He had wasted a few hundreds on the trip, which affected his already severely depressed heart to the point where he didn¡¯t care about everything else at the moment.


    Distraught and fatigued, Jay chose to sleep regardless of everything else.


    He didn¡¯t even eat breakfast, even though it was already morning by the time he returned to his room.


    As for his academic responsibilities, surely, a decent student like him wouldn¡¯t be severely affected by a day or two of absence.


    He could also use a break in his metaphysical exercises, as he had always been doing it whenever he could.


    The relentless ability usage was reinforced by the observation that the side-effects were mostly negligible, and even if they weren¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t take long for his body and mind to recover and adjust to the higher levels of stress and fatigue.


    However, rest was still beneficial no matter the situation, even if only for a change of pace.


    Jay had slept for about a day and a half. The recent events might have been too stressful for him that even his body unconsciously gave him a long time to recover.


    The long sleep actually did wonders for his mental clarity. It wasn¡¯t to the point that he was back to his usual composed self, but he had regained enough reason and calmness to think about matters properly.


    His reaction to recent matters had been vastly different from the usual.


    He was indeed very cautious, sometimes even bordering on paranoia, but it wasn¡¯t characteristic of him to have that level of emotional distress, no matter how dangerous the situation had become.


    The standard Jay would understand that excessive reaction to bad situations would only lead to bad decisions.


    The anger and frustration he felt towards himself and the psionic lifeform earlier was somehow understandable, but he shouldn¡¯t let it take over his motivations.


    Of course, growing in power was still his primary objective at the moment, considering his current vulnerability to metaphysical matters, but he would rather go about it in a rational manner as opposed to an emotion-driven one.


    Perhaps it had something to do with his aggravated weakness, seeing that his ability had recently received an enhancement.


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    It seemed like he would have to pay more attention to this matter in the future.


    Now that he had taken a proper rest, Jay was now sober enough to see the bigger picture.


    Despite the negative effects the incident had brought upon him, there were still good things to be celebrated.


    His ability had somehow crossed another threshold during the incident.


    He was quite certain that his supposed visit into the alternate reality was actually a manifestation of the new ¡®experience¡¯ aspect of his ability, albeit significantly more powerful than when he tested it on himself afterwards.


    He recognized that the best course of action for now was to explore the extents of his enhanced Identification, as to better recognize the next steps he should take if he wanted to improve faster and more efficiently than his current rate of progression.


    It took him a while to experiment with his abilities in the confines of his room, but his discoveries had significantly uplifted his mood despite the recent events.


    As it had been his most desired function so far, Jay first tried to test for the ability¡¯s remote usage.


    He opened Facetome and searched for a picture of anything that existed in real-life.


    He had to scroll past memes and quotes for a while until he arrived at a picture of an acquaintance relaxing on a park.


    He tried to use his ability on a tree behind the person in the picture. To his delight, he actually managed to acquire the basic information of the target this time.


    However, it didn¡¯t become an ¡®experience.¡¯ It only remained as memory akin to textbook knowledge. Even the ¡®history¡¯ of the target wasn¡¯t available.


    Although it was a weakened version of his current ability, more particularly similar to the earliest version, it was still a very powerful feature that he intended to make good use of.


    Despite everything, this was still a true game-changer. There were many things he could finally do because of this particular enhancement.


    He would still have to plan things carefully though, lest he attract unwanted attention.


    He wanted to figure out more, so he tried using it with his eyes closed, creating a vivid mental recreation of the tree by means of his enhanced cognitive functions.


    It didn¡¯t work, unfortunately.


    It seemed like he couldn¡¯t perform his ability without a medium of representation.


    The mere concept of that specific tree in his mind wasn¡¯t enough to represent the real thing.


    It was regrettable, but he couldn¡¯t be too greedy, especially since this enhancement was already extremely powerful enough for his current needs.


    After verifying the remote usage a few more times with different pictures, he proceeded with the usual ¡®contact¡¯ usage of his ability.


    Similar to the test he performed shortly after the incident, the information, along with the ¡®history¡¯ of the target, was absorbed into his mind in the form of ¡®experiences.¡¯


    It was very powerful, especially in regards to investigation, as he could more easily deduce the methods, as well as the motives, of other people as long as the relevant clues were within reach.


    Unfortunately, the applications of this significant enhancement were quite limited, considering that he wanted to use his ability on performing remote investigations.


    At the moment, he could only use this aspect of his ability for personal improvement.


    Perhaps in the future, when his development had reached a certain point, he could perform this level of Identification even on remote usage.


    Afterwards, he tried using his ability through vision.


    Like he expected, the ¡®experience¡¯ aspect was absent, but the ¡®history¡¯ aspect was there.


    By now, Jay had noticed a pattern in his advancements.


    The farther in proximity to himself, the weaker his ability, albeit in discrete steps rather than a gradual continuum of intensity.


    In summary, there were three modes of usage at his current level of development: ¡®touch¡¯, ¡®sight¡¯, and ¡®image¡¯.


    Different levels of information quality were acquired for each mode.


    These three modes might not be limited to their mundane definitions. Sadly, he didn¡¯t have strong enough metaphysical senses, if there were even any in the first place, to verify this matter.


    Perhaps in the future, more means of usage will be included, along with the increase in his metaphysical development.


    For now, his ability seemed to be overly reliant on ordinary sight.


    It seemed like he would have to take care of his eyes more, including his glasses. It would be too unfortunate if he was incapacitated in a confrontation just because his glasses fell off.


    Maybe he should consider having laser eye surgery in the future if he had the funds for it.


    After summarizing the recent enhancement, Jay moved on to thinking about his next course of action.


    In the back of his mind, he had always wanted to launch an anonymous online investigation service. He was only being held back by his capabilities.


    It would allow him to use his ability to earn money without compromising his identity and harming others.


    Of course, he would still try to check the identity of every customer in some way, lest he unwittingly serve vile people.


    It would break his heart if he ever found out that his assistance had led to the ruin of innocent people, even if it was unintentional.


    Although usage through touch would yield more benefits for his advancement, the remote application was indispensable to the development of his influence, even if it was only confined to the mundane world for the foreseeable future.


    Jay understood that his advantages lay not in combat or anything confrontational, at least in his current level of development.


    Perhaps he would develop some form of attacking aspect to his ability in the future, but it wasn¡¯t in his consideration for now.


    He wanted to collect a large variety of information from random commissions to enrich his knowledge of the world, and collect resources along the way.


    He might even stumble into commissions that would help people who deserved his assistance.


    In a way, it was also a form of help to society, albeit laced with other intentions.


    The implementation wasn¡¯t too complicated, if one only considered the mundane aspect.


    There were plenty of ways to retain anonymity on the Internet, although he couldn¡¯t ensure absolute safety, unless he invested huge effort in learning relevant matters and acquiring high-end equipment.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t need such things at the beginning, unless he wanted to forgo secrecy in favor of momentum and attract more attention than necessary.


    As for customers, there was bound to be a few of them if he just searched. Although it would be quite difficult at the beginning due to lack of reputation.


    Perhaps he could try to reach out to potential customers, such as reporters or private investigators, and offer his assistance. He would have to delve into this matter later on.


    It was better if his potential customers assumed that he had ungodly talent at investigation, as opposed to having a supernatural ability that happened to be a perfect fit for the situation.


    The asymmetry between perceived values would technically be his main source of income.


    It wouldn¡¯t be ideal if they knew that the precautions he had to make actually took longer than the actual work he had to do.


    As for the metaphysical aspect, the possibility that he might be counter-investigated if he encountered a metaphysics-related target was quite low.


    Mr. Arthas had made it clear in the past that it was mere coincidence that he discovered Jay.


    The former had once stated that information-related abilities, like the ones they possessed, were quite rare even in the entire ascendant world.


    Even if he was unfortunate enough to come across such a coincidence, the sheer distance and separation between the user and the target would make it significantly difficult for the other party to follow the traces.


    This was why he was quite confident regarding his safety and confidentiality in the metaphysical aspect of this endeavor.


    Of course, whether this confidence would hold up in the future still remained to be seen.

 013 The Makings Of A Shady Merchant

    It had been a week since the incident with the psionic lifeform.


    The intense feeling of melancholy hadn¡¯t appeared again during this time, which made Jay think whether the earlier event had actually been a mere accident.


    It didn¡¯t make sense for the psionic lifeform to make its presence known and then disappear afterwards without even having a proper interaction with him.


    Perhaps it had been forced to remain dormant once more for his safety, as he didn¡¯t seem to have enough power to withstand its mere presence.


    If it had truly done so, then Jay was grateful for its conscientiousness.


    However, the truth of this possibility depended on how developed the psionic lifeform¡¯s sentience was at the moment, as well as its attitude toward him.


    Before, the dangers of the metaphysical world had only been mere knowledge provided to him by the elders.


    Now that he had the misfortune of having experienced it himself, he swore to do his best not to let it happen again.


    In the end, the incident had served as a catalyst for his desire to improve.


    During this time, he had already set up the embryonic form of his online investigation sideline.


    It was only considered ¡®embryonic¡¯ since he was still in the phase of setting up its foundations.


    Using anonymous e-mail services, he provided hints about unsolved matters that he saw on news outlets, social media, and even online forums, messaging the relevant party.


    He also made it clear that it was a one-time favor, and subsequent requests would incur a cost.


    In his plan, the requests would be sent to a proxy anonymous e-mail account, which was the easy part. The difficult one was the transference of remuneration.


    He had to find a balance between the customer¡¯s convenience and his own confidentiality.


    It wouldn¡¯t be good for business if he made customers go through lengthy processes just to pay for an uncertain service.


    It also wouldn¡¯t be good for his mental health if he had to fence every transaction through many different channels just to make the money legitimate and untraceable.


    That would¡¯ve meant that he had to spend more time processing the remuneration than doing the actual work. It just wasn¡¯t feasible for him.


    After a while of deliberation, he decided to settle on virtual debit cards.


    Of course, he added another layer of insurance by preparing several proxy accounts on different mobile payment service apps. The amount on the virtual card would be transferred to one of these accounts in rotation.


    Every once in a while, he would transfer some of the funds to his personal mobile payment service account, according to necessity.


    He wasn¡¯t quite certain if it would work in the long run, but there was no point in overcomplicating matters when he had already performed his due diligence.


    If metaphysical means ever became available to him, he would consider incorporating it in his existing setup or even replace it entirely.


    For now, he was satisfied with this course of action.


    He also instructed his potential customers to keep their correspondence a secret.


    Even if there were outliers here and there, the rumors that arose would essentially serve as advertisement for his services, although he would like to keep these situations at a minimum if possible.


    Perhaps he would have to include a little bit of intimidation during his correspondence with customers.


    He could attempt this by casually revealing private information about the customer, if he could get one, every once in a while.


    Of course, he had to maintain a delicate balance while doing it, lest he offend the customer, or even frighten them.


    It wouldn¡¯t be good for business if it ever came to that.


    Although he had made significant progress in his secret endeavors, Jay didn¡¯t neglect his ordinary life by any means.


    If anything, the recent events had made his appreciation for the mundane life even stronger.


    He realized that he needed to maintain a semblance of normalcy in his life if he didn¡¯t want to lose himself to the never-ending mystery of the metaphysical world.


    Even his brief interaction with the psionic lifeform had induced considerable distress in his psyche.


    He can only imagine the mental and metaphysical resilience he needed to survive worse situations in the future.


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    During this time, he didn¡¯t reject his friends¡¯ invitation to a Friday night drink at the nearest popular drinking place.


    He also spoke more to his parents during their regular correspondence. Even mere sessions of web novel reading had become more appealing to him.


    It was in these moments that he remembered that he was still the same young man who just wanted to live a happy life.


    It was a simple wish, yet it was actually anything but so.


    He swore to himself never to forget this simple desire no matter how deep he went into the rabbit hole.


    Even if the world around him crumbles, he should at least try to find a little bit of happiness in the turmoil.


    Otherwise, what was the point of living a dull life? He might as well sleep forever to save himself from the suffering.


    -


    ¡°Thank you for the information. It had been of great help to us.


    Would you be interested in further cooperation? Your help would be indispensable to our endeavor.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Yes, certainly, although it¡¯s no longer free this time.


    You may send your request with the corresponding clues in image format to this e-mail address. A reply containing the results of the investigation and the payment details would be sent within three working days.


    Rest assured that you will be satisfied with the quality and price.¡±


    At the moment, Jay was in correspondence with a potential client, a private investigator. They were currently exchanging messages through an anonymous e-mail service.


    If he played his cards right, he would have a reliable long-time client, which he could squeeze plenty of juicy information from.


    ¡°You could also choose not to pay, but that would be the end of our cooperation.


    You wouldn¡¯t want that. Right, Ms. Anne?¡±


    Of course, Jay didn¡¯t forget the subtle intimidation at the end of his message.


    Even though it was only a name, he wasn¡¯t supposed to know that, considering that he had only come across this potential client somewhere in an online forum.


    He could¡¯ve opted to go for other oddly specific details, such as the date when she took the picture, but that would imply a far more dangerous image of himself.


    It wouldn¡¯t be good for business.


    ¡°Yes, we wouldn¡¯t. You can expect a request from us in a few days¡¯ time.


    We are also willing to provide ample remuneration, as long as the quality is satisfactory. Thank you for your time.¡±


    Jay couldn¡¯t determine the other party¡¯s expression at the moment, but he was confident that it was certainly unpleasant.


    Nobody liked the feeling of being observed without their consent, especially when it involved a weird stranger on the Internet offering to investigate matters based on mere images.


    What was worse was that the stranger had actually proven their capabilities in another instance beforehand, which only enhanced their strangeness.


    Jay was only bluffing when he issued the subtle threat in the message.


    He had only managed to acquire minimal information about the other party through the posted image in the forum.


    When he used Identification on the image, he also used it on the entirety of the latter, not just the individual representation of the captured objects.


    The information he acquired from the entire image included, but not limited to, the one who took the picture, the one who posted it, and the corresponding dates.


    He had some confidence that the person on the other side of the correspondence was the same person who captured the picture and posted it on the forum.


    However, it was quite strange that the last name was missing from the information set. It seemed like he would have to take special note of this woman.


    He was inclined to think that it was somehow related to the metaphysical world, although he wasn¡¯t actually worried about it.


    He felt that his precautions were already enough, as long as Mr. Arthas had told him the correct information, which he didn¡¯t doubt at all based on his instincts.


    As for whether the client deserved his services, that would depend on their upcoming request.


    If they ever weren¡¯t, then the authorities would have free files falling into their laps.


    -


    Late night, on another part of the same city, in an office unit somewhere.


    Two young women were discussing matters in front of a laptop. They had just finished a correspondence with a stranger on the Internet who claimed to provide the service they needed.


    ¡°What do you think, sis? Can we trust this person?¡±


    ¡°Hard to say. Besides, we don¡¯t need to trust them. We¡¯re merely doing a transaction, and we would still be verifying the results with our own methods.¡±


    ¡°But didn¡¯t you read their message? They actually knew my name! I don¡¯t believe this person doesn¡¯t have malicious intentions. It¡¯s just too creepy.¡±


    ¡°If they had bad intentions, why stop at your name? They could just mention a private matter just to make the threat clear.


    From what they did, it seems like they only wanted to make transactions with us. The subtle threat they made was only there to reinforce their position. It could even be a bluff, for all we know. You worry too much.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, sis. It seems that I let it get to my head. I mean, who wouldn¡¯t? A random stranger just casually mentioned your name, in an anonymous correspondence, no less.


    Alright, I just need to remember that this is only a transaction, nothing more. Thank you, sis.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no problem. Just don¡¯t lose yourself in the possibilities without considering your own merits. If you ever get into a confrontation with this person, my bet would be on you, of course.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, now you¡¯re just stroking my ego.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the truth, though.¡±


    -


    On the southern outskirts of the city, in the local observation base of Kawal.


    Arthas and Vergil were having their late dinner while doing their own thing. Arthas was reading a book, while Vergil was watching funny videos on his phone.


    They had a shift for later, and since they had nothing to do anyway, they just went early to the observation base.


    Although they were doing other things, they would still have some conversations from time to time.


    Arthas¡¯ student, Jay, would often come up in these conversations.


    ¡°Last time we checked the young man, it seemed that he had already recovered from the setback quite wonderfully. Our decision proved to be correct, no?¡±


    Arthas sighed as he replied.


    ¡°It was your idea. I just felt like you had a point, so I allowed it. That psionic lifeform was supposed to be a boon, not a source of threat, despite the side-effects.


    Although the situation ended up fine, even if it strayed far from our original intentions, it also could¡¯ve ended up badly.¡±


    Vergil raised his eyebrows in incredulity.


    ¡°Would you even let others decide for you? Even if I didn¡¯t say anything, you would still subject him to that test, only with more details though.


    Say, was it actually a great idea to gift the psionic lifeform to him? We just found out after its capture that it seems to possess a certain uniqueness beyond our understanding.


    Although we promised him that he could have it, would it really be a good thing for him?¡±


    Arthas became thoughtful as he closed his book after hearing his friend¡¯s question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know, my friend. I just had the feeling that we were meant to give it to him. I can¡¯t explain it to you right now, as even I can¡¯t identify the source of the premonition.


    However, I am now certain that the young man was somewhat involved with the unidentifiable anomaly we sensed in the past.


    Don¡¯t worry, though. I don¡¯t mean to harm the young man. I just want to follow this strange feeling and see where it leads.


    If things ever went wrong, I could still take the last step, even if it means losing what I currently have.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, you¡¯re the teacher, so the responsibility falls on you. Just don¡¯t expect me to wipe your ass every time you mess up.¡±


    Now, it was Arthas¡¯ turn to raise his eyebrows in incredulity.


    ¡°You? Wipe my ass? I think you¡¯ve got it backwards, my friend. Don¡¯t fool yourself.¡±

 014 All Secrets Revealed, For A Price

    It was nighttime, two days after Jay¡¯s correspondence with an intriguing potential client.


    He was in his room, scrolling through social media looking for random images to use his ability on, enjoying memes and funny videos every once in a while.


    Besides pure entertainment, he finally found another purpose for the time he spent scrolling on Facetome.


    At this point, the lines between self-improvement and entertainment had become blurred for Jay.


    The act of remote information-gathering had been quite a pleasant experience for him so far.


    There was plenty of interesting information available at his fingertips, especially now that he was no longer limited by physical location.


    He also didn¡¯t need to travel to various commercial centers in his spare time, which he could have used to relax in his bed.


    To be fair, this alone made the recent upgrade worthwhile in his opinion, even the aspect of confidentiality was only secondary.


    Perhaps he would need to watch himself closely from now on, as the allure of the Internet had grown significantly stronger in his case.


    On the other hand, he couldn¡¯t afford to neglect the other modes of usage, particularly ¡®touch¡¯, even though they were less convenient for serious applications.


    Based on his observations, the quality of information gathered through touch had far exceeded that of other modes.


    Currently, he exclusively used the ¡®touch¡¯ mode to cultivate his ability, while the ¡®image¡¯ mode was primarily employed for enhancing his mental archive and conducting his secret business.


    As for the ¡®sight¡¯ mode, he would only use it for cultivation when he had exhausted convenient targets in the vicinity, as it provided a considerably lower degree of improvement compared to ¡®touch.¡¯


    While enjoying entertainment on his phone, Jay would occasionally check his anonymous e-mail account for updates from potential clients.


    So far, none of them had sent any requests, even though a few had already acknowledged his assistance and ability, expressing their intent to use his services.


    While he was disappointed by the lack of customers, he was aware that the service he offered wasn¡¯t exactly considered a necessity.


    It was more like a doctor¡¯s visit, in which the clients themselves were only forced to avail due to necessity and lack of better options.


    His only consolation was that he had just started and was still in the process of building his clientele.


    It wasn¡¯t until around eleven that he finally received his first-ever commission.


    It was from Ms. Anne. The contents of the anonymous e-mail were a single image file and a short message.


    ¡°Using the image as reference, please gather any relevant information to the best of your abilities. You may set the price as you see fit. We only ask for fairness. Good luck.¡±


    Without delay, Jay opened his laptop and viewed the image file in a cloud browser, even going through a virtual machine and a VPN for added security.


    Although this combined approach cost him quite a bit, he felt that it was necessary if he was to survive as a successful shady merchant on the Internet.


    There was no telling what horrors awaited him if he didn¡¯t perform his due diligence in this murky environment.


    The image in the mail was of a nighttime scenery in a pier somewhere.


    However, there wasn''t much to look at. In essence, the image only had the pier, the sea, the shore, and some indistinguishable things in the distance.


    The pier itself was nothing special. It was only a simple one constructed out of wood, though rather quite long.


    The first thing Jay did was to use Identification on the entire image itself.


    He found out that the picture was taken by someone named ¡°Godofredo,¡± with the surname unidentifiable.


    Other basic attributes, such as the date of capture, were acquired without irregularities, unlike the name of the photo taker.


    He then transcribed these information to a simple text file.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    His role was solely to excavate and organize information, not to provide analysis.


    Although this didn¡¯t prevent him from making deductions on his own, he preferred to keep his own observations to himself, regardless of the client¡¯s thoughts. It was imperative that he didn¡¯t forget this matter.


    The last thing he wanted was to get involved with matters that didn¡¯t concern him, especially ones that seemed related to the metaphysical world, like the current commission.


    Jay noticed that the current image was completely unrelated to the one he saw on the online forum, which had been the gateway to the correspondence between him and Ms. Anne.


    Perhaps she was only fishing for potential helpers at the time.


    Now that he thought about it, the image on the forum felt more like a deliberate puzzle than an object for investigation.


    It contained too many elements that felt inconsistent, which was only noticeable for people with similar inclinations and abilities as him.


    As ascendants with information-related abilities were quite rare, his performance had probably far exceeded the threshold they set, hence their ¡®unconditional trust¡¯ in his services despite his lack of reputation and familiarity.


    As for the recently acquired information, this ¡°Godofredo¡± man must have been closely related to Ms. Anne, considering that he couldn¡¯t identify both of their surnames. Perhaps they were family, or at least relatives.


    His first assumption was that Mr. Godofredo had gone missing, leaving the image last taken by the latter as the only possible lead.


    As for why he thought it was the only possible lead, and most likely the only remaining one, was that his client had actually been forced to consider a stranger¡¯s services to salvage any form of information from this singular image.


    She might have already tried to conduct the investigation herself, perhaps with the assistance of others.


    Their decision to seek help from a complete stranger suggested that their previous attempts yielded no substantial progress.


    Unfortunately for them, his current capabilities could only provide him with basic information.


    Otherwise, he could¡¯ve delved deeper and found more clues that could outright solve the matter if they were lucky.


    After Identifying the image itself, he proceeded to Identify every element in the photo and organized the acquired information into a comprehensive whole.


    Although he was only technically supposed to provide information, he didn¡¯t just directly transcribe the information in his mind into the text file.


    He took the time to make it presentable enough, such that he himself would be satisfied reading it.


    The most important information so far was undoubtedly the location, which he felt was the primary objective of the commission.


    He had acquired the exact coordinates, even the point where Mr. Godofredo had been standing when he took the picture.


    He made sure that this information would be the first thing the client saw, while relatively unimportant ones, such as the pier¡¯s construction materials, were placed in the latter parts of the text file.


    Besides the obviously important data, he also included every bit of information that he acquired, no matter how seemingly irrelevant.


    There was still a chance that these minor tidbits of information could very well be the key to finishing the investigation, or at least provide some assistance.


    He had enough propriety not to deprive his clients of such a possibility. He also wouldn¡¯t feel satisfied if he did his job half-heartedly.


    On the other hand, he would obviously keep a copy for himself for future use.


    Although it was somewhat inappropriate, one could argue that this matter was already implied when the client decided to commission him for an investigation, so he wasn¡¯t too concerned about potential ethical violations.


    After compiling and polishing the text file, Jay saved it and started another text file for the bill.


    For this transaction, he decided on a range of ten thousand to fifty thousand pesos.


    As for why he provided a range as opposed to a fixed amount, this was his first commission and there were no prior transactions as reference, so he had to resort to this more flexible arrangement.


    This mode of remuneration would also provide the client a vague sense of control, which could possibly improve their impression of him, which could lead to more transactions and perhaps recommendations.


    On the other hand, it would give him a way to gauge the client¡¯s sincerity.


    Despite being a shallow indicator, one could argue that the final amount decided by the client was a somewhat reliable indication of their own valuation of his work, which would undoubtedly affect his treatment of the client in future interactions.


    To be fair, he wasn¡¯t too desperate about gaining clients despite having only one commission so far.


    He knew the value of his own work, and he didn¡¯t intend to dismiss his own merits.


    That was why he wouldn¡¯t think twice about dropping an insincere client, as his time would be better given to the sincere and generous ones.


    It was only proper, both personally and professionally.


    After checking everything, he kept the files in a hidden folder, to be automatically sent a full day later from the time he received the e-mail.


    Although he promised to send the results in three days at most, he opted to send it within a fraction of the time.


    It would convey a hint of his apparent competence and diligence, which would greatly help him in subsequent interactions.


    On the other hand, he could¡¯ve sent it immediately in an extreme display of efficiency, but that would only create unnecessary questions in his client¡¯s head.


    The file in his possession contained a lot of information virtually inaccessible to mundane methods.


    Sending a compilation of that caliber within such an unrealistic timeframe would reveal important information about himself that he would rather keep hidden.


    Although it wouldn¡¯t outright expose his identity, it would still leave a piece of his identity in the hands of strangers, which he didn¡¯t feel comfortable thinking about.


    After setting up the automated e-mail, he went back to his phone to continue what he was doing until he felt tired.


    His studies were no longer an issue to him, courtesy of his enhanced cognitive abilities, so he could easily afford to use his time for other things.


    If nothing went wrong, he was about to receive his first windfall from his secret business.


    Since ascendant articles were still inaccessible to him, he planned to spend his money on practical matters, especially his tuition and living conditions.


    If he could lessen the burden on his parents by shouldering his own expenses, then his previous efforts would have already been justified.


    Although he would love to help more by also shouldering the expenses of his siblings and grandparents back home, it would be too unrealistic for someone of his perceived socio-economic status, as he was only a university student in the eye of the public.


    The excuse of having a part-time job that could fully support himself and his education was already considered a stretch, considering the economy in his country.


    Nevertheless, everything would still have to depend on the client¡¯s future actions.


    Although he was confident in the compilation¡¯s quality, there was still a chance that the client would renege on their arrangement.


    On the off-chance that it would happen, he could only keep the matter in the back of his mind, at least until he grew powerful enough to do something about it.

 015 The Windfall Brought By The Winds, Falling On His Lap

    A day later, at around eleven in the late evening.


    Anne and her sister were once again seated in front of a laptop in the same office unit as before.


    They had expected the mysterious information merchant to send the results only after three working days, but it seemed that they had guessed wrongly.


    They knew that there weren¡¯t many hints to be found in a single image alone, so they expected the investigation to take quite some time.


    It had to be mentioned that the image in question didn¡¯t even contain distinct elements, making the investigation much harder than it seemed.


    However, they had an inkling that the merchant might be able to pull something off.


    They had already assumed the latter to be in possession of metaphysical means, courtesy of the test they posted on the forum.


    The merchant in question had provided them with a vast compilation of information from only a single image, more than half of which they didn¡¯t even know existed.


    The sheer amount of information, both relevant and trivial, was quite unnerving.


    They could only imagine the consequences if their personal photos ever came into the hands of the merchant.


    Nevertheless, it was a testament to the latter¡¯s ability.


    If the merchant retained that level of performance even in this recent commission, then their investigation would already be considered half-finished.


    To be fair, they actually had more relevant clues in their possession.


    It was just that they didn¡¯t want to risk more exposure than necessary, especially when the other party had already proven to be capable.


    Modest as he was, Jay couldn¡¯t have fathomed that the poorly-detailed image was sent not out of helplessness but rather out of cautiousness.


    ¡°That was quick. What do you think, sis?¡±


    Anne was somewhat amazed by the efficiency of the information merchant.


    ¡°Hmm. Ordinary methods of investigation would take weeks, if not months, given the meager details in the image.


    On the other hand, specialized metaphysical methods would only take a while, if not an instant, to excavate information.¡±


    Her sister paused to drink coffee and continued right after.


    ¡°Sending the results only a day later could either mean that he was incapable of deeper investigation hence the early surrender to avoid wasting both of our times, or that he had enough propriety not to flaunt his abilities too much and alarm his customers.


    Either way, it shows that he has enough tact to navigate these types of situations. Of course, everything will be made clear once we open the e-mail.¡±


    ¡°Should we open it directly, sis?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead. I¡¯ve already installed some safeguards. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, here goes¡­¡±


    It was about two hours later when they finished the entire compilation.


    They had never imagined that something could be dissected so thoroughly that there was essentially nothing left to uncover.


    Of course, that was an exaggeration of the matter, as there were still many details that couldn¡¯t be observed with the ordinary senses.


    However, almost every attribute of every element in the image had been included in the compilation.


    Even seemingly irrelevant details such as the chemical composition of seawater and the type of wood used in the pier were somehow included.


    They could only thank the merchant silently that the latter actually bothered to arrange the data to make it presentable.


    Although there was still a chance that everything had been thoroughly fabricated, they could just investigate the place in person if they wanted.


    Also, considering that the merchant had been quite earnest in establishing a transaction, even giving a free demonstration of their ability, the sisters were inclined to think that the former wouldn¡¯t do such foolishness that would destroy his credibility.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Huh. So this is a real data sorcerer¡­¡±


    Anne¡¯s sister muttered under her breath while having a thoughtful look on her face.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this too amazing, sis? There¡¯s no doubt that this person is a fellow ascendant, and a powerful one to boot.


    I wonder if we could meet them in person. They would be an invaluable ally in our investigation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are powerful, but that¡¯s all the more reason to steer clear of them. I had planned on establishing a long-term cooperation with them, but I changed my mind now.¡±


    ¡°Why though? Isn¡¯t this a good thing for us, sis? They seem capable and trustworthy enough, at least when it comes to transactions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better not to reveal more details to this person, especially when they could gather this massive data compilation just from an image that didn¡¯t even offer much.


    After finishing this transaction, we should cut off contact with this person, at least until we have no other choice.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. So how much should we pay them? This person didn¡¯t even specify an exact amount but provided a range instead. How unusual.¡±


    ¡°Oh? This guy seems to be a noob. I would gladly give about a hundred thousand for the quick and excellent job, but it seems that they themselves aren¡¯t aware of the monetary value of their work.


    What do you think? I¡¯ll let you decide on the remuneration.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. If you think it¡¯s worth a hundred thousand, then let¡¯s settle for that amount. I also think they deserve it.


    Besides, I think it¡¯s more than enough to show our sincerity, no?¡±


    ¡°Then that settles it. I¡¯ll transfer the funds from my own account.¡±


    ¡°Wait, sis. If this person is actually a newbie, like you said, wouldn¡¯t they get in trouble with the authorities with such a large amount?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. I have my own methods. Besides, they must have already made preparations on their side since they dared to engage in this type of business.¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. Then shall we continue the investigation? I feel like we¡¯re going to make great progress this time¡­¡±


    -


    Early morning, in Jay¡¯s room.


    Jay was keenly aware that the automated e-mail should¡¯ve been sent the previous night, so he couldn¡¯t help but check his virtual card account to check for any updates.


    Much to his delight, a six-figure amount greeted his eyes. It was the most money he¡¯d ever had, which instantly boosted his mood to new heights.


    However, despite his mood, he only had a big smile on his face, without performing any exaggerated gestures indicative of intense excitement.


    He didn¡¯t shout or laugh. However, deep down, he was overwhelmed with happiness at his first windfall.


    Nevertheless, he quickly noticed something amiss as he skimmed through the transaction history, which slightly toned down his jubilant mood.


    The entire hundred thousand in his balance had actually been transferred in one go.


    This worried him a bit. He had expected the client to be prudent enough to send the remuneration by batches as to avoid drawing attention from others.


    However, he was also aware that it was partly his fault as he hadn¡¯t specified this matter to the other party.


    In his worry, he then quickly opened his anonymous e-mail account in an attempt to clarify the matter with the client.


    However, before he could proceed to write a message, he barely noticed a message notification in the corner.


    It was a short message from the client, assuring him that he didn¡¯t need to fret about money laundering accusations and whatnot, as the other party had already taken care of it.


    The somewhat nonchalant tone in the message indicated that the sender wasn¡¯t Ms. Anne, but someone else.


    However, this didn¡¯t matter to him that much. He didn¡¯t care about the identity of the person he corresponded with as long as they represented the same party and honored the same agreements he made with the previous correspondent.


    As for the matter at hand, he was inclined to believe the client, given the sincerity they had shown thus far.


    Nevertheless, he still felt that he had to do something about it. Otherwise, his heart wouldn¡¯t be at peace.


    Jay quickly distributed the amount across various mobile payment accounts he had prepared in advance.


    Afterward, he abandoned the current virtual card account and set up a new one.


    He realized the importance of specifying this matter in future transactions to prevent potential complications. He was still a novice in this field and hadn''t developed the necessary safeguards yet.


    It would take quite some time for him to develop the capabilities to do so. Until then, he would have to do his best to stay low whenever he could.


    After the brief episode of panic, his thoughts gradually returned to the large sum that he recently acquired.


    He could finally implement the course of action he thought about earlier.


    Of course, before everything else, he had to transfer the funds to his personal mobile payment account. Otherwise, he still wouldn¡¯t feel that he actually owned the money.


    After doing a series of transactions between his different accounts, he finally transferred fifty thousand to his main account.


    As a test, he purchased the most cost-effective, but still somewhat expensive, mobile data promo from the mobile payment app.


    After he received the SMS confirmation about the success of the promo subscription, Jay could finally feel the matter sink into his mind.


    -


    ¡°Are you sure about that? You don¡¯t have to force yourself, you know.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma. I¡¯m quite certain I¡¯ll be alright. Besides, aren¡¯t you proud that your little boy can finally stand on his own?¡±


    His mother had the day off, so he chose this time to discuss his proposition with her.


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course, we are proud of you. There¡¯s no doubt about that. But you are still a university student, and we also have the means to provide for you.


    We just don¡¯t want anything to hinder your education, especially when there are other options. Do you understand my point?¡±


    ¡°Alright, Ma. I understand. How about this? Just give me a chance to prove myself, at least for this semester.


    If I ever show poor performance even once, then I''ll stop what I''m doing and focus on my studies. However, if I can consistently show you good results, will you allow me to continue my initiative without any complaints?"


    His mother sighed at the stubbornness of her boy, but she also recognized his prudence enough to seriously consider his proposition.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re quite sure about it, then why not. I¡¯ll talk to your father about it later.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not worried about him. In fact, I think he would high five me if we talked in person.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Are you implying that I¡¯m troublesome? How dare you? Should I just cancel our agreement?¡±


    ¡°No, no, Ma. I meant that you¡¯re more caring than Pa. You know, since he doesn¡¯t check on my well-being like you do.¡±


    ¡°Really? Then I should tell him this later. Bye, son. Take care!¡±


    ¡°What? No, no¡­¡±

 016 Do I Have To Learn The Language Of Sorrow?

    After informing his mother of his proposition, Jay opened an online shopping app on his phone.


    He wanted to browse for things that would improve his quality of life, such as portable exercise equipment and supplements.


    As for why he opted to search online instead of in physical stores, it was because there were significantly more options available online.


    Also, he had to assess every product using Identification, and it was more convenient to do so with images, as opposed to real products, which involved meddlesome clerks and the act of traveling itself.


    He would only go to physical stores for bulky or commonly found items, such as a wall fan or a foam mattress.


    He had fifty thousand in his account, and he wasn''t going to be frugal in his purchases, especially when it came to self-improvement.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t intend to purchase random items without intense examination.


    Although he had a huge windfall recently, he never let it get to his head.


    He was still the frugal young man who cared too much about value.


    As for spending a considerable amount of money at once as a mere university student, he wasn¡¯t too worried about it.


    Even if he were somehow discovered, there was always the excuse that the money was a gift from someone.


    Further scrutiny was also highly unlikely considering his status as a mere university student, unless he was caught doing illegal things, which he himself wasn¡¯t inclined to do.


    Technically, his secret business could be considered somewhat illegal, but he didn¡¯t think much of it, as he knew in his heart that he wasn¡¯t trying to hurt anyone with it.


    To him, everything was permissible, as long as it didn¡¯t infringe on his conscience.


    He purchased any useful items he could think of at the moment.


    He didn¡¯t need to get everything he needed at once, as he could just buy more items later.


    He also couldn¡¯t buy too much at once, considering the size of his rented room, which he was reluctant to leave due to its proximity to the university as well as the familiarity he had built over the years.


    He didn¡¯t feel the need to rush things, as he had enough confidence that his situation would eventually improve even further.


    This windfall might be his first, but it certainly wouldn''t be his last.


    After his buying spree, Jay lay on the bed with a light feeling in his chest, knowing that everything was going well for him now and would get better still.


    Essentially, every aspect of his life had undergone considerable improvement ever since he unwittingly stepped into the metaphysical world.


    His cognitive abilities had improved to the point where academic responsibilities had become a mere formality to him, which was not necessarily a good thing.


    In the past, he wanted to become an electrical engineer because of his mathematical inclinations and the career possibilities it offered.


    Although he still wanted to become one, the desire wasn¡¯t as prevalent as before, since more interesting options had become available to him.


    Considering the way things were going, it was bound to be mere public persona to hide his identity as an ascendant.


    Perhaps he shouldn¡¯t neglect this aspect of his life, as it was still quite interesting in its own right.


    Who knows, his career might even lead him to meaningful interactions and treasured moments he wouldn¡¯t have experienced otherwise if he solely focused on the metaphysical aspect of his life.


    On the other hand, his confidence had also improved along with the development of his ability.


    The feeling of having a unique quality that most people don¡¯t possess had considerably improved his sense of self-assuredness and control over his own life.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Somehow, a balance had been formed between his improved confidence, his innate cautiousness, and his ability¡¯s corresponding weakness, Nosiness.


    Now that he thought about it, Nosiness had mostly been irrelevant in his daily life, most likely because his innate qualities inherently countered it.


    From what he could recall, it had only truly come up in the aftermath of the incident with the psionic lifeform.


    His intense desire to dispel the fog of ignorance had ignited his emotions.


    It even reached the point where he felt deep-seated anger and frustration towards the psionic lifeform for the complications it had caused him, and towards himself for his inability to understand the situation.


    Fortunately, his long sleep afterward had restored his mind¡¯s clarity, allowing him to recognize the issue and regulate his thoughts before it could seep deeper into his psyche.


    To prevent it from inadvertently affecting his judgement once again, he had to constantly remind himself of its existence whenever any semblance of mystery was afoot.


    In another note, he wondered when the psionic lifeform would show up again.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t want it to be soon, considering that he hadn¡¯t really improved much compared to his state during the incident.


    He would only be inviting trouble upon himself if he insisted on interacting with such a creature, whose very existence he was clearly incapable of withstanding.


    However, despite the threat posed by the psionic lifeform, he was still curious about every aspect of it, from its degree of sentience to how it interacted with the world.


    Nevertheless, it seemed like he could only interact with it when his metaphysical qualities had developed to a certain degree.


    Hopefully, the next qualitative improvement of his ability would finally grant him some semblance of metaphysical senses, even if they were the most basic ones.


    He felt that it was the key to perceiving the existence of energy-based entities like it, as well as other interesting metaphysical phenomena.


    On the other hand, he was certain that the elders were in possession of esoteric methods that would allow him to safely interact with psionic lifeforms, even with his current level of development.


    However, it appeared that the elders had no intention of granting him this convenience, as they had not revealed their presence thus far.


    He didn¡¯t blame them, though. He understood very well that there were things he had to experience himself.


    It was like the dangers lurking in the metaphysical world, as mentioned by the elders.


    Before the incident with the psionic lifeform, the danger had been mere words he remembered only because he was told about it.


    Now that he had experienced it for himself, he was finally aware of its significance and wouldn¡¯t dare to take things as lightly as before.


    To be fair, he wasn''t actually in danger, as the psionic lifeform had already been pacified by the elders before it was handed to him.


    It probably didn''t have malicious intentions when it attempted to interact with him.


    However, he was still shaken by the experience at the time, primarily because of his inability to do anything about the anomaly he was drawn into.


    Perhaps he just didn''t want to get swept up in matters outside of his control, which might have been the true reason why he was angry and frustrated at the time, and not solely because of the intense desire to rip open the veil of mystery.


    -


    At the moment, Jay was lost in his thoughts while he lay on his bed, unaware that a significant event was about to happen.


    All of a sudden, his thoughtful mood was pervaded by a familiar feeling of somberness, albeit to a lesser extent.


    Having experienced a similar feeling before, he didn¡¯t lose his composure this time. Of course, it greatly helped that the effects were not as intense as before.


    When he thought about it, it almost seemed like his thoughts about the elusive creature had actually summoned it to his side.


    It seemed like he would finally get to interact with this troublesome creature soon.


    Somehow, he noticed that the light-hearted feeling from the recent windfall had been counterbalanced by the sadness induced by the psionic lifeform.


    However, it wouldn¡¯t take long for the latter to take over, as the former had already begun to fade away because of the recent development itself.


    It seemed like he could nullify the feeling of somberness with positive thoughts and emotions, as the reverse had been proven possible just recently.


    Therefore, he tried his best to regulate his emotions by deliberately uplifting his mood, which wasn¡¯t too difficult considering the recent happy occasion.


    Fortunately, he managed to regain a semblance of balance in his mental state after a while.


    It was quite strange when one examined it deeply.


    How could someone possibly counteract the constant intrusion of sadness into their psyche?


    It wasn''t like the interaction between conflicting emotions was akin to a mixture where one could just adjust the ratio whenever an imbalance occurred.


    Obviously, thoughts and feelings were far more complicated than that.


    However, the sheer power of his enhanced cognitive abilities allowed him to perform the strange feat of precise emotion regulation, albeit reluctantly.


    He had somehow subconsciously formed something akin to a virtual machine within his mind that was responsible for keeping his thoughts and emotions stable.


    Even he was unaware of such an interaction within his mind.


    He had been focused solely on balancing his emotions because he didn''t want to experience anything like the previous incident, where he had been nothing more than a mere spectator in someone''s life with his cognitive functions severely impaired.


    Now that he had stabilized himself, Jay tried to interact with the psionic lifeform by once again performing Identification on himself.


    However, the information he received didn¡¯t involve the creature somehow.


    It seemed like it hadn¡¯t technically made contact with him during this time, which was probably why the feeling of sadness wasn¡¯t as severe compared to last time.


    He was certain that the psionic lifeform was still lingering around, as he still hadn¡¯t felt the intrusion of sadness subside.


    He decided to wait for the other party to interact with him, as he couldn¡¯t do anything on his side at the moment.


    He wondered how the psionic lifeform would interact with him. Telepathy, perhaps?


    Just as he was thinking about it, he felt a semblance of irregularity in the constant intrusion of sadness, like ripples on a calm lake, or distortions on a perfect sine wave.


    He couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, but he could somehow make out thoughts from these emotional fluctuations.


    Now that he thought about it, it was quite fitting for a lifeform born from intense emotions to communicate in such a manner.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t know how to respond to such a mode of communication.


    With no other options, he just resorted to the one mode he was most familiar with.


    ¡°Hello there.¡±

 017 A Conversation With The Child Of Sorrow

    It was astonishing how he could somehow understand the psionic lifeform, despite the latter''s use of esoteric means to communicate.


    In his limited perception and knowledge, perhaps this was something akin to directly speaking with his soul, implying that emotions were possibly the universal language spoken by all existence.


    It was an otherworldly concept that seemed too far away for him to comprehend, making him keenly aware that he still had much to learn about the metaphysical world.


    Despite the unusual means of interaction, Jay could figure out that the psionic lifeform was somehow unable to express complex information.


    In human terms, it was like communicating with a weird baby that could somehow fully understand his intentions but could only express itself in terms of simple ideas one word at a time.


    To be fair, it was only born recently, so it isn''t too strange for it to be this way at the moment.


    Nevertheless, he could still interact with it enough to facilitate communication, which had been one of the most important things on his to-do list recently because there were many things unclear to him that only it could answer.


    The hello that he had spoken earlier had actually been responded to with a similar greeting.


    This was a good sign because it meant that the psionic lifeform could actually understand human words and was amicable enough to communicate properly.


    Perhaps it didn¡¯t really understand his spoken words but the thoughts and emotions that accompanied them.


    With such a likely possibility, he tried to keep his thoughts as clear as he could, despite the fact that he was still maintaining a delicate balance in his mental state just to endure the psionic lifeform¡¯s presence.


    Now that he had confirmed that they could communicate without any problems, Jay could finally ask the questions that had been living rent-free in his mind recently.


    ¡°There are so many things I want to ask you. Do you mind?¡±


    Fortunately, the psionic lifeform was willing to oblige him.


    ¡°Thanks. I truly need this, or my heart won¡¯t be at peace.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. Do you remember the time you first showed up?¡±


    If someone saw him right now, it would only look like he was talking to himself.


    As he was speaking, he wondered when he would acquire the ability to communicate with his mind.


    Although he planned on speaking with it in the seclusion of his room if he could, there was always a chance that he would let down his guard in the future and get caught in public talking to himself.


    ¡°Oh. So you didn¡¯t mean to do that at the time? Was my presence distracting enough for you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something compelling about me? I¡¯m flattered. Can you tell me about it?¡±


    It seemed like there was something within him that had drawn the psionic lifeform to him. He would have to keep this matter on the back of his mind.


    <sub> </sub>


    ¡°Just an instinct, huh. By the way, I used my ability last time and I was dragged into an alternate reality somehow. Do you happen to know anything about it?¡±


    Of course, he also provided a brief description of his ability to give proper context.


    ¡°Oh. Too bad. Okay then. Just tell me next time if you ever discover something.¡±


    Unfortunately, it seemed like it hadn¡¯t experienced the hazy alternate reality with him.


    Although it was Jay who had been asking questions, the psionic lifeform also had some things to say of its own.


    Of course, it was still in the form of emotional fluctuations. Jay was still the only one speaking.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t really hate you for it. Well, except for that one time I lost control of my emotions due to stress.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m actually struggling to keep myself in check as we are talking right now.¡±


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    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not really your fault. Actually, I even grew stronger from it, so I would like to thank you instead.¡±


    It seemed like the psionic lifeform regretted its botched attempts at communication, expressing that it had been unaware of the possible effects and interactions its existence would have with him.


    ¡°Oh, right. Where have you been all this time? I have been wondering about that.¡±


    ¡°Always by my side but not quite¡­ Can you clarify?¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know, huh¡­ It seems like both of us have much to learn.¡±


    It seemed like the psionic lifeform had always done things by instinct during this time.


    It was quite understandable, considering its age and the absence of nurturing individuals around it.


    Its previous host didn¡¯t count, though. Although the salaryman was technically its parent, the former wasn¡¯t metaphysically-inclined enough to interact with it, unfortunately.


    ¡°So¡­ What made you decide to show up now? I mean, last time ended up pretty badly for me, and I don¡¯t think I had grown enough since last time to be certain that I wouldn¡¯t be affected as much.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that my enhanced ability also contributed to my increased tolerance? By contributed, you mean that there are other factors just as important, if not more?¡±


    ¡°I see now. So, it¡¯s not just because of you refraining from direct contact with me.¡±


    ¡°Indeed, having awareness is winning half the battle. I admit I¡¯m more mentally prepared now compared to last time, so my mental state hadn¡¯t destabilized that much, giving me enough time to reach a balance.¡±


    It seemed to be a recurring theme in the metaphysical world that mere awareness of a problem was usually enough of an advantage over it.


    He would have to remember this whenever he faced unfavorable situations in the future, even with mundane ones.


    ¡°By the way, did Mr. Arthas and Mr. Vergil have any instructions for you? I don¡¯t quite know how to proceed from now on. I¡¯ve just been doing my own thing during this time.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the two middle-aged men, a long-haired one and a bald one.¡±


    ¡°They really said that? Then I¡¯ll try my best to take care of you. No problem.¡±


    The elders had already communicated to it that they intended to entrust its future to Jay.


    Not that he had any problem with it, though. He felt that it was interesting to take care of such an unconventional but pleasant youngling.


    It was like raising a baby, except that it wasn¡¯t as bothersome.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re being mean to you. It¡¯s just that your presence is actually dangerous to the people in our world.¡±


    The psionic lifeform seemed to still hold a little bit of grudge towards the elders for capturing it out of nowhere.


    However, during its time with Jay, the fact that its mere presence was somehow detrimental to the lifeforms of this world had gradually sunk in, which saddened it greatly.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡±


    He felt sorry for it, as it was unable to avoid the fate of unintentionally harming others due to its inherent nature.


    Perhaps when he grew powerful enough, he could help it create a vessel that would allow it to interact with the physical world without negatively affecting others.


    ¡°Even so, we¡¯ll find a way around it. Don¡¯t you see what I¡¯m doing right now? I think I¡¯m handling things quite well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I can¡¯t really maintain this deliberate balance for too long, to be honest.¡±


    He had been engrossed in communicating with the psionic lifeform that he didn¡¯t even notice that he still needed to counteract the intruding sadness.


    To be fair, he quite enjoyed chatting with it, which actually greatly helped maintain the balance in his mental state.


    Of course, he still had to consider mental fatigue in the end. There was just no way around it, as he was quite far from an ideal monk, who could somehow alter their mental states at will.


    ¡°Well, I still have a long way to go. I¡¯m sure the time will soon come when I can actually perceive you with my own senses.¡±


    He hoped that time would come sooner.


    The possession of metaphysical senses would allow him to interact with it in a more engaging manner, not to mention that it would greatly improve his life in the metaphysical world in general.


    ¡°Alright, goodbye for now.¡±


    Not long after the psionic lifeform had disappeared, Jay realized that he had forgotten to ask about its name, if it even had one.


    He had already asked many questions yet he forgot to ask about this one.


    It seemed like he had been too engrossed with the novelty of interacting with such an entity that he had forgotten about basic communication etiquette.


    To be fair, it wasn¡¯t like he was speaking to another person face to face.


    It wasn¡¯t unexpected of him to overlook certain things considering the strangeness of the situation.


    Of course, they were bound to have many interactions in the future, so it wasn¡¯t considered a pressing matter.


    He planned on suggesting the name Sorrow, if it didn¡¯t already have one.


    He felt that it was the most poetic one among the synonyms for sadness, at least according to his tastes.


    Of course, he could have chosen other names, such as Gloom, Grief, Weep, or Woe.


    They were more concise and sounded more like actual names compared to the likes of Anguish, Despair, Misery, or Lament.


    However, they also sounded like the names of fighting creatures from a certain franchise, so he wasn¡¯t too keen on picking them.


    -


    It was around one after midnight, at the observation base on the southern outskirts of the city.


    Arthas and Vergil were once again at their usual duty, conversing with each other every once in a while.


    Of course, Jay would eventually come up in their conversation, especially when interesting things had happened concerning the former only recently.


    ¡°This student of yours is quite interesting, my friend.


    First, he set up some sort of anonymous online investigation business, which is quite impressive. Then, he had actually managed to communicate with the psionic lifeform in such a short time.


    I thought it would take him months, but the young man just never disappoints.¡±


    Vergil spoke while fiddling with his phone, as usual. He didn¡¯t have anything else to do at the moment, as the monitoring role was performed by his partner and he was only responsible for the action.


    ¡°Well, what can you say. I have a good eye for talent.


    It¡¯s also worth noting that we are somehow similar as a person. Excellent performance is nothing to be surprised about.¡±


    Arthas felt happy for his student, and couldn¡¯t help but flaunt in front of his partner. He was currently manipulating the Amplification Orb as he performed routine observation of the city.


    ¡°But enough jest for now. It seems like I would have to meet with him some other time to explain a few things.


    It would be irresponsible of me as a teacher if I just let him explore on his own without guidance.¡±


    ¡°Oh? You¡¯re not bringing me along?¡±


    ¡°I intend to visit him during this evening, and I recall that you have some business to attend to at the time.¡±


    ¡°Right. Then say hello for me, and also sorry for just leaving him out of nowhere last time. I hope he¡¯s not too vexed about that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He¡¯s more reasonable than that, I assure you.¡±

 018 A Question At The Tip Of His Tongue, Fated For Another Time

    Jay had just finished his final class of the night and felt like celebrating his recent small victories with some ice-cold beer.


    It just happened to be a Friday when he received his first windfall and had his first proper interaction with the psionic lifeform.


    Money wasn''t an issue anymore, so he decided to splurge at a proper drinking establishment on his own.


    Usually, he would only go to such places when invited to gatherings, whether casual or formal.


    He didn''t like going by himself, as the drinks in such places had considerably higher prices compared to store-bought ones.


    Of course, some might argue that the ambience of the place and the live band justified the expense.


    However, he wasn''t interested in either, so he considered it a loss.


    Most of the music played by these kinds of bands didn¡¯t interest him, and the atmosphere was just an aggregate of the lights and noises in the vicinity.


    He felt that it wasn''t worth it, unless someone else was treating, in which case he would gladly partake.


    In the end, it all came down to his perception of value, and his recent windfall had somewhat altered this perception.


    -


    It was around half past nine when he headed out of the classroom.


    Despite it being Friday night, no one invited him for drinks this time.


    It wasn''t because he was excluded from casual gatherings due to his constant refusal.


    He had a somewhat decent relationship with his peers, courtesy of his inclination to help others and his casual demeanor.


    The actual reason was that they had upcoming finals next week, and most of them felt like it wasn¡¯t too appropriate to do anything other than preparing for it.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t the same for Jay, courtesy of his enhanced cognitive functions.


    However, he didn¡¯t want to make it obvious on the outside, lest he attract some unnecessary attention, most likely animosity from his peers.


    Having a nonchalant attitude during this supposedly busy time was nothing short of a provocation to the other students.


    He didn''t want to provoke anyone needlessly, especially if it would only cause trouble without any reward.


    Regarding his intention to drink, he had already prepared the excuse that he needed some form of release after his relentless study sessions.


    Considering his streak of good performance so far, nobody in their right mind would doubt such an excuse.


    He headed to the nearest proper drinking establishment he knew, which was only a few minutes away from the university.


    He preferred to drink somewhere close to make things easier for his intoxicated self.


    He was already halfway to the drinking establishment when he saw a familiar pickup truck parked ahead.


    He checked the vehicle with his Identification ability to make sure that it was indeed Mr. Arthas¡¯ car. Sure enough, it actually was.


    Mr. Arthas rolled down the windows as he got closer to the car.


    ¡°Hello, young man. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Hello, sir.¡± He had too many things to tell the elder, and he didn''t know where to start.


    ¡°Get in the car first. We¡¯ll talk along the way.¡±


    After Jay fastened his seat belt in the front seat, Arthas didn¡¯t immediately begin to drive.


    ¡°You must have a lot of things you want to say. How about we talk about them over some nice, cold beer?


    You seem to be heading out for a drink, so I might as well join you, if that¡¯s okay with you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, sir. That would be nice.¡±


    Jay could still afford to wait a little while longer for his desired answers, as he had already waited for quite some time anyway.


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    They talked about ordinary matters during the journey to the drinking establishment, which didn¡¯t take long since Jay was already more than halfway when he met the elder.


    Not long after they arrived at the establishment, they found a table in the corner without difficulty, despite the expected Friday night crowd.


    A server approached them with the menu. Arthas only glanced at it for a moment before handing it to Jay.


    ¡°Since I¡¯m just coming along, I¡¯ll let you decide what to get. You can leave the bill to me.


    It wouldn¡¯t be appropriate if I let my student pay for me, even if he has a lot of money.¡±


    Jay could only smile helplessly at the elder¡¯s implication.


    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±


    Since the elder wanted him to decide, Jay could only oblige. As for what he wanted to order, he didn¡¯t even need to look at the menu to decide.


    ¡°Boss, we¡¯ll have a bucket of Crimson Horse for now. Thanks.¡±


    While waiting for the beer, Arthas silently erected an isolation domain around them.


    Jay noticed it, albeit somewhat reluctantly. It seemed like they were finally going to discuss metaphysics-related matters.


    However, he was worried that the beer might never reach their table because of this.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Don¡¯t worry about the drinks. I have my means.¡±


    Jay could only marvel at the methods of a veteran ascendant, making him wonder when he would be able to perform such feats on his own.


    ¡°Alright, sir.¡±


    ¡°As long as you maintain your current pace, it won¡¯t be impossible for you to do things you previously thought unimaginable. The only question is when.


    Anyway, congratulations on your recent achievements, young man.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. I think I¡¯m starting to get a hang of it, although I still have much to learn.¡±


    ¡°All of us have much to learn, young man. By the way, are you wondering how I knew about your matters?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, sir, then I would like to know about it.¡±


    ¡°Haha. You don¡¯t have to be so polite, especially when it comes to your own safety.


    Well, we only performed some form of basic divination about your current status. There was no surveillance of any form, and your privacy remains uncompromised. I promise you that.¡±


    ¡°Then I thank you for your thoughtfulness, sir.¡±


    Although Jay was inclined to believe that the elders would do him no harm, it still relieved him to receive clarification for such a sensitive matter.


    ¡°It is only proper. Now, I know that you have been waiting for a long time to ask me quite a few questions.


    You can ask me now, and I¡¯ll try to answer to the best of my abilities.¡±


    Jay had been lost in the fog of ignorance for quite some time, and he had to expend actual effort not to ask too many questions all at once.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do with the psionic lifeform, sir?¡±


    ¡°Before I answer your question, I have to apologize for our sudden departure last time and for erasing your memories of the observation base''s location.


    I actually did intend for you to explore things your own, although I would have given you some details at least. However, my partner spontaneously decided to make it more challenging by not giving you even the slightest hint.


    Rest assured, we would never have let the situation endanger you, as it was our decision to give you the psionic lifeform without your request. Again, we are very sorry.¡±


    Despite the incident, Jay didn¡¯t hold any grudges toward any party.


    He knew deep down that the elders and the psionic lifeform meant him no harm.


    To be fair, he had even benefited from the anomaly, which was all the more reason for him not to hold any resentment.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, sir. I¡¯m not actually too troubled by the matter.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can see that, and we are grateful for your patience. Now, back to the question at hand. I intend for it to be your means of offense for the foreseeable future. Information-related abilities like ours usually lack offensive methods at the beginning.


    Although I¡¯m not certain that the same applies to you, it is still prudent to provide you with such means nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. How do I perform attacks with it, sir?¡±


    ¡°Well, that is for you to explore, young man.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Alright, sir.¡±


    Jay had already expected such a reply, considering that the elders wanted him to have some semblance of self-sufficiency.


    ¡°I do have another question though¡­¡±


    He was about to ask about the strange interaction between his ability and the psionic lifeform.


    However, he noticed that Mr. Arthas had a blank look on his face at that moment, so he promptly trailed off his words.


    Not long after, Arthas regained the focus in his eyes. However, he now had a sullen look on his face, unsuited to the current setting.


    Jay felt that something very important had come up, and it was confirmed when Mr. Arthas spoke to him in a grave manner.


    ¡°It seems like I¡¯ll have to address your questions another time, young man. Something significant has occurred, and my immediate presence is required.


    Here¡¯s the money for the bill. I¡¯m sorry, young man. I¡¯ll make it up to you next time.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Alright, sir. See you later.¡±


    Mr. Arthas responded to him with only a nod before he disappeared in the blink of an eye, just like last time.


    Coincidentally, the server had brought the bucket of beer not long after the elder left.


    Just like last time, there was no reaction from the people around him to the sudden disappearance of the elder.


    Jay was about to ask about the alternate reality he experienced during the incident with the psionic lifeform.


    However, it seemed like he wasn¡¯t fated to know more about it today.


    He would have to bring up this matter first the next time they meet again, as it was the most important question among the many he had for now.


    In the end, he wound up drinking alone like he planned.


    Although he would have liked to drink with the elder, there were many things in the world that couldn¡¯t be foreseen.


    Now, he could only hope the urgent matter wasn''t too dangerous for them.


    -


    Meanwhile, in the observation base.


    Vergil had just teleported his partner remotely from somewhere half an hour away by car, which took quite a toll on his mental strength.


    It would¡¯ve been easier for him if the target he teleported was within his immediate vicinity. However, they had no time to care about such matters at the moment.


    His recently teleported partner was currently in correspondence with the national headquarters of Kawal, located in the capital at the northern part of the country.


    Vergil only had a basic understanding of the situation at hand, as he had only received a high-level alert without the corresponding information.


    Of course, the alert itself was enough indication of the seriousness of the matter. He already had a few guesses on his mind at the moment.


    However, it was up to his friend to retrieve more information by using esoteric means to form a secure communication channel with the headquarters, as the conventional methods don¡¯t quite offer the same level of security.


    It was only after a while when Arthas finished the correspondence with the national headquarters. He had a solemn expression with a touch of anger.


    Vergil was not used to seeing his friend like this, and he had an inkling as to what might have caused the latter to have this expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation, my friend?¡±


    ¡°It seems like some people don¡¯t put our organization in their eyes.¡±

 019 The Life Of A Conscientious Man

    Jay woke up in the morning feeling refreshed, despite having finished an entire bucket of beer by himself the previous night, not wanting to waste even a single drop.


    It should be mentioned that a bucket of Crimson Horse contained six 500-mL bottles.


    In the past, he couldn''t manage to finish an entire bucket on his own.


    The sheer volume would bloat his stomach if he wasn''t given enough time to pace himself carefully, which was the case in most situations, as there was a scheduled liquor ban in his city that he had to consider.


    He would usually have three bottles at most if he didn¡¯t want to vomit, possibly three more if he didn¡¯t care about the consequences.


    Of course, it was best if he didn¡¯t waste anything, as the cost of a single bottle was around 75 pesos, which could have been a nice meal or two instead.


    Fortunately, he still had about three hours until the liquor ban, which commenced an hour after midnight.


    Fueled by the spirit of celebration from his recent small victories and the meeting with Mr. Arthas, he enjoyed the drinks at his own pace without worrying about other matters, which actually helped him finish the entire bucket inadvertently.


    Jay was about to stand up and go about his day when the psionic lifeform came out of nowhere, as it sensed that he was already awake, and quite well-rested to boot.


    Although he was a bit startled by its sudden emergence, he quickly tried to adjust his mental state in response.


    It was somehow noticeably easier to regulate his emotions this time around, likely because he was getting used to the counteracting method.


    After he stabilized his mental state, he greeted the psionic lifeform.


    ¡°Good morning. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine too. Oh, I forgot to ask last time. How should I address you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know? You want me to give you a name?¡±


    Jay had already thought of this matter beforehand, so he didn¡¯t need to deliberate any further.


    ¡°How about Sorrow?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you like it? Do you even know what it means?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right. A mere mention of a word does evoke a corresponding involuntary reaction in the mind, no matter how subtle.


    Okay then. Let¡¯s go with that. Nice to meet you, Sorrow.¡±


    Although the name felt too obvious, like naming a black dog Blackie, he also felt that it was quite fitting considering its qualities.


    It even had a poetic touch, at least, that¡¯s how he perceived it.


    ¡°Hmm. I just thought of something now that we cleared that out. How did you even decide to come out at this time?¡±


    Although he knew that another interaction with Sorrow was due today, he didn¡¯t expect it to be right after he woke up.


    ¡°Oh, is that so? I do feel great right now. Thanks for noticing.


    By the way, is there a way for me to contact you on my own? It would be difficult for me if you come out at an inconvenient moment.¡±


    It would be quite awkward for him to struggle with regulating his mental state in a public setting, especially if he was talking to someone.


    It wouldn¡¯t be good if others perceived him as a deviant, as it would inevitably damage his career and social life, especially in this country where some semblance of cordiality and conformity were expected from everyone.


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    ¡°Ah, well, we¡¯ll have to make do with other arrangements for now.


    How about we do it after I wake up, just like this? An early meeting would allow us to discuss our course of action for the day.¡±


    ¡°Great. But we can¡¯t possibly stay this way forever, right? Do you have any idea on how to develop your metaphysical qualities?¡±


    It would be ideal if they could interact without restrictions, as it would be difficult to synergize their advantages without seamless communication.


    ¡°You want to eat emotions? How does that even work? Isn¡¯t that considered cannibalism?¡±


    ¡°Right, right, sorry. So it¡¯s like a creature hatched from an egg, eating the shell it came out of.


    Hmm. Since you¡¯re born from sadness, then you must prefer consuming it over other emotions, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, so any negative emotions will do. It¡¯s just the most nutritious. Wait, how did you even find out about that?¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯re saying is that your mere presence made your previous host sad, and then you survived on that same sadness they felt? What the hell¡­¡±


    He felt incredulous about such a complicated relationship.


    ¡°Wait, if your presence exudes sadness in itself, aren¡¯t you constantly drained of energy just to maintain your existence?¡±


    Although it was somewhat analogous to how humans eat food to move around, it wasn¡¯t as if people exude heat like walking engines.


    ¡°Oh, alright. So it¡¯s not coming from you. It¡¯s just the ambient metaphysical energy being converted to your attribute.


    Then, wouldn¡¯t you have an unlimited amount of food just by loitering around? Why do you even need a host?¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­ So without an anchor in the physical realm, you will likely be swept away in the ocean of metaphysical fluctuations, right?¡±


    ¡°Haha, then hold on tight. Oh, wait. Since I¡¯m actively countering your influence, doesn¡¯t it mean that you¡¯re eating less right now? Should I stop?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s how it is. I wonder how a fat psionic lifeform looks like.¡±


    ¡°Haha, sorry, sorry. I just find the thought entertaining.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you have consumed a lot during your time with him, then you should already be quite powerful compared to your initial state, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, so variety is still necessary. Then couldn¡¯t you just get it from his co-workers? I¡¯m sure there are plenty of sad ones among salary people.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite a restriction, no wonder.¡±


    It seemed like Sorrow could only interact with other physical entities through its host¡¯s touch.


    This was a significant limitation, as they couldn¡¯t just touch other people out of nowhere, even if he was close to them.


    Perhaps there was a way around it, from a metaphysical point of view. Sorrow¡¯s previous host was only an ordinary man, so this angle hadn¡¯t been explored yet.


    ¡°Can you perform the emotion absorption even if you didn¡¯t manifest in the physical realm through me? Can you even sense others that way?¡±


    ¡°You can? Oh, but we can¡¯t communicate? Hmm, good enough, I guess.¡±


    It seemed like he didn¡¯t have to endure the encroachment of sadness during Sorrow¡¯s feeding time.


    Although they wouldn¡¯t be able to communicate in such a situation, they could still cooperate tacitly if they prepared well enough.


    ¡°Hmm. I don¡¯t know if the other modes of my ability are considered ¡®touch¡¯ in the metaphysical sense, but we should at least try it, right?¡±


    ¡°Alright then. But we still have to deliberate about this matter, though.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll be the one thinking about it. Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Sorrow expressed its disinterest in the guesswork, which was kind of reasonable, considering that it wasn¡¯t well-versed in the ways of human society, if it even had an inkling at all.


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s it. I¡¯m already feeling the strain, so let¡¯s call it a wrap. Is that fine with you?¡±


    ¡°Good. Just remember to communicate with me tomorrow when you sense me waking up.¡±


    After that, Sorrow¡¯s presence then disappeared, with the accompanying emotions disappearing from Jay¡¯s psyche.


    It seemed like his solo cultivation sessions would become a group activity from now on.


    He quite liked the thought of it somehow. It was like going on morning walks with your own child, a sensible one at that.


    Of course, he had to think of matters thoroughly, as he didn¡¯t want to take unnecessary risks in the presence of better alternatives.


    One of the things he feared most was being mired in deep trouble, and then realizing that there were actually easier options that he had overlooked due to hubris and complacency.


    First of all, he had to find a suitable place for such an activity.


    It had to be a place where sad people were commonly seen and his presence wasn¡¯t out of place.


    He ruled out bars or drinking establishments, as most people in his country would usually go to such places with other people, likely to have fun or just relax.


    It wasn¡¯t quite the same as portrayed in popular media, where lonely people were a common sight in such places.


    He also wouldn¡¯t feel comfortable going to hospitals. People had to go through grief to deal with their loss, and it would be cruel of him to deprive them the opportunity to heal their wounded hearts.


    Perhaps there were better options, but he decided on cemeteries in the end.


    Although it was quite similar to a hospital in that it was also a place for grief, people in cemeteries already had time to cope with their emotional distress, and the artificial removal of sadness might even help them move on with their lives.


    Of course, he still had to pick his targets on a case-to-case basis, as it would be too strange for a person suffering from extreme sadness to become fine in just the span of a few breaths.


    The jarring contrast from such an unnatural experience might even lead the person in question to doubt their entire existence, not to mention the effect it would have on their relationship with the people around them.


    Sorrow would have to carefully choose suitable targets to avoid negative repercussions as much as possible.


    As for why he didn¡¯t even consider places like the park or the mall, the chances of finding a sad person in these areas were quite slim.


    Even if they could find one in the end, they would have already found ten, or perhaps even more, in the same time if they went to the cemetery instead.


    Jay could only lament in his heart that the life of a conscientious person was quite difficult, as there are many matters to be considered.


    Of course, his heart wouldn¡¯t be at peace if he didn¡¯t follow his conscience, so he could only live with it despite the effort required.

 020 A Banquet Of Grief, Served On Stone Platters

    It was Sunday morning.


    It was time to implement the course of action that Jay and Sorrow had devised yesterday.


    In the spirit of formality, they had agreed to name the upcoming activity ''Operation Joybringer.''


    As for why they settled on that name, they planned to siphon people''s sadness away, which was roughly equivalent to bringing joy into their lives.


    There were many cemeteries scattered across the city, but he decided to head toward the nearest public one.


    There was no point in choosing a specific place, as the emotion of grief is common to all, regardless of faith or socio-economic status.


    He planned to use Identification on other people, attempting to have Sorrow make contact with them on a metaphysical level.


    They had hypothesized that the ¡®sight¡¯ mode of his ability might be considered a form of touch from a metaphysical perspective.


    To be fair, they didn¡¯t have to go to a physical location, and could¡¯ve used the ¡®image¡¯ mode instead.


    However, this presents several issues on its own, which they would rather avoid.


    They would have no way of knowing whether the ability actually worked as intended, as they couldn¡¯t possibly determine the aftereffects of usage without observing the target in person.


    Remote observation wasn¡¯t feasible at the moment, as his ability couldn¡¯t retrieve information about a target¡¯s mental state for now.


    There was also a chance that they might unknowingly interrupt a target¡¯s activity, potentially causing a host of problems.


    As for the use of the ¡®touch¡¯ mode, it was even more impossible for obvious reasons.


    In the past, Jay would be quite reluctant to do this initiative, as he had no way of knowing if the supposed target was metaphysically-inclined only by basic observation.


    However, after the recent enhancement to his ability, he could now feel some sort of premonition regarding the intentions of others and the possible outcomes of a contemplated course of action.


    This could possibly be an embryonic form of the metaphysical senses.


    Nevertheless, it was enough to give him assurance that he wasn¡¯t likely to step on anyone¡¯s toes as long as he listened to his instincts and didn¡¯t act hastily.


    He had already instructed Sorrow as to what type of people they were going to single out, based on the considerations he had made beforehand.


    Sorrow expressed that the matter was quite easy for it, so he had no worries about this aspect of the operation.


    What he was worried about was the aftereffects on the target after their sadness had been siphoned away.


    There was a slight chance that it might adversely affect the target in some ways, although they had no way of knowing exactly unless they tried it at least once.


    He truly hoped that nothing would go wrong. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to forgive himself if he inadvertently ruined the life of an innocent person.


    If possible, he would have experimented on himself, but there was no point to it.


    He would become both the performer and the target, not to mention that he was the host of the one doing the extraction. He just wasn¡¯t a reliable sample.


    The conditions for Sorrow¡¯s growth also required variety, which he couldn¡¯t provide on his own, even if he wanted to.


    As for cancelling the initiative, he was quite reluctant to do so. He couldn¡¯t possibly stunt the development of Sorrow just for his own peace of mind.


    -


    He soon arrived at the cemetery.


    There weren¡¯t too many people at the moment, as the season for mourning was still quite far away.


    The people in the vicinity were just here to visit their dead, and perhaps clean their graves while they were at it.


    Jay walked around the area, hoping to find a suitable target without arousing suspicion.


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    Based on their arrangements, whenever one was found within the immediate vicinity, Sorrow would manifest in the physical realm for a split-second, effectively sending him a pulse of sadness that would serve as a signal.


    He would then use his Identification ability on every person around him, one by one.


    Of course, he would still have to trust his instincts in this regard, lest he unknowingly Identify a metaphysically-sensitive ascendant, possibly leading to an unnecessary confrontation.


    Sorrow would send another pulse when he targeted the right person, and he would focus on that person until he received another signal.


    If he received another pulse shortly after locking onto the target, it meant that their hypothesis about ''sight'' had proven to be false, and they would have to adjust their strategy in the next meeting.


    However, if he received the signal only after a while, it meant that Sorrow had successfully extracted negative emotions from the target.


    If so, he would then observe the changes in the target, the visible ones at least.


    Before the commencement of the operation, they had tested that Sorrow could manifest without noticeably affecting Jay¡¯s mental state, as long as the duration didn¡¯t exceed a quarter of a second.


    This split-second pulse of sadness felt akin to a strong heartbeat, which was quite noticeable, but not detrimental to his mental state in any way.


    It only took a few minutes for them to find a suitable target, which wasn¡¯t unexpected considering their current location.


    After locking onto the target, Jay found a convenient spot to stand around, looking as if he was waiting for someone.


    Of course, he didn¡¯t need to stare at the target to use his ability on them, as a single glance would usually be enough as long as the line of sight was unobstructed.


    To his relief, the ¡®sight¡¯ mode of this ability did indeed allow Sorrow to metaphysically connect with the target.


    Since they had already succeeded with the most crucial step, the test could be considered to be half done.


    The current target was an old man, standing in front of a small grave that seemed to belong to a child.


    Since Sorrow had deemed him to be a suitable target, the level of negative emotions in the old man¡¯s psyche must have been enough to be worth extracting, but not enough to induce a jarring contrast after the extraction.


    Jay had to wait for about ten seconds until he felt the pulse again, which meant that the extraction was successful.


    He didn¡¯t leave immediately after the deed, but observed the old man for a while in the corner of his eyes.


    As expected, the somber expression on the old man¡¯s face had eased not long after.


    Even so, a trace of sadness still remained, as sincere grief could never truly disappear in its entirety no matter how one heals.


    After confirming that there were no adverse aftereffects on the target, he then proceeded to walk somewhere else, as if the person he was waiting for had already moved to another location.


    As the initial testing had proven to be successful, they performed the rest of the operation without any problems.


    In the earlier meeting this morning, they had decided on ten targets for the meantime, as they still had to observe the benefits and consequences of the activity in question.


    As they were in a public cemetery, they had reached their quota in only about an hour, after which they went home to consolidate their gains.


    They had made an exception today to meet after the operation, a detour from their previous arrangement that they would only convene in the morning after he woke up.


    Operation Joybringer ended up being somewhat uneventful, which seemed unbefitting of the seriousness they had attached to the activity by giving it a name.


    They completed the operation according to their tentative plan, without any strange encounters or interludes.


    Although it was the best scenario he could have hoped for, Jay still felt a tinge of disappointment regarding the event.


    Perhaps this might have been a subconscious manifestation of Nosiness, as he normally had no business inviting unnecessary trouble to himself.


    Before leaving the cemetery, he ignited a pile of dry grass and leaves, walking over it many times until he was satisfied.


    This was a local custom he had seen his elders perform for as long as he could remember.


    Although one might argue that it was mere superstition, he didn¡¯t want to take any chances, especially now that he had already been exposed to matters beyond the mundane.


    There might really be some esoteric explanation regarding this custom, one that was beyond his current knowledge and understanding of the metaphysical world.


    -


    Jay returned to his room in roughly the same time it took him to go to the cemetery, as the traffic wasn¡¯t as congested compared to the weekdays.


    Sensing that Jay was feeling comfortable in his own home, Sorrow manifested into the physical realm once again, bringing with it an infectious aura of despondency.


    Jay was somewhat getting used to it after already being exposed a few times.


    Although he still had to expend some effort in balancing his mental state, it wasn¡¯t as burdensome as before.


    ¡°Hey there, Sorrow. How was it?¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Now that I think about it, this seems to be the first time you had many flavors to partake in, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Then let¡¯s just double the quota next time.¡±


    It seemed like Sorrow was still quite far from its limit, which as good, as it meant that the corresponding pace of its improvement would be much faster compared to their initial assumptions.


    ¡°Anyway, did you notice anything strange on your perspective?¡±


    ¡°Nothing? What a pity¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, as they say, the grass is greener on the other side.¡±


    It was quite strange when one thought about it.


    Jay had once been subjected to an anomaly when his ability interacted with Sorrow, which was an experience he didn¡¯t like.


    Even now, he was still reluctant to use his ability on himself, especially when he was bound to interact with Sorrow more frequently from now on.


    Despite that, he actually wanted an unaccounted variable to appear during their recent activity. A better way to describe it would be courting death.


    Perhaps this might just be another form of the concept of consent.


    Although he didn¡¯t like being subjected to matters beyond his understanding, it was a different story if it was his conscious decision in the first place.


    ¡°Hmm. I won¡¯t be available tomorrow, though. It¡¯s Monday. I have classes, you know.¡±


    Sorrow had taken a liking to this activity, and wanted to do it more often.


    Unfortunately for it, Jay still had a strong belongingness to the mundane world, and was quite reluctant to neglect it in favor of metaphysical adventures.


    ¡°Right, right. That could work. Well then, I guess it¡¯s time to adjourn for the day.¡±


    ¡°Alright, see you tomorrow morning.¡±


    It seemed like he had overlooked the fact that finals week starts tomorrow, which was a good chance to catch a couple of easy targets here and there.


    Although he would technically be taking advantage of their plight, it was still worlds apart from the grief experienced from the loss of loved ones.


    As such, he had no problem targeting his peers. In fact, he would be doing them a favor by regulating their mental state on such a stressful week.


    Now that he had made up his mind about the matter, he was eagerly looking forward to ''helping'' his fellow students tomorrow.

 021 The Sorrows Of A Learner, Relieved By Another

    It was Monday morning.


    Jay¡¯s classes started at ten in the morning and ended at half past nine in the evening, with a few breaks scattered in between.


    Jay and Sorrow had planned to stroll around the university campus to search for targets during these breaks.


    The procedure would be the same as the one they had used at the cemetery, as it had proven to be reliable so far.


    In fact, its implementation would be considerably easier on campus, given the large number of idle students present at any given time in such a populated university.


    He wouldn¡¯t be out of place even if he just stood there doing nothing, as many others would be doing the same thing everywhere.


    Although it was called the exam week, the actual exams were mostly scheduled for the end of the week.


    The other days were usually allotted for the completion of academic requirements, such as assignments, projects, and technical papers.


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t a problem for him, as he had been taking care of the requirements as they arose, long before their tentative deadlines.


    He could have tried to help his peers during his free time, but that would only make him seem too abnormal.


    The regular workload was already quite demanding. It wouldn''t be realistic for him to have the leisure to help others after all that.


    The only form of assistance he extended to his peers was answering a few questions here and there, which was somewhat enough to satisfy his noblesse oblige, as vain as it may be, while avoiding any suspicion regarding his transhuman qualities.


    -


    Jay¡¯s first class in the morning was Microprocessor Systems.


    The exams in this subject weren¡¯t worth mentioning at all, even if he didn¡¯t have his enhanced cognitive abilities.


    The true challenge in the subject was the project and its accompanying technical paper.


    It was an embryonic form of an undergraduate engineering thesis, albeit a separate instance, which made him wonder why it even existed when there was already a thesis in the curriculum.


    It had to be said that it was not your typical little project that you could do with just markers and cardboard boxes.


    It was a complete device intended to solve a realistic problem, or make it easier at least.


    It placed a significant burden on the average student, both mentally and financially.


    This was why students had been assigned to groups of three in an attempt to alleviate the workload.


    Obviously, it wasn¡¯t just a straightforward addition of workforce.


    Despite being social animals, humans were somehow woefully inefficient in group efforts.


    Fortunately for him, he didn¡¯t have to deal with this troublesome matter, as he had been the odd one out during the grouping.


    He had graciously offered to work as a one-man group when the class realized there weren''t enough people for another full group.


    Of course, the professor allowed him to choose a simpler topic for the project in exchange, which worked out in his favor quite nicely, especially when he had acquired his Identification ability later on.


    A simpler project translated to fewer materials and technical requirements, although it would require more creativity to make something out of them that would be sufficient to satisfy the professor¡¯s demands, even if the criteria had been considerably loosened.


    However, with his information-gathering ability and enhanced cognitive functions, he easily made a working device from common and inexpensive materials, albeit nothing too fancy.


    As for the accompanying technical paper, it was even less of a problem for him.


    -


    Although he was simply breezing through this supposedly troublesome subject, the same couldn¡¯t be said for others.


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    The lack of financial resources was a serious concern, but it was somewhat alleviated by the existence of groups, as the members could split up their responsibilities among themselves as they saw fit.


    However, some of his classmates simply didn¡¯t have the inclination for these types of activities, which made things difficult for everyone, especially their own groupmates.


    Of course, this doesn¡¯t automatically imply that they were academically impaired in some way.


    It was mostly their attitude toward matters that hindered their work.


    At the moment, he could observe in the room that there were many furrowed brows among his classmates, likely having difficulties like the ones mentioned above.


    Perhaps he wouldn''t even need to roam the campus to meet the quota, as there were already many potential targets in the room.


    -


    By the time the period ended, Sorrow had extracted negative emotions from two out of the thirty-nine people present in the room.


    To be fair, they could¡¯ve fulfilled their quota right there and then, but it would be far too conspicuous, especially in an environment where everyone was already well-acquainted with one another.


    At their year level, they had already spent so much time together that it wouldn''t be strange to say they were already bored with each other''s faces.


    In this circumstance, a rumor about a sudden mental shift, especially one experienced by many, would quickly be dissected by everyone in the circle in no time.


    On the other hand, a few of these occurrences here and there were more likely to be dismissed, especially in such a busy period where they already had a lot of things on their minds.


    Jay and Sorrow would repeat this approach with the other subjects down the line.


    Although the other subjects, such as AC Machinery and Industrial Electronics, were not as troublesome as the previous one, they were still stressful in their own right.


    Of course, they would prefer to target unfamiliar faces from different programs and colleges, as it would be quite problematic if people with the same experience began confirming their suspicions with one another.


    There was still a chance that some of these people actually knew each other and had enough mental resources at the time to take note of the sudden shift in their mental state.


    However, the stated precautionary measure would, to some extent, minimize this possibility, which was already acceptable to him.


    -


    In the classroom, at around five in the afternoon.


    ¡°Where have you been, man? You were almost late.¡±


    Jay¡¯s seat neighbor spoke in hushed tones while the professor wrote equations on the whiteboard.


    They were attending their final class of the semester in AC Machinery, which primarily served as a recap of every concept they had covered so far.


    ¡°Oh, sorry. I was just walking around to relax, and I got carried away somehow. Why? I haven¡¯t missed anything, have I?¡±


    ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just unusual seeing you in that situation, knowing that you¡¯d rather stay in your seat than literally do anything else.¡±


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s just your opinion. I do have an interesting life of my own. You¡¯re just not paying enough attention.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a girl, so why would I pay attention to you?¡±


    Although they were already proficient in having near-silent conversations, it just so happened that the professor glanced their way while reaching out for another marker.


    ¡°I can hear you from here, guys. If I ever hear another word irrelevant to this class, I will make sure you take your two-hour long exam while standing. Don¡¯t make the wrong decision.¡±


    They didn¡¯t dare make another noise after that, as this specific professor was quite known for keeping his word.


    It was only after the class that they finally regained the right to speak.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re planning to go to the beach after the finals. Do you want to come? This is the first time our batch will have an outing. It¡¯ll be fun.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How daring of you. How can you be so certain that you¡¯ll pass the exams?¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything? We just want to relax. As for the exams, well, to hell with it.¡±


    ¡°Wow, good luck graduating with that mindset.


    Hmm. I¡¯ll have to consider it. There¡¯s still a week ahead, so I can¡¯t promise you anything right now.¡±


    ¡°Ah, here we go again. You¡¯ve rejected me too many times that I¡¯m starting to think I deserve some sort of explanation after all that.¡±


    ¡°Alright then. It¡¯s because¡­¡±


    His friend¡¯s eyebrow raised a bit, having an inkling as to what might come after.


    ¡°¡­ I just don¡¯t feel like it. Satisfied?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ I knew it. Well, fine. Have it your way then. Just don¡¯t blame me if the others wouldn¡¯t want to invite you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be the one inviting them in the future instead. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t mind if they refuse. Who am I to force them?¡±


    His friend could only sigh in exasperation at his stubbornness.


    Jay actually wouldn¡¯t have rejected his friend Dexter if the latter had suggested some other venue.


    There were two main reasons he didn¡¯t like going to the beach.


    One, he would have to take off his glasses when heading into the water, which would effectively qualify him for a disabled person.


    Two, the cleanup after swimming was quite troublesome in many aspects, some of which included the long bathroom queue and the bothersome sand that had to be washed whenever he wanted to return to his lodgings.


    Of course, he could''ve tried to suggest another venue to the group, but he refrained from doing so based on his own considerations.


    He didn¡¯t want to alter their plans only to impose his own preferences, as that would be too selfish of him.


    Perhaps he would join them on the next outing, when the circumstances were just right.


    -


    It was around ten in the late evening.


    Jay had just finished his dinner and was doing his daily routine at this specific period.


    He was scrolling through Facetome for entertainment and information, while looking at his anonymous email account every once in a while for any updates from his potential clients.


    So far, he still hadn''t received any messages from them.


    Even Ms. Anne hadn¡¯t followed up on their commission ever since.


    He had been quite confident of the quality of his work at the time.


    If nothing went wrong, there was no reason for them to forgo his assistance in further investigations.


    Perhaps they might have actually been spooked by the level of detail present in the compilation.


    Now that he thought about it, it seemed to be the most likely explanation.


    Even he wouldn¡¯t let his information land in the hands of a stranger like himself, who could extract a ton of useful information from a seemingly irrelevant digital image within a short time.


    Maybe he would have to tone down his output from now on, as it seemed to work against him instead.


    Of course, this preventive measure was only based on his assumptions, but there was nothing to lose by erring on the side of caution.


    He believed that he was still capable of delivering excellent work despite having to withhold some details.


    Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t affect his drive to continue this initiative, especially when he had already reaped the fruits of his labor.


    As long as he was patient enough, the next windfall was bound to come sooner or later.

 022 The Faithful Servants Deaf To The Whispers Of The Abyss

    On the same Monday night, somewhere in the western outskirts of the city, Dexter had just finished his hour-long jeepney ride from the university.


    His rented room was only a quarter of the way, but there was a matter of great importance to his clan''s survival that he had to attend to personally.


    Beneath his identity as a university student, he was, in fact, a legacy ascendant, albeit of a declining lineage.


    As he walked toward a small warehouse quite far from the main road, Dexter thought about his classmate, Jay, who had always been strange in the past and had become even stranger recently.


    The classmate in question had always seemed to belong to another world.


    Sure, the former might have seemed approachable and casual on the surface, but Dexter always felt that there was something else behind such qualities.


    To put it in words, it was like a human being who didn''t care about the lives of ants.


    It wouldn¡¯t be quite right to call it disdain. It was more like the sense of detachment typical of an outsider.


    This quality of his classmate had become even more prevalent since more than a month ago.


    In the past, Dexter could at least sense that the man was more present in the moment.


    Now, he could barely even see the man after class hours, as if there was somewhere else his classmate would rather be instead of the campus.


    It could have just been his classmate¡¯s rented room, but the latter had lived close to the university all this time yet this transition only occurred recently.


    This change piqued his interest so much that he even requested some of his clan members to perform a minor investigation to determine the supposed uniqueness within his classmate


    Needless to say, they found nothing noteworthy. Otherwise, he wouldn''t still be wondering about the matter until now.


    It wasn''t that they were somehow obstructed in their investigation. It was that there seemed to be no metaphysical influence of some sort surrounding his classmate.


    Sure, the man had taken to loitering around commercial centers, but there seemed to be nothing else beyond that.


    There were no metaphysical fluctuations emanating from the man himself or his immediate vicinity.


    That was all they could observe at the time, and Dexter was quite reluctant to bother his clansmen with this matter again just because of sheer curiosity.


    If there had been no pressing matters that concerned his clan, Dexter would have delved deeper into this matter.


    However, he neither had the time nor the mental resources at the moment.


    He had something far more important on his mind, something that was beyond himself.


    Along with the pressure of academic responsibilities, Dexter could only reluctantly let the matter rest in the back of his mind.


    Alas, if he had the leisure to uncover his strange classmate¡¯s secrets, many unfortunate events in the future could have been avoided.


    -


    It was Tuesday morning, in Jay¡¯s room.


    Jay and Sorrow were about to have their scheduled meeting.


    They would discuss yesterday¡¯s events to fine tune some minor details in their arrangement.


    To be fair, Sorrow could appear at any time of day, as long as it sensed a corresponding emotion within Jay that would serve as a signal.


    However, there was no certainty that Jay could control his emotions to such a degree, let alone in the world out there where anything could happen.


    It was quite likely that Jay would send the signal at the wrong time and place, potentially presenting a host of problems.


    That was why they also had to specify other parameters, such as Jay waking up, to have a safer and more accurate distinction.


    As for how to determine this exact moment, it wasn¡¯t that Sorrow could precisely determine the time of day.


    It was that there was a clear difference in the mental and emotional states between a sleeping person and an awakened one.


    This was an interesting matter in itself, but Sorrow couldn¡¯t determine why it was so, thus they could only put this thought in the back of their minds for now.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Hello there, Sorrow. Anything interesting about yesterday¡¯s buffet?¡±


    ¡°Really? I wonder how different it could be.¡±


    There seemed to be a huge flavor difference in yesterday¡¯s meals compared to the ones at the cemetery.


    ¡°Which one do you prefer? The cemetery or the campus?¡±


    ¡°Oh, how greedy of you. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have the ability to clone myself. Not for now at least.¡±


    The flavor was different, but there wasn¡¯t any considerable difference in quality.


    Of course, it could¡¯ve been because of their set criteria regarding the types of people to target.


    However, he didn¡¯t dare to relax the requirements in favor of faster progression, as he felt that caution should always take precedence in metaphysical matters, considering his meager knowledge in that field.


    ¡°Yeah. It seems like our initiative has been successful so far.¡±


    ¡°Other flavors? Hmm...¡±


    Now that he thought about it, it wasn¡¯t really practical to only focus on cemeteries for the source of potential targets.


    As there weren¡¯t any qualitative difference between the extracted negative emotions from different locations, they didn¡¯t have to confine themselves to the seemingly most effective option.


    Although it might take them longer to reach their quota if they went to another location, it would be good for his mental health at least.


    As practical as it was, he probably wouldn¡¯t feel great if he went to cemeteries every weekend for months on end.


    The busy period at the university also wouldn''t last for a long time, which removed its qualifications as a long-term option.


    ¡°How about we only go to cemeteries once a month? We could go to other public places for the rest.¡±


    ¡°Alright. It¡¯s settled then.¡±


    ¡°By the way, can you sense your improvement after every meal?¡±


    ¡°Oh, okay. It¡¯s actually the same for me too. It would¡¯ve been nice if we can quantify it, though.¡±


    Although he could sense the minute improvements in his metaphysical attributes, there was still no clear indicator for the threshold of the next qualitative improvement.


    It was like going somewhere far without knowing the exact destination, only the general direction.


    He would likely be fine for a while, but there might come a time when he eventually lost his enthusiasm, as the end was nowhere in sight even after all the effort he put in.


    Perhaps this was a long-standing issue among veteran ascendants like Mr. Arthas.


    It might not be as prevalent at his level of development, but he should try to address this matter while it was still far away.


    If he ever stagnated in cultivating his ability, he could try to delve into other metaphysical fields like artisanal occupations.


    He would have to ask Mr. Arthas about this matter the next time they meet.


    For now, he would have to keep this matter in the back of his mind, as he currently had no immediate access to metaphysical knowledge in the absence of the elders.


    ¡°So I guess that¡¯s it for the meeting. We¡¯ll continue with this arrangement for now, if that¡¯s fine with you.¡±


    ¡°Good, good. Well then, it¡¯s time to start the day.¡±


    -


    Four days ago, Arthas had to leave abruptly due to pressing matters, leaving Jay alone in the drinking establishment.


    Arthas and Vergil had received information from the national headquarters that some of their operatives from different areas had gone missing during their shifts.


    So far, there have been no leads as to what might have caused their disappearance, even with the existence of Kawal¡¯s prized artifact.


    The national headquarters promptly requested the presence of veteran ascendants specializing in information and divination to assist with the investigation.


    The summoning request issued by the headquarters was sent through metaphysical means directly to its intended recipients, to avoid any potential information leaks.


    That was why Vergil had to wait for Arthas to confirm the matter, as the latter was the one with the inherent capability for telepathic transmission, as well as being the intended recipient of the request.


    The transcendents of their organization were, unfortunately, busy with their own responsibilities.


    Even the handling of Kawal¡¯s artifact was delegated to their trusted subordinates.


    They were also in the limelight within their country¡¯s ascendant society.


    Any significant move on their part would likely be noticed by several major factions, which they would rather avoid, as it might allow the enemy in the dark to prepare in advance.


    For now, they could only rely on other senior members of the organization to handle the matter discreetly.


    The assistance of the transcendents would only be needed for the swift resolution of the problem after every factor had been considered.


    Of course, they might still be forced to make a move prematurely, but only if things went horribly wrong, which wasn¡¯t likely considering the high collective strength of the organization even without their presence.


    ¡°Someone actually dared? That¡¯s just courting death. They don¡¯t even know what they¡¯ve provoked.¡±


    Vergil couldn¡¯t fathom a situation where someone dared to harm a member of Kawal, not to mention that it was even during their shifts.


    Of course, this assurance wasn¡¯t merely based on arrogance. The four transcendents in their organization weren¡¯t just for show.


    ¡°Not necessarily. The national headquarters even went out of their way to send a quick message in a very discreet manner. The perpetrators, whoever they might be, must have an interesting background to warrant such a reaction from them.¡±


    ¡°Have they identified the perpetrators, though? I¡¯m sure their background won¡¯t matter as long as we have the moral high ground. Our transcendents certainly wouldn¡¯t let them take advantage of us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the issue. Even the organization¡¯s artifact is clueless about their origin, hence the interesting background I spoke about.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then I guess they¡¯re summoning you to the headquarters immediately? This seems like something up your alley.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That was the main content of their urgent message. Though, I don¡¯t think I could provide any assistance when even the artifact failed to get anything.¡±


    Arthas wasn¡¯t entirely certain on how he should proceed with the upcoming investigation.


    The prized artifact of the organization wasn¡¯t your ordinary trinket.


    It was jointly powered by four transcendents, each providing their own advantages to the already-powerful device.


    Although it was only operated by their subordinates at the moment, its capabilities were still somewhat equivalent to that of a true transcendent.


    Even if he was already considered a half-step transcendent, Arthas still wasn¡¯t confident that he could outperform such a powerful artifact.


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just underselling yourself. So, when are we going to the main headquarters?¡±


    Needless to say, a group of ordinary ascendants needing to borrow a transcendent artifact to perform a specific task was quite different from a half-step transcendent who happened to specialize in that same task.


    Perhaps the assistance of powerful specialized ascendants, like Arthas, could very well tip the scales in their favor by providing leads that the artifact might have missed.


    ¡°Preferably the day after tomorrow, as I still have matters to arrange at the local headquarters. Also, you still need time to recalibrate the energy convergence array and the Amplification Orb for long-distance teleportation.¡±


    ¡°What? I thought we were going by plane¡­¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately for you, the main headquarters specifically asked for your assistance in this matter. We can¡¯t afford to have our movements traced right now. You understand, right?¡±


    ¡°Do I even have the right to refuse? By the way, what about your student? This new task of yours seems like it would take quite a while.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already doing fine. I don¡¯t think he needs our assistance for now. Not for a while, at least.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, seems that way. Well, I better get a move on. These things aren¡¯t going to recalibrate themselves.¡±

 023 The Path Of Least Resistance Is Not Always The Best Path

    Two weeks had passed since the dreaded finals period at Jay''s university.


    In their section, some had failed their exams, others had delayed grades because of incomplete requirements, while a few abandoned academics altogether to enter society instead.


    It was a concrete manifestation of diversity in such an open and populated university, albeit not in a positive way.


    Nevertheless, life went on for everyone, despite the twists and turns.


    The outing planned by Dexter and the others had still been carried out somehow, despite some of them going through a rough time in academics at that moment.


    Although one could argue that it was somewhat inappropriate, considering that not everyone had something to celebrate, an opportunity to relax and have fun might have been what they truly needed to preserve their sanity amidst the pressure from the world.


    Jay could have asked Sorrow to take away their troubles, but that would have only proven counterproductive, as they needed the feeling of disappointment and helplessness to fuel their desire to overcome life''s challenges.


    To be fair, this was somewhat of a high-handed thought coming from him, who was technically one of them, but it reflected the reality of the situation.


    The problems that plagued his peers had long stopped affecting him ever since he became an ascendant.


    Despite his genuine desire to enjoy his ordinary life, the stark contrast between himself and his peers had been gradually eroding his sense of belonging to the mundane world, though he had yet to notice this himself.


    -


    Students from most universities would probably be rejoicing by now, as this time was supposed to be the summer break in academia, or a chance to make up for their failed subjects.


    Unfortunately for Jay and the others, their university didn''t seem to care about this convention.


    In addition to the standard semesters, there was a mandatory mini-semester that spanned about a month and a half, taking the place of the supposed summer break.


    In most universities, the summer break was usually allotted for retaking failed subjects, thereby giving students the chance to catch up in the next semester.


    However, they didn''t have this option, greatly vexing some students, especially those who had felt that they only failed because of their teacher¡¯s inadequacies.


    Based on their prospectus, as a fourth-year Electrical Engineering student, Jay¡¯s only subject for the summer was the on-the-job training, often abbreviated as OJT.


    They were given the chance to choose which company they would perform their internship on.


    There were several companies among the choices that belonged to some aspects of their profession, such as power distribution, infrastructure, or equipment fabrication.


    He didn''t have a strong opinion about which one to choose, so he just let the program head assign him wherever convenient.


    He believed that any of those options would be a learning opportunity regardless, so the act of choosing didn''t really matter to him.


    In the end, he was assigned to an engineering services company that was contracted to work on a stadium just outside the heart of the city.


    The internship was scheduled to begin next week, so he still had some time to enjoy life at his leisure.


    Of course, most of the time would be used for his and Sorrow''s improvement, although that was also a form of entertainment in itself.


    -


    Over the past two weeks of free time, Jay continued with his usual arrangements.


    He engaged in a few transactions here and there, which served as a good source of income, as well as good practice for his ability to navigate clandestine dealings.


    However, there hadn¡¯t been an instance of a repeat customer, despite the supposed positive evaluation of his work.


    He had even tried minimizing the amount of ''irrelevant'' information in the files to avoid spooking his customers, but it seemed like it hadn¡¯t worked out well.


    He could try to further pare down his output, but that would infringe upon his own quality standards.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    To be fair, he would rather miss out on some transactions than feel disgust toward his own work.


    As for the earnings, they hadn¡¯t quite reached the level of his transaction with Ms. Anne, although they were quite considerable in their own right.


    So far, he had only used his funds to improve his quality of life, but not to the point where it would seem like he came from an affluent background, as that would be too conspicuous.


    He didn¡¯t spend much on external articles, such as clothes and gadgets, to avoid potential points of scrutiny if things ever went wrong.


    Also, there weren¡¯t any problems with his belongings at the moment, so there was no point in getting new ones.


    Instead of material possessions, he invested in self-improvement paraphernalia, such as supplements, small exercise equipment, and convenient household items.


    The supplements and exercise equipment were for his physical health, while the household gadgets were meant to make his day-to-day life easier, thus improving his mental health.


    Speaking of which, the items he ordered right after his previous windfall arrived quite some time ago.


    His physique had improved since then, achieved by doing some exercise here and there, coupled with a few supplements taken accordingly.


    While his weight had largely remained the same, his stamina greatly improved, and he also started to put on a bit of muscle.


    However, despite the benefits, he didn¡¯t intend to devote more time to honing his physique, as it didn¡¯t interest him as much as his improvement in the metaphysical aspect.


    -


    As for Sorrow¡¯s cultivation, it had finally undergone the first qualitative change in its metaphysical qualities after a few weeks'' worth of extraction.


    It still couldn¡¯t suppress its sadness-inducing attribute, but it gained the ability to concentrate its effects on a distant target at will, albeit for only a short duration.


    It finally had a rudimentary active form of attack, as opposed to having only its passive debilitating aura.


    Although this feature could be active for only a short time, just a few seconds of interruption were usually enough for many things to happen, including turning the tides in a confrontation.


    They hadn''t observed an inkling of any form of aggravated weakness, such as Nosiness, so far.


    Perhaps it didn¡¯t exist for metaphysical creatures as it did for ascendants, or it could possibly be something unique to Jay¡¯s circumstances.


    He would have to keep this matter in the back of his mind for now, as he had no way of testing its feasibility without gathering a crowd of friendly ascendants and metaphysical creatures willing to expose their possible inherent flaws, which was an impossibility in itself.


    If he could somehow perform a deep but subtle implementation of Identification on other ascendants, then confirming the matter wouldn¡¯t be a problem anymore.


    Alas, it was quite likely that he would have to wait for a long time, as the speculated strength of Identification in question was probably several qualitative changes away from its current state, based on his current pace of improvement.


    -


    As for Jay¡¯s own cultivation, he had never forgotten to practice his Identification even once, despite everything that happened in his life in recent months.


    He had used his ability so often that it had already become second nature to him.


    The information stored in his mind had reached such a staggering amount that he could be considered a living library all by himself.


    Of course, most of it consisted of relatively useless knowledge, such as the physical dimensions of his cellphone charger or the identity of the last person who flushed down the toilet in a certain mall, but even the minute portion considered useful was substantial by itself.


    However, despite the already expansive archive in his head, Jay wished that he could directly acquire the knowledge inside books, as he recognized that the stored knowledge in his mind wasn¡¯t inherently useful in most real-life situations.


    Unfortunately, for the time being, he could only acquire information about the book itself, excluding its written content.


    If he could include the recorded information in written media, it would only be a matter of time before he mastered every subject in the mundane world.


    By extension, if he could also acquire information stored digitally or even metaphysically, then the world would be at his fingertips.


    He could learn everything known to man and venture beyond the bounds of human knowledge on his own afterward.


    The integrated knowledge of the entire planet, both mundane and metaphysical, concentrated in a single entity, was bound to create miracles beyond imagination.


    Perhaps this feat was something only a god could achieve, which was nothing more than a pipe dream for Jay at the moment.


    He couldn''t even fully sense his psionic lifeform partner, who was always technically beside him.


    For now, he could only take things one at a time and see where they lead him.


    -


    At the moment, Jay was in the mall where he had unintentionally drawn Mr. Arthas¡¯ attention due to his careless use of Identification on a random Jolluboat figure.


    He was currently in the department store, engaging in the usual pretentious action of careful browsing.


    Although he had already gone through a considerable portion of the department store¡¯s selection, there were always new stocks available every once in a while.


    This essentially ensured that he would never run out of things to Identify, as long as he maintained his usual pace and cycled through different commercial centers every practice session.


    To be fair, he would rather cultivate his ability through online images than the current hands-on approach, where he had to touch objects here and there.


    However, the gap in improvement acquired from ¡®image¡¯ and ¡®touch¡¯ was quite substantial, making it impractical for him to forgo the latter in favor of the former, despite the former being more convenient and covert.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t mean that he never utilized the ¡®image¡¯ mode, as he had always used it as a form of entertainment and a way of cultivating when it was inconvenient to move around.


    Nevertheless, his desire to uncover the mystery surrounding himself carried more weight than his inclination to take the easiest path or, in relation to his academic field, the path of least resistance.


    He was currently swinging a fly swatter to test its handling when he suddenly felt a familiar sensation.


    It was the brief mental overload-like sensation brought about by the qualitative change in his ability. However, it wasn¡¯t as oppressive as the first time it happened.


    Perhaps his mental resilience had improved a lot since then, allowing him to better withstand the debilitating side effect of the qualitative change.


    However, he couldn¡¯t verify this possibility as he was unconscious during the second time he had the upgrade, when a strange reaction occurred between Sorrow and his ability.


    There was also the possibility that the enhancement to his ability wasn¡¯t as powerful as the previous ones, hence the milder side effect.


    Of course, pure speculation was nothing compared to deliberate observation, but it would have to wait until he regained his bearings and found the opportunity to observe the changes within himself.

 024 One Woman鈥檚 Problem Is Another Man鈥檚 Solution

    Jay quickly went out of the department store to find a quiet place to rest while observing the changes in his metaphysical qualities.


    Of course, he could have done the tests right then and there, but he preferred to make himself comfortable and unnoticed when dealing with important matters, especially metaphysics-related ones.


    He made a beeline for the most conveniently placed bench in his field of view, one that was closer to the corner and, of course, empty.


    Coincidentally, he went for the same bench he had sat on when he experienced the first qualitative change in his ability.


    In a way, he was somewhat predictable because of his tendency to follow the path of least resistance.


    It might have served him well in lightening his mental burden in everyday life, but it also introduced a potential vulnerability for malicious parties to exploit.


    He tested the parameters of his ability the same way he had done before, hoping for improvement in the quality of information acquired from the three modes of ability usage, particularly the ¡®image¡¯ one.


    It would make him significantly more powerful if he could gather the same volume and quality of information through ¡®image¡¯ as he did through ¡®touch¡¯.


    Unfortunately, there were no improvements in this area, much to his disappointment.


    Of course, he went on with the testing regardless. There had to be something else that had improved, considering the earlier mental overload-like sensation indicative of a qualitative change in his ability, based on previous instances.


    Since there were no changes to the interactive aspects of his ability, he tried looking inward instead.


    He perused the massive volume of information stored in his mind and found a pleasant surprise not long after.


    Previously, the information in his mind had been stored in discrete chunks grouped by source.


    To make associations with other stored information, he had to recall them individually, much like a researcher taking several books from different shelves to find various interpretations of a single concept.


    Now, he could handle this matter instinctively and almost instantaneously. He could recall the stored information not as discrete blocks of unrelated memories but as a series of interconnected data.


    It essentially removed redundancies as the overlapping details now served as bridges that held once-separate blocks into a network of associations. It was akin to transitioning from a vast physical library to a compact digital database.


    The disappointment he had felt earlier was dispelled by the revelation of this massive upgrade.


    Before this qualitative change, his mind was like a repository of records that he had to actively peruse to infer conclusions.


    Now, he was approaching the definition of a computer, with a program designed to correlate different data sets by means of their attributes.


    Although it hadn¡¯t reached the point where every bit of information in his mind had amalgamated into a seamless whole, it still improved his processing power by leaps and bounds.


    He had essentially become a genius by virtue of his vast knowledge base and near-instantaneous thought correlation.


    In the eyes of others, they would see a bespectacled young man on a bench, grinning widely while looking at his phone.


    It was a rather normal scene of someone finding entertainment, especially in the modern world where almost everything was accessible through one¡¯s fingertips.


    Little did they know that the young man in question was already overflowing with excitement at the new possibilities within his reach.


    -


    Although Jay was extremely happy with this massive upgrade, there was still something else he wanted to test for.


    The acquisition of even a rudimentary form of metaphysical senses would be invaluable to his overall capabilities as an ascendant.


    As of the moment, he had no true way of interacting with the metaphysical world, except through his correspondence with Sorrow.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Identification didn¡¯t truly count as a metaphysical interaction because he couldn¡¯t do things beyond acquiring information from his target, which in itself was considered a one-sided affair that only involved his metaphysical qualities and not the target.


    If he had actually developed metaphysical senses this time, then he would finally have his own way of navigating the metaphysical world, even without the assistance of the elders.


    However, as hopeful he may be, he hadn¡¯t felt any form of metaphysical fluctuations so far.


    Perhaps his metaphysical senses were too weak at the moment if he had indeed developed them in the first place.


    If it were so, then he had to move around and see whether he would be able to sense some sort of irregularity beyond ordinary perception.


    He walked around the mall for a while, trying to get closer to areas crowded with people in hopes of sensing any form of oddity.


    It was only after about half an hour, when he got tired and was thinking of having some snacks, that he finally sensed something else out of the ordinary.


    It was from a gecko-shaped hairpin, of all things, that he found on the floor near the baggage counter just outside one of the supermarket entrances.


    However, he didn¡¯t feel anything akin to his previous experience with metaphysical fluctuations, where he felt that an intangible quality of himself was being tossed around by invisible ocean waves.


    Rather, it was only a mild instinctive feeling that the strangely-shaped hairpin was somehow extraordinary, thereby attracting him to it.


    He had a strong feeling that it was the metaphysical senses he had always desired, albeit in a severely underdeveloped state.


    His instincts had never failed him so far, so he went on with this assumption for the meantime.


    Although it wasn¡¯t the form of metaphysical senses he had hoped for, it was still a game-changing aspect that had massive implications to his life from here on out.


    In essence, he had finally stepped into the shallow waters of the figurative ocean of the metaphysical world.


    In the past, he had merely practiced swimming in a small inland swimming pool far from the shore.


    Now, he finally gained the rudimentary skills to navigate the vast waters on his own accord.


    Of course, it was too far away from the warship fleets of Mr. Arthas and Mr. Vergil, but it was a start nonetheless.


    In the most natural way he could muster, he swiftly pocketed the hairpin and headed home.


    Although technically a form of stealing, his curiosity toward the object had won over his instinct to leave it with the clerks at the baggage counter.


    His conscience still gnawed at him for a while until he rationalized his recent action as something that had to be done in order to move forward.


    It was the first metaphysically-related object he had seen, aside from the Amplification Orb possessed by the elders.


    He could potentially learn many things about the metaphysical world through this object alone, so he was quite reluctant to just give up the opportunity.


    In the end, he made peace with his conscience and brought it home for examination.


    He didn¡¯t dare to use Identification on it within the premises of the mall.


    The owner, most likely an ascendant themselves, might sense the ¡®theft¡¯ of their possession, possibly leading to a confrontation he would rather avoid.


    He didn¡¯t possess any form of attacking methods, except for the recently-developed concentrated debilitating aura of Sorrow, though he imagined it wasn¡¯t enough to hold back genuine combat-oriented ascendants.


    He didn¡¯t even examine it during his way home, as he feared another instance like the anomaly during his first ¡®interaction¡¯ with Sorrow.


    If something did happen, it would be best if it occurred away from the eyes of ordinary people, as it could lead to massive complications otherwise.


    As for the possibility of tracking devices, he had already inspected the hairpin and found no traces of embedded electronics, considering its small size and slim structure that made it almost impossible to hide anything in it.


    Any form of metaphysical tracking was also severely weakened with enough distance, as mentioned by Mr. Arthas, hence his immediate decision to head home after pocketing the object of interest.


    -


    ---


    -


    Meanwhile, in the same mall, somewhere in the supermarket,


    Anne and her sister were doing their weekly groceries, the latter maneuvering their large cart amidst fellow shoppers while the former picked up things here and there according to their list.


    Although part of an influential ascendant clan in their home region, they didn¡¯t have servants to assist them with everything, as was their decision before coming to the city.


    They had been captivated by the unique charm of living in the mundane world, a quality inherited from their somewhat unorthodox parents.


    Most legacy ascendants ignored or even disdained mundane matters in favor of exploring the mysteries of the metaphysical world and the intricacies of their own heritage.


    They mostly left everything else to their servants. This was the reason why they rarely appeared in public.


    On another note, Jay¡¯s classmate Dexter had once belonged to this type of lifestyle.


    However, his clan had experienced an unfortunate twist of fate. Hence, he could no longer pursue metaphysics wholeheartedly like before, as he had to handle mundane matters himself ever since.


    While her sister parked the cart behind her, Anne bent down to reach for the canned sardines at the bottom of a shelf.


    Her sister inadvertently glanced at her head and noticed the absence of a particular adornment.


    ¡°Hey, where¡¯s that gecko hairpin I gave you earlier? Didn¡¯t you promise you''d wear it at least for today? Did you lose it on purpose?¡±


    Anne had a fear of geckos, and her sister was trying to solve this seemingly unreasonable issue by easing her mind into their existence.


    Her sister thought it was a good idea to keep an imitation close to her body at all times, saying that she had to face her fears even if only one small step at a time.


    Even so, the thought of the texture of the gecko¡¯s skin and its ability to cling stubbornly to everything, even human skin, had always crossed her mind, even if she tried hard not to.


    Hence, she tried to get rid of the disgusting hairpin as inconspicuously as she could.


    She could have kept it in her pocket but she knew that her sister would make her wear it again, and even keep an eye on her to make sure she didn¡¯t remove it again.


    However, if she ¡®lost¡¯ it accidentally, then her sister would most likely give up on this initiative.


    Anne was certain about this, knowing her sister, as the latter would find it quite bothersome to buy another gecko-shaped hairpin and just drop the matter altogether.


    ¡°Hehe, does it matter though? Let¡¯s just continue with our grocery now, shall we?¡±


    Her sister could only sigh in exasperation at Anne¡¯s stubbornness.


    This matter would most likely happen again if she ever insisted on it, so she just let it slide this time, considering that Anne had always been agreeable to most matters except this one.


    ¡°Alright then, suit yourself. Just don¡¯t come crying to me if there¡¯s a gecko in your room.¡±

 025 The Ascended That Only Have Eyes For Above, Never Below

    It didn¡¯t take long for Jay to return to his rented room near the university.


    It was early afternoon and the traffic wasn¡¯t so bad at this time of day, compared to the early morning and late afternoon when the streets were full of commuters.


    After making himself comfortable, he took the gecko-shaped hairpin out of his pocket and carefully observed it.


    While on his way home, he didn¡¯t dare to take it out of his pocket on the off-chance that it might be seen by its owner.


    Even when he checked it for tracking devices, he didn¡¯t have the leisure to observe every detail of its structure.


    Now that he was in a relatively safe place, he could finally see the strange hairpin in all its glory.


    He always felt that he had to at least perform a basic observation of his Identification targets.


    He found it fun when some of his guesses about an object¡¯s characteristics were proven right by the acquired information from his ability.


    Although it seemed like some sort of mini-game in itself, perhaps it was a manifestation of his desire to preserve some semblance of self-dependency.


    His ability was quite useful and all, but deep down he felt that it wasn¡¯t something that truly belonged to him.


    Instead, it was granted to him by an unknown influence for no apparent reason.


    Although he had come to live with the fact of its existence, there was still a possibility of it being taken away from him, and even worse, during the time when he would need it the most.


    It was a lingering fear that permeated deep within his psyche, one that wouldn¡¯t be cleansed anytime soon.


    -


    The gecko-shaped hairpin seemed like it was made of an amalgamation of ceramic and metal, which was quite similar to the materials used for resistors and other electronic components designed for exposure to high temperatures.


    It had a maroon color, quite unlike real geckos, at least those that existed in his country. If he took off his glasses, he would likely mistake it for a tiny patch of spilled blood.


    As for the shape, it was quite intricately made, considering its size and the apparent difficulty of working with small materials. It seemed like something that was custom-made, which wasn¡¯t something anyone would want to lose.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was some sort of heirloom or something, but it was too late to go back on his actions now.


    Having pocketed it out of curiosity and necessity, he could only see it through and take responsibility for his actions.


    After observing the hairpin''s physical characteristics and finding nothing amiss, he proceeded to use Identification on it through touch.


    There was a high likelihood that he would be able to figure out the identity of the owner through the ¡®history¡¯ aspect of his ability.


    However, he wasn¡¯t worried about any form of counter-investigation, as he had already gone quite far from the vicinity of the mall, and it had already been a while since he found the hairpin.


    As mentioned by Mr. Arthas in the past, it was quite unlikely for most ascendants to be able to sense objects and phenomena with enough separation in space and time.


    Of course, it wouldn¡¯t hold true for people with information or divination-related abilities, which were quite rare by themselves. Even then, they would require a qualified medium in order to compensate for the distance in spacetime.


    All things considered, he was quite safe from external factors, only leaving him with the tiny possibility of encountering difficulties from the object itself.


    On the bright side, it wasn¡¯t likely to happen, considering it was far too ordinary compared to the likes of the existence of Sorrow itself.


    Immediately after using Identification on the hairpin, many details, including the basic characteristics of everything in recent contact with it, were absorbed into his mind and formed into new memories that seemed more like ¡®experiences¡¯ than mere information.


    He didn¡¯t find anything interesting with the other data sets, such as the material composition or the manufacturer.


    Every detail about it seemed ordinary except for a single data set gleaned from the ¡®history¡¯ aspect of his ability.


    It was about the last person who wore the hairpin, which was somewhat equivalent to its owner, at least according to common sense.


    The person in question was named Anne, with the last name strangely missing from the data set, along with many other important details.


    Based on this matter alone, he was quite certain that it was the same person with whom he had his first transaction. His instincts gave him the certainty to proceed with this assumption.


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    It should be mentioned that he already had sharp instincts even before developing the rudimentary form of metaphysical senses.


    After the recent qualitative change to his metaphysical qualities, he had become even more trusting of his instincts, of course, provided that there were no glaring contradictions with his own observations.


    However, even with this fascinating information, he still didn¡¯t achieve what he wanted out of this Identification attempt.


    He wanted to capture a glimpse of the metaphysical world through the strangely-shaped hairpin, but there wasn¡¯t any useful information regarding this matter except for the identity of the owner.


    Even then, the information regarding Ms. Anne was missing some important parts that defined her identity, essentially cutting off the only lead he had to knowing more about the metaphysical world.


    It seemed to be protected by some sort of esoteric encryption that he had no way of unraveling at the moment.


    To be fair, even if he did acquire important details about Ms. Anne¡¯s identity, he couldn¡¯t really go and ask her about what made the gecko hairpin special, not that he should in the first place.


    -


    Regrettably, his hopeful first attempt at exploring the metaphysical world had prematurely ended in disappointment.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t discard this matter entirely, as the apparent reason for the current situation was most likely his insufficient metaphysical qualities.


    He had no choice but to keep this matter in the back of his mind for now, along with the many mysteries that he didn¡¯t have the capability to uncover at the moment.


    Speaking of which, he had been too engrossed about the recent upgrade that he actually forgot about Sorrow.


    The recently developed rudimentary form of metaphysical senses might have some effect on their way of interaction, potentially allowing him to finally sense the true form of his companion and even enable it to stay by his side in the physical realm without inadvertently affecting the environment negatively.


    He would have to bring this matter up with Sorrow on their scheduled correspondence tomorrow.


    -


    ---


    -


    Later in the day, during the late evening, outside a dimly lit interrogation room in a hidden bunker in the middle of nowhere.


    Arthas and Vergil had just finished interrogating a covert asset of a local provincial official, the latest unexpected lead in their investigation into the sudden disappearance of certain operatives from their organization.


    They had been investigating for several weeks, yet they still couldn¡¯t find anything related to the mastermind.


    Instead of discovering any metaphysical traces, they stumbled upon the clandestine actions of several local government officials in various neighboring provinces around the capital.


    It turned out that the officials in question had been making criminals and relatively unknown individuals disappear without a trace for several years.


    From their perspective, this was a massive oversight on the part of the Kawal members stationed in the corresponding areas.


    However, dissatisfied as they might be, they didn¡¯t have the authority to reprimand the members in question, as those members belonged to the same level of seniority and were assigned to regions far from them with no overlap of responsibilities.


    -


    By sheer coincidence, they happened to witness the abduction of a reclusive elderly individual living alone in the mountains, carried out by the man they had recently interrogated in the room.


    However, they were vaguely aware that this sudden discovery was no mere coincidence, especially at their level, where they had already been exposed to vastly different applications of metaphysical concepts           .


    It seemed like someone out there was trying to push them in some direction, with the reason indeterminable at the moment.


    Of course, they welcomed any form of assistance they could get, as long as it led to even a small amount of progress.


    Even if the mysterious entity ended up having malicious intentions towards them, they merely prepared for the possibility in the back of their minds and went with the flow for the meantime.


    This was a manifestation of confidence borne from personal strength.


    They were grateful enough to accept unsolicited help with unknown intentions, yet self-assured enough to believe they could handle any potential accompanying problems as they arose.


    -


    Although the word ¡®interrogation¡¯ clearly described their recent action, they didn¡¯t perform it through conventional means like torture and negotiation, as they had much better ways of getting the same results.


    Since the captured man was an ordinary individual, they didn¡¯t have to resort to advanced metaphysical means to extract information.


    They used a hypnosis artifact in the form of a pendulum, a standard-issue device among higher-level members in their organization.


    However, despite its apparent usefulness, it had been quite ineffective in most situations they encountered.


    It wouldn¡¯t work properly on ascendants, not even on new ones like Jay, let alone the much more powerful metaphysical entities they regularly encountered in their line of work.


    Of course, it was more than enough to work on ordinary individuals, so they always carried it with them despite its apparent limited usefulness.


    From the mouth of the interrogated man, it was revealed to them that some local government officials had been abducting ¡®irrelevant¡¯ people for many years, with those individuals disappearing without a trace even by their standards.


    What frustrated them the most was that the man didn¡¯t know much beyond delivering the abducted individuals to various locations throughout the entire province governed by his employer.


    Although they considered disposing of the man themselves, they knew that it might alert some related parties, which could be detrimental to their supposedly covert investigation.


    They also couldn¡¯t just erase the man¡¯s memories and let him go, as there would inevitably be some metaphysical traces left on his person that could potentially reveal their involvement.


    Of course, they had already decided on a feasible course of action, though it would require the assistance of specific personnel. That was the reason why they were standing outside the interrogation room instead of doing something else.


    -


    Vergil noticed that his partner was unusually stern, so he stopped fiddling with his phone and addressed him.


    He knew well that beneath the impassive face was a smoldering anger that could only be quenched by blood.


    ¡°Do you think they were too irresponsible?¡±


    Vergil was referring to the Kawal members assigned to the interrogated man¡¯s province.


    Arthas was quiet for a while before letting out a deep sigh, expressing his dissipated anger and resignation regarding the recently discovered situation.


    ¡°Not really. They were just doing their duty, and I can¡¯t blame them for that.¡±


    Kawal was essentially an ascendant organization that operated solely within ascendant society, though it called itself a servant of the entire country.


    Its members were only tasked with involving themselves in disruptive metaphysical phenomena, as the regulation of mundane society was considered the responsibility of the corresponding mundane organizations.


    Even so, Arthas felt that ascendants shouldn¡¯t be dismissive of the plight of ordinary people, inadvertently allowing these transgressions against humanity to happen, even if it didn¡¯t fall under their job descriptions.


    They had quite a long time to discover and even address these clandestine operations, yet nothing was done about them even today.


    Those people, even the criminals, didn¡¯t deserve having their lives on the palm of others.


    Although he didn¡¯t know the true purpose behind these abductions, it was highly likely that it wasn¡¯t done with good intentions in mind.


    With these thoughts in mind, he found it hard to think well of the people that had the power to prevent the matter but chose to abstain from involvement instead.