Adam took a shower to wash off the blood and sweat that had racked up due to the recent incident. His eyes dark and empty... The shock from the recent events had brought up familiar feelings of the past.

The ice cold water numbed his heart…

"Kidnapping... Yeah, kidnapping..." He remembered having this familiar feeling. His dad told him about an incident. Talking about how while he was doing his thing, his parents were robbed of their jewellery.

They went incognito on their trip to another country for a business meeting. Maybe because they didn't look wealthy, things did not escalate... but who knew what could’ve happened if the robbers found out.

He remembered how terrified he became of travel after that. Imagining in his head countless ways the situation could have gone wrong. How he could have never known that his parents were in danger.

How they could have came back in body-bags.

It brought him back to the reality of the present.

"Who is the culprit?" Adam thought with fear in his heart. He couldn't understand why he was suddenly attacked. If they wanted his wealth, that was one thing... but to try and kidnap him in broad daylight...

…and that too in his own home...?

It made the young man become lost in thoughts:

"Was I too careless?" Adam thought that maybe he should have taken better precautions in this scary world. At first, he thought that maybe petty crimes was all he'd worry about... but now he wasn't sure.

This incident felt too deliberate to be written off.

It wasn't a coincidence.

"Maybe I should have developed this my home defences more." Paranoia creeped into Adam's mind at that moment. A regret arose within him. If he had hired more employed workers and made his land secure, then he wouldn't have went through this.

That powerless feeling of having no control.

It made him feel guilty.

Beating himself up over the cruelty of reality- Wait…

No, was it really his fault to begin with?

"Maybe it was 'them'." Adam reasoned. The timing of the attack on him and how his guests arrived was impeccable. Was it really a coincidence? He thought back to recent unfortunate events more thoroughly.

Maybe it was Jake Arcadia who sent those intruders. 

They might've been here to capture him.

...But it didn't seem like that feisty guy's style.

Moreover, Jake wasn't bad enough to use assassins.

The only thing he could think of was that it likely had to do with Duke Bryan. That damn crazy mad scientist... If the duke somehow got word of his immortality or special innate abilities, then there was a chance he'd do everything to get him.

Nothing was too low for such an insane bastard.

"Reluctance will only harm me. I need to contact a royal and get support." Adam made his move. This was his best option to date. He knew of the messy relationship the new Reigning Queen had with the now Crowned King, but that was all there was.

As for the current him and the imperial family... The two of them were on such good enough terms that Ramos would likely protect Adam properly. He had both information about royals and status right now.

Clearly able to reap benefits.

The 'Arcadia’ name wouldn't move the imperial family one bit. If he contacted them, they were sure to have solutions. Things they could do to more comprehensively protect him from unknown danger.

"What cards do I have? What cards can be used for later?" Adam thought about it. He got out of the bath and worked. Having to use everything at his disposal if he wanted to create a long-term plan for a long life.

'Winging it' wasn't an option anymore.

That's why he sat the guards assigned to by royalty down together the next day, then explained. This was after reporting what happened earlier. There was some outrage from them, but the incident died down solely because blowing it up had no benefits.

Not only would it advertise Adam’s weakness, but those who'd sent the intruders would be become alert. These guests of his had recovered and regained their composure while things were going on like this.

Adam wasn't the only one deeply affected by this.

Sebastian looked down the most out of all of them.

As a battlefield retiree, he looked worse for ware after realising how powerless he was in this new realm. The same could be said for Hyuk. Though he tried to pretend nothing was bothering him lately.

It was only Simon who looked truly unbothered by recent circumstances. His mood sunny and bright after resetting back to his drunken stupor. Returning to his apathetic ways of lazing around on sofas.

Adam approached him and asked:

"Do you want to start training now?"

"Not yet." Simon waved him off groggily. Looking like talking gave him a headache. After all, there were things they needed to address if they were going to continue forward. It was too important.

"Then why did you ask us to come?" Adam felt a bit disappointed. If the teacher wasn't motivated, then how would he get any drive to train? He could feel his mental energy being siphoned simply by talking.

It was a good thing Adam thought up a solution:

"Simon... I'm planning to hire both you and Sebastian as my instructors. One for battle, and the other for magic." His words caused the depressed magician to realise he'd been found out since earlier.

Walking out from where he was hidden.

"You saw how powerless I was earlier, but you still want to learn from me?" Sebastian pointed at himself rudely. Unable to give himself any respect after such a loss. Shame was his only emotion.

Adam wasn't the only one scarred that day...

Hyuk was unusually quiet after his friend made this statement. Not wanting to interrupt and make him feel worse. He knew better than to try and comfort someone who was naturally harsh on themselves.

"It's better to keep you all close to me." Adam spoke.

"Why?" Sebastian couldn't understand it.

"You all know 'why'... Don't act like you haven't figured me out already. Hah... Now, can I ask you a personal question?" Adam sighed before making direct eye-contact. This tone made Sebastian frown.

He knew exactly what the landlord planned to ask.

No one saw Adam's immortality directly, and even if they did... at least regeneration made more sense than what ‘he’ did. From what the whistleblower had told them: Sebastian got back up after a headshot.

His secret was out in the open now.

The magician looked between the curious eyes of Hyuk and the sleepy demeanour of his... 'new coworker'. As always, Simon was much too drunk for this conversation. Opting to listen to them quietly.

Hyuk looked like he'd burn holes through Sebastian. 

A normal reaction to what he'd witnessed.

"Fine. I can't hide it. If the question is if I'm immortal, then 'Yes' and 'No'." Sebastian came out with it immediately. Since they all knew, he had no reason to hide any crazy power in this crazy world.

Though his answer confused all of them.

"What does that mean?" Adam wasn't fond of beating around the bush. Either you were immortal or you weren't. Maybe it wasn't true immortality, but being able to at least shrug off death was enough.

However, there seemed to be a reason for this.

"It would be easier to show it than using words alone." Sebastian brought up a lot of his status window. Showing that he trusted them way more than what they knew. Allowing him to be honest.

[Name: Sebastian Pegasus

Job: Battlefield Retiree/ Titles: Otherworlder

Personal Skills: Mana Sense (Common)

Growth Characteristic: Concerned Instructor/ Justice Justifier

Unique Skill: Observer Effect of Death Inconsistency

Intrinsic Skill: Battlefield Experience (Common), Instructor Experience (Common), Modern Education (Common), Potential Expansion (Special)

Imaginary Attribute: Cat Zodiac, Victor Frankenstein/ Magic Affinity: Lightning/ Gift Slot: Unawakened/Untrained

Power Tier= D (Heroic)

Agility Tier= C (Legendary)

Speed Tier= D (Rare)

Defence Tier= E (Rare)

Combat Prowess= B (Professional Magician)]

More questions appeared in Adam's head after seeing these parts of his personal data. He couldn't quite grasp it. That one Unique Skill with a lengthy name seemed to be what Sebastian talked about.

And so... Sebastian took the time to explain it:

"People of my world... or 'Mortal Realm' as they call it here... called 'Imaginary Attributes' as 'Spectre Possessions'. We believed there were beings just beyond our senses, but not completely separated from us like the 'Divine Realm' we're in."

Basically, they believed in ghosts.

"What does that have to do with your Skill?" Adam couldn't put two-and-two together with what they had currently. The term 'Death Inconsistency' didn't sound like it was related at all to spirits and the like.

"Everything. In fact: I never had a Unique Skill before coming to this world, nor a second Imaginary Attribute." Sebastian revealed. These words picked Adam's interest. Making him look at that section.

Was having that part filled in important?

Imaginary Attribute...?

"What is an Imaginary Attribute?" Adam wanted his lessons to start now. Besides Simon's similar look, it seemed like Hyuk and Sebastian were on the same page over this. He was likely the odd one out.

And it was likely the geezer didn't have one as well.

"From what I can imagine, they are spirits that don't technically exist." Sebastian was still talking as if he hadn't personally seen them before. Something that was useless in front of the three in front of him.

Maybe they weren't familiar with his world, but they were intelligent enough to know that magicians weren't the same as cultists. They also didn't have enough faith to believe in religions and the sort.

There was no way a magician like Sebastian believed in ghosts and Imaginary Attributes without irrefutable evidence. The same way one understood magic by interacting with it like a scholar would.

With this in mind, why did he describe it like that?

"Was that supposed to be a pun... or some sort of wordplay?" Adam would rather he picked a side than be like this. Saying things like they don't 'technically' when the man defeat enough proof to believe or did.

But at least he was starting to figure Sebastian out.

Knowing he had that sort of personality, huh?

"Not quite... In my world, 'Spectres' were creatures that existed in beyond our scope of science and understanding. Then possessing humans gave them abilities similar to the nature they had." Sebastian did not reveal the underlying reason he believed it.

Instead only sharing what he needed to.

"So you're saying they're like ghosts?" Adam made that connection again. Trying to test his boundaries in what he would say and would not. After all, most mortal worlds did not believe in supernatural beings.

Similar to his own world.

At least, that's what he learned from the Ethernet.

"That was similar to what we believed to be true at the time. The people of my world thought they were ancient spirits." Sebastian made the distinction, and that only made Adam lean in with great interest.

"So you're saying they're... NOT ghosts?"

"There's no way they could be that." Sebastian did not falter. He agreed of Adam's words with great confidence. Not believing in the slightest bit that these 'Imaginary' creatures, Spectres, were ghosts.

"And why is that?" Adam raised his brows.

"There’s one called 'Victor Frankenstein'." These words gave Sebastian claim a solid foundation to walk on. It was a name Adam was all too familiar with. There was no way he would know that name.

The landlord couldn't fathom it and refuted:

"No... From what I know, 'Victor Frankenstein' is a character in a story. He doesn't actually exist in reality." Adam stopped himself there. Countless possibilities started to circle his chaotic thoughts.

Sebastian's words hit him deeply. 

It was to the point he came to a conclusion Sebastian didn't expect: "Could it be that... This, err... 'Victor Frankenstein' guy is a spirit from another world? A world where the events from the story worked?" 

These words didn't have any evidence.

However, Adam thought back to the Otome Game and Linda Arcadia. They too were 'fictional' at one point. So did that mean 'Imaginary Attributes' were foreign ghosts possessing the bodies of the living?

If so, why not take over their host's body?

Sebastian thought about it for a moment... before personally putting this theory about the 'Imaginary Spirits' to rest. Though it might be true a Victor Frankenstein could exist, that did not relate to this.

"That's a good idea. I'd never thought of how there might be more variety in the realms that we actually know of." Sebastian did not cut him off without first praising his intellect. This was an occupational trait.

Something he did as a former instructor.

"You're gonna say 'However' now, aren't you?" Adam was ready to be embarrassed. He realised that his theory would have implications like ghosts possessing the living were a norm in Sebastian’s era.

And his magic users were happily letting it happen.

"...Right. Anyway, that would explain the 'Victor Frankenstein' part… to a certain extent, but not the strange 'Cat Zodiac' I have." Sebastian himself had no leads on how this attribute suddenly popped up.

"You gained that after coming to this world?"

"Yes. That, along with a Unique Skill that combined aspects from both my Imaginary Attributes. What you said can explain the individual spirit, but it can't explain the constellation. On top of that..." Sebastian shifted his eyes to the name on his status screen.

"What now…?" Adam was already getting tired.

"The 'Cat Zodiac' doesn't exist." Sebastian spoke with similar certainty to when he said ‘Imaginary Spirits’ called Spectres existed. He seemed to have read up on constellations in his spare time.

"Huh?" Adam didn’t expect this info. Things were getting confusing, but all he got from it was that Gaia gave him this power- No, Gaia had given all ascenders this ability to emulate story characters.

Why him...?

From what Sebas explained, the 'Cat Zodiac' was apparently not of the western or Chinese Zodiacs listed in the records anywhere between worlds. It was a 13th Zodiac that similar to Serperantarius.

"What I've speculated is that spirits both real and imaginary at the same time. This is what 'Spectres' are." Sebastian once again was bringing up that looping conversation. It was annoying to hear.

"That's... a nice lore dump." Adam sighed. Knowing this helped him understand what Gaia meant by her words back then. Since she was born from the collective imagination of the living, her looks weren’t set to anything. Allowing her to become anything.

Since no one knew of Mother Nature's appearance.

It was all different depending on who you asked.

If that was the case, why was she in charge of this world? Shouldn't 'God' be used as a placeholder? On top of that, how was she so powerful even though there were myths of greater Gods and Devils? 

If it was all about popularity, then there were a lot of other deities worshipped more than the world. Even competition and wars would’ve erupted simply so imaginative beings could feed off human beliefs.

Regardless, speculations about it didn't matter.

Adam went back to the point of the conversation:

"I'm guessing 'Observer Effect of Death Inconsistency' came from Schrödinger's cat? I’m pretty sure there’s no connection to that and this weird Cat Zodiac." Adam reasoned about this.

But the other person wasn’t interested.

"I'd read the original novel of 'Frankenstein'. From what it said: Victor Frankenstein apparently learned 'all forms of science' in his zeal for knowledge. The thought experiment you mean likely counts."

"Who was the author of it?"

"Mary Shelley. And what about you?" Adam checked how different history was in their world. He was expecting someone else had wrote it, only to be surprised. Some things stayed exactly identical. 

"Same." Sebastian nodded when he saw the look in Adam’s eyes. The both of them became quite at the realisation of what that casual statement possibly meant. The implications of parallels between worlds.

"...What have you two been talking about?" Hyuk spoke to them. It looked like their only listener was lost. Both of them looked at Kang Hyuk's innocent face and decided against voicing out their theory.

That part wasn't important anyway.

"If I simplify what he's trying to say, the two Imaginary Attributes created a Skill. It probably has to do with 'Potential Expansion' Intrinsic Skill or something." Adam tried changing the subject.

"I'm not sure about that. From what the description says: I can choose if I'm 'alive' or 'dead' so long as no one is directly looking at me." Sebastian was so casual about this bombshell detail. This sounded so overpowered that Adam and Kang Hyuk gaped.

"You can do that?!" The both of them jumped.

"Yeah... But it comes with a big catch. Injuries to my body don't heal, they only get better if I stitch myself together… personally." Sebastian moved his fringe to show the bullet wound hadn't fully regenerated.

A mark on his forehead. 

"You mean like with him?" Hyuk pointed at the unconcerned Simon. He was still drinking heavily like always, but they were now more aware that he wasn’t simply a man with no backstory to tell.

"I usually fix some life support Spells on myself in the moment. Putting myself back together. If I didn’t do that, then the moment someone looked at me, I’d be considered as 'dead' in their eyes." Sebastian wasn’t the least bit wary of any of this house.

They earned his trust.

"That sounds real inconvenient..." Adam mumbled.

"It is, so don't misuse what I'm telling you." Even though he said that, Sebastian seemed sure no one here had any bad intentions towards him. These words made Adam remember what he was told.

"Don't worry. I'll tell you my secret in return." Adam then went on to sharing what happened then. How he'd actually met Gaia and the fact he really believed that Duke Bryan was responsible for this incident.

It was something he hadn't expected to do before.

Or maybe a calculated act.

However, maybe because they all survived a fight(?) between life and death, Adam opened up to them a little. There was no point making things harder by not sharing this crucial information with them.

The murky eyed Simon slammed his glass down and made eye contact, which all of them returned. A smile appeared on their faces when the three dudes understood that all of them trusted one another.

This wasn't just a partnership out of necessity.

Kang Hyuk also took this opportunity tell them about himself. How he actually missed his world a lot. Apparently, he felt that all women of the Martial World would cry because a good man departed.

A statement that made Adam and Sebastian look at him like he was an idiot. One hell of a powerful one at that. Especially when he brought up that he was a Martial King that ascended using Dual Cultivation. 

These words caused one individual’s dull eyes to light up. Wasn't that getting stronger via simply having sex? Was it possible for Adam to get strong without putting any work in? The opportunity to laze made the now paranoid landlord to snap at him:

"Teach me." Adam NEEDED that skill now.

"Hmph! So you know my greatness." Hyuk felt proud of himself. This reaction was common in his world. The pervert snorted in pride... He couldn't remember how many had asked for his guidance on how to become the incredible man he was today.

But there was one problem:

"I can teach you if you get a girlfriend or full-on get married first. Even better if it's a resident of this nation." Hyuk didn’t seem to find his advice too difficult. All adults had to consider this at some point. Better to get it arranged if not fallen in love.

Otherwise, being forever alone was a real possibility.

"...I can't." Adam turned his head away.

An action that perplexed Hyuk and Sebastian. 

Even the usually sleepy Simon took a good look.

Why couldn’t he get married?

Was there some problem?

If not, then he should be rational.

"Then what? Are you planning to do it with me~? I couldn’t do that with you even if I wanted to. You see… I'm too straight for that." Hyuk didn’t even hesitate before teasing their perverted landlord.

There was no free meal in the world.

If he wanted it, then he just had to act appropriately.

"..." Seeing how realistically he was given a rejection made Adam question his decision making. Whether it was worth getting cozy with a STRANGER who could pose a DANGER due to being a BETRAYER.

Recent events didn’t make him more trusting.

He opened up for the first time. Sure…

…but it was better to take one step at a time.

Was he really going to take him on as a teacher?

Well, it was either that or the alternative. Which was actually 'pushing past his limits' and almost dying to swiftly get a strong Qi Centre. Something that Simon was saying he’d make him do in their first lesson.

How was he going to fix this issue?

Adam mulled over a few ideas and realised the card to getting what he wanted was here all along. Wasn't his first transaction with royalty to hide Ascenders that had nowhere to go and needed to be hidden?

Why not take advantage of them a little?

"I got an idea." Adam made a plan.

If he put his mind to it, he had a lot of things that could be used to tie himself tightly to the royal bloodline. Not only did he own a piece of territory in the Capitol of the nation, but he was also a bachelor.

If he played his cards right then… couldn’t he manage to form a political relationship with a girl?

It was then he took a deep breath before declaring:

"I'm gonna go marry a beautiful princess!"