Chapter 82

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Adam (3)

I contemplated. ‘It’s not my business if he kills all of those punks.’

But what he said after that bothered me. If those punks rushed on him, he would wrestle with them and let some go on purpose? And as an excuse to find them and finish them, he said that he would kill those innocent humans in the refugee camp. It was a threat brewed from an adequate misunderstanding.

‘I did not know what kind of organization that union was, but they generally seem to ban slaughtering innocent humans.’

He must have thought that I was a member of that union and was here to interfere with a possible slaughter.’ Although I was a human completely irrelevant to it.’ But the problem was, I couldn’t let that alien massacre those in the refugee camp because of me. I observed his core once again.

‘The active Mana was 200,000.’

I asked myself, could I hold him down without killing him? An answer that it was least likely came back. Then. ‘Could I kill him by ambushing him?’ Considering my item, skill, and the fact that he didn’t know me right now. ‘That might be possible.’ But was it necessary to fight here? In the first place, I had intended to stalk him and identify who he was and what his motives were, but things had taken a wrong turn.

‘The critical move was in stalking the opponent without having any idea of his abilities.’

I didn’t know what combinations allowed him to, but he had noticed that he had a tail on him. After contemplating, I decided to reveal myself.

Swwash!

As I appeared out of thin air, the punks panicked, “W-what was that bastard!”

Abrams smiled and moved his finger, signaling me to come closer, “Yeah! I knew it! Of course, the ‘eye’ hired by the union was following…” He tilted his head, discontinuing his sentence, “Huh? Are you a real watcher? You don’t have the unique thing that those guys have.”

Before I replied to the alien, I decided to get rid of those roaches. To the Awakened that surrounded him, I sent out a murderous aura as if I were trying to intimidate him. Then, they trembled as if they realized that something was wrong.

‘Idiots that didn’t know that their lives were like the candle in the wind.’ A few of them grabbed their sword handle instinctively. “If you draw that, that could be the end of you. Fortunately, you can still turn this thing around, so bug off.”

They exchanged nervous glances. There were two opponents, but they were unable to easily give up because of the crowds. It was clear how many Awakened had run away to here after committing crimes. Excluding the few that could be counted with my fingers, most of them were E-Rank, D-Rank, at most. If those assumptions were right, they were second-guessing if they could take care of us. I decided to end their contemplation. Weeing! I pulled up the sword at the speed of lightning. Even before they could react to it, fragments of floating sword energy, the size of a palm, surrounded them, aiming sharply.

“Gasp!”

They did not know what to did at all. They must have genuinely realized that I was not an opponent that could be touched. I once again said aggressively, “Get out!”

Only then did they waver their steps. One by one, they started to flee the scene. It took a few seconds for them to run away. After dealing with them, Adams and I locked our eyes again. He still tilted his head, “Your method of handling the natives was weird as well. What are you?”

I observed him closely. Along his left and right clavicles, as he was unclothed at the top, four holes the size of fingers were present. And from those holes, a flesh-colored finger-sized tube came out.

‘Still, there was no movement of Mana!’

And that moment, each tube opened their mouths and aimed for my head. I had come prepared to respond to any situations such as retaliation, defense, or fleeing. But still, in my eyes, nothing could be seen, and he didn’t attack.

He suddenly murmured, “Mask Slime? This is as weird as it gets. It’s not the method of how they work.” It was the item that I placed upon to hide my face as protection. “I see. You aren’t a watcher! Are you just a native from here? A native from a novice dimension, where the tutorial had just begun, stalked me?!” The eight tubes changed their angles and aimed at my shoulder. Then, he exclaimed, “Ah, it’s [Hermit’s Gray Cape]! You must have been lucky. You got yourself a quite useful item, didn’t you?” The tubes gradually aimed as if they were scanning my lower body. Adam’s facial expressions changed, “What? Why does an Awakened of a novice dimension have such grand items? Your whole body is surrounded with SS-Rank items!”

Then, at that exact moment, the tube aimed at my hands. Adam Abrams’ body stiffened like a stone. He babbled, “T-t-that!” In a panicked and baffled voice, he shouted, pointing at the ring on my finger, “Where did you get that from!”

Of course, he was pointing to the ‘[Door of Hope]’ the only SSS-Class among the items I owned. The artifact, that if coordinates were given, one could travel to any other dimensions.

‘He’s reacting like his mouth was about to foam.’ I did not reply and silently observed him.

Adam shouted with a look that suggested he would rush in on me at any given moment, “What was the coordinate of the middle dimension that you got that from? No, they wouldn’t know what dimension coordinates were!”

I did know. On the map that I saw when I met the ministry spirit, the normal dimension that connected Earth, and the middle dimension functioning as a bridge, was also listed. But I deliberately kept silent and watched his reactions.

“Even if you did not know the coordinates, you must have gone through a gate that’s connected to this world. Where was this gate? Did you happen to have closed the gate?”

I knew that this item had excellent and outstanding performance. To react like that suggested that it meant a lot to the alien. Only then did I open my mouth, “Are you curious about the information on this item?”

Only when Adam heard those words did he seem to analyze the situation and calmed himself down. “Damn, I got too agitated,” he soon fixed his expression and snorted, “Your kind don’t know the true value of that ring.”

It did not seem like he would rush in on me to steal it. He must have known that most of the human Awakened were weaker than him. But not attempting, even if he knew, meant…

‘Ethics of an alien? Or, because it violated the treaty that was mentioned a while ago?’

I spoke to him, “If you need information that you want from me,” I continued calmly, “Perhaps we could make a deal?”

*

Abrams, on hearing the offer, seemed to contemplate something for a while. After telling me to hold on, he made a wavering Mana pattern in a unique way. I realized that it was some sort of communication type skill.

‘Was he doing some interdimensional communication?’

I did not have to wait long, and as if he heard of the answer from the other side, he nodded and said, “Before I accept the trade, there is something that I need to confirm.” He asked as if I was dubious, “How did you know my location to stalk me? No matter how hard I think about it, I did not leave a trace that a human could follow.”

“The system informed me.”

He had not expected that, and he whistled. It was a natural gesture like a human, “The system wouldn’t have told you that for free, and it’s not yet the time for screening quests to begin… Ah, it must be. Did you deal additionally because the reward balance wasn’t right?”

To raise an objection to the system or to make a deal was a concept that was unimaginable to the humans of this era, except for me. But since he was from a dimension that finished the tutorial and went through all the walks of life, he’d analyzed the situation just by hearing a word from me.

He made an expression as if he were intrigued and spoke. “It is already amazing that an Awakened, from a novice dimension, had thought of such an idea. You must have intended to find spies from other dimensions, right? But you’ve got the wrong one,” Abrams continued his words, smiling, “The information of an Awakened the system leaks were only limited to those from a dimension with finished tutorials.”

I nodded, “So it was.”

“That’s right. And you people didn’t need to observe me. I’m bound by the treaty anyway, so we could not cause hostile interdimensional behavior.”

“What is that so-called treaty? And what is the union?”

He sighed, “Well, the system wouldn’t have taught you that far. It must have informed you of my location since you requested it. Without the explanation, you didn’t need to do so.”

Adam continued his explanation in a tone that was tiresome, “It was still a story far from you people, but to those species that entered the main request and had made some progress, were given time to relax. They questioned what the system really was, and if they could continue the situation with all the dimension giving their all and following their guidance.”

Earth was yet to climb to that level.

“Of course, your kind was still in that state where you were lost in the sweet reward of Mana core and artifacts. It must also be hectic to end the creation of dungeons that lead to collapse continuously. But in a dimension where the main quest was moderately progressed, they start to ponder. To follow the system or to rebel.”

“Rebel?”

“The idea of being kept in the control of the system or find a way to detach yourself from it.”

He talked about what seemed to be a more fundamental concept than the opening and closure of dimensions that could be chosen at the end of the tutorial.

“And the union is an organization that decided that it was right to follow the system for the development of each dimension. They think that they should support as many dimensions as possible to successfully complete the tutorial to get on track of going through the main quest.

“But I didn’t remember Earth receiving such support until now?”

“You must not have noticed, but it was already in progress,” he continued his explanation, “The system primarily protected the dimension that was carrying out the tutorial. The being from another dimension that started the main quest must pay the price to enter a dimension like the Earth. It’s an entrance fee,” he frowned, “I had a similar case. To come here, I paid as much as 1.4 million experience points as an entrance fee to the system! Your expression is getting weird. You must know what this is. Anyways, let us put that explanation away.”

Actually, I was aware of the thing called experience points. I knew the only method to acquire them was in the tutorial stage. The reason why my expression changed was that I was surprised by the ridiculous figure of 1.4 million. Then, I understood the reason for the immortal for roaming around only in the tutorial dimensions.

It was because, when the main quest started, there was a limitation to the movement.

Adam continued to explain, “There’s only one thing that you need to understand. Even an Awakened who finished the tutorial could come to a novice dimension like this for a price. Like me! And most of those were of higher standards than the natives.”

They all should have been equipped with superior battle power that dominates humans. Like Adam, in front of me.

“Among the contents of the treaty, made by the union, there were laws that protect this kind of dimension. And they tend to oversee every dimension… In your kind’s expression, they tend to perform the role of the police. Even those of our dimension that did not join the union forced us to follow by leaning it on our faces. From the victim’s position, it was an act that made them like bullies.” He clicked his tongue a few times and continued, “… Well, that went quite far. Anyway, the union bastards had been observing Earth from the moment that the tutorial had begun, and they’re watching if bastards like me were violating the treaty.”

I could understand. Then why did they let the act of Angelica be? I couldn’t help but question this, “Then why were you participating with Adam Abrams’ identity after paying 1.4 million experience points to come to Earth? Where did the real Adam go?”

He replied bluntly, “When I found the native that I borrowed the name and identity from, He was already dead. The cause was a heart attack.”

He must have inherited his life like a relay baton. Well, rather than inheriting it, it was more like flipping it around.

“And the reason I’m here… if I want to explain it, I must reveal my profession first, though?”

Profession?

He frowned as if it wasn’t easy for him and said, “My profession was… Hmm. There isn’t a suitable word to be compared in your world. But to find something that is remotely close…”

And the following words were something that I had never expected.

“Hmm, yeah. My profession was… a student.”

What?

“And soon I couldn’t Grahhfe$%@st… Ah, you don’t need to bother trying to understand it. It is a pronunciation out of the audible frequency of humans, so it is hard to deliver it as it is,” he contemplated for a while and spoke, “Anyways, to explain in long words in line with your concepts, I would soon have to pass through ‘the second hurdle to prove the knowledge and experience in a certain area of expertise.’ And my major was Pheri#@%@$it.”

He scratched his chin as if it was quite troubling.

“There is no suitable word for this… To describe that, it is ‘a study of research focused on the dungeon monster that appears in each dimension and their anatomical characteristics and behavior, and the change in characteristics of the monsters through the dimensions’.”

“Monster studies? Beast studies?”

“If you translate it that way, the scope becomes too large. The major I had just said is an area of study that focused on specific topics.”

My head was starting to hurt, “Then the reason why you’re here is?”

Was it to do Field Study required for graduation? Should I believe this?