Shuri looked incredulously as Adam gorged down the food she had prepared for breakfast like there was no tomorrow.
It was a pretty standard breakfast at first. Some ham, eggs, toast, apple juice, and some fruit as dessert. Adam was not really a big or a picky eater usually and neither was Cecilia, for the matter. It would often seem like they could survive on anything and without eating much in particular.
But today she felt like she was looking at a literal black hole as she watched Adam literally devour everything that came his way.
"Huh… Did you not eat anything for the last few days or something?"
She asked as she prepared a few more pancakes for him, knowing that at this pace he'll need a few more servings.
"I did… Simply hungry. I started training again."
Shuri was surprised by this news, "I thought you gave up on fighting after high school?"
She knew that Cecilia had trained him in the arts of self-defense when he was younger, but after his delinquent phase in high school, he seems to have given up on fighting altogether.
"Well… I guess I just want to be sure that I can protect myself from now on."
Adam did not wish to lie outright to his aunt Shuri if he could, so he simply gave her the half-truth and omitted the rest. It was for her own good.
Shuri, who knew that Adam went through a near-death experience not long ago simply nodded without adding further. She did not wish to make the atmosphere heavier by uttering anything else.
"By the way, Cecilia, we need to go check you up again. I still don't understand why you left the hospital in such a hurry but at least let's be sure it won't be a problem."
She really didn't want to make the atmosphere heavy. But she couldn't let her friend act like an idiot either.
Cecilia sighed inwardly at her friend's words. She was debating how to inform Shuri about the truth but she also knew that doing so would be a waste of their time. Shuri was no hunter and she did not seem to have any sort of talent for spiritualism either. There was no way that the Veil would let her pass on any information to her and even if she could she wouldn't believe it.
'I need to start preparing some protection for her.'
Since she was about to reveal herself to the supernatural world once more, it was necessary that she made sure about Shuri's well-being.
She had made many enemies during her revenge-fueled days of being a hunter when she was in her younger years and she knew for a fact that those people would not hesitate to put civilians in danger.
If people were to ever learn that her Heart Chakra was damaged…. Let's just say that things would go from bad to worse very very fast.
"I will be fine. Please trust me."
Shuri sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose with annoyance and helplessness. She knew that Cecilia could be more stubborn than a mule once she took a decision. But this was just going too far.
"Adam, please say something. Your mother is acting crazy."
Adam looked up like a deer in front of a headlight and nearly choked on the food. He swore that if he died like this he would curse every deity in the world.
After receiving a glass of water, he patted his chest and breathed deeply, "Sorry. The food was so good that I couldn't help myself. I don't remember the last time I had some good homemade stuff like this."
"Hey! What about the food I make!?"
Cecilia seemed quite offended to which Adam just shrugged with a sneer on his face, "I mean. Spaghetti with Ketchup is pretty easy to make. I don't even know if it can be called a homemade dish or not."
"Heh, you don't understand, everything is in the art of how you use what you have. Adding some little ingredients here and there can completely change the dish."
"Heh… If you say so…"
The two entered a light bantering mode while Shuri shook her head with a bitter smile and raised her hands in surrender,
"Alright, alright. I give up. No need to try changing the topic like this. Though I would give a B- for the attempt. You guys seriously need to up your game if you want to misdirect a judge and jury in the future."
Adam opened his eyes wide into saucers, "So you are telling me cases are won with lies and deceit?"
"I decide to use my right to stay silent. Though, with your appearance, I guess you won't really need to talk too much."
She tilted her head as she said this. She had always known that Adam was a handsome young man underneath his usual unfashionable self. But now, she felt a little awkward looking at him. She could even feel her heartbeat accelerate a little whenever he traced his flawless jawline and immaculate face.
'Get a grip. Just how thirsty are you?'
She immediately shook those thoughts away from her mind. She might not have been in a physical relationship for years now but lusting after her nephew, no matter how handsome he was, seemed a little too much.
She also shook away the insidious thoughts that were reminding her that Adam was not blood-related to her.
Like this, the three of them laughed and spent the rest of the time having fun.
For those three souls with their own wounds, moments like this were precious souvenirs that helped them continue forward in their daily stressful lives.
"Thanks for the breakfast. I will take care of the dishes. Go watch Tv or something."
He shooed away Shuri from the kitchen and Cecilia followed her with a chuckle, fleeing from the chores.
Now alone in the kitchen, the smile slowly slipped off his face as he looked up at the book hovering in the air.
After his ordeal last night, he had fallen asleep so he was now able to see how much he had changed. His physical stats had not changed much if not at all. But his others stats did grow a bit.
[Prana: F → D+
Charm: C → C+
Willpower: C+ → B
Luck: EX]
The greatest growth was definitely to his Prana and he could feel the difference. He had been able to levitate a little yesterday but it had been quite straining for him to do so.
Rather than the lack of Prana, it seemed more like his own limitation and understanding of the skill.
For now, he could basically lift something that was equivalent to the weight of a young man.
What really felt great for him, was the feeling of lightness and freedom passing through his body.
He felt like he had been cleaned in and out of all filth and was now feeling very good. He wondered if it was something like what happened in those Xianxias when the MC cleansed their bodies off of all the impurities but it did not really matter.
'Genesis, how much Karma do I have right now?'
[Karma: 300]
'Hmm… Shouldn't I have only 250?'
He had no Karma left after deducing it to accelerate the analysis of his ability, The World, and recently he choose the Industria ordeal.
[Love is also one of the sources of Karma.]
Adam then remembered that feeling of Love, Lust, Fear, and Respect could provide him with Karma. But for that to happen they needed to surpass a certain threshold.
He then remembered that making someone reach orgasm once only gave around 10 karma.
Cecilia's feeling of love when he succeeded was equal to—
'Ugh. Fuck. I should stop already.'
He felt revulsion as his thoughts went into the gutter.
'I need skills. Please find a few skills that will help me have better control of my domain.' [1]
He needed to be able to think faster and separate his thoughts. This would make it easier to control many weapons at once.
He had so many plans and for them, he needed a more efficient way to farm Karma.
He also needed to start obtaining books from the library that would actually benefit him monetarily.
Wealth was one of his greatest goals and he sure as hell was going to become rich.
[1]: So here is the thing. You guys know I don't really have experience with skills and systems and shopping. In most systems, we generally have that moment where ten or more skills are introduced and take place needlessly even though we know only one gonna be chosen.
So I was curious. Would you rather have the skills and descriptions that 'may' be bought later in chapters, or do you only want the direct results? Or perhaps a midpoint? Like only giving the skill name but only showing the description of those he actually buys.