Chapter 165 CH 159: SNEAKY

Riding down the elevator of the hunter association, Adam looked absentmindedly at the control panel while he went progressively deeper into the depths of the earth.

Adam had been playing around with his Electromagnetism and realized that while he had an easy time using the Electro part of his powers, the manipulation of magnetic aspects was a lot harder.

As one of the four fundamental forces of the universe, full mastery of this power could confer him enormous power— power far beyond anything he could imagine.

'Should I start working on cyber security or simple metal manipulation?'

If he had to be honest, he believed that at the lowest level, Electromagnetism was even more dangerous than the application of gravity itself.

It wasn't even about all the electric discharge he could generate but how the modern world was entirely reliant on technology and metallurgy.

What would happen if he mastered the art of creating EMP bombs using his power of Electromagnetism?

'Next time should I actually read a few mangas with Eve?'

She told him and proved that reading and studying knowledge in the library was more efficient because the books were written by the laws of the universe itself.

The same should apply to the manga and the rest of the anime entertainment department she was probably binging on. So what would happen if he read one of those comic books there? Would he understand the actual manga more or would his understanding extend to the special powers showcased in the books themselves?

'Genesis, what do you think?'

[This is an extremely interesting idea that is worth entertaining in my opinion. I will compile a list of possible shows you may watch to test the theory out. Even if it fails, it would still offer some insight and ideas on how to use your power in different ways.]

'Thanks.'

Genesis was definitely becoming more proactive ever since he decided to become an actual criminal. Which was pretty funny in a certain way when he stopped to think about this.

Adam could only give a chuckle when the elevator stopped just four floors before his destination point.

Ding~

The door of the elevator opened wide and Adam was once again greeted with the surreal sight of those hundreds of doors. At least it was worth knowing that there were many places like this out there.

This time though, there was a difference as he wasn't the only one present in the room.

Adam looked down at the young girl that looked like she was just entering high school, greeting him with a smile.

She had long flowing dark green hair that moved erratically without the presence of any wind in the room, while her eyes were also of the same shade of green with pupils reminiscent of a snake. Her eyes were covered by a pair of stocky glasses and she was wearing a white lab coat over a green shirt and a black colored short skirt.

"Hi!"

"Hello?"

He spoke in confusion at the way the young girl greeted him and sauntered into the elevator.

The door closed and the two stood in silence as the elevator resumed its descent down.

"I have never seen you here, are you a new hunter?"

Adam shrugged and spoke, "I guess I am. Not totally vetted through."

"Oh!!"

She clapped and looked up wistfully, "I always wanted to become a hunter, protect the weak and all that jazz. Sadly, I do not have the means to do that. Don't you think it's beautiful? People who are willing to jump in the fray and fight against evil?"

Adam tried to ignore the chatter of the young girl that looked more like a fan girl than anything else and waited impatiently for the elevator ride to end.

"You are no fun. Did you know that such boring action won't be attractive to women?"

"Haha."

This elicited a laugh from him as he remembered similar words coming from Sae back then. She had always liked to tease him and encourage him to come out of his shell. It reminded him of simpler times— times when he didn't need to think about anything else other than reading books and getting good grades for his future.

'I miss her.'

He wanted to meet her and discuss endlessly with her. He wanted to know if she was alright and spend time with her like he used to do back then.

"You look like you had a heartbreak."

"A heartbreak?" He shook his head, "Something similar I guess. But not exactly so."

"I see. Heartbreaks are sad, you know? It's like having the one you loved and believed in decapitating you in your sleep and using your head to show off his prowess."

"This is… An oddly specific example."

"Fufufu~ I am just joking. But the heart is truly a mystery. It's simply an organ but at the same time, so many emotions are tied to it. Even though most emotions are nothing but chemical reactions coming from the brain."

"You must be a funny addition at a party."

"I believe the same can be said of you."

The two chuckled and Adam was surprised to find himself having fun with such a complete stranger just a few seconds after meeting each other.

—This was why he became all the warier of her.

They spoke quietly and exchanged light conversation with each other and finally, it did not take long for them to reach the final floor.

"Hello Adam, I am happy to see —"

The elevator opened this time to Mark welcoming him but the man immediately paled in shock when he looked at them. More precisely, when he looked at her.

"Doctor! We have been searching for you. Where have you been?"

The green-haired young girl's expressive smile vanished and she cracked her neck slightly before speaking, "I am just meeting the examinee a few moments before the start."

She gave a hollow smile, "But he must have already had an inkling about who I am, right?"

Adam's eyes twitched slightly and his smile stiffened at the meaningful look she was directing at him. Of course, he knew who she was. The moment she had tried to act all chummy with him, he had used the Eyes of Truth on her to see who she was.

"Adam. This is Doctor Piaget Freud. She will be the one to take care of you. She may be young but you shouldn't underestimate her. She made many groundbreaking discoveries."

"...Young?"

Adam nearly coughed out in surprise at this appellation as he remembered the shocking status screen and he had to admit… It was perhaps the most shocking one to date he had ever witnessed.

『 Name: Piaget Freud (###)

Affiliation: Humanity

Alias: The Hierophant || Ophiuchus [1] || Gorgon || Mad Scientist || Heretic || One Who Refused Godhood || Hero || Monster in Human Shell || Seeker of Knowledge || The one who looked at the Abyss || One who witnessed the end of Civilizations || Chased by the Grim Reaper

Race: Human????

Age: #####

Emotion: Curiosity 』

『 Stats

Strength: D+

Speed: D+

Dexterity: D+

Endurance: D+

Prana: B

Charm: B

Willpower: SSS

Luck: S

Overall Combat Capacity: B+

Remark: This is a woman that made the impossible possible. Her combat rating may be low, but be extremely wary of her existence. 』

Adam had to admit… If he didn't have three minds, he would have been absolutely frozen in surprise by what he saw.

This was the second time he met someone with a name related to Major Arcana. But as if it wasn't enough, the way some information was inaccessible was something he only faced when standing in front of Eve and Lilith.

Finally…

'What the hell is up with those stats and her titles.'

The Eyes of Truth could not even fully determine her race.

"I am indeed a very young woman who will take care of you, Adam Gospel?"

She spoke with a cutesy voice to which Adam barely nodded in acceptance.

"Haha, shall we go now? Our conversation was very interesting."

Adam swept his hair. He had long realized that the test had already begun from the moment she entered the elevator with him.

'Genesis, for now on I will passively use the Eyes of Truth with my third mind. I want you to record any and all status and report to me whenever I am about to see someone.'

He needed to be constantly alert to avoid any sudden ambushes.

[Very well.]

He finally looked up at the snake-like woman who was gazing at him with a creepy smile. More importantly, she was gazing at the empty spot just where the Book of Genesis had been.

"I guess that you are ready now."

'Did she see it? It does not seem to be the case. So, did she feel it somehow? How?'

"I am."

"Very well. Let's go to my office and relax, shall we?"

Piaget giggled and started to lead the way. Leaving a dumbfounded Mark behind who started to wonder if he had just been as transparent as air to those two.

He massaged his brows and sighed tiredly. Anyway, there was nothing else he could do but observe.

Piaget had a rather low rate of admission as she was very harsh when it came to choosing Hunters.

But he believed that Adam would not fail.

It was then, his phone vibrated as he looked at a message.

[Sender: Little Sis

Message: I was forced to stop the investigation by my boss.]

Angry and sad emojis were added at the end of the message, making him chuckle a little.

He answered quite simply,

[Reply: Since when have you listened to your boss?]

[Sender: Little Sis

Message: I know, right? This is why I won't give up. He had vanished from school a few days ago. I am sure he is preparing something shady.]

He smiled at the overzealousness of his sister that was similar to his and sighed once more— this time leaking with much more tiredness in his voice. Thankfully, when she was not working, his sister was a very capable and sociable person.

"Should I just go home now?"

He sighed for the third time and walked back to his own office. At least he could finish some work or just play on his computer for the time being.

———

[1]: (V) - The Hierophant in a Tarot reading might, for example, represent a priest, scholar, therapist, or teacher.

Ophiuchus is the 13th zodiac sign. The Serpent. In the Myths, Ophiuchus represented Asclepius, the god of medicine and the son of the god of the sun— Apollo. Asclepius was basically a demigod who, by observing snakes, found the secret to immortality and resurrection.

The dude became super rich thanks to that but this pissed off Hades. So Hades complained to Zeus who decided to literally strike Asclepius down with lightning.

But this time it was Apollo that was pissed off. So Zeus went fuck it and made the man a god by bringing up his constellations in the sky.

Gorgon, represents Medusa. I think I don't really need to explain more but basically another innocent person who got cursed by the gods and died an unjust death.