Lynch regretted it terribly. He should've held off on imitating a Sleepless just now. This Sleepless was definitely Dunn's—he'd surely inherited Dunn's poor memory.
Otherwise, even after a little while, his own brain should've been able to retain at least something.
"Captain, I'll put this away!"
Lynch hurried to pack the parchment into the box before Dunn could do it himself. Before putting it away, he touched the Stone of Myriad Phenomena with his Spirituality.
After consuming some energy, the Stone of Myriad Phenomena helped him commit the parchment's contents to memory.
While he'd been in contact with the Stone of Myriad Phenomena just now, Lynch had discovered that it had gained this ability. As long as he touched some writing, he could spend energy to make the stone record it.
But it consumed a great deal of energy. That one recording just now had cost so much that it made his heart ache.
He should try to imitate a Beyonder with an exceptionally good memory instead. That way, he could learn faster.
He just didn't know where to find one.
He only needed to see someone once, and after that, he'd be able to imitate them.
"You can go home and rest today. It won't count as taking leave."
Dunn said this casually after watching him put the box away.
Lynch immediately refused.
He had nothing to do at home. He might as well stay here and study!
Right, he'd go for a walk later and learn all the Pathways in the team. Then he could switch to the Sleepless Pathway and see if he could imitate Leonard's version. Leonard's memory was bad too, but it had to be better than the captain's.
After all, his Mimic imitated Pathways. He couldn't tell who had provided the Pathway, or distinguish between them. He could only judge by what habitual gestures he'd picked up.
Dunn gave him a helpless look. "All right, then keep studying. Oh, there's something else I need to tell you. I once said that within five years, if you either graduated from Tingen University or found the real Antigonus Notebook, I'd make you a Beyonder and a full member of the team.
"But now everything's been moved up. Both I and the other team members believe that your performance this time has earned you a place among us.
"So, Mr. Lynch Trans, are you willing to officially join the Tingen Nighthawks and become one of us? If you are, I'll submit the application to the Holy Cathedral and wait for their approval."
Of course he was willing!
Lynch nodded eagerly.
He remembered Old Neil saying that a full member's salary doubled, and increased every year.
How could he not want that?
"Good. This means your current weekly salary will reach six pounds, and you'll receive the status of trainee inspector. As a Pathway bestowed by the Goddess, you'll take part in combat, so you'll need plenty of training and physical conditioning.
"You'll also need to study mysticism. It'll interfere with your training, of course, but it'll help you understand more about the Pathways of Beyonders and their abilities."
So that meant even less time to rest each day?
Thinking of how Dunn had just offered to let him rest and how he'd refused, Lynch felt like a complete fool.
He probably wouldn't get any rest for a while.
"You can arrange your own training and study schedule. Oh, and remember to collect fifty Demon Hunting Bullets every day."
Lynch nodded. He was happy to do that.
He'd realized that his favorite part of life so far was shooting.
Besides, imitating a Sleepless made him feel full of energy. He had more stamina and Spirituality, too, which made his training more effective.
It was definitely better than the Seer Pathway. Lynch had discovered that that afternoon, when he went to practice at the Duel Club with Klein.
Before, he and Klein had been about equally skilled. He might even have been a little worse. But after taking the Potion, he'd immediately become much better than Klein. His aim had improved to the eighth or ninth ring, and someone had even recommended he try moving targets.
His memory, though, had gotten worse.
Even after switching to the Sleepless Pathway halfway through, he still couldn't shake the unpleasant feeling.
It was probably because he still hadn't switched to Leonard's version. The captain's Sleepless was still at work.
In any case, the only way to feel better was to turn off Mimic.
But then things got awkward. He was a Beyonder, yet he looked just like an ordinary person.
So unless it was necessary, he wouldn't turn Mimic off.
A slightly worse memory was fine. He couldn't let this problem force him to work with the Nighthawks as an ordinary person with no abilities, could he?
If Lanevus suddenly showed up, he might not even be able to escape.
Of course, the main reason was that Lynch remembered the real story was about to begin.
He couldn't remember the specific events in Lord of the Mysteries, but he vaguely recalled that after Klein took the Potion, a commission came in, and Klein made some money from it.
So Lynch naturally didn't dare switch the person he was imitating too casually.
Otherwise, when someone came to see him, he couldn't exactly hide in the washroom and say he had diarrhea, then ask them to wait, could he?
Lynch sighed, wrote down what Old Neil had taught him in his notebook, and carried it to the office with a long face to start memorizing.
He kept at it until noon, but still felt he'd made little progress.
He was a bit glum during lunch, too.
He still chose the cheapest lunch option, but at least he wasn't going hungry anymore. Rozanne would share some of the breakfast he'd brought that morning.
The breakfast Lynch brought was too much for Rozanne. She generally couldn't finish it, so she gave the rest to him, and he could have it as an extra helping at lunch.
Today was no different.
Lynch slowly ate the oat bread Rozanne had left him that morning, dipping it in vegetable soup as he recited the lessons he'd studied that morning in his head.
The more he recited, the more hopeless he felt. It wasn't just that he couldn't remember everything—his mind kept wandering, too.
Everyone in the break room was chatting about what had happened around here recently. Listening to them kept distracting Lynch, so he gave up and joined in.
"There's a case in the Golden Wutong District, so Dunn and the others have all gone over there. It's just us few left. Once Lynch becomes a full member, I guess he won't be able to eat with us here anymore."
Rozanne muttered as she glanced at the newspaper on the table.
Lynch looked at her in surprise. How did this girl know he was about to become a full teammate?
He hadn't even told Klein.
"You didn't know? Maybe the captain forgot to ask you. I heard him ask Leonard what he thought about you becoming a full member. Leonard said he had no objections."
Rozanne answered with a grin.
Klein looked envious.
Lynch was about to become a full member, while he still had no idea when he'd get a lead on the Antigonus Notebook.
"Don't worry. You might get your chance soon."
After finishing his meal, Lynch patted Klein on the shoulder. Klein hurriedly checked whether any food had gotten on his suit.
"Relax! I wiped my hand first!"
Lynch rolled his eyes. He'd been planning to help Klein get the Antigonus Notebook, and the guy still had the nerve to be disgusted with him. Just wait. He'd make sure to put that notebook somewhere that would really get under Klein's skin.
That was right. Lynch planned to throw the Antigonus Notebook away and find a way to let Klein get it.
The Antigonus Notebook was no use to him. He could only see what was written in it, and it gave him no abilities at all. Even when it occasionally recovered some energy, that was still less than what the Stone of Myriad Phenomena consumed to activate.
Besides, as it slowly recovered, the Hermit Order might be able to divine its location. Keeping it with him would do more harm than good, so returning it would be more convenient.
And now that he'd become a Beyonder, he could not only spend energy to store memories in his mind, but also turn an owned Sealed Artifact back into an unowned one.
Of course, that would cost energy too. But the wool came from the sheep. The next time Klein went to Sefirah Castle, Lynch would make sure to get that energy back!
Before you continue