The Hidden Compartment in the Wardrobe

Thinking back to his previous life, he had been nothing more than an ordinary nine-to-six worker. Crushed beneath exorbitant housing prices and completely without plans for the future, he had kept his desires to a minimum, willingly lying flat like a salted fish.

But now, in this world, he had already escaped the definition of an ordinary person. The salted fish had slightly turned over.

At that thought, Sifa felt somewhat excited and wanted to test his strength.

"Becoming a Beyonder is not something worth celebrating."

His mother's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over him. "My teacher once said that Beyonders are merely pitiful creatures walking along the edge of the Abyss. One careless step, and they will fall into that abyss known as 'Loss of Control.'"

"So, Sifa, don't get too excited. Restrain your emotions. Only by knowing how to control your emotions can you resist madness and avoid Loss of Control."

Reminded by her, Sifa realized that he truly had gotten carried away. He hurriedly reined in his emotions and nodded. "I'll remember your words."

Enilu smiled gently. "You don't need to be overly nervous either. The risk of Loss of Control is low at the lower Sequences, but you must remain vigilant at all times."

"Also, after becoming a Beyonder, especially at Sequence 9, although you are already different from ordinary people, blades, swords, and firearms can still threaten you. Never be careless."

"Furthermore, you need to study knowledge of the mystical domain. You need to master more advanced meditation and Spirit Vision, which allows you to observe spirituality."

"You also need to learn Ancient Feysac. It is the origin of the written languages of the nations of the North Continent, and you may need it in the future. In addition, Hermesian, which often appears in ancient tombs and is related to rituals and prayers, is also knowledge you need to master."

"I will also teach you Ritual Magic, as well as knowledge related to making charms. So you see, becoming a Beyonder is merely the first step into the mysterious world."

As someone who had once been terrible at studying, Sifa's head swelled just listening to it all. Feeling the pressure of learning, his brows could not help but knot together.

Fortunately, his mother said, "However, rest for a day or two first. Once your body has adapted to the changes brought by the potion, we can begin your studies in mysticism."

Naturally, Sifa had no objection to that decision.

That night, Sifa did not sleep very well. In the dead of night, his heightened senses became a source of distress.

He heard insects chirping that he normally could not hear and smelled all kinds of complex scents drifting in through the window. Lying in bed beneath his blanket, his mind automatically analyzed the materials of these things through touch.

In the end, Sifa used meditation to restrain his overly sharp senses before finally falling asleep.

The next morning, after getting up, Sifa performed the ritual.

"Eye That Sees All."

"God who looks down upon all things."

"You are the master of knowledge. You mock fate and toy with time."

"You are the witness of truth, the uncrowned king above the Starry Sky!"

An illusory book appeared in his hand. Opening its cover, Sifa saw that the information had changed.

Favorites: 100+

Record: Your adventure biography has received over 100 favorites. You have gained one use of the "Message Board."

Sifa read on. The previous messages were still there, and several replies had been added.

"Black Cloud Treading Snow White Glove: I found nothing but Assassins."

"Ai Yan Doesn't Talk: Red Priest and Mystery Pryer, my two favorite Pathways. And above them, there isn't even *********"

"Romantic Faded Man: A real man plays Assassin."

The corner of Sifa's mouth twitched slightly. How much did these Watchers like the Assassin Pathway? Based on my experience from my previous life, there must be something wrong with this Pathway!

Looking further down, he found that several more messages had appeared.

"An JO-Class Lifeform That Has Given Up Thinking: If you take the Hunter Pathway, you should be able to find Anderson. He should be recruiting people for a sea adventure right now, I think. (If I remembered wrong, pretend I said nothing.)"

Praise the Watchers!

Yesterday, he had just been worried that he had no clues regarding the Hunter Pathway, and this Watcher had provided one. Anderson... good, I'll remember that name! Sifa continued reading.

"My Strange Knowledge Has Grown Again: What should I say? Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, okay. →"

There was a strange Watcher here.

"Number 20191117152521520: The book is pretty interesting."

"Black Cloud Treading Snow White Glove: Friend, trust me. Go join the Gnosis Order and switch to Assassin."

You again!

"Let Fate Bring Us Together Here: Well, since you're taking the Hunter Pathway, have you figured out how to cling to Lord Klein's thigh? I remember that later on, he seemed to ***********"

Lord Klein? Was that Klein, the protagonist of the original work? Did he know clues about the Hunter Pathway? This Watcher knew a great deal of information. Unfortunately, Sifa's authority was insufficient, so he could not see the rest.

Once my authority rises in the future, I should be able to...

"Number 20210517202131878: Mm, if you really have to choose, there's only one ************** above Mystery Pryer."

This Watcher, whose specific name he did not know, also knew quite a lot. There also seemed to be a typo—it should be Mystery Pryer, right?

There were no more messages below. By this point, Sifa's head had begun to twitch, and his mental energy had been greatly drained. Since he had no questions to ask for the moment, he dismissed the summoning.

It was still early. Without calling for his personal valet, Sifa opened the window, looked out at the garden, and fell into deep thought.

"Sure enough, through the Book of Mysteries, I can obtain a great deal of useful information. I now basically know how to proceed after Hunter Sequence 8."

"I can look for that Anderson, or I can consider making contact with the protagonist of the original work."

"Also, I know about the Acting Method. It can help me digest the potion faster so that I can advance."

"I know that the key to the Acting Method lies in the name of each potion: act out the role indicated by the potion's name. Like Klein—after becoming a Seer, he joined a club and acted out the role of a 'Seer' by providing divination services to clients."

"Through the process of acting, summarize the Acting Code and thereby digest the potion!"

Sifa lightly slapped his cheek. "So, if I want to digest the potion, I need to start by acting as a Hunter?"

Mentioning Hunters reminded Sifa of something Matthew had said.

"Wolves have been appearing recently. Father Bison commissioned Leon, the famous Hunter in town, to organize several Hunters and enter the mountains to hunt them."

Sifa, who had absolutely no hunting experience, immediately made the connection and found inspiration.

"I can visit those Hunters and learn at their side. Perhaps I can gain some insight!"

With an idea and a direction, Sifa immediately put it into action. He opened his wardrobe, intending to find an outfit suitable for outdoor activities.

As he pushed aside several formal outfits, he suddenly noticed that one wooden panel deep inside the wardrobe was a different color from those around it.

Sifa curled a finger and tapped it. A hollow echo came from within the panel; there was another space behind it.

He made several attempts before finally pushing the panel open. Sure enough, there was actually a hidden compartment inside the wardrobe.

Several items hung within the compartment. One was a dark brown, high-collared long coat with two rows of buttons. Another was a black iron mask that exposed only the area around the eyes. The third was a long-barreled golden revolver with a running wolf pattern on its grip.

Sifa froze for a moment. The original owner's memories contained absolutely no information about this hidden compartment.

Yet clearly, these things belonged to him.

"So this young nobleman was playing at being a gentleman thief?"

Sifa took out the mask and tried it on. It fit perfectly.

He then took out the Golden Revolver and discovered that it was not made of pure gold. He swung out the cylinder and found it fully loaded.

As for the long coat, he found a flyer in one of its pockets.

A flyer for the Sea Monster Bar.

Sifa knew of that bar. It was located on Qingxiang Road, where workers, the poor, and thugs lived. The place was a den of all kinds of people, especially the Sea Monster Bar.

There were rumors that the bar secretly conducted illegal business.

It seemed that the original owner had once visited that bar.

What was a young nobleman doing in a place like that?

Sifa frowned and thought hard, yet he could not recall the slightest bit of information on the matter. Then came a knock on the door, followed by Matthew's voice from outside.

"Sir, are you awake?"

Sifa hurriedly put the items back into the hidden compartment, closed it, and took out a set of hunting clothes.

He allowed the valet in and put on the hunting outfit with his assistance. Sifa also brought the Serpent-Scale Revolver and made sure it was loaded.

Seeing this, the valet asked somewhat nervously, "Sir, are you...?"

Sifa did not hide it and said directly, "I want to visit Hunter Leon. Do you know where he is?"

Matthew thought for a moment before answering, "I heard last night that they had finished their first patrol of the mountains and were spending the night at the Baron's logging camp."

"Today, they'll enter the Aiberry Mountains again. Of course, they won't go too deep—only hunting around the edge."

"If there really are wolves in the mountains."

Sifa nodded and strode out energetically. "Breakfast first, then we'll go to the logging camp. Do you know how to use a hunting rifle?"

"Mr. Shirey has taught me some firearms skills, though I'm not particularly proficient," the valet quickly replied as he followed.

"Very good. Take a hunting rifle too. We're going hunting today."

After breakfast and a simple explanation of his itinerary, Sifa brought the valet to the stables. Three purebred horses common in the Loen Kingdom were kept here. These horses were known for their speed over short and medium distances and their excellent endurance, making them ideal for both riding and pulling carriages.

There were also two kinds of carriages in the household. One was an open carriage, from which its passengers could enjoy the surrounding scenery and flaunt their status to people on the street. However, because it was uncovered, it could only be used on sunny days.

The other was a four-wheeled enclosed carriage. It was relatively cumbersome, but it could shield passengers from wind and rain, making it the best choice for short and medium journeys and rainy weather.

Because the former was lighter, a single horse could pull it. The latter required two horses, while some larger enclosed carriages even needed four horses.

"Good morning, young master. Are you heading out?"

Hearing the commotion, a middle-aged man in his early fifties emerged from the stables. His skin was dark, his frame lean, and his eyes bright.

Though he was no longer young, he gave off a feeling of vitality. He was one of Sifa's grooms, old Cook, known as the Know-It-All.

PS: This was quite unexpected. I had just posted a chapter asking for a contract, and the backend immediately offered one. Great Watchers, you can invest now. ←_←