In the old tavern, Lumian unexpectedly spotted the mysterious woman.
She actually got out of bed?
I hadn't seen her at all these past few days!
A number of rather rude remarks immediately sprang to Lumian's mind, but he quickly adjusted his attitude and walked over to the lady who was "acting out of character" and "up very early," asking casually:
"You're up early?"
"Could it be that I haven't slept all night?" Fors glanced at Lumian, a trace of surprise suddenly appearing in her eyes:
"...Wait, you've already become a Beyonder?"
She doesn't know about my godfather? A flicker of confusion arose in Lumian's mind, but he quickly reacted:
"Yes. After I killed that monster, I saw something like a puddle of blood seep out of its corpse."
Lumian paused, quickly considering whether there were any holes in his story:
"After that blood congealed into a lump, the monster lost some of the qualities that made me feel terrified and afraid. I guessed that the blood it left behind had something to do with Beyonders."
At this point, Lumian smiled and spoke to Fors as though he thought nothing of it:
"Then I ate that blood clot. The process was very painful, but I succeeded in the end."
He wanted to present himself as a reckless brute "desperate to gain power." Although his godfather had said he was helping because of something special about him, his godfather had saved his life. Until he knew what relationship this woman had with his godfather, he had no intention of revealing his dealings with Nimrod to her.
"In that case, you really are quite lucky. Perhaps that's also an outward sign of your natural compatibility with this pathway."
Fors looked Lumian up and down, a certain sorrow and pity seeping into her eyes that he couldn't understand:
"That lump of blood you ate, well, we generally call it a 'Beyonder Characteristic'... Normally, a Beyonder Characteristic needs to be combined with supplementary ingredients to make a Potion that's relatively easy to consume. I just never imagined you would dare eat something produced by a monster raw..."
"Well, I was originally going to give you the Potion formula corresponding to that Beyonder Characteristic, but there's no need now."
Looking at the lively Lumian before her, Fors took a sip of her coffee and gave a self-deprecating chuckle. "Heh, it seems there are still some things I need to tell you ahead of time. Sometimes, you're considerably more impulsive than I imagined..."
"First, I need to tell you about your Beyonder Pathway. The Characteristic you consumed is called 'Hunter'..."
You only told me half the story and kept the rest hidden, and now it's my fault? Lumian pretended he hadn't heard the same information from Nimrod already, listening to Fors and occasionally nodding "earnestly."
Since this woman doesn't know about my godfather, I can't reveal his existence...
Hmm, as my sister would put it, this is called "a Hunter's self-cultivation"!
The sun rose and then set again. After another exploration of the dream, during which he collected some money, Lumian got up early-after becoming a "Hunter," he could clearly feel the changes in himself.
He had more energy, his physical capabilities had improved considerably, and he had learned how to use certain traps and weapons without being taught. Although he hadn't completely surpassed human limits, he could indeed be considered extraordinary, entirely different from before.
"One serving for my sister, one for me..." Hearing Aurore moving around in the washroom, Lumian muttered to himself as he tied on his apron. But his hands paused, and he picked up some more noodles and tossed them into the pot:
"My godfather should be coming over to discuss our next 'battle plan.' I'll prepare a serving for him too."
After Nimrod saved Lumian's life, and Lumian realized that Nimrod didn't conceal anything when he spoke, unlike "that woman" who liked to tell only half the story, he had naturally begun addressing Nimrod as "Godfather."
A little later, before Aurore had even taken her seat at the dining table, Nimrod's knock sounded at the door.
Lumian hurried over to open the door for Nimrod and enthusiastically spread his arms toward him:
"My dear godfather!"
Of course, Lumian still kept his voice very low, making sure Aurore couldn't hear him:
"Thank you for all your work investigating. I've prepared breakfast for you-have you discovered anything new?"
"We'll talk in a moment." Nimrod smiled at Lumian and exposed his little scheme. "Are you planning to tell Ms. Aurore about the plan we came up with in the early hours yesterday?"
"That's right," Lumian said shamelessly:
"How about you take a break and let me do the talking?"
Clearly, he wanted to show off in front of Aurore.
"Go ahead." Nimrod smiled:
"I've made some new discoveries. I'll tell you both once your sister comes out. Speaking of which, do you remember all the basic knowledge and laws I told you before?"
-Nimrod knew that as soon as Lumian appeared before Fors, she would inevitably realize he had become a Beyonder. Thus, after Lumian became one, he had shared the relevant knowledge with him.
"I remember it all," Lumian said honestly, selling out Fors, who had gone over that knowledge with him again yesterday:
"The lady I met told me some of the things you'd already explained, including the two Beyonder laws and the Acting Method. Oh, and I didn't say you gave me the Potion formula. I said I consumed the Beyonder Characteristic directly."
At this point, a hint of confusion entered Lumian's voice:
"But she also told me that the seal on me came from a great existence whose name I can't know unless I'm strong enough-do you know where the seal on me came from?"
"More or less." Nimrod nodded gently. After saying the words "The Fool" in Chinese, he looked at Lumian's bewildered expression and smiled:
"That lady wasn't lying to you. In your current state, hearing that name would instantly corrupt you into a twisted, mutated monster-so don't ask your sister what the term I just used means."
"Unlike you, your sister comes from the same place as me and can understand what I say. The moment she hears you speak that name, she'll be corrupted."
"After all, I imagine you wouldn't want anything to happen to your sister, would you?"
Nimrod delivered this villainous-sounding declaration with a perfectly straight face.
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