ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟙𝟚𝟜: 𝔖𝔫𝔢𝔞𝕜𝕪 𝕨𝔞𝔦𝔱𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔰 & 𝔑𝔞𝔯𝔠𝔦𝔰𝔰𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔠 𝔭𝔞𝔭𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔷𝔷𝔬 ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ

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꧁𓊈 𝔍𝔲𝔩𝔦𝔞 & 𝔐𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔦𝔫𓊉꧂

The ambiance within the top floor of the restaurant exuded an air of exclusivity and luxury, its tasteful decor illuminated by soft, ambient lighting.

Around a round table, a group of nine sat, quietly enjoying the array of starters brought to them by the servers. Each dish had been meticulously prepared and presented, befitting the standard of a top-notch restaurant.

Outside the private room, the servers huddled nervously near their manager, who had monitored the service with hawk-like eyes.

The staff exchanged anxious glances, their breaths held as they awaited his evaluation. For a moment, the manager’s stern face betrayed no emotion. Then, to their collective relief, he raised a thumbs-up.

“You all did well. Keep this up for the entire session. The main courses are next. Let the VIP customers finish the starters before you enter the room again. Understood? Now, chop-chop! Back to work!”

The servers hurried off, their nerves settling as they resumed their duties. However, once they were further from the manager, the tension found its way into whispered conversations.

“Ah, man, that was intense,” one waiter said to his colleague, his voice low. “I’ve served VIPs before, but today’s group felt... different. For some reason, it was like I couldn’t breathe properly around them. Sigh, maybe I’m just overthinking it.”

The other waiter nodded quickly, his eyes wide. “You felt that too? I thought my asthma was acting up or something. I was so scared I’d drop one of those plates. Thank God nothing happened, or the manager would’ve had our heads. And with customers like that? They’ve reserved the entire floor; we’d never hear the end of it.”

Their whispered conversation continued as they walked away, only to realize that their unease wasn’t isolated. Other staff members chimed in quietly, sharing similar experiences of the strange, almost oppressive aura emanating from the VIP table.

Unnoticed by her colleagues, one waitress, Julia, slipped away from the group. Her steps were quiet as she ducked into a hidden corner near the back of the service area. Glancing around to ensure she wasn’t being watched, she pulled out a phone, a direct violation of the restaurant's strict rules.

Employees were required to leave their phones in lockers at the start of their shifts to maintain focus and professionalism. Phones were only to be retrieved after their shifts ended. However, Julia had smuggled hers onto the floor.

With quick fingers, she dialed the number, her expression tense as she raised the phone to her ear.

Ring... Ring... Ring... Ring...

"Ah, just pick up already," she muttered under her breath as irritation flickered across her face.

Undeterred, she called again. Once, twice. Her frustration mounted with each unanswered ring, until on the third attempt, the line finally connected.

"Idiot!" she hissed, her voice low but brimming with irritation. "I'm risking my job for you, and you can't even bother to pick up your phone right away?"

A male voice stuttered through the line, his words tumbling out in a clumsy attempt to appease her. "So... sorry, babe. When you called, my publisher was all over me, demanding more celebrity stories for tomorrow's newspaper. It’s not like I could just pull them out of thin air!"

There was a brief pause, then a hint of nervous charm crept into his tone. "I mean, I’m lucky, right? To have my beautiful girlfriend working in the city's most famous restaurant, where all the big-name celebrities come to dine. Without my angel, what could I possibly do?"

The paparazzo, Martin, rattled on in one fell swoop, leaving no room for Julia to interrupt—a crafty move after sensing her irritation over his late response. His honeyed words and lavish praises were to soothe her anger, and to his relief, they seemed to be working.

"Alright, enough with your glib tongue," she interjected, her tone sharp but calmer now. "Let’s get straight to the point. Do you remember the sensation about that re-trial case a week ago? The one where an enterprise won against the Quadnite Conglomerate?"

He perked up instantly. "Yeah, yeah… the Nav-Yuga Enterprise! That news blew up back then. Even now, it’s still topping the trending charts. Is this about that rising enterprise?"

His enthusiasm bubbled through the line, laced with intrigue. Julia could almost hear the hum of his anticipation, already piecing together the possibility of an exclusive angle tied to the case that had captivated the city’s attention.

She replied, "Yup. To be precise, it’s about the youngest son of that enterprise’s CEO—the one who became a sensation after the re-trial incident. He’s here, along with a group. There were even three bodyguards with them, so the others must be famous too. If you can get here soon, you might snag some pictures and, if you’re lucky, even a short interview."

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It was as if a fuse lit up in his mind. Martin blurted out in a sudden rush of words, "Oh, wait… wait! I remember his name—it’s Kay! Yes, Kay. He’s famous not just as the lawyer who took down a huge conglomerate, or as the CEO’s youngest son, but also for his dashing looks!"

His voice brimmed with excitement, the prospect of catching a hot lead sending a jolt of energy through him. For a moment, he could already envision the photos, the headlines, and the clicks pouring in, all centered around one of the city’s most-talked-about rising star.

"Apparently, he’s a hot topic among girls. Especially the women at my office—they go absolutely bonkers for this guy. I’ll admit, he’s handsome, but isn’t this getting out of hand? I mean, if we’re talking about looks, I’m not far off from this guy, right?"

Julia let out an audible click of her tongue, her voice dripping with disdain. "Peh! Who are you kidding? The fact that you’re even asking this means you haven’t properly looked at the guy. Anyway, stop wasting time and get moving. Bye—I’ve got work to do. Duty calls."

With that, the line disconnected, leaving Martin standing there, stunned by his girlfriend’s bluntness.

Blinking, he wandered over to the nearest mirror and ran a hand through his messy hair, attempting to smooth it down. "She must be joking, right? Aren’t I handsome?" he muttered, studying his reflection with a mix of doubt and vanity.

As he struck a somewhat dramatic pose, a colleague walked by, catching his words. She slowed, scowled at him, and muttered dismissively, "Who are you kidding?!" before continuing on her way.

Martin froze, the words echoing painfully in his mind like déjà vu. ‘First Julia, now this?’ He recovered quickly, shrugging off the sting and puffing himself up again.

"Girls these days just don’t have good taste," he mumbled, his voice laced with false confidence.

With a quick flourish, he blew a theatrical chef’s kiss to his reflection in the mirror, striking an exaggerated grin.

Then, snapping back to business, he grabbed his camera bag and hurried out the door toward the restaurant, ready to chase his big scoop.

꧁𓊈 𝔍𝔞𝕪 𓊉꧂

Meanwhile, on the top floor, Jay absorbed every detail of the conversation between the sneaky waitress and her paparazzo boyfriend, courtesy of his skill,║Mind Eye║.

He had been aware of the exchange from the moment it began. If he had wanted to, he could have erased the waitress’s memory of their group entirely before she even made the call. But Jay chose not to intervene.

He had his reasons. Not only had he allowed the interaction to proceed, but he also shielded the couple’s conversation from Olivia’s attention.

While Olivia’s innate talent,║SOUL EYES║, was formidable enough to let her read the thoughts of those even a floor below, she lacked Jay’s║Mind Eye║skill. This ability ran passively in the background, granting Jay awareness of everything within a 500-meter radius.

The skill║Mind Eye║was born from,║INFINITE CONVERGENCE║, which fused two of Olivia’s original skills when he synchronized with her Moon Origin Sigil.

The synchronization process could work both ways; Olivia could theoretically learn any skill Jay acquired through║SOUL EYES║. However, because║Mind Eye║was created through convergence, it remained exclusive to Jay—and to Qew, whose innate talent served as its foundation.

Typically, one’s ability to use a skill depended on its alignment with their innate talent. For example, without a Fire Innate Talent, one couldn’t use a fire-based skill like║Fireball║.

Jay, however, was an anomaly. He could wield skills regardless of whether they aligned with any innate talent he possessed, a phenomenon that had baffled him early on.

Initially, Jay assumed this ability stemmed from either his innate talent or his access to Origin Energy. Though he hadn’t confirmed which of these factors was responsible, one fact was indisputable: Jay was not bound by the limitations that governed others.

Recently, Jay discovered that his younger sister, Qew could also use skills without needing the corresponding innate talent. However, there was a prerequisite: for Qew, the skill had to be created using her innate talent,║INFINITE CONVERGENCE║.

Despite their extraordinary capabilities, both siblings faced a shared limitation. Neither could harness the full potential of a skill unless they possessed the respective innate talent.

For Jay, this limitation was easily overcome; he could simply loot the necessary innate talent to unlock a skill's complete potential. Qew, on the other hand, didn’t have that luxury.

The contrast between them was especially evident in their usage of the skill║Mind Eye║. Since Jay could utilize Olivia’s innate talent, he could fully unlock║Mind Eye║’s potential, running it passively without draining Spirit Energy—at the cost of a slightly increased mental exhaustion rate.

Qew, however, was restricted to using it as an active skill. For her,║Mind Eye║consumed Spirit Energy with every use and significantly increased her mental fatigue, limiting her ability to maintain it for long periods.

At that very moment, Qew was actively using║Mind Eye║, observing everything the waitress discussed with her paparazzo boyfriend. She was fully aware of Jay’s decision to let the events unfold unchecked and had already deduced her brother’s intentions.

However,║Mind Eye║wasn’t an all-powerful tool. While it provided exceptional awareness, it couldn’t directly manipulate or control others’ minds.

As a result, Qew could only watch the scene play out, unable to intervene directly.

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