As Alicia tossed a small cylindrical object onto the street, Carn watched in awe as it transformed into a sleek white car. As they took off into the air, the wind whipped through their hair and the hum of the engine filled their ears.

Suddenly, Alicia turned to Carn with a curious look in her purple eyes. "You gotta tell me how your latent talent changed and what species abilities you got from the tier-up ritual," she said eagerly.

Carn blinked, realizing that he had been so caught up in his own thoughts that he had forgotten to check his skills menu. With a quick tap on his wristband, the holographic menu popped up before his eyes. To his surprise, all of his skills had leveled up to copper and he had gained a new species passive called Cosmic Eyes.

- Cosmic Eyes -

Type: Species

Tier: Copper

Your eyes can view anything in immaculate detail, you can zoom your vision in and out without the need for binoculars.

Alicia's eyes widened as she stared into Carn's, watching the emerald green irises that now seemed to be spinning like tiny galaxies. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed it before.

“They look weird don’t they,” Carn said, turning away shyly.

“On the contrary, they're absolutely mesmerizing,” Alicia replied, her gaze still fixated on his eyes.

Carn took a deep breath and decided to share something with Alicia. “Remember how we don’t know which high-elemental I hail from?” he asked.

“Yeah, I remember. What about it?” Alicia replied, recalling her encounter with the fire high-elemental in God’s Paradise.

Carn then revealed his experience during the gravity test and the magic test at Stanford, describing the galaxies that formed when he put his hand on the magic sphere and the monster that spoke shortly thereafter. “And now, these eyes... are space elementals a thing?” he asked, searching for an explanation.

Alicia pondered for a moment, “I haven't heard of space elementals before, but it does make sense. I just don't know if such a thing exists.”

Carn nodded thoughtfully, his mind already racing with possibilities for his new abilities. "Serrated Aura and Relentless Strikes, huh? Sounds like I'll be packing a serious punch."

- Serrated Aura -

Type: Class (Passive)

Tier: Copper

When using attacks with aura your rip at the targets skin causing them to bleed profusely, dealing damage over time

- Relentless Strikes -

Type: Class (Active)

Tier: Copper

Level: 10

You coat your blade in aura increasing its damage by 1.1x. Each relentless strike against the same target without getting hit increases the damage by an additional 1.1x of your base damage. (not multiplicative)

Alicia grinned at his excitement. "That's a classic combo for Rangers, it lets them do massive single-target damage. Once you hit Gold tier you'll start getting individualized class abilities."

Carn frowned. "I'm still not even iron tier yet, though. The only thing that changed for my Latent Talent was an increase in stats it gives and I can also passively regenerate aura along with mana when I'm outside or in an otherwise clean environment. Kinda boring to be honest. It's still only level 8, too. I wonder when I can increase that."

Alicia rolled her eyes. "You know, others would kill for your latent talent. A Latent Talent that can level up, give stats and provide other benefits is extremely rare. Mine only let me teleport one foot in any direction before it tiered up, so don't be too picky."

Carn raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Seriously? I guess I shouldn't complain then."

Alicia laughed. "You definitely shouldn't. And who knows, maybe your Latent Talent will surprise you again in the future. For now, you should focus on getting to iron tier."

Carn looked through the rest of his skills, and the ones that gave stats increased in the amount they gave. The active skills didn’t change at all with them changing tier but staying at level 10 with no description change. He did notice that they could be leveled once again so he wasn’t too disappointed.

The biggest change was to elemental blood, it now gave a 10% (previous 5%) chance to use a random elemental effect on non-elemental magic like Magic Arrow. It also gave 20% elemental damage resistance (previous 10%).

The hum of the car's engine slowly died down as they landed in Long Beach, the warm sun beating down on them as they stepped out. Alicia led Carn to a small, cozy hair salon where an old lady with gnarled hands and a mischievous glint in her eye greeted them. The barber lady got to work with her scissors, deftly snipping away at Carn's hair. All the while, she poked fun at him and made jokes, much to the amusement of Alicia.

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"First time you're bringin' along a boy, eh?" the barber lady said with a cackle.

Carn blushed, feeling slightly embarrassed at the teasing. But he couldn't help but smile at the friendly banter. When she was finished, he looked at himself in the mirror, surprised at how different he looked with his new haircut. He had short-cut faded sides with longer hair on top. He had never gotten a professional haircut before so this was a new experience for him.

"Thank you, ma'am," Carn said, feeling grateful for the barber lady's work.

Alicia led him out of the salon and into a nearby sandwich shop. The smell of freshly baked bread and grilled meats hit them as they stepped inside. Alicia ordered a couple of sandwiches and they found a small table near the window, watching people walk by as they ate their lunch.

Carn took a bite of the sandwich and his eyes widened in surprise. "This is amazing," he said with a mouthful of food.

"I know, right? I come here all the time," Alicia replied with a grin.

The sandwich shop was small, but cozy, with a few wooden tables and chairs set up outside. The smell of freshly baked bread and grilled meat wafted through the air, making Carn's stomach growl in anticipation. They chatted and laughed while they ate their sandwiches and enjoyed the sunny day.

"Thanks for bringing me here today, Alicia. I'm having a great time," he said.

"I'm glad you are. I'm having fun too," she replied, smiling warmly.

Carn enthusiastically recounted his experience at Stanford while savoring his sandwich. Alicia listened intently, her eyes widening in surprise at Carn's impressive results.

"World records in the 100-meter dash and the mile? That's amazing, Carn! Congratulations!" Alicia said, genuinely impressed.

Carn smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, "Thanks, I wasn't expecting it either."

Carn continued to chat and talked about the people he met including Micheal Hypneal. "They're a prestigious family, you know. Michael's sleep magic is highly sought after in the upper circles," she said, swirling her drink.

Carn nodded thoughtfully, taking in the new information. "Wow, I didn't know that. They were really nice though."

Their conversation then turned to the fire high-elemental in God's Paradise and the possibility of the game being something more than just a game. Carn listened closely, intrigued by Alicia's theory. "So, you think there's more to the game than we know? That's kind of scary," he said, his brow furrowing in concern.

Alicia shrugged, "It's just a theory. But it's always good to be aware of what we're getting into."

After finishing their sandwiches, Carn and Alicia went to the grocery store to get the ingredients for dinner. They strolled through the aisles, picking up various items and chatting about their day. Carn was surprised at how much he was enjoying the simple act of grocery shopping with Alicia.

As they walked through the produce section, Carn carefully picked out the perfect peppers and onions for the empanadas, while Alicia grabbed a bag of corn and a few cans of beans for the rice. Alicia talked about her family while Carn regaled tales of some of the customers he had met.

After grabbing everything they needed, they made their way to the checkout and paid for their groceries. Carn carried the bags as they walked back to Alicia's apartment, chatting and joking along the way.

Once they got to Alicia's apartment, Carn set to work on dinner. As the smells of the cooking food filled the air, Alicia watched in awe as Carn worked his magic in the kitchen. She couldn't believe how skilled he was in the kitchen.

Finally, after hours of cooking, everything was ready. Carn plated the empanadas with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cilantro, alongside a heaping serving of rice and corn. For dessert, he brought out the flan topped with fresh strawberries, which were perfectly caramelized and looked absolutely delicious.

As they sat down to eat, Alicia couldn't help but feel grateful for the amazing day they had together, and for the delicious meal that Carn had cooked. She savored every bite of the beef empanadas and rice, and the flan was every bit as amazing as his old boss had promised.

"This is amazing," she said, savoring the flavor. "Your boss was right, countries would go to war over this."

Carn grinned, pleased with the compliment.

As they finished their meal, Carn cleared the plates and washed the dishes. Alicia watched him work and felt a sense of contentment wash over her. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly at ease with someone.

After finishing their delicious dinner, Carn and Alicia sat on the couch, feeling satisfied and content.

"I can't believe you cooked all of this yourself," Alicia said, impressed. "You're really talented," she said, giving him two thumbs up with a cheeky smile.

Carn shrugged. "I learned how to cook when I was working at that restaurant. It's one of the few skills I have that isn't related to exercise."

"Well, you should definitely cook for me more often," Alicia said, smiling at him.

Carn grinned. "I'd like that."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company. Finally, Alicia spoke up. "So, what do you think about the game not being a real game?"

Carn hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. "I don't know," he said finally. "It's a weird thought. But I guess it wouldn't actually surprise me all that much. I mean playing the game makes you stronger in the real world after all and it has been the way we have protected ourselves from the gates. Maybe it's better not to think about it too much."

Alicia nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's just...strange. But let's talk about something else. Do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

Carn shook his head. "Not really. I was just going to explore the city some more. Maybe go to the beach or something."

"Sounds like fun," Alicia said. "Do you want some company?"

Carn smiled at her. "I'd like that."

They spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing, enjoying each other's company. As the night wore on, Alicia reluctantly stood up to leave. "I should probably get going," she said, looking at her phone. "It's getting late."

Carn stood up as well. "I'll walk you out," he said, following her to the door.

As they stood in the hallway, Alicia turned to him. "Thank you for dinner. And for today. I had a really great time."

Carn smiled. "Me too. I'm glad you came with me."

They hugged briefly, and then Alicia turned to leave. As she walked away from the house, she turned and waved goodbye before disappearing in a flash of light. Carn watched her go, feeling a warmth in his chest that he couldn't quite explain.