Jay had just finished his final class of the night and felt like celebrating his recent small victories with some ice-cold beer.

It just happened to be a Friday when he received his first windfall and had his first proper interaction with the psionic lifeform.

Money wasn't an issue anymore, so he decided to splurge at a proper drinking establishment on his own.

Usually, he would only go to such places when invited to gatherings, whether casual or formal.

He didn't like going by himself, as the drinks in such places had considerably higher prices compared to store-bought ones.

Of course, some might argue that the ambience of the place and the live band justified the expense.

However, he wasn't interested in either, so he considered it a loss.

Most of the music played by these kinds of bands didn’t interest him, and the atmosphere was just an aggregate of the lights and noises in the vicinity.

He felt that it wasn't worth it, unless someone else was treating, in which case he would gladly partake.

In the end, it all came down to his perception of value, and his recent windfall had somewhat altered this perception.

-

It was around half past nine when he headed out of the classroom.

Despite it being Friday night, no one invited him for drinks this time.

It wasn't because he was excluded from casual gatherings due to his constant refusal.

He had a somewhat decent relationship with his peers, courtesy of his inclination to help others and his casual demeanor.

The actual reason was that they had upcoming finals next week, and most of them felt like it wasn’t too appropriate to do anything other than preparing for it.

Of course, it wasn’t the same for Jay, courtesy of his enhanced cognitive functions.

However, he didn’t want to make it obvious on the outside, lest he attract some unnecessary attention, most likely animosity from his peers.

Having a nonchalant attitude during this supposedly busy time was nothing short of a provocation to the other students.

He didn't want to provoke anyone needlessly, especially if it would only cause trouble without any reward.

Regarding his intention to drink, he had already prepared the excuse that he needed some form of release after his relentless study sessions.

Considering his streak of good performance so far, nobody in their right mind would doubt such an excuse.

He headed to the nearest proper drinking establishment he knew, which was only a few minutes away from the university.

He preferred to drink somewhere close to make things easier for his intoxicated self.

He was already halfway to the drinking establishment when he saw a familiar pickup truck parked ahead.

He checked the vehicle with his Identification ability to make sure that it was indeed Mr. Arthas’ car. Sure enough, it actually was.

Mr. Arthas rolled down the windows as he got closer to the car.

“Hello, young man. It’s been a while.”

“Hello, sir.” He had too many things to tell the elder, and he didn't know where to start.

“Get in the car first. We’ll talk along the way.”

After Jay fastened his seat belt in the front seat, Arthas didn’t immediately begin to drive.

“You must have a lot of things you want to say. How about we talk about them over some nice, cold beer?

You seem to be heading out for a drink, so I might as well join you, if that’s okay with you.”

“Alright, sir. That would be nice.”

Jay could still afford to wait a little while longer for his desired answers, as he had already waited for quite some time anyway.

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They talked about ordinary matters during the journey to the drinking establishment, which didn’t take long since Jay was already more than halfway when he met the elder.

Not long after they arrived at the establishment, they found a table in the corner without difficulty, despite the expected Friday night crowd.

A server approached them with the menu. Arthas only glanced at it for a moment before handing it to Jay.

“Since I’m just coming along, I’ll let you decide what to get. You can leave the bill to me.

It wouldn’t be appropriate if I let my student pay for me, even if he has a lot of money.”

Jay could only smile helplessly at the elder’s implication.

“Thank you, sir.”

Since the elder wanted him to decide, Jay could only oblige. As for what he wanted to order, he didn’t even need to look at the menu to decide.

“Boss, we’ll have a bucket of Crimson Horse for now. Thanks.”

While waiting for the beer, Arthas silently erected an isolation domain around them.

Jay noticed it, albeit somewhat reluctantly. It seemed like they were finally going to discuss metaphysics-related matters.

However, he was worried that the beer might never reach their table because of this.

“I know what you’re thinking. Don’t worry about the drinks. I have my means.”

Jay could only marvel at the methods of a veteran ascendant, making him wonder when he would be able to perform such feats on his own.

“Alright, sir.”

“As long as you maintain your current pace, it won’t be impossible for you to do things you previously thought unimaginable. The only question is when.

Anyway, congratulations on your recent achievements, young man.”

“Thank you, sir. I think I’m starting to get a hang of it, although I still have much to learn.”

“All of us have much to learn, young man. By the way, are you wondering how I knew about your matters?”

“If it’s okay with you, sir, then I would like to know about it.”

“Haha. You don’t have to be so polite, especially when it comes to your own safety.

Well, we only performed some form of basic divination about your current status. There was no surveillance of any form, and your privacy remains uncompromised. I promise you that.”

“Then I thank you for your thoughtfulness, sir.”

Although Jay was inclined to believe that the elders would do him no harm, it still relieved him to receive clarification for such a sensitive matter.

“It is only proper. Now, I know that you have been waiting for a long time to ask me quite a few questions.

You can ask me now, and I’ll try to answer to the best of my abilities.”

Jay had been lost in the fog of ignorance for quite some time, and he had to expend actual effort not to ask too many questions all at once.

“What am I supposed to do with the psionic lifeform, sir?”

“Before I answer your question, I have to apologize for our sudden departure last time and for erasing your memories of the observation base's location.

I actually did intend for you to explore things your own, although I would have given you some details at least. However, my partner spontaneously decided to make it more challenging by not giving you even the slightest hint.

Rest assured, we would never have let the situation endanger you, as it was our decision to give you the psionic lifeform without your request. Again, we are very sorry.”

Despite the incident, Jay didn’t hold any grudges toward any party.

He knew deep down that the elders and the psionic lifeform meant him no harm.

To be fair, he had even benefited from the anomaly, which was all the more reason for him not to hold any resentment.

“It’s fine, sir. I’m not actually too troubled by the matter.”

“Yes, I can see that, and we are grateful for your patience. Now, back to the question at hand. I intend for it to be your means of offense for the foreseeable future. Information-related abilities like ours usually lack offensive methods at the beginning.

Although I’m not certain that the same applies to you, it is still prudent to provide you with such means nonetheless.”

“Hmm. How do I perform attacks with it, sir?”

“Well, that is for you to explore, young man.”

“Oh. Alright, sir.”

Jay had already expected such a reply, considering that the elders wanted him to have some semblance of self-sufficiency.

“I do have another question though…”

He was about to ask about the strange interaction between his ability and the psionic lifeform.

However, he noticed that Mr. Arthas had a blank look on his face at that moment, so he promptly trailed off his words.

Not long after, Arthas regained the focus in his eyes. However, he now had a sullen look on his face, unsuited to the current setting.

Jay felt that something very important had come up, and it was confirmed when Mr. Arthas spoke to him in a grave manner.

“It seems like I’ll have to address your questions another time, young man. Something significant has occurred, and my immediate presence is required.

Here’s the money for the bill. I’m sorry, young man. I’ll make it up to you next time.”

“Oh. Alright, sir. See you later.”

Mr. Arthas responded to him with only a nod before he disappeared in the blink of an eye, just like last time.

Coincidentally, the server had brought the bucket of beer not long after the elder left.

Just like last time, there was no reaction from the people around him to the sudden disappearance of the elder.

Jay was about to ask about the alternate reality he experienced during the incident with the psionic lifeform.

However, it seemed like he wasn’t fated to know more about it today.

He would have to bring up this matter first the next time they meet again, as it was the most important question among the many he had for now.

In the end, he wound up drinking alone like he planned.

Although he would have liked to drink with the elder, there were many things in the world that couldn’t be foreseen.

Now, he could only hope the urgent matter wasn't too dangerous for them.

-

Meanwhile, in the observation base.

Vergil had just teleported his partner remotely from somewhere half an hour away by car, which took quite a toll on his mental strength.

It would’ve been easier for him if the target he teleported was within his immediate vicinity. However, they had no time to care about such matters at the moment.

His recently teleported partner was currently in correspondence with the national headquarters of Kawal, located in the capital at the northern part of the country.

Vergil only had a basic understanding of the situation at hand, as he had only received a high-level alert without the corresponding information.

Of course, the alert itself was enough indication of the seriousness of the matter. He already had a few guesses on his mind at the moment.

However, it was up to his friend to retrieve more information by using esoteric means to form a secure communication channel with the headquarters, as the conventional methods don’t quite offer the same level of security.

It was only after a while when Arthas finished the correspondence with the national headquarters. He had a solemn expression with a touch of anger.

Vergil was not used to seeing his friend like this, and he had an inkling as to what might have caused the latter to have this expression.

“What’s the situation, my friend?”

“It seems like some people don’t put our organization in their eyes.”