Upon waking up from his 8-hour nap, it was already morning. He swiftly tidied up all the items in his makeshift workshop, pulling everything into a neat silver suitcase enchanted with Spatial Runes. In about fifteen minutes, the whole hotel room was cleaned out. He then took a shower, wore his bio-masking suit, and donned a loose-fitting suit.

Upon glancing at the mirror, he spotted his game character's exquisite features, feminine and feline. His long white hair had been tied up into a pony tail, and his sapphire eyes sparkled with dangerous curiosity.

"Hm," Kaymelin regarded this appearance.

He built this face on the premise of juxtaposition. He wanted a character so different from his usual self, yet still bearing the aesthetics of humanity. Along with such thoughts, those memories of his past life's appearance inevitably appeared within his mind.

Jet-black, obsidian hair, cut cleanly into a warrior's ponytail. A face that seesawed between a sharp roguish demeanour and a clean, intellectual gleam. His body was muscular, oozing with the power. A blue glow would always radiate from his skin, for each of his cells was a miniature star. His eyes were usually a pure white, with lines of scientific circuits shifting and churning, augmenting his vision to see even quantum particles and distant exoplanets.

He was what many ancient humans might have called a god. However, in his own eyes, he was far from anything of the sort. He was still human. Mortal. Incapable of feats beyond science.

Recalling those memories, Kaymelin finalised his decision. Such would be the face and body he would use as he moved forward in his plans.

Thus, after an injection of Mana and the activation of a Skill, Kaymelin watched has assumed the body and appearance he knew all too well. His loose clothes now made sense.

The firm muscles on his back felt so real, and each motion of his arms seemed to exude nuclear strength. Unfortunately, as the bio-masking suit was an inferior version of the one he first created, he could not replicate his former body's augmented physique. In the first place, even the original bio-masking suit could not do so. Such a feat was nigh-impossible with the knowledge and technology Kaymelin had at hand.

He had made the calculations and thus arrived upon such a conclusion.

***

As Kaymelin left his hotel room, he left behind a quantum receptor. Walking out with his silver suitcase, he strode forward with a cadence that drew the gazes of the crowd. Kaymelin then swiftly got into the car he had secretly expropriated and modified.

With the roar of the engine, he then took to the skies, joining the many cars above. The sound of such an exotic engine surprised those nearby, and they couldn't help but envy whoever got permission to ride such a vehicle.

***

Half an hour into the ride, Kaymelin felt his watch notify him. He accessed the quantum receptor and gazed through its lens.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

After a few moments of observation, he set his car to autopilot and began writing.

[ Slow and unresponsive. The security in this area is indeed disappointingly within expectations for an impoverished region. It took a total of 59 hours, 32 minutes, and 24 seconds for them to properly organise a strike team. ]

Kaymelin glanced at his watch once more. He saw the heavily armed team of over a dozen well-trained soldiers break into his hotel room all at once. Only to discover that not even a speck of dust was out of place.

"How cute," a chuckle left Kaymelin's lips.

Then, once Kaymelin was satisfied, the Quantum Receptor deleted itself from reality with the push of a button.

[ Verdict: Uninteresting ]

With this, the preparation phase was complete.

***

[=[ Name: Visca Kaymelin ]=]

[]=[]=[]=[]=[]=[]

ID: Wonderland Mask

LVL: 1 (F-Rank Blank)

Talent: Grimoire of the Collector (Growth-Type | F-Rank), Slaughterer’s Reset (B-Rank)

Profession: None

Titles: (1) Beyond Comprehension

[]=[]=[]=[]=[]=[]

Thievery was Kaymelin's best friend. Especially in a world that operated on a very subtle yet efficient law of the jungle. The strong preyed on the weak, yes, but they did so by slowly siphoning off every bit of life force they had, wasting nothing save for what entropy itself drags down. Bones, atoms, and cells. All of these would feed the rich in an endless cycle.

If he stole something small from someone very rich, then instantly, he would climb up to a spot that was a cut above the rest. Moreover, with his extensive and rich experience with society, it was easy for him to turn this small profit into a stream of cash flow. Although he was now on the news as a suspicious person of interest, that was fine. After all, it was 'Galven' who was wanted, and not 'Kaymelin' as in the Demon Researcher from a thousand years ago.

Nonetheless, Kaymelin still knew that this amount of hiding was not enough. A mere glimpse at the virtual battle his devices were currently waging was indicative of the encroaching powers of the law. In fact, he couldn't help but frown.

[ Advanced and insidious artificial intelligences, as well as some ingenious loopholes. It seems like the virtual world had somehow been proliferating beyond my capabilities. ]

"Have they discovered that interaction?" Kaymelin squinted his eyes. If they did, then it seemed like he had to be even more careful. He had to take a few more precautions — as seen through the encryption web he had to hurriedly implement onto his devices.

When he finally finished, the cyber attacks waned. However, they refused to leave, like the ocean tide slowly washing away the sea shore. That was unfortunately all he could do for now.

The door to his car opened with the whoosh of depressurization. A chauffeur welcomed him with a warm towel and some rice wine.

"Is it alright if I have your name, esteemed Sir?"

Kaymelin alighted, and as he straightened up he said, "Wonderland,"

The chauffeur checked his watch, and his expression gradually turned into a frown.

"Sir, pardon me, but you are not on the guestbook—"

Kaymelin raised a brow, however a distant voice spoke from afar.

"Let him in, Joseph. His identity has complications. Moreover, he isn't a guest, but a seller." The voice was accompanied by the clack of footsteps. "Isn't that right, Mister Wonderland?"

Kaymelin smiled gently as he looked at the approaching man, "That is correct."

In his heart however, he was already on guard. The 'man' who made his way to him was actually a youth with blonde hair and grey eyes. No older than fourteen. Kaymelin knew who this youth was. A cunning figure who he had interacted with only through pen and paper.

He had even schemed against the boy during their first encounter, however his intuition had told him to approach the situation in a different manner.

Hence, this youth could be considered a friend.

"You have keen eyes," Kaymelin's eyes flashed as he spoke, "As expected of Young Master Leon,"

"It is a pleasure to finally get to meet you in person."