"Hey, answer m—" the man started to say, but before he could finish, Adam turned and rushed toward him without warning.

The man, surprised by Adam’s sudden movement, tried to back away, but it was too late. Adam was already on him. In one swift motion, Adam grabbed him, clamping his hand over the man's mouth to silence him.

"Shut up, Ed. Don’t mention anything about my past. I’m just some noob who doesn’t know anything, got it?" Adam hissed quietly.

Ed struggled, trying to pry Adam’s hand away from his mouth, a confused look crossing his face as Adam’s words sank in. He mumbled something unintelligible, still muffled by Adam’s grip.

Seeing Ed’s efforts to speak, Adam hesitated, then cautiously removed his hand, hoping whatever came next wouldn’t blow his cover.

The moment Adam’s hand moved away, Ed burst out, "Motherfucker! What the hell is wrong with you? You scared the shit out of me! I thought you were going to kill me or something!"

“Goddammit, Ed, shut up!” Adam hissed, quickly clamping his hand over Ed’s mouth again.

Adam, realizing that this hallway was the worst place for a confrontation, glanced around, searching for a bathroom or any place to drag Ed into. But before he could act, a voice called out from behind.

“Mr. Adam! What are you doing?”

Damn it, Adam thought. It was Siri.

He needed a way out, and fast. Ignoring Siri’s voice for the moment, Adam leaned in close to Ed, whispering urgently, “Listen, I’m going to let you go, but don’t shout, and just play along with whatever I do, okay?”

Hoping Ed wouldn’t make things worse, Adam slowly removed his hand, bracing for what came next.

Ed, realizing something was off but unsure of the details, decided it was best to remain quiet and observe. Less than a day back on Earth, and this idiot’s already gotten into trouble, he thought, trying to figure out what Adam had dragged him into.

Adam, unaware of Ed's thoughts, turned to face Siri and declared, "Let’s get out of here, Ed. This is the person I told you about—they tried to frame me for using mind magic."

"Mr. Adam, please listen!" Siri pleaded, her tone urgent but calm. "We really didn’t try to do such a thing. It was a misunderstanding on our part, and I assure you, we mean you no harm."

Adam, acting as if he hadn’t heard a word, grabbed Ed’s hand and moved toward the exit.

As Ed heard the back-and-forth, his thoughts raced. Mind magic? Framed? What the hell did this idiot get himself into? But this lady says it was a misunderstanding, and knowing Adam’s paranoid ass, he probably blew something minor way out of proportion.

Feeling a headache coming on from the absurdity of the situation, Ed made a quick decision: he’d play along for now, but if things went south, he was prepared to pretend he didn’t know Adam and leave the mess for someone else—preferably his cousin—to clean up.

As Adam traced his way back to the exit, dragging Ed along with him, Siri followed closely, trying to explain herself. Adam, however, kept walking, acting as if she didn’t exist. Ed, while letting himself be dragged around by Adam, pretended not to care, but in reality, he was listening to everything Siri said, hoping to make some sense out of this absurd situation.

When they finally reached the exit of the building, Siri seemed like she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She stepped in front of Adam, blocking his way to the exit door. “Mr. Adam, please listen. I can’t let you leave the building before getting your ID. So please, let’s go back. You don’t even need to finish the test, but we will have to register you as E-rank for that. Besides, if you don’t finish, we won’t be able to help you find your family or provide you with any benefits,” Siri lied, but what else was she supposed to do? Adam had left her no other choice. She wasn’t really capable of forcing any Awakened, and by extension, the Lost, to register, as many laws didn’t apply to them, but he didn’t know that.

She was afraid that if Adam left the building and started talking to other Lost about what happened to him, like the one he was dragging right now, this whole thing would become a trend, causing many problems for them. So, even though she didn’t like it, she tried to trick him, even bringing up his family to persuade him.

Hearing the commotion between Adam and Siri, the security team became alert and began moving toward them. Adam, noticing their approach, felt a surge of tension. This wasn’t just any building—it was a government facility dealing with Awakened individuals, and the security staff were likely Awakened themselves. His instincts screamed that they were going to prevent him from leaving. Panic flared, and Adam let go of Ed, preparing to rush through Siri and escape before things escalated.

Ed, however, was calmer. He saw the security guards approaching but wasn’t too concerned at first. As long as they didn’t cause a real disturbance, the guards couldn’t do much. After all, detaining an Awakened individual without proper cause would stir up trouble with the Awakened Guild. But when he saw Adam let go of his hand and noticed the subtle shift in his body language, Ed knew this impulsive idiot was about to make a terrible mistake.

Before Adam could act, Ed quickly stepped in front of him, facing Siri. "Excuse me, miss," he said firmly, "but as far as I know, you can’t legally stop us from leaving. The test isn’t mandatory, and neither is the registration, as long as we join a guild. So unless you have another reason for blocking our way, I’d appreciate it if you let us through."

Adam, still reeling, looked at Ed with wide eyes. "Wait, what? The registration isn’t mandatory?" He was dumbstruck. Everything he had just gone through—the anxiety, the tests—none of it was necessary? Rage started to bubble up inside him, and he was on the verge of an outburst when Ed, sensing the impending meltdown, swiftly clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Please, shut up," Ed muttered through gritted teeth, trying to keep the situation from spiraling out of control.

Siri felt utterly hopeless. Everything she tried only seemed to make the situation worse, and now she had been caught lying, ruining any chance of fixing things. She couldn’t understand how it had escalated to this point. Her only goal was to help Adam and clear up the misunderstanding. Now, it all felt like a complete disaster.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Ed, noticing the defeated look on Siri’s face, felt bad for her. He was sure she didn’t get paid enough to deal with someone like Adam. After all, the man was insane, he was like a walking disaster that can’t be reasoned with, and he had a feeling that this whole situation wasn’t even her fault but Adam’s, so he tried to comfort her. Besides, it was better for everyone to leave happy instead of holding grudges, no matter how harmless they might be.

"Miss," Ed said softly, trying to reassure her, "please don’t feel bad. I believe you when you say this was a misunderstanding. But you have to understand, my friend here has been through a lot—he’s a bit traumatized from all those years in the other world. That’s why he’s overreacting like this. So please, don’t take it personally. I'll take him with me for now, try to calm him down, and we’ll come back later to clear up this misunderstanding. Hopefully, we can even get him registered. After all, like you said, it’ll be hard to find his family without doing so."

Adam, hearing Ed's words, was about to protest, but Ed's hand was firm over his mouth, giving him a look that clearly said, "Please, just shut up." Reluctantly, Adam decided to let it go, figuring Ed was better at handling this than he was.

Siri, taken aback by Ed’s sudden shift, almost didn’t know how to respond. "No, no," she said quickly. "This is entirely our fault for not considering something like that. Please, accept our apologies. We really just wanted to help, but things spiraled out of control due to a mistake on our part. So I would appreciate it if you could come back and give us another chance."

She then turned to Adam and gave a slight bow. "And again, Mr. Adam, I hope you can forgive us for what happened today, and that next time you're here, things will go much smoother."

After Siri finished speaking, Ed grabbed Adam and they exited the building. They kept walking until they reached the parking lot, where they finally felt like no one was watching them. Ed turned to Adam with a smirk and said, "You know, when people meet after a long time—especially after surviving a death battle—they usually hug it out or at least say something like, 'I'm happy you survived,' not charge at them like a lunatic."

"Well, we're not close enough to be hugging each other," Adam replied dryly. "And what do you mean by 'a long time'? That war was just yesterday, and bastards like you aren't easy to kill."

Adam turned to look at Ed, making sure he wasn’t imagining things. Standing before him was Edward Hills, also known as " The Silent Hill"—a man of medium height, slim but with a toned physique. His dark skin was complemented by even darker hair and eyes, giving him a shadowy, intimidating presence. Ed was the best assassin in the tutorial and the vice leader of one of the Four Great Clans, the Frozen Cradle, the only clan Adam had been on good terms with.

When Adam saw him inside the building earlier, he hadn’t fully registered it—his focus had been on escaping and worrying that Ed might expose him. But now that things had calmed down, it felt surreal to see a familiar face from the tutorial here. It makes him feel like he had really made it out.

"Damn, you really are a heartless bastard, you know that?" Ed mocked. "I just saved your crazy ass, and all I get is 'bastards like you aren't easy to kill'? That's exactly why you have no friends."

Adam shot him a deadpan look and, in an exaggerated tone, said, "Oh, Ed! Thank god and all that’s holy for your survival! I don’t know how I would’ve kept living if you didn’t make it out. Happy now?"

Ed smirked. "Yeah, actually, I am. But seriously, what the hell was all that back there? We’ve been back for barely a day, and you're already causing trouble."

Adam shrugged. "Well, it’s kind of a long story."

Ed shot him an irritated look. "Start telling it then. I just helped you get out of that building, and I don’t even know what I got myself involved in."

Adam sighed and began recounting everything: how the test didn’t work on him, how they started asking questions, and all the events that unfolded until he bumped into Ed.

When Adam finished, Ed stared at him like he was looking at trash. "Ah, I knew it. I was hoping it was something different, but it's always the same with you." He sighed, clearly disappointed. "Why didn’t you just tell them no? You didn’t have to answer their questions—you could’ve avoided all that crazy shit."

"Well, obviously because no one told me I could just say no," Adam retorted.

Ed raised an eyebrow, not buying it. "Really? No one told you that you could refuse?"

Adam scratched his head. "Well, they kind of said I was free to say no... but you know how it goes. You say no, and the next thing you know, an orc’s trying to get into your pants. And besides, it’s the government. I’d be crazy to believe anything they say."

Ed shook his head, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "First of all, no, I don’t know how it goes, and I don’t think I want to. Also, you don’t need to believe anyone to be crazy, man—you’re already there."

"Yeah, yeah, comedic genius over here," Adam said, rolling his eyes. "But what about you? Why are you here? You told Siri you can register at the Awakened Guild, and I would assume you have an Awakened relative, so why even bother coming to this place?"

Ed scratched his head, hesitating. "Well, mine’s less of a story and more of a... complicated subject."

Adam didn’t say anything, just gave him a sly, knowing smile.

Ed shot him an annoyed look. "You really love your revenge, don’t you? Well, fine." He sighed, leaning back. "Alright, let me explain. Don’t you find it odd that we’re not locked up or at least under some kind of investigation? We just popped up out of those crystals without any warning. You’d think they’d put us in lockdown or something until they figured out if we’re safe to be around. But instead, they’re letting us roam around freely, even giving us the same rights as the Awakened—which, by the way, is a big deal. Doesn’t all that seem a little... weird?"

Adam blinked, processing what Ed was saying. "Now that you mention it… yeah, but isn’t that because we all apparently have an Awakened relative or something?"

"Well, that’s part of it, but not the whole picture," Ed replied, shaking his head. "Here’s the deal: the highest-ranked Awakened right now are only about as strong as someone with a rare third-class upgrade from the tutorial. But someone from the tutorial—don’t know who exactly—leaked information to one of the big guilds. They spilled the beans about the existence of people like us, with epic or even legendary fourth-class upgrades. Somehow, that info spread to other guilds and even the governments around the world. So while everything looks calm on the surface, there’s a big scramble going on behind the scenes. Everyone’s trying to recruit as many of the Lost as they can."

"I see," Adam nodded. "That explains a lot. They’re probably trying to gather us up in the hopes of securing someone with a fourth-class upgrade—or maybe even to stop us from reaching that point. But it still doesn’t explain why you’re here and not at one of the guilds."

"That’s because joining a guild means working under them," Ed explained. "And I’m not interested in answering to anyone. The government may be weaker, but they have a better network for finding people. And registering here doesn’t mean you’re under their control—it just means they’ll try to recruit you later on."

Adam smirked. "So, let me get this straight—you just gave me this whole rundown about how everyone’s scrambling to recruit us, how there’s major tension between the guilds and the government, just to avoid admitting that you came here to see if they could help you find your girlfriend?"

"She’s not my girlfriend! She’s my clan leader!" Ed snapped, his voice rising before he took a deep breath to calm himself. "And no, I told you all that so maybe, just maybe, you’d stop causing trouble over every little thing."

Adam’s grin only widened. "Yeah, sure, man. Whatever you say. But after all that big talk about not working under anyone, you’re here trying to find someone to work on top of you—if you catch my drift."

Ed fought the urge to smack Adam on the head but knew that would only fuel his smugness. Instead, he simply crossed his arms. "Okay, are you done? Because if that’s all you’ve got, I have places to be."

"You know, you're such a sore loser," Adam said with a smile, before his expression turned serious. "But no, you can’t leave yet. I have a favor to ask."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "You, asking for a favor? Well, that’s a rare thing to hear. Go on, you’ve piqued my interest."

"It’s nothing too big," Adam continued. "I just need a way out of the city—a car and a weapon. You’ve got an Awakened relative, right? So, it shouldn’t be too hard."

Ed shot Adam a weird look. "Okay, I think that could be arranged, but what in the world are you planning to do outside the city? Are you trying to kill someone? Because I’m not helping if that’s the case."

Adam smiled. "Not someone, something. There’s a ruined city full of monsters a couple of hours' drive from here. I’m planning to go there and increase my level."

Ed rubbed his forehead, clearly exasperated. "Man, we just got back, and the first thing you want to do is go fight monsters? You really need to relax. I know the tutorial was tough, but we’re back now. No one’s after you anymore. Just take it easy for once."

“Toreen Sigfrid is in the city,” Adam said calmly.

“WHAT?!” Ed shouted, eyes wide. “The hero is here? How do you know that? Did you meet him?”

“Yeah, he’s here. And no, I didn’t meet him, otherwise, he wouldn’t be in the city anymore, or I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. And before you ask how I know this—I met his sister.”

Ed, still processing the shock, blinked. “Wait, you met his sister? You didn’t kill her, did you? Actually, don’t even answer that.” He grabbed Adam’s shoulders and shook him. “Start from the beginning! I feel like you’re skipping a lot of important details and just dropped this bomb on me. How and why did you meet his sister? And how do you know Toreen is here?”

“First of all, relax. It’s not like he wants to kill you too. And no, I didn’t kill his sister. I’m not a lunatic who goes around killing people just because I have bad blood with their family,” Adam said defensively. “As for how and why I met her—that’s an even longer story than before, so let’s skip—”

Ed shook him again. “You are definitely a lunatic who goes around killing people for less than that! And no, you can’t just skip it. Spill everything, or I’m not helping you.”

Realizing he had no choice, Adam sighed and recounted the whole story—from his return to Earth in the ruined city to meeting Lex and her team, and even their reunion, just to avoid any more questions.

When Adam finished, Ed had a defeated look on his face. "So that guy is really in this city. Oh god, why me? Why am I always stuck between lunatics, even after escaping that hell?"

Adam gave him an exaggerated look. “Yeah, yeah, poor you. So, are you going to help me or not?”