Klein knew that Beyonders could pass on excess Beyonder characteristics to their offspring…
But no one had ever told him that children of Beyonders grew this fast!
The last time he heard of something like this, it was from a gourd baby in a folktale!
"Good evening, Klein. Good evening, Mr. Moretti."
Benson quickly stood up. "Just call me Benson. So you're…the Edward that Klein said saved his life?"
Edward had visited here once before, but Benson had been working late that night, so they hadn't met.
Benson glanced at Audrey and Lilith. "Are these your wife and daughter?"
—Wait, this little girl looks six or seven…but these two are only about seventeen or eighteen…
Hang on—why can't I do this math?
Klein quickly came over and whispered, "Hey, what's the deal with that little girl?"
Audrey smiled and answered first, "That's Lilith."
Lilith looked up at Klein. "Why are you staring at Miss Lilith?"
"Lilith? Who's…Lilith?"
Klein stared wide-eyed at the little girl in the dress.
"You…she's not…could it be…ohhh~"
He finally got it.
And then, he burst into wild laughter in his mind:
Hahahahaha! I thought you fed that cat an Assassin potion because of your 'preferences'—like you were raising a catgirl for, y'know, 'reasons'…
But it turns out…you raised a daughter?!
Pffff—hahahaha!
But then his gaze landed on the stunning Audrey standing beside Edward.
Wait a second…He's already dating the most dazzling gem of Backlund—the daughter of Earl Hall.
Damn.
If I drank a Clown potion right now, it would probably dissolve in my mouth from how bitter I feel.
Just then, Melissa stepped forward and called out, "Everyone, don't just stand there—come, take a seat."
Edward set down the fruit basket and gift box in his hands.
"We came in a hurry. These fruits and pastries are for you, Melissa."
Melissa initially wanted to refuse, but recalling how Klein had described Edward's relationship with him, she accepted it with a polite, "Thank you."
Then Edward pulled out a small glass bottle and handed it to Benson.
"This one's for you."
Benson was surprised and waved it off. "There's no need—really, I can't accept that."
Edward smiled. "It's not anything valuable."
"Still, I really can't—"
"It's a hair growth tonic. It can treat almost every kind of hair loss."
Benson accepted it in silence, then said seriously, "Thank you."
The Moretti family dining table had always been sized for three, so it suddenly felt rather cramped with six people gathered around.
Melissa noticed this and stood up awkwardly. "There's still soup simmering in the kitchen, I'll go check—"
Klein quickly stopped her. "It's alright, Melissa. There's something I want to talk to all of you about."
"What is it?"
"It's about my…'resurrection.' I didn't tell you the real truth earlier."
Benson's expression turned solemn. "Which part?"
Klein looked earnestly at his brother and sister.
"It's true that I was working for a government agency, and my 'fake death' was part of a mission. But…I left out some other things."
He thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers with a sharp pop.
The next second, the living room lightbulb exploded with a small flash.
Melissa and Benson both jumped in shock.
Then the light vanished into a puff of flame, and Klein calmly stepped out from the bedroom.
"I've been hiding a side of this world that ordinary people aren't aware of—the Beyonders and mystical side."
The moment he spoke the truth, Klein felt a heavy burden lift from his heart.
And under his siblings' stunned gazes, he began explaining the fundamentals of the Mystical world—its structure, its dangers, and its truths.
From initial shock…to dazed silence…to eventual dawning comprehension, Benson and Melissa gradually pieced together the strange occurrences they had witnessed or heard about in the past—those "accidents" that the authorities had always explained away.
Only now did they realise how those bizarre incidents made perfect sense in light of Klein's explanation.
"Originally, I didn't want to involve you in the Beyonder world," Klein continued.
"As I said earlier, the essence of a Beyonder is madness and eventual loss of control."
"But a few days ago, the great smog incident in Backlund changed my mind."
Melissa was surprised. "You mean the Great Smog of Backlund? Didn't the newspapers say it was caused by toxic gas emissions from the factories?"
"No!"
Klein's eyes burned with anger.
"Those thousands of deaths were caused by a single Beyonder!"
"!!!"
The siblings' expressions turned pale with fear.
"Yes," Klein said gravely. "That's how fragile ordinary people are when facing a Beyonder.
Thousands died without even understanding what killed them. Among them were the elderly, children, fathers, and mothers. Some were having dinner at home. Some were just finishing a hard day's work and heading home. Others were simply out for a walk."
"And just like that…they all died."
Klein's eyes bore into his siblings.
"So I thought, if something like that were to happen here in Tingen—right next to you—how could you possibly survive?"
Benson and Melissa sat in silence.
Just imagining the scenario Klein described made their hands tremble slightly.
Audrey, meanwhile, thought again of her father—how close he had come to dying in that same smog—and of the bloody numbers in the newspaper.
She clenched her hand into a tight fist.
Edward gently squeezed her hand and added, "Also, Loen's current political climate is incredibly unstable. Many believe the Feysac Empire may use this opportunity to launch a war against us. That means more chaos…and more danger…is on the way."
Benson's tone turned grave.
"So, Klein, are you saying you want Melissa and me to become like you…" He looked toward Edward and Audrey, "…like you all—Beyonders?"
"But…isn't it already too late?"
Klein spoke with firm conviction. "No! Doing something is always better than doing nothing."
As he said this, he handed a slip of paper to Edward.
"Edward, I need you to do me a favour."
Edward blinked, took the note, and opened it. Written on it were just two words: Acting Method.
Klein had once sworn an oath before the Goddess never to reveal acting methods to those who didn't already know them. But at the same time, he couldn't just have his brother and sister drink the potion and be done with it—so he thought of having Edward deliver the teachings on his behalf.
Of course, if Edward had also sworn a similar oath, then Miss Justice could do it instead—she'd have no problem with that.
"No problem," Edward said.
After spending so long playing the role of a Wandering Mentor, Edward had grown quite accustomed to lecturing others.
Under the astonished eyes of the siblings, he transformed a chair into a chalkboard and began teaching them about potions, pathways, and the concept of acting.
Benson and Melissa listened intently.
Lilith, meanwhile, glanced at the two of them with barely disguised smugness. A sense of superiority welled up in her heart: Hmph! Miss Lilith already knew all of this! These two foolish humans are only learning now?
Soon, the lesson ended—and it was time for the always-anticipated Pathway Selection.
Melissa didn't hesitate much. Just like in the original storyline, she chose the Savant pathway. After all, her understanding of the Beyonder world was still fuzzy, but she was already very familiar with machines and mechanics.
Benson, on the other hand, was visibly torn.
Not that he wanted to be indecisive—it was just that, compared to his sister who had a clear talent for engineering, he had no particular strength to rely on. His abilities were average across the board.
In other words: he was painfully ordinary.
But he didn't stay stuck in indecision for long. Instead, he suddenly smiled like he'd figured something out.
"I'll choose the Warrior Pathway."
"Klein said the reason he wants us to become Beyonders is to help us better handle emergencies and stay safe," Benson explained.
"And Warriors gain superhuman strength and agility right from Sequence 9. So if we ever do face danger, I can just scoop Melissa up and run."
He added, "Plus, the acting method for Warriors is pretty simple and straightforward. I think even if I want to climb to a higher Sequence someday, I might have a shot."
Everyone blinked in surprise.
Well…that's certainly one way to look at it.
Melissa, flustered, muttered, "So doesn't that just make me a complete burden?"
Seeing that both Benson and Melissa had made their choices and accepted the truth of the supernatural world with relatively calm minds, Klein let out a long breath of relief.
"Great. Then the next step is for me to get you both the potion formulas and ingredients as soon as possible!"
Edward raised his hand.
"I've got them already."
"Huh?"
Klein immediately remembered: Edward had once gone on a buying spree for potion formulas and low-sequence Beyonder ingredients.
"Alright…how much for both?"
As he spoke, a flicker of guilt crossed Klein's face.
After all, the cash in his pocket right now was the 5,000 pounds that Edward had offered as a sacrifice to the Fool's Blessed…
Using Edward's own money to buy ingredients from Edward felt…just a little awkward.
"I'll give you a deal. 500 pounds for both formulas, plus 800 for all the ingredients—total, 1,300 pounds."
Klein flinched, feeling a pang of pain in his chest.
But before he could even respond, Melissa beat him to it—she slammed the table and shouted, "How much?!"
Benson echoed in a daze, "1,300…pounds?"
His current weekly salary was less than 1 pound and 10 soli, which added up to about 6 pounds a month. A year, with bonuses, he might—might—make 80 pounds total.
1,300 pounds was…over sixteen years of wages.
Melissa's face went pale as paper. She shook her head repeatedly.
"No, no, I don't want to be a Beyonder anymore. With that kind of money, I could buy a huge house in the Desi Bay and live out the rest of my life in peace and comfort!"
Edward chuckled.
"But once you reach Sequence 6 and become an Artisan, just selling a single mystical item you make might get you 1,300 pounds."
"!!!"
Melissa's eyes sparkled.
"Really?!"
"Of course," Edward said confidently. "If your skills are good enough, people will come to you with the materials and pay you thousands in fees just to craft something."
He laid out several mystical materials in front of them.
"So you see, this is all just your initial investment."
Melissa took a deep breath.
At that moment, she finally understood. Klein wanted her and Benson to become Beyonders for their safety…and under those circumstances, money shouldn't be the main concern.
But still…
She glanced over at Edward, then asked timidly, "Mr. Edward, I do have a small question."
"What is it?"
She raised a hand and started counting on her fingers.
"You said: the formula and materials together cost 1,300 pounds, right? With 500 pounds for the formulas…"
"That means…can we just buy the materials and skip the formulas?"
"…"
Edward: You sly little fox…
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.