The next day, I accompanied Mira to her house. During that time, she lost her image of a mature woman and transformed into a teenager full of hormones. The moment she woke up, she couldn't hold my gaze; every time she did, her face turned completely red, from her chin to her ears.
Even during breakfast at the hotel, this didn't change. It was only when we were right in front of her apartment complex that she decided to speak.
"Masachika-kun... yesterday... it was a good evening, you know? I mean, I'm not—it's just something that, well, happened, and, well, you know—"
It was a shame that her attempt to express herself didn't go as well as she hoped.
"Don't worry, I understand. It's not your fault."
We were both familiar with the feeling of shame, but the previous day had been much more than she was comfortable with. I was ready to reassure her even more. As I tried to caress her face as a sign of affection, three figures appeared at the corner of my vision.
The only male among them was the quintessential average Japanese high school boy who blended in perfectly with the crowd. The other two were girls, around the same age as the boy, but with mature figures and golden hair—the same color as Mira's.
They hadn't noticed us yet, so in a moment of quick thinking, I shifted my gesture from cupping her cheek to touching her shoulder, a universal sign of support from boys.
"Don't worry, Tsubakihara-senpai! It was a pleasure having your presence after a stressful night of work! You can call me whenever you need help, and I'll make sure to assist you. Now, I have some sleep to catch up on. See you tomorrow at the office!"
In a completely different tone, I spoke as if I were one of her employees, while silently mouthing 'Your children are here.'
The red in her face disappeared, replaced by a pale white as her eyes widened. The expression of 'oh no' was visible for a brief moment. Luckily, Mira was both intelligent and quick-witted, so she followed my lead.
"Yes, thank you! I didn't need to wait an additional hour for public transportation."
As the sound of her children's footsteps approached, she turned and feigned a surprised expression.
"Oh? Why are you here, my dears? Isn't today a school day? Don't tell me you thought you could skip because I didn't come home yesterday?"
Damn, that was smooth. With that, she diverted any attention from me and shifted the topic to her children's unexpected day off.
Now it was their turn to display horror, since today was not a weekend. As she approached the three, I simply nodded at them before departing with a casual "Goodbye, senpai," as I turned my back on Mira.
I moved behind a building and returned to the [White Hallway]. However, I decided not to return directly. Instead, I entered a dungeon—not the one with zombies, but the one with skeletons.
---
//
You have defeated Skeleton Lv.12
+0 EXP
You have obtained 6 Shards
//
I ignored the now-familiar sight of enemies dissolving after a battle and concentrated on the main reason I was still farming in dungeons, even months after the release of my level cap.
I went on autopilot and returned home, where it was dark outside, although some light flickered beyond the mountain.
I opened my status and looked at the information I was most interested in.
[Shards: 100,003]
One hundred thousand Shards—the exact amount needed for a particular item I was interested in. I checked the [Shop] and found what I was looking for. A potion. From the image, the liquid appeared green, and anyone looking at it would think to throw it away, as it seemed spoiled.
But I knew otherwise. I understood the power that this seemingly worthless potion would give me, and what possibilities it would unlock.
After spending one hundred thousand Shards, the potion appeared in my hand, its liquid strangely fluid despite its murky appearance. Since I started reading and publishing Lord of the Mysteries in this world, I began to think that maybe I could enter that universe. However, it's not a realm I can create with [Setting Creation], at least not currently.
While it's one of the best novels I've read—probably the best—the world isn't something I want to touch as of right now. But while the world is off-limits, its items are not. To become a Beyonder, beyond the monetary limit, I also had to consider which pathway to follow. I can honestly say that all of them are great, but I needed a way to choose which one to pursue.
All the sequence potions had the same Shard price, including those from different sequences, so that wasn't a concern. Since I wanted to follow a pathway all the way to the end without switching midway, I established my first requirement: to remain male. I prefer to keep my Masachika junior where it is.
This choice eliminated the Demoness and Mother pathways. I also dismissed the Chained Pathway due to its uncontrollability and the Abyss Pathway because, while my morality isn't perfect, it's also not deeply flawed. Blood and darkness are cool, but only in the pages of a book or on a screen.
With those pathways eliminated, I was almost convinced to choose the Wheel of Fortune pathway for its luck-based powers, but I decided to take a different approach. I wanted to do it in the perfect Klein Moretti style—by using Tarot cards.
I rushed into a store and bought a set of Tarot cards. Removing the Minor Arcana from the deck, I sat down, mixed the cards without cheating, and spread the deck upside down on the table. Instead of asking "What is the best pathway for me?", I focused on a different question: "What card most reflects me?" It wasn't just about optimizing my 'build,' but about choosing what I wanted for my future.
Without hesitating, I picked the penultimate card from the table and revealed it. It was VI - The Lovers. I accepted the result without question and moved forward with my life—until now.
Before drinking the potion, I decided to check its description on my blue screen.
//
Sequence 9: Marauder Potion
Marauders are difficult to separate from ordinary bandits or thieves. Perhaps the means available to them are more impressive, but their goal of stealing riches is not for enjoyment or survival - for them, it is more like answering a calling or passion.
Drinking this potion will give you a physical enhancement, make you better at acrobatics and throwing objects, have more dexterous hands, the ability to see in the darkness, and an intuition to sense where valuable items are and approximate their worth, together with the main ability of Theft(Stealing).
//
Since it was evening and I was tired, I popped the cap and drank it in one gulp. The strange flavor reminded me of drinking the Essence. Although it didn't contain limitless potential in terms of flavor, I could sense the hint of greed as one of its notes. I felt my body 'swelling' without any external change, but before I could dwell on my curiosity, I decided to lie down and sleep through any changes. Tomorrow would be a different day than those I'd experienced in the past.