After dinner—filled with light teasing, casual flirting, and the comfortable warmth that had become natural between them—PK finally retreated to his room.
But his mind was far from rest.
His visit to Brooks Mall hadn't truly been about leisure.
It was about preparation.
This weekend, he would finally meet the mysterious elder—the man behind the chessboard, the calm voice on the phone. PK had browsed countless luxury items at the mall: antiques, watches, rare wines. None of them felt right.
"They're all… shallow," PK muttered to himself.
Then it struck him.
An old man doesn't need status symbols.
He needs time.
Health.
Longevity.
A faint smile curved PK's lips.
"I already have the answer," he murmured.
Since awakening his ancient medical inheritance, he had focused only on combat, strategy, and power. The medical knowledge—formulas refined over centuries, methods lost to modern science—had remained untouched.
If I want to step onto a higher stage, he thought, this is the right opening.
Without hesitation, PK picked up his phone and sent a short message.
PK: Eve, prepare the herbs I mentioned earlier. I'll need a full setup.
The reply came quickly.
Eve: Okay.
No questions. No hesitation.
PK smiled faintly.
The next morning, he woke to Eve's call.
"All the herbs are ready," she said. "And… I prepared something else too. Come and see."
When PK entered the room she had arranged, he paused.
A proper furnace.
Temperature regulators.
Sterilized tools.
Rare herbs neatly categorized and preserved.
It was far beyond what he expected.
Eve stood beside the setup, arms behind her back.
"I wasn't sure which method you'd use, so I prepared everything."
PK looked at her—truly looked.
This wasn't just efficiency.
This was trust.
"You solved half my problems before I even started," PK said quietly.
Eve smiled lightly.
"I just didn't want you distracted."
For a moment, PK felt something warm settle deep in his chest.
During breakfast, Lana and Luna noticed his unusually thoughtful expression.
"You look serious," Luna said, sipping her drink. "Planning world domination?"
"Not today," PK replied calmly. "I'll be going out this evening. Before that, I need to make something."
Lana tilted her head.
"Something dangerous?"
PK smirked.
"Something valuable."
They didn't press further. They simply nodded—an unspoken understanding that when PK chose not to speak, there was a reason.
As they stood to leave, Luna leaned closer and whispered,
"Just don't forget to come back alive."
PK glanced at her, amused.
"I still owe you both too many things."
Lana smiled softly.
"We'll keep track."
Once alone, PK entered the prepared room again.
He examined the herbs one by one—each leaf, root, and extract resonating clearly in his mind. Ancient formulas surfaced effortlessly, as if engraved into his soul.
This one stabilizes blood flow.
This strengthens organs.
This… extends vitality.
His fingers moved with calm precision, confidence born not from practice—but inheritance.
"So this is where it begins," PK murmured.
Not with force.
Not with fear.
But with mastery.
Behind him, Eve watched quietly from the doorway.
She didn't interrupt.
She only smiled—because for the first time, she saw clearly:
PK wasn't just preparing a gift.
He was stepping into a world far deeper than anyone around him realized.