Adam stared at Juli for a long moment, the silence between them stretching uncomfortably.
Finally, he let out a soft exhale and said,
"These corpses aren't suitable either."
A vein visibly twitched on Juli's forehead, her forced smile barely holding.
But Adam ignored it completely as he turned toward one of the workers.
"How recently were these monsters killed?" he asked calmly.
The worker didn't seem to mind the question.
"They were taken down about five days ago," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Adam gave a slow nod, his thoughts already spinning.
So a talent can linger at most five days after death, but it may be longer. I'll need to keep testing to find the exact limit.
The corpses he'd inspected earlier, the goblins, kobolds, and wolves had all been dead for weeks.
The freshest among them was over a month old, which explained why none of them had talents; they must have deteriorated.
But how do talents deteriorate?
That was an interesting thought on talent mechanics.
But Adam left these thoughts for later as his gaze returned to Juli.
"I was hoping to find something fresher, preferably corpses killed today." he said evenly.
Juli's ears twitched.
She didn't speak at first, clearly struggling to maintain her composure.
Her lips curved into a strained smile, but her tail betrayed her agitation, swaying sharply from side to side.
Adam, of course, paid no attention.
He clasped his hands politely and said,
"I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll come around next time if I need anything."
"You're welcome back anytime, sir," Juli replied, her voice rising just slightly on the word welcome.
Adam nodded, unbothered, and turned to leave.
His figure soon disappeared into the bustle of the market, leaving behind only silence and a fuming fox-woman.
The worker whose trolley Adam had been examining looked unsure.
"Uh… Miss Juli, where should I put these corpses?"
Juli's tail lashed out, smacking him across the face before she spun around with a huff.
"Why don't you place them on my head?" The worker looked unsure, but then Juli snapped, "Put them in their cases!" The worker set to work immediately; meanwhile, Juli's tail swung behind her as she muttered under her breath.
"I swear, if I ever see that handsome guy in here again…"
****
As Adam finished equipping the talents, he left the martial market behind, his mind already shifting to the next destination; the mission hall reception, located on the right side of the main building.
Though his expression remained calm and indifferent, his chest carried a quiet pulse of excitement, for the experiment that had been a success.
His hypothesis, that his Equip talent could claim another's talent as long as its bearer was dead, was no longer just a theory.
It was now a concrete fact.
Still, Adam refused to let the feeling show.
Getting too confident now would only cloud my judgment.
The thought steadied him.
He walked out of the market and went straight to the reception hall.
When he reached one of the reception counter's, he was greeted by a human woman.
Her uniform, though identical to the fox woman's, hugged her figure just as tightly. Adam's gaze flickered for half a second before he let out a small, almost invisible sigh.
It's funny how the same people responsible for managing rifts and monsters are the ones designing uniforms like these.
For a brief moment, an image flashed in his mind, of old geezers gathered around a conference table, nodding in satisfaction as they approved the "official design."
He grimaced at the disturbing image.
And with a small shake of his head, he pushed the thought aside.
"Good afternoon, sir," the receptionist said with a bright, professional smile.
"How may I help you today?"
Adam after calming down reached into his jacket and pulled out his martial license, sliding it across the counter.
"I'm here, for a rift re-entry request."
****
Adam hadn't let the rift incident go.
But since he'd been given a second chance because of It, he intended to use it well.
Starting with repaying the monster that led to his near-death.
He still didn't understand how he was alive. His panel showed two souls were in him now, but it didn't feel like their were two souls, Instead it felt like he was finally complete.
To be honest the whole situation was very confusing to Adam.
I'll get my answers when I get stronger. For now I'll deal with what I can, starting with getting payback on the bastard that almost killed me.
A calm, official voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.
"Your fine is $10,000."
Adam froze.
"What?"
The receptionist turned her monitor and slid his martial license back across the counter.
His photo stared up at him from the monitor, showing him from the chest up.
In it, he wore a black tank top damp with sweat and a headband that read
"Never Surrender."
He had taken the picture right after awakening, back when he still tried to cultivate seriously.
The UI read plain facts:
Name — Adam.
Rank — non.
Cultivation Talent — G.
Special Talent — Equip (Rankless).
And below a single mission entry glowered: Unranked Level 1 Rift — Gob Valley.
Beside it, stamped in bold red: FAILED.
"Mr. Adam, according to your registration agreement with the Mission Hall, a failed mission incurs fines." She paused before explaining further.
"The first failure will be two times the expected gain. Your second failure will be three times and your third failure will be five times the expected gain with your license being revoked." She inhaled.
"I'm sure you're aware."
"I am aware." Adam nodded
She didn't soften her tone as she continued.
"I'll process your re-entry into the Unranked Level 1 rift, Gob Valley. But if you fail again, the fine will be $15,000 plus the previous $10,000, totaling $25,000. I hope you take the mission seriously this time, Mr. Adam."
Twenty-five thousand. The number sat in his skull like a stone.
"I will be very careful."
She printed a slip and handed it over. It looked like a normal receipt.
"Make sure to pay your fine, Mr. Adam." The receptionist said before eyeing him with a hint of pity as she added.
"Good luck on your mission."
Adam took the slip, as he left the counter with his shoulders heavier than when he'd arrived.
****
{Authors Note}
The reason for the Mission Hall's strict fines is that they don't force martial artists to take missions. Martial artists take missions by their own choice, so they should be ready to receive a fine if they fail to accomplish a mission they chose of their own will.