26 Calm Before The Storm

"... " James silently stared at Adam with a shocked expression before slowly opening his mouth. "What happened? " He asked in an urgent tone.

"Some people I know died in a series of suspicious fires... " Adam replied in a regretful tone. "I couldn't help them, but I at least want to know who killed them. "

"Why murdered? How do you know it wasn't an unfortunate event? " James' eyes widened as he asked with a curious expression.

"Thirteen people died on the same day with the same cause. " Adam spoke while gritting his teeth, "you want to tell me that was a coincidence? "

"... How do you know those people? " James asked in a careful tone. He could feel Adam's immense rage, and it made him wary of his words.

"I can't tell you that. " Adam replied while looking at the distance with a determined expression. "Not yet... "

"I understand your privacy, but I need to know more if you want me to help you. " James said after taking a sip from his soda.

"I made a list of their names and the fire locations. " Adam said before pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket, "is that enough? "

"Y-yeah... " James said with a surprised expression before taking the list and looking at it, 'this is a very detailed list, he must've thought this thoroughly... '

As soon as James finished reading the list, however, his expression turned extremely grave.

"Adam... This might be more serious than you thought it was... " He spoke in a serious tone.

"What do you mean? " Adam looked at James and asked in a curious tone.

"The news didn't report any of these fires, even though they all happened in the same time frame... " James replied before taking out his smartphone to search for more clues.

"Where are you going with this? " Adam's confusion only increased at James' vague explanation.

"The local news always covers all accidents that happen in the residential areas of New York City, but those weren't, which only means one thing... " James stopped looking at his phone and turned to Adam.

"Someone is purposely covering up the incidents. " Adam spoke while matching James' gaze. "But who has that type of influence? "

"There are many people with that type of influence... " James said before returning his phone to his pocket. "Remember those tournaments I told you about? "

"The ones where you used to earn money? " Adam asked.

"Yeah, they weren't exactly legal... " James replied with an awkward smile, "The organizations holding those tournaments are very influential and powerful. "

"Are you saying that one of those organizations could be the culprit? " Adam said with a curious expression.

"It could be, but there's only one way to find out... " James spoke before taking another sip from his soda. "We need to infiltrate the underworld. "

"The underworld...? " Adam asked. He had only heard rumors about the black market and the underworld from other students in his school, but never thought he would have to delve into it, nor did he ever want to; the rumors, which were circulated among the student were all vicious and ruthless.

"I need to go back home now, but meet me tomorrow at this same spot and make sure you don't tell anyone about this, especially Darius. " James spoke before standing up. "If Darius finds out that I went back to the underworld, he might exclude me from future missions... "

"Alright, what time do we meet? " Adam also stood up and asked.

"10 pm sharp, don't be late. " James said before turning around. "See you tomorrow. "

"See you tomorrow. " Adam bid James farewell and walked in the opposite direction towards the subway station.

____________

On his way home, Adam stopped by a local shop to buy some clothes that fit his current size.

*Murmur. *

*Gasp! *

"He's so handsome. "

"What is a guy like that doing here? "

"Do you think he's a model? "

"Maybe I should cut back on chicken wings... "

Murmurs of praise and gasps of admiration filled the shop as the handsome Adam walked in.

'I'll never get used to this reaction... ' Adam thought while walking towards the men's section with an awkward expression. 'I'll just pick some simple clothes and head out... '

He picked up three pairs of black pants along with some t-shirts and hoodies before hurriedly paying the male cashier, who was giving him a hateful glare, which clearly translated as 'all handsome men should die... '

He paid with the money he gained from his last Orc transaction, which was at the High Human Association, and hurriedly exited the shop.

After a short walk, Adam finally entered his apartment and placed all his new clothes in the closet before plopping down on his bed.

'Tomorrow is going to be a busy day... ' Adam thought while looking at the ceiling with eyes full of determination. 'I'll fulfill my promise. '

'Inventory. ' He chanted while laying on his back and a black panel with four visible icons appeared.

[4/350]

But among those four, only one item grabbed Adam's attention.

'Platinum potion. ' Adam reached out and grabbed the potion with a gaze full of expectations before inspecting it.

[Platinum potion: 1]

[-Increases the Akashic Connection by 1 rank.

-Level up one of the user's skills by 1 level.

-Grants 10 additional stat points.]

'What does one 'rank' mean? ' Adam questioned.

[Two parts show the user's current Akashic Connection.]

[Grade: increases when the user meets certain conditions.]

[Rank: increases when the grade reaches 'high' value.]

'I see... So this potion will help me skip a whole rank... ' Adam put his hand on his chin and started thinking deeply, 'I'm not familiar with my skills either, so I can't choose which one to increase at the moment. '

[4/350]

He placed the potion back into his inventory.

'I'll keep this for when I really need it... ' Adam thought before closing his eyes. 'I'll go to sleep for now. Tomorrow will be a long day for me. '

_________________

Meanwhile, on the other side of New York City,

A group of 7 people wearing lavish clothes and sipping on expensive drinks sat around a table on the highest floor of a luxurious hotel overlooking the entire city.

"Gentlemen, what are your expectations for the next event? " An alluring woman with fiery red hair and golden eyes, holding a golden pipe and wearing a silky green dress, spoke in a seductive voice.

"This year's event better be special. " A burly, bald man with tattoos all over his body said while blowing heavy smoke into the air, "I'm getting bored with the usual fights. "

"You're just mad because you always bet on the wrong horse~ " A scrawny teenage boy with green hair and black eyes spoke in a sarcastic tone.

*BANG! *

The burly man slammed his fist on the table, which caused a small crack on its surface.

"You wanna take this outside? " He said in with a provocative smile as his brown eyes reflected a deep killing intent.

"Calm down, please. I assure you that this year's event will surpass your wildest expectations. " The masked man sitting at the head of the table spoke in a flamboyant fashion. "Just prepare your money. "

"It better be... " The burly man said as he retracted his fist with a slight frown before leaving the room.

"What a brute... " The beautiful woman spoke before tapping her pipe on the table with an annoyed expression.