28 Gathering Information: Part 2

"What is it, James? " Gary put the brewer down and asked with a slight frown, "did you get yourself mixed up in more dangerous business? "

"This is different. " James spoke in a calm tone. "I need to gather information to help Adam. "

"I don't want you to get mixed up in that world anymore, James. " Gary spoke before walking towards the counter. "You, more than everyone else, should know how ruthless it is. "

"There was a series of thirteen consecutive fires, which were all believed to be accidents. " Adam noticed the tense atmosphere and finally spoke before stepping forward with a piece of paper. "The news reported none of them, and everyone seems to believe they are mere accidents, but I know that they're not! "

Adam did not want to reveal any unnecessary information for no reason, but it seemed like Gary would not give them information considering his negative response.

Gary's old and weary eyes matched Adam's fiery gaze before they turned to the piece of paper containing a list of names and locations.

"?! " His eyes widened in shock when he read the names, because one of them was familiar. "Miss Hazel... "

"... " Adam silently looked to the ground with a regretful expression.

"I understand your motive, but unfortunately, I don't have information about these fires... " Gary spoke in an apologetic tone before returning the paper to Adam, "however, I overheard the cops talk about a big event happening three weeks from now in the underworld. "

"What type of event? " Adam asked in a desperate tone.

"A massive tournament involving the biggest heads of the underworld. " Gary replied in a grave tone, "if your claims are correct, you might find more information if you go there, but that will be too dangerous... "

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. " Adam's eyes reflected his determination as he spoke in a resolute tone. "Where is that tournament? "

"I know where it will be. " James answered Adam's question. "They always hold these things in the same spot. "

"Be careful... " Gary said while looking at the two young men with tender eyes. "I will pray for your safety. "

"Don't worry about us, old man. " James spoke while tapping his chest with a proud expression.

"Thank you for the information. " Adam thanked Gary with a smile before turning to the door. 'I need to train harder during the next three weeks... ' His expression turned serious as he opened the door.

"Save that free coffee for me. " James spoke before following Adam outside the cafe.

"I will... " Gary said while watching the duo's departing backs with a worried expression. The underworld is a place so dangerous that even the government couldn't lay a hand on it.

Although the local authorities knew about the various activities happening in that place, they did not have enough workforce to even eliminate a small fraction of it. That is how big of a threat and influence the underworld signified.

And now, two young men were thinking of infiltrating that place with nothing to rely on except their individual strength.

'If this old body had a single shred of power in its worn down bones, I would've helped them... ' Gary thought with a regretful expression, 'but there's nothing I can do except praying for your safety... '

_______________

"We need to train more if we want to enter that tournament. " James spoke to Adam while the two walked through the streets of Manhattan.

"I agree. " Adam said in a serious tone, "that's why I'm thinking about going to The Bronx to hunt monsters. "

"Tsk, tsk, that won't cut it. " James said while waving his finger, "the people you're going to fight in that tournament are all veteran fighters, who're well versed in martial arts. Fighting a bunch of Orcs won't be enough to prepare you for that type of battle. "

"What else can we do? " Adam asked while looking at James with a curious expression.

"Before that, I need to know what type of High Human you are. " James ignored Adam's question and spoke.

"Type of High Human? What do you mean? " Adam asked in a confused tone.

"You don't even know that?! " James said with a shocked expression.

"Don't judge me. I'm new to this sh*t. " Adam replied in a monotonous tone.

"Okay, let me explain what I mean. " James said with a serious expression.

His explanation was as follows:

When a High Human awakens to the power of mana, their bodies either emit that mana in two different forms.

The first form is Physical, which increases their physical strength by coating their bodies in Aura, allowing them to perform superhuman feats or apply specific attributes to their weapons. A good example of a Physical High Human is James.

The second form is Magical, which allows them to execute highly destructive magical spells and shoot out projectiles with specific magical attributes, which can annihilate multiple opponents in one go.

Of course, the amount of power each type can use depends on their mana reserves, which are shown by their ranks.

However, some High Humans with meager amounts of mana reserves substitute that shortcoming by increasing their mastery over their attributes, but that process requires rigorous training and battle experience.

"A higher rank means you have more mana reserves, but it doesn't mean that you are stronger because without mastering your skills, simple techniques will uselessly spend an outrageous amount of mana. " James concluded his explanation before turning to Adam with a curious expression, "but you seem different, even though you have a sub-space ability, which is considered a deviant type of Magical Awakening. You possess a physical enhancement ability, too. "

"My sub-space ability only allows me to store weapons, so I think my abilities are more physically oriented. " Adam thought of a simple lie on the spot, hoping that James will believe him.

"Well, I guess that makes you a deviant Physical Awakener, like me. " James said with a smile. "That makes it much easier. "

"What are you talking about? " Adam asked in a curious tone.

"The best method of training a Physical High Human is through combat, so we can both keep fighting each other and train for the tournament in the progress. " James spoke before crossing the street. "I know the perfect place to do that. "

"Where is that? " Adam asked while walking behind James with a curious expression.

"The task force's headquarters. " James replied with a smile.