10 Recovery
After a long night of experimenting, Adam found out a couple of things about the new feature.
First, he can't check the records of objects that do not contain magic power, such as normal walls or doors.
Second, he can only see the records of beings or objects in his direct line of sight. When he tried checking the records of the guards outside his room, it failed.
'It's almost morning now, and I haven't slept all night... ' Adam thought as he looked out the room window and saw the sky faintly illuminated by the rising sun.
'I can't sleep, anyway. Might as well do some light exercise. ' The young man took off his shirt, revealing his attractive physique before he got down on the ground and started doing some push-ups.
"1. "
"2. "
"3. "
....
"499. "
"500. " Adam finally stood up, sweat trailing down his defined abs and along his highlighted v-line towards the nether regions of his body.
'This body is amazing! I just performed 500 push-ups, but I feel like I can easily go for more. ' Adam thought while clenching his fists with a wide smile. 'I can get much stronger. '
*Knock*
*Knock*
"Come in. " Adam said after he put on his shirt.
"Hello Mr. Adam, this is just a light check-up to see if you are recovering as planned. " It was the healer who administrated Adam's treatment. "But looking at you now, I guess it's unnecessary. "
"Yes, thanks to your treatment. " Adam thanked the healer as he sat on the bed.
"I'm glad to hear that. In that case, please sign this release document. " The healer extended the paper to Adam and offered a pen.
Adam read the paper carefully before signing it and handing it back. He made sure to always check what he was signing to avoid getting into unwanted situations.
"That'll be all. You are welcome to stay until Mr. Darius arrives to pick you up. " The healer said with a gentle smile as he left the room.
"Thank you for your kind treatment. " Adam said as he looked at the gentle healer's departing back.
'I guess I'll continue my exercise until they get here... ' He thought as he turned around.
"Excuse me, Mr. Adam. " One of the two guards assigned to his room said as he held the doorknob.
"Yes? "Adam replied.
"Were you just doing push-ups? " The guard asked.
"Yes, I was. I just did 500 for a light exercise. " Adam answered while showing off the number of push-ups he can do with a proud face.
"Rookie numbers. I bet I can beat that right now. " The guard said with a provoking smirk.
"I'd like to see you try... " Adam replied with an enthusiastic expression.
The two got into a heated contest while the other guard looked at them as if they were idiots.
"What's your name, by the way? " Adam asked the guard, who was getting into position to start his push-ups.
"I'm Mark and the judgy prince outside is called Steven. " Mark replied with a smile.
"Who are you calling a judgy prince?! I'm just doing my job. " Steven got ticked off at Mark's words and said while glaring at him,
"Haha, he's a good guy," Mark said while casually dismissing Steven's frustration.
"Nice to meet you two. You can call me Adam. All that 'Mr.' stuff does not sit well with me. " Adam said with a gentle smile. The previous Adam could never converse with strangers this way, but the confidence he gained because of his new look made it easier.
"If I can't beat your measly number, I'll even call you 'boss'. " Mark said before he started.
____________
An hour passed while the trio indulged in competitions to pass the time.
"450! " Mark exclaimed in a strained voice.
"Looks like your arrogance is catching up to you~ " Adam looked at the struggling Mark with an amused expression. He already checked the records of the two guards and confirmed that they were both High Humans.
Mark's record was pretty basic:
[Name: Mark Mathews
-Sex: Male
-Height: 182 cm
-Rank: E+
-Abilities:
[Basic Physical Strength Enhancement]
-Status: Exhausted (Intermediate)]
"Come on! 50 to go! I put my money on you, brother! " Steven cheered for Mark while holding a bunch of 1 dollar bills.
He had a powerful ability, and his ranking was decent:
[-Name: Steven Carlyle
-Sex: Male
-Height: 179 cm
-Rank: C-
-Abilities:
[Intermediate Fire Magic]
-Status: Normal]
'As expected of guards working for the prestigious Morris family... ' Adam thought after scrutinizing the duo. He was confident about winning against Mark, but Steven was a different story.
*Wheeze! *
"Shut up! I'm struggling because you're making it hard to focus!! " Mark said in an annoyed tone while struggling to catch his breath.
"What are you guys doing? " A familiar voice asked and the trio immediately looked at the door to check if they heard it right.
But it was just who they thought they heard. Darius along with James entered the room, and the scene surprised them.
"B-boss! T-this is... " Steven was the first one to react, trying to think of an elaborate excuse for the current situation. The two guards could get fired for this unprofessional behavior. 'I shouldn't have gone with that stupid idiot's flow... ' Steven thought while glaring at Mark.
But Mark could not notice Steven's glare and plopped to the ground with a nervous expression while sweating heavily.
"They were helping with my recovery. " Adam understood the situation and stepped up to help the two.
"Oh. Is that so? " Darius didn't seem to care and replied in a nonchalant tone.
"It seems like you recovered well. " James looked at the energetic Adam and said in an apologetic tone.
"Yeah, I'm as good as new! " Adam replied while tapping his chest with a proud expression. He wanted to lift the burden off of James's chest.
"It seems like you can leave the hospital now. How about we go right away? " Darius said as he walked towards the door.
"Let's go. " James said to Adam before turning towards the door as well.
'Where are they taking me? ' Adam wondered before following the two.
"Get up, idiot! " Steven yelled at Mark while kicking his abdomen.
"Alright, alright, geez. " Mark complained as he got up to put his clothes on.
___________
The group got into a luxurious limousine and drove through the streets of Brooklyn.
"I didn't get to ask before, but where are we going? " Adam asked Darius.
"You're not registered as a High Human yet, right? " Darius replied with a question.
"No, I didn't get to do that yet. " Adam replied while speculating their next destination.
"We're going to the High Human Association to register you. Consider it an apology for James's earlier behavior. " Darius revealed their next destination with a smile.
"I apologize! " James hurriedly apologized at Darius's words. Although he had his own reasons for acting hostile towards Adam for the past 3 years, he still felt terrible for not trying to understand him.
"I'd like to say it's fine, but I really hated you for picking on me. " Adam said with a low voice and watched as James's face turned pale with regret. "But I was in the wrong, too. So, I'd be happy if we could both restart as friends. " He continued before extending his hand out to James.
"I would like that as well. " James replied with a relieved expression while grabbing Adam's hand and gently shaking it.
*Clap! *
*Clap! *
"What a tear-jerking scene~. " Darius clapped his hands and said sarcastically as he looked at the two guys shaking hands.
"I'll f*cking murder you! " James said as his veins bulged and his eyes turned bloodshot.
"Do your worst, bleh~ " Darius, however, did not back down and provoked him more.
The two started bickering while Adam watched them with an amused expression.
'I'll try inspecting their records while they're busy. ' Adam thought before focusing on Darius first.
[-Name: Darius Morris
-Sex: Male
-Height: 186 cm
-Rank: C+
-Abilities:
[Intermediate Water Magic]
-Status: Normal]
'It's pretty good, although it's not offensively formidable, it could prove very useful if used in the right way... ' Adam evaluated Darius's ability before turning to James.
[Error: User level is too low]
'As expected... ' Adam thought with a disappointed look in his eyes. He had already expected to be rejected because of the difference in strength, but wanted to give it a shot either way.
_____________
30 minutes later, the car finally stopped at an enormous building on the other side of the borough.
The building was so huge; it pierced through the clouds, while multiple people walked in and out of it every second.
'I've never seen this before... ' Adam thought as he basked in the busy atmosphere of the area.
"Let's go in! " Darius said as he pushed Adam inside the building while James walked beside the two with a calm expression. Adam's jaw instantly dangled as he saw the majestic interior.
Multiple beautiful receptionists welcomed the people at the door while dozens of elevators were functioning to deliver people to their desired places. Advanced AI served as navigators and helpers.
'Is this really the same city I live in? ' Adam had never visited this part of the city. He had no business in such a luxurious building. 'But that also changes if I am strong... This is how this world functions. '
"Wait here. I'm going to talk to some people and come back. " Darius said before leaving the two.
"We can go to the resting area while we wait. Follow me. " James started walking and Adam followed him like a child following his mom in the mall.
They arrived at the resting area and picked a table to sit down while they wait. Adam ordered a smoothie, while James ordered a cup of tea.
"This place is amazing! " Adam exclaimed.
"It really is. I had the same reaction when I came here for the first time. " James said as he looked around with amazement. "I wanted to ask you a question for a while now. "
"What is it? " Adam asked while drinking his smoothie.
"Adam, what exactly is your ability? " James's expression turned serious when he asked the question.
Adam's face turned pale at the sudden question. He had to decide whether to lie to his new friend or risk telling him the truth...
