Second Surgery

Matthew ran out of the alley, knowing one thing: lately, clerics patrolled even during the day. If he could call for help, he had a chance to survive.

"Rupert dares to associate with a fugitive cleric. Just get the Church involved, and he's done for!" Matthew reassured himself, but he knew how laughable his thoughts were.

Without solid evidence, no one would trust his word alone. Such a report could easily be dismissed as a competitor's attempt to discredit Rupert.

From the moment he was exposed, he knew he was finished. Without evidence, Baron Mansra wouldn't protect him.

"I can't let this affect me. I must survive," Matthew tried to calm his fear.

He had undergone secret knight training and had a decent professional foundation. Among his peers, his performance was commendable. His instructor had said he had talent, and with enough resources, he might achieve notable accomplishments.

But talent alone wasn't enough. Many had talent, and among his batch, others were equally talented or even better.

That's why they were selected by the organization. Those without noble birth had only their talent to rely on. Unfortunately, he wasn't exceptional enough to warrant further investment.

Because of this, he hadn't yet achieved the full potential of his life force, remaining at the provisional stage.

He had long given up on advancing further, focusing on living well. However, given the current situation, even that seemed like a luxury.

"I must stop overthinking!" Matthew felt his emotions were unusually turbulent today.

Just then, he sensed something approaching quickly.

Drawing the dagger hidden in his sleeve, Matthew turned and struck, but hit nothing.

He saw only some floating gray-brown fur before feeling a heavy blow to his chest.

The pain brought Matthew back to his senses. He saw a cat with long claws scratching his chest, tearing his clothes.

Blood splattered but did not land on Alpha.

Its reaction speed was incredibly fast, especially with its ability to create footholds in mid-air, making it more agile than most humans.

With a push of its hind legs, Alpha circled around Matthew, slashing several more wounds on his body.

Matthew was at a loss, having trained to fight humans, not such nimble animals.

But the pain calmed him down. Ignoring Alpha's attacks, he realized the cat's claws, though painful, wouldn't kill him if he protected his vital areas.

He shouldn't waste his chance to escape.

If he could outlast the cat, he might find an opportunity to kill it with one strike.

"Return, Alpha!"

Just as Matthew regained his composure, a voice called out, and the cat leaped away, vanishing from his sight.

Matthew turned his head instinctively.

In that moment, an indescribable impact struck his mind through eye contact.

"Danger!" Matthew, almost a knight, moved on instinct despite his shaken mind.

An invisible blade grazed his neck, leaving a shallow cut.

"Impressive," Adam remarked, watching Matthew narrowly escape death. His hands never stopped moving.

Holding a spellbook, Adam flipped through its pages, and a spell model lit up. Before Matthew could recover, he felt a sharp pain.

Struggling to move, he found his body bound by something.

Threads extended from the air, piercing his body and immobilizing him.

Thread spells, which could condense various natural forces including mental energy into threads, had been modified by Adam. One end connected to an invisible blade, capable of easily piercing through flesh, while the other end anchored to the natural environment, making it impossible to break free.

"Is this the end for me?" Blood dripped from Matthew's forehead, obscuring his vision. He glimpsed the young man who seemed too young to be real.

Had he once been this young?

"Ah!" Matthew roared, charging at Adam despite the pain. The threads pulled at his body, blood spraying heroically.

His life force surged with immense power.

Adam, sensing Matthew's heartbeats through the threads, felt the surge of life energy.

Some threads snapped, others dislodged from Matthew's body.

Dragging his mutilated body, Matthew charged at Adam.

With a swift motion, the previously grazing invisible blade returned, piercing Matthew's heart from behind.

Closing his spellbook, the threads vanished. Adam glanced at the dead man's face, then picked up Alpha, who had jumped out from the side, and walked away.

The opponent was brave, but bravery alone couldn't bridge the gap in their strength.

The fight ended quickly, mostly because Adam tested Alpha's abilities. It could have been even faster otherwise.

After Adam left, Rupert's men arrived to find Matthew's corpse.

Rupert quickly ordered the scene cleaned up, fear filling his heart.

Despite his caution and minimal information leakage, the thought of a spy so close was terrifying.

"Nesser Riggs..." Rupert murmured Adam's name, thoughts swirling.

Elsewhere, Adam walked back to the Reflection Tower, carefully using spells to clean Alpha before entering.

He encountered Celine in the hallway again.

"You went out?" Celine's expression was neutral, but her eyes flickered at the sight of the cat.

"Yes, took care of some business," Adam replied, setting Alpha down. "This is Alpha. He'll be around the Reflection Tower often."

"Keep an eye on him," Celine said, her expression softening slightly before turning away.

At lunch, Adam noticed Celine had made extra food, placed in a small bowl.

"Alpha, that's for you," Adam said, setting the bowl down before enjoying his meal.

Adam was satisfied with the test results for Alpha. Despite the increased weight, Alpha hadn't lost agility, remaining incredibly fast. The only flaw was the attack power.

But that could be addressed.

Alpha's claws were sharp, and if needed, they could be poisoned. The only concern was Alpha licking his paws and poisoning himself.

In the afternoon, Adam brought the selected goats to the seventh floor for their second surgery.

He had exerted his charm in the morning to influence the goats' life force.

Exhaling, he reviewed the surgery steps in his mind and began.

Cleaning the environment, cursing and hypnotizing, then wielding the invisible blade, Adam recalled the man who died by his hand earlier.

He didn't know much about him but acknowledged him as a worthy adversary.

The thread spell pierced his body, and even in death, he had thoughts of fighting.

Because of this, Adam, through the many threads passing through his body, gained insights into his life cycle structure.

Looking at the goat on the operating table, Adam gave a blessing.

"May you continue to fight."