Second Ability

Bruce's eyes blinked. He had returned to reality. He patted his chest, thinking a cosmic treasure was residing inside it.

"I need to keep this a secret at all costs."

As the saying goes, a common man was guilty of carrying a jade.

Bruce looked at the panel in front of him again. He had his first ability discovered, slowing down time or Time Dilation.

Time Dilation didn't sound that good as a name.

I know! Bruce eyes brightened. He would name the ability 'Wait for me!' it was a better name than Time Dilation.

Now his next course of action was to explore the remaining six abilities. Though how was he going to explore them... that was the question.

He had no clue to start with. The [Infinite Cipher] didn't give him any hint whatsoever.

Oh well, Bruce couldn't complain. It was already good enough that he had seven abilities. He would just consider it some sort of hax tax.

'How should I go on discovering the rest of them...?'

Bruce thought carefully, tapping the table's surface. He could start with the five physical aspects.

If he had any physical abilities, they would more or likely be noticeable in a physical way. Granted, abilities could manifest in various ways.

'By categorizing the possible abilities to different domains of power, I'm able to discover the other abilities faster...'

Bruce tapped the surface of the table as he contemplated to himself.

Strength? No, he didn't feel any boost of strength in him.

Senses? No either, he didn't have supervision or any sort. Nor did he have some sort of super smell.

Durability? Hm.. he doesn't feel particularly durable. Should he stab himself with a knife to try?

Bruce contemplated seriously. No, a knife would be overkill. It was best to find a splinter or small sharp object. He stood up and took a toothpick.

Then, he pressed the toothpick to his finger, causing it to bleed. Bruce waited for some sort of effect or prompt.

To his surprise, there was indeed a change. His wound immediately regenerated and returned back to normal.

"My second ability... Regeneration!"

Bruce's eyes brightened from the revelation. At this moment, the panel reappeared in front of him.

[Ability No. 2]

[Lower Regeneration: As long as you don't die, you're not truly dead. Your body will heal itself much faster than the normal person.]

Excellent!

Bruce nodded in satisfaction. In this dangerous world, he needed some sort of defensive ability to avoid being killed.

A regeneration skill was just the perfect ability for that!

Although technically speaking, regeneration was an ability under the endurance category... but he might as well make durability and endurance the same thing.

Now there were only five abilities remaining. It was likely one of them was another physical ability, but in a different aspect.

Since the [Infinite Cipher] accounts for his strength, then it would only give abilities he could use.

Among the six truths of the universe, the body was the most universal. Bruce could use its abilities with less requirements.

Moving on...

Speed? He didn't feel like he was particularly fast... but a speed ability could manifest in a lot of ways.

Agility? Bruce didn't feel any improvement in that aspect as well.

Abilities could manifest in a lot of ways, and their triggers could vary. Bruce temporarily ended his experiments for the time being.

He didn't forget that he had a job. He was supposed to be in the Casino an hour later for his job as a table dealer.

Bruce put his leg on top of the other. He smiled, looking forward to the future

'Slowing down time and regeneration, huh? This is an amazing ability with countless possibilities...'

At the very least with this, he possessed a chance of survival against a stage 1 evolutionary.

He still can't defeat one though because he still haven't yet stepped in the path of evolution.

But soon, he would be able to do so.

To be precise, Bruce's current stage was called 'pre-evolutionary' the lowest level of Transcendents.

He was in no rush to enter the first stage.

"I'm supposed to meet Marco tonight... though I'm not really Bruce so I don't really want to attend the meeting."

But he didn't have a choice, did he? Bruce chuckled bitterly. If he doesn't attend this meeting, the consequences...

...would be more or less disastrous.

***

Arriving in front of an old-fashioned bar, Bruce fixed his suit and braced himself. It wasn't his first time meeting with people with high or considerable status.

He had participated in a lot of events in his past life where he met big bosses of large companies and famous celebrities.

But even among his plentiful experiences, he had never met an underworld big shot in his past life.

Bruce opened the door and saw that there were a lot of people in the bar. Some had big smiles as they enjoyed themselves.

In the middle, a beautiful and sexy waitress stood as she handed over drinks and food to the customers.

But that wasn't Bruce's focus for the night. He looked over the place and quickly caught a conspicuous figure on the corner.

It was a middle-aged man clad in a dark tailor-made suit, conveying a sense of oppression and gravitas to whoever met his eye.

His sharp and chiseled features gave him both an air of sophistication and hardened resolve, each line showing his years of experience in the underworld.

Adding to his commanding presence was a well-groomed beard, framing his face with precision. His eyes were cold and piercing, exemplifying the dangerous air around him.

It created a contrasting sight where a man that could pass off as a noble ate in what could be considered a third rate bar.

The people in the bar avoided the corner he was in like a plague, instinctively recognizing the man was not to be trifled with.

Bruce recognized the man as soon as he saw him.

Marco Vicenté Salsar, the Caporegime of the Salsar Family.

Without wasting anymore time, Bruce immediately walked to the corner and bowed in front of the man.

This was his superior.

Marco indifferently glanced at him, sizing him up from bottom to top. Bruce didn't exhibit any nervousness at all.

As both a successor a business and long time underling in a crime syndicate, Bruce could control his expression perfectly.

He had inherited both of the past and current Bruce skills and traits. Something as simple as restraining one's emotions was not a problem to him.

"You're late."

Marco softly said. He grabbed the table knife, caressing its handle gently before cutting the fish on the plate.

Bruce winced.

"Yes. Apologies, I ha—"

"I don't need to hear your explanation. Don't be late next time, understand?"

Marco cut him off. Bruce could only raise his head and meet Marco's eyes. It was cold and indifferent. In the culture of the underworld, being late was a sign of disrespect.

He nodded slightly and held Marco's hand, kissing the back of the man's hand. Marco smiled and pointed him to the chair on the opposite end.

"Sit down. Let's talk about your progress."