Chương 48: Chapter 46

Adam had his soul kneaded, pulled apart, twisted, and then stitched back together. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and he hoped he would never experience anything remotely close to it again. At one point, Mei had even fallen into a contemplative daze as she watched him writhe helplessly on the ground. Whatever Dumas was trying to teach her, she certainly wasn't enjoying the lesson. Several agonizing minutes later, Dumas finally released his soul.

The tiny chibi version of Adam floated gracefully down from the heavens like an adorable cherub before slipping back into his body through the top of his head. The pain vanished almost instantly. Adam collapsed face-first onto the ground, panting as though he'd just run three uninterrupted laps around Earth.

"Now that that's over, it's time to move on to the next item on our agenda," Dumas said calmly, as if nothing unusual had happened. Groaning, Adam slowly pushed himself upright and shot an exhausted glare through the screen.

"Are you kidding me? I nearly died!"

"You're a Player now. A little pain cannot kill you," Dumas replied.

"Still, it was my fault for not warning you beforehand. Tell you what. I'll give you one last piece of advice. First, however, you have to hear my proposal." Adam narrowed his eyes. So far, Dumas's wisdom had amounted to two things. First, stop seeking perfection, which honestly sounded like advice Mei needed far more than he did. Second, watch Adam suffer because it might teach Mei something. As far as either of them could tell, his advice had been less than worthless. Still... listening couldn't hurt.

"Fine. But if this advice isn't worthwhile, then I..." He stopped halfway through the threat as reality caught up with him. There wasn't much point threatening someone who was probably sitting somewhere on the opposite side of the universe and was almost certainly stronger than both of them combined.

"... Whatever. Let's just hear it." Dumas rested his palm atop the stack of papers he had taken out earlier. When he lifted his hand, dense rows of neatly printed text had magically appeared across what had only moments ago been blank pages. Seeing their puzzled expressions, he offered an explanation.

"Printing magic. It's a staple skill for salary men like me."

"Oh." Both Adam and Mei nodded absentmindedly, looking far less impressed than he'd apparently hoped. After clearing his throat awkwardly, Dumas spread the documents neatly across his desk.

"What I have here is a proposal for a livestreaming partnership we'd like the two of you to participate in."

"Livestream?" Mei tilted her head.

"Don't we already do that?"

"You do, which is precisely why this proposal exists. Your broadcasts have topped the charts across every livestreaming service available on Earth. They've also gone viral on most social media platforms, including short-form video sites."

"Okay..." Mei said slowly.

"So what's different about your proposal compared to what we're already doing?"

"First, we'll professionally edit and monetize your short-form content, which currently consists mostly of fan-made edits. More importantly, however, we'll expand your broadcasts to platforms beyond Earth." Mei's eyes lit up.

"Really? You can do that?"

"Normally? No. However, we're willing to make an exception for the two of you." Adam folded his arms.

"What's the catch?" He still wasn't exactly eager to trust the man after the whole ripping his soul apart incident.

"The catch is that you'll need to stream more frequently and occasionally participate in scheduled content outside your usual boss fights."

"Bonus content?" Mei asked, sounding almost excited. Dumas nodded.

"Things like interviews, contests, community events, and various mini-games."

"What do we get out of it?" Adam asked.

"Aside from occasional breaks from nearly dying inside the tutorial?" Dumas smiled faintly.

"You'll gain early exposure to civilizations beyond Earth."

"The outside world?" Mei leaned closer to the screen.

"Is it really that amazing?"

"That depends on your definition of amazing," Dumas replied.

"What I can say is that it's unlike anything either of you has seen so far."

"So we dance like monkeys for everyone's entertainment..." Adam said dryly.

"... and in return we get exposure bucks?" He shook his head.

"Yeah. That's not nearly enough." Dumas frowned and quietly considered the offer for several long moments. Finally, he sighed.

"Very well. I can offer one more incentive." He looked directly at Mei.

"It concerns your parents." The change in Mei was instantaneous. The excitement vanished from her face, replaced by a sharp, almost frightening intensity.

"What..." she whispered. Her eyes locked onto Dumas.

"... What did you just say?" She stepped closer to the screen, her voice trembling.

"My parents? What about them?" The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Her breathing quickened.

"They're still alive... aren't they?" She looked ready to climb through the screen itself, grab Dumas by the collar, and force the answer out of him.

"I'll tell you once you agree to my proposal," Dumas said calmly.

"That's straight-up blackmail," Adam said. Dumas simply shrugged.

"That's business."

"Well, you can take your business and shove it..."

"I agree!" Mei blurted out before Adam could finish.

"Now tell me about my parents!" Adam turned toward her.

"Wait, Mei. Are you sure that's a good idea? He could be lying."

"I might cheat," Dumas replied, "but I don't lie."

"Excuse me if I don't believe you."

"I don't care if it's a lie or not," Mei said, her voice wavering.

"Just tell me." Dumas regarded her for a moment before nodding.

"Very well. I can't tell you much. However, they are alive... and they are doing well." His answer was brief. Before either of them could ask another question, he tapped the papers spread across his desk. The documents vanished, replaced by a second floating screen beside the video call packed with dense legal jargon.

"Now then," Dumas said pleasantly, "since you've so generously agreed, please sign your names on this document." Adam frowned.

"Hold on. That's it? They're doing well? That's all we get?"

"That's all I'm at liberty to say."

"It's enough," Mei said quietly. Tears shimmered in her eyes, but this time they were tears of relief rather than grief.

"I'm just happy to know they're alive." Without a moment's hesitation, she pressed the signature button on the screen, leaving behind a glowing digital signature. Adam lingered for a second longer, eyeing the impossibly long contract with suspicion. In the end, he sighed and signed beside her.

"Perfect!" Dumas beamed.

"Pleasure doing business with you both." He reached for his mouse to end the video call.

"Wait!" Adam called out. Dumas paused.

"You promised one last piece of advice."

"Ah... I did, didn't I?" He rested his chin on his hand.

"Do you remember the spellbook you received for defeating your first mini-boss?" Adam nodded slowly.

"Yeah. The useless one that uses more mana to cast a spell than just casting the spell normally?"

"That's the one," Dumas confirmed.

"Show it to Ymir. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." He gave them a small wave.

"Alright. That's everything."

"Wait, one more thing," Adam interrupted again.

"Yes?"

"Will this happen again?" Dumas blinked.

"What will?"

"My soul getting ripped out and torn apart?"

"Oh. No." He shook his head.

"You won't be able to awaken another Archmagus Seedling or Divinity while you're inside the tutorial. Once you leave, however, you're free to pursue whichever path you wish. Those restrictions will no longer apply." Before either of them could ask another question, Dumas decisively ended the call. The screen flickered to black before disappearing completely, then silence settled over the grassy hill. Adam and Mei exchanged helpless looks.

"Well," Adam said at last, "at least we got some good news out of all that." He smiled softly.

"Your parents are alive." Mei nodded, tears still slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"Yeah..." She wiped them away with the sleeve of her jacket before taking a long, steadying breath. Only then did Adam notice she was wearing an entirely different outfit, probably another design she'd thrown together from the clothes they'd bought during their shopping trip. She wore a black leather baseball cap adorned with metal spikes around the brim, with the oversized Ears of Anubis poking from the top. A tan camouflage jacket hung open over a black crop top that showed off her toned abs.

Tactical cargo pants worn loosely, exposing a black strap along her waist line, which were tucked neatly into a pair of black combat boots, while gold ankh earrings completed the Egyptian-inspired look. Adam looked her up and down.

"Isn't it a little late for the whole Egyptian desert theme?" Mei shrugged.

"I thought it was sexy."

"I mean... you're not wrong." He scratched the back of his head.

"I just figured you'd switch to a Viking theme or something." Her eyes lit up.

"Oh. That's actually a good idea." She immediately summoned her wardrobe. Stepping inside the glowing closet, she disappeared for only a few seconds before emerging in an entirely new outfit. The Ears of Anubis remained perched atop her baseball cap, but everything else had changed. Her camouflage jacket had become black studded leather trimmed with thick animal fur. Beneath it was a brown leather chest wrap secured with belts and buckles.

A fur-lined skirt hung over fitted leggings, matching fur-trimmed boots covered her feet, and her gold ankhs had transformed into miniature Viking shield earrings. Even her hairstyle had changed into an elegant valkyrie braid. Adam stared.

"That's... a lot of animal fur."

"It's fake," Mei replied matter-of-factly.

"I mean, it's magically conjured, but does that actually make it fake?" She blinked and then shrugged.

"How would I know if you don't?" Adam chuckled.

"Touché." He rose from the grassy hill for what felt like the first time in ages, stretching until nearly every joint in his body cracked. Letting out a long sigh he pretended to check a nonexistent wristwatch.

"I believe we're still scheduled for a lesson with Ymir." He nodded solemnly.

"Looks like we're only about a week late."