The Deceitful One



Bryan realized that the mental imprints brought about by the potion this time were much weaker—almost nonexistent—compared to last time.

He speculated that the imprints of the transcendent creatures, whose body parts were used to concoct the potion, had been scared off by the malevolent aura that naturally emanated from his body and soul.

The abilities gained after advancing to Rank 2 of the Theft Path focused mostly on illusions. Bryan had now become extremely adept at casting spells from the Illusion Path. And with the Phantom Eyes, his illusion spells gained an additional level of potency.

He had also gained an increase in charm. However, this increase was very minimal since his physique had already done so after his body transformation.

Charm, just as its name suggests, allowed one to charm people. Meaning, Bryan would be able to very quickly leave a good impression on others just by his mere presence. This was an important ability because in order to deceive others, one must first gain their trust.

And not just that, from the mystical knowledge that Bryan received from the potion, he realized that his fluency in speaking as well as persuasiveness had also increased. Again, this was a handy ability in the art of deceit.

Other than that, all the innate abilities that he had gained in the previous rank—spiritual sense observation, blending in shadows, and night vision—had strengthened exponentially along with his speed and agility.

The strangest ability that he had received was… mastery in lock picking. Bryan was speechless as he mumbled, "As expected of the Theft Path, I guess…."

He got up to his feet and took out his pocket watch. After searching for a few moments, he took out the safe that he had stolen from Jack Brown's house in Damascus. He went ahead and changed the lock frequency to a random sequence and locked the safe.

"Now, let's see how this ability works." He rubbed his palms together and proceeded to unlock the safe. A few seconds later, his eyebrows furrowed as he mumbled, "Wasn't that… too easy?"

He had already cracked the safe in a matter of seconds! Bryan changed the lock frequency one more time and proceeded to unlock it. Again, he had cracked it in a few seconds. He continued to change the lock frequency and then crack it dozens of times.

The longest time he had taken to crack the safe was nine seconds. He remembered back when he was still an Apprentice, it had taken him at least ten minutes to crack a safe, but now he could do it in seconds.

Bryan rubbed his chin and was deep in thought. A few moments later, he muttered under his breath, "I see…. This ability is basically a fusion of my high intuition that allows me to sense opportunities and my fluid hand movements which is basically an application of high agility."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "With the combined abilities from both Rank 1 and Rank 2, I have basically become a master of crime."

After that, he began testing out his increase in physical stats; he was quite content with the results. Along with the boost given to him by his dream creature physique, his body was now comparable to a Rank 3 Transcendent!

His spells related to illusion abilities also worked perfectly in tandem with his Phantom Eyes. He realized that the strain on his eyes had also drastically reduced after his advancement. Although it would be still troublesome if he used it recklessly.

The Phantom Eyes were still too powerful for his current body. Bryan believed that when he became at least a Mid-String Transcendent, he'd be able to use them perfectly. After testing out all his abilities, he sat back down in a lotus position to meditate and carve the tenth mind rune.

…

Donald was rushing toward his house as he continued to bump into people walking on the sidewalk. He had no time to stop and apologize, his mind was a mess. He was sweating profusely, less because of running and more because of the tumultuous waves churning in his heart.

He had just experienced a lifetime with his family. His kids had grown up to become successful people in society and even started their own families. His wife had grown older with him and ultimately died of old age.

More than fifty years of his life had passed. He had gone through many ups and downs, but he couldn't deny that there were more good times than bad. He had seen his family prosper, and his wife find great happiness and peace. And he himself had become a Transcendent.

However, all of that came crashing down when he woke up in the meditation room. It all fell apart like fragile glass. He couldn't believe it, no, he refused to believe it. When Bryan said that it was all an illusion, he didn't know what to make of it.

"No, impossible!" He muttered as he ran on the sidewalk. "How can such a thing even happen?"

Although his wife had passed away at an old age, it was the perfect life that she could ever hope for. He was still coming to terms with the passing of his wife but then all of a sudden he was told that it was all an illusion. How could he remain calm?

That's why the first thing he did after waking up was rush to his house. He had to verify it with his own eyes. After almost a twenty-minute jog, he had finally reached his apartment building in the suburbs.

He was so panic-stricken that he even forgot to hail public transport. He was already out of breath but he continued to run. He climbed the stairs and barged inside his apartment. "Annie! Annie, are you there?"

Donald looked around his apartment, his eyes shone with panic as well as a hint of expectation. Although he had led a great life in the illusion, the fact that his wife had died in the end filled him with grief.

He was stuck in a dilemma, he wanted everything that happened to be true. After all, his kids now lived happy and prosperous lives with their own families. At the same time, he also wished it to be truly an illusion. He couldn't part with his wife.

"Annie!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he searched the bedroom. He was beginning to feel that his wife had indeed died. His eyes began to redden as he mumbled, "No… no, please."

Right at that moment, a familiar voice drifted into his ears. "Honey?"

Donald turned around in the direction of the voice. And there she was… the woman he loved with all his heart. She was wearing a white apron on top of her dress. Holding a ladle in one hand, she was looking at him with confusion and worry.

He rushed toward her and gave her a tight hug. "You're alive…. You're alive. Thank Goddess!"

Annie was taken aback. She was worried seeing her husband in such a weary state. And now, seeing his actions she was puzzled. She hugged him back and replied, "Of course I'm alive. Why wouldn't I be?"

However, she didn't receive a reply from Donald. Instead, she could hear sobbing sounds. She couldn't help but speak in alarm, "Donald! Are you okay? What happened?"

Donald wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled brightly at her. He had never felt so relieved in his life. He gently kissed her on the forehead. "Nothing, I just… had a bad dream."

Annie lightly tapped him on the head and scolded, "You silly man, you scared me for nothing, hmph!" With that, she turned around and went back to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," Donald awkwardly replied, "where are the kids?"

Annie replied while cooking food. "Where do you think? They've gone for tuition and should be home anytime now."

"I see…." Donald muttered. He then thought to himself, 'So, it was indeed all an illusion.' He couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Right at that moment, the door to the apartment opened and two little children walked in. When they saw Donald inside, they ran to him cheerfully. "Papa, you're back!"

Donald affectionately hugged his son, Dean, and patted him on the head. When he was about to hug his daughter, Amelia, he was thunderstruck. Because in her arms was a black cat that was looking at him with an amused smile.

"Little Benny!?" He began to sweat nervously. His daughter was actually holding a Transcendent creature that was stronger than his master!

Amelia tilted her head and asked, "Papa, do you know this little kitty? I found him standing outside the door."

'Little kitty!?' Donald nearly had a heart attack. After all, his daughter was treating Benny like a little pet. He gulped involuntarily and spoke, "Little Benny is actually my employer's pet. He must have followed me here."

Amelia's shoulders slouched. "He belongs to your employer? I thought we could keep him…."

'Little lass, you really have a death wish!' Donald thought inwardly. He was about to scold his daughter but suddenly he heard Benny's voice echo inside his head. 'Act normal. No need to reprimand the girl.'

Donald's words got stuck in his throat. Amelia then looked at him and spoke with innocent watery eyes, "Papa, can we at least keep him for the night? We can also feed him!"

"Meow~" Benny nodded excitedly at the mention of food.

"Look! Look, the cat nodded! He's so smart!" Dean replied excitedly. The two kids then began to play with Benny. Seeing this, Donald couldn't help but wonder, 'Will the food in the house even be enough for him?'