12. Possibility
I followed Xio toward where we would meet her other teammate.
We entered a dim alley that branched off from the main street, its silence broken only by the soft echo of our footsteps. Shadows shifted as figures stepped out, cloaked and hooded just like us.
Besides Xio and me, three others were already there, each wrapped in the anonymity of a black hood.
Three?
That number caught me off guard.
One of them had to be Fors—Xio's close friend and the original target of my earlier encounter. The second should be Viscount Glaint, the nobleman desperate for the Apothecary formula. Those two made sense.
But the third...?
I swallowed hard, a chill prickling at the back of my neck.
Don't tell me...
Is it her?
My eyes darted toward the smallest of the three hooded figures. Even concealed beneath layers of fabric, there was a graceful tension in her posture. Elegant. Familiar.
No. It couldn't be.
Not Lady Audrey Hall...
But even as I tried to reason it away, a part of me already knew. I could feel her eyes on me. Not malicious—curious, cautious, calculating.
She was here.
And now, everything has changed.
The Day Before
After Xio met up with Fors, the two paid a visit to Viscount Glaint's residence. He readily agreed to join the gathering, eager to find the Apothecary formula. Everything was proceeding according to plan.
That is, until they reported back to the sponsor who had commissioned them to investigate Chris.
Audrey.
The two detailed everything—the failed infiltration, the bizarre traps, and the boy named Chris who seemed to see right through them.
Audrey listened in stunned silence.
"Did you say he knew who requested the commission?" she asked, a chill running down her spine.
Xio nodded. "That's what he claimed. But we couldn't confirm it."
Even if Audrey chose not to pay, Xio wouldn't have complained. The mission had technically failed, after all.
But Audrey's gaze was distant, her thoughts a storm.
'Does he know about the Tarot Club? About me?'
The more she pondered it, the more uneasy she felt.
Calmly, she handed over their payment. "Of course. You did your part."
But inwardly, her heart raced.
After that, she didn't linger. Making an excuse, Audrey slipped away and found a secluded spot, her emerald eyes flickering with resolve.
She knelt, drew a breath, and whispered the sacred words that had long since become familiar—words that tied her to a mysterious gathering beyond the veil of reality.
"The Fool who does not belong to this era..."
Her voice was steady, solemn. The choice had been made.
She would attend the gathering.
********
So... what should I do?
After a short introduction as Xio and Fors' "acquaintance," the five of us—me, Xio, Fors, Glaint, and Audrey (supposedly)—headed to Mr. A's gathering.
The air was thick with a quiet tension, the kind that comes from walking into an unknown world with only partial knowledge of what awaited. Each of us kept our hoods tightly pulled over our heads, concealing our identities. There was no real need for introductions; only Xio and Fors knew each other's true faces and vice versa, and for the time being, that was enough.
As we walked, the soft patter of footsteps echoed around us, mingling with the sounds of the streets beyond the shadows. The cloaked figures around us shuffled in near silence, their faces hidden under their own dark hoods. In a way, it felt like I was stepping deeper into a secret world, where identity was a luxury and trust was a rare commodity.
But there was something else—the subtle weight of a gaze, sharp and persistent, pressing against my back. One of the hooded figures had been watching me for the past few minutes. I could feel their eyes on me even through the fabric of my own hood. It was almost like they could see right through it,
The gathering progressed as I'd imagined. Participants traded ingredients, posted requests, or offered commissions. Some were accepted. Most weren't. From our side, Xio asked about the Sheriff formula—no response. Glaint inquired about the Apothecary formula—nothing.
Me, Fors, and Audrey said nothing the entire time.
I'd considered asking for info on the Backlund underworld or Beyonder creatures I could hunt. But that was risky. I didn't want anyone tracing me. And Audrey had been watching me like a hawk.
But I did steal a glance toward the center of the gathering. There, standing with a quiet but undeniable authority, was the one controlling this whole event. Mr. A.
The high-sequence Beyonder.
His presence exuded power, like the stillness of a storm before it broke. I knew then that I had to be careful. A place where even the slightest misstep could lead to disaster.
Eventually, the gathering ended without anything notable. We parted ways with barely a word, each of us retreating back into our respective shadows, to resume our lives in a world.
Back in my room, I sighed and collapsed onto my bed.
I'd spent five gold pounds to join the gathering. Whether I had gained anything or suffered a loss, I wasn't sure.
Points: 5489
Audrey must have boosted that total. Meanwhile, Xio and Fors hadn't given me anything. Probably because they weren't part of the Tarot Club.
But still... why does the system favor the Tarot Club so much?
Is it because they're the protagonist's group? Or because Klein will eventually uncover the truth of the world?
I shook my head. No point thinking about it now.
Instead, I turned my attention to the shop.
I was in debt with the system, but that didn't mean I couldn't browse the shop—just that I couldn't make any major purchases without paying back the loan. That wasn't the biggest issue, though. The real problem lay in the items available.
I scrolled through the categories, one item catching my eye after another.
Thor's Hammer
Price: 1999 points
Ability: Grants the user control over lightning, using their body as a catalyst.
Penalty: The user is not immune to the lightning they summon.
Avada Kedavra
Price: 999 points
One of the three Unforgivable Curses. It strikes the immaterial soul, rather than the physical body.
Penalty: Each use costs the user a piece of themselves.
Full Counter
Price: 2499 points
Ability: Reflects any non-physical attacks back at the attacker.
Penalty: The user suffers both the reflected and original damage.
Dragon Slayer Magic: Flame
Price: 4999 points
Magic taught directly by dragons. However, the greed of humanity corrupts it, transforming the magic into the dragon itself.
Penalty: The flame also burns the user.
Every item had its flaws. There was no exception. But that wasn't the worst part.
In fact, if I looked hard enough, I could probably find a few items that didn't have completely terrible drawbacks. The prices had dropped exponentially, which made them all the more tempting. If I played my cards right, some of these might not be bad trade-offs at all. I just had to be careful—strategic.
Take this one, for example:
Steal
Price: 1400 points
Ability: A super lucky adventurer once possessed this, accompanied by beautiful girls—perhaps even a goddess.
Penalty: If aimed at women, it can only steal underwear.
The flaw was absurd, yes—but not exactly deadly. The ability itself wasn't particularly powerful either, but it could come in handy in some niche scenarios.
My point is, there were other items like this—abilities with simple, manageable flaws.
However, the real problem was this:
'Do you confirm to change the system type?'
'Once changed, it cannot be reversed.'
Yes / No
Changing the system type would lower the prices of all items in the shop, but every single one would come with a flaw. If I'd started out with this kind of system, I might have accepted it without question. But now, I couldn't help but feel reluctant to lose what I already had. The thought of giving up the benefits I'd gained made me dread the idea.
In the end, I chose No.
I closed the system screen and continued browsing, taking note of a few items that might be useful later.
But just as I was about to return my focus elsewhere—
I felt it.