CHAPTER 31: MYSTERIOUS FORCE, WAKE-UP CALL

Through his enhanced perception, Elias could observe it, a foreign energy signature writhing through his hand and attempting to travel the veins in his arm like a parasitic worm. It was neither flame nor pure mystical energy, but something far more insidious.

—This was the secondary wave of attack woven within Damien’s seemingly harmless strike.

This mysterious assault unleashed by Damien had bypassed his protective suit entirely, slipping through his defenses like water through a sieve. The advanced detection system in his protective suit was rendered useless as it didn’t even register the energy’s existence.

The moment it made contact with his hand, it had begun to wreak havoc on his nervous system, causing his muscles to seize up and his motor functions to temporarily fail. The invasive, mysterious force paralyzed his arm and caused him intense pain, but Elias had maintained his composure under such conditions.

A dual-layered attack. The flame was merely the visible component. This invasive, mysterious energy seemed to operate on a different principle than the flame attack.

Elias realized with a grim expression.

He recalled the moment when Damien had tried to pull his fist away but couldn’t. At the time, everyone, including Damien himself, had assumed it was because of Elias’s terrifying strength rendering his effort useless.

Even if the spies could see through the facade, Elias was certain Damien had likely interpreted his inability to release his grip as a display of overwhelming strength. In reality, it had been the complete opposite.

The truth was that the paralysis inflicted by Damien’s flame attack had caused his muscles to tense up, frozen by the invasive force. This made it impossible for Elias to let go of Damien’s fist even if he wanted to.

As he examined himself, Elias could observe that the foreign energy continued to ravage his arm from within, causing damage that his protective suit couldn’t prevent or heal. He had to find a way to halt its advance, or he would be in extreme danger.

This world’s power system is more complex than I initially understood.

Elias realized, massaging his still-aching hand.

This second layer to Damien’s attack... even my Quantum Sight couldn’t penetrate or detect it. It seems to be an element that exists beyond the physical and energy-based components I’m familiar with.

The initial stage of his Quantum Sight allowed him to perceive and analyze surface manifestations, but with his current ability, he couldn’t inspect anything beyond that. It seems this undetectable element didn’t conform to the physics he understood in the entire Quantum Multiverse.

The discovery was both enlightening and deeply concerning. In his previous life as a supreme Quantum Seeker, he had grown accustomed to analyzing and countering most forms of energy-based attacks through careful observation and technological superiority. But Mystral operated under different rules, with power systems that incorporated elements the original Elias was only beginning to understand before he lost his Thaumaturge Sigil.

The parasitic force that had infiltrated his arm felt different from the mystical energy he had observed in Drakas and Genevieve. It carried a strange signature that fluctuated when observed, eluding his analysis.

Elias suspected it might be related to an intriguing concept he had retrieved from Drakas’s memory. In those memories, he had learned something that had been described as "chaotic force" mingling with normal elements in Mystral. When he learned this knowledge, he didn’t think much of it, but having experienced such a bizarre attack from Damien, he couldn’t disregard it as insignificant.

"No, I need to expedite my plans..."

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Elias concluded, the urgency of his situation was becoming crystal clear.

"I can’t afford to remain vulnerable like this. Every day I spend as a mere mortal is a day I risk exposure to deadly situations."

His ultimate goal, recovering his strength and ascending once again to the Observer Stage, officially becoming a Quantum Seeker, remained unchanged. But to achieve that, he needed an enormous quantity of Mystic Crystals, far more than the few hundred or so he had remaining from Drakas’s hidden chamber.

He needed the Quantum Physique Serum to lay the foundation before his ascension.

The Quantum Physique Serum alone would require thousands of Mystic Crystals according to his estimates, and that was just the first step in a long journey back to his former power. The purpose of his pastry shop was to procure Mystic Crystals, and he was already achieving his purpose slowly, but it wasn’t enough.

At his current pace, he would need weeks to earn the amount required to exchange for the Quantum Physique Serum. He needed to find another channel to procure a large amount of Mystic Crystals within a short term.

The only entities in Sun City with access to such vast resources were the aristocratic families. Their wealth, accumulated over generations and backed by extensive trade networks and political influence, represented his best hope of acquiring the Mystic Crystals he needed.

If his vision from the previous night held true, representatives from these families would likely be visiting his shop today, drawn by curiosity about his unique products and the potential profits they represented.

"If I hadn’t maintained my composure and made my inability to retract my hand seem intentional, perhaps the favorable possibility with the aristocratic families would not have existed..."

Elias realized another truth during his encounter with Damien.

A soft knock at his door interrupted his contemplations.

"E-Elias? Are you awake?"

Selina’s voice called out hesitantly, her tone quivering slightly. She seemed to still have trouble calling him by his name. In the shop, she found it easy to call him boss, following Amanda’s lead.

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"What is it?"

Elias asked.

"Breakfast is ready downstairs."

She said, her calm voice echoing from behind the door.

"I’ll be down in a moment."

He replied, carefully flexing his injured hand one more time before pulling on his gloves to conceal the unnatural veins bulging beneath his skin.

He heard her footsteps retreat down the hallway. Selina had become remarkably perceptive since they had started working together. She would notice if something were wrong with him, and he couldn’t afford to show weakness in front of anybody, not now, when the aristocratic families were circling like vultures.

Elias stood and moved to the washbasin, splashing cold water on his face. As he did, another wave of pain struck, causing his hand to spasm violently. The washbasin rattled against the wooden stand.

This is a wake-up call. I’ve been too complacent since arriving in this world.

He thought, steadying himself against the furniture.

In his previous life as a Unified Field Stage Quantum Seeker, he could have obliterated entire star systems with a thought. Such a simple flame attack would have been beneath his notice. But here in Mystral, stripped of his true power and confined to this mortal body, he was vulnerable in ways he hadn’t fully realized.

The protective suit had cost him a hundred Mystic Crystals, a fortune by any standard in Mystral. He had thought it would be sufficient protection against Neophyte Stage Thaumaturgists like Damien. But this hidden energy component revealed a critical flaw in his understanding.

He was not in his previous reality, where he knew how everything operated, and any carelessness in his approach to this new reality would cost him more than he could comprehend.

Moments later, Elias stood before a mirror, flexing his fingers. The paralysis seemed to have faded, but the residual force still coursed through his meridians like acid. At this rate, it would take days to fully purge it from his system. In the meantime, he would have to ensure his weakness was not exposed to people waiting to take advantage.

His display of prowess when facing Damien was a way to show the aristocratic families that he wasn’t a pushover they could exploit. If they discover that his demonstration of power was merely a performance, that he was indeed hurt by Damien, they would have no reservations when employing their means against him.

—This was a possibility he wanted to avoid no matter what.

When Elias descended to the inn’s common room, it was already bustling with activity. He found Selina, Nathan, and Amanda already seated at a table, plates of simple but hearty food spread before them.