Chapter 169: New Abilities

Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Nine
New Abilities

When the color of Klein’s eyes returned to normal, Crestet Cesimir smiled.

“You may move around a little, adapt to the changes in your body, and find the core abilities brought by the Clown potion.”

Klein nodded. Thinking that he might need guidance from the high-ranking deacon, he did not worry about having an outsider present. Following the movements he had repeatedly practiced over this period, he stepped forward, twisted his waist, swung his arm, pulled his shoulder, drove his arm forward, and threw a sudden straight punch.

Pap!

He heard the crisp sound of his fist cutting through the air and felt that the forward momentum had completely exceeded his expectations.

In that instant, it was as though he were sitting on a train that had slammed on the brakes. His entire body abruptly lost balance and pitched forward.

Damn it! I’m about to leave behind the same kind of dark history as Leonard…

As the thought flashed by, Klein had already prepared himself to fall. But just then, he discovered that, even under such circumstances, he could still effectively control his muscles, his body, and his center of gravity.

His spine, tendons, and ligaments exerted force at the same time. In the blink of an eye, he adjusted his center of gravity and stood firmly in place in a twisted posture.

Mm…

With some understanding, Klein performed several more sets of movements and confirmed that his greatest change lay in the enormous improvement of bodily coordination. Barring special circumstances, he would almost never lose balance in any obvious way again.

It feels like I have become a tumbler doll… I could even go perform acrobatics… Walking along a water pipe would not be especially difficult… As expected of the Clown potion…

Thought after thought flashed through him as Klein again tested the degree to which his strength, agility, and speed had improved.

Mm. I should not be inferior to Teacher Gawain’s current condition. After I completely adapt and undergo targeted practice, I will definitely become stronger… And with my present ability to control my body, mastering combat techniques will become much easier…

Klein stopped his movements and nodded thoughtfully.

In his original plan, he had thought it would take roughly half a year before he could barely become a decent fighter—decent by ordinary human standards. But after consuming the Clown potion, he now felt that perhaps one month, or even two or three weeks, would be enough for him to become a “police officer” proficient in combat.

This was the difference between Beyonders and ordinary people.

In a certain sense, the different “talents” of different Beyonders had already surpassed the level of humans.

Crestet quietly watched the newly advanced Clown try various movements. Only after Klein came fully to a stop did he nod lightly.

“As expected, it is a potion in the field of combat.”

Without waiting for Klein to speak, he turned and asked, “What did you hear just now?”

“I heard someone murmuring ‘Hornacis,’” Klein said, temporarily concealing the word Flegrea.

He planned to first observe High-Ranking Deacon Cesimir’s reaction. If the other party was willing to explain matters related to the Hornacis mountain range and the Nation of Evernight, Klein would use the excuse that he had heard different content as well and supplement what he had omitted.

Crestet nodded almost imperceptibly and skipped over the subject, reminding him instead, “You must remember this: within the same Sequence pathway, high-Sequence powerhouses can influence corresponding middle- and low-Sequence Beyonders to a certain degree. Some of them, in a certain sense, are demigods of the domains encompassed by that pathway. The ravings or screams you hear may be content they deliberately transmit, content filled with malice.

“If that Sequence also belongs to some evil god, then you must be even more vigilant. I spoke with Dunn earlier. The Nighthawk in your team who recently lost control was in a similar situation.”

Old Neil… the Hidden Sage…

Klein’s expression dimmed. He nodded solemnly.

“Your Excellency Cesimir, I will remember. I will not be tempted by those ravings or shouts. I will not be contaminated by them.”

At the same time, he thought of another matter.

Could this be why the Church provides only the Sleepless and Corpse Collector pathways, while hiding most of the information regarding other Sequences? The former belongs to the Evernight Goddess—one of their own—while the latter corresponds to Death, who has already fallen… The reason Mystery Pryer and Seer are still available is because these two professions are supportive, effectively compensating for the shortcomings of Sleepless and Corpse Collector at Sequence 9 and Sequence 8. Also, they are starting points, so the accumulated influence is not yet great…

But that still cannot explain why even the potion names, corresponding traits, and precautions to take upon encountering such Beyonders are almost entirely absent…

Seeing Crestet Cesimir lift his suitcase and prepare to leave, Klein hurriedly restrained his thoughts and asked in the tone of someone seeking advice, “Your Excellency Cesimir, I would like to know how to act as a Clown. Do I need to go to a circus?”

Crestet straightened his high, upright collar and gave a low laugh.

“In the terminology of current philosophy, you have committed the error of formalism.

“You must understand that the name of a potion represents not only a profession, but also a type of person—people with shared traits. For example, Seer may be described another way: someone who peeks into fate yet reveres fate. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, different people who consume the same potion will more or less summarize different rules of behavior. You cannot entirely imitate another person’s experience. Do you understand?”

Klein nodded thoughtfully.

“I roughly understand. As long as I grasp the essence, I can also act as a Clown in ordinary life?”

“In theory, yes,” Crestet answered cautiously.

“…I understand.”

Klein drew a crimson moon on his chest.

“Thank you, Your Excellency Cesimir. May the Goddess protect you.”

Mm. What exactly is the essence of a Clown? Setting aside all the extended meanings from Earth, and considering only the current world, a clown is a profession that entertains others through absurdity—funny makeup, exaggerated movements, acrobatic performances? Is the core “absurd methods,” or “entertaining others”? Somehow neither feels quite right… Do I need to consider jesters from older courts?

Klein silently pondered, falling into confusion.

Crestet glanced at him and also drew a crimson moon on his chest.

With faint laugh lines showing at the corners of his eyes, he said, “May the Goddess protect you as well.”

Just then, Klein suddenly had an intuition—an intuition so close to a premonition that it told him High-Ranking Deacon Cesimir would step next with his left foot.

Then he watched Crestet carry the silver-white suitcase and take a step with his left foot toward the alchemy room’s doorway.

One step. Two steps. Three steps. Klein watched him leave the hidden room and disappear into the underground passage.

This…

He first froze. Then intense delight surged through him.

The extraordinary ability of the Clown potion is stronger than I imagined!

It actually lets me rely on intuition to foresee the target’s next action!

This ability, combined with extremely strong coordination, outstanding agility and speed, and decent strength—does that add up to so-called technique-based combat?

Klein thought with sudden understanding.

Mm, this can also be considered a small manifestation of a Seer’s ability at Sequence 8. But it still is not enough… This pathway really should be the type where each advancement before high Sequence grants one unique ability… But intuitive premonition flashes by in an instant. There is no way to grasp it every time… Of course, that is already strong enough. Grasping it once can make it highly possible to turn defeat into victory… Ah, right. Once the Clown potion’s negative effects decrease to a controllable stage, I need to try the ritual of “summoning” myself again. I almost forgot about that… Mm. The Captain must have infected me!

Amid all kinds of thoughts, Klein examined himself again, exploring whether the Clown potion had brought any other abilities.

According to the Nighthawks’ internal records, if a potion caused its consumer to master certain spells, the Beyonder of that Sequence would vaguely sense the specific spells after advancement, almost as if knowledge had been poured into them.

But I do not. In other words, the Clown Sequence truly is as described in the Nighthawks’ internal materials and does not possess rapid spellcasting abilities… Does “crafty” mean I can now effectively control facial expressions and body language, making lies easier for others to believe?

Klein moved his neck, seriously analyzing his own condition.

At this point, he could not help thinking of the tailcoat clown he had previously encountered. The other party’s strange and varied spells had left a deep impression on him.

Mm. That member of the Secret Order must have been a Sequence 7 Beyonder. His clown disguise was purely to conceal his face, so he would not be wanted afterward… No wonder he could tangle with two Sequence 7s and one Sequence 8 for so long… If he had not failed to interpret that I was unaffected and ended up controlled by Sealed Artifact 2-049, ten of me might not have been enough to deal with him…

Of course, Clown is not completely without spell-like abilities. It still has some pseudo-spells…

Klein turned sideways, walked to the long table, and picked up the sheet of paper containing the Clown formula.

His eyes darkened. With a flick of his wrist, he threw the paper out.

Pap!

That soft sheet of paper stabbed into the alchemy room wall like a flying knife.

“From now on, I can carry a deck of tarot cards with me. They can be used both for divination and as weapons.”

Klein withdrew his attention and began cleaning up the remnants left behind from mixing the potion.

After dealing with everything, storing the remaining materials, and burning the potion formula, he exhaled, stepped out of the alchemy room, and casually shut the hidden door.

Because of what had happened to Old Neil, he was temporarily in no mood to try entertaining everyone through absurd methods. He planned to wait until the Clown potion’s slight overflow phenomenon had been reduced through meditation before doing so.

Hoo. It will be a completely new experience… No matter what, I am no longer purely support staff… Mm. With Old Neil’s passing, among the Tingen Nighthawks, the only remaining support member is me. The Sanctuary should transfer at least one Mystery Pryer or Seer from elsewhere…

As Klein walked along the deep corridor lit by one elegant gas lamp after another, he drew quietly closer to the stairs, climbing level after level back to Blackthorn Security Company.

Then he saw the sunlight inside the Nighthawks’ recreation room.

Sunlight shining in through the oriel window.

Pure, warm sunlight.