"Seer, Marauder, Apprentice..."
The names of those three paths were enough for everyone to get a rough idea of their abilities without needing to ask in detail.
However, in daily life, it seemed like the only one Ren really used often was the Seer.
"The Marauder path lets you steal things, right? So for role-playing, do you have to steal stuff like Kaito Kid?"
Nagi reacted quickly. Thinking about the acting method just discussed, she immediately came up with that question.
Ren shook his head slightly.
"My situation is a bit more complicated. Since the traits I received from the start were highly compatible with the Sequence system, my progression is a little different from that of ordinary Beyonders. Even without acting, I can digest potions faster than most."
"Low-Sequence potions don't require much acting to be digested, so I don't bother thinking about it too much most of the time. It saves me a lot of trouble."
The Sequences that require public expression were a huge headache for Ren. Especially if he had to perform center stage like some theatrical role—it would be a nightmare.
After all, the world he had lived in for more than a decade was rooted in normal daily life. If he stirred up too much chaos, the official organizations would definitely start watching him closely.
So, when he found out he didn't need to act much, Ren was honestly relieved.
Some Sequences demand control over chaos and madness. If there's no right opportunity, and he's forced into that kind of path, it could ruin the peaceful life he's worked to maintain.
"My Seer potion is already fully digested. I'm now at Sequence 8. My Clown, Marauder, and Apprentice paths are also nearing digestion. What's left is preparing for the next potion."
"These three paths don't focus much on offense at the lower Sequences, so they're still manageable in terms of risk and utility. That's true for most low-level professions."
Nagi nodded in understanding.
"Then there's the Spectator path that Fujiwara took. At lower Sequences, it's not particularly hard to act out, but like mine, it doesn't offer much in terms of combat capability."
After explaining his situation, Ren turned the topic back to Chika.
"If Fujiwara had drawn the Hunter potion yesterday, I definitely wouldn't have recommended she take it."
"Why?"
Nagi voiced the question everyone was thinking.
"Well… the Hunter path has a serious drawback for girls. Of course, it's a strong path, and it offers excellent combat power even at the low Sequences. But—"
"If a girl continues down the Hunter path and reaches the higher Sequences, her gender will change. She'll become male."
Ren's words were like a stone thrown into still water, causing a massive ripple of shock in the group.
From girl to boy?
"The potion can do that? Is there a potion that turns a guy into a girl too?"
Aizawa Sakuya couldn't help blurting out.
"There is."
Aizawa Sakuya paused, her throat moving unconsciously.
"There's another path opposite to Hunter—the Demoness pathway. If a boy takes the Assassin potion and reaches the mid Sequences, he'll change from male to female. And regardless of how plain the boy looks beforehand, once the transformation completes, he'll become an absolute knockout."
"The reason for that, I believe, is related to the subsequent class in the pathway—Pleasure. You can take that name literally. If you don't have a beautiful appearance, you probably won't meet the qualifications for that role."
Aizawa Sakuya couldn't help but imagine it. The very idea of that kind of role-playing made her shudder. It was a little terrifying.
"That's seriously hard to picture. So, someone in the past had to use the acting method?"
Ren nodded slightly.
"I agree. It's pretty difficult to wrap your head around. But I can tell you a very disturbing fact. In that story, there was also a transmigrator. In his diary, he actually wrote: 'The taste of a Demoness isn't bad.'"
What the hell...
Aizawa Sakuya couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mind instantly conjured the horrifying image of a man who turned into a woman and then got seduced by another man—who later wrote in a diary that the Demoness's taste was incredible.
"If that guy ever found out that the one he touched used to be just like him... he'd probably break."
Ren nodded.
"Yeah. I don't know if he would mentally collapse. But just thinking about that kind of scenario is enough to completely kill any interest I might have had in girls from that Sequence. Even if the Demoness looks drop-dead gorgeous."
There was just no way. It felt a little too disgusting.
Yeah... really disgusting.
"But aside from Hunters and Assassins, the other Sequences won't cause something like that."
After that brief detour, Ren brought the conversation back on track.
"Fujiwara's Spectator path focuses on the mind and psychological levels. Right now, her observation skills allow her to see the truth behind people's actions. Once she reaches Sequence 8, those skills will be enhanced even further. She might even gain the ability to read minds."
"Also, since observation skills aren't supernatural powers in the strict sense, even if Ran nullifies magic, they can't be stopped."
Chika, standing nearby, chimed in with a smug little "yeah" pose, making a V with both hands and a mischievous grin on her face.
Everyone else felt a chill run down their spines.
Mind reading was not a comforting ability.
Especially knowing that their true thoughts could be exposed just through behavioral cues, it made everyone feel uneasy.
"Relax. It's mind reading through observation. It's not completely accurate. There will be some margin of error. It won't expose your deepest secrets. At most, it just makes it harder to hide surface-level thoughts."
Seeing everyone so freaked out, Ren could already guess what they were imagining, so he added a bit of explanation.
"You should all play more psychological games with Fujiwara. That'll help her develop her role."
No way!
Everyone instinctively rejected the idea.
They already knew Chika cheated at games. Now that she was openly cheating with a mental edge, who in their right mind would play psychological games with her?
That would be a total loss.
(To be continued.)
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