Arche clutched her iron staff tightly, sitting down with a hint of unease.
"Would you like something to drink?" Adam asked with a gentle smile, his tone calm.
"Anything's fine." Arche replied quickly, her back straightening.
"Then let's get another red tea." Adam said to a nearby server, noting her tension.
Finding this golden-haired, shoulder-length girl wasn't difficult. Beyond being a student at the Imperial Magic Academy, Arche was quite well-known.
At her young age, she had already mastered third-tier magic, a talent that firmly placed her among the geniuses of this world.
As Adam glanced at her, another similar girl came to mind.
In E-Rantel, the adventurer team "Sword of Darkness" included a girl named Ninya, who disguised herself as a boy. She bore a striking resemblance to Arche.
In the eyes of this world's inhabitants, both were considered prodigies.
The key difference, however, was that Arche's potential had already plateaued. She had essentially cashed in her talent early.
Ninya, according to the novels, possessed the potential to surpass the Hero Domain, reaching the fifth-tier "Exceptional" level among human mages.
While in E-Rantel, Adam had specifically investigated the "Sword of Darkness" Team, but found no trace of them, indicating they hadn't yet formed.
Soon, a steaming cup of red tea was placed before Arche.
"Sir, may I ask why you sought me out?" Arche's voice lowered as she added, "About the… payment…"
"Here's ten gold coins as an advance. I need your Talent to test the effects of a recently acquired magical item." Adam said generously, handing her a pouch of coins.
Arche's blue eyes widened at the sight of the gold, her tension easing significantly.
She couldn't help it.
Money was tight. Since her father lost his noble title, their family had no steady income, yet her parents clung to their former aristocratic lifestyle.
Their savings were nearly depleted, and Arche had been contemplating ways to earn money. These ten gold coins were a lifeline, and this was just the advance.
"Sir, there may be some inaccuracies in what you've heard about my Talent." Arche said earnestly, not immediately taking the coins. "My ability only lets me observe the highest-tier magic a caster can use. It doesn't work on magical items."
"And it only applies to arcane magic."
The black-haired young man before her, dressed in attire clearly suited for a divine type magic caster, seemed gentle and approachable.
"The magical item I acquired has an effect that blocks detection magic, but its true capabilities need verification." Adam explained with a soft smile. "That's why I'd like to use your Talent to test it. And don't worry, I can cast arcane magic as well."
Hearing this, Arche relaxed, though she was inwardly surprised.
A magical item that blocks detection?
She hadn't heard of such a thing, but it must be incredibly expensive.
Rich and powerful, she thought.
"Then… here?" Arche asked, her expression serious.
"If it's inconvenient, we can move elsewhere." Adam replied, unconcerned.
"No problem."
Arche looked up at Adam, her blue pupils glowing faintly with magical energy.
With her All-Seeing Eye, the higher a caster's magical tier, the brighter the aura of their magical field.
But at this moment, in her eyes, Adam had no magical aura whatsoever. He appeared as someone unskilled in arcane magic.
Before now, she might have assumed that was the case.
Surprise crept onto Arche's face. "I can't see anything. The magical item you purchased must be exceptionally effective."
"Thank you for your help."
Adam smiled, his gaze deepening.
He wasn't wearing any magical item.
Back in the Kingdom's capital, he'd noticed a brief note about his Talent, Player.
[Talent: Player (Unobservable, Unseizable).]
At the time, freshly transported to this world, he hadn't paid it much attention. But after half a month in the Imperial Capital, while reviewing his abilities, he recalled this trait.
Combat wasn't just about raw strength, it involved traits and countermeasures.
For instance, the Undying Spirit he'd acquired from Khajiit was a mental countermeasure against charm magic.
There were also detection countermeasures, and after reaching level 70, temporal countermeasures would be necessary.
The "Unobservable" Trait made Adam wonder if his Player talent inherently carried anti-detection properties.
Now, that hypothesis was confirmed!
"Here's the rest of your payment." Adam handed over another ten gold coins.
Arche was stunned. Twenty gold coins just for a simple verification? Truly a wealthy man.
"Oh, Miss Arche." Adam added with a smile. "Do you know any classmates skilled in detection magic? I'd like to verify further."
At his words, a figure flashed in Arche's mind, but she hesitated.
"If you can bring them here, I'll pay the same amount again. Naturally, your classmate's payment will be separate." Adam said, sensing her reluctance and pressing the advantage.
"Alright."
Arche's grip on her staff tightened as she looked up, her clear blue eyes meeting Adam's. "But please, try not to mention money in front of them. And if they say anything offensive, I hope you'll overlook it."
"Of course."
Adam nodded, inwardly delighted.
Coming to the Imperial Magic Academy was proving to be the right move.
If not for the restrictions barring outsiders, he'd love to explore the place. It might yield useful magic or even basic professions.
Arche lifted her staff and hurried off.
Adam instructed the restaurant staff to clear the two cups of tea from the table, ordering some food instead.
About half an hour later, Arche returned with another blonde girl of similar age.
Unlike Arche's modest attire, this girl wore a deep blue mage robe. Though she carried no staff, a water-blue holy symbol hung at her chest.
It wasn't just a mark of divine faith, it was a valuable magical item.
The blonde girl pushed open the restaurant door, immediately locking onto Adam's position and striding over.
"You're Arche's friend?" She asked, tilting her head and sizing Adam up without reservation. A flicker of approval crossed her eyes. "Older than Arche, but that's fine."
"Frianne!" Arche tugged at the girl's sleeve, her face flushing.
Adam glanced at Arche, then stood with a smile. "Yes."
"Allow me to introduce myself, Frianne Wyliea Van Gushmond." The girl said, sitting down promptly.
Gushmond?
While gathering intelligence on Leinas, Adam had also researched prominent nobles in the Baharuth Empire.
This girl was the daughter of a duke.
She had no significant role in the anime, clearly a minor character.
Feigning surprise, Adam responded accordingly.
"One iced Macatia." Frianne ordered confidently to a nearby server before turning to Adam. "So, what do you need me to do?"
"I currently know two detection spells, Detect Life and Locate Object. The second one I'm not very skilled with, it can't pinpoint things too far away."
"Could you use both?" Adam asked, his eyes glinting as he smiled.
"No problem."
"Detect Life."
Frianne aimed both hands at Adam, chanting softly.
This was a relatively common detection spell, able to sense nearby lifeforms but ineffective against undead.
"I can sense your presence normally. Your magical item is peculiar, it blocks Arche's Talent but not standard detection magic?" Frianne opened her eyes, curiosity in her voice.
Adam fell into thought.
Unobservable…
Logically, if the All-Seeing Eye couldn't detect him, a basic spell like Detect Life shouldn't work either.
Yet it did.
Did this mean his Player ability only blocked "scrying" detection magic?
Spells like Clairvoyance, Crystal Monitor, or Astrology fell into that category.
Meanwhile, sensory spells like Detect Life, Detect Magic, or a monk's Ki Sense weren't affected.
***
Every 5 reviews and 200 power stones, a bonus chapter will be dropped.
(5,10,15, 200, 400, 600, and so on then two bonus chapters will be dropped, 1 for 5 reviews and 1 for 200 power stones, so that's 2 bonus chapters!)
And if you want to read more than 50 chapters early, feel free to visit pat re on. com / Xelenea (remove space).