Chapter 182: Chapter 182

The recent storm of events had left Jenkins vexed. He felt an urgent need to increase his strength, but the study of mysticism and rituals was not something that yielded significant results in a short time, and extraordinary items were even harder to find.

Upon reaching Level 2, his capacity had expanded to a total of thirteen abilities. Of those, he had already learned ten: [Contact Healing], [The Unknown Path], [Frost Punch], [Disease Curse], [Astral Perception], [Dream Soul Departure], [Blasphemous Creation], [Twin Demons], [Cat's Grace], and [Psychography].

Jenkins could feel the spirit within him; he was still a long way from advancing to Level 3. That meant he had to consider his remaining three ability slots with extreme caution.

He had a chain ability, [Our God is Here], which he'd acquired in a trade with Skylark Miss, but he had no intention of learning it for now. The potential drawbacks were too severe. However, the divine art Papa Oliver had used to dodge the [Ice Messenger]'s bullet—[Aegis of Books]—was quite intriguing. It was an ability whose defensive power was determined by the user's piety, the number of books they had read, and the capacity of their spirit.

The extent of his own piety toward the Sage was a question Jenkins preferred not to dwell on—but he considered it adequate. As for the number of books read, having lived through an age of digital reading, he was confident he'd read more than most Enchanters. So, he decided he would learn this ability.

But there was still a problem. The Church was already aware that he had learned [Astral Perception] after reaching the second level. Therefore, in theory, "ordinary Enchanter" Jenkins shouldn't be able to learn any more abilities.

This was his biggest issue now. The safe, reliable, and cheap channel for acquiring abilities was unavailable to him. Having just advanced, it was impossible to even request abilities from the third level ahead of time.

He could only hope the black market or the few secret gatherings he attended might offer some help.

And so, the celebrated author, with eight thousand gold pounds to his name, found himself mired in profound frustration.

He summoned the glowing motes of his abilities and tried to activate [The Unknown Path], but nothing happened.

The more he tried to read, the more agitated he felt. Finally, Jenkins set the book aside, checked the items on his person, and left the house with Chocolate.

He waved off the carriage driver at the street corner, feeling he just needed a walk. Although Chocolate was always well-behaved, Jenkins still worried about him getting lost, so he stopped the kitten's struggles to jump down to the street.

A black crow flew overhead. Jenkins only heard the sound; by the time he looked up, it was already gone.

"A crow cawing as I leave the house..."

He took it as a bad omen. He paused on the street, hesitating for a moment before deciding to head back home.

Before he could even move, the sound of police officers talking drifted from the direction he'd come. The voices were growing closer; they were clearly heading his way.

Jenkins hadn't broken any laws tonight, but he had no desire to chat with the constables. The streets were nearly deserted, and they would certainly stop to question him.

Without a second thought, he took a few steps forward and slipped into a small alley. The owner of a low-roofed house by the alley's edge heard the noise and poked their head out. Seeing a man hurrying into the distance, they immediately slammed their door shut.

Jenkins had never been down this alley before. He had assumed it would be a quick shortcut back to the main road, but the path only grew deeper. After several branching turns, he had to admit that he was lost.

"Chocolate, do you know the way home?"

Jenkins whispered to the cat in his arms, but the kitten only stared at him blankly.

It was a cry of pure ambiguity.

He gave up on wandering the alleyways. Setting the cat on the ground, he watched it immediately scramble up a small, bare-branched tree and then leap onto the roof of a house.

It didn't run off. Instead, it sat watching Jenkins under the dual-colored moonlight.

Jenkins realized at once that his little cat was already wise enough not to stray from its master.

With a faint sense of relief, he activated [Cat's Grace] and followed Chocolate's path up onto the roof. He was hardly as nimble as a cat, but at least he didn't disturb the people sleeping below.

"Wait a minute. If someone sees me walking on a roof this late, they'll definitely think I'm a dangerous person!"

The thought struck the ever-cautious Jenkins.

He motioned for Chocolate to wait, then summoned the black robe steeped in his spirit. He carried a small mirror and saw that this time his appearance was that of an ugly youth about his own age. Of course, it was only a superficial disguise; his physical form remained unchanged.

The cat trotted obediently ahead, and Jenkins felt it was being considerate, choosing a path that a human could also navigate.

This area wasn't a slum, but the houses were still built with very little space between them. Jenkins crossed onto someone's balcony, kindly nudged a flowerpot that was about to fall back from the edge, hopped onto a low wall, and nearly kicked a package tucked beneath a brick to the ground.

Jenkins paused, blinking. There was no spiritual glow.

He leaped past it, ignoring the object.

Leading the way, the cat sniffed at something cautiously, then glanced back at its master. Seeing that he wasn't paying attention, it let out a lazy meow, scaring away a stray cat that was poised to pounce from a trash heap.

A look of pure mischief crossed the cat's face. It gazed into the distance and slightly adjusted its course.

Following Chocolate, Jenkins scanned his surroundings, searching for any familiar buildings. Suddenly, the cat stopped dead and shot into Jenkins's arms, its whole body trembling.

Jenkins immediately dropped into a crouch, holding the cat and his breath. A few seconds later, the faint sound of men talking drifted toward him on the night wind.

The voices weren't coming from below him, but from somewhere farther off. The source of thɪs content is NoveIＦire.net

Jenkins glanced around, tucked Chocolate under his left arm, and crept forward on his elbows along the roof. He was on a two-story white stone duplex with a pointed, triangular roof over the attic. Apart from the lightning rod and tiles at the very peak, the lower eaves were adorned with several stone statues of kneeling, armored knights.

Hiding behind one of the statues, he carefully peered down and was surprised to find he had reached the edge of a major road.

In the middle of the street, an ancient, lushly-leafed tree grew with startling abruptness. Thick green vines hung from its crown, which nearly covered the entire roadway, and its dense leaves rustled rhythmically in the night wind. Rustling along with them were countless strips of red cloth, barely visible among the branches.