Landlord’s Resolve

"Hey!" Hyuk called out to them, he confidently strode over and grasped Adam by the shoulder.

"Are you really going to stop me…?" The Landlord had no patience, he'd beat the shit out of him too.

"Please help me out… I'm about to die." Even though 'Simon' looked fine, his face was twisted.

Having high regeneration didn't stop the pain.

To him, Hyuk's assistance was like a stroke of luck.

It'd be really helpful if the pervert could stop the irrational immortal before he really did die here.

"What? I wasn't saying that. I'm asking if I could join." But this reply disappointed the former Brave.

Two angry faces turned in his direction, one filled with fury… and the other feeling righteous anger.

*Twack!* *Twack!* *Twack!* *Twack!* *Twack!*

"WHO SAID YOU COULD LEAVE OUT CONSENT?!"

"Yeah, what he said!" Adam gave a thumbs up while feeling pure ecstasy from finally beating him.

Oh how long he'd been waiting to do this…!

The rage he'd hidden deep within from that earlier imprisonment incident was expressed right here.

On the other hand, Hyuk only joined because if there was one thing that angered him: It would be those who did things without consent. No matter the context, they were both mature adults here.

The Landlord threw the former Brave to the ground and happily started kicking him with a joyful look.

The Martial King joining in on the 'fun'…

After a long day of walking around, Lucia fell into a deep enough sleep to not hear the manly screams.

The only one who could possibly stop them was the last person to return after dealing with things.

After helping Nyaura establish her dominance and solidify her high position in her gang, Sebastian came back too… only to see 'Simon' getting the shit beat out of him by both Adam and Hyuk.

"…" He had no way to know what was happening.

'Should I help him?' Was his first thought, but then he remembered the drunkard decking him earlier.

Even though that was Holy Progenitor's future self who did that, it didn't change the malice he'd felt.

All because the drunkard had an opinion, he completely disregarded the people around him.

Forcing them to follow his idealistic whims…

Sebas didn't even say anything. He just snuck in and started stomping the poor college student.

When the eccentric finally fell unconscious, the rest of them straightened their backs with energy.

They felt refreshed from finally giving him a piece of their, well… feet(?). Because it definitely wasn't a part of their minds. There was no talking things out when everyone was too tired to argue anymore.

A lesson that was engraved into the eccentric's psyche. All to make sure he wouldn't do it again.

Unlike the rest of them, he didn't seem that happy with having to let the guy off the hook this way.

He seemed a little disappointed…

"Sebas, I think we went a little too far. Can you take care of him for a bit?" Adam spoke out weakly.

The Magician immediately plopped the disfigured eccentric over his shoulder and walked away.

It was already obvious they went a bit too far…

Hyuk, who was left behind, knew there must have been a reason their Landlord set the other away.

There must have been something to talk about.

And truly, was there a lot of things in his mind.

Adam sighed while putting his hand over his face like he had a migraine. Trying to collect himself.

Recent events had really taken a tole on him.

His memories had become clearer after being able to cut loose on 'Simon'. He remembered the past.

Even the parts about Gaia returned to him.

Originally, he'd came to this world not because he couldn't handle his life on Earth… but boredom.

It was just a way of adding some spice to his life.

He didn't expect nothing would go the way he'd thought, and realised that something was wrong.

It was then he remembered his time as someone who was instructing someone else in this world.

His time as a System.

'I was too hypocritical...' The calm capitalist remembered the words he'd written to Linda:

{You don't have to listen to anyone if you're strong enough to take out an army.} He expressed to her.

It was all due to thinking of her as a 'Protagonist'.

While he was whispering thoughts of revelling in her strength and overthrowing the monarchy, he relaxed from the safety of his room. The strong consequences the 'advice' given far from reach.

What was any more hypocritical?

After coming to this mystical world himself, he cooped himself up and thought he'd be safe.

That nothing happen to him.

Why? Because it wasn't like he was a 'Protagonist' like her. He was merely a side character. An extra.

Or maybe something even lower than that.

When the 'Otome Game' became a reality, Adam thought he was safe because it already ended.

That things should be fine if he didn't stand out.

But was this a world that worked on such logic?

Even his version of Earth, which was dominated by physics, people sometimes died without warning.

They suffered without doing anything to deserve it.

The only difference between here and there was that he no longer had to fear 'dying' anymore.

No longer having to fear his consciousness vanishing from Gaia. Turning into an empty husk.

["People who never change, always suffer."]

The words told to him by Linda rang in his mind once again. He remembered the pity on her face…

'I changed.' Indeed, Adam was right to think that he followed her words. That he indeed acted different.

But hadn't truly grown ever since he came here.

Without ambition. Without the will to plant his feet firmly in the societal wars going on under the table.

Without any of these things, he had become the most 'special' Land Owner to ever exist on Gaia.

An Earthling with a Territory License…

And he thought he'd get away without fighting?

'I am the worst.' Adam finally admitted it to himself.

The world didn't exactly revolve around him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't participate in destiny.

Gaia had probably thought people like Simon would be able to protect him… despite defying their fate.

Gathering strong people around him that he could control if… he put the time and effort into doing so.

He didn't realise the importance of her assistance and didn't even consider what should've been obvious. Adam felt it was HIS fault the connection between him and Gaia was permanently severed.

If only he'd took initiate to protect himself…

The Landlord felt his heart waver when he thought he'd never be able to get to know 'Mother Nature'.

Interactions he could've had with her were gone…

…and all that was left an omnipresent silence.

He made a decision on this day. There would no longer be any reason for him to not grasp his life.

Regain control over his position in the world.

And more importantly than that:

'If Gaia was in danger, I want to be able to help.' He wanted to be strong enough to repay his dept.

To give back to the world that had protected him.

When he opened his eyes again, a flame tore away at the darkness of emptiness that was his past.

It was now time for some 'administration work'.

Solaris looked at Hyuk and spoke pragmatically.

He no longer cared about his pride. The only thing he needed now was absolute power over others.

Thus, he started to speak: "My 'father' really wanted me to change and grow as a person."

"You mean that guy?"

"Right." After making that clear, he felt the Geis applied to his body had finally stabilised itself.

"And he didn't ask for your consent?"

"Pretty much." Adam knew this sounded immature of him, but he didn't regret beating the bastard up.

"Although not an evildoer, I guess this can still go under the category of harassing a disciple." Hyuk tried to make sense of what he'd heard, but there was one thing that bothered him. He continued:

"But what business did you have with me?"

"Hyuk..." The Landlord threw away his pride and asked wholeheartedly: "…I want to truly cultivate."

These words made the man widen his eyes.

He wondered if Adam even knew what those words entailed. It was different from merely cultivating Qi.

To 'truly cultivate' in the sense he was spoke of, it was necessary to have a strong ambition within.

The obsession to grow stronger amidst life's trails.

A fanatical base desire that went against their regular instincts. Their desire not to survive…

…but to live freely.

Liberated from the world that once chained them.

"Are you up for it?" He threw out those words and pressured the Landlord with the might of his aura.

Without even a drawn sword, Hyuk was able to make his 'student' feel a blade hanging over him.

Ready to execute him with a single slash.

"I am." Regardless, death by decapitation was the least of his worries. There were far worse fates.

And Adam was obsessed with avoiding them.

It was no longer a fear of death driving him like before he entered Gaia, but a fear of suffering.

A fear of being trapped in misery by another.

A fear of being deprived of the things that was his.

This will countered the pressure and even made the Martial King take a step back under the weight.

Those eyes were far more desperate than the ones Hyuk had seen in the Martial World. It was too real.

Thus, a smile formed on the androgynous pervert's face. He tapped his new student's back and spoke:

"Very well~ Then it's time for us to finally get started." He grabbed his hand and lead to the side.

The handsome man took out some acupuncture needles and rolled his sleeves with burning eyes.

Their location was switched to the room he'd decorated himself. Cute girls postered on the walls.

As well as a paused porn video not having been opened on incognito. The room of a madman!

One could 'feel' the lust of the owner from it…

Adam expected this to be the time Adam would give him advice. Telling him to properly meditate.

But the first word that came out of the guy was:

"Strip."

"Excuse me?" Solaris took a step back. As he was someone from a more western country, it wasn't really 'normal' for two men, much less non-blood-related-strangers, to bare their bodies so easily.

There was a reason one's manhood was considered a 'private part'. It felt too degrading.

He didn't want to bare his body to a man…

"Stop feeling shy and strip. I need to open up your Governing Vessel and Conception Vessel. I'll also check on your other Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Principal Meridians while I'm at it."

"…" Hearing those words made Adam question if his earlier resolution as real as he believed it to be.

Will he let his own pride be a hinderance?

No, he had to put more effort into his conviction!

"What're you waiting for?" As someone who didn't see stuff like bathing between men and getting a male patient to strip to show their wound, the hesitation shown didn't make sense to the man.

Regardless, Hyuk was surprised by his student:

"I have someone I want to show you." Adam hid nothing and displayed the full extent of his power.

His body split into Solaris and Lumina.

The latter feeling more uncomfortable than the former under a man's gaze. It was due to the 'split'.

His consciousness was like two sides of a coin.

Both of them heterosexual, but not in the traditional way thanks for being interconnected.

Perhaps it would be easier to call him bisexual, but that wasn't accurate to describe his current state.

It was a mentality that wasn't normally possible…

When Hyuk saw the black-dressed Lumina, his eyes lit up in a way that was different from normal.

There wasn't any lust in that burning gaze…

"Is that a legendary… 'clone'? Not even a lesser vessel, but a True Clone as good as a real body?!"

"I have no idea what you're saying." Lumina took a step back in panic, but let him grab onto her wrist.

She watched as the Martial King that was most adept in the Medical Dao checked her overall condition. He even grabbed the wrist of Solaris and compared their breaking as well as gathered Qi.

It was then he came to a conclusion:

"I can feel a mix of my Yinyang Energy and Dark Mana within you. Although the ratio is different between the two of you- I mean, the two of your bodies, the blend is stabler than originally thought."

"What does that mean…?"

"It's a good thing. I'm saying you have a good thing going on here. There's only one problem I have."

"Which is?" After hearing Solaris question, Hyuk turned his gaze to look Lumina with profound eyes.

Maybe it was because he was peering into how her body worked, but her psyche felt naked as well.

They were the eyes of a man who'd treated many…

"When I grabbed your female form's hand, her heartbeat increased immediately in a certain way."

"Her name is Lumina."

"???" The pervert turned his gaze to Solaris.

"Her name is Lumina…!" His male body slapped Hyuk's hand off her wrist. Adam made some space.

It was at that moment the androgynous pervert realised that Adam had became two distinct egos.

Both connected, but still independent of one another. He looked at his hand before clenching.

Then spoke: "Your the picture of dark duality."

"Dark… Duality…?" Adam didn't seem to understand. His two egos couldn't figure it out.

"Yin with a touch of Yang." He pointed at Lumina, the shifted to Solaris: "Yang with a touch of Yin."

"We already knew that."

"Then do you know what would happen if a female clone with Yin type Dual Cultivation Internal Qi and male body with Yang type Dual Cultivation Internal Qi… were to cultivate in the same vicinity?"

"…" This question shifted between the consciousness of Solaris and Lumina momentarily.

If they went by Wuxia logic of Yin and Yang, then…

"No way…!" Solaris felt his jaw drop a little.

"Right… 'Creation'." It meant Solaris and Lumina didn't even need to have sex to make kids, the connection between them would be enough to cause the female counterpart to get impregnated.

It was a terrifying thought…!

"What can we do to stop it?" Lumina made an awkward yet fearful face. Even though she had the feelings of a straight woman, the consciousness split into her was that of a natural born dude.

A heterosexual of the exact opposite gender.

So to Lumina personally, becoming pregnant was the last thing she wanted to experience in life.

"Don't worry. Don't worry. Alright? I have my ways of dealing with that. What I wanted you two to understand is that I'm happy for you, but also want you to know cultivating won't be an easy process."

"We understand." "We understand." Both Solaris and Lumina spoke simultaneously without delay.

"Then you'll have to forgive me for this. For the sake of smoothly erecting your Qi Pathways, I'm going to have to seal up the Dark Mana within your Divine Physiques. Is that alright with you two?"

"Yeah." "That's fine."

"Alright, so should I call you Lumina and Adam from now on?" He was a bit confused by the duo.

"Call me Lumina and him Solaris. When we are one person, then you can call us Adam as one being."

"Why the big distinction?"

"That's just how the two of us see ourselves."

"Whatever you guys agree on. Anyway, I'm still going to need both of you to strip." Hyuk saw the two twins do the same motions as a pure woman having her chastity threatened. It made him sigh.

"Can't you do it through our clothes?" Solaris spoke while hiding Lumina behind him protectively.

"Sure, if you want me to pop your organs because I couldn't see the minutely tiny shift of the muscles."

"…" "…" Adam in his two counterparts could only sigh. Lumina stopped hiding behind Solaris.

A blush appeared on her face when she started to undress. Solaris also felt the same way as her.

Hyuk was attractive to both men and woman, so baring themselves in front of him was an ordeal.

Fortunately, Hyuk wasn't much of a womaniser.

To him, it was important to know if it was worth throwing away a past relation for romantic passion.

And he deemed throwing the friendship between him and Adam to be something that'd be horrible.

Their companionship as men was worth protecting.

And so, even with Lumina stripped bare, not a hint of wanton desire or lust arose in the man's eyes.

Only the tranquility of one learning the Medical Dao. One who, at times, is a doctor of profession.

The wisdom of 'Contraception Seals' appeared in him. As well as 'Yin Yang Sky Revolution Breath'.

As they rested before him on two sheets he'd laid down, his mind searched through what he knew.

It wasn't possible to teach them both the 'Yin Yang Revolution Sky Breath', since it was a tailored Art.

There was more to the technique than just the ability to cultivate Yin and Yang simultaneously.

However, they still had such energy within them.

Solaris was of the 'Greater Yang, Lesser Yin' variety, while Lumina was of opposite composition.

Even though the former had much similar traits to him, the parts where they differed was obvious.

Especially since he had to seal off the Mana Nodes all over them to disperse their original 'Abyssal Qi'.

Opening up their Qi Pathways and making it circulate in a way that wouldn't cause future harm.

The solution he thought up was simple.

Using his extensive knowledge as a Martial King of Dual Cultivation, he'd tailor two breathing arts.

That was his thoughts while turning the two bodies under him into porcupines of acupuncture needles.

Their minds seemingly in a semi-meditative state.