Deceit

Adam felt a sense of discomfort from his body after having overspent his stamina in a gaming binge.

However, he felt odd by the lack of pain he felt.

It was only after being introduced to the 'Pantheon' and shown his own stats, he was given insight.

He really felt like a protagonist at this day!

Apple pies were just falling into his lap one after another. A bright smile on his face when Gaia said:

"Congratulations. I know you're tired and want feel like your life was taken from you, but we will be sure to compensate you for all you have done for me. Thank you for saving my lovely daughter."

"It was no problem…" Adam felt high in the sky after being surrounded by many celestial figures.

They were all looking at him with interest.

A situation he hadn't felt back in his previous life.

He wasn't sure why they were giving him so much attention, but such care was welcomed by him.

The 'pantheon' around him seemed a bit strange…

Although Gaia said only a few could attend this place today, this much was enough for him.

Gaia herself looked exactly his type outwardly, but the first person she introduced took his attention.

It was a woman in thin, transparent fabrics.

She had just enough to cover the visibility of her important parts, but was sensational nevertheless.

Her mere presence felt like a cool sea. A relaxing atmosphere that was supernatural to an extent.

Her eyes looked at him while licking her lips…

Even someone dense could realise that wink she gave in response to his stare was a type of flirting.

But there was someone else who didn't like that.

A man with a beard grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to turn his attention towards him.

He looked a bit shorter and heavier built than anyone he ever knew. A frown on the man's face.

"That be my wife." His words were a little hard to listen to through that broken tone, but Adam nodded in response. He looked away from the flirtatious woman. Only to hear the man continue:

"But I understand her she is the representative of carnal love and pleasure. The 'Aphrodite of the People'. Thus, I give you my permission. It's why I haven't covered her body on invisible trap chains."

The former landowner's eyes widely tremendously at this bastard. Did he just give permission to fuck his side? Seriously…? Looking at that old face that was giving him a thumbs up, he gulped in a breath.

Eyes turning towards the calm beauty, who seemed like the embodiment of every man's wettest dream.

Her smile was one that drew him in…

"Don't distract her innocent little virgin avatar like this, Hephaestus Terran. We didn't come here to play around." The last of the three who were introduced to him was a rude woman in a kimono.

It was a tradition Japanese kimono with a large sash that tied around her waist. She seemed to be disgusted by how the old man was 'graciously' offering his wife to a stranger he'd just met.

When the white-collar's eyes made contact with hers, she seemed to look away in indescribable emotion. He wasn't sure what he did wrong, but there was a faint sense of hostility about her.

Gaia spoke to move things along quickly:

"These three will help you overcome your limits and adapt to the new world you're going to."

"Meaning… They are giving me free 'cheat skills' and 'golden fingers'?" His eyes were excited.

There was a giddiness in them from feeling like he'd just stepped into one of those average portal fantasy Light Novels. The ones where the main characters gained undeserved powers and fame.

Wasn't that exactly what he wished for?

Thinking back, he'd grown up to have quite the empty life. That 'stimulator' had gave introspective.

Rather than living an empty life, Adam was sure that this one would be filled with companions.

Maybe he was unmotivated at the beginning to use his strength, but now he felt like he had purpose.

It was stay on top of things and fuck all the bitches!

Maybe amass a harem and some loyal friends who would die for him, or something similar to that.

Was that totally unrealistic? Yup.

But it wasn't like his stats were 'realistic' anyway:

[Name: Adam Graham

Job: Office Administrator

Titles: Otherworlder, True Landlord, An Agent Of Gaia, Former Administrator

Personal Skills: Cooking (Common), Cleaning (Common), Land Management (Common), Lie Detection (Common), Social Barrier (Rare), Sinister Taunt (Rare), Mental Resistance (Rare), Mana Sense (Common), Geis Promise (Myth), Inspection (Myth), Astralisation (Legendary), World Unity (Legendary)

Growth Characteristic: Studious Opportunist/ Antisocial Outcast/ Unsavoury Capitalist/ Game Completionist

Unique Skill: Parallel Concentration (Exclusive), Dark Aeon Shadow Physiology (Exclusive), Dawn Sapient Divine Physique (Exclusive), Father Nature (Exclusive)

Intrinsic Skill: Administrative Experience (Common), Management Experience (Common), Modern Education (Common), Potential Expansion (Special), Territory Liscense (Special), Deity Rank Bloodwood Immortality (Legendary), Holy Descendant (Gies), Pain Nullification (Special), Death Insensitivity (Special)

Imaginary Attribute: Gaia

Magic Affinity: Yin, Blood, Wood, Space, Holy

Gift Slot (Partial/Yin): Empty

Gift Slot (Partial/Yang): Untrained

Power Tier= A+ (Common)

Agility Tier= S (Rare)

Speed Tier= A+ (Common)

Defence Tier= B (Common)

Combat Prowess= ??? (Potential Combatant)]

[You have strong potential, but the System is unable process power due to undetermined feats.]

[Your 'Mask' Ideal of Innate Semblance has been extracted. Your physique has altered the Gift Slot.]

[Training two different 'Gifts' are possible.]

[Your soul has been fragmented and reformed. An aspect of your consciousness has been erased.]

[You have acquired 'Pain Nullification'. This Skill shall be permanent and cannot be removed.]

[You have acquired 'Death Insensitivity'. Your life will no longer be any impulse of self-preservation.]

[Your 'Twin Consciousness' Unique Skill has been damaged and reformed. Cannot be reacquired.]

[Your 'Twin Consciousness' Unique Skill has been decimated. The only thing left is your mind within the mind. Heart within the heart. Remnants of a supernatural sense that cannot be recovered.]

[Your Unique Skill has taken on a new life. It has become the 'Parallel Concentration' Unique Skill.]

A long line of messages appeared in front of his eyes. Adam didn't know what a lot of them meant.

But the more he knew, the more questions arose.

Gaia, Pandemos, and Hephaestus explained the details of the system to his now amnesiac self.

Rather than giving him only one explanation, they handed together to help him study his Skills.

"So you're saying fragments of my soul was taken out because I died? That's why I was graciously given immortality as a new Skill, and the 'Pain Nullification' Skill was only a result…?" (Adam)

"That's right. 'Father Nature', Dark Aeon Shadow Physiology', and your Divine Physique is my fault. I gave these skills so you can better use your powers and abilities. My present to you." (Gaia)

"…And my 'Holy Descendant' Skill?" (Adam)

"That'd be only because, as we adding you into a virtual reality world, one where you can't die, we played with your character before you had woken up. Is that not be right? (Hephaestus Terran)

"And my 'Twin Consciousness'?" (Adam)

"Does it really matter~? Skills are affected by your Imaginary Attribute and Growth Characteristics anyway. There's a good chance an unexplainable phenomenon changed that Skill." (Pandemos)

Even while being barraged with new information and eyes that seemed sincere, Alex wasn't too affected by their pace. His 'Social Barrier' Personal Skill was at a high enough tier to ignore deceit.

However, he had nothing to figure any lies with...

In this isolated space where his common sense was distorted and information was limited, he had take what they said seriously for any of them to move forward. Denying their claims wouldn't help.

"You said imaginary attributes are dreams or resonant ideas. Then what about you all?" (Adam)

"We are beyond mere ideas. All they do for us is help increase our influence and hide identities. All imaginary spirits don't have bodies like us. They merely borrow other for expression." (Red Rabbit)

The one who responded to his question was the traditional kimono women holding a mystic blade at her lap. The design seemingly a mix between a chokutō and flintlock rifle when switching forms.

It was an interesting display…

The modest doll-like figurine of a person seemed to artistically had designs of redness on her robes.

Much like the colour of the blade.

"Don't worry. I, Hephaestus Terran, shall be the one who will customise your weapons for you."

"…Really?!" He had forgotten his own question at that point. Gaia chimed in with a plastic smile:

"You can also return to your world anytime. The only thing is… You cannot keep any Skills when you return. Think about what you really want." A door to his works was left open to give him some hope.

Red Rabbit scoffed at them in the background.

'At the very least, I never lie easily.' Was what she comforted herself with, and looked at their faces.

Even though Adam had 'Lie Detection' among his list of Personal Skills, it wasn't a enough high rank.

There was no way for him to see through the deceit of Gods. Their eyes were already too hard to read.

Especially the part about him having full right to go home. A false hope given to make him feel at ease.

Their plans had changed after seeing how Solaris was able to reach the level of hurting a combat-orientated Goddess like her. Seeing Adam as no more as someone with an unbelievable luck.

Maybe strong enough to stop that 'calamity'…

Maybe it was treacherous of them to use classic light novel tropes to egg him on, but Red Rabbit also was blaming the naive landowner for falling for their nonsense. What 'you are entering a game'?

There was so much inconsistencies in their explanations, but he believed them solely for the fact that there was no way for him to verify anything they said. What 'why would they lie'?!

They had every reason to lie to him. The nation he was going to was a recycling bin for those flawed.

A prison…

Maybe they'd give him some useful trinkets to make it seem nicer, but there was no use to them.

Especially when faced with that massive calamity.

It felt like seeing an ignorant fool fall for the words of supposed 'experts' in the subject they believed.

Seeing a child guided onto the wrong path.

But her pity only went so far, because she knew the kind of individual Adam was. This, as well as her…

…'punishment'.

Gaia had planned to see if her avatar could show that he could truly make use of his many Skills.

She even scheduled a routine for him secretly.

Red Rabbit made eye-contact with the sportswear clothed woman. They moved to the next step.

Hephaestus Terran put down a table, then tried to simplify an explanation that he could make anything that has ever been made. Use all the refinement techniques existing in all realities.

The short yet bulky dwarf of a man talked to the landowner for an extended period of time.

Then, he put a total of four weapons on the table.

The first was an unusually long broadsword made with Earthfire. And also a fragment of Adam's soul.

The second was the same. It was a longsword made of Coldsteel that had been refined further.

Along with a pair of 'Cursed Sheaths' that seemingly couldn't be separated from the set.

At least, not as long as he wanted his soul to be unrecoverable. They had a part of his existence.

The third seemed to have been made from the residual 'Dark Mana' from him, and a black mask…

The last among these items Hephaestus Terran created for him seemed to make his head hurt.

Like he could remember something, but couldn't recall it. A memory too vague to make sense of.

"That's the 'Adomanthea Mask' created from what Gaia requested from me. I refined the Earthfire and Coldsteel swords with the Imaginary Spirits of Typhon and Echidna among the ones she owned.

You can give them a name yourself. There's also other things I wanted to give you." (Hephaestus)

Adam picked up the two blades and felt a resonance between them he hadn't felt before.

The old and ugly dwarf had spoken as if these weapons were things he needed to be careful of.

However, he felt something different upon touching them. Like they were calling out towards him.

When his hands touched their smooth handles that easily fitted into his palms, the intimacy was felt.

Emotions from within them surged into him…

They felt… like they wanted to meet with him for a long time. As if he was incomplete without them.

The same could be said for the weird 'Adomanthea Mask', which resonated with his two weapons.

The feeling was subtle, but they sounded 'happy'.

Happy to have reunited with him at last…

Did he have some kind of connection with the three Imaginary Spirits infused into these weapons?

Adam then looked at the last tool Terran had made.