CHAPTER 121: SIBLING’S TIME II
The two siblings continued strolling through the ruins. Well, it would be apt to say Kael did the strolling, while Rose merely sat and enjoyed the view.
Kael thought about it for a moment before making a purchase from the shop.
"Here. I was only worried..." Kael didn't even get to finish his words, as the chocolate bar was snatched out of his grip.
His words died in his throat, and his left eye shut and opened several times. Only after a few seconds was he able to calm the bubbling feeling of annoyance welling inside him.
"Speaking of which... munch munch." Rose spoke from above.
"If you want to eat, eat. Just stop with that disgusting sound."
"Munch munch munch..."
Kael didn't react this time, his expression turning flat. Not receiving the response she had been hoping for, Rose continued.
"There are a few strange people in the school we should watch out for."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "People like?"
Rose took her time savoring her favorite snack before she continued:
"Iris..."
A strange light flickered within the depths of Kael's eyes. He hadn't forgotten what the young woman had done to him. It was just that, at the time, he had been preoccupied with his sister's welfare. Not to mention that they had truly been in the wrong, so he had found it hard to lash out.
But just because he would restrain himself from acting impulsively didn't mean he was a pushover. Kael knew that if push came to shove, he could still take the life of his enemy, monster and human alike. He was pulled out of his thoughts by his sister's next words.
"I thought her power was a watered-down version of mine, but even now I can't wrap my head around how she is allowing the male survivors to level up."
"Does it matter?" Kael replied unfazed. "It's not as if they are our enemies."
Rose gave a smile that wasn't a smile, but didn't continue to comment on that.
"But the real person to watch out for is Rachel."
"Rachel?" A hint of surprise found its way into Kael's voice. Of all the people that could have been mentioned, he hadn't expected to hear that name.
"Hmm, for some reason, just like you, my mental abilities, not to mention my Will, don't seem to work on her."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"How does your power work?"
"Anyone with a Mind stat lower than mine should be affected. The wider the gap, the more susceptible they are to my mental domination."
"And how high is your Mind stat?"
"At my strongest, it's approaching the two hundred mark."
Kael came to a stop, his heart almost skipping a beat.
He hadn't expected to hear that number, but when he thought about it, he realized it kind of made sense.
'She must have dumped a great deal of her free attributes into her Mind stat, which is actually the smart thing to do.'
But that hadn't been what had truly made Kael stop. Willing his status page to appear, Kael's eyes fell on his class description, his mind focusing further on a certain trait.
[SOVEREIGN MIND: AS AN ASPIRING PRIMORDIAL, THE USER'S MIND EXISTS OUTSIDE THE INFLUENCE OF LESSER FORCES. THE USER IS IMMUNE TO MIND MANIPULATION, ILLUSIONS, MENTAL DOMINATION, AND FALSEHOOD-BASED ABILITIES.]
'Even with Godly Focus activated, Rose's Mind stat should still dwarf mine. This means my trait does what it says. However, that undead anomaly had been able to place me in an illusion, even though my senses hadn't been completely deceived.
And the only difference between the two is that the latter was of a higher race grade.
So, does that mean I am completely immune to all forms of mental manipulation as long as the other party is not of a higher race grade? What if the person's rank exceeds mine by several ranks? Hmm... I feel it should still work. It's a Primordial class, after all.'
'Still, can it really be said my class doesn't grant me complete immunity, at least theoretically? After all, Godly Focus is able to raise my Mind to higher race grades, and that should balance things out. At the time the undead appeared, I hadn't gotten the skill after all.'
Kael pondered the matter deeply, and his sister, sensing this, didn't interrupt him. Only when he felt he had at least partially resolved an issue that had been bothering him did he finally relax.
But soon after, he frowned once more.
'But then, how is Rachel able to resist? It should have been impossible with how low her class is.'
Kael also remembered how the young girl had been able to approach him without alerting his senses during his fight with Logan. But after a while, he shook his head.
'It doesn't really matter. I already have enough on my plate. There is no use trying to parse out others' secrets.'
Thinking back to his Mythical skill, Kael couldn't help but shudder at the thought that the undead anomaly could also split its mind.
'And my skill works for only my Mind. What about the other stats? Does the undead also possess unique abilities for them too?'
'Bloody hell!' He raised his hand to rub his hair, only to remember he wasn't alone.
"Tell me, Rosy, is the undead really that powerful?"
The little girl didn't need to be told who her brother was talking about.
"More than you imagine."
"Even if all of us have a go at it together?"
"Then we would be diving straight to our deaths. Unless you can make it dance to the beat of your Will."
A hint of mockery appeared in the little girl's voice as she spoke about his forged Will.
"What is that strange clang noise that keeps ringing out? Are you trying to lull yourself into victory? Or intimidate your enemies with bad music?"
Reaching the end, the little girl had to restrain her laughter.
But what she hadn't expected was for Kael to throw a jab back almost immediately.
"At least, I'm not the one who puts a teddy bear on a killing weapon."
Rose gasped.
"Excuse you!"
Kael tuned out his sister's bickering as he thought solemnly to himself, despite his outward expression remaining calm and indifferent.
'We really need to get out of here as soon as possible.'