Adam made his way to his room after separating from Abigail and her group. They would all be meeting again soon anyway, so there was no need for extended conversations.
Lingering would only have made things awkward.
Their parting was casual and the only real interaction was Abigail handing him a small container of herbal ointment for his injuries before turning away.
Adam accepted it with a nod, and they went their separate ways without another word.
Once inside his room, Adam locked the door behind him and finally allowed himself to relax.
The first thing he did was remove Battle Ready. He had been wearing the damaged armament the entire time, and now that he was alone, he could properly inspect it.
The sight made his heart ache.
Cracks ran along the surface, while parts of the structure were warped and scorched; however, the most glaring damage was the hole in the chest plate.
Adam had paid good money for the armament, and yet it hadn’t even lasted a full day.
He let out a quiet sigh and placed it into his storage ring.
I can either repair it... or just sell the scraps.
At the moment, he leaned toward the second option.
Adam then stripped off his inner clothing, the garments worn beneath the armor and stood in front of the mirror mounted on the wall, he examined his reflection.
His body was covered in small scratches, bruises, and lingering marks from the explosion.
"It really did a number on me."
The sight was enough to make him mentally note one thing clearly: he needed to be more careful in the future.
He had come frighteningly close to death today. Luck had saved him, but luck wasn’t something he wanted to rely on again.
Reaching into his storage ring, Adam retrieved the ointment Abigail had given him and began rubbing it over his injuries. A soothing sensation spread across his skin, easing the soreness almost instantly.
After that, he removed the bandage wrapped around his head and carefully applied the ointment there as well.
The wound closed almost immediately, the flesh knitting together as if it had never been injured.
"It’s really effective," Adam said quietly, impressed.
With that done, he headed into the bathroom to clean himself up properly. After all, there was a meeting in an hour, and he had already used up a good chunk of that time.
Adam finished washing up and changed into a set of casual clothes before leaving the room.
He deliberately left the bathtub filled with water, making sure it would be ready when he returned.
It wasn’t because he had hit his head too hard and suddenly developed a habit of getting wet every five hours, though the thought almost made him laugh.
The real reason was far more practical.
The soul pearls.
To use them properly, Adam needed to bathe with them submerged in water. He had prepared everything in advance so that once the meeting ended, he could return, slip straight into the bath, and begin the process without delay.
Adam was done being paranoid.
He didn’t know what was coming, but it was better to be prepared than to hesitate endlessly out of fear.
If he let paranoia dictate every decision, he wouldn’t get very far in life, and Adam had already decided to live on his own terms.
A few unknowns weren’t going to stop him.
He could have started the process right now, but absorbing the soul pearls would take more than an hour.
With the meeting approaching, it was better to wait.
With that settled, Adam left his room and walked down the hotel corridor, his footsteps echoed softly against the polished floor. Soon, he arrived at the hall where the meeting was to be held.
It was the same hall where they had been "welcomed", at least officially.
What had happened that day, with the manager openly antagonizing the young heirs, was already in the past.
Or so Adam thought.
The moment he stepped into the hall after the acolytes stepped aside to let him in, a furious voice screamed from within,
"You fucking bitch!"
Adam was taken aback by the foul language. His brows knit together as he looked toward the source of the outburst, and his gaze landed on Sebastian.
All the other heirs were present as well.
It seemed that after Adam and the others had left the incursion, the heirs had returned to the hotel, and the moment they heard that a meeting was being held to discuss plans regarding the barrier, they had rushed here in haste.
And now, in the middle of it all, Sebastian was openly calling the manager a bitch.
The hall was tense.
Most of the heirs had their attention fixed on Sebastian, watching the confrontation unfold. Only a few noticed Adam’s entrance, and those who did immediately averted their eyes, pretending he wasn’t there.
Curious about what had happened, he walked toward one of the heirs who was very clearly avoiding eye contact.
The young man noticed Adam approaching and nearly bolted out of the hall on instinct.
Unfortunately for him, this meeting required only the heirs to be present and his followers weren’t here for him to hide behind.
Adam casually stepped into his path, positioning himself just enough to block any possible escape.
The heir’s eyes darted around the hall, desperately looking for help from the others who had noticed Adam’s arrival, but none of them responded.
Adam felt a strange twinge in his chest at that reaction.
What did I even do to him?
Of course, Adam knew the truth and was just acting oblivious.
If it wasn’t the killing intent he had released back at the entrance of the incursion, then it was the simple fact that everyone here knew he could kill them without them even realizing what had happened.
Either reason alone was enough to terrify anyone, heir or not.
Adam raised his hand and lightly slapped the young heir on the shoulder.
The man flinched violently.
"Tell me what happened here."
The heir didn’t hesitate as he told Adam everything.
Adam listened but in between he began to suspect the young heir might have been a messenger in a past life, given how practiced he was with his mouth.
Eventually, Adam had to raise a hand to stop him before the man ran out of breath.
When Adam finally pieced everything together, his gaze shifted toward the front of the hall.
The manager and Sebastian were locked in a death stare, tension thick enough to choke the air.
Adam exhaled softly.
"So that’s what’s happening."