Chapter 766 Meeting With Ater [Pt 4]
"All complete!"
Rey was done with all the restrictions and commands that he could think of in no time, and Ater accepted them all in full stride. There were no complaints about any of the Commands or restraints that he was placed under.
Even Rey felt like he was being unfair at a point, but Ater didn't raise any objection.
'It's strange, though…' Rey's thoughts trailed.
Why would the System warn Rey about Ater, and why would The Oracle do the same, when his Skills could perfectly keep Ater at bay and the Familiar in question was perfectly subservient.
'Is it because he's dangerous to everyone else, except his Master? I wonder…'
But if that was the case, then why wasn't [Clairvoyance] working on him? At this point, that was the last strand that his doubts were clinging to.
If that could be answered satisfactorily, he would be able to dismiss the genuine concerns of The Oracle, as well as his own.
'And who better to ask about this than Ater himself?'
Rey had contemplated this for a while—ever since he realized that Ater was exempt from [Clairvoyance]—but it was only until now that ht felt he could make the informed decision to present the issue.
"Why can't I use [Clairvoyance] on you?"
"Pardon?"
"I can't use [Clairvoyance] on you, despite it being an SSS-Tier Skill. Does that even make any sense? You should have an explanation for that, right?"
Ater sighed the moment the question was presented to him, almost as if he couldn't believe he was being asked something like that.
It almost made Rey feel stupid for asking the question.
"[Clairvoyance] is a Skill that grants the user sight and knowledge of the past, present, and future of everything and everyone within its domain. For your Skill, it seems you can detect everyone and everything in H'Trae—including their past, present, future. Of course, Memory has to be put into account."
Rey never told Ater any of these, so he wondered where he got it from.
"In case you're wondering where I got this knowledge from… it's from one of my previous worlds. I encountered someone with such an ability."
"H-hold on… it isn't just restricted to H'Trae?" Rey's eyes slightly widened as he said this, genuinely surprised by the revelation.
"What do you think Primeval Skills are, Master? They cut across the many worlds that exist? For a world to properly function, they require these Skills as building blocks. In essence, they are essential to any world under the System."
"Ohh!" Rey's eyes returned to normal as he processed the information.
"Indeed. Your Skill [Doppel] is an exception, though. I don't think it's supposed to be wielded as an SSS-Tier Skill the way you use it. But, I'm not sure…" 'Well, Seraph did seem a little concerned about me getting the Skill. I thought it was her being discriminatory, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. This Skill is too OP.' He smiled, once again feeling incredibly grateful that he got his hands on the Skill.
If someone like Adonis or Alicia had gotten [Doppel] before him, he would have been cooked.
'No… if I didn't speak back then—about Karma—my turn would have been shifted to the furthest end of the list. I would have definitely missed out on a host of Skills.'
Why did he speak up, though? It wasn't in his nature to just say something in a crowd of people—especially when such an authority figure like Seraph was overwhelming the crowd with her presence.
Rey remembered why.
'It's because of you, Adonis. During the field trip… no… several times before then, you consistently tried to make me more assertive.'
It wasn't like they were close or anything, and Rey often watched Adonis from afar, but the latter often talked to him and offered words of encouragement. Of course, Rey knew he wasn't special, as Ater did this with practically everyone.
Still… his words during the field trip really resonated with him.
"You're more exceptional than you think, Rey."
Perhaps those words were what prompted him to speak up during Seraph's explanation—especially after seeing Adonis and Alicia stand up to the rest of the class.
That mere stroke of luck—that decisive moment—was due to the few words that Adonis told him in passing.
'In a way, I suppose I owe all of this to you, Adonis.' Rey smiled, once again wondering where the Hero was during this period.
It was possible to use [Clairvoyance] to find him, but that would mean Rey would have to search the entire world—which would take an absurd amount of memory space.
He couldn't afford that.
At least, not at the current moment.
'The Alliance is currently stable, so Adonis isn't necessarily needed. I'm worried about him, but right now I have to look at the bigger picture.'
Yes… the bigger picture!
"Ater, do you know the other SSS-Tier Skills? Tell me about all of them!"
"A-ah…" As soon as Ater leaked out that sound, slowly itching his crimson hair, Rey already knew where the conversation was headed.
"... I can't remember. I'm sorry, but my memory is still—"
"Hmmmmm…" Rey narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Ater, who leaked out a bead of sweat and sighed with exasperation.
Rey knew Ater was telling the truth, but wasn't this too convenient?
'How does he know about [Clairvoyance], but not the other Skills? I don't get it!' He screamed internally, almost out of frustration.
Still, he kept his cool externally.
"Forget it. Just answer my question regarding the reason why you don't seem to be affected by [Clairvoyance]."
"Oh, yes… that." Ater rubbed his chin, as if looking for the best way to explain away his current predicament.
"Maybe it's because I'm a Beast Summon from another world?"
"No. I can use [Clairvoyance] on Emil, so that can't be the right answer." Rey responded almost immediately.
After all, he had thought of that too.
'If Ater really can't give me a satisfactory answer, then I don't think I can trust him.'