"Sigh, I still need to find new mysterious artifacts, or I won't be able to continue evolving. It's such a hassle."
After getting fully dressed, Alistair checked his 'evolution' progress and found it had reached the 20% mark, requiring him to find the next mysterious artifact to absorb to continue upgrading.
However, these mysterious artifacts were not easy to find, and the abilities they provided needed careful consideration. Not everything could be absorbed directly. It would be difficult if the ability turned out to be too useless. Given the opportunity to acquire a new ability, he couldn't be hasty.
If absolutely necessary, I'll have to use that pocket watch.
Alistair took out the [Pocket Watch] and looked at it in his hand before putting it back into his pocket.
The ability of the [Pocket Watch] is Time Stop and the ability for Alistair to move freely during the time stop effect, meaning he is immune to time-interference abilities.
Both the active and passive abilities are incredibly powerful. If absorbed as a mysterious artifact, the resulting fused ability might not be as strong as the current effects. This [Pocket Watch] was essentially Alistair's trump card. If he used it now, he wouldn't be able to upgrade quickly, and in case of danger, he'd lose an opportunity for both confrontation and escape.
However, absorbing it would also bring greater growth potential. Each absorption triggers an upgrade of all existing abilities.
For example, the first artifact, the [Stone Mask], provided basic blood-sucking and recovery abilities. The 'upgrade' strengthened his physical body and added self-healing ability, while the blood-sucking recovery effect was also enhanced. The [Pheromone Tree] gave him the super aphrodisiac-like [Pheromone]. The 'Level 1' ability was probably just for arousal, but the simultaneous absorption and enhancement added the effect of slowly changing the target's inner thoughts.
Therefore, if he absorbed this [Pocket Watch], all his abilities would instantly jump to 'Level 3' strength. But whether they could maintain their current effects at that level remained questionable, which made Alistair hesitant.
It's important to remember that the ability description for the [Pocket Watch] as an item does not have level restrictions. In other words, no matter how powerful the opponent is, as long as it's a time-related ability, the moment this [Pocket Watch] comes out, it is an ultimate-level ability. No, it should be said that everyone else, in terms of using time manipulation, is my grandson.
The limitations of the ability after absorption are unclear. Perhaps it would cover more aspects, like time acceleration or deceleration, but the counter-ability would likely become weaker, unlike now, where it's almost entirely included in the description.
Bang!
"Holy shit!"
Alistair was wrestling with his internal dilemma when a crushed indentation suddenly appeared on the desk in front of him. It was clearly the mark of a punch. The loud noise caused Alistair's brain to freeze for a moment. Then, looking at the thick, armored arm hovering beside him, his mind was utterly confused.
Thump-thump-thump~
Clang!
"What happened?!"
Alistair's door was violently opened, and Chiaki asked breathlessly. Seeing Alistair was fine, she relaxed but then looked at Alistair curiously.
"Nothing... uh, huh?"
Alistair said 'nothing,' then noticed that Chiaki was only looking at him curiously and wasn't asking about the owner of the floating armored arm beside him, the 'second body.' He immediately fell into thought.
Alistair was momentarily distracted. He didn't know why the 'second body' had suddenly appeared and punched the desk. Now that he thought about it, it might have been Alistair's frustrated thought to punch the desk, but he didn't actually move, and the 'second body' simply acted upon his intention.
Wait, can Chiaki not see it?
Alistair thought. Judging by Chiaki's expression, her gaze wasn't drawn to the large entity behind Alistair at all; she was only looking at Alistair himself. If that was the case, the 'second body' was likely invisible to ordinary people. This was good; he could perform discreet attacks later. He just didn't know if people with powerful souls could see it...
"Nao-chan? Ah! What did you do to the desk?"
Chiaki looked at the shattered indentation on the desk, surprised. She saw that Alistair wasn't angry or anything, so why would he suddenly punch a hole in the desk?
"Uh, accident, accident. I did it by mistake."
Alistair was also embarrassed. It was just a thought that arose out of frustration, and he didn't expect the 'second body' to receive his thought and act on it immediately. Furthermore, Chiaki's question confirmed Alistair's earlier thought: ordinary people couldn't see the existence of the 'second body.' After all, its fist was still on the desk, yet Chiaki only mentioned the desk. If she could see it, she should have said something.
However, he hadn't seen the full appearance of this 'second body' yet. He had only seen his 'own' body from its perspective. Besides the muscle-defining armor covering its entire body, it had no other distinguishing features. He could check later.
"Never mind. I can't scold you anyway. But Mom and Dad will probably have something to say when they get back. Should we fill the hole later or find someone to replace the desk? What do you think?"
Chiaki put her hands on her hips and asked Alistair. This was Alistair's desk, so the decision depended on him.
"Let's talk about it later. I'm still thinking about some things."
Alistair supported his face with his hand, mentally ordering the 'second body' to respond, testing if it could be used this way. The desk situation could wait.
After discovering that the 'second body' had reacted, Alistair felt a new surge of pleasant surprise. However, to Chiaki, who couldn't see Alistair's 'second body' at all, Alistair's delight was inexplicable, leaving her confused.
Did Nao-chan lose his mind?
Chiaki thought mischievously. She actually kind of wanted that, as it would make Alistair easier to manipulate, and then she could make him fiercely 'contribute' his 'provisions' every night.
But this was just Chiaki's thought. In reality, she slowly left. As for Alistair's situation, that was his secret. This younger brother was too mysterious; who knew what he was truly thinking? As long as Alistair remained connected to her, there would be no problem, as Alistair rarely showed malice toward his own people.
On the other side, after Chiaki left, Alistair looked at his 'second body' and fell into deep thought.
Why is my 'second body' this? Is it because I absorbed the [Stone Mask]? But that shouldn't be the case. Isn't everyone's spirit different?
The full appearance of Alistair's 'second body' was extremely similar, almost identical, to the main antagonist's ability in an anime Alistair had watched before transmigration.
Is my true identity Naoto Koyasu? Wataši wa (I am) DIO da!
Alistair looked at the golden armored 'second body' in front of him, filled with the urge to make fun of himself. No, it shouldn't be called the 'second body.' It should be called... a Stand, [The World]!
I've become a Stand User!