MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

What did it feel like to embrace death?

This was a question all humans asked at least once in their lifetime. The knowledge of death, the doom no mortal could escape from.

Adam hated that he could give a definitive answer to that question.

Dying was painful.

Dying was scary.

After having his heart pierced by a supernatural phenomenon and then coming back from the dead the next day, Adam wished to never go through that experience ever again.

Sadly, fate was not with him this time around.

That sensation… He had to feel it once more…

———

*Thump*

"*Gasp* *Cough* *Cough*"

Adam's eyes flew wide open as he felt like his body was wired to the bed. The tension in his body was at an all-time high. He gasped hard for each breath and began greedily gulping for air as he felt like his lungs were literally in flames.

He wobbled in his gait and stood up with immense difficulty. His consciousness was still pretty blurry, having just come out of a precarious condition, but it was enough for him to remember what had just happened to him.

'I… I died… Again…'

Adam looked with utter disbelief at his own body. He remembered clearly that his body had been completely hollowed out just before he met his demise for the second time around. It felt like he had been starving for days, and his body's condition mirrored that state. But now… Now it was in an utterly perfect condition without the slightest blemish or signs of any problems.

'I…'

*Sigh*

He massaged his throbbing head with his hands and walked with an unsteady gait toward his bathroom. He had expected to see a tired expression or a haunted look on his face but all that his blue eyes reflected were the same appearance as always. Nothing was out of the ordinary with him which complicated his mind even more.

'Get a hold of yourself.'

Adam did not know what to think now. Should he see himself as some kind of monster?

'Well, it doesn't really matter.'

After rinsing his face with cold water to wake himself up, he muttered with a firm tone full of determination,

"Open the lock."

It was time to test if everything he had been through was really worth it or not.

———

A few moments later, wearing a hoodie and a pair of jeans, Adam could be seen walking out of the back of the club. It was barely 6 am and people were slowly streaming out of their households, attending their daily work. Adam, however, was advancing toward a more deserted area, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

He had left a message for Yui on her bedroom desk. Right now he just needed a little more time to himself before he could come clean to her.

His stride was calm and confident though sometimes he would stumble a bit as though it was his first time walking on a road. It was a truly disorienting scenario, seeing an adult man not even being able to walk properly. But there was a reason for that…

[Name: Adam Gospel

Affiliation: N/A

Alias: N/A

Race: Primogenitor

Age: 21

Weakness: Curse of Cain

Acquired Power: Book of Genesis

Innate Authority: Origin

Skills: Appraisal

Overall Combat Capacity: D+

Remark: You are now a peak human. Your body is at the very limits of what is humanly possible.]

As he reached a deserted alley, Adam looked at the walls and began his run.

It was slow at first, but the more he ran the better he felt. The more in sync he became with this new body of his. Adam had never felt like this before. It was like he had been set completely free from all the chains that were binding him down.

Once he reached the wall, all he needed was two steps to reach the top of it, landing on the ceiling, and then he continued his run forward.

He didn't fear being seen by others. After all, what he was doing was not a particularly rare sight.

Even then, Parkour was a hobby and sport few could do without intensive training in this field. In the past, Adam would have never been able to move like this as he had never even trained for anything similar to Parkour.

But now? Now, it felt so natural that it was downright funny.

Peak Human.

Adam did not know exactly how strong or fast he was right now. But by simple analogy, he surmised that he should be faster than the fastest human on earth and stronger than the strongest human possible.

At least those who were publicly known, unrelated to the supernatural.

Adam felt so exhilarated that he did not even pay attention to where he was going and missed a step, eventually leading to his fall.

He was currently on a rooftop. His run had made him land on the roof of a nearby building. But as he began falling down what seemed like a six-story building, he felt like everything was moving in slow motion.

It wasn't just his physical abilities that were enhanced. With the Third Eye now open, all his five senses, his reflexes, and everything that mattered with it were at the peak of what was possible for the human race.

Catching one of the stairs at the exterior in just one grip, he completely halted his fall and began climbing up the building vertically until he was back at the top.

Finally, standing at the top of the six-story apartment, Adam began laughing out loud.

Adam had always been relatively stronger than his peers. But this… This was something completely different from anything even out of his wildest imagination.

The world had never felt so alive and he had never felt so strong.

"Book."

The book opened as always and the pages began to turn automatically…

[Stats:

Strength: D+

Speed: D+

Agility: D+

Dexterity: D+

Endurance: D+

Overall Capacity: D+]

[Note: The overall capacity can increase depending on the skills the host possesses…]

Seeing those stats, Adam's thumping heart cooled down immediately. He did not know the grading system and what was the highest level, but he doubted that it stopped at just D.

If this followed the grading system of a school or those that a few games and litrpg novels went by, there should at least be a higher level from C to A.

'When my lock is on. My rank is F+ which is barely above a normal human.'

Adam summarized that the term 'normal human' was used to denote a normal adult male as the standard.

From F to D, one was still in the human category.

"Genesis, are you awake?"

He waited but received no answer.

"Well, it doesn't matter."

He was about to move away when something caught his eye. He could see two men following behind a relatively short woman as she wobbled down the road. Clearly, the woman was completely drunk out of her mind.

Adam hesitated about what he should do as he observed this scene. He was no hero and in this country, even babies could walk around with guns so it was quite dangerous to act out the role of White Knight.

But he couldn't really walk away from this, could he?

He was still hesitating when the page of the book began to turn once more, this time without his instructions…

[Minor Ordeal: White Knight.

Description: You witnessed a heinous event about to happen. Save the woman from her terrible fate.

Reward: +10 Karma]

[Minor Ordeal: Grey Knight.

Description: You witnessed a heinous event about to happen. Ignore the fate of the woman.

Reward: +5 Karma]

[Minor Ordeal: Black Knight

Description: You witnessed a heinous event about to happen. Participate in it and plunge her into despair.

Reward: +20 Karma.]

Adam opened his eyes wide into circles, "Just what the hell is Karma supposed to be now?"

[The energy I use to create skills or open your chakra pathways or pay for books of knowledge.]

"Genesis. So you finally decided to talk, huh…"

[All actions result in Karma. Good or bad. But I am above such a simple social concept. The choice is yours. However, personally, I would advise going for the third option. Not only will you be able to get Karma from the quest, but the feeling of lust and fear would also be converted into appropriate Karma values.]

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you have no care for good or evil."

Adam shook his head before jumping down.

Ideally, this wouldn't be a problem for him. He would simply call them out and they would leave.

At least this was the plan Adam had in mind. He had even dialed 911 on his mobile and prepared to call out just in case. But, just as he landed after a few acrobatic movements and rushed into the alley to stop whatever was about to happen.

*Bang*

Adam was nearly scared out of his wit as the sound of a gunshot reverberated in the streets. It was even more deafening since his senses were more powerful than normal in his current state.

He rushed to the scene but what he saw was definitely not what he had expected.

[You have failed in passing the Minor Ordeal]

Adam had been right about one thing. Guns were incredibly common in this area.

[Description: You chose to save the lady. But the princess did not need a knight to save herself.]

It just so happened that the gun in question wasn't in the hands of who he thought it would be.

"Hoh? Adam, is that you? What are you doing here?"

What he witnessed was a short woman with impressive assets holding two grown and trembling men at gunpoint.

"Sae?"

Just what the hell was happening here?

(AN: Gotta accelerate the pace a little.)