Art's mind was still in chaos when the girl's voice snapped him back to reality. "What?" she asked, frowning at him. "Don't tell me you're regretting it already."
Art didn't say anything immediately. He was still processing the memory as it merged with his own. It was as if two individuals were merging into one. A few minutes passed like this.
And then....
That's not it," Art replied after some time. "It's just…"
"Just what?" the girl pressed.
Art took a slow breath and forced himself to think clearly.
"I think we were set up," he said. "You're engaged to Joel, don't you remember? And I'm almost certain someone tampered with our drinks yesterday. They wanted us to end up here together so they could use it as leverage. Someone is trying to gain something from this."
The girl's expression changed. "You mean you were serious when you said you didn't know how we ended up here?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. But we can talk about that later," Art said. "First, we need to leave this place."
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Okay."
They quickly got dressed and moved toward the door.
But just as Art reached for the handle...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone started urgently hitting the door from the outside.
"Alice, honey, it's Mom," a middle-aged woman's voice came from beyond the door.
"Are you alright? We know it's that Leo bastard who ruined you. Open the door. We'll deal with him."
Art's heart sank. "They're already here," he whispered.
The girl's face turned pale. "Listen," she said quickly. "Use the window and leave. I'll say I don't remember anything and that I only woke up here this morning."
"But what if someone's waiting outside?" Art asked.
"Then find a way to escape anyway," she said firmly. "Or do you want to get beaten to death by the whole family? Go. Now."
She shoved him toward the window.
Art clenched his teeth, then nodded.
He moved to the window, opened it carefully, and climbed out.
The room was on the second floor. His current body wasn't suited for this, but years of military training from his previous life kicked in instinctively. Using the wall, window frames, and small ledges, he slid down, reducing the impact as much as possible.
He landed, stumbled once, then immediately started running.
He didn't stop until he reached the outskirts of the area.
Beyond a small hill lay a forest. Hardly anyone came here. It was the perfect place to hide.
Art started walking and entered the forest. It wasn't that big and dense. After walking for just thirty minutes, he was already in the middle.
Art sat on a large stone boulder deep inside the forest, breathing heavily.
"That was close." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and forced himself to calm down.
"Now I need to think of something. Someone tried to use the previous owner of this body as a scapegoat. I need to find out who."
At that moment, the memories he gained earlier had already merged with his own memories.
The previous owner's name was Leo Arkman.
He was the adopted son of Theo Arkman, the current patriarch of the Arkman family.
The Arkmans were a noble family in Mahaya Village.
This world was very different from Earth, Art's previous world.
There were no massive cities. The entire world was divided into three kingdoms.
Each kingdom was divided into several provinces.
And each province was made up of countless villages.
Each village was ruled by a Village Chief. Below the family of the Village Chief were the noble families.
The Arkman family was one of those nobles.
Leo was eighteen years old now. He had been adopted into the Arkman family ten years ago.
Theo Arkman had two brothers. The youngest, James, had died two years ago.
The girl from earlier, Alice, was the daughter of the second brother, John.
In the entire family, only a few people treated Leo normally.
The rest looked down on him. He was handsome, yes. But he was terrible at studies. And he had zero talent in martial arts.
So basically, a good-for-nothing with a pretty face. Completely useless by this world's standards.
Still, as part of the Arkman family, he would eventually inherit a decent fortune. Which many couldn't digest.
"So that's why someone wants me gone," Art muttered.
If Leo was disgraced and expelled from the family, or even killed…
That inheritance would be redistributed. Someone clearly wanted that.
Art let out a slow breath. "Either this world, or the previous one, all are driven by hunger for power and wealth. And this body..."
He paused for a bit. "So from now on… I'm Leo Arkman."
He summoned the panel again.
[P points from pleasure: 505]
[P points: 1005]
"I have over a thousand points already." He felt ecstatic. At least something was happening for good.
"By the way, with this many points, I can either awaken one ability… or buy ten skill runes."
He looked down and clenched his fist. "My first priority is clearing my name. Let's see what abilities are available."
The panel shimmered again.
A list appeared.
[Available Abilities for awakening Awakenings
Cultivation
Elemental mana Manipulation
Alchemy fire
Divine Sense
Beast Taming
Dragon's Eyes
Shadow Movement
....
....
....
Scandal Detection]
Leo's gaze stopped. "Scandal Detection?" His heartbeat sped up slightly.
"This is it. Maybe this is the one I need."
He read the description for that ability.
[Scandal Detection: Allows the user to sense hidden schemes, conspiracies, betrayals, and dirty secrets directly or indirectly related to a person within a specific range.]
A slow smile appeared on his face. "If someone wants to play dirty… Then I'll drag them into the light."
He reached out.
"I choose Scandal Detection."
The moment Leo made his choice, the panel reacted instantly.
[Ability 'Scandal Detection' selected.]
[Confirming purchase…]
[P points: 1005 > 5]
A sharp, piercing pain exploded inside Leo's head.
"Gah!" He clutched his head and nearly fell off the stone boulder. It felt as if something invisible had forced its way into his brain and eyes at the same time. His vision blurred violently, and for a moment, the entire world spun.
A burning sensation spread behind his eyes.
Then came a strange feeling. It was like countless threads were being woven inside his mind.
His heartbeat quickened. His breathing turned ragged.
After nearly half a minute, the pain slowly subsided.
Leo opened his eyes again.
At first, everything looked normal. The forest. The trees. The rocks.
But when he focused....
Something felt… different.
He couldn't quite explain it, but it was as if the world had gained an extra layer. An invisible layer that only he could sense now.
"Did it work?"
[Congratulations, Host..You have successfully awakened the ability 'Scandal Detection'.]
[Ability Use: Within twenty metres, you can look at anyone and all their dirty secrets, and what schemes they are cooking up will flash before your eyes.]
"Hahaha." Leo burst into laughter. "Now that's more like it."
His gaze turned toward the direction of Mahaya Village.
"It's time to go back."
He took a deep breath, jumped down from the boulder, and started moving.
Meanwhile, back at the Arkman Villa, the situation was already chaotic.