The speed had been so fast that even Hayden had difficulties seeing exactly what happened. He had just seen Barostl’s finger glowing like a hot iron bar in a scorching furnace. Then, the glow had been released from the tip and hit the weapon like a fire bullet.

“Argh!” The robber yelled in pain! The gun began to melt in his hands, causing intense heat to attack his skin. The mass of red viscous liquid metal dropped on the floor. Everything, from the bigger parts up to the bullets, was being burnt. The thing is that it showed no sign of cooling down.

The woman gritted her teeth and cursed under her breath. She lifted her gun and aimed for Barostl. Hayden used this frame of chaos to act. He was afraid that the white-haired jackass would get shot in the end. His body sprung upward.

The moment her finger pressed the trigger, a shadow appeared in front of the woman. A gunshot resonated inside the shop alongside the screams of the hostages, followed by a strange silence.

Hayden crushed the bullet that he just caught before giving a simple punch to the disbelieved woman’s stomach. He caught the gun and didn’t wait for the man to come back to his senses. He also knocked him out and threw him near the woman. Finally, he bent the muzzle of the gun to make it unusable.

Only after this did he heave a sigh. ‘This was scary...I was not totally sure that my field could block a bullet at point blank. Nevertheless, I did it.’

Then, he looked at Barostl, only to see him grinning while nodding his head in his direction. “Good job, young man. Quite impressive! Even more after having been beaten by Talia! Humans here recover fast, huh.”

“...What?” Hayden’s mouth was gaping in shock. The name Talia had been carved in his mind after his defeat a few days ago. He had just overheard it while being barely conscious, but it would be a name he would never forget.

However, before he was able to say something, Barostl turned around and started to leave. “Ahh, what a mess. I will have to find another pawn shop.”

“Wait!...” Hayden reached out in his direction, but he suddenly rotated his head to look at the book he had left on the shelf.

He ran to grab the book and his phone on the floor, took out some money from his wallet and put it on the counter. He yelled at the dumbfounded shop clerk while still running. “Keep the changes!”

The shop clerk looked at the money on the counter, then at the unconscious thieves on the ground.

It was only after a few seconds he replied. “...Thank you for your business?”

Hayden hurriedly looked around, trying to find the mysterious white-haired man. But, he was nowhere to be seen. “...Just what was th-”

“Let’s talk somewhere else, okay?” Hayden suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. At the moment he was trying to look at it, darkness enveloped him. All his senses became numb as if he was floating in the void.

Several seconds later, Hayden and Barostl appeared on the roof of a building. Hayden immediately distanced himself and put up a guard. His narrowed eyes were locked on Barostl.

Meanwhile, Barostl shook his left hand, dispersing some kind of dark matter around it. The gentle wind made his shirt blowing in the air. He looked at Hayden with the corners of his eyes. “I know you have questions, but I also do. How about we do this peacefully and ask a question alternatively? I will let you start. While you are thinking, I will read this book.”

Hayden was overwhelmed by the situation. The one before him could shoot fire bullets out of his finger and teleport him using some strange power. All of this enforced the idea that he was related to Talia one way or another.

Nevertheless, he did his best to calm down. He knew that his short temper had nearly cost him his life once. He thought for a while until his mind settled. When he was about to finally ask the first question, something caught his attention. His shaking finger pointed toward the book in Barostl’s hands. “...H-Hey, is this not the book that I just bought?”

“Mmh? Ah, yes. I’m usually not the type to read, but I’m curious about the literature in this world. Nonetheless, I see that this stuff is popular everywhere, huh.” In Barostl’s hands was a slightly thick book. Two manga-style girls were holding each other on the cover, their gazes so passionate that it was hard to believe there were just friends.

Hayden didn’t even think twice. His body dashed forward with his hand shaped like a claw, ready to grab the book. “My super special edition of ‘My Beloved Big Sister’!”

However, he just grabbed the air. He suddenly sensed a presence behind him. When he turned around, he sprinted forward like a spring. Barostl didn't even bother lifting up his eyes. Pages after pages, he was reading the passionate love story of a freshman inside of an all-girls high school with her senior, while avoiding each and every blow from Hayden. This type of story had already been done a lot of times, but the style of the author plus the amazing art succeeded in making this a masterpiece.

Only after a full minute did Barostl caught a flying punch, making the wind swirl around them. Hayden could not help but be shocked. He was not going all out in fear of damaging the book, but this was still not a punch that a normal person could stop.

"Okay, let's stop. Physical strength is not my forte in this form. Here, your book." He was giving it back with a dazzling smile.

"Now that you asked your first question, it’s my turn.”

Hayden retrieved the book and released a big sigh of relief. But, when he heard Barostl’s words he lifted his head in panic. “Wait! This doesn’t cou-”

“Don’t care. I want information about abilities. Tell me as much as you can, including yours.”

“...About abilities? There is nobody on this planet who doesn’t know about abilities...Just who are you?” Right now, Hayden felt like he was talking to an alien. From his point of view, Barostl’s power could be explained if he had a very complex ability that could manifest in different ways. At least, he was sure that he had an ability, despite the color of his hair.

But from the conversation, it seemed it was not the case.

Barostl shook his finger. “It’s my turn, so answer.”

In the end, Hayden decided to play along. He told him what was currently known about abilities, which means not a lot, and the restrictions around abilities. “We can’t use dangerous or strong abilities in public for non-urgent situations. However, if it’s to protect yourself or the people around you, then there would be no repercussion. The Union tries to classify all the abilities in categories, like element-based or physical enhancement. But, there is a lot of abilities too unique to be put in a box.”

Hayden looked at his hand. “Also, Most of the abilities need to be activated each time the users want to use them. On another hand, others are in what is called a sleep mode, which is the case for mine. If I want to stop mine, I have to deactivate it manually. Otherwise, it will always be on.”

He was not a big fan of telling how his ability was working, but he had to if he wanted answers. "I have some sort of field all around my body. It protects me from attacks while giving buffs, like sharper senses, greater strength and healing capability beyond human standards."

Unlike before, Barostl seemed now deep in thoughts. He had nodded a few time during Hayden’s explanation.

Hayden waited a moment before asking nervously his first real question. “Who are you?”

“So, you really start with this one?” The white-haired young man had a thin smile as he knew this question would be coming. He looked up at the sky with distant eyes.

“If such is the case, then I shall answer!” His eyes slowly, but surely, shifted their focus to Earth’s strongest man.

‘-!’ Hayden felt his body temperature pummeling. Something incredible was coming. No, something scary.

“My name is Barostl Tolt Krystul. Son of the countess Basiliev Krystul and the count Rostl Tolt.” Barostl’s skin began to sparkle like a diamond hit by light. The color of his iris turned from an almost transparent one to a flamboyant orange.

None of Hayden’s muscles dared to move in front of this superior being. The pressure was on a whole other level than what he went through against Talia.

“My father was an Illik, the race loved by the sun, while my mother was an Oklank, the race loved by the moon. And, this is my Illik’s form.” Multiples golden spiky halos appeared and started to hover over his head. The spikes resembled a lot like those on king crowns. Barostl’s feet began to float a few centimeters above the ground.

Hayden’s mind was a mess. If it was not for his desire to find out what was happening in the world, he would have already fled. After all, a star was literally in front of him.

Suddenly, the artificial sun died out, leaving the smiling Barostl behind. “Is it enough or do you want my war names? I could also change to my Oklank’s form, but I might become too playful and kill you by mistake. Haha!”

Cold sweat formed on Hayden’s back. However, he still did his best to shake his head in reply.

Barostl nodded. “Good. Then this is my last question. How can I gather a lot of information simply? Like a world map or such.”

Hayden thought for a bit before taking out his phone. He unlocked it and opened a web browser application. After typing ‘world map’, he showed the screen. “You can get a lot of things thanks to the internet. To have access you have to use a device, like a phone or a computer.”

“A phone, huh? Seems a bit limited. I should be able to access with my PCA.” Barostl leaned slightly forward with a hand on his chin. Compared to what there was at the Stellar Temple, this level of technology was a lot lower.

Barostl turned around and waved his hand. “Now, I should go. Thanks, bud.”

“W-Wait!” Hayden frankly reached out. Barostl stopped and looked at him with the corners of his eyes, waiting for him to continue.

Hayden hesitated before opening his mouth. “...Who is this Talia?” No, who are you guys?”

Barostl’s blank expression changed to a huge smile. He spun around. “I will not answer this question. Instead, let me give a few hints and a warning as a sign of gratitude.”

He began to walk in an extravagant way around Hayden. He put one finger up in the air. “First, Talia and I belong to the same group, which is called the Protectors of Worlds.”

He then added one more finger. “Secondly, there are currently only the two of us in your world.”

“And finally,”

The total count of fingers was now three. Barostl spun once more to face the horizon. “Talia is a fellow human being of yours. She is indeed abilityless, as you call it.”

Hayden stood there, trying to carve those words inside his brain. But, the last hint made him speechless. ‘...She has no ability?’

What Hayden failed to understand due to the surprise was that if Talia was really a human from this world, then why did Barostl not ask her those questions instead.

Barostl’s face was hidden. Nevertheless, his voice was clearly carried by the wind. “Here’s my warning. Don’t dig too deep, kid. Talia wants to have a nice and peaceful life with the ones she loves. If by any chance you become her enemy, don’t expect me to help you. Not because I want you gone or that I’m on her side. It’s just the simple fact that I’m weaker than her.”

“Weaker..than her?” Hayden could hardly believe it. Barostl seemed already strong enough to evaporate him with a simple flick of his finger. Now, he was telling that this blue-haired high school girl was beyond him in terms of strength.

However, Barostl could not care less about Hayden’s current feelings. He lifted his left hand and some kind of black mist started to coagulate around it. Through the gaps in this strange dark matter, his hand started to change form. The skin had a small hint of blue. The nails became longer and sharper than razor blades. Their color also become a light purple.

“You are still full of potential, so don’t make wrong life choices. Farewell!” With a wave of his hand, darkness enveloped him.

A second later, the back mist had dispersed. The white-haired man was nowhere to be found. Hayden stood there, deep in thought for a full minute. He was not the most quick-witted out there, but he still needed to put the pieces together.

“...Fine.” He seemed to still have questions, but this short conversation had been enough to make him understand how small he was in this giant world. His fists tightened as his burning gaze was still where Barostl had been standing.

‘I still want to speak to Talia one more time, no matter what.’

His eyes swept over the rows of buildings piercing the air around him. From up there, it was hard to tell the localization. “But, before this. Where am I?”