The sun had dipped beyond the skyline, bleeding the last streaks of amber across the rooftops. Inside a modest tavern that smelt of firewood and roasted meats, the three of them sat around a circular wooden table. Plates of steaming food were laid out—crisp bread, savory stew, and sweet vegetables glazed in honeyed sauce. Yet the air between them was far from warm.
Liam stabbed a chunk of meat and tried to break the silence. "So… have you guys heard of that in two streets over? They apparently sell squirrel, what a weird delight."
Alex chuckled half-heartedly, but his eyes kept lifting—subtly, yet too often. Rose sat across from him, her white hair tucked behind an ear as she quietly sipped her soup. She didn't look at him, didn't flinch, didn't speak. Her presence was like the moon—distant, serene, and cold.
Surprisingly, as he scanned the the tavern, no one else looked at her, it was strange considering how much of a beauty she was. But he didn't mind, more so appreciated it.
Liam cleared his throat. "So on Earth, did you guys ever get into sports? I myself dabbled in some football."
Silence. The poor boy's attempts at making peace failing yet again.
Alex glanced up again. Her pale lashes framed eyes as blue as the ocean under frost. She met his gaze—just once—long enough to make his breath hitch, before she looked away like nothing had happened.
Liam sighed, leaning back. "Alright, someone say something before I start spewing Shakespeare."
Later, as the lanterns flickered on and the streets grew quiet, the trio walked down cobbled alleys back toward their small rented house. It was nestled between the busy taverns and barely large enough for two, but it did the job well.
Liam leaned in toward Alex, whispering, "Hey. Rose just arrived a few days ago. Had to pay that absurd merchant tax, you know how they are with newcomers. She's kinda strapped."
Alex nodded. "She can crash at ours for tonight. No sense wasting coin on an inn."
Liam smiled. "Thought you'd say that."
Of course, Alex didn't immediately trust her. 'She's barely level 10, she wouldn't be able to hide her level from Liam so she can't be a hidden boss. At most I'll let her sleep in my room, and leave a strength clone to guard her door.'
Back inside, they huddled around the living room's low table, sitting on mismatched cushions. A quiet hum of night bugs filled the pauses between words.
Liam started, his voice casual. "You know, being an EX-rank Talent's been kinda smooth for me. I just touch something, and bam—info. Weapons, potions, flowers too… the knowledge part of this Path is just too easy. It barely took me a few hours to breakthrough."
He nudged Rose. "C'mon, your turn. Tell Alex what it means to be a walking easy mode player."
Rose's expression didn't change, but her gaze turned toward Alex—cool, guarded.
Alex held up a hand. "It's fine. You don't have to. I get it. One shouldn't trust others as easily as Liam does."
Her gaze softened slightly. A beat passed.
"Hey, why am I the one catching strays here?" Liam retorted.
"My Talent is called The Sage," Rose said quietly. "It grants me moments of clarity—enlightenment, if you will. Within those, I glimpse truths of the world. My Path is called The Enlightened."
Alex's eyes widened a bit. "That's…pretty overpowered. Did you live as a Tibet Monk on Earth?"
She tilted her head. "No. I was in college in Russia."
'AH, why did I say that, she probably didn't get the reference' Alex felt the urge to crawl inside a hole and die.
He sat up straighter, coughing a little. "Mine's… not flashy. It's called Cloning Talent. A growth-type Talent. I don't get power handed to me—I grow into it. My Path is the wonderfully complicated Invincible Path, basically 9 Paths in a Walmart type buy 1 get 8 free deal. It's…not bad."
Her expression flickered, almost imperceptibly. But she nodded.
He continued, voice quieter. "You trusted me with yours. It's only fair I trust you back."
'I am going to end it all' Alex visibly cringed, what was wrong with him, was this rizz? No this was an awkward dude trying to not stutter Infront of a girl who left even models feel inferior in her presence.
Liam broke the silence, stretching. "Alright, time for some real talk. I got some Intel from a merchant in the area. Apparently, this city's a bigger newbie village. It's meant for newbies to unlock their Path and break into the Path Genesis Realm. After that, it's either head toward a Sect or Clan… or go solo."
Alex rubbed his chin. "With how fast you two grow, joining a Sect might drag you both down, if not get you locked up for being too heaven defying. Going solo is safer. My situation doesn't really matter, I thrive no matter where I am."
Rose nodded. One sharp, silent motion.
Liam laughed. "Well, if the Poet, who am I to object?"
He stood, cracking his knuckles. "My next milestone needs me to identify and understand two thousand Realm-grade items. And no, not flowers. I'm talking rare weapons, scrolls, beast parts… fun."
Alex inquired. "Is it safe for you to go out at this time?"
Liam winked. "Guards, everywhere. Unless I let someone kidnap me, they won't be able to force me to go with them, I'm also level 10 remember? Plus, I'll be back in an hour, it's nothing much to worry about."
He left, the door creaking behind him.
Alex blinked. Then turned.
Him and Rose were now alone.
He cleared his throat. "So… what do you need to do to progress your Path?"
Rose looked at him, face unreadable.
"You."
Alex's jaw dropped to the floor.
A few minutes later, Alex was on his knees, his eyes questioning reality.
Infront of him was the familiar beautiful Rose, but it seemed this Rose had thorns.
"Karma, is basically Cause and Effect. Wheather it's a good or bad action, so long as you become a cause for someone else's effect, you'll sow karma with them. The-" Rose continued, her voice etheral as her eyes glowed with joy.
'What is up with these weirdos I get stuck with, is this supposed to be Konosuba because this team is absolutely mental.' Alex thought to himself, splitting his attention between his thoughts and Rose's words.
Apparently, her Path, The Enlightened. Wasn't one where she was Enlightened directly, no it was more like those student cash back systems you got in cultivation novels. She had to enlighten others in their Path, in return she would gain more insight into the all Paths, mainly about the ones she taught about though.
Which is why for Rose, he was a walking ATM for Paths, she only had to teach him and could get as many Paths from it as she would from 9 people.
As for how she had the ability to teach him? Or why she enjoyed it? Well he hadn't asked yet.
"Rose, Sensei Rose" Alex called out sarcastically, feeling much more comfortable in the atmosphere now.
Rose, who's previous cold aura had now entirely disappeared replied "What? Why are you interrupting dude?"
"Would thy, the enlightened sage kindly enlighten this foolish mortal as to why a pristine and delicate being such as yourself knows so much about Paths? Does it relate to your talent or did you already enlighten someone?" He asked, in an obviously teasing way.
"No?" Rose titled her head
"I just learned about it because I really liked reading cultivation novels in my free time, the reason why I was so happy getting my Talent and Path are because I always wanted to be the nonchalant Sage, that's also part of why I act so cold to people."
"So why are you so bubbly around me now Miss nonchalant dreadhead?" Alex retorted
"Well I can't act like that around family too" Rose rolled her eyes
"Family? Hold on take me out to dinner first before you propose to me" Alex slid back, near the wall comically covering his chest like a scared damsel.
"Not like that you idiot, haven't you heard the saying a teacher for a day a father for life?" She angrily replied, her cheeks not forgetting to adopt a red hue.
"Ah, Okay Sensei." Alex said, the room returning back to silence.
Alex, sat with his legs folded beneath him, hand propping up his chin as he stared at her with no effort to hide the curiosity in his eyes.
"You've been staring for the last two minutes," she said plainly.
"I'm waiting for enlightenment," he replied, unconvincingly.
"Seems to me you're waiting to make a move on me."
Alex grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right. So, Karma. You were saying?"
Rose exhaled, slow and elegant. "Karma is not simply about doing good or bad. It's about connections. Cause and effect. When you interact with someone—fight them, help them, even hate them—you bind a thread to them. The more intense or repeated the interactions, the stronger the tie. It doesn't matter whether it's affection, resentment, or rivalry. That's all Karma."
"So it's less… moral," Alex said, brow furrowing. "I was under the impression I needed to be some kind of wandering philanthropist, although I did get some negative Karma too."
She shook her head. "A naive view. Karma isn't justice. It's consequence."
He mulled it over, crossing his arms. "Then where does Fate come in?"
"That's where they differ," she said, her blue eyes glinting in the firelight. "Fate is the net those threads weave. The interconnected outcomes of those relationships, the direction people are pushed—subtly, but surely. Karma is the link. Fate is the momentum."
Alex blinked. "That sounds…depressing. Like everything's already set to happen no matter what you do."
"It isn't," she said, and for once, her tone softened slightly. "Fate is fluid. Like a river with many branches. But Karma decides which fork you end up in. You make the choice, but the consequences are already tied to someone else. Think of it as... watching raindrops on a window. They fall differently, but once the path starts, it's rare for it to change."
Alex scratched his jaw, clearly chewing over the analogy. "So, Karma is who you touch… and Fate is how that touch echoes. But if Karma is about action and consequence, and Fate is the pattern, doesn't that mean someone who knows enough about Fate could predict anything?"
Rose tilted her head. "Only if their comprehension is high enough. And even then, only glimpses. The future doesn't like being stared at."
"Helpful," Alex muttered. "Still, kinda odd that I've already initiated Fate just by forming a few bonds."
"You helped people. Saw lives. Heard stories. Observed how Karma pulled their strings. And somewhere in all that… you stopped being a participant and became an observer. That's when Fate accepted you."
"Sounds like a passive Path," he murmured.
"It's a heavy one," she corrected, eyes narrowing. "One where understanding outweighs brute strength."
He glanced at her, meeting her gaze again. "You talk like you've seen a lot of it."
"I told you," she replied coolly, "My Path is The Enlightened. Not to mention Fate and Karma are very popular for main characters to dabble into"
Alex fell silent, the flames reflecting in his eyes as he processed everything. Then, slowly, almost hesitantly, he lifted he fell on the floor, summoning his Soul Decree.
The familiar shimmer of golden light surfaced in front of him as the Soul Decree unfolded. A cool breeze stirred around it, quiet and still. For a second, nothing changed—but then the panel flickered.
Name: Alex
Race: Human
Class: Abyssal Doppelganger (II)
Class Skills: (Adaptive Clone), (Attribute Clone)
Realm: Path Genesis Realm (1 Karma Qi)
Supreme Path: Karma [Initiated], Fate [Initiated
Talent: Clone [D Rank – Growth Type]
Strength: 30
Defense: 10
Mana: 40/40
Mana Recovery: 0.05/S
Stamina: 12
Agility: 10
Comprehension: 20
Available Paths: 7 Remaining
Alex blinked. Twice. Then a grin cracked his face.
"Hey," he said, glancing at Rose. "Check it out. I got stats."
She gave him a side glance. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh, nothing nevermind." he said quickly, waving a hand. "But my Clone talent upgraded. And I got two new stats—Agility and Comprehension. You think twenty comprehension's good?"
Rose simply turned her gaze back to the fire. "It's passable. I have a hundred."
"…I'll just quit while I'm ahead " Alex muttered.