Ability Wielders

"Checking the set-up of the stadium, interview of several Filipino shows, doing vlogs on the way, the usual." Eun-ha said and retold her experiences in other countries, ending in… "Oh yeah, what are your plans in the future?"

"Mhm… That"s unclear, I don"t want to plan as much because I hate it when things don"t go my way." Hayden candidly answered, activating the automated driving mode. "What I do know is that I would finish my secondary education and would… Study at the Higher University of the Philippines, HUP."

"Woah, you"re getting higher education?" Eun-ha was surprised. Usually, popular people of their caliber wouldn"t do higher education, not that it was forbidden, it was just that they don"t have the time to do so. "Wouldn"t you think that people would get suspicious? When Level 3 wielders scan you and see that you"re a wielder, wouldn"t they think that you"re risking the existence of wielders?"

"I doubt that… Look at you, look at CHORUS, and you said that Lunar a.s.sembly is composed of celebrities that are wielders?" Hayden a.s.severated, with Eun-ha nodded her head, implying "touché." "Anyways, that"s that. Then I"d probably go off with my career… I can"t believe that I"ve already achieved one of my dreams though."

"And that is?" Eun-ha asked and suddenly noticed Hayden smiling at him. A look of realization was plastered on her face, flushing the next second, and punched Hayden on the arm. "Come here, you dummy…"

Eun-ha pulled Hayden"s face to hers and kissed him. "Anyways, I told you I"d introduce you to my co-members and did say that you"d cook for them someday… So, want to make a surprise appearance?"

"You were telling me about them?" Hayden smiled slyly at Eun-ha, with Eun-ha hitting Hayden again. "I don"t have ingredients though… Mhm, should we make a quick stop at a grocery?"

Agreeing, Hayden did a quick search on the GPS and drove there, with Eun-ha wearing a facemask and shades. As a guy with the motto of "always prepared for the worst," Hayden had the same get-up as he thought along the lines of "annoying people wanting a picture and bugging him," and despite people being so polite and respecting celebrities" personal s.p.a.ces, people with that kind of personality still existed.

The two shopped for breakfast ingredients. All in all, Hayden spent about 10,000 credits as the ingredients weren"t as high quality as the sushi. He was glad that n.o.body recognized them during the grocery, though there were some people who turned their heads, which was dealt with by scuttling away.

At 4:30, Hayden was in the suite that CHORUS was staying at in Rain Sanctuary Hotel, with Hayden putting on the cheap black ap.r.o.n he bought in the grocery.

He was cooking three different things at once as Eun-ha said that the CHORUS members are would wake up any minute. Eun-ha was surprised of Hayden"s showcase of speed cooking. At 4:35, as if smelling something, a woman came out of the left wing, it was Madoka, the fan-recognized "glutton" of the group.

"That smells amazing… Hey, Eun-hya, how was yesterday?" At first, she was too groggy and distracted by the smell of the food, as well as the fact that the kitchen was in a different room altogether. Consequently, she didn"t notice Hayden"s presence in the kitchen at all, sitting with Eun-ha on the sofa at the suite"s commons room. "Is that bacon I smell? That"s…"

Eun-ha opened her mouth to speak when Jin-ae exited the right wing, her eyes wide and smelling the air. "Who"s cooking? Is Aiko-noona hungry again? Wait… No, this scent is good… Thick-cut sweet bacon seasoned with an unfamiliar mix of spices… Who the heck is cooking?"

As Jin-ae was the t.i.tled gourmet chef of the group, and was curious as to who was cooking food possessing such exquisite scent for such a common breakfast.

Suddenly, Hayden walked out of the kitchen, bringing along with him a platter of beautifully cooked bacon strips on his right hand, and pancakes made with his original pancake mix in his left hand. Ignoring Jin-ae and Madoka who was staring at him incredulously, Hayden"s face was full of focus as he returned to the kitchen with hurriedly yet calm steps at the same time.

Soon, the dining table was filled with food as members of CHORUS exited their rooms, standing there in shock as Hayden brought out food. Bacon strips, Hayden"s original-mix pancakes, the prepared plates had poached egg on each and gorgeously arranged, freshly baked croissants with various fruit-based dips on the side, sausages that he seasoned with his "savor-enhancing spice mix," and his special coffee-chocolate mix. What"s surprising was that each plate also had a miniature "special surprise" burrito that Hayden personally crafted based on Eun-ha"s description of the members" preference.

When Hayden finished preparing the table, the entirety of the CHORUS was staring at him blankly, with the exclusion of Eun-ha of course. Eun-ha stood up and faced her ten co-members, "Yeah… I brought him here to cook for you guys… I promised, right?"

Eun-ha was ignored as her co-members gulped and eyed the food on the table similar to vultures. Do not get them wrong, Jin-ae was a great chef, and they ate at multiple high-cla.s.s restaurants, a couple of Michelin 5-Star restaurants even, it"s just that this was ma.s.sively out of their expectations. Furthermore, the food"s aroma was on par with those on Michelin 5-star restaurants! And the overlapping smell of all the food merged, producing an aromatic smell that didn"t overpower the sense of smell, yet, strong.

That was when Hayden got out of his absolute focus mode, and, at last, noticed the ten members standing there with astonishment present in their eyes. Looking at Eun-ha, and with Eun-ha faintly nodding, Hayden left his Divine Perception to keep calm as he talked.

"Good morning ladies." Hayden smiled calmly, removing his ap.r.o.n and slightly bowing. "Please. Help, yourselves on this scrumptious breakfast."

Eun-ha was the first to move, standing beside Hayden and putting her hand on Hayden"s waist. "This is my boyfriend, Hayden Emperador. Hayden, this is my co-members…"

She walked Hayden and introduced each member to him, greeting Hayden with a handshake. Hayden wore a timid smile in the process, nervous of the presence of CHORUS. Thankfully, Eun-ha"s Fox"s Charm has watered down other women"s effects on him, particularly after the coital encounters he had with Eun-ha.

The ten members was roused from their dazed state as they greeted Hayden. Their first impression of Hayden was a matured man… His state of mind seemed older than his own appearance. In fact, Hayden was so handsome that he was on the level of male idols that they regularly mingle with.

Furthermore, that white shirt accentuating his figure… It had the perfect ratio. In spite being attracted to body image being overrated in such a time, but, d.a.m.n… Anyhow, the twelve people in the room sat around the huge dining table, with Hayden sandwiched between Eun-ha and Sayuri.

They started eating, with Hayden receiving countless amounts of praise, especially with the "special surprise" burrito and the croissants. Even the typically silent and introverted members expressed their approval.

Other than that, Sayuri was the first to break the ice with a naughty joke. "Soooo…. Eun-hya, you spent the night at Hayden"s? Did you do it? Oh, this special surprise burrito is heavenly!"

Hayden and Eun-ha nearly choked at such a personal question… Eun-ha was the one who responded calmly. "We didn"t, we merely slept."

"Sure…" Sayuri giggled staring at Hayden. She found Hayden "cute and innocent," viewing him as a "little brother." Hayden rotated his head to Sayuri adjacent to him and smacked his lips, stifling a laugh. Sayuri patted Hayden on the back. "Joking, joking…"

"Hayden… Er…" Jin-ae followed suit, but wasn"t sure of how to address Hayden, stuttering. "Hayden… Er…ah… Where did you learn cooking?"

"Oh, I-I learned it on my free time…" Hayden honestly and innocuously answered, staring straight at her innocently, putting in a burrito in his mouth.

"Really?" Jin-ae was impressed of Hayden"s skill despite learning cooking only in his free time. "That is impressive, will you go to culinary school?"

"Actually, that"s one of the first majors I"m thinking of taking." Hayden nodded, taking a sausage with his fork. "I"m not sure though…"

"What about your feats in sports? Aren"t you going to take advantage of your achievements in that field?" Shu-Ching, the second quietest of them, interjected. She was, after all, the one who loved sports the most in the group, as publicly known. She has dabbled and is well-known in the fields of women"s basketball and archery, as well as the tallest among them, regardless of her status as the "maknae," or the youngest.

"Oh… I kind of have a different plan for that…" Hayden said. He was planning on using these sports as a means for a foothold for his career. "I would pursue it though, that I will."

"How about your gaming career?" Mieko, the quietest, surprisingly spoke. Even Hayden was shocked as Mieko spoke to him. He did not antic.i.p.ate that whatsoever. "I"m a big fan of your channel, Supremacy. Your plays are so good!"

"Oh, yeah, she likes games…" Hayden recalled when she said that. He was distracted due to Mieko talking. "Yeah, I"m going to be working with that as well…"

With that, Hayden was bombarded with questions, all the members of CHORUS thinking Hayden"s plans are quite… Absurd, until Eun-ha explained Hayden"s Ability and understood why. This was the first time they heard of Hayden"s Divine Perception and his accomplishment of learning 23 languages in a span of six months plus 10 martial arts.

"10 martial arts, huh?" Chung-hee, one of the first members Hayden had an interaction with, spoke, her face fierce as she let a bit of killing intent seep out. "Want to spar sometime? I"m a genuine black-belter in three martial arts and trained in lethal martial arts."

"Interesting… Sure, whenever you"re free," Hayden agreed, smiling widely as his enormous killing intent blasted out, his smile appearing to be belonging to a demon"s instead of his handsome face. The other members jumped out, their eyes widening, shocked of how much killing intent Hayden released. "Oh… c.r.a.p, I"m sorry, I released too much…"

"You…" Eun-ha was speechless of Hayden"s killing intent. They all thought that Hayden was a greenhorn when it came to killing, yet… "How much people have you killed to absorb that much killing intent? And for it to be so refined…?"

"Well… Not that much…" Hayden bobbed his head, lying to Eun-ha for the first time. Well, not like he was really lying… In his terms, he didn"t kill that much people, plus, it was all self-defense. "I don"t even know how I acquired it… It was all self-defense."

"Honey…" Eun-ha patted Hayden"s head. Leaning on to Hayden, Eun-ha whispered directly to his ears. "I"m sure you had a reason to kill even if it isn"t self-defense."

"Oh, I"m serious, it was indeed all self-defense. They all attacked first, hence, I… I killed them." Hayden spoke without a shred of remorse, kissing Eun-ha on the forehead. "I wouldn"t kill if they didn"t mess with me, or if they weren"t a criminal. The first one I killed is a serial killer, the second is a deranged psychopath wanting to kill me."

The other ten who witnessed this, looked at each other and laughed. Akin to kids, they teased Eun-ha and Hayden"s little moment, ruining the ambiance.

"Can I…" Hayden stammered, his face showing slight embarra.s.sment. Before he could do add on to his words, Sayuri interrupted his words.

"Can you guys do it in the bedroom? Go ahead! We won"t disturb you!" Sayuri smiled shrewdly. Consequently, Eun-ha face slapped herself.

"Oh… Hey, you heard them?" Turning to Eun-ha, Hayden rode on the joke, inducing a laugh from the members as Eun-ha blushed uncontrollably. Coughing, Hayden steered the topic away, "Anyways, what I"m truly asking for is… A picture."

Gazing at each other"s eyes, they lost it. Chung-hee was the one who talked this time, dropping pretenses. "You… You stammered only for a simple picture? Where was the Level 2 wielder who fought a Level 3 wielder?"

It was Hayden"s time to be embarra.s.sed, with Eun-ha giggling at Hayden. The atmosphere warmed with the twelve people in the dining room talking casually, Hayden calling all of them "noona."

The breakfast ended at 6:00 AM, with Hayden getting a picture in the living room. In the picture, Hayden was in the middle, with Eun-ha wrapping her arms around his right arm, and Sayuri unpredictably doing the same, albeit her arms were wrapped around his left arm.

On the other hand, Mi-sun and Shu-Ching stood behind him as well, tiptoeing as they rested their hands on Hayden"s shoulders to support themselves.

As for Mieko, Chung-hee, and Aiko, they all sat in front of Hayden, whilst the remaining people, including the two with public relationships, which were Jin-ae and Madoka, stood close but didn"t make skin contact with Hayden, exclusively smiling.

What Hayden"s opinion as the best feature of this picture was that they took the picture without make-up, and that they were all wearing the clothes they slept with on.

Hanging around for a few minutes, it was time for Hayden to leave. Eun-ha walked with him to the elevator, holding hands. The other ten members who saw them smiled, not bothering them anymore.

Near the elevator, Hayden hugged Eun-ha, making eye contact for a long time with each other. "See you around?"

"Yeah." Eun-ha smiled, making out with Hayden. "I"ll fly to your house later, no need to pick me up."

"What? No, I"ll pick you up." Hayden said, acting cutely, which he regretted the instant he did that. "No, acting cute is not my thing…"

"Hey! I think it"s cute." Eun-ha pinched Hayden"s cheek. "Anyways, pick me up at 7:00 PM, okay?"

"Sure." Hayden pecked Eun-ha on the lips and let go, patting her head. The elevator dinged and opened, Hayden stepping in it. "I love you, see you later."

"Love you, too, see you later." Eun-ha beamed at Hayden as the elevator closed.

In the elevator, Hayden opened his phone and checked the news a bit… That was when he saw another article of a murder… In Pateros. "Mhm… I got to look at it to make sure… I have a rather bad premonition on this one…"

Last night, regardless of seeing merely the outlines of the corpses in Pateros and the bloodstains on the ground, Hayden has narrowed down the prospects of how those two died. First, one of the men was, without a doubt, got their skulls crushed, based from the splatter patterns of blood… And he noticed a few minuscule-sized brain matter that wasn"t noticed by the cleaning team.

As for the corpse next to that, it was intact without any blood splatter on the ground within the outline. As a result, Hayden deduced that the man was choked, or beaten to death, or was stabbed cleanly. The choking had the greatest feasibility because the other two had superior chances of inducing bleeding on that corpse if that was what transpired.

He was going to turn off his phone and put it in his pocket when a notification from his social media popped up, tagging him to the post. Curious, Hayden opened it and saw his picture posted, with the caption: "Hayden Emperador got plastic surgery."

The poster was a man, clearly jealous. As for the post, Hayden couldn"t fathom what was happening in this man"s mind. It was just him in his Grade 7 to Grade 9 years, a shorter person with acne and quite chubby. It"s not like he changed all that much and could be pa.s.sed off as him being a late bloomer and got acne removal.

Seeing no reason to reply to this man, he ignored it and moved on with his life, arriving at the bas.e.m.e.nt parking lot and walking to his SUV. Until now, he was on cloud nine with him meeting CHORUS personally. Additionally, all of them were all so genuine and stunningly beautiful, such a wonderful life he had…

That was when an e-mail notification popped up. The e-mail was for an interview at Global Gaming Channel"s 8:00 PM "A Talk Show for Gamers."

Its generic name can be ignored as it was one of the most popular shows in the Global Gaming Channel, possessing an average of a global viewership of 9.36%. That meant that out of the approximately 9.4 billion people out of 13 billion people that is online worldwide every hour, there is an average of 879,840,000 watching this "A Talk Show for Gamers."

Yes, that"s how big the world of gaming has grown. When the revolution of technology arrived and the game developing technology "Realism" was released, featuring built-in realistic physics logic, including lighting, gravity, and other physics that you can add onto your game, together with it being easy to use. Graphics tools were also better, in fact, there were myriads of tools for making the graphics of a game, such as Artistical, and Graphix.

Concurrently, a medium-quality single player game has the standards of considered high-quality games back in the decade of 2020-2030, realistic lighting, game physics, and either incredible sandbox gameplay, or a good storyline, or a mix of both.

That"s the reason why most single player games turned nearly obsolete, hard to become successful, and rare on the market nowadays; while multiplayer games such as MOBA game, War of Honor, the fps, Steel Storm, the game in the revived RTS genre, Universe 2100, and lastly, the brawling game, Primal Rage, were all so popular. In fact, these were the games that were most popular in the e-sports world.

These games were so successful and incredibly popular not only because of its design, but also because of its complex mechanical learning curves that challenges its players and demolished the simplistic repet.i.tive gameplay of other games that would, sooner or later, become boring.

Regardless of it being termed as s.a.d.i.s.tic by most softcore gamers, hardcore players are more significant in size contemporaneously, which is why gaming companies are pressured to create games as large as these e-sports games.

Of course, there were always black horses in the gaming industry, and currently, those black horses were exclusive to single player games that had such a magnificent storyline that it just captures the heart and attention of the players. That"s because the Great Four, which were the aforementioned games, were considered to be unbeatable.

"Of course I"d take this free pie falling from the sky… What kind of idiot wouldn"t take this?" Hayden shut his phone down. "Venue is at Manila"s… Global Gaming Channel hub, okay… Sat.u.r.day, 2:00 PM, reasonable, okay… Let"s accept."

With that, Hayden copied the link on Chatbox and initiated a chat with the inviter. He hated attention from the ma.s.s populace but he had to do this for his own career, to help his own publicity.

It wouldn"t affect anything, anyhow, right? Hayden was thinking that and slapped himself in the face. He shouldn"t say the forbidden phrase as it would be stupid to jinx himself. What he was concerned of was that…

"It"s too early though…" Hayden muttered, reaching the bas.e.m.e.nt parking lot. "It"s only been six months and the Global Gaming Channel invited me? I"m not that big of a celebrity, right?"

Oh boy how much he underestimated his fame when the Global Gaming Channel announced his appearance and acceptance of the interview this Sat.u.r.day.