As Adam closed the laptop, seemingly content with the information he had just found, he took a deep breath and leaned his back on the chair, focusing on the powers that he had seemingly awakened on the street.
Having read some information about the Spectator Pathway on Lord of Mysteries wiki—specifically how it was one of the 22 pathways to the divine—and what it represents, he instinctively knew that his powers originated from the same source, just with some differences, such as not relying on the potions for advancements and no madness to deal with. After getting his bearings back, he had a sudden thought, 'I am being far too calm for someone who has found himself in this situation. Is this the effect of my powers?'
"Hah… I did not think my day would progress like this. First, I transmigrated into someone else's body, found myself in the Marvel Universe, and then awakened what could only be the powers of the Sequence 9: Spectator from Lord of Mysteries."
"How does this power even work in this world without those potions? And I can instinctively feel that I can advance to the next sequence as long as I properly get used to this sequence. Beyonders in the LOTM world advanced after their potions were digested. I do not even need the potions. Will the Acting Method even work for me?" Having said that, Adam stood up from his chair and went to a window overlooking the street from which he entered the apartment building.
Adam recalled that the Acting Method, as the name suggests, is a method of acting used by Beyonders of the LOTM world to digest the potions quickly and safely by acting out the name of their sequence like an actor.
By reconciling the differences between one's body and the remnant Mental Imprints of the Beyonder Characteristics, one can obtain the corresponding recognition. It significantly reduces the risk of losing control and enables faster, more stable advancement compared to passive digestion.
To truly digest the potion, the Beyonder not only has to understand the surface-level meaning of a sequence's name, but also has to investigate the deeper meaning. For example, a Hunter, hunting in the mountains every day, is just the most superficial form of acting. The deeper meaning of being a Hunter is realizing and acting according to the principle that the city is also a jungle, and everyone is both prey and hunter.
This is the information Adam remembered reading on the Lord of Mysteries wiki about the Acting Method.
Adam looked at the sky from his window and thought about testing his powers for the first time. He started observing people going about their day, and saw a man walking down the sidewalk. Suddenly, Adam started to notice things about the man that he could not before. He saw that the man wore a cheap suit with creases suggesting the man wore this suit while traveling. The clothes were thrown on in a hurry; likely, the man was late, his shoulders were tense, and he walked with heavy, forceful steps on the pavement. Between the obvious nervousness and the folder gripped tightly in his hand, Adam deduced the man was likely late for an interview.
This all happened in under a second. As the man walked off, Adam's mind processed this influx of information without any problems, showing that indeed his observation and analysis skills had been upgraded; he could recall the information he just obtained, plus this body's blurry old memories, perfectly.
The adrenaline wore off, and a wave of exhaustion hit him. Even though it was only morning, the sheer mental toll of the last two hours with the events that had happened to Adam—transmigrating, discovering a universe filled with aliens and gods, and awakening his powers—all these things had completely drained him. He became really tired and was ready to hit the bed.
Following his memories, he found himself in a small bedroom with a single-size bed, a cupboard, a bedside table, and a desk. Adam went and plopped himself on the bed, yawning and looking at the ceiling, thinking about what the future might hold for him, and as he thought this, he fell asleep.
When he woke up, it was already evening, nearing night. As he got up from the bed, he stretched a bit to get rid of the remaining sleep, went to the bathroom to freshen up, did the bathroom rituals, and just as he got out of the bathroom, his stomach let out a growl.
As he heard the sound his stomach was making, he remembered that he had not eaten anything since morning, and looking at the kitchen, he was too lazy to make food for now, so he decided to go to a local diner and have something to eat there.
Having decided to eat outside, Adam went and got ready, throwing on a black shirt, blue jeans, and the same white sneakers he wore in the morning. After checking himself out in the mirror and giving an appreciative whistle for himself, he went and got the apartment keys, locked the door, and went down the stairs.
Just as he got out of the apartment building, a cool night breeze hit him. Adam shivered a little as he went on his way to find a diner to kill his hunger. He kept walking, trying to find any diner where he could afford a meal with what little money he had.
'Should I try the Acting Method? I mean, I have the powers of The Spectator, and I don't even need the potions, so will this even work? Let's just try it. If it works, then great; if it does not work, then I would lose nothing.'
'But for the Acting Method, I would need to understand the essence of the Spectator, not just observing people going about their lives from a dark corner; that would only be surface-level acting. I need a deeper level of understanding.'
What does it mean to be a Spectator? Observing? Analyzing? No, the meaning of being a Spectator is to remember that the world is a stage, and anything that happens in the world is actors performing their roles from a script. You must always remember that you are a Spectator, not an Actor; you can't take part in the performance; be it a great conflict between countries or as mundane as a bar fight, you have to spectate. That is the true essence of the Spectator.