"Yes."
"If it ends up surviving, then yes. I plan to keep it and nurture it, just like I did with you..." Ryuk replied, at the same time feeling a weight lifted off his heart.
Ever since he had taken the Void egg, he had felt a burden on his soul.
It wasn’t from trying to nurture it—it was from the excuse he would have to give to Isha about his reason for wanting to keep the egg.
Just what would he tell her without making it sound as if she was about to be replaced?
He knew well that if he outright slammed it in her face without giving a care in the world, Isha wouldn’t be able to do anything to him anyway. She would still listen to his command.
But that wasn’t the type of relationship he wanted with Isha. She wasn’t just a beast or a pet to Ryuk. She was like a sister to him.
And that was why he feared her reaction and how he might break it to her.
Now that he had, the weight somehow lifted off his chest—before multiplying as he stared back at Isha, who looked into his eyes for a while before averting her gaze to look at the Pet Incubator.
"Then, you’re in great luck. The Beast Cup... it’s currently half as big as mine," Isha stated.
Ryuk grinned, but then Isha wasn’t done.
"But."
"But what?" Ryuk asked, seeing Isha’s gaze flicker with a bizarre light.
"It’s growing larger with every passing second!" Isha stated, causing Ryuk’s heart to drop in his stomach.
"The... The Beast Cup is growing!? How is that possible?" Ryuk stated in shock, unable to believe his ears.
Isha might not know, but the Beast Cup signifies potential.
If the egg’s cup was half as big as Isha’s, then it must have half of Isha’s own full potential, which was understandable—since Isha was no doubt a high-grade beast.
But if the Beast Cup was growing...
That meant its potential was growing with every passing second?
Now that was one big anomaly.
What type of beast had its own potential growing? That was supposed to be something set in stone!
"I don’t know either, and it just grew a little more. I have no idea how it’s possible myself."
"Right now, its shape is forming a body, but I still can’t see its shape well. It hasn’t solidified yet."
"But in 72 hours, it will have solidified completely and maybe hatch right after."
"Then, you’ll see it," Isha stated.
Ryuk nodded his head before lying down on the snow, looking at the blue sky of the Pet World.
Isha looked at him for a while, her gaze flashing with doubt, as if she was struggling in her mind to come to a conclusion on a choice.
"You know, the last time I came into the Apex Realm?" Isha suddenly asked, catching Ryuk’s attention.
"Yeah?"
"I found a tree with one part that was dark. Very dark," she said.
Ryuk nodded. "Yes. It’s one of my powers. Unawakened, though..."
Isha’s eyebrows furrowed even more.
"You know when you faced those Knulls back then?" Isha asked.
Ryuk raised an eyebrow.
"There was a bright flash of light from the distance, which could have only been from the dark side of the tree. It lighted up brilliantly for a while, only quieting down after you finished the battle."
Isha pointed her claw toward the direction where the light ought to have come from.
And truly, it was the direction where his Primordial Tree was.
"You sure?" Ryuk asked as he looked into the distance.
"Yes, I am. It was a suffocating aura. Abnormally evil. And it reeked of chaos!" Isha said, a hint of disgust yet caution flashing in her eyes.
Ryuk hummed for a while, piecing together a couple of things before he shrugged it off.
"Don’t worry about it. Everything is in my control," Ryuk stated.
Isha nodded before settling in the snow, slowly shutting her gaze under Ryuk’s head pat.
’Activate System Interface’
---
[Congratulations on completing Quest: "Save the Human Army from Eventual Destruction."]
[+5 EXP!
+15,000 Purchase Points]
[System Interface]
[Name: Ryuk Knull]
[Race: Half-Knull, Half-Jade Dragon]
[Class: Beast Sovereign]
[Age: 17]
[Apex Energy Cultivation Stage: Initial Plane of Dominion]
[Aetheris Energy Cultivation Stage: Mid-Stage]
[Level: 30]
[EXP: 100,000/33,000]
[Does Host wish to level up?]
’Yes.’
[Congratulations, Host has levelled up to Level 41!]
[+20 Attribute Points obtained.]
[Total EXP: 67,000/40,000]
[Congratulations, Host has levelled up to Level 42!]
[+20 Attribute Points obtained.]
[Total EXP: 27,000/43,000]
[Total Attribute Points: 20]
[Level Up Cards: 5]
[Does Host wish to use Level Up Cards?]
The system asked, but Ryuk called it off.
’Right now, I’m as strong as the enemy can get.’
’I’ll hold on to my current strength for now and use those when an invisible enemy arrives.’
’The Level Up Cards are 5, and if each gives 20 attribute points, I’ll have 100 attribute points just from that. Combined with the 20 I have, that makes 120 attribute points.’
’If I suddenly add all that to my strength in the middle of a battle, then that will be an incredibly powerful game-changer.’
Ryuk mused to himself, his eyes holding a bit of relief.
’It really is good to know that not much in the world can harm you any longer...’
Just earlier today, he had gotten rid of an army of Knulls that had been planning to wipe out 7,000 human warriors. The best of the best of the human warriors.
Or one could say—7,000 lives.
And he had done it without breaking a sweat.
It was safe to say that, by Endearth’s standards, he had really grown to become a powerhouse of his own.
He wasn’t oblivious to his achievements, and now he felt all of the pain in the trial was well worth it. And only one person could be thanked for even bringing him this far.
"Thank you, System. I owe almost everything to you..."
Ryuk thought to himself before his eyes shut close.
And soon, he faded away from the Pet World—opening his eyes to the sight of daybreak slowly approaching.
’Time to leave.’