The Ammamoran Service Center.
A large expanse of land, seemingly a mini-city of its own.
The Amun descended from the sky, halting before what looked like a smaller gate.
"This is as far as we Amun drivers are allowed," the driver said to Ryuk, who slid off the golden bird.
"CAAWWW,"
It gave a low call, and Ryuk felt a small smile slip onto his lips as he hugged its head gently.
"Thank you for the ride," he said before turning his back and walking off.
"Even though he said thank you for the ride... why do I feel like he was communicating with the Amun?" the driver muttered, a bizarre expression crossing his face as he looked at the golden bird.
Amuns were usually prideful beasts that rarely bonded deeply with Fallens. Sure, they could be bought and trained for riding, but this was something different.
He’d owned this Amun for three years, and not once had it behaved this affectionately—even toward him.
He turned again toward Ryuk, only to find that he’d vanished from sight.
"...He’s quite the strange one."
________
There were two gates.
A smaller one, where Amun drivers dropped off Ammamoran Service workers.
There were guards stationed above, but no scanners. Workers entered in steady groups—twos and threes, murmurs and greetings filling the air.
Ryuk felt a slight nervousness in his chest.
After all, it had been a long time since he’d been in such a large crowd.
His ability to hear every single word being spoken simultaneously was deeply unsettling. But thankfully, his mind could process it all without getting overwhelmed.
’I’ll have to get used to this,’ he told himself, taking a deep breath before standing upright and making his way to the larger gate that everyone else seemed to be heading toward.
It was about 10 kilometers away from the first gate, and instead of a single entrance, there were three, each separated by about 500 meters.
The closer he got, the more he realized just how massive the structure was.
He picked the central one—the closest—and as he approached, he began to notice a pattern.
Each Ammamoran Service worker would stop before a golden platform beneath the gate. An almost invisible layer of golden light would surround them.
Then, they’d raise their service card high above their heads using their right hands and remain still for three seconds.
Only then would they pass through the entrance, which was guarded by a glowing golden barrier—presumably to reject those who didn’t meet the requirements.
Ryuk summoned his card from the system shop, the object appearing instantly in his hand.
He stepped up onto the platform and waited.
WHIIIIIIIRR—
The subtle hum of golden particles whirled around him as they scanned his presence.
Then, he raised the card above his head.
Three seconds passed—but nothing happened.
The golden barrier remained sealed in front of him.
It took seven full seconds before the golden veil parted.
Only then did Ryuk walk forward, disappearing into the entrance.
Stepping through it felt like walking into an entirely different world.
A world unnervingly gigantic.
The first thing to greet him was a towering statue—a massive figure, standing at a daunting 500 meters. Its head touched the lowest layers of the sky.
Ryuk stopped in his tracks, surprised.
’I’ve seen this before...’
The statue was that of a faceless Fallen, with six outstretched wings extending behind its back and both arms lifted skyward.
It was the same image as the one Ryuk had seen when he was first teleported to Ammamora. That faceless being who seemed to be holding all of Ammorna on its shoulders.
’To have it positioned as the very first sight in the Service Center... just what is its history?’ he wondered silently.
"First time seeing it, newbie?"
A teasing voice echoed near his ears.
A figure strolled past him, flashing a knowing smile.
It was a man, dressed in a wildly informal way. His golden shirt was half-tucked into his equally golden trousers. The collar stood crookedly upward, unbuttoned at the top, revealing a bit of his chest.
His arms were clasped behind his head, strolling like he owned the place, a confident smirk on his face.
"Must take some serious nerve to dress like that in a place where everyone’s trying their best to look official," Ryuk mused, quietly admiring the man’s carefree attitude before resuming his steps.
The golden pathway ahead branched into multiple directions, each crisscrossing into different facilities. Various Service workers moved in organized clusters, heading to their respective destinations.
Not knowing exactly which building he was assigned to, Ryuk decided to approach the nearest one.
Surprisingly, someone else was also heading toward the same structure.
It was the overconfident man from earlier, already stepping through a revolving golden door.
He quickened his pace, the glass door rotating just in time to let him in as well.
The second he stepped inside, a loud voice boomed across the room.
"Well, well, well. Look who’s here?"
The tone was laced with a repressed anger that echoed around the lobby.
Ryuk instinctively turned to the side, where he saw a man standing at the reception desk.
The receptionist beside him had her head bowed in silence.
From the way her legs shook mildly beneath the table, the sweat trickling down the back of her neck, and the way her fingers nervously clicked against each other—
—It was clear to Ryuk that this man was no ordinary person in the organization.
"Hello, I am," He tried to introduce, walking towards the man, who interrupted him before he could finish.
"I know who you are. You’re Arch Guard Ryuk—the one whose name keeps flashing on my monitor as the only Arch Guard under my command who hasn’t shown up for months, giving me the extra job of tapping the deduction button every single morning."
The man said, clearly annoyed, as Ryuk scratched the back of his head.
"It was due to an important reason," He defended, and the man shrugged.
"Sure, everyone’s got that nowadays,"
"Come with me, let’s assign you your service, one which you’ve been missing for months."