"But still," Ryuk muttered as he dispersed the comms.
"What is more important is this," he said as the golden notification panel flashed:
[Congratulations! The host has defeated Two Apocrypha Stage Beings.]
[Rewards: +20,000,000 EXP]
[Congratulations! The host has defeated an Eternity Stage Being.]
[Rewards: +5,000,000 EXP]
"So the reward for defeating an Apocrypha is 10 million EXP, while an Eternity Stage is half of that," Ryuk muttered to himself, keeping it at the back of his mind.
[Congratulations on completing the Secret Quest: Keep Princess Elfie Safe!]
[Rewards:
1. +2 Level Up Cards]
2. +100,000 Purchase Points]
╔══════════════════════════════════════╗
║ [ SYSTEM INTERFACE 2.0]║
╠══════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ▸ Name: Ryuk Knull ║
║ ▸ Race: Beyonder Dragon ║
║ ▸ Age: 18! ║
║ ▸ Level: 186 ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════╝
║ ▸ EXP: 27,992,000 / 25,000,000 ║
║ Requirements for leveling fulfilled? ║
║ Does Host wish to level up? ║
"Yes."
[Congratulations! Host has leveled up to Level 187!]
[+50 Attribute Points Obtained]
[EXP: 2,992,000 / 36,000,000]
[Level Up Cards Possessed: 2]
[Does Host wish to use Level Up Cards?]
"Yes."
[-1 Level Up Card Used]
[Host has leveled up to Level 188!]
[+50 Attribute Points Obtained]
[-1 Level Up Card Used]
[Host has leveled up to Level 189!]
[+50 Attribute Points Obtained]
[Level Up Cards Left: 0]
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ⚙︎ ATTRIBUTE PANEL ⚙︎ ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ⬤ Physical Dominance ▸ 10,000 ║
║ ⬤ Velocis ▸ 10,000 ║
║ ⬤ Core Stability ▸ 10,000 ║
║ ⬤ Memetic Awakening ▸ 10,000 ║
║ ⬤ Cosmic Gravitas ▸ 5,000 ║
║ Attribute Points: 150 ║
║ Does Host wish to use Attribute Points? ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════╝
In return, Ryuk looked up and down his stats before he ultimately shook his head.
’No... no need. 150 Attribute Points won’t change much at this point,’ he thought, and the system panel dispersed after.
But Ryuk’s eyebrow remained knitted.
’Even after defeating two Apocrypha Stage beings and an Eternity Expert, along with the secret quest... I still only have 150 attribute points, which can’t do much to increase my strength.
’My level is getting too high above the system’s delivered attribute inputs.’
’How do I grow stronger, faster?’
’The only choice now seems to be fighting Exignis Stage experts or improving my Hurricane Cultivation?’ he muttered to himself with knitted eyebrows.
But then, he felt a quivering in his eyeball, and immediately a tiny beam of light emerged, on which lay a notification.
It was a message from Mrs. Lydia.
{Message from Contact Named: Mom}
{Getting late. You coming home tonight, or?}
Ryuk widened the panel, fingers typing a line of letters.
{I’m almost home already.}
...
{Message from Contact Named: Mom}
{Great, just finished preparing dinner. Planning to eat together, but this oldie here is starving.}
{I don’t know how long I can hold him back. Hurryyyy!}
The reply made Ryuk chuckle a bit before the notification dispersed.
20 minutes later...
"We’re here, sir," the Amun driver reported, as the bird landed onto the ground.
Ryuk got down, bidding the bird goodbye, before walking down the streets.
On the way, his senses spread out, looking for any suspicious wave of energy—and when he found none, he branched into a dark corner.
There, the Void Grimoire appeared in his hands as a Void Vortex was opened up.
He instantly disappeared into it, leaving the alleyway in darkness.
_________
KNOCK
KNOCK
KNOCK
The sound of knocks on the door rang out.
CLICK
The knob was twisted open, and bubbling at the entrance was none other than Mrs. Lydia with a big smile on her face.
"Welcome back," she said, ushering him in.
When Ryuk entered, he could already see Old Jack, whose hands were moving ultra-fast, dumping dishes and stuffing them into his mouth.
"Hey, you!" Mrs. Lydia shouted in shock as Old Jack struggled to swallow it all at once before speaking,
"Well, he’s already back, isn’t he, Lynia? The deal was to wait till he’s back."
"Don’t tell me you’re planning on going against your word now," he said sleekly, to which Mrs. Lynia could only smile wryly.
Eventually, she huffed, ignoring him.
It left just Ryuk and Old Jack afterward.
"What’s with the dress? You look like a wannabe clown without a mask," Old Jack said, eyeing his outfit—and it finally hit Ryuk.
He hadn’t changed out of his Victorian uniform from the quest.
’Surprisingly enough, they didn’t ask me to return it when I was leaving,’ he thought to himself as he walked toward the table filled with various mouth-watering dishes and dove in too.
"Just say you’re too broke to get an exclusive dress like this, and in my infinite mercy, I might just buy you a hat," Ryuk replied, dropping his hat to the side.
Old Jack murmured mockingly, "Infinite mercy, I might just get you one hat. Yeah, of course, greedy mutt."
"How’s your first day at the Service anyway?" he asked, as the memories of the day flew by Ryuk’s head.
"It was great."
"Really? How so?" Old Jack asked pessimistically.
"I was given a mission to be the personal, trusted guard of a princess, royal born from a mighty Angelic Royal House who wanted to attend an exclusive nobles-only party," Ryuk said, making it sound as impressive as he could.
But all he got was a so-so shrug from Old Jack.
"Oh, so you got to be a protection slave for some spoiled princess. Yaaaayy!" he summarized with mockery, to which Ryuk’s expression soured rapidly.
"Why did you have to use such uncouth words?"
"Am I wrong? A guard is just a protection slave to whoever he’s guarding. And all princesses are spoiled pieces of shit," he said with a shrug.
Ryuk chuckled.
"You do know your daughter was once a princess, right?" Ryuk said, to which Old Jack’s expression dropped.
"She was?"
"Hmm-hmm," the sound of a throat clearing rang out once more as Jack watched his wife pass across, giving him a murderous stare.
He quickly added to Ryuk,
"But of course, only the beautiful daughter of Her Majesty Queen Lynia Dominare is the exception," he said with a bright, shameless smile.
"Hmpf!" Mrs. Lynia huffed in satisfaction before continuing on her way.
"Slipped up again," Ryuk said with a smile of mockery as Old Jack turned his furrowed eyebrows on him.
"That only happens when you’re around me, bloody mutt. It’s like my luck suddenly dries up. What’s with you and bad luck anyway?" he asked, to which Ryuk shrugged.
"I don’t have bad luck."
"Yeah. I’m thinking so too," Old Jack said, and Ryuk paused.
"You... you do?"
"Yes. And that leaves you with the only option of absorbing mine to make up for yours."
"It’s the only logical explanation for my slip-ups around you."