"Maybe because he’s a weird beast?"
The words echoed out as a figure stepped through the door.
It was none other than Elder Celine, a shawl around her white hair, which held sparkles of white drops of water hanging from their ends.
"He’s a weird beast?" Antares asked as he turned to her, watching her nod while she sat on the sofa.
"I can feel it. The blood in my veins quivering from his existence, and I can more than sense a hint of beastly familiarity with him," she muttered, and Ryuk smiled wryly.
What Elder Celine described was what she truly felt.
Even now, sitting before Ryuk, her beastly blood was roiling in her veins, flowing faster.
The sensation was something she had read usually happened when a beast encountered another beast, not just any, but one with a purer bloodline, or a bloodline higher in the beastly hierarchy.
If she’d had any doubt before whether Ryuk was a beast or not, now she had none at all.
"Even we Frost Wyverns need to occasionally enter a sleeping state to conserve energy. Although it doesn’t happen erratically like his—it’s more ordered."
"Still, slumbering is part of our life. I’m guessing it’s now becoming part of his, too," she said, to which Antares hummed.
Elder Celine’s words made sense, and he turned to Ryuk, who nodded, deciding to play along.
"True. Merely staying awake drains energy from me. So to conserve more energy—and regain it back—sleeping is a good way for me."
"It’s my new energy-conserving mode," he explained, and Antares asked:
"Any way to stop you from dozing off here and there, then? Make it more like the Frost Wyvern’s slumber, where you only sleep at specific times and stay awake longer?"
Ryuk slowly nodded.
"Maybe there might be, in the future, when I familiarize myself with this new power. But for now... I don’t have much choice," he replied, and Antares eventually nodded.
"When the girl wakes up, I’ll wake you too," Antares called, and Ryuk gave a grateful nod before turning to Isha, who chirped:
"Nighty-nighty,"
And Ryuk’s head slowly dropped to the side, his body slumping onto the armrest of the chair.
But Isha caught him, gently carrying him in her arms and laying him on another sofa, sparing him from an uncomfortable crumpled state.
_____________
"Ahhhh,"
An exhale slipped from Ryuk’s lips as he opened his eyes to the image of a white ceiling above his head.
His head slowly turned, his gaze drifting to the window where the sun’s rays were just starting to dust the sky in a soft orange.
"It’s morning already," he murmured, rising from under the mattress.
"I’m glad that got fixed. Thank you, System."
He had expected that Void would wake him if anything went wrong, and assumed everything was fine. But who could have guessed the group had already been abducted?
Only under the system’s pestering had he finally decided to check on them, and that turned out to be a good decision.
It was a night well spent.
[Congratulations, Host has completed the Secret Quest: Save the Abducted Group from Captivity!]
[Rewards:]
1. +8,000,000 EXP
2. +3 Level-Up Cards
3. +50 Ability Upgrade Cards]
"Even nicer," Ryuk muttered to himself as he rose to his feet and headed for the bathroom to prepare for the day.
Thirty minutes later, he stepped out, donning a new set of clothes, with the unkempt aura around him having dispersed.
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He had chosen his favorite— a simple white shirt and trousers—but to look a bit more official, he wore something that had touches of blue: a knee-length coat over the dress.
It was enough to make the outfit feel less plain and more refined.
It was around 6:00 in the morning. He still had plenty of time, and for now, he could browse through the array of missions in the Archguard Access Coms he’d been given by Officer Rhys.
Sitting on the bed, a tiny beam of gold appeared in the depths of his eyes. Soon enough, the panel flashed open.
He navigated to the Archguard Coms—but just before he could reach the Quest area, he noticed a message icon with a red "1" badge blinking over it.
Seems like I’ve received a message—but from who?
When he opened it up, he was a bit surprised.
{Archguard Messaging Tab}
{Messenger: Officer Rhys}
{Message: Hey Ryuk. Just received the news of your mission completion. Seems like you did very well. A positive review from one of the Royals is very rare, but you got yours from your first mission with them. Good, good, very good.}
Ryuk raised an eyebrow.
What’s that fatty up to this time...?
{Message: I found a new mission for you, which I thought would be just perfect. You can, of course, refuse it. As your commanding officer, I can only force you to perform a single mission of mine—which you already completed. All others are up to you. But I think this mission will be the next best step after such a successful first run.}
{If you’re interested, then come to the office: 8:00 sharp. Don’t you dare keep me waiting!}
It ended, and Ryuk’s expression knitted.
’This doesn’t make sense.’
’He gave me the first mission recommendation, but the review was posted on my page, and the extra money went into my account.’
’All in all, it seemed like I was the only one who gained something from the mission—not him.’
’So why would he be so enthusiastic for me if he’s not getting anything out of it himself?’
’Could he really just be a good, well-wishing guy?’ He wondered, but the thought of the fatty instantly made him dispel the idea.
’No way in hell is he a well-wishing guy. There’s definitely something in it for him.’
Ryuk muttered as he moved away from the message tab, quickly navigating around the interface. Soon enough, he got his answer—a sleek smile creeping over his face.
’Just as I thought. He truly gains something from me completing the missions.’
Ryuk concluded, reading over the Characteristics of a Commanding Officer tab, which also described how their levels grew.