Akito walked to the door and looked through the peephole. A young woman was standing outside — black sunglasses, a formal blazer, short skirt, and a folder in her hand. She rang the doorbell again.
"Good morning. My name is Rei Natsuki, I'm a detective. I'd like to ask you a few questions," she said, pulling out a notepad and pen.
"Good morning… Sure, come in," Akito replied, opening the door.
"What was your relationship with Kaito and Yumi? You were the last person seen with them."
"Kaito was my childhood friend. Yumi was his girlfriend — we met through him."
"Are you aware that both of them recently went missing?"
"Yeah… I heard it on the news. It's terrible." Akito looked away.
"Where were you yesterday?"
"I was just walking around downtown. Needed to clear my head."
"Do you live alone?"
"Yes."
Suddenly, Rei dashed forward, pushing Akito aside with her elbow and rushing deeper into the apartment.
"Hey! What are you—" Akito chased after her, his mind racing: If she finds Arden, it's all over.
But the kitchen was empty — just some dirty dishes in the sink. In the bedroom, only a controller and a paused game. The bathroom? Clear.
"Apologies. It was a necessary measure," she said calmly.
"I'm not used to people barging in like that. Especially not… attractive ones," Akito replied with a faint smirk.
Rei flushed slightly and made her way to the exit.
"Thanks for your answers. Goodbye."
"So now I'm being watched? Am I a suspect?"
"No," she replied coldly.
[Skill: Eye of Truth Activated — Lie Detected]
"Goodbye," Akito said, closing the door.
In his mind: I saw her movements in slow motion… I could've stopped her, but that would've raised suspicion. "Eye of Truth"… what a crazy ability.
He returned to the living room. Arden was already gaming.
"How did you clean everything up so fast?"
"I had a hunch she'd barge in. So now you owe me," the fox said with a wink.
That evening, while the two played together, Akito asked:
"Why hasn't the system given me any new quests?"
"Not sure… but I bet one's coming soon," Arden replied.
Right then, the system reacted:
[New Quest Received!]
[Eliminate 75 Fallen Ones (0/75)]
[Time Limit: 12 hours]
"Time to grind," Akito said, springing up. "Let's go, Arden!"
As they stepped outside, Akito immediately noticed a new black car parked nearby.
So they really are watching me…
The quest marker pointed toward an old cemetery beyond an abandoned district. To throw them off, Akito decided to take a longer, hidden route.
They followed him at a distance. But after a few turns, he reached a rundown area filled with garbage and a few homeless wanderers. Pushing his speed to the max, Akito finally lost the tail and arrived at the cemetery.
"Let's begin," Arden said, appearing beside him.
The ground began to tremble. Deformed, twisted shadows of former humans — the Fallen — started to rise from their graves. Akito unsheathed his sword, and Arden charged into battle.
The system barely kept up with the count:
[1/75] [6/75] [12/75] [24/75] [38/75] … [75/75]
[Quest Complete]
[Level Up: 67 → 75]
[Reward: 4000 enny | Bonus Points: 10]
[New Tab Unlocked: Guardian Ascension]
"That was easy," Arden chuckled.
"Let's keep going," Akito nodded. "There's a store right past this district."
On the way, he noticed the same car from earlier. The detective had stepped out and was following his trail with a flashlight. But Akito was already far ahead.
A few minutes later, he entered a 24-hour supermarket. While browsing the shelves, someone walked in behind him. They bumped into each other between the aisles.
"Oh, it's you again, Detective Natsuki. Do you live nearby?"
"No… I just got caught up with work," she answered quickly.
[Eye of Truth — Lie Detected]
"Got it. Well, I'm sure we'll meet again, detective," Akito said, walking to the register.
He paid for the groceries and stepped outside, confident that he had just won another kind of battle — a mental one.
Back home, Akito sorted the groceries, tossed the bag aside, and walked straight to the bathroom without even taking off his clothes. He filled the tub with hot water, steam rising and fogging the mirrors. As he sank into the water, he leaned back and let out a deep sigh:
"This… is the life. After a good fight, this kind of rest is perfect."
Meanwhile, Arden was back in the living room, legs kicked up, fully focused on his console. He was retrying a boss he failed to beat earlier.
"What kind of monster is this… how much health does it even have?!" he muttered, mashing buttons.
A few minutes later, Akito walked in, drying his hair with a towel.
"Hey Arden, aren't you gonna shower?"
"Me?" the fox scoffed. "What, and ruin my majestic fur so I end up looking like a wet cat? No thanks. Besides, I don't sweat or stink like you humans." He smirked and went back to gaming.
Akito chuckled, flopped onto the bed, stretched out, and stared at the ceiling.
"Tomorrow we'll unlock your ascension…" he whispered.
"I wonder what's waiting for us. Who would've thought this system would turn out to be… so thrilling."
He closed his eyes. Words, faces, and fragments of the recent battle drifted through his mind. But this time, there was no anxiety. Just peace — and the feeling that everything was going exactly the way it should.