I need your help

Max watched Jason's remains float with the wind until it was completely out of sight, at which point three individuals walked up to him.

He looked up and met their gaze.

They were all his doppelgangers.

"Max died." One of them said.

"Mn, don't worry, he'll be back by this time tomorrow."

"So I guess this is the…"

All four Max's suddenly stopped talking as they felt a presence approaching their location.

Before they had a chance to gauge the person's strength, he had already arrived.

They simultaneously turned to a building next to the one they were on to find an old man standing with a calm expression on his face.

Seeing the familiar face, Max interjected. "It's you?"

Ryuk appraised Max and his doppelgangers for a brief moment before nodding in satisfaction with a smile on his face. "I had already sensed something about you, but I didn't think your prowess would be this high. Indeed, you didn't disappoint me."

Max furrowed his brows as he realized something. "Who are you?"

Ryuk chuckled as he replied. "You already know who I am."

"No, I don't. Now talk."

Ryuk sighed. "I have already told you, my name is Ryuk."

Max put up a brow. "Are you a Sage?"

Ryuk stroked his chin. "Something like that."

Max frowned at the reply. He had already known that the old man, Ryuk, was not a simple character.

He could still remember the injuries he had suffered at the hands of the arrogant noble girl that used a barbed whip to tear flesh from his body.

Those were not injuries that a normal human would be able to survive.

He had thought he was a magician but after asking Laura for confirmation, he tossed that idea aside.

Now faced with the same old man moving agilely and carrying an air of mystery about him, Max was curious to know more.

"Are you the one that Sir Lloyd wanted me to meet?" Max asked.

"Depends, if he sent you to me, wouldn't that mean that you have something for me?"

Max paused momentarily before understanding what he was getting at. He reached into his jacket and retrieved a brown envelope with an insignia of a four-leaf clover on it.

Flashing it at Ryuk, he asked for confirmation. "This?"

Ryuk nodded as he gestured for Max to throw it across. The latter did not hesitate as he sent it over to the geezer.

Ryuk grabbed hold of the letter and opened it up before pulling out its contents which was… a five-leaf clover.

Max's lips twitched but he reigned in his thoughts. "These bastards turned me into a freaking delivery boy!... And what the hell is that?!"

He wanted to speak up but Ryuk ignored him as he appraised the leaf for a minute before nodding approvingly. Whatever the clover leaf was, he was satisfied with it.

Max watched this silently as he dispersed his doppelgangers. Constantly using the ability in non-combat situations placed a strain on him.

Since he didn't sense any danger from Ryuk, he saw no need to keep them around.

After dispelling the technique, he grabbed his staff and stay down cross-legged while patiently waiting for Ryuk to finish his business.

He still had a few questions to ask and he wouldn't back down until his desires were met.

Just then, Ryuk finished his appraisal and turned his attention to the black-haired teen seated a few meters away from him with a rather eye-catching staff on his shoulder.

Ryuk had an inkling of what it was and as thought more of it, he felt jealous of Max's good luck. Of course, this was only for a brief moment before he regained his sage composure.

"Done?" Max asked.

Ryuk nodded. "Mn. We can talk now." With that, Ryuk sat on the roof as well as both men prepared to dig as much information as possible from the other.

"Was it you or Sir Lloyd that sent the assassin after me?"

Ryuk shook his head. "That fool was sent by your stepmother, Kara Rion."

Max narrowed his eyes as a faint wisp of killing intent sipped out of his body. "…I see. How do you know this?"

Ryuk shrugged. "I have my ways, but I must warn you that she seems hell-bent on causing trouble for you no matter what, you'd best be careful."

Max took the warning to heart as he could vaguely make out the danger that Kara posed to him and based on his intuition, it wasn't to be taken lightly.

Ryuk immediately followed up. "My turn to ask a question, don't you think?"

Max readily agreed. "Ask away."

"Do you have a master?"

Max pursed his lips. "Yes, but he is currently exploring the world."

Ryuk nodded as he kept this information in mind. "When did you begin training to become a Sage?"

Max knitted his brows. "Isn't it my turn to ask?"

"Ah, of course, go ahead."

"What happened to your daughter?" Max asked with a serious expression. Realizing that Ryuk was not an ordinary man, he pondered about the state of his daughter, Ella.

Ryuk sighed with a solemn expression. "She was attacked as a child by a powerful Magician. Her mother died trying to take on most of the attack but some of it ended up entering her soul and dealing an almost irreversible blow."

Max was tempted to pry further but the old geezer didn't give him a chance as he asked a question.

"How long have you been training in the Art of the Hermit?"

"Four years, why?"

"And your current cultivation level?"

Max had no qualms replying as telling one his cultivation rank wasn't a good way to gauge his abilities.

Thus he responded without hesitation. "Daoist stage."

The old man's eyes glowed brightly as a dying flame somewhere in his heart was ignited once again. "… I know this is rude of me, Max… But I need your help."

Max frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Help me save my daughter," Ryuk repeated leaving Max speechless as he stared blankly at the old man.