I'm Back

(Reaper POV)

Upon waking, I promptly launched into my morning routine.

After a rejuvenating stretch, I headed to the kitchen for a refreshing gulp of water.

Next, I ventured outside, embarking on my daily run to the forest, laden with cargo for an added challenge. My exercise routine comprised three sets of 250 reps of handstand push-ups, followed by tricep dips and other calisthenic exercises—terms I wasn't entirely sure of, as they were merely recommendations from our Contractor before his mysterious disappearance for who knows where.

"Ahh~"

Completing my workout, I returned home, indulging in a rejuvenating bath before preparing breakfast.

"Everyone! Breakfast is ready!"

My call echoed through the house, eliciting a series of clicks from above as the others descended the stairs.

"Morning~"

"Mm..."

"Ahh~"

Reina clung to Occiditis's shorts, still half-asleep.

"Mor...ning~" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she released her grip on Occiditis and raised both hands, signaling to be lifted into a chair.

Observing this, Occiditis obliged, carrying out the routine with practiced ease.

And so, gathered around the table, we began our meal.

Moments later, after we were done eating, Solis did the task of washing the dishes while Occiditis did the cleaning of the house. Odium and Reina, on the other hand, proceeded to go upstairs again to play around with each other.

...This was our daily routine.

It wasn't practically exciting, but it wasn't too boring either.

As I relaxed on the couch, the lively exchange of voices outside caught my attention.

—Wah! Why do you have to kill me immediately? You bastard!

—Like I said, I didn't know that that was your tail! I thought you were planning on attacking me.

—It's because of you, I look like this... Now, I can't even put my normal clothes on properly...!

Puzzled by the peculiar conversation, I realized the voices were near the door.

I stood up, stretching my back, and headed toward the source of the commotion.

Who could it be...? Ah, perhaps—

"Mmm—!!?"

Before I could open the door, an overwhelming pressure emanated from the person outside.

"Leader, we're under attack—!"

Reacting swiftly, I drew my scythe, slashing downward to break open the door.

But just as the blade approached the cloaked man's head, it was deftly redirected upward by an axe kick.

"Oooh~! What a great personal bodyguard I have here."

"You bastard... you already knew this would happen!"

The masked figure berated the man accompanying her.

I took a step back, gripping the scythe with both hands.

"Who are you two?"

My question was met with indifference from both intruders. The masked figure turned to her companion.

"Just tell them who you are already."

"Yo! It's been aw—"

He cleared his throat.

"What I mean to say, I'm back."

***

(Saber POV)

Reaper stared at me for a couple of seconds before nonchalantly storing her scythe back into her Pocket Ring.

"...It's just you," she said, her expression turning bitter.

Her sudden attack left me bewildered, and the absence of any apology only added to my confusion.

"Is that all you have to say...?" I inquired, hoping for some clarification. However, she chose to ignore me and proceeded to enter the living room.

Sighing, I followed her inside, taking off my shoes. Otuko, too, entered, shedding her coat and revealing her true appearance.

As I observed Otuko, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"Is that what you truly look like?"

Otuko possessed salamander-like features; scales around her shoulders and a tail, allowing for shape-shifting. Standing at chest height, it was challenging to discern gender, the figure appearing rather androgynous – a blend of both shota and loli. Yet, despite the ambiguity, a slightly more feminine impression prevailed.

"Who's that person?" Solis inquired, glancing between Otuko and me.

I took the opportunity to introduce them.

"This is Otuko. Otuko, meet Solis. The one who attacked us earlier is Reaper, the tallest girl is Occiditis, followed by Odium. And lastly, my child, Reina."

Otuko took a moment to process the introductions before reacting with surprise.

"Wait! You have a child!?"

...

..

.

Later.

While we sat in silence on the sofa, Reaper and the others regarded Otuko and me with judgmental expressions. Reina, comfortably seated on my lap, seemed unfazed.

"...You..."

Their collective attention shifted from Otuko to me. Taking note of Otuko's youthful appearance – dirt blonde hair and orange eyes making her seem around thirteen – Reaper voiced her disgust.

"Lolicon."

"I am not a Lolicon!"

After bickering with her for a couple of more minutes, we shifted the conversation to a more crucial matter.

"Anyway, guys, tomorrow is the day the Waves will arrive," I said, gently ruffling Reina's hair. "Make sure to prepare everything we need and set some traps outside the walls."

Reaper, questioning the necessity, commented, "Aren't soldiers supposed to handle that?"

I opted not to argue but guided her to a logical conclusion. "True, but we need to ensure our safety. Setting traps helps us understand the surroundings, terrains, and plan for contingencies."

Since refusing will only make more arguments, it's better to just give brief explanation to make the opposite understand and get their approval.

Plus, knowing Reaper's personality, as long as we follow some good logic and something that won't harm the group, but instead help them, she'll eventually agree otherwise.

"...I guess that's true." She says.

...See?

Isn't that easy?

The others looked at her briefly before turning to Occiditis.

"...I guess that's true," she conceded.

The others turned their attention to Occiditis, their leader. She closed her eyes, nodding in agreement. "Additionally, we can identify potential escape routes and ideal positions for our sniper."

Nice follow up!

All eyes shifted to Odium, who nervously clutched her thigh. Solis, offering reassurance, patted her back to ease her tension.

After the meeting, I provided a brief overview of the plan formulated during my time inside the Labyrinth. Having limited knowledge of the area outside the walls, I was uncertain if my strategies would prove effective.

However...

"The Boss that will appear tomorrow is called Shadow Wolf."

Reminder everyone!

The system allowed me to choose my Boss Pet from those I defeated.

....That includes the one set to appear during the Waves of Calamity.

As the meeting concluded, the others returned to their tasks, leaving Otuko and me alone.

'Why does that girl from back then seem to know you so well?'

Otuko's voice resonated in my head—a feature of having a Boss Pet, allowing telepathic communication.

'...I'm not entirely sure either.'

The person we discussed was the faceless woman from back then. Otuko clarified that after dying, she remained in a soul state, unable to interact with the world. She said that she somehow connected to me, pulled alongside whenever I teleported to the next floor.

How...?

I dunno.

Thinking about it will only raise more questions, but dwelling on them seemed futile.

I stood up, stretched, and went upstairs to my room.

*Click—!*

Locking my door, I retrieved a phone—the same one used in the Labyrinth to access the status screen.

"...I'm finally alone."

Leaning my back to the door, I sighed deeply and scrutinized my status.

=====Status=====

𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲: Saber

𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸: [---???---]

𝗝𝗼𝗯: [Ruler of Calamity]

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: [Lolicon, Emotional Damage]

[𝗛𝗣: 3,500/3,500]

[𝗠𝗣: 5,000/5,000]

𝗔𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀:

- [𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝗙𝗲𝗮𝗿 (Level 7)]: A passive ability triggered in response to threats or the targeting of bloodlust.

-[𝗩𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 (Level 4)]: Heightened sensitivity to vibrations in the environment, similar to how spiders detect movements through their webs. This power grants the ability to sense approaching threats, detect hidden dangers, and perceive subtle changes in the surroundings.

-[𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 (Level 3)] : Enable the user to control mana much more efficiently.

-[𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗱𝘆 (Level 1)] : Fortify and refine the physical form, transforming it into an embodiment of unyielding strength. Muscles become dense as obsidian, rendering the body impervious to ordinary blows, making them a formidable force on the battlefield.

-[ ̚CĄ̷U±¡ø̵̧̡Π ̟ ̟(MAX)] : ̕ ̚ ͟͝Ą̷n ability ̦ ̘ ͉ ̹ ͓ ̝ ́ ̾ ͂ ͂ ̂ ͂̅ ͡͝ ø̵̧̡ ̜ ̲ ̗ ̳ ̟ ̀ ̒ ̽ ̊ ͆ ̃ ͒ ̎ ̚ ͟͟ ͅ Ç ̳ ͈ ̟ ̯ ̻ ̾̿ ̔ ͆ ̃ ̋́ ͌ ͘̕Ḁ̷ ͉ ̞ ͎ ̯ ̥ ̫ ̳ ̻ ́ ͆ ͊̉ ̀ ̾ ͘͞·̴̢̥ ̱ ̝ ̘ ̟ ͎ ͊ ͐ ͌̿ ̎ ̋ ̕͜͟͝͞Î̶ ̻ ̙ ͓ ͓ ͎ ̫ ͛́ ͌̀ ̆ ̰ ͊ ̏ ͒̉̍̉ ̚ ͟͠×̵̢̯ ̥ ̟ ͖ ̞ ̔ ̈́ ̃ ̚ ͘͞·̶̛͈ ̪ ͚ ̹ ̺ ͖ ͉ ̪ ̇ ̎ ̃ ̏ ̃ ̎ ̚ ͡ ͅ ¡̴̹ ͉ ̤ ̭ ̥ ̒ ̇ ̎̅ ͘͝ͅ¹̖ ̯ ̰ ̰ ̦ ̝ ͐ ͆̿ ̌ ̃ ͂ ͟͠Ö̵ ̩ ̭ ͇ ̹ ̭ ̤ ͌ ͆ ̔̀ ̆ ̚ danger ¡̛̰ ̖ ̲ ͉ ̜ ̿ ͑ ̈ ̍ ̕ ̚ ̹ ̭ ̤ ͌ ͆ ̔̀ ̆ ¾̶͕ ̻ ́ ̊ ̇¶assivelμ î̸̙ ̪ ͎ ̥ ͎ ͍ ̲ ͔ ̔ ̈́ ̀ ̃ ͗́ ̚ ̚ ͠͠͝͠ ̷̨̨̣ ̭ ̭ ͓ ̱ ̼ ͚ ̮ ̼ ̭ ̟ ̱ ̾ ̄ ͑ ̈́ ̋ ͝¼̸̢̛̞ ̟ ͓ ̗ ̙ ͗ ͊ ̆ ̓ ̈ ͘͜͠Ǫ̵̛ ̠ ̟ ̲ ͔ ̟ ̀ ̔ ̍ ͛ ̈́ °̶̨̙ ̠ ͆ ͋ ̔ ͛ ̒̀ ̾ ̆̉ ̏ ̕³̶̟ ̝ ̙ ͔ ̥ ̖ ̯ ̠ ̒ ̈ ̋ ̃ ̇ ̾ ̃ ̽ ̆̅ ͊ ͆ ̋ ̋ the situation as ¾̶͕ ̻ ́ ̊ ̇ î̸̙ ̪ ͎ ̥ ͎ ͍ ̲ ͔ ̔ ̈́ ̀ ̃ ͗́ ̚ ̚ ͠͠͝͠ ̷̨̨̣ ̭ ̭ ͓ ̱ ̼ ͚ ̮ ̼ ̭ ̟ ̱ ̾ ̄ ͑ ̈́ ̋ ͝¼̸̢̛̞ ̟ ͓ ̗ ̙ ͗ ͊ ̆ ̓ ̈ ͘͜͠Ǫ̵̛ ̠ ̟ ̲ ͔ ̟ ̀ ̔ ̍ ͛ ̈́ °̶̨̙ ̠ ͆ ͋ ̔ ͛ ̒̀ ̾ ̆̉ ̏ ̕³̶̟ ̝ ̙ ͔ ̥ ̖ ̯ ̠ ̒ ̈ ̋ ̃ ̇ ̾ ̃ ̽ ̆̅ ͊ ͆ ̋ ̋ thereatening.

𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀:

- 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵: 38

- 𝗩𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 32

- 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 35

- 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝘀: 42

- 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 106

=====