[Secret Quest: Save the Human Army from Eventual Destruction has been completed.]
2. +15,000 Purchase Points]
"A reward quest for saving people? Not like you, system," Ryuk mused to himself, his gaze piercing into the distance. He scanned the battlefield, noting that the humans had not suffered many casualties.
He was about to take a step forward and climb up when his eyes flashed. Wrapping himself in his will, he slowly began to levitate into the air.
"I can finally fly," he thought, feeling the weak space around him, making it easier to bend to his will. "By wrapping my entire body in it, I can disrupt the flow of gravity, eliminating my weight. Interesting… really interesting."
Just as he was about to test his control, his gaze shifted to the far distance, where two figures covered in shadows moved rapidly in his direction.
Surprisingly, they were walking within a layer of the void, making them harder to see—impossible, even, for any cultivator below the Stage of Cataclysm.
"I’d rather keep my presence unknown for now," Ryuk decided.
His figure faded into thin air, and he reappeared before Aster.
With a slight movement, the space around him cracked apart, and he vanished into nothingness, leaving in complete silence.
The place remained eerily quiet for five minutes until two figures suddenly appeared, standing in the center of the sky.
Their sharp gazes swept over the barren ground, now littered with remnants of ice and shadowy energy—clear signs that the Knulls had been here.
"But… where are the Knulls? These scars seem… old?" one of the Shadow Walkers muttered from beneath his robe.
A device suddenly appeared in his hand, ringing with a loud hum. He picked it up.
"Tell me, how is it? Did you find the one responsible?" a voice thundered from the other side.
The Shadow Walker inhaled deeply. "I’m afraid we’re too late, Sir Death Shadow."
"Hmm. What about the Knulls? How close are they to the nearest settlements?"
"They’ve all been wiped out, Sir."
"Is it just me, or does your world seem to have a little bit of chaos even among its own people?" Aster’s voice resonated through the top of the skyscraper, where Ryuk sat at the edge, his eyes locked on the horizon.
His brows furrowed as he glanced at his Apex Watch, only to sigh and turn his attention back to the view.
Aster’s voice managed to pull him from his thoughts, and he turned toward her, finding her looking below.
"What’s your plan, Aster?" Ryuk asked suddenly.
Aster furrowed her brows. Below, she could see the various races, all seemingly diifferent to one another.
However, among them, there was one race she looked like and could at least recognize—the small group known as humans.
And in just the few minutes she had spent in this new world, she could already tell that the humans had weaker auras compared to the other races.
"A multi-race world, huh?" she mused, slowly walking toward Ryuk.
Something appeared in her hand, and she passed it to him.
Ryuk frowned as he took the small blue card.
It almost resembled a communication device, except instead of a screen, it was covered in intricate runic lines.
"This acts just like that watch of yours."
"A communication device?" Ryuk asked, but at that moment, the system notification flashed.
[System Scan Completed!]
[Ancient Tracking Device has been found.]
[Allows the other side to track the location of the one holding the device.]
’She wants to put a tracker on me?’ Ryuk thought in surprise, but his gaze was filled with the same indifference.
"Something like that," Aster responded vaguely.
"I’ll be leaving to explore. Seems like you have your own matters to handle, and I’ll only cause you a headache by staying around."
"Goodbye, now…" she said before turning away, walking into the distance. Ryuk didn’t try to stop her, watching as she leaped off the skyscraper and soared into the sky.
A grin appeared on his lips as the system notification flashed once more.
[Host’s Nanobots have gained a new side skill: Ability to hack both Ancient and Modern Technologies through the use of Nanobots.]
[Host’s Nanobots have been scanned to be able to hack the Ancient Tracking Device.]
[Does Host wish to hack it?]
Ryuk made no reply. Instead, his fingers rippled, and tiny nanobots instantly entered the device’s system.
With a smirk, he effortlessly dissected its functions, turning them upside down while preserving its main purpose.
The runic lines dispersed, and on the card now was an image of Aster, still gliding through the air, her eyes flashing curiously below.
"Now, I’m the one tracking you. With this, I can be at ease, knowing her location at all times," Ryuk mused, shaking his head.
Aster thought she could trick him by making him believe he could use the device to contact her, when in truth, it was a tracker meant to reveal his location to her at all times.
Unfortunately, she had underestimated Ryuk too much.
Now, he had reversed the tool’s purpose—yet left its original function intact.
Aster could still track him, Ryuk left that so she would believe the device was working as normal, but she would have no idea that Ryuk could also now see her every move as well.
"With that resolved, I need to figure out what the hell is going on."
"The Knulls have attacked. Their first attack, it seems. But it’s only been a little over six months. The Knulls shouldn’t be attacking this early. That’s too soon."
Ryuk mused to himself, his brows furrowed, as the system notification flashed again.
[Perhaps there is a different time flow in the Domain compared to Endearth. If so, six months in the Domain may be less—or more—time here in Endearth!]
"I really hope that’s not true. But I need to decide—should I leave for the Academy, get my answers, find out how much time has passed, and understand what’s going on… or…"