’My Lord, meow?’

Vel noticed Reiji’s attitude and used their telepathic communication.

’Shhh.’

"Miss Morikawa Hina? We are from the State Police Department." A female voice sounded through the door. "We are conducting a survey concerning the gate that opened."

’They must have caught something unusual... I guess entering a dungeon and seeing only a few creatures and no Boss Monster is really suspicious.’

Reiji thought.

Ding!

[Skill: Detect Presence has been automatically activated.]

’Shit. We need to get out of here.’

Reiji hurriedly grabbed Vel and rushed upstairs.

From what he had just sensed, there were two people outside, and both of them were C-Rank Awakened.

And not too far away, there was a suspicious van parked nearby, filled with powerful Awakened.

He instantly knew this was more than just a survey.

Reiji reached the bedroom and called out, "System, the door to my Palace."

Ding!

[Please stand back, Host!]

RUMBLE!!

A giant black door materialized inside the room.

Meanwhile, outside, the two female officers felt a slight tremor.

"What was that?"

The other female officer shrugged.

"My Lord, why are we going back, meow?" Vel asked, confused.

"Taxes..."

Reiji gave a stupid excuse with a straight face.

"What are taxes?"

"Something no one likes."

Reiji walked through the gate with Vel in his arms.

***

Outside Reiji’s apartment, the two female officers stared at his door.

"I think she’s probably not home," one of them said.

The other pressed a device in her ear.

"It seems the resident is currently unavailable. Just to be sure, should I proceed with the scan?"

Inside the minivan parked two blocks away from Reiji’s apartment, a female officer responded,

"Yes, go ahead."

"Okay, beginning scan."

As soon as she said that, a powerful aura erupted from her body.

She focused through the door.

Then suddenly, the faint trace of energy she had been picking up vanished as if it had never existed.

"What did you find?" the people inside the minivan asked.

The officer frowned.

She had just faintly detected a strange life force.

She had picked up two different readings – one human, and the other something that didn’t feel like it was from Earth at all.

She was surprised, but quickly brushed it off.

’Maybe it was just my imagination.’

The trace had been so faint that it could simply have been a fluctuation in her own mana.

She shook her head and spoke clearly.

"No life force detected. The resident is not at home."

"Alright."

Inside the minivan, Aoi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The other woman inside the vehicle – the one wearing a sharp black suit who had responded earlier – turned toward her.

"Miss Aoi, sorry for the trouble. You are free to leave."

"No, it was no problem at all. I’m glad I could help in some way."

Aoi bowed politely before stepping out of the minivan and heading home.

***

Meanwhile, inside the Palace of the Dominion King, Reiji stood in the training grounds, swinging the long bone sword he had obtained after killing the Undead King.

Vel sat some distance away, watching as Reiji danced with the sword in a satisfying rhythm.

He moved with the blade as if in a trance.

It was very satisfying to watch.

Reiji was currently using Sword Dancer alongside Mana Manipulation and Soul Torture Flame.

The Soul Torture Flame enveloped the long bone sword, but it wasn’t as perfect as when it coated the Soul Torture Blade.

Reiji had noticed this.

When he used Soul Torture Flame with the Soul Torture Blade, they were in perfect sync.

The blade and the flame felt like one entity, like a perfect pair.

But when he used it with any other weapon, it felt slightly distorted and wasn’t in the harmony he wanted.

So he was practicing.

As he swung the sword, Reiji also noticed that using Sword Dancer outside of actual combat helped him understand it better.

Each swing brought more knowledge.

He could see his own weaknesses and flaws more clearly and started correcting them.

The more he swung the sword, the more his proficiency increased.

Even the sword itself seemed to respond better to him.

Though it still wasn’t perfect, it was steadily improving.

Vel couldn’t help but praise him.

"My Lord, you are great. My Lord, you are great. Nobody wields a sword better than you, not even the Undead King himself."

Reiji didn’t bother responding as he continued swinging the sword.

He was feeling something.

The more he swung, the closer he felt he was getting to something.

He couldn’t quite understand what it was, but with every swing, the connection deepened.

Reiji continued for about ten minutes, then...

Ding!

[Skill: Sword Dancer has met the required conditions and leveled up to LV4!]

[Skill: Soul Torture Flame has met the required conditions and leveled up to LV2!]

Reiji stared at the sword in his hand and swung it once more.

"I think I understand it now. It seems that if I keep using a skill over and over, it will level up by itself. At the same time, I gain a deeper understanding of it."

He let out a long breath and returned the long bone sword to his inventory.

Reiji walked toward Vel.

"Do you know anywhere aside from the grand hall where I can rest?" Reiji asked. He didn’t want to sit on the throne. It would make him feel uncomfortable and awkward.

"Yes, My Lord," Vel immediately replied.

"Oh? Show me. Lead the way."

"Okay."

Vel stood up.

He walked out of the training grounds in his chubby cat form, and Reiji silently followed behind him.

Soon, they reached the underground cave beyond the mine.

As soon as Reiji saw the waterfall, he couldn’t help but recall the scene when he had first met Vel.

He turned and stared at the chubby little cat walking ahead.

Reiji could only shake his head and brush the thought away.

When he followed Vel to his corner, despite having seen it before, Reiji still couldn’t help but feel appalled.

Vel didn’t notice Reiji’s disgusted expression and walked into his little corner.

It was like a crude hole carved into the wall.

Reiji stared at Vel inside the disgusting little hole and said,

"Hey, Shameless Goblin. I don’t think I can fit in there. And besides, I wouldn’t enter even if I could."

"No, My Lord," Vel replied immediately. "You don’t need to enter. Just stay out there."

He tapped his little chubby paws against the wall of the cave-like hole.

He kept tapping as though searching for something.

"Where is it?"

He continued tapping his paws against the wall.

"Oh, there it is."

He struck a specific spot.

Reiji was completely confused.

He had no idea what Vel was looking for. Nor did he understand what was happening.

Then, the ground beneath Reiji’s feet suddenly trembled and the section of the floor suddenly opened like a hidden hatch.

Reiji stared at the empty space beneath him.

"Fuck..."