Chapter 95: New Routine

Sunlight filtered gently through the curtains, casting warm streaks across Reiji’s bedroom.

His eyes slowly opened.

For a few seconds he simply stared at the ceiling before letting out a quiet breath.

"...Morning already."

The exhaustion from yesterday’s Gate had mostly disappeared after a good night’s sleep.

He sat upright and stretched his shoulders.

Ding!

A familiar green screen appeared before him.

_____

[Daily Quest: Training For Dominion]

[PUSH-UPS] – [0/300] {Incomplete}

[SQUATS] – [0/300] {Incomplete}

[SIT-UPS] – [0/300] {Incomplete}

[RUNNING] – [0/50KM] {Incomplete}

[Bonus Objective: Wear Advance Mana Suppression Weights for 24 Hours.]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: ???]

_____

"...It changed."

Reiji rubbed his chin.

The previous quest had been simple enough.

One hundred push-ups.

One hundred squats.

One hundred sit-ups.

Twenty kilometers.

The rewards had always been visible, and so had the punishment.

Now everything had increased.

Three hundred repetitions. Fifty kilometers.

Even the Mana Suppression Weights had advance another stage.

As for the reward and punishment...

The System had hidden both.

"...Trying to keep me curious?"

He wasn’t surprised. The System loved doing things like this.

Without another word, Reiji opened his Inventory.

Four metallic bands materialized in front of him.

Unlike the Intermediate Mana Suppression Weights, these ones were darker in color.

Thin crimson runes were engraved along their surfaces.

Even before wearing them he could already feel the pressure radiating from them.

"...Let’s see."

*Click!*

The first locked around his right wrist.

Immediately his entire arm became noticeably heavier.

"..."

*Click!*

The second.

*Click!*

The third.

*Click!*

The fourth.

The moment all four locked into place his mana circulation violently slowed.

It felt as though invisible hands had wrapped themselves around every mana pathway inside his body.

The flow that had once been smooth suddenly became sluggish.

His eyebrows twitched.

"...So this is Advance."

Simply standing still already required noticeably more effort.

The Intermediate Weights had merely restricted mana.

These actively resisted it.

Every attempt to circulate mana felt like forcing water through an impossibly narrow pipe.

"...Interesting."

A faint smile appeared.

The harder the training the greater the results.

Without wasting any more time, Reiji stepped onto the exercise mat.

"Let’s get started."

One... Two... Three...

The push-ups were far more difficult than before.

His muscles quickly began burning.

Sweat formed along his forehead before the first hundred repetitions were complete.

Even so his movements never became sloppy.

But as time progressed slowly every rep became clean and every motion deliberate.

By the time he reached three hundred his breathing had become noticeably heavier.

"Haa..."

He immediately transitioned into squats.

Then sit-ups.

Every exercise became a battle against both physical fatigue and the constant pressure restricting his mana.

Time quietly passed.

Nearly one and a half hour later Reiji stood before the treadmill.

"...Fifty kilometers."

He switched it on.

The machine hummed to life.

Soon the sound of steady footsteps echoed throughout the house.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Perched atop one of the dining chairs, Vel silently observed everything.

Unlike before...

The little cat remained unusually quiet.

His golden eyes carefully followed every movement.

Reiji noticed immediately.

He smiled faintly.

"...You’re awfully quiet today."

He slowed the treadmill before eventually stepping off.

Grabbing a towel nearby, he wiped the sweat from his face before walking over.

His hand gently rubbed the top of Vel’s head.

"You’ve started behaving like an actual cat."

Vel closed his eyes slightly, clearly enjoying the attention.

His voice echoed directly inside Reiji’s mind.

’It is all thanks to Your Majesty’s wonderful guidance.’

Reiji chuckled. "So you’ve been practicing.’

’I have.’

"Hm."

’To blend in perfectly, this humble servant must study every aspect of feline behavior including sleeping all day? If necessary.’

Reiji laughed.

"You’re taking this surprisingly seriously."

’A King’s servant should never perform carelessly.’

Satisfied with the answer, Reiji walked toward the refrigerator.

He opened the freezer.

Inside rested several neatly wrapped portions of fish.

He picked out one.

"You’ve earned a better breakfast."

Vel’s ears immediately perked up.

His tail swayed once.

Although he tried maintaining a dignified appearance the anticipation in his eyes completely betrayed him.

Reiji noticed.

He simply smiled without saying anything.

Several minutes later...

The aroma of grilled fish filled the kitchen.

Reiji placed a generous serving into Vel’s bowl before preparing his own breakfast.

Vel stared at the unusually large portion.

’...Your Majesty?’

"What?"

’...Did I accidentally accomplish something remarkable yesterday?’

"No."

’...Then...?’

"I just felt like rewarding you.’

Vel lowered his head respectfully.

’This servant gratefully accepts Your Majesty’s generosity.’

Without another word...

He began eating.

Reiji quietly enjoyed his own meal beside him.

The peaceful atmosphere was a welcome change from constant battles.

***

The afternoon arrived before either of them realized it.

By then the true difficulty of the Advance Mana Suppression Weights finally revealed itself.

Reiji had been washing dishes when his movements suddenly slowed.

"...phew."

His chest felt unusually heavy.

Not physically. Internally.

His mana pathways tightened again.

Even maintaining ordinary circulation required conscious effort.

He closed his eyes.

Mana flowed stopped and flowed again.

Every cycle felt painfully restricted.

"This is definitely different from Intermediate."

He flexed his fingers.

Even reinforcing his body with mana required far more concentration than before.

It wasn’t impossible.

Just constantly uncomfortable.

Exactly the kind of training the System preferred.

After taking a short break, Reiji prepared lunch.

Nothing extravagant.

Simple grilled meat, rice and vegetables.

Vel quietly joined him. Neither spoke much.

The peaceful silence suited both of them.

Once lunch was finished Reiji cleaned everything before walking into the living room.

He switched on the television. A random action movie began playing.

Vel curled into a small ball beside him on the couch.

Neither commented on the film.

The only sounds filling the room were occasional explosions from the television and the soft humming of the air conditioner.

For the first time in days Reiji felt peace.

The hours quietly slipped away.

Eventually the orange glow outside the windows gradually disappeared.

Night arrived.

Reiji switched off the television before standing.

"...Time already."

He returned to his room. The familiar oversized hoodie. Black gloves. Face mask.

One by one, he put them on until the Night Empress once again stared back from the mirror.

Satisfied, he stepped into the living room.

Vel had already fallen asleep. Curled into a small ball atop the sofa.

Reiji smiled faintly.

Without waking him, he picked up a folded blanket and gently draped it over the sleeping cat.

Vel instinctively shifted slightly before settling down again.

"...Sleep well."

Reiji switched off the living room light. Darkness quietly filled the house.

Black-and-amber mana gathered beneath his feet.

[Shadow Step.]

His figure disappeared without a sound, leaving the peaceful house behind as he headed into the night.