Chapter 343: Want to become mine?

[+500 Soul Points]

Kyle was slightly disappointed by the number of Soul Points he had managed to acquire from the Kijin. However, the Devourer was still not as refined as he wanted it to be, and it would take some time before the ability fully settled into its proper form.

It was not that the entity wasn’t working, it just couldn’t obtain the essence from a being efficiently enough, and that was understandable considering the new vessel Kyle has acquired.

Turning toward Veronica, Kyle gave her a wave. She responded with a brief nod, and without another word, he leaped from the building and landed lightly on the roof of the nearby house.

Meanwhile, Veronica released her hold, and more than ten men immediately rushed onto the rooftop. All of them wore the uniform of the PSC, though the equipment they carried made it clear that they were not from her base. That much was to be expected.

"What were you even thinking? Trying to charge straight into the battlefield like that, foolishly?" Veronica demanded before any of them had the chance to say a word.

Most of the men were too stunned to respond. Their eyes remained fixed on the enormous ice construct towering before them, its sheer size and presence leaving them momentarily speechless.

But one of them stepped forward, his expression guarded as he addressed her. "I am David, from Team Charlie. I received the report about a Special Grade appearing here. Why were you blocking our path?"

Veronica let out a weary sigh before answering, "Because I knew I could handle it, and I believed sending low-ranking soldiers into the area would only result in needless casualties. By the time you arrived, I had more or less dealt with it, but the poison released by the creature earlier was still lingering."

She lied through her teeth.

Veronica did feel somewhat guilty about taking the credit away from Kyle, but there was no other way to keep him from being dragged into the limelight. It would take several days to forge his identity and reintegrate him into their world. Until then, the safest option was to keep him out of sight and away from the attention of the forces stationed here.

"Now, if you’re done standing around and watching, start clearing the site."

David barked the order, and the other warriors flinched before immediately getting to work.

David then turned to Veronica and said, "I appreciate your sentiment, but we are trained for this. Risking our lives for public safety is our utmost duty."

Veronica hummed softly. "I thought you already did that by evacuating everyone. Or did you not?"

David’s lips parted, but no words came out. After a moment, he sighed and shook his head.

"I hope you won’t mind us taking the corpse back to the base. You know how valuable the remains of creatures like this can be."

Veronica nodded and shrugged. She was inwardly smirking.

She knew that after Kyle had extracted the essence from the creature, its corpse would have been reduced to little more than a dry husk, useful for its scales at most.

But that was fine. Let them discover it themselves and despair over what they had lost. She certainly had no intention of explaining it to them.

For now, she had more important things to think about.

I hope we can share another cup of tea.

....

Bzz...

Hearing his phone vibrate, Kyle pulled it from his pocket. The caller ID belonged to someone familiar.

"Hey."

The moment he answered, Amanda’s concerned voice came through.

{Where are you?}

She had probably heard about the rift.

"On my way to Fortis."

{Why there? And how are you traveling?}

Kyle shrugged to himself. "Just checking on a few things. I’m on the train."

{The train? Hopefully you’re wearing your hood.}

A faint chuckle almost escaped him. "I’m not some celebrity who’s going to attract that much attention, Amanda."

{You can’t take risks with that face and those eyes, Kyle. I bet even now at least three women are staring at you.}

Kyle casually lifted his gaze, and God’s Eye answered the question for him.

The count had reached fifteen.

Kyle silently pulled his hood over his head and muttered, "I’ll be careful."

{Mm. I’ll be coming over soon too. Melissa has gotten herself a job there, so I’ll be accompanying her.}

Kyle hummed. "That’s great to hear. I’ll be around central Fortis for the time being. Though, Amanda, try to stay close to Montclair after this trip."

There was a brief pause before Amanda asked,

{Because of the increasing number of rifts?}

Kyle confirmed it. "Yes. Veronica needs allies she can trust, and with Timothy gone, she’ll need you even more."

{I understand. It made me realize I’ve been slacking quite a lot these days. With the number of rifts increasing, I think it’s better if I start upgrading my gear and spend more time training in the gravity chamber.}

A faint smile appeared on Kyle’s face.

"I don’t think you’ll need to upgrade your gadgets anymore, Amanda."

{Hmm? What do you mean? I’m a combatant, and a second-grade one at that. I always need to keep upgrading my equipment, or I’ll amount to nothing more than someone who clears Nightmare clusters.}

Kyle lowered his voice before asking, "Then what if I tell you that I have a method to remove the limiter that has been suppressing the growth of your strength and Genesis? What if I told you there was a way for you to gain more abilities, so you wouldn’t have to remain merely a combatant?"

There was a long pause on the other end. When Amanda finally spoke, her voice carried a mixture of hope and barely contained excitement.

{Is there really a way?}

Kyle didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he asked her a question.

"Amanda, do you want to become an Apostle?"

Amanda was taken aback.

{Huh? An Apostle? But which God would bless me?}

Kyle lowered his voice to a faint whisper.

"The one you’re going to meet in central Fortis."

There was another long pause before her startled voice exploded through the phone.

[Waaaaaaaaaht?!]

...

Kyle finally reached Fortis two hours later. Unlike his previous visits, when he had headed toward the eastern district where his family lived, this time he made his way toward the central zone.

His decision to make Amanda his Apostle had not been an impulsive one. He had been planning it for some time.

Veronica already possessed the protection of a Goddess, while Amanda had never received a blessing. That was the primary reason her growth had remained so limited compared to Veronica’s.

But just because Veronica is blessed by Freya doesn’t mean I can leave the matter at that.

Soon, he had decided to connect with them and have a proper, lengthy conversation.

But for now...

"Welcome home, Master."

Kyle stood outside a large mansion. Before him stood its owner, bowing respectfully in greeting.

"It’s been a while, Ethan."

°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Please leave a review or comment if you have been enjoying the story so far. And I have started another story, go give it a try and leave a comment.