Myth was a mysterious creature that showed little interest in whatever Rin did. It appeared out of thin air one day and became Rin’s familiar. And yet, despite that, very little was known about Myth.

But right now, the look Myth was giving the egg was one of familiar curiosity.

"Myth, do you know anything about this core? Do you know what kind of divine creature is inside?"

Rin asked, not expecting much. But the slight tilt of Myth’s head before it subtly turned away told him that his familiar knew more than a little about this egg.

Before Myth could make a run for it, Rin gestured for Reina to grab it.

Myth was fast, but Reina was faster and caught the cat-like creature by its scruff. Myth immediately went limp and whimpered as it looked at Rin with wide, innocent eyes.

"You know that acting cute won’t get you anywhere with me, Myth. But I will let you go as soon as you answer a few questions for me. Isn’t that a fair deal?"

Rin asked, and he swore the cat gave him a disappointed look before slowly nodding.

"Good. Now, can you point out which method we need to use to hatch the egg?"

Rin pointed at the research material in front of him, and Myth hesitated before sighing and pointing toward the lava-like domain.

"It seems to be a fire guardian. The nearest active volcano is not that far away. We can make it there within a few days. I will research this further and tell you more about it."

Reina looked eager as she gathered all the research material and hurried out of the room. She looked excited despite her exhaustion, and Rin did not have the heart to tell her to rest.

So instead, he turned his attention toward Myth.

The cat-like creature pretended to groom itself, but it was so clumsy that the attempt barely looked convincing.

The more Rin looked at it, the more his curiosity grew.

"Hey, I never asked you before, but what exactly are you? Are you another familiar, or something more?"

Rin asked, but Myth did not answer.

The system, however, decided now would be the perfect time to show itself.

[Congratulations, you have identified the system’s lost property. You have qualified for a special benefit.]

[You will be granted one benefit. Please state your request. However, the benefit cannot exceed your status as a Rookie.]

The sudden announcement startled Rin, and he realized he did have a task he had never paid much attention to before.

The system had told him that the ’higher-ups’ had lost something important that he needed to retrieve. But he had never expected that lost item to be a creature—especially one so close to him.

[( ∩´͈ ᐜ `͈∩)]

[Wow! You are so lucky, Rookie. Now hurry up and make a wish. The higher-ups are in a good mood, so they might actually grant it.]

[But do be conservative. You don’t want to put the higher-ups in a bad mood with a reckless request.]

The system warned him, but Rin had already decided what he wanted from the higher-ups.

"If the higher-ups are going to give me something, then they might as well let me borrow Myth for a while longer. Or are they planning to force my familiar away from me?"

Rin asked the system and watched it fumble around in a flustered panic. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

[( ˶°ㅁ°) !!]

[The audacity!]

[Rookie, that’s too daring. Are you trying to pick a fight with the higher-ups? We will both get fired if you ask for this.]

The thing was—Rin did not care enough about his job to worry about something like that, and the system was clearly overreacting. So he held his ground, leaving the system in an awkward position.

Finally, the system gave in and decided to follow Rin’s lead.

[This system will ask the higher-ups. But don’t be too surprised when your request gets denied.]

The system almost seemed to sigh before disappearing to ask for permission. But somehow, Rin was not worried about the system taking Myth away.

There was no way something as omnipresent as the system did not already know about Myth’s existence—especially when it had been so prominent during the last few rounds.

As expected, the system returned within minutes with good news.

[( ⸝⸝´ ᵕ `⸝⸝)]

[Congratulations, Rookie. The higher-ups have decided that it is fine for you to keep the familiar, as long as you keep it healthy and safe. However, please note that this is a loan and not permanent ownership.]

That did not change anything for Rin. Myth was his companion now, and Rin intended to rely on him however he needed to.

Myth also looked relieved that it would be allowed to stay. It gave Rin a small nod of gratitude before leaving.

Rin was about to return to his paperwork when he noticed a flash out of the corner of his eye. It was a bright red color that immediately drew his attention.

’Does anyone here use abilities this flashy?’

Rin wondered as he approached the window. But his battle-sharpened instincts suddenly screamed at him to move back.

He managed to dodge the strike just in time, though his hand still got cut. Blood pooled in Rin’s palm as the window in front of him exploded.

"So, you are the leader of Kalos Settlement? What a joke. Once I kill you, this settlement will be easy for our group to take over."

Rin recognized the red-ability user now. He was one of the people they had recently taken in from a group of wandering misfits.

They had looked troublesome when Rin first met them, and he was glad to see that his instincts had not been wrong.

Rin had to applaud this person’s bravery for daring to attack him in broad daylight and right in the middle of the stronghold. But this was as far as the attack would go.

"Did you plan this attack alone, or are others involved as well?"

Rin asked with a frustrated sigh as he picked up a large shard of glass that had landed near him. He was more annoyed that he would now need someone to repair his office again.

"Tsk, do you think I would tell you that so easily? You need to die, and once you do, we’ll make much better use of your settlement and resources."