"Good morning, boss."

Leon stared blankly at her, unsure of how to answer. Somehow, he could tell that she was displeased. As for why she was displeased...

’Huh. I should have expected that,’ He thought with an inward grunt. Then, he sat up from the bed, turning to face her.

"Good morning, Cass," He greeted back, his tone light. His body still felt sore, but he had already recovered most of his lost stamina.

"Why are you here, though?"

Cassie leaned back into the chair, looking at him with that same expressionless face.

Then, she tilted her head, "Why can’t I be here? I’m simply watching over you and making sure you don’t jump to your death again."

"Huh..." Leon became dumbfounded, unable to say anything.

’Jump to my death? I always calculate my chances of survival,’ He wanted to argue with that fact, but he knew it was somewhat useless.

Instead, he said, "Look, Cass. I’m not jumping to my death. Every fight is an unavoidable one, and I’m not ready to die anytime soon."

Folding her arms, she perfectly arched an eyebrow and asked, "Is that right, boss? Why did you jump to the embrace of that Tier One gorilla back on campus? Why did you go out to almost get killed by that Tier One wolf when we got here? Why did you stay behind to face that zombie yesterday night?"

She took a breath, her chest heaving, then she continued.

"You said you wanted us as subordinates. You gave us the push to become evolvers, you protected us while we grew stronger, and you’ve been providing for us. Yet... we haven’t been of any use to you."

At those words, Leon blinked. It hit him like a sudden revelation, and he realized she was right. He actually hadn’t given them any mission or task since they had been moving together. Scouting the police camp was not something that could be counted anyway.

Seeing that he didn’t say anything, Cassie continued, "You say you want loyalty and devotion, but you never gave us a chance to express it."

"You wanted Marie to be your spear, didn’t you? You wanted Fel to be the one that supports you from behind. You wanted me to be your hidden blade. You wanted Miguel to be your tank—the one who paves a path for you. You wanted Richard to be a reliable support. Right?"

"Then why? Why haven’t we done any of that? Do you realize how it feels to be completely useless? It’s... mentally draining."

She stood up, walked closer to Leon, then gently cupped his cheeks.

"Leon, I want to have a reason to be loyal to you—a use. I’m going to be what you wanted—a hidden blade. From now on, I will fulfill that role, even if it might kill me."

Leon was... stunned. For one, he wasn’t expecting Cassie, who was usually very reserved, to say this much. Also, her words were somewhat true, as he had always solved his problems by himself.

’I guess... I never really understood the purpose of a subordinate.’

In the beginning, it was Thyra’s idea, and he hadn’t utilized it well.

’I guess I am used to doing things alone.’

He sighed as Cassie stepped back, releasing his face. Then, she smiled faintly as she prepared to leave the room.

"I’m sorry if all these might have startled you, boss. I simply wanted you to hear my thoughts."

Leon nodded and said, "But you don’t have to risk your life. Dying now would only be a waste."

Pausing at the door, she looked back and blinked innocently.

"Would it? I don’t think so."

Before Leon could reply, she was already out of the room. Grunting, he massaged his eyebrows.

"That is one hell of a subordinate you have there~"

Thyra’s amused voice rang out from behind him, and he turned immediately.

The enchanting woman was leaning against the window, legs crossed, and hands resting on the windowsill.

With the sunlight falling onto her beautiful features, she looked nothing but pure and ethereal at this moment.

Tearing his gaze from her, he fell back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I’m not used to this leader-subordinate thing. I prefer going solo, and I wouldn’t want any of them foolishly dying because they want to be useful or something."

He sounded genuinely tired, unsure of what to do.

"Hm~? That only gives you one option," She said, her voice slithering into his mind like it was alive. "Make them strong enough that they won’t die that easily."

Leon blinked at her words, staring at the ceiling as he pondered about it. He hadn’t been able to utilize the true potential of his Extraction ability since only ranked creatures actually possessed abilities.

’But once I become Tier One and start hunting other tiered creatures, I’ll be a walking ability trove.’

A wide grin appeared on his lips. Then, he saw Thyra’s face loom over him. Strands of her black hair fell from her shoulders, brushing the sides of his face.

Then, she smiled and asked, "Why are you grinning, Leon? Care to tell Big Sister?"

He shifted slightly, trying to avoid her eyes, but then his gaze caught something... divine.

His eyes traveled down her neck, then stopped at her full cleavage that seemed to be threatening to spill onto his head. For a moment, time seemed to pause. He stared hard, then caught himself.

’Crap-!’

He instantly felt a heat in his brain, like it was being fried. He immediately snapped his eyes shut, then slipped out from under her. Pretending he hadn’t seen anything, he stood up and took off his shirt.

"I need to take a bath. The sweat from yesterday still lingers." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Using that excuse, he immediately stepped into the bathroom and locked the door.

Leaning against the door, he finally exhaled in relief. Once again, he was reminded that Thyra’s existence was a torment of temptation.

He was currently suffering from it, and he could only hope to build up more resistance.

Turning on the shower, he stepped under it and let the cold water wash over him. To his relief, his boiling blood quickly subsided, especially when he remembered that the Asura Armor had been completely destroyed.

’Oh crap. How can I get something that good again?’