Saber's final, decisive strike left a void where the second Silver Beast had been. For a moment, the three of us just stood there in the wreckage of the bedroom, breathing heavily in the sudden, ringing silence. My muscles ached, my head throbbed, and my Cosmo reserves were sputtering on empty.
Then, a warm, revitalizing current flooded my body, originating from the spot where the monster had disintegrated. It was a pure, clean energy, absorbed directly into my system.
[Combat Resolution]
➤ Targets: F-Rank Dimensional Entity (x2) – Eliminated
➤ Cosmo Reserves Replenished: +28%
➤ Permanent Attribute Gain: Strength +1, Agility +1
➤ New Passive Enabled: Dimensional Energy Absorption
A small smile touched my lips. The stat gains were minor, but they were permanent. I could feel the difference immediately—a subtle but distinct increase in my physical power. My system offered a helpful tooltip to explain the phenomenon.
[System Note: Eliminating dimensional entities within a higher-density reality (e.g., Earth) results in greater energy compression and more potent attribute gains compared to lower-density realms.]
Killing monsters in my own world was more profitable. Good to know. Another panel clarified the energy restoration.
[Cosmo Recovery Rate (Passive) – Activated]
➤ Effect: Regain a percentage of spent energy after eliminating hostile dimensional entities.
➤ Efficiency: Higher-rank kills yield greater restoration.
So, combat was a self-sustaining loop. The more I fought, the more I could fight. It was a classic, beautiful RPG progression curve.
"Is it… over?" Chloe whispered, peeking out from behind the doorframe, her eyes wide.
"It's over," I said, getting to my feet and ruffling her hair. The beast's remains, much like the first one, had completely vanished, leaving no trace behind except for the gaping hole in our wall. There was no body, no blood, nothing to explain to the police. The universe, it seemed, cleaned up after its own messes.
Chloe, now that the immediate danger was past, latched onto my arm, her fear giving way to a million questions. "What was that thing? Where did it come from?"
"Uh…" I glanced at Saber, who gave me a look that clearly said, This is your problem. "You know all those cartoons and comics you read? Sometimes, when the story is really, really strong, things can… leak out. It was just a monster from a cartoon world that got lost."
It was the lamest, most absurd explanation I could think of, but to a sixteen-year-old girl who had just seen a knight in shining armor and a tentacle monster in her house, it seemed to make a strange kind of sense. She nodded slowly, processing it. My system, meanwhile, was already classifying her.
[Protected NPC Status Applied: Chloe]
➤ Damage Immunity: Conditional (Active only when contract holder is present within a 100-meter radius)
➤ Relationship Bond Update: +5 (Trust & Relief)
"We cannot stay here," Saber said, her voice grim as she surveyed the damage. "They will be drawn to the Grail's energy. It is a beacon. Where it rests, they will come."
Her words triggered a new interface in my vision—a faint, holographic map of the globe, with my apartment as a glowing golden dot at its center.
[Holy Grail Guardian Protocol – Active]
➤ Current Threat Level: Moderate
➤ Active Hunt Signatures Detected: 3 (Origin Worlds: Unknown)
➤ Proximity Alert: Currently Disabled (Grail is stationary).
"So we can't just leave you here," I mused, looking at Saber. "If we take the Grail and go, the monsters will just follow us."
"I will not be a burden," she stated, her jaw set stubbornly. "I can protect myself."
"I'm not worried about you," I said. "I'm worried about my sister. And my apartment. I can't have monsters punching new windows in the walls every day." I looked her dead in the eye. "The Grail stays with me. That means you stay with me. You're the expert here. You protect it, you protect my sister, you teach me how to fight. That's the deal."
She stared at me, a long, appraising look in her emerald eyes. She saw the exhaustion, the lingering fear, but also the grim determination I felt deep in my soul. She saw the wielder of the Lightning Plasma Punch, the man who stood between a monster and his family.
"A king does not command respect," she said softly. "He earns it. If you can truly master this power, if you can protect this Grail and all that it represents from the hunters that will surely come… then perhaps, one day, I will kneel to you not just as my master, but as my king."
A quest notification, shimmering with a faint golden light, appeared in my log.
[Hidden Quest Unlocked: Earn the Knight's Kneel]
➤ Objective: Successfully defend the Holy Grail from all active Grail Hunter threats during this arc.
➤ Reward: Companion Loyalty Upgrade (Saber – Eternal Vow), Unlocks new cooperative combat abilities.
The motivation was almost overwhelming. This wasn't just about power anymore; it was about earning the acknowledgment of a legend.
"Right," I said, shaking off the moment. "First, practical matters." I pulled out my wallet and handed Chloe a few bills. "Go to the comic shop. Get whatever you want. On your way back, stop at the department store and get some… normal clothes. For our guest. Underwear, socks, the works. Get a few different sizes, just in case."
After she left, happy to have a mission, I turned to the closet again, looking for something for Saber to wear in the meantime. I found an old outfit of my mom's—a light blue pleated skirt, almost like a kilt, and a simple white shirt.
[Outfit Compatibility Scan]
➤ Projected Effect on Target [Saber]: +15 Charisma
➤ Projected Effect on User [Alan]: -10 Sanity (due to acute aesthetic overload)
I tossed the outfit to her. "Try this on. It should be better than sleeping in a skirt."
As she took the clothes, our hands brushed. A small spark of static, of shared Cosmo, passed between us. It was a promise of the training to come, of the battles we would face together, and of the kingdom I now had to build, right here in the ruins of my own home.