The morning sun was shining brightly.

  Caius opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Kiki’s adorable little face.

  At the moment, she was curled up in his arms, her head resting on his arm.

  This little Catgirl insisted on sleeping on top of him every night, so Caius had simply gotten used to treating her as a body pillow.

  And honestly, her body was so soft and cuddly—it was actually quite comfortable.

  Kiki also enjoyed being held by him. It was warm, it was cozy.

  Don’t be fooled by Caius’s big, burly frame—when he held her, his touch was gentle and never heavy.

  Sleeping in his arms, every nap she took was sweet and peaceful.

  “Time to wake up, little kitten.” Caius gently rubbed her cheek. The little Catgirl purred softly in response, her eyes slowly opening and then narrowing again in satisfaction as she nuzzled against Caius’s big hand.

  “Big guy, what are we doing today, meow?” Kiki stretched like a cat, sticking out her butt playfully before plopping herself cross-legged on the bed, full of energy. She wore a little vest, her slender waist revealing a mischievous belly button and faintly defined abs.

  Caius said, “First, go to the Boss Lady and grab a few Gold-tier advancement missions. Look for ones that require materials. We’ll head to Nofalark Forest and grind together—you should be able to rank up to Gold-tier there.”

  “Then we’re off to the Wargs Gang to turn in a task. Pick up a big job from Raymond, and afterward, we’ll visit the Hydis Academy for some afternoon tea with Little Swan.”

  “Roger that, meow!” Kiki instantly threw on her weighted gear and dashed downstairs to get the missions from Yvlan.

  Caius quickly got himself ready too. When he came downstairs, Kiki had already picked up the missions.

  Clearly, ever since their fame had spread, Yvlan had gained access to many more mission postings.

  “Want some breakfast?” Yvlan asked.

  “One Heartwarming Breakfast, please.” Caius grinned.

  Yvlan rolled her eyes at him with exaggerated charm. “That’s not on the menu.”

  “Then I guess I’ll just starve right here at the counter.” Caius collapsed forward dramatically like a helpless child.

  Yvlan chuckled, amused by his antics.

  But not three seconds later, Caius peeked up with puppy-dog eyes. “Boss Lady, are you really going to let me starve to death like this?”

  Yvlan felt her heart take a direct hit.

  Caius wasn’t what you’d call devastatingly handsome. He was just decent-looking—somewhat charming, definitely rugged—and his body was all lean muscle. By any logic, she shouldn’t find that adorable.

  And yet… she absolutely did.

  Caius had her completely figured out.

  Yes, he was a brute in size and strength, but moments like these reminded her that he didn’t need her anymore—not really. And that made her feel uneasy, even if she hadn’t consciously realized it.

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  Whenever a whole day passed without seeing him, she always felt a bit… empty inside.

  That was the feeling of not being needed.

  And right now, Caius was deliberately creating the exact opposite—a sense of being needed.

  Even though he was clearly joking, Caius played the role of a needy, hungry kid so perfectly that it created this jarring contrast in her heart. He’s this strong and still wants to be spoiled by me?

  It filled her with a sense of deep, quiet joy.

  Biting her lip, she tied on her apron without another word.

  “Just wait,” she said, disappearing into the kitchen.

  It was clear she was cooking herself.

  Yvlan usually stuck to administrative work—delegating tasks, managing the guild—she almost never cooked. In all of Hailan No. 11, only Caius had ever received such treatment.

  It was her way of returning the satisfaction she got from Caius.

  A relationship of mutual giving, mutual need, and mutual fulfillment.

  Caius smugly glanced at the nearby mercenaries, who all returned his look with a mix of envy and disdain.

  Soon, the steaming Heartwarming Breakfast arrived.

  Oh, it was heartwarming, alright—steak cut into a heart, eggs shaped like hearts, even the hash browns were pressed into heart shapes.

  “So… how’s that? Enough heart for you?” Yvlan asked, a little proud, a little shy.

  Caius didn’t answer—his cheeks were already stuffed full. He gobbled down the food with such gusto that all he could do was give her a big thumbs-up.

  That silent praise meant more to Yvlan than any flowery compliment.

  Full and satisfied, Caius leaned back with a loud burp, grinning wide. “No wonder it’s called a Heartwarming Breakfast. I’m gonna be a machine today!”

  Yvlan laughed along.

  “I’m off now!” Caius waved as he headed out with Kiki.

  Yvlan watched him go, a smile still on her face. Even after he disappeared from view, it lingered.

  Then came the mercenaries’ teasing voices.

  “Boss Lady, stop staring—your eyes are about to fall out.”

  “Hahaha!”

  Blushing, Yvlan grabbed a mug and pretended to throw it at them, sending the mercs scrambling and howling with laughter. The whole Tavern rang with warmth and joy.

  Caius made his way to the inner city, heading first to the Wargs Gang’s turf.

  The moment the gang members saw him, they stepped aside without question. No one even asked what he was doing there. And as he walked through, every single member of the Wargs Gang looked at him with admiration and respect.

  Caius thoroughly enjoyed the attention.

  As soon as Rog saw him, she came forward with a grin.

  “You stirred up some real waves yesterday,” she said with a chuckle.

  It was obvious the events at Zachary’s manor had already spread.

  “Heh, that was just the beginning.” Caius smiled and pulled out Okot’s broken twin blades—still attached to a severed hand. He’d kept that piece on purpose.

  A little extra proof that Okot had died a miserable death.

  Not that he really needed proof. With that many witnesses present yesterday, and so many eyes watching, Rog already knew the truth.

  But Caius was a professional. The procedures mattered.

  Rog took the blades, glanced at them, then casually tossed them into the sea.

  She jerked her chin, and a few underlings brought over five heavy sacks of coins, placing them in front of Caius.

  Fifty thousand gold. Not a coin short.

  Caius accepted it gladly.

  “But aren’t you worried Baron Zachary will come after you for revenge? His influence isn’t exactly small,” Rog asked.

  “If he’s dumb enough to try, he’ll end up like the Serpent Gang.” Caius said, completely unfazed.

  Seeing his absolute confidence, Rog nodded, admiration deepening in her eyes.

  “Well then, if you ever need anything, come to the Wargs Gang.”

  “Our loyalty is for friends only.”

  She held out her hand.

  Caius grasped it with a laugh. “Friends!”

  With the Wargs Gang matter settled, Caius was suddenly free.

  But he wasn’t the type to sit still.

  So after bidding Rog farewell, he made his way to the Iron Tavern to find Raymond for more work.

  Raymond, naturally, had already heard about yesterday’s chaos. It was clear he approved—he didn’t even hesitate before handing Caius three gold-tier jobs.

  One was a materials mission: hunting a not-too-dangerous Platinum-grade Magic Beast. Payout: twenty thousand gold.

  The second was an ore collection job. Payment would depend on the weight and quality of the ore collected, but the baseline was ten thousand.

  The third was a bit different—an unranked investigation mission.

  What did “unranked” mean?

  It means the danger level cannot be confirmed—it might pose no threat at all, or it could be extremely hazardous.

  And this particular mission was issued by the authorities of Ocean City, using the Mercenary Tavern as an intermediary.

  Investigate the Nofalark Forest. Hunt down any Bloody Creatures. Locate any possible sites of the Bloody Lands.

  Sure enough, the alarm had already been sounded.

  "It's going to be a storm," Caius said slowly.