Dominion Bond System: The Only Man Left Has A Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 61: Chicken For Vel

*yawn!*

"Morning already?" Reiji murmured, stretching his hands.

"Hmmmmmm!!"

Reiji blinked. ’What was that?’

"HMMMMMMM!!!"

Reiji looked to his left and right but saw nothing. Still, the noise grew louder. It sounded like a muffled scream from someone being suffocated.

’Shit. I forgot Vel slept here!’

Reiji sprang to his feet immediately. The cat had already turned a shade of blue just moments before he kissed his consciousness goodbye.

"I’m so sorry. I didn’t know," Reiji quickly apologized.

*Sobs*

Vel started crying.

Reiji was surprised. Though Vel was a cat, he was crying like a six-year-old.

Vel sniffled as he spoke telepathically.

’My Lord, I know I shouldn’t have fallen asleep, but if you wanted to kill me, couldn’t you have made it quick? Why did it have to be such a slow and painful death?’

"I’m sorry. I didn’t know I was sitting on you. It felt soft and I thought..." Reiji stopped himself before making things worse. "I’m really sorry."

He was truly sorry. He hadn’t known he was sitting on the poor creature. He had simply felt something soft and fluffy and assumed it was a pillow. Now that he thought about it, pillows weren’t that small.

Vel continued crying.

Reiji rubbed the back of his neck.

"I’m really sorry."

"Tell you what, I’ll cook you whatever you want. Anything. Just name it."

Vel’s eyes lit up immediately like a little child.

’Anything?’ he asked telepathically.

Reiji suddenly had a bad feeling.

"...Within reason."

’I want fish.’

Reiji nodded. That was honestly the answer he expected. If Vel had suddenly requested a five-star meal or some legendary magical beast meat, he would have been far more concerned.

"Fish it is."

Vel’s tail immediately started swaying from side to side.

The sight made Reiji feel even guiltier.

The poor guy had nearly died because he accidentally used him as a pillow.

After washing up and changing clothes, Reiji headed downstairs and opened the refrigerator. A few seconds later, he closed it again.

Then he opened it once more.

"..."

The fish section was completely empty.

Reiji stared at the refrigerator in silence.

A moment later, his eyes shifted toward several packs of chicken resting on a lower shelf.

"It should be fine."

A few minutes later, the kitchen filled with the aroma of cooked meat.

Vel sat nearby watching the process with complete focus. His eyes followed every movement Reiji made as if he were observing some sacred ritual.

The cat’s concentration was so intense that Reiji almost laughed.

Eventually, several pieces of properly cooked chicken were placed into a bowl.

Vel froze.

Then he looked at the bowl.

Then at Reiji.

Then back at the bowl.

’My Lord.’

"Hm?"

’I believe fish and chicken are different animals.’

Reiji coughed.

"...There’s no more fish."

Vel looked unconvinced.

Unfortunately for him, the smell of freshly cooked chicken was too tempting.

After several seconds of internal struggle, he lowered his head and took a bite.

His ears immediately perked up.

Another bite followed.

Within moments, the bowl was empty.

Reiji smirked.

"I thought you wanted fish."

Vel quickly looked away.

’I still do.’

"Sure."

The cat’s tail immediately puffed up in embarrassment.

For the first time that morning, the room felt peaceful.

Unfortunately, peaceful moments never lasted long.

After finishing his meal, Reiji returned upstairs and retrieved the Mana Suppressing Weights from his inventory.

The metallic restraints looked harmless enough.

Unfortunately, appearances were deceptive.

The moment he equipped them, the familiar pressure returned.

It felt as though invisible mountains had been attached to his body.

His movements immediately became heavier.

His mana circulation slowed.

Even breathing felt slightly more difficult.

Reiji’s face twitched.

"No matter how many times I use these things, they’re still annoying."

Vel glanced at him from the bed.

Ever since he arrived here, every morning Reiji would put those things on despite how uncomfortable they looked. After a few hours, he would remove them and then begin exercising.

Vel felt like telling Reiji to take a break.

But Reiji wasn’t the type to slack off simply because he was tired.

Especially after seeing how quickly stronger monsters were beginning to appear.

The previous night’s raids had only reinforced something he already knew.

His current strength wasn’t enough.

Not yet.

The Rupture skill was powerful.

Shadow Step was useful.

Mana Manipulation was becoming more versatile.

But none of those things changed the simple reality that he was still only Level Nine.

His EXP continued piling up.

Yet his Bond Points remained the true obstacle.

If he wanted to survive whatever future waited ahead, he needed to become stronger as quickly as possible.

The daily quest was the easiest method available to provide him with points to boost his strength, speed, and other attributes.

After finishing the other exercises, Reiji headed downstairs to run on the treadmill.

The moment he began moving, the familiar resistance greeted him.

Each step felt heavier than the last.

Each movement demanded additional effort.

Sweat quickly formed across his forehead.

Even so, he continued.

And eventually, he completed the run.

Hours passed.

The daily quest wasn’t particularly exciting.

It never was.

Yet the benefits remained undeniable.

His muscles burned.

His mana reserves had been partially drained.

And yet he felt stronger.

Only slightly.

But enough.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face.

Progress was progress.

Reiji spent most of the remaining afternoon resting.

Occasionally, he examined the Dungeon Cores and Monster Core again.

The results remained disappointing.

No matter what method he used, the crystals refused to reveal their secrets.

At some point, he even considered smashing one open.

Fortunately, common sense won.

Destroying a potentially valuable treasure because of curiosity sounded incredibly stupid.

Even by his standards.

The sun slowly drifted toward the horizon.

Orange light filled the room.

Then eventually faded.

Night arrived.

Reiji opened a digital map displayed on his phone.

Several locations had already been marked.

Most of the nearby Gates inside Plush City had become unsuitable targets.

The military presence would definitely increase, and security would become even tighter.

If he continued operating exclusively within the city, eventually someone would notice a pattern and track him down.

Reiji wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he was invisible forever.

Sooner or later, mistakes happened.

That was why he needed a different hunting ground.

His finger moved across the map.

Cloudy City.

The neighboring city wasn’t particularly far away.

More importantly, its Gates received significantly less attention compared to those around Plush City.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Reiji’s face.

"I think this might do... but..."

His gaze narrowed slightly.

Every F-Rank Gate he entered had evolved.

Every evolved Gate provided stronger monsters.

Stronger monsters meant greater rewards.

Which led to an obvious conclusion.

E-Rank Gates.

If his theory was correct, they would likely evolve into D-Rank Gates.

The thought immediately became tempting.

Very tempting.

A D-Rank dungeon contained far greater rewards than an ordinary E-Rank Gate, but the risks would naturally increase as well.

Yet Reiji wasn’t planning to remain weak forever.

Eventually, he would have to take bigger risks.

The question wasn’t whether he would challenge stronger Gates.

The question was when.

And tonight felt like a good answer.

After finalizing several possible routes, Reiji memorized every location before deleting the information from his phone.

Paranoia was a useful survival trait.

Especially when the military was actively investigating mysterious dungeon clearances.

Once everything was prepared, Reiji stood from his chair.

Ding!

[Daily Quest Completed!]

[Congratulations Host! You have gained +2 Speed, +2 Strength, +1 Stamina.]

[Hidden Reward – Full Recovery]

His mana had fully recovered.

His body had recovered.

The Mana Suppressing Weights were removed and returned to his inventory.

Instantly, the familiar feeling of freedom returned.

His mana circulation became smooth once more.

This time, even smoother than before.

The difference was almost addictive.

Reiji stretched his arms before retrieving the black hoodie.

Then came the mask.

Cloudy City.

E-Rank Gates.

Potential D-Rank evolutions.

Tonight’s harvest might be even better than yesterday’s.

Without making a sound, Reiji opened the window.

The cool night breeze entered the room.

Vel immediately jumped down from the bed, ready to close the window after Reiji left.

Reiji took one last glance back before leaping out.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he activated Shadow Step.

His figure vanished into the darkness.

Another night of hunting had begun.