The drive to Sero’s apartment was quiet as Sero zoned out looking through the window. Before getting in the backseat of her car, Amaya had blasted Sero with a cold torrent of water to wash off the blood, then seared his skin with blue flames to dry him off.

Although it was understandable that Amaya didn't want Sero to get her seats dirty, he couldn't help but feel like she rather enjoyed tormenting him with the harsh cleaning. At least he was able to copy the Water Blast and Fire Blast skills she used.

Strangely, Nala decided to tag along as well, sitting in the front seat as she counted her gold. Despite being robbed, Sero managed to scavenge a few coins, slipping them in his newly acquired Shadow Shift.

As they pulled up to his apartment, Amaya found a spot in front and parked, turning back to face Sero. Her face was out of reach from the moonlight, making it hard for him to see her expression.

"So, before I drop you off and go write a report on the outbreak, let's hear what you have to say. Why'd you refuse to participate in the fight? I can understand having a weakness for women- well, it's a little different for you, but those were succubi. Monsters."

Sero hesitated. "Well, it's... complicated. I was actually in a rush. You see, I had a quest to... um..."

He faltered when Nala also turned around to look at him.

"Ah, fine," Sero cleared his throat. His face and ears were burning with embarrassment. "To be honest, I've never... had a girlfriend before."

There was a brief silence as the words hung in the air. Sero stared at his hands, unable to meet Amaya's gaze. He felt Nala's eyes on him, but he didn't dare look at her. Finally, Amaya let out a soft sigh.

"Yeah, I figured. It'd make sense for women, but thirsting after succubi? Really?"

"Hey, I don't discriminate." Sero held up his hands defensively as he looked at the both of them.

"You're actually doubling down?" Aphiel interjected incredulously.

For a moment, the women were quiet. Then, Nala shrugged and turned back around to the front.

"I think there's something wrong with you," Nala's tone was emotionless. "But, you don't seem to be dangerous. Desperate, yes, but not threatening. I accept you for who you are."

"Oh... thanks? I guess?" Sero glanced quizzically at Amaya.

The Ascendant Liaison shook her head in disappointment. "While what Nala said is somewhat true... Sero, you need to do something about that behavior of yours."

"I'll try, but no guarantees."

Amaya's blue eyes pierced through him with a judgmental gaze before she turned back around.

"Well, it's none of my business. Just try not to act on your urges sometimes. Imagine what could've gone wrong had the succubi been B-rank or higher."

"Right... I'll be more mindful next time." Sero replied sheepishly as he opened the car door and stepped out. He turned back around. "Hey Nala, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm grabbing a drink with Amaya after she finishes her report." The Shadereaper said as if it was obvious.

"Oh, ok." Sero shut the car door but then did a double take. "Wait, when the fuck did you guys plan that?"

"We talked about it in the car. We knew you weren't listening." Amaya rolled her window down and smirked at him. "See you later."

"Wait, can I come-"

Amaya had already pulled out and drove away, leaving Sero to watch them depart.

With a sigh, he trudged back up to his apartment. After he cleaned himself up, Sero laid on his bed and stared up at his ceiling.

"Hey, Aphiel?"

"Yes, champion?"

"I'm not that ugly, right?"

Aphiel went silent.

"I mean, I know I'm not particularly handsome or anything, but I can't be that ugly to the point where succubi are turned off by me."

"Well," Aphiel began hesitantly. "Succubi also see personality in tandem with physical appearances. So, maybe it's not just your looks, but... also your personality...? To be honest, I’m not really sure why their charms didn’t work. Even someone with a face like yours should still be affected."

Sero grunted disapprovingly. "Whatever."

He rolled over onto his side and shut his eyes, forcing himself to sleep.

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Over the next few days, Sero took on various mercenary jobs with Nala which included hunting stray monsters, standing in for security, or charity work. Amaya occasionally tagged along, though she joined more so to spend time with Nala afterwards rather than Sero.

He didn't mind, in fact, it helped distract her from reminding Sero of the debt that he owed her. Besides volunteering for free, which was Nala's idea, Sero steadily saved gold from the other jobs he took and finally opened up a bank account. Still, even though his income gradually became stable, Sero still kept an eye out for any stray succubi.

The day was warm and sunny as Sero entered the mercenary union building, dropped off by a taxi. The bustling and clamoring of the other mercenaries that had intimidated him before was now a routine ambient noise as Sero strode up to the task boards where Nala was already standing in front of.

Next to her stood a very tall and muscular man in a black suit, with streaks of gray hair. Sero couldn't help but feel as if he had seen that man before.

"Hey, Nala." Sero casually greeted her as he walked up to the pair. He suddenly froze when the pair turned to face him.

"Ah, we meet again." Gregor Stone grinned when he recognized Sero. "You've already met my daughter?"

"What?" Sero's mind went blank as he shifted his gaze between Nala and Gregor. He noticed that they shared the same violet eyes and honey brown complexion. "You're... you guys are related?"

"Yeah," Nala nodded matter-of-factly. "Did I not tell you?"

"No!" Sero exclaimed. "You pretty much never tell me anything important."

Gregor chuckled, reminding Sero of thunder before a storm. "Ah, please excuse her," he placed an affectionate hand on Nala's head. "She's always had a habit of keeping stuff to herself if there's no need to share it."

"Dad," Nala grumbled, shaking off his hand. "Stop petting my head like that. I'm not a little girl anymore."

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Gregor winked at her, seemingly unperturbed. "Well, you're still my little girl, no matter how old you get." He turned back to Sero and clapped him on the shoulder. "Anyway, I'm here on business. I heard that you've been doing well for yourself."

"Oh, yeah." Sero forced himself not to wince and buckle under the weight of his hand. "I've been adjusting pretty quickly the last few days."

"Is that so? Then, would you be interested in the upcoming Ascendants Tournament?"

Gregor's question took Sero by surprise. He glanced at Nala, who looked just as confused as he felt. At least, he thought she looked confused. "Uh, yeah, sure. Why me?"

"Two reasons," Gregor grinned. "First, I’m very interested in your growth and class. Wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to test your strength against other strong Ascendants? I’m sure you’ve been aching for a challenge."

"Not really, I like lazing around—"

"And second, if you do well, I may approve of this relationship you have with my little girl."

"Dad! Don’t say things out of context." Nala blushed and scowled at her father. Sero had to admit that it was surprisingly cute and refreshing to see her actually show her expressions.

"Well, I do think she’s pretty—"

Gregor slung an arm around Sero’s neck and pulled him close. He shifted his weight as he leaned in near Sero’s ear.

"Are you telling me that my little girl isn’t enough motivation to get you to participate?" He whispered as Sero struggled to withstand the weight of his arm. It felt like someone had chained two boulders together and dropped them over his shoulders.

"With all due respect sir, I am absolutely terrified of answering your question."

Gregor suddenly laughed and lifted his arm off of Sero, who took an involuntary gasp as relief washed over his shoulders.

"I’m kidding. Of course, I don’t want you to feel pressured about participating. And obviously, my little girl is old enough to make her own decisions-"

"Dad, please stop."

"But, I digress. Sero, I'm sure you'd find participating to be a worthwhile experience. Come to me when you register for the tournament, and I'll explain more. I’ll see you later, sweetheart." The leader of the Janitors gave Nala a kiss on the forehead to which she recoiled, then turned and walked away.

"Wait, ‘when’ I register? What does that mean?" Sero called out, but Gregor seemed to not have heard him. Or he did, but chose to ignore him.

He turned to Nala with a baffled expression. "What the hell was that?"

"Well, he does have a point. You would benefit from joining the tournament." Nala seemed to have regained her indifferent composure as she wiped at her forehead. "Aren’t you obsessed with copying skills?"

"Yeah, but not when I’m fighting. I’d rather sit down and copy from afar."

"Aren’t you curious to see how you’ll match up against other Ascendants?"

"Absolutely not. I like it better when I don’t get beat up, thanks."

Nala made a face. "You’re… really something."

"Thanks," Sero gave a half-grin. "Now, are we gonna do this hunting job or what?"

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The hunt went relatively smoothly as the pair cleared out an abandoned warehouse near the union that was infested with monstrous rats. Though the pay was low and the task menial, Sero didn’t mind as it gave him some time to think about Gregor’s words.

"I also think it’d be a good opportunity for you," Aphiel mused. "You’ve been growing quickly, and you’ve started to plateau. Wouldn’t it be nice to gain more experience along with new skills?"

"Yeah, but here’s the thing," Sero walked alongside Nala as they headed back to the mercenary union after harvesting pelts from the monsters. "Say I do join the tournament, and I try my best and do well. I’ve read enough stories to know that something will happen, and it won’t be good."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Not that I have an inflated ego or anything, but, come on. I’m an Ascendant who resurrected a year into the future with a unique class and already grew this much. I’ve got a big shot who’s taken an interest in me and suddenly wants to see me take part in competing against what I assume to be well-known and very strong Ascendants. Something is bound to happen."

Aphiel snorted. "You really think something will happen because of your existence?"

"Oh, I know something will happen because of my existence." Sero grinned to himself as he and Nala entered the mercenary union. "In fact, I’m hoping it does. I just pray I don’t have to do anything when it comes."

"So, you have an inflated ego and a wild imagination. You believe that your existence affects the world in the power fantasy you’ve created for yourself. But you don’t want to put in any effort in the event that whatever results from you does occur. Right?"

"You got it."

"Champion, I don’t know whether to be impressed or concerned by your confidence in this."

Sero chuckled to himself as he approached the front desk to confirm the hunting task. As the receptionist logged the confirmation and sent the monetary reward to him and Nala, someone tapped on his shoulders.

He turned around to see Amaya, dressed in her usual liaison attire.

"Oh, hey. Me and Nala just finished, so you can steal her away from me now."

"Actually," Amaya glanced at Nala, who was checking her phone for the deposit confirmation before she turned back to Sero. "I’m here for you."

An immediate smile flashed across Sero’s face. "Ah, have you come to confess to me?"

"I’m actually going to stab you," Amaya scowled angrily. "No, I’m here to talk to you about the upcoming tournament."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. I’m assuming Gregor talked to you about it, too?"

"What the—" Sero crossed his arms and stared accusingly at Nala. "Wait, have you told her Gregor’s your dad?"

"Yeah? It was around the first time we met." Nala replied nonchalantly.

"Sero, focus." Amaya waved a hand in front of him. "Nala, I think you should hear what I have to say too. Not here though, let’s head to somewhere private."

----------------------------------------

Unexpectedly, the three of them ended up at Sero’s apartment.

"This is… not what I expected." Amaya gazed around his room with a slight look of awe.

Sero had added a few additions to his cramped living space with the money he’d been earning, such as a small desk and a table lamp. A candle burned softly in the corner of his desk, filling the room with a sweet and comforting scent. Sero’s clothes were neatly folded and tucked away in his dresser. His bathroom had been scrubbed clean, and various pots and pans were stacked and organized atop his kitchenette.

Sero had even upgraded his bed that Nala sat cross-legged upon, adding a comforter and soft pillows. The dingy curtains that were there when he first moved in had been replaced by sleek blackout curtains. Compared to the first night Sero spent in his apartment, it was now unrecognizable and cozy.

"Why? You think I'd be more sloppy?" Sero frowned as he pulled out the chair from his desk and sat backwards on it.

"No, just... well, kind of." Amaya began to take in the cleanliness of his room and sat on the edge of his bed next to Nala.

"I also did." The Shadereaper chimed in bluntly. "But, I like how comfy your room is."

"Right?" Sero grinned as he leaned forward on the back of the chair. "It's not much, but it's perfect to lounge around in for now."

"Anyway," Amaya became serious. "Let's cut to the chase. Sero, we need you to participate in the tournament."

Sero sucked in a breath through his teeth and let it out slowly.

"Ok."

Amaya blinked in surprise. "Wait, really? I thought you'd be more opposed, considering... well, what made you change your mind?"

Sero's eyes gleamed evilly. "It's not hard to figure out that I have an important role. Having a powerful person such as Gregor as well as a beautiful liaison like you pushing this tournament on me? Something's expected to happen, right? And it won't happen unless I participate?"

The Ascendant Liaison flinched. "Well, we're hoping it doesn't but–"

Sero cackled in his thoughts, knowing his previous words were just proven right in front of Aphiel. Even though there was a very good chance he may have to put in work, Sero had already begun to plan to negotiate a hefty reward for his cooperation.

"-The Janitors and the Special Protections division of the Ascendants Association have joined forces due to a confidential report. There has been word in the underworld that this tournament will be the catalyst towards sacrificing tributes to bring over a catastrophe."

Sero stiffened as his thoughts derailed.

"Wait, say that again?"

Amaya buried her face in her hands and took a deep breath before she lifted her head to stare directly into his red eyes.

"Sero. Because you suddenly appeared out of nowhere, no one will know who you are. That's why we need you to participate in the tournament, because there is a good chance one of the participants is part of an organization that will kill the other participants to invoke a catastrophe." She gave him a humorless smile. "You're our bait."