Infinite Skill Devourer
Chapter 32: Daiki’s Stray

Chapter 32: Daiki’s Stray

[System Complete. Power Recalibration Initiated.]

The beasts froze in place, their bodies glowed yellow and shuddered.

One by one, they collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

[HP: 20/100]

[Hosts Needs To Regain Energy And Mana to Heal.]

The last thing Ryuen saw was a figure stepping into the chamber.

A man with red hair and a devil-may-care grin sauntered toward him.

His confident steps echoed through the now-silent room.

"Well, well," the man drawled, crouching beside Ryuen’s battered body.

"Looks like I got here just in time."

The man chuckled softly, amused.

"They were actually right," he mused, leaning closer. "You’re a delightful mess, aren’t you? Hehe."

____

The scent of antiseptic lingered in the air, mixing with the beeping of the advanced machines and medical equipment.

The room had no windows, but it was ventilated perfectly.

White lights filled the room and the entire building, giving it a spotless look.

Outside the building, a sleek metal plate was placed at the top, with the carving of a crescent moon crossed by a blade.

A symbol of the great organization known as Vanguard.

Ryuen’s unconscious body lay in a ceramic pod at the center of the room.

His body was strapped into the pod, with tubes connected to his arms and chest.

Feeding him all combinations of nutrients he required, stabilizers, and painkillers.

His body was still battered, with fresh wounds stitched roughly to reduce the bleeding.

There was a row of monitors displaying graphs, all moving in sync with the beeping of Ryuen’s heart monitor.

The man that had found him in the dungeon leaned casually against the wall.

His nonchalant smile was still intact as he twirled a syringe between his fingers.

Behind him, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.

A woman in a spotless white coat, silver hair, and gold eyes stepped into the room.

She was dressed corporately, with her hair held in a bun.

The moment her gaze fell on Ryuen, she frowned.

"You brought him here?" she asked, displeasure evident in her voice.

If anything, she was frustrated and was moments away from snapping.

The red-haired man simply shrugged and tossed the syringe into a nearby tray.

"What can I say, Doc? The guy was in bad shape. And, as absurd as it may seem, he looked like he actually wanted to die."

"I mean he already lost hope."

Doctor Kaori Ito’s eyes narrowed as she stepped closer to inspect Ryuen’s body.

She pulled a scanner from her pocket and held it over his chest until it glowed faintly and beeped.

Then she sighed. "He’s lucky to be alive."

She mumbled and turned to face him. "Do you even know who this man is, Daiki?"

Daiki smirked and crossed his arms. "Not exactly... but I do know he’s interesting."

"Found him in a dungeon on my way back, surrounded by beasts, so I had to save him."

He chuckled softly. "He was bleeding like a leaky faucet."

Kaori’s brow furrowed as she glanced at the monitors reading Ryuen’s vitals. "A dungeon, huh? Which one?"

"Southwestern quadrant," Daiki replied, shifting his gaze to Ryuen.

"I used the back exit to get in and out, and I happened to remember the gate also led here."

"Figured it would be less of a hassle than dealing with the guards at the front gate."

Kaori froze. She slowly turned to Daiki. "Southwest? Are you insane? That’s forbidden territory."

"The Council would have your head if they found out."

Daiki chuckled in response, clearly unbothered. "Yeah, well, they’ve wanted my head for years. Nothing new."

She exhaled, pinching the bridge of her nose in exhaustion.

"Now you’ve brought a non-citizen here. Do you have any idea the risk this poses?"

"If the Council finds out, or worse... if he wakes up and turns hostile—"

"He won’t," Daiki interrupted, with a serious tone.

"This guy’s got fight in him, but he doesn’t look like the type to lash out without reason."

"Trust me, Doc. I’ve seen enough bastards in my time to know the difference."

She sighed and dipped her hands into her coat pocket. "Which area of the quadrant?"

"In a ruin south of the boundary. The dungeon under the Redspire Cliffs, to be exact."

Kaori froze mid-step, her piercing gray eyes snapping to him.

"The Redspire Cliffs? That area’s been sealed off by the Council for decades. You risked entering that?"

Daiki shrugged, like he had just crossed a beautiful garden instead of one of the most dangerous forbidden zones in the records.

"The seals were not broken. Trust me, I am smarter than that."

"Still doesn’t change the fact you brought a liability to me. He will be killed."

"Doc, come on," Daiki said with a smirk. "When have I ever brought boring problems to your doorstep?"

"This isn’t a joke, Daiki," she snapped.

"You don’t even know who he is. For all we know, he could be a Council enforcer—or worse, one of them."

"Relax, Kaori. I’ve spoken to the enforcer about his case."

"If he recovers soon, they will run some tests and register him as a citizen."

"Oh my God, you idiot!" she exclaimed, facepalming.

"He is a human, a new blood. How can you say that so casually?"

Daiki’s smile fell. "I know he is, and so are we. I doubt the Council would let their kind die without a good reason."

"Like I said, trust me. He won’t be much of an issue. He’s my problem, right?"

She sighed and turned to face Ryuen’s pod. "How long since the last attack?"

"Two hours ago."

"I see," she mumbled, adjusting her glasses.

"Well, he lost a lot of blood, mana depletion, and poison from multiple sources."

"Poison?" Daiki repeated, his brows curving into a frown.

"Yes," she stepped away from the pod and crossed her arms.

"It’s not much, just a few traces. If I can get the surgery permit ready before midnight, then I should be able to take it out."

Daiki nodded and tilted his head. "So is he one of them?..... a cursed one?"

Kaori shot him a glare. "Don’t be ridiculous. Not every human we come across in a bad state is cursed."

"If I didn’t know better, I would say he was betrayed during a raid... and those royal brats would be my first suspects."

"Well, whoever did it left him half-finished," Daiki uttered. "Guess it’s up to you to fix him, Doc."

She ignored him and exited the room with a few strides, mumbling incoherent words that were directed at him—insults, to be precise.

Daiki dragged himself to Ryuen’s side, plopped himself on the chair beside the pod, and exhaled.

"Just don’t be another disappointment."

---

Outside the room, the distant sound of a lively city came through the walls.

Nokori Spire, the city hidden in the southeastern quadrant.

A city that crawled with humans, hybrids, and all sorts—as long as they had a human gene in them.

To many, it is a city hidden deep in the wastelands that beasts took over.

Home to the Monarch’s Council, a hub for exiles, rebels, and those who didn’t belong to the other cities.

Or perhaps banished.

Here, technology and magic were the pillars of the city, although magic seemed to dominate more.

At the heart of the city stood Vanguard’s headquarters, a fortress made with titanium and cement.

A structure that served as both a sanctuary and the city’s stronghold in times when beasts decided to pay them a visit through the dungeons.

Kaori and Daiki stood on the roof of the building, holding cups of coffee, as they gazed at the beautiful city below.

She took a deep breath and finally broke the silence.

"Why do you always bring your strays here?"

"Because you’re the best, Doc," Daiki replied with a wink.

"And because you owe me for that little incident with the mana extractor last month."

She shot him a glare but didn’t talk back. Instead, she sipped out of her coffee mug.

"Whoever he is, he’s been through hell," she said quietly.

"I can keep him alive, but whether he wakes up or not... that’s up to him."

Daiki’s grin returned, though it was softer this time.

"If he’s strong enough to survive Redspire, he’s strong enough to wake up.

"Still, it doesn’t change the fact that he must have been through a lot of pain."

"Hm?"

Daiki hummed, almost laughing. "Is that empathy I sense in your voice?"

She scoffed and turned away.

He simply smiled and placed his hand on her head, patting it gently.

"Carry out the surgery and watch him get back to his old self."

She averted her gaze, hiding the blush that formed on her face.

’I hope you’re right.’