Tokyo, Sotokanda—inside a high-rise building near Hōrin Park.
"So, your task today is to get our office cleaned up."
With a cheerful smile, Luo Shu placed a pair of gloves, a broom, and a dustpan into Yukinoshita Yukino's hands before patting the girl's shoulder.
"Do a good job and I'll take you to Akihabara next door tonight for some extra food."
Yukinoshita Yukino looked at the cleaning tools in her hands, then looked up at the nearly empty room before her—only a single desk stood in the middle, no other furniture, and the floor was covered by a thin layer of grey dust, clearly fresh from renovations. She froze for a moment, then fixed her gaze on Luo Shu.
"Can I take this as a test for new recruits?"
Luo Shu gave a slight nod. "More or less a test of obedience."
"I understand." Yukino took a deep breath, then said, "Do we have proper cleaning supplies ready? With just a broom and dustpan, there's no way to clean this place properly."
"There's a commercial street in Akihabara right next door. You should be able to find all the tools you need there."
As he spoke, Luo Shu pulled a silver ring from his pocket and said to her, "Before you start cleaning, hold out your hand."
Yukino glanced at the ring in his hand, then at his face, and instinctively hid her hand behind her back.
"I know this is probably not a marriage proposal, but could you at least tell me what this ring does?"
"Its full name is the Nutrition Detector."
At those words, Yukino immediately gave him a polite, practiced smile—one you gave only when you felt your intelligence had just been insulted.
Seeing this, Luo Shu spread his hands. "Well, that's just the cover name. You can think of it as SDS's newly launched internal staff authentication device."
"Actually, you've come at the right time—this thing was only recently approved for distribution."
As he spoke, he tossed the ring toward her. Yukino quickly reached out to catch it.
He then explained, "The ring's official function is to monitor the body at all times. Once it's paired with the soon-to-arrive reporting unit, it can constantly report your physical condition and also provide medical and nutrition recommendations."
"Of course, that's the public explanation."
"The real function—" Luo Shu lifted his left hand, revealing on his middle finger a more refined ring, set with a blue gemstone.
Fwoosh—
Indigo flames surged up from the ring, bathing Luo Shu's face in a deep blue glow.
"The Dying Will Flame—a flame ignited by resolve, or you could say, by mental energy. You can think of it as a flame-type superpower."
"There are seven different flame attributes. With the ring's help, the ignition requirement is lowered, but to ignite it easily, you'll still need to get through your newcomer period and finish using the Adjuster medicine first."
Those who had taken and adapted to the Adjuster medicine could generally ignite their Dying Will Flames and strengthen themselves.
This was something Verde had probably anticipated all along—that old man, full of knowledge from his home world's Mafia, knew exactly how to strengthen an organization. After all, he'd come from a mafia family himself.
"In normal circumstances, the Dying Will Flame and these rings will become the signature abilities of SDS members."
Hearing that, Yukino's eyes widened slightly. She recalled the scene she'd once witnessed in the underground training area of the Lycoris Café— Even now, she couldn't forget the sight of Luo Shu, intangible like mist, ignoring machine gun fire.
Yukino wasn't stupid. She quickly connected it to the question Luo Shu had asked her several times before.
"So that's why, earlier, you asked if I was prepared?"
"That's right." Luo Shu snapped his fingers and smiled. "From what I know, even without the medicine, with the ring's help, you can ignite the Dying Will Flame—if your resolve is strong enough."
"As for what kind of resolve… think of it as willpower. As long as it's strong enough, and you use the right method, you can ignite your flame."
If the will was strong enough, even insufficient mental energy could still produce the flame. This was an answer Luo Shu had retrieved through the extended abilities of his Knowledge Authority "occult encyclopaedia."
Put simply, the strength of will reflected the strength of mental energy—something symbolized by the brightness of the blue flame above the head (representing the spirit).
When Luo Shu first saw Yukino, he had used his spiritual sight to observe her "three flames"—the flames of essence, qi, and spirit. The latter two burned brightly.
This meant that the only weakness Yukino had was in her physical constitution.
And among them, the blue flame—representing mental strength—was the brightest of all. Maybe it was due to the strength of character she'd gained from being isolated when she was young.
From her blue flame, Luo Shu could tell that if Yukino truly steeled her resolve, igniting the Dying Will Flame wouldn't be difficult.
At this point, Yukino asked, "If I ignite this so-called Dying Will Flame, will I be able to do what you do, Chief?"
Luo Shu's eyes widened slightly as he studied her. Girl, you can't even walk yet and you want to start driving?
Even before he could answer, she realized his unspoken meaning.
"Not possible?"
"There's a chance, if your flame just so happens to be of the Mist attribute like mine." Luo Shu's eyes all but said, Don't get your hopes up.
"And my attribute is…?" Yukino asked, a trace of unease in her tone.
"It's Cloud—its ability is propagation. Simply put, the Cloud Flame can expand objects. In layman's terms—mass duplication."
Checking someone's flame type was easy for Luo Shu—Yukino was right in front of him; one consultation of the "encyclopaedia" was enough. Of course, the truth was that the profession most suited to her right now was the "Demon of Knowledge," something with God-tier potential. Luo Shu had noted that but didn't bring it up.
He wasn't about to hand over a God-realm potential class for free, even if it didn't use up much of the shard's energy.
"Duplicating objects with Cloud Flames, huh…" Yukino murmured, stroking the ring in her hand, then looked back at him.
"So what's the proper method?"
"The method is—Dying Will Flame infusion!"
Luo Shu smirked, suddenly raising his hand and, like a magician, producing a pistol.
Seeing the barrel aimed directly at her forehead, Yukino's pupils contracted sharply.
"Relax—it'll be quick."
Luo Shu released the gun's safety, still smiling.
"Oh, right—your next task is to clean the office."
"Wait—" Yukino began, but her words were cut short—
Bang!
Luo Shu pulled the trigger.
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