Two weeks later.
Uesugi Ryu was promoted to Associate Special-Class Investigator, appointed as Deputy Branch Chief of the 20th Ward.
Suzuya Juuzou exterminated the S-rated ghouls, the Bin Brothers, and performed outstandingly in battle against dozens of Aogiri Tree ghouls.
In addition, since Washuu Yoshitoki had previously made a public statement promising to heavily promote those participating in the Aogiri Tree extermination campaign to boost morale, Suzuya was promoted to Second-Class Investigator.
Due to overcrowding in the 20th Ward, Suzuya Juuzou was reassigned along with the newly discharged Shinohara Yukinori to the 11th Ward to continue purging the remnants of Aogiri Tree.
As for Amon Koutarou, he didn't receive a promotion from this, but it was only a matter of time.
During this period, the CCG was riding high on success, while the ghouls were showing signs of exhaustion, retreating into the shadows to lick their wounds.
Morning light poured into the room through the window.
Uesugi Ryu stood in front of the mirror, a toothbrush in hand as he washed up.
Lifting his head, he looked into the mirror.
What appeared in the reflection was a pair of eyes as deep and dark as golden metal, slitted pupils like those of a serpent, strange and unsettling in a human face.
Uesugi Ryu couldn't help but complain.
"I just drank a single bottle of Dragonblood Elixir, and I'm turning into a little dragon man?"
"This elixir has an aftereffect? Who knows what weird abilities it'll awaken later on..."
Actually, at first, Uesugi Ryu hadn't noticed the change in his eyes.
It wasn't until later, when his emotions became "agitated," that he began to feel an odd discomfort in them.
After observing himself, he finally realized he had gained this unique pair of golden eyes.
He wasn't sure if it was related to his Intelligence stat, but after nearly half a month of eating food produced by the Wine-Sack Rice-Bag, his Intelligence had increased by one point.
As for other changes, there were a few, but the degree was too small to show on his status panel.
---
Name: Uesugi Ryu
Race: Human (Pending)
Combat Power: SS (Based on the four core stats only; weapon proficiency is not included)
Strength: 14 (SS)
Agility: 17 (SS+)
Constitution: 13 (A-) (Equipment +1)
Intelligence: 11 (S-) (Each point of INT = 10 Mana)
Mana: 572 (19 recovered per hour)
Health: 223
Innate Ability: Soul Devour (After killing a target, their soul can be devoured to increase Mana)
Skills:
D-Rank Skill: Phantom Clone
D-Rank Skill: Instant Step
C-Rank Skill: Blood Frenzy
Energy: 45/100 (Remaining Lottery Attempts: 1)
Items:
D-Rank Item: Pharmacist's "Treasure"
B-Rank Quinque: Viper
A-Rank Quinque: Destroyer
A-Rank Quinque: Sakikage
S+ Rank Quinque: Jason (x2)
Calming Potion
3D Maneuver Gear
C-Rank Rare Item: Wine-Sack Rice-Bag
---
Looking at the system panel, Uesugi Ryu was a bit dumbfounded. Just a day ago he was a regular human being, and now he was listed as "Pending"?
Shaking his head, he put away his toothbrush and casually walked out of the bathroom.
He didn't give it too much thought.
If he stopped being human, then so be it, there were already so many people who weren't human anyway. One more wouldn't make a difference.
20th Ward, CCG Branch Office.
Inside an office, Mado Akira was sketching something in a notebook.
The pencil in her hand scratched along the paper with a faint rustle, tracing graceful curves that gradually formed the shape of a streamlined suit of armor, elegant in its unique way.
Compared to the previously bulky-looking new proto, this armor appeared much lighter.
Its entire design followed principles of aerodynamics, giving off an agile and lithe feeling.
With Aogiri Tree's remnants in hiding and no recent ghoul feeding incidents in the 20th Ward, Mado Akira had been staying holed up in the CCG's experimental building.
She was working with Kouitsu Chigyou and Inoue Tomoya on developing the new proto, while also customizing a new suit of armor specifically for Uesugi Ryu.
As for Mado Kureo, he had taken Amon Koutarou to investigate The Crow and the mysterious organization behind it. Unfortunately, ever since their last appearance, the other party seemed to have vanished again.
On the other side of the office, Takizawa Seidou was leaning back in his chair, chatting casually with Nagachika Hideyoshi.
Tilting his body slightly, Takizawa looked at Hideyoshi with curiosity and asked:
"Yo, Nagachika, how did you even meet Associate Special-Class Uesugi?"
As he asked this, there was a trace of envy in his eyes.
After all, he himself had been the runner-up at the Academy, working hard for years, and was still only a measly Second-Class Investigator.
If only he'd had the luck to participate in the Aogiri Tree suppression battle, maybe by now he'd already have been promoted to First-Class Investigator.
Thinking this, Takizawa couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Nagachika Hideyoshi first gave him a helpless glance, then put down the documents he'd been organizing and replied unhurriedly:
"It's nothing special. We just happened to meet back in university, ordinary classmates, that's all."
Having said that, he lowered his head again and continued sorting the documents in front of him.
Seeing Hideyoshi end the topic so quickly and return to work, Takizawa let out a light sigh.
He spun the pen in his hand absentmindedly and muttered:
"Man, seriously..."
"Sitting in this office every day, I swear my ass is going to rot from all this sitting. I wanna go expel ghouls too..."
Hearing Takizawa's complaints, Hideyoshi showed a faint, mysterious smile.
...
Having repelled the One-Eyed Owl and even extracted a Kakuhou, Uesugi Ryu was now viewed by many in the CCG as the second coming of Arima Kishou.
After all, their trajectories had been nearly identical, and talk of Uesugi Ryu had naturally become a hot topic.
"Associate Special-Class Uesugi is amazing, he fought off the One-Eyed Owl and even saw through Aogiri Tree's schemes. A true all-rounder, brains and brawn."
"Young, capable, and that face? Honestly, he's not any worse than Special-Class Arima."
"Actually, I think Associate Special-Class Uesugi feels more real than Arima-senpai. Arima is kind of godlike and emotionless, Uesugi-san feels more human."
"Uesugi Ryu's killed a ton of ghouls by now, right? He's practically a ghoul-killing machine!"
"Right, what should we call Associate Special-Class Uesugi anyway? Arima's known as the White Reaper, shouldn't he have a matching title?"
"How about Crimson Reaper? I heard last time at Cochlea, Uesugi-san killed so many ghouls his hair even turned dark red."
Just as Uesugi Ryu walked into the office, he caught wind of this discussion and wore a helpless expression.
Honestly, the CCG folks really sucked at coming up with names.
White coat and white hair? White Reaper.
Black coat and black hair? Black Reaper.
Red hair? Crimson Reaper.
If this kept up, they'd have to come up with Reapers for every damn color in the rainbow.
To be fair, Uesugi Ryu had been a Ghoul Investigator for quite a while but never got a nickname.
Why? Because the ghouls who had seen him in action were basically all dead.
The number of ghouls who had seen him fight and survived, he could count them on one hand.
Yoshimura Eto, Tatara, Kamishiro Matasaka, and one ghoul who escaped during the extermination of the Wolf of the Owl Organization, those were probably the only four.
When Uesugi Ryu entered the office, everyone immediately greeted him enthusiastically.
"Good morning, Associate Special-Class Uesugi!"
"Good morning, Deputy Branch Chief Uesugi!"
They called out in all sorts of ways, and Uesugi Ryu just waved in response.