As dark skies brightened under the faint light of the rising sun, Leon opened his eyes and released a lazy yawn.

He had slept surprisingly well, even though this apartment was a foreign location to him.

’Wow, am I getting used to moving around?’

He exhaled deeply, then glanced to his left with a complicated look in his eyes.

Yesterday night, Thyra had been unusually proactive and coerced him into letting her sleep beside him.

Usually, he would have refused this damned temptation in humanoid form. In the end, to avoid her teasing him to death, he eventually conceded defeat.

Now, looking at her peaceful face as she slept, he felt that the phrase ’sleeping beauty’ was the perfect definition of her.

’Alright, that’s enough with entertaining frivolous thoughts about beauty.’

Escaping from the bed cover, he wore a familiar pair of crocs and stepped into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, he emerged looking refreshed. His inky black hair was still wet, and he had a towel around his neck. Over the past few days, his skin had grown noticeably paler. Not the kind of pale that signified illness, but the kind that represented tenderness, similar to Thyra’s skin.

Speaking of Thyra, the woman had woken up and was stretching her arms with a relaxed expression. Her gown fought a battle of endurance as it struggled to keep her massive twin peaks in check.

Fortunately, she lowered her hands before the fabric lost its vitality, saving Leon from a sight that would probably have paralyzed him.

’What a hassle.’

He thought with a faint sense of unease. Although it was true that he had a surprisingly strong will to resist such temptation, even a rubber band had its elastic limit.

He feared that he might snap soon if he wasn’t careful.

"Good morning, Little Leon~"

The sweet, innocent voice, devoid of any teasing, made Leon blink as he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Morning, Thyra," He replied smoothly, moving on to dry his hair and wear his Phantom Assault Armor.

This was the first time he was trying it on, and to be honest, it felt very comfortable to wear. He stretched his body at different angles, finally coming to a conclusion that the suit had shaped itself to fit him properly without impairing his movements at all.

"Ready for today’s scouting?"

He asked, glancing at his disastrous roommate.

Thyra appeared at his side, walking gracefully, her slender waist swaying invitingly.

"As ready as ever, Captain~!"

Leon rolled his eyes, "Unfortunately, there’s no ship for this Captain."

While she giggled softly, he picked up the Stalwart Shield and the other rewards he had planned to give the others at the start.

Then, he left the room with Thyra trailing just a step to his right and behind him.

When he reached the ground floor, there were only two people present—Marie and Miguel.

The two were casually chatting with each other, but when Leon entered, they immediately straightened up and became serious.

"Good morning, Boss," They chorused.

Leon returned the greeting, then turned to Marie.

"Here, you might have missed using this," He said as he passed the shield to her. Then, he gave her the ability scroll too.

Marie quietly accepted the two and checked their descriptions. Her expression flashed with surprise at the quality of the shield, and she was even more stunned when she saw the ability.

She lifted her head and looked at him, a thousand unspoken words of gratitude filling her heart.

In the end, she simply smiled and said, "I’ll use it well."

Leon nodded calmly, then turned at the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. From the sound of the footsteps alone, he knew it was Gwen.

She wore a suit of emerald-green light armor, forged from overlapping leather-and-metal plates that protected her vital areas without restricting her movements. A hooded cloak draped over her shoulders, completing the look of a seasoned ranger.

He hadn’t seen her wear this before, but it surely looked like a Tier One armor of good quality.

’Good. They’re improving by themselves too,’ He thought to himself.

"Good morning, Leon," Gwen smiled cheerfully, her bright voice lightening up the room.

A faint smile appeared on Leon’s lips as he answered, "Morning."

Miguel, already clad in his combat gear and having his weapon ready, was starting to get impatient.

"Where’s Cassie and Feline, anyway? They should be up by now."

Marie’s shoulders shook as she stifled a laugh, "What do you know? Girls take a longer time to prepare, okay?"

The blonde guy snorted and looked away, folding his arms as he waited.

Gwen stopped beside Leon and observed his armor, tilting her head curiously.

"This... looks futuristic," She noted.

He agreed with her, tracing the metallic parts of the armor that was seamlessly woven into the elastic fabric.

Usually, he thought the only things they would get from the Star Stream were magical medieval equipment. However, seeing his armor which looked futuristic, he realized that he had been wrong.

Perhaps the Star Stream was a mix of the medieval, modern, and futuristic eras.

"Oh, finally! The queens are here."

Miguel’s sarcastic voice echoed in the room, followed by the hurried footsteps of Cassie and Fel.

The tan-skinned girl looked as shy as always, her head lowered as she clutched the spear in her hand.

Cassie, on the other hand, was completely unfazed even when subjected to Miguel’s displeased stare.

Instead, she shot him a glare that made him scoff and look away. Turning back to Leon, she saw him holding out a scroll to her.

"Learn that," He said, then paused. Looking around, his brows furrowed, and he asked, "Where’s Richard?"

Instantly, Miguel’s eyes widened, "Wait. That bastard still hasn’t woken up?! I’ll give him an earful this morning."

Leon chuckled as he watched Miguel march upstairs. He turned to Cassie, receiving a nod from her.

The ability scroll was nowhere to be seen, proving that she had already learned it. He nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Gwen.

"We’re leaving now."

In just a few minutes, the two had left the building. Marie looked at their backs fading into the distance, then rubbed her nose.

’Is it me, or has that guy become more attractive lately?’’