It looked less like she had woken up naturally and more like Carol had dragged her out of bed and assigned her kitchen duty.

"Hey, Lucas, how are you feeling?" Elena asked, forcing a bright smile.

Lucas was surprised that she remembered his name, but he kept his expression neutral.

"Fine, thanks for asking," he replied casually, his gaze drifting over her outfit.

She wore a long-sleeved pajama top with matching shorts that looked a size too small. Combined with her messy hair and sleepy expression, she looked as though she had rushed straight from bed to the kitchen.

At that moment, the legacy quest resurfaced in his mind.

Using Elena to clear it wouldn’t be the worst idea.

The thought lingered longer than it should have.

"Don’t you think that’s enough?" Carol called from behind.

Lucas immediately stiffened.

"Why don’t you just rip her clothes apart and get it over with?"

She rolled her eyes dramatically.

Elena let out a laugh and turned away, while Lucas wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole.

Ignoring the awkwardness, Elena removed the pan from the stove and served a plate of white rice covered in rich meat sauce.

"Eat up. I’m sure you’re starving."

The smell alone made Lucas’s mouth water.

He took a bite.

Then another.

Before he knew it, the entire plate was gone.

Only after scraping up the last spoonful did he finally lean back in his chair.

Warmth spread through his body.

The weakness that had weighed him down was fading. The dull gray haze clouding his vision had disappeared, replaced by renewed energy.

He released a satisfied breath.

Across the dining table, Elena sat with her fingers moving through invisible screens, scrolling through menus only she could see.

"How’s Gavin doing?" Lucas asked.

"He’s better," Elena replied. "I treated most of his injuries, but I was too exhausted to finish the job properly. Ms. Carol made me use the last of my strength on you."

"Hm?"

"Yeah. She practically forced me to risk both our lives for your sake."

Lucas turned toward Carol.

"Is that true?"

For a brief moment, Carol’s usual confidence faltered.

Her posture stiffened as though she’d been caught doing something embarrassing. A faint blush even crept onto her face.

"I don’t know what she’s talking about," Carol said quickly as she rose from her seat and headed for the door.

As she passed, she shot Elena a look so sharp it felt capable of tearing a soul apart.

"Oh, crap," Elena muttered under her breath as the door slammed shut behind her.

A few moments later, Carol returned and dropped a bundle of blankets and a duvet onto the floor before immediately shutting the door again.

"Damn, she really kicked you out," Lucas said, shaking his head.

"I think that one’s for you." She replied.

"Me? What did I do?"

"It’s not you. Carol just doesn’t like sharing her room. I’m just grateful she gave me a place to stay after my apartment collapsed. As long as I keep the place clean and don’t take up too much space, I get the couch all to myself. Unless you’d prefer it?"

"No, it’s fine." He walked over and picked up the bedding Carol had dropped. "I can manage the floor."

"Okay." She smiled softly. "There’s a bathroom straight down the hall if you’d like to shower."

"I’ll get you a towel."

"Thank you," Lucas replied, feeling heat creep into his cheeks.

She was being so nice that he was starting to think there was more meaning behind her actions.

’I can’t go around thinking every woman who smiles at me wants me. That’s exactly what a virgin would do.’

He shook his head with a sigh.

’But with my skill, getting a girl like Elena couldn’t be that difficult...’

By the time he finished showering, he found Elena already lying comfortably on the couch, while his makeshift mattress had been spread out beside it.

He dropped onto it with a heavy thud, having badly overestimated its softness.

"Are you okay?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah," he answered, rubbing the back of his head.

They lay there in silence for several seconds before Elena finally spoke.

"Something weird happened back at the power plant. There were two monsters fighting each other. It looked like something straight out of a movie."

She leaned over to look at him.

"So?"

Lucas met her gaze.

"So... what?" he asked, frowning.

"So tell me if that was you. Carol didn’t want to say anything to the rest of the team, so I figured it was because you were involved."

"Why would you think that? I didn’t even know Carol until yesterday."

"You sure?" Elena asked, surprised. "I figured you two were old classmates or something."

"Well, I’ve seen her a few times where I work, but we never really had a conversation before the apocalypse."

It was also a wonder to him why Carol was treating him with such concern.

"Could it be that she’s interested in you?" Elena asked, sounding genuinely shocked.

"W-What do you mean?" Lucas stammered, flustered by the thought.

"It’s nothing." She let out a teasing laugh.

[One hour remaining on your Legacy Quest]

Lucas’s eyes widened as the message appeared.

He had already put the quest out of his mind after selecting Reject, but now the notification had appeared out of nowhere.

"Elena, excuse me for a moment."

He shot to his feet and sprinted to the bathroom.

"System, what the hell is this? I already rejected that stupid quest."

[I’m sorry, Host, but it seems your Legacy has made rejecting this quest impossible. The quest was accepted automatically.]

"What?"

His voice echoed off the bathroom walls.

"Then why give me the option to reject it in the first place? Don’t you see how fucked up that is? What if I decide to ignore it until the time limit runs out?"

[Your Legacy is your Legacy, and these quests are part of your destiny. If you choose to ignore it, you will suffer the penalty for failure.]

Lucas swallowed.

"And what exactly is that?"

[Based on probability analysis, the most likely punishment is the permanent loss of your Legacy and your talent]