At noon, Qin Xiao finally woke up from his deep sleep.
The injuries on his body had mostly recovered.
Thinking about last night's "romantic encounter," he felt it had been rather torturous.
But now that he recalled it, he felt a bit regretful.
Why hadn't he taken the opportunity to do something?
When a girl is willing to sleep beside you—
Even showing her most vulnerable side—
That level of trust is far from ordinary.
Of course, this realization felt a bit like "being wise after the event."
What was done was done.
Regret now was pointless.
[Partner… are you really human?]
"Hm?"
"Ddraig? Why did you suddenly appear?"
[Only one night. Just one night.]
[You suffered such severe injuries, yet you recovered like this?]
[Are you really human?]
"I'm obviously human. That's beyond doubt."
[Hard to believe.]
[I'm starting to suspect you might be some god's illegitimate child.]
"Stop spreading nonsense."
Qin Xiao suddenly thought of something.
"Wait… Ddraig."
"Can you observe the outside world anytime you want?"
"Even when I'm sleeping or unconscious?"
[Yes. Why?]
Qin Xiao's expression instantly darkened.
There was a dragon living inside his body.
A dragon that could freely observe everything he did.
Before this, Qin Xiao hadn't paid much attention to that issue.
But after last night—
The thought suddenly occurred to him.
What if one day he was being intimate with his girlfriend?
Would there be a spectator inside his body watching the whole thing?
If that were the case—
He absolutely couldn't accept it.
[Partner… what's wrong?]
"Ddraig."
"Tell me."
"Is there any way to block your ability to watch the outside world?"
[…Why would you want to do that?]
Qin Xiao sighed.
"Because knowing that every move I make is being watched makes me uncomfortable."
"You should understand."
"I'm a man."
"And you're a male dragon."
Ddraig fell silent.
To be honest—
He did understand.
If the situation were reversed, he would probably feel uncomfortable too.
But he couldn't admit that.
If Qin Xiao really sealed his connection to the outside world—
He would be bored to death.
Suddenly—
Inside Qin Xiao's mental world, countless silver chains appeared.
They wrapped layer upon layer around the area where Ddraig resided.
[Partner! Qin Xiao! What are you doing?!]
In the mental space, Ddraig saw his surroundings being completely bound by chains.
The chains were Enkidu's Heavenly Chains.
He couldn't break them.
His voice also couldn't reach Qin Xiao.
Then—
Qin Xiao's figure appeared inside the mental space.
Ddraig glared at him angrily.
In this world of consciousness, Ddraig appeared in his original form—
The Red Dragon Emperor.
"Sorry, Ddraig."
"I know this isn't fair to you."
"But since you're a dragon soul sealed in a Sacred Gear…"
"It's better if you stay here."
[You want to control me?]
"No."
"I just don't want my life to feel like a livestream."
Ddraig's eyes narrowed.
[I am one of the Two Heavenly Dragons.]
[The Red Dragon Emperor.]
[Don't forget that your power comes from me, Qin Xiao.]
[Everything you have now was given by me.]
Qin Xiao chuckled slightly.
"If that's the case…"
"I feel much less guilty."
He looked at Ddraig calmly.
The Boosted Gear was indeed powerful.
And surviving the battle with Azazel had partly been because Qin Xiao possessed the identity of the Red Dragon Emperor.
But—
Having someone constantly observing his life was unacceptable.
Especially if that someone could witness his most private moments.
Just imagining it made him uncomfortable.
"Don't worry."
"In battle, I'll remove the seal."
"But during normal times…"
"It will stay like this."
[Qin Xiao… have you thought this through?]
"You sound like you're about to fall out with me."
[You are the first host in thousands of years to treat me like this.]
"Well, I'm honored."
Ddraig's voice grew colder.
[If you choose this path…]
[Don't regret it later.]
Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"You talk as if I'll someday beg you for help."
[Do you know what the ultimate power of the Boosted Gear is?]
[Without me, you will never reach that level.]
Qin Xiao laughed.
"Ddraig… do you really think my strength depends entirely on you?"
Sure, the Boosted Gear was extremely powerful.
But Qin Xiao wasn't an ordinary person.
He had a Template Inheritance System.
Even if he only increased his synchronization with Enkidu, he could eventually reach the peak of this world.
And that wasn't all.
The system's templates wouldn't stop at just one.
In the future—
As more templates unlocked—
His strength would grow endlessly.
[Then I will watch you.]
[Let's see how strong you become without relying on me.]
"Go ahead and watch."
"A Sacred Gear is just a tool."
"Its purpose is to help its owner grow stronger."
With that—
Qin Xiao's consciousness disappeared from the mental space.
Ddraig remained where he was, staring at the empty space for a long time.
Finally, he lay down and closed his eyes.
Since he could no longer communicate with the outside world—
The only thing he could do
Was sleep.