Arknightcraft Modpack (Minecraft x Arknight) (Steve on Arknight)

In the end, Closure cooperated with Steven and helped him set up all the drinks and food.

After all, she had suddenly realized something—judging by the way Steven acted, he clearly wasn't a stingy guy.

Sure, she wouldn't be making a cut this time, but that didn't mean she couldn't in the future, right?

As long as she built a good relationship with this guy, wouldn't she be able to rake in as much money as she wanted later on?

Closure was already imagining the day when Steven fully entrusted her with handling all his drinks and food.

At that point, she'd be rolling in cash, making way more than she ever could by just reselling cheap booze for a tiny profit.

"Why do I feel like you're looking at me weird?"

"What kind of nonsense are you thinking about now?"

Steven flicked the distracted girl on the forehead.

She had been checking the supplies while spacing out, and her gaze felt… off.

It was like she was looking at a gullible fool—and considering her scheming nature, Steven had already pretty much figured out what she was plotting.

"Nothing, nothing!"

"I was just surprised you could actually take out this much stuff."

"How the hell did you do it? Some kind of spatial Originium Arts?"

"I've never heard of something like that before."

Closure circled around Steven, eyes filled with curiosity.

She was genuinely interested in his strange ability.

After all, if she had it, she'd never have to worry about Kal'tsit finding her secret stashes again.

"Mmm… something like that."

"Just think of it as my natural talent."

"Wanna learn? Too bad, I can't teach you."

Steven shrugged.

This was all something that is inherent to all Minecrafter, so even if she wanted to learn, there was nothing he could do to help her.

"Ugh! That's way too cruel!"

Closure pouted, but she wasn't actually that upset.

She had already figured that this kind of ability was far beyond what normal people could learn—especially a weirdo Sarkaz Vampire like herself.

"Anyway, I'm leaving all this logistics stuff to you."

"If anyone comes complaining that we don't have enough drinks or food later…"

"I'll be coming straight for you."

Steven didn't dwell on it.

Instead, he double-checked the supplies.

After confirming that there was more than enough to feed over a thousand people, he seriously warned the little con artist in front of him.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

"I swear, I'll never doubt how rich you are ever again."

Closure looked at the mountain of supplies, completely speechless.

Forget the insane quantity—even just the quality of this food was enough to shock her.

Outcast had once told her that Steven's stuff was on par with the food of nobles, but now Closure could confidently say—

Forget nobles, even royalty would have a hard time getting food this high-end!

The real mystery was where the hell he even got all this.

Many of these items were basically extinct, things that money alone couldn't buy.

And yet, this guy just pulled them out like it was nothing—then slapped a "FREE" tag on them.

If this had been her own stockpile, Closure swore she would've died inside just looking at it.

Steven wasn't just throwing a party—he was burning money.

"So… what happens to all this stuff after the event?"

Closure lightly tapped the supplies with her finger, winking at Steven.

She looked so eager she might as well have pledged her eternal servitude to him.

"That depends on my mood."

"Just do your job well. If everything goes smoothly, I won't forget to reward you."

Steven wasn't blind—he knew exactly what kind of scheme she was cooking up.

But he didn't shut her down outright—after all, she had helped him quite a bit.

If she handled things properly, he wouldn't mind tossing some benefits her way.

"For real? You said it yourself—no take-backs!"

Closure almost jumped for joy.

As a logistics officer on Rhodes Island, she knew for a fact that they had way more than enough supplies here.

Even if Steven only gave her a fraction of what was left over, she could profit off it for ages.

"Alright, it's a deal."

"Work hard, and you'll get your share."

Steven patted Closure's head before standing up and heading out of the logistics department.

With this taken care of, he didn't need to worry about the rest.

Instead, he figured he'd go check on his "daughter" while he had some free time.

Recently, Steven had started to really enjoy the feeling of being an older figure to someone.

And with how dependent Gladiia was on him, it deeply satisfied his longing for familial bonds.

Since her mental age was probably no older than eight, Steven found himself liking the time they spent together even more.

To put it simply—it was his own problem.

He was still human—no matter what, the need for emotional connections wasn't something he could just ignore.

By the time he strolled over to Gladiia's room, he hadn't even gotten the chance to knock before—

BAM!

The door swung open on its own, revealing a pitiful-looking Gladiia.

Before he could react, she latched onto him like a koala, wrapping her long legs around his waist.

Since she was already so tall, the sudden move nearly knocked the air out of him.

But when he looked down and saw her pure, innocent gaze, Steven quickly calmed down.

Honestly, this girl was fine in every way—except for the fact that her body didn't match her mental age at all.

It was honestly too much for even him to handle sometimes.

"Alright, what happened?"

"Did Specter go crazy again?"

"Or did Skadi say something to you?"

Steven was probably the only person who could hang around these three Abyssal Hunters without fear of getting injured.

As for everyone else?

Even Gavial, Rhodes Island's strongest operator in terms of raw physicality, wouldn't dare stick around if those three started acting up.

If things got out of hand, it wouldn't just be the medical bay getting wrecked—someone's ribs might get cracked, too.

But Steven?

He was one of the few people on the island who could overpower all three in both strength and speed.

That's why he was the only one who could keep them in check.

"I wasn't saying anything bad about the Second Company Captain."

From her spot on one of the hospital beds, Skadi let out a sigh.

Her helpless expression was even more heartbreaking than Gladiia's.

And honestly—who could blame her?

She was a simple, honest girl, yet she was stuck babysitting both a lunatic and an idiot.

Anyone would lose their mind in her situation.

Yet, despite all that, they were still her companions.

No matter how exhausting it got, there was no way she could abandon them.

And that—was the most frustrating part of all.

"Alright, leave it to me. So… where's that shark?"

As Steven ruffled Gladiia's head—who was still clinging onto him like she had no plans of letting go—he took a quick glance around the hospital room, searching for the last of the Abyssal Hunters.

And sure enough, he found her.

Right by the windowsill, a white-haired girl was sitting there, using a pair of scissors to cut up a bedsheet—tearing it into shreds and then twisting it into an unrecognizable mess.

She still wore that nun-like outfit, but with the bloodthirsty expression on her face and the violent movements of her hands, she had nothing in common with an actual nun.

"...You've really got it rough."

Steven hesitated for a moment before finally squeezing out that one line.

Skadi's situation was pretty tragic.

If he were in her place, he would've lost his mind by now.

"I'm used to it."

"We Abyssal Hunters are bound by blood."

Skadi let out a deep sigh and returned to staring blankly out the window, watching the sky.

When there weren't any missions, this was how she spent most of her time—either spacing out like this or listening to Specter sing one of those strange Ægir songs.

That was pretty much all she could think of to kill time.

Well… except now, she also had to watch over Gladiia.

Though to be honest, as long as those two weren't fighting, Skadi couldn't be bothered to interfere.

"Hmm… why don't you try, you know… talking to people? Making some friends?"

Steven scratched his head.

It was easy to say, but…

One quick look at Skadi, and he knew right away—this girl was probably doomed to a life without friends.

"Abyssal Hunters don't need friends. We have our companions. Our companions are our family."

"Alright, alright, I get it. I just mean—why not try doing something fun? I bet your companions would rather see you actually enjoy yourself every now and then."

Steven couldn't stand seeing her like this—like some lifeless puppet, just going through the motions.

It was way too dull.

Just looking at her expressionless face reminded him of himself in Minecraft—finishing all his tasks, then just sitting outside his house, waiting for the sunset before going to bed.

People should live life with a little more meaning, right?

"What do you mean… by 'something fun'?"

Skadi looked genuinely confused.

For an Ægir, everything on land was still new to her.

The only reason she moved around at all was to earn money—to pay for Specter's treatment.

As for living life for fun… that concept was completely foreign to her.

"I mean—do you even have hobbies? There's gotta be something you enjoy, right?"

Steven sighed, rubbing his temples.

Was she seriously this clueless?

"Forget it."

"Just come with me this afternoon. We're going to a swivel chair-racing event—and bring these two with you."

"I'll show you what 'fun' actually means."

<+>

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