TG: Starting with Mangekyo

[Ding! The host has become the "King" of the Aogiri Tree, activating the hidden quest "One-Eyed King"!]

[Quest 1: Expand the Aogiri Tree's members to 1,000.]

[Quest Reward: 100 Attribute Points.]

Byakuya had now activated the "One-Eyed King" quest.

Though this system task seemed troublesome, it was essentially a welfare quest.

There was no need for him to handle it personally — the executives of the Aogiri Tree could take care of it.

Given some time, he was confident he'd obtain the 100 attribute points with ease.

"From now on, treat the 24th Ward as your long-term base" Byakuya commanded the Aogiri Tree's leadership in his role as the One-Eyed King.

"Neutralize enemy factions completely, and recruit anyone suitable" Eto added.

"Yes" Tatara acknowledged with a simple nod, speaking no further.

Noroi remained silent.

This was because the real Noroi had long since died. The current Noroi was nothing more than a kagune-based creature with rudimentary consciousness, likely created by Eto using Noroi's kagune and her own kakuhou.

If one removed his white, gaping-mouth mask, they'd see the face of a corpse.

"I suppose I should return now. I'll leave this place in your hands" Byakuya announced, preparing to leave the 24th Ward.

Tatara gave a nod of understanding. He knew that their alliance with this "King" could only operate in the shadows to avoid detection by the V.

Yoshimura Eto decided to escort Byakuya to the 24th Ward's exit, not because he needed protection, but because she had something to discuss.

"We need to start recruiting the ghouls in the 24th Ward, but the Aogiri Tree's funds are far too limited"

This was the main issue Eto wanted to bring up.

Currently, the Aogiri Tree had only a few dozen members, and they were already struggling financially.

There were plenty of ghouls in the 24th Ward. Soon enough, the Aogiri Tree could expand into hundreds or even a thousand members. But funding this expansion was a serious challenge.

"Don't worry about finances. As an Associate Special Class Investigator for the CCG, my salary is quite high, not to mention the compensation I get from V" Byakuya replied. "Besides, once your Dear Kafta is published in a few months, it's bound to sell well. Your royalties should also help significantly."

It suddenly dawned on him that the entire Aogiri Tree was becoming his financial responsibility. Thankfully, his dual roles with the CCG and V came with generous paychecks.

"Although I feel a bit guilty, we don't have many other options right now"

Previously, Eto shamelessly treated Byakuya as her cash machine.

Now, for some reason, she felt a twinge of guilt — perhaps because their ideals aligned.

"No problem. I don't have many personal expenses anyway" Byakuya replied nonchalantly.

...

As they made their way out of the depths of the 24th Ward, they encountered several ghouls.

However, Eto easily dealt with them, consuming their kakuhou to recover her strength.

At the exit, Eto stopped and said, "I'll leave you here. See you tomorrow"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

With a simple farewell, Byakuya returned to the 2nd Ward.

...

During the day, Byakuya still had his duties with the CCG and V.

It was only after work that he could meet Eto privately.

As for his editing job at Shoeisha, he had long taken a casual approach to it, only stepping in for important matters — such as handling the publication of Eto's Dear Kafta.

Now, Byakuya needed to start selecting the third member of his Squad 0.

The best candidates were the half-humans from the Sunlit Garden since they were the most obedient.

However, their obedience depended on his position as the "Cleaner" for V. Revealing his identity as the One-Eyed King was out of the question, and thus, he could not trust anyone besides Arima.

In the original story, Squad 0 included several highly capable and adorable half-human boys: Shio Ihei, Yusa Arima, and Rikai Souzu — all from the Sunlit Garden. Unfortunately, at this point in the timeline, Shio Ihei might not have even been born yet.

Before he could finalize his choice for the third member, the CCG assigned him a new mission, under the directive of V.

"The existence of the Clowns poses a threat to us. Recently, the Clowns' leader, The Dodgy Mother, escaped, and we've yet to locate her. Meanwhile, a group called Clown Mask has been active in the 4th Ward, which is likely tied to the Clowns"

As usual, Kaiko summoned Byakuya and Arima to the Sunlit Garden, this time for a new mission.

"Byakuya, Arima, your task is to eliminate the Clowns" Kaiko instructed.

Both nodded in agreement.

[Ding! The host is about to head to the 4th Ward to eliminate the ghoul group "Clowns" activating the hidden quest "King of Clowns"!]

[Quest 1: Defeat the Clown member Uta.]

[Quest Reward: 50 Attribute Points.]

Uta, the mask shop owner and Shuu Tsukiyama's friend, was also a member of the Clowns and a potential candidate for the title of the second-generation leader of Clowns.

In the original story, the only confirmed Clown's leader were the first-generation The Dodgy Mother, Roma Hoito, and the third-generation, Donato Porpora.

As for the second-generation King, it remained unclear. Uta was merely a possibility, given his strength as an SS rated half-kakuja.

Defeating Uta wouldn't be too difficult, making these 50 attribute points fairly easy to earn.

More importantly, the Kirishima and Yomo families were likely in the 4th Ward — Touka, Ayato, their parents, and their uncle, Renji Yomo.

These significant characters from the original story might trigger additional system quests, granting more attribute points and allowing Byakuya to resolve some of his own regrets.

With that, a plan began forming in his mind.