"This is divine!" Hetty declared, savoring a piece of chocolate from the finely crafted wooden box they had purchased at the market.
"Is it? You're welcome to take the rest home if you'd like," Elysia offered, barely glancing up from her desk. A wax-sealed letter lay open before her, bearing the elegant script of Master Ofster.
She read the contents once more:
To the Esteemed Lady Elysia,
I trust this letter finds you in good health. As per our arrangement, I write to inform you of the upcoming Auction of the Arcane Vault, where the coveted mana stones shall be presented for bidding.
Date: on first day of the Waxing Gibbous
Time: Upon the 21st Toll of the Bell
Place: The Gilded Hall, within the Grand Exchange of Serenadle
By my hand, two seats have been reserved in your honor. I look forward to your esteemed presence.
In service,
Master Ofster
"I couldn't possibly," Hetty said, shaking her head as she closed the box of chocolates.
"It's the least I can do after you saved me today." Elysia set the letter down and turned to Hetty, referring to the unsettling incident in the textile street, where a stranger attempted to seize them or at least he seemed to.
"I think you have it backward, Miss. I'm certain you were the one who saved me."
Elysia arched a brow, amused. "Nonsense. If not for you pulling us aside, I'd likely be stuffed in a sack by now."
"But you were the one who sent him flying," Hetty said, still in awe. "You're truly incredible, Miss! You wield water, air, and fire magic. With gifts like that, you could easily become an adventurer if you applied this season."
Elysia tilted her head. "Is being an adventurer really that great?"
"Yes, of course, Miss! If I had the chance, I'd join the Adventurer Ceremony in a heartbeat! To take on quests, earn my way in the world, and see the far reaches of Serendale—" Hetty suddenly caught herself, realization striking as her excitement faded. She straightened her posture, lowering her gaze. "I-I beg your pardon, Miss. I was being too presumptuous, I am but a maid. I should know my place."
"Don't say that, Hetty," Elysia said firmly, rising from her seat. She stepped closer and took Hetty's hands in her own, her touch warm and sincere. "If becoming an adventurer is truly what you want, then I believe you should go for it."
Hetty was touched her eyes suddenly glistening. There was such conviction in Elysia's gaze, such unshaken belief. For a fleeting moment, hope bloomed in her chest—an unfamiliar, daring thing.
The moment was shattered when the distant call of the night watch reached the room.
"Thank you for saying so, Miss. Is there anything else you need?" Hetty blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the tears was starting to form. Hope was costly, after all. She knew all to well that it was far from impossible to even hope to make her way as an adventurer.
Elysia looked at the window, the sky had darkened and the city's lanterns came to life. "I'm sorry for keeping you, Hetty. You'll be caught past curfew."
"Don't worry Miss. I know my way around the city." Hetty smiled and dipped into a quick curtsied.
Elysia noticed the box "Wait—you forgot to—" but when she turned, Hetty was already gone "bring this. Odd I didn't even hear her footsteps."
*****
Rin stepped as quietly as he could. Hoping no one would hear his footsteps. He was attempting to slip out of the guild unnoticed. But he had barely crossed the threshold when Vice Guild Master Lyra intercepted him, seizing him with binds on another unpaid recruitment task.
"How about her?" she asked, pointing toward a passing woman.
"No."
"This one?" Lyra was bustling through the crowded streets, dragging Rin along like a human mana detector, desperately searching for the fire mage Bridge had spotted.
"No."
"That one?" The only clue they had was the woman's height and that she had been seen in the company of a light-haired blonde. So, naturally, Lyra was pointing out every dark-haired girl walking beside a fair-haired companion.
"No."
"For the love of the gods, Rin! What about her?" she asked, growing exasperated.
Rin sighed trying to free himself from his cocoon. "I thought we were keeping my ability to perceive mana flow a secret? Shouldn't you be doing this with the Guild Master? This is exhausting."
"Now's not the time to worry about you!" Lyra shot back, scanning the crowd like a hawk. "We need to find her" Lyra was talking about how according to Bridge he was pushed back by a strong gush of wind.
Rin scoffed. "Wow. I feel so valued right now."
"Don't you get it that mage was a fire and according to that big oaf wind mage." This news made Lyra want to find the mage even more, because now not only was this mystery made a fire mage that can take down a Skrethling and burn an enchanted salamander cloak. But she was now mage that can blow off an A-Rank Tank known to take down a whole dungeon worth of monsters.
"Still do we have to do it this way, people are looking" Rin was starting to feel the crowd's stares.
In her frantic search, she lost her grip on Rin, and he tumbled to the ground with a loud thud.
"Ouch," Rin muttered, entirely devoid of emotion. He tried to crawl like a worm to get away from his crazed boss but was unsuccessful.
"Come on! Get up, pull yourself together!" Lyra barked, crouching down to shake him by the shoulders.
"If you untie me, I can walk on my own."
Lyra narrowed her eyes, skeptical. "You're not going to run, are you?"
"No—"
"Fine but know that I'll take out my chains next if you do" The second she loosened the Abaca biddings, Rin lunged forward, gripping her wrist. Lyra's eyes widened as she felt a sudden, draining sensation—her mana siphoning away like water slipping through her fingers.
"I can't promise that," Rin admitted.
"You bastard!" Lyra reached for her weapon, but an overwhelming exhaustion washed over her. It felt just like the aftermath of her first dungeon conquest—her limbs sluggish, her vision hazy. Before she could retaliate, her knees buckled.
Rin caught her with ease, steadying her before she collapsed outright.
"I'm sorry, Vice Guild Master," he said, not entirely sounding remorseful. "But you left me no choice. And honestly? You really need to rest. You've been running around like a headless chicken all day."
With that, he adjusted Lyra's unconscious form over his shoulder and strode into the Boundless Guild Hall like a exhausted overworked employee returning from a long day of unpaid overtime.
Nino and Thomas had been in the midst of sparring with the newly recruited twin devils, Hal and Sal, the four of them locked in a messy, overzealous bout that had already overturned two chairs and a weapons rack.
Aaron sat at a table in the center of it all, drinking well before noon, roaring with laughter as coins exchanged hands in a hastily formed betting pool.
On the far side of the hall, Leif was attempting to beat Guild Master Bridge kicking and throwing punches at him. Or at least, that was the intent. In reality, Bridge barely noticed, too consumed by his own drunken misery, rocking back and forth with a jug of ale clutched to his chest.
"You old geezer!" Leif barked, kicking again. "I want my fair share! Give it to me! Give it to me now!"
But Bridger, barely feeling the blows, was too busy sobbing into his drink. "My marriage! My marriage! It's over!"
The hall, once a roaring den of laughter, combat, and drunken nonsense came to a screeching stop.
At that moment, Bridge's grief-stricken eyes lifted—and locked onto the sight of Rin carrying Lyra's limp form. In his heart there was cave-in, the surrounding slowly shrinking around him.
With a roar like a rage-maddened drawnskintamaraw, Bridge lunged, knocking aside tables and recruits in his rush toward Rin. "WHAT HAPPENED? YOU FIEND! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY WIFE!?"
Rin, anticipating the sheer level of stupidity about to unfold, threw Lyra's unconscious body straight into the air.
Bridge'charge came to an abrupt halt as instinct overtook his grief, and with a dramatic sweep of his arms, he caught his precious wife like a knight rescuing a fallen princess.
"LYRA, HONEY!" he sobbed, holding her close, shaking her limp body. "DON'T LEAVE ME! YOU FEEL SO COLD! I WILL AVENGE YOU!"
"She's just sleeping." Rin muttered.
Rin pried a still-raging Leif off of Bridge a weeping, lovesick fool of a Guild Master. He grabbed a random G-Rank quest off the guild board saying, "Flora, our party is taking this one."
Leif, still trying to claw his way back toward Bridge, howled like a rabid mongdrake as Rin dragged him out of the Guild.
And just like that, the chaos resumed.
"It's alright, honey! I will keep you warm—just like that naked night we had during the snowstorm!" he wailed. "I will keep you warm until you wake up! Just please—open your eyes!"
Then, to the absolute horror of every guild member present, he began unbuttoning his top.
"Master please stop what you're doing" Flora's usual smile flashed as she hurled a volley of shurikens, pinning Bridger's sleeves to the wooden pillar behind him. "Don't you dare unbutton the Vice Master's blouse!"
"But—she's cold!" Bridger argued
"You drunken fool! LOOK AROUND YOU!" Flora losing a bit of her composure.
Bridger finally lifted his head, his bleary gaze sweeping across the room—dozens of guild members stared back in abject horror.
A slow realization dawned.
Bridger's expression darkened. "You scoundrels," he growled, "I will gouge every last one of your eyes out."
Rin sighed still hearing the commotion from outside "Honestly, making me do all this work," he muttered to himself. "Does she expect the mage to just fall out of the sky or something?"
*****
FWOOOOOSH! A figure plummeted from the sky, cutting through the air like a shooting star.
CRACK—SNAP—THWACK!
Branches splintered and shattered as she crashed through the treetops, leaves and bark exploding in every direction.
"Elysia, are you alright?" Fig called out, voice laced with worry.
"I'm alright Fig, growing those branches and this thick carpet helped softened my fall, " Elysia reassured him, brushing off bits of twigs and leaves from her hair.
"You almost became an upside down cake" Ember
She looked at the But the circles have been smudged now... I'll have to redo them." She sighed, inspecting the carpet laid out beneath her.
She had spent the previous night carefully drawing intricate mana circles onto it, hoping to create a makeshift flying carpet. Clearly, it still had some flaws.
"I'm sorry, Elysia! I should have caught you in time!" Gale whimpered, her small frame trembling as she sniffled.
"No, it wasn't your fault, Gale," Elysia soothed, placing a gentle finger on her tiny head. "I fell asleep while flying. It was just so peaceful—so much better than being jostled about in a carriage. But now I wonder..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Is there a way to embed a mana stone into the carpet? Something like... a power source, like a... ?"
"A... battery?" The unfamiliar word slipped from her lips before she even realized it.
Paku tilted his head, intrigued. "What is a 'battery,' Elysia?"
She frowned slightly, the term feeling both foreign and strangely familiar. "A sort of mana stone that could keep the carpet flying even if I wasn't sustaining the flow of mana myself," she mused as she stored the carper in her storage ring.
"For now, let's clean up. Here, Elysia, wash your hands," Agua said, a gentle stream of water flowing from her tiny palms.
Elysia rinsed off the dust and sap, smiling at the tiny sprites. "This sure came in handy." She pointed to the small traveling bags each of them now carried. "It's a good thing you found that resize magic circle, Ember."
"I-I mean... you don't have to thank me," Ember muttered, looking away shyly. But secretly adoring her new spatial bag. "I got a bag too..."
Elysia chuckled, then turned to the small terrarium necklace hanging around her neck. She tapped the glass, and with a shimmer of light, two Lupinaras leaped out gracefully.
MASTER! MASTER! WHERE ARE WE? WOW, IT SMELLS DIFFERENT HERE!" Phine barked excitedly, bounding around and sniffing the air.
Sera, the more composed, approached Elysia with elegant strides, bowing her head in silent greeting. Master you have summoned me?
Elysia stroked Sera's fur gently. "Could you secure the perimeter? Make sure no humans come near us—but don't attack anyone."
As you wish, Sera replied, her eyes narrowing as her pupils turned to sharp, predatory slits. Then, with a graceful leap, she bounded off, moving like a shadow her padded feet barely made a rustle against the forest floor.
WHAT ABOUT ME, MASTER? Phine whined, practically vibrating with energy. "I CAN SECURE THE PERIMETER TOO!"
Elysia smirked. "Phine, you can go hunt. I know you've been restless inside the necklace."
AWOOOOOOH! I WILL CATCH YOU THE LARGEST PREY! She said in a hurry.
Elysia called after her, "Don't stray too far!"
Now that things were settled, Elysia turned her gaze toward the great big mountain.
"I've never owned a mountain before, Ofster did such a good job finding this place. It ticked off all the boxes."
"Well he isn't called Master Merchant for nothing," Fig shrugged.
She stretched out her hands grinned. "Now then since we finished surveying the area for a couple of days now. Let's get onto the main task at hand!"
"Ready, Everyone?"
"Yes, Elysia!" they chimed, thrilled to execute her plan.
*****
"Hey what exactly was your plan! Picking up a random G-Rank quest - one that pay just two silver coins no less!" Leif asked irritated as pulled the wooden plow across the untamed field.
Rin controlling the plow from behind bent down, picking up missed stones. "At least they're giving us dinner and a place to stay." In Rin's mind, that was better than being dragged around by Vice Guild Master Lyra all.
"And for two measly silver coins!" Leif tugged as the plow snagged on a cluster of stubborn roots. I've already been worked to the bone by Old Man Jo! After this quest, I'm marching straight to Grayridge to give him a piece of my—"
Rin placed his hand over Leif's mouth to shut him down. He looked across the the treeline he felt it. It was presence. He was being watched the woods rustled and out came a slime full speed at him.
Before he could finish, Rin clamped a hand over Leif's mouth. His eyes sharpened, scanning the tree line.
Something was there.
The woods rustled. The presence had immense mana it's form barely visible but Rin could see it the mana of a legendary creature. It was to his left - no wait to his right! Was it surrounding them.
"Leif!" Rin called out, and with practiced motion having done quest together Rin and Leif got into position abandoning the plow.
Back-to-back they covered an area of the tree line "Where is coming from Leif?"
"It's moving" Rin said trying to follow it's mana flow but it was with too quick or they were too many. Then all of a sudden the mana shifted subsiding almost retreating back heading east.
"It's gone" Rin said sighing relief washing over him.
"Are you sure?" Leif said still frantically searching the trees.
A slime burst from the undergrowth, flinging itself straight at them. Rin was quick to dodge it. The slime dungeon monster stuck onto Leif's entire head.
*blop* "GET" *blop* "OFF" *blop* "ME" *blop* Leif shouted in between water blops.
"You know you're suppose to stop, drop and roll right?" Rin said unfazed.
A moment later at the requestor's house.
"Oh, dear, are you all right? That must hurt." Anya, the requestor's wife, worried as she set out a basin of water to clean Leif's wounds.
"What the heck why did you dodge that thing!" Leif whispered to Rin trying his best not to argue in front of their client.
"Why wouldn't I dodge? What if that thing was a sewer slime?" Rin said, grimacing at the thought of the stench it could have left behind.
Nearby, her husband, Damien, hobbled after her, leaning on a crutch, his right leg and left arm tightly wrapped in bandages.
"Please, love! You don't need to carry those—let me!" Damien insisted, trailing behind her like a worried pup.
Anya sighed, resting a hand on her swollen belly. "Darling, stop fussing. I'm pregnant, not an invalid."
"Yes, but the mid-wife told you to rest! Now, please, sit down. I will take care of our guests."
She sighed but relented, muttering under her breath as she returned to the kitchen.
Damien turned back to them, guilt written across his face. "I'm so sorry for what happened to you both. We should have warned you—the forest bordering the fields was declared a Yellow Zone."
"It's just that I'm so sorry for you both! You were attacked by those slimes out of nowhere we should have informed you the forest bordering the field was declared as a Yellow zone."
Rin's brows knitted together. "A Yellow Zone?"
Anya sighed as she placed a modest meal before them—a piece of coarse bread and a bowl of watered-down cabbage soup. "Yes, it was only declared a few weeks ago. I feel terrible that you were attacked because of us."
Damien rubbed his injured arm, his expression darkening. "That's how I got hurt, actually. Nyxwings and slimes have taken over the forest" he said grimly. "They just keep multiplying. You'd think that Slimes would be easy to deal with, those huge pieces of globs. They even clear the field of vermin. But when those things multiply they eat everything in their path."
"Nyxwings are worse, the vermin of the sky if you ask me. Some of the fields have already been overrun by those two things" Anya said shaking her head.
Leif frowned. "What's the noble of the land doing about it?"
Anya's sweet tone vanished. "Don't get me started on that man!"
Damien scowled. "You mean Baron Anmari? He's useless. Last autumn, when the harvest was good, he doubled the taxes, claiming it was to hire adventurers for monster subjugation." He scoffed. "Instead, he squandered it all on lavish feasts and estates in the central capital."
Leif's jaw tightened. "You should report him to the Imperial Guild. As a noble, he's obligated to use his resources for dungeon suppression—not waste them on frivolous luxuries."
Damien let out a bitter chuckle. "Too late for that. Last I heard, he sold the land to some clueless merchant without even rezoning it. Now it's a Yellow Zone."
Leif leaned forward. "And what's the new owner doing about it?"
Damien shrugged. "Who knows? Last I heard the Merchant was demanding the Baron to refund his client or pay for a monster subjugation quest."
Anya "Meanwhile, all the villages have to suffer because of the dungeon monsters."
Damied comforted his wife, "That's the hand life hands you. We'll get by have faith. "
At the same moment, the whole room shook.
Rin remained silent, staring at the modest meal before him. Coming from noble lineage, he couldn't shake the guilt creeping into his chest. He had never met Baron Anmari, but he knew men like him—nobles who squandered their duties and abandoned their people. He in fact, was once like that too.
He clenched his fists under the table, his faced devoid of emotion as he tried to swallow the painful memories that was resurfacing.
Leif's voice suddenly cut through his thoughts.
"That good-for-nothing, no-good baron!" He slammed his fist on the table, rattling the wooden cups and plates. His frustration mirrored Rin's own, though Leif had no idea of the weight Rin carried.
At that moment, the whole room trembled.
"That wasn't me!" Leif protested, hands raised in defense.
Indeed, it wasn't Leif. The ground beneath them shuddered ever so gently, so faint that only a few noticed the wobble.
Anya's expression tightened. "Another shake?" she asked, glancing at her husband.
Damien forced a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, love. These little tremors have been happening for three days now. Nothing to fret over. Come, sit down."
*****
Later that night, Rin and Leif were offered a place in the tool shed—a modest structure, its roof barely holding against the cold night air. It wasn't much, but it was shelter.
Yet Rin couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned, restless beneath the weight of guilt.
From the depths of his mind, echoes of a distant memory surfaced—angry voices, a desperate crowd, judgmental stares.
"It was the Baron's fault! The Baron's fault!"
"The Baron's family has fallen to this extent!"
"We cannot lend you any money. You barely have enough land to call yourself a Baron!"
The words rang in his ears, dragging him into the past.
He clenched his jaw. No. He wasn't like them.
Silently, Rin grabbed his cloak and disappeared into the night.
The forest was quiet, save for the rustling of leaves in the breeze. Rin moved with precision, his sword resting firm in his grip, catching the faint glow of moonlight. Each step was measured, steady—until he felt it.
A presence.
SWOOSH!
"GEEZ! IT'S ME!"
Leif barely managed to raise his shield in time, Rin's blade slamming against it, the force sending him stumbling back.
"What in Sweet Serendale are you doing here?!" Rin demanded.
Leif scowled. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here?!" Leif shot back, clearly feeling he held the moral high ground. "I should've known you'd take it to heart. Do you even know Baron Anmari?"
"No." Rin said, sheathing his sword and walking past him.
Leif scoffed, following after him. "Then why are you out here in the dead of night? Cleaning up his mess?"
"Noblesse Oblige," Rin said.
Leif groaned, saying it at the exact same time. He already knew the answer—he just couldn't believe Rin.
"See? I knew it!" He threw up his hands. "We're getting paid two silver coins for this job. Two silvers! Is that what your life is worth to you?"
"It's just a Yellow Zone," Rin replied evenly. "Rank D or E monsters at most. I can take them"
"Without backup? I thought, I was the reckless one between us!" Leif said raging at this point.
Rin sighed. "You don't understand."
Leif's patience snapped. "Oh, I do. You think just because you're noble, you have to bend over backward and let people walk all over you. And what do you get for it? You don't even enjoy the perks of being noble! You were sleeping in a stranger's toolshed without a single complaint, and every coin you make goes straight to your brother!"
"That's my duty as the second son," Rin said, his brows furrowing.
Leif groaned. "There you go again! 'I'm the second son. I have to send money home so my brother the Baron can support our people. My people need me.' Yada-yada!" He threw his hands up, frustrated.
Then, Rin struck a nerve.
"Your father would have done the same."
Leif stilled. His voice dropped. "And look where that got him. Dead."
"You don't know that," Rin countered.
Leif clenched his fists. "I don't have to. I know he's not here. And I'm not following in his footsteps—neither should you."
Rin's expression was cold, unwavering. "My father's not here either. And I know for sure he's never coming back. That's why I follow in his footsteps. Not just Jin's."
Leif stared at him, the weight of those words settling deep in his chest. His voice cracked with frustration. "You're so stupid."
Rin exhaled. "You don't understand."
Leif's frustration boiled over. "Oh, I do! You think too highly of yourself just because you're strong!"
The words burst from him, but they weren't just for Rin. They were for Jin.
"What do you take us ordinary people for? Do you think we're that weak? Are we just supposed to sit here and wait for you to rescue us?" Leif crossed his arms, stepping forward. "Well, let me tell you something—I'm the party leader. I'm the tank. If you're running off on a subjugation quest, I have to approve it first!"
Rin raised a brow as Leif hoisted his shield and a logging axe. "Where are you going?"
Leif scoffed. "Where else? To be your damn tank, you insubordinate, damage-class idiot."
Rin exhaled, exasperated. "You're G-Rank, Leif. This is a Yellow Zone. Stay back."
Leif halted—then smirked. "I think you're forgetting something."
Without warning, he charged.
His axe sliced through the air, cleaving a slime that had lunged at Rin from the shadows. The monster's mana core split in two, shattering into tiny fragments.
Rin's eyes widened.
For the first time, Leif had manifested his mana with precision—raw energy pulsing along the edge of his weapon. The slime froze midair, petrified, before shattering into dust.
And in that instant, Rin saw another figure beside Leif —Jin.
Jin, Leif's father. His former mentor.
"You can learn a thing or two from me."
Jin's voice echoed in his mind as Leif stood tall, his proud smile an exact reflection of his father's.
Rin smirked, shaking his head. He understood Leif's meaning—he wanted Rin to value his own life, to stop throwing himself into danger so recklessly. Yet, Leif was just as willing to charge headfirst into the fray. There was no one more loyal than his party leader—no, his friend.
"If anything," he said, unsheathing his sword as Nyxwings swoop down from the sky "I should be telling you that you think too highly of yourself—Party Leader."
In a single fluid motion, he cut through ten Nyxwings in one strike.
Back to back, Leif and Rin stood, weapons raised, as the horde of slimes closed in. Their eyes locked, unspoken trust passing between them. The slimes quivered, ready to lunge—so did they.
With a battle cry, they sprang into action—swords and axe flashing catching the moonlight.