The sun over New Fornia looked a little brighter than usual.
Or maybe it was just Shunya's mood.
He had survived his first cultivation mission.
He had stabbed a monster (by accident), helped Naomi (mostly by being in the way), and walked out with all his limbs attached.
That was a win in his book.
"Hey, no dragging your feet," Naomi said as they walked past the city gate. "You're a cultivator now."
Shunya grinned. "You just want me to trip so you can scold me again."
"Maybe," she said, not denying it.
Vikoria walked beside them, silent as always. But there was a small smile on her lips. She held her sword on her shoulder like a traveling heroine. The Normal-level cultivator looked oddly satisfied.
"Welcome back!" a gate guard called as they passed. "You three made it back, huh? I owe Lato five spirit beans!"
"WHAT?!" another guard shouted from the wall. "You BET on them dying?!"
Shunya blinked. "...That's normal here?"
Naomi sighed. "New Fornia is a city of gamblers, rumor lovers, and weirdos."
✦✦✦
They reached the branch headquarters by noon. The small three-story building looked like someone had tried to combine a dojo, a pub, and a used bookstore.
Jean Keyar, the 29 year old branch leader was already waiting at the door.
His arms were crossed, but his face held a proud grin.
"You all made it back alive," he said.
Then he added, "Color me surprised."
"Is that a compliment?" Shunya asked.
"Nope."
Jean stepped aside and gestured inside. "Come in, come in. I prepared something special."
Ten minutes later, the "special" turned out to be:
Warm bread that looked a bit too burnt
Mystery stew that smelled okay but tasted like spicy regret
Tea that tasted suspiciously like boiled grass
Shunya ate everything like it was five-star cuisine.
"I think I can feel my HP going up," he muttered as he sipped the tea. "Or maybe down. Hard to tell."
After the awkwardly heartwarming meal, Jean stood and raised his teacup.
"To our newest cultivators— Naomi, Vikoria, and the walking miracle named Shunya!"
The room clapped. A few other cultivators lounging around the branch's ground floor joined in with lazy smiles.
Someone whispered, "He really stabbed the beast in the butt?"
Another replied, "I heard he tripped into it."
A third added, "Legend says the wind guided his blade…"
Naomi was already pinching the bridge of her nose. "Don't listen to them."
"Too late," Shunya said, puffing his chest. "I'm the Legendary Buttstabber now."
"Don't ever say that again."
As laughter buzzed around the table, a ding echoed softly in Shunya's ears.
[System Notification]
[First Mission Milestone Complete.
Side Features Unlocked:
– Interface Customization
– Quest Log
– Access Level 1 (Basic Function Viewer)]
"Oho," Shunya whispered, eyes lighting up.
A floating semi-transparent screen blinked into view. For the first time, it had a proper menu.
It was sleek. Rounded edges, soothing colors. There was even a cat icon that said "Mood Tracker: Stable (mild confusion)."
"...Okay, that's creepy."
"Talking to yourself again?" Vikoria asked, leaning over to peek.
"No, no. I'm talking to my new imaginary friend, Cat Interface."
Vikoria stared. Then nodded. "You'll fit in well here."
✦✦✦
After lunch, Jean waved them off.
"Take the day. Sleep. Train. Meditate. Watch clouds. I don't care," he said. "Tomorrow you'll get your official license and the real work begins."
Shunya followed Naomi and Vikoria up to the second floor. The branch had spare rooms for temporary cultivators, and Shunya's room had exactly one window, one wooden bed, and a pillow that felt like an old potato sack.
But it was his.
He flopped onto it, arms wide.
"Ahhhh…"
His system interface gently floated above, the cat icon now curling into a ball.
[New Feature Unlocked:
[Quest Log Activated]
Side Quest Available: "Talk to Jean About The Branch's Founding Story (Optional)"
Reward: ???
Penalty: None]
Shunya poked the screen.
"Wait. I can unlock side stories too?"
[Yes.]
A new voice responded.
Not robotic.
Not grand.
Just… lazy.
Like someone who hadn't slept in days.
[Hi. I'm System Assistant Number 43. You can call me Si-Four. I'll be handling your day-to-day prompts now that the auto-mode is off. I was designed by bored gods. Please don't expect miracles.]
"You're real?"
[As real as your tea.]
"…That's not comforting."
[You did well on your first test. Honestly, most Hard-levels fail on their first hunt. You're a bit odd.]
"Gee, thanks."
[That's a compliment.]
"…I'll take it."
Just as Shunya was about to doze off, a knock tapped gently on his door.
He opened it to see Vikoria holding a bottle of what looked like purple soda.
"For muscle ache," she said. "It tastes terrible, but it works."
"Thanks." He took it, then tilted his head. "Hey, Vikoria. You ever feel… like you don't belong here?"
She blinked. Then smiled faintly.
"Every day."
And just like that, she walked away.
Evening rolled in. Soft lights from floating lanterns lit the city streets. Shunya sat by his tiny window, staring at the distant rooftops of New Fornia.
Somewhere in this giant webnovel world, he was supposed to survive. Grow. Maybe even escape.
But for now… he could breathe.
"Not bad," he whispered.
[Incoming Notification.]
[Unknown Visitors Detected.
Two individuals with high cultivation signatures approaching New Fornia.
Flagged as: Unidentified Faction Observers]
Shunya blinked.
"Wait… what?"
Down below, at the city gate, two figures in dark cloaks stepped through under the moonlight.
The guards greeted them without fuss.
But one of the strangers looked up at the branch building.
Their eyes gleamed faintly and a small smirk appeared.