The guild courtyard hummed with tension. JP's two Pulse Stakes crackled faintly, energy buzzing between them like a spider's thread of lightning. Adventurers who had mocked him moments ago now watched in sharp silence.
The scarred swordsman—the examiner—lifted his blade, testing the barrier with a jab. Sparks flared and pushed him back a step. He raised a brow. "Impressive trick. But tricks don't last."
He lunged, moving with the speed of a predator. JP scrambled to the side, boots slipping in the dust. His heart raced as he yanked another device from his satchel—a crude vial wrapped in resin-coated cloth.
Please work, he begged silently, hurling it toward the ground.
The vial shattered. A burst of bright smoke hissed up, shimmering faintly with mana. The crowd coughed and shouted. The examiner's form blurred in the haze.
Through the smoke, JP darted to the edge of the barrier, adjusting one stake's dial. The field surged, a low pulse of energy sweeping outward like a ripple. Dust and smoke cleared just enough to reveal the swordsman frozen mid-step, his blade trembling against the charged air.
The man grinned suddenly. "You've got more than just a brain, boy. You've got guts." He stepped back, lowering his sword. "Five minutes survived."
The crowd erupted—some jeering at the "cheap tricks," others clapping, genuinely impressed. The examiner gestured to JP's satchel. "Keep honing those toys. They'll either save your hide… or paint a target on your back."
JP's pulse was still hammering as he and Lyra left the arena, whispers trailing behind them: "Did you see that? Lightning stakes—never seen those before."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The city's merchant district was another kind of battlefield. Stalls overflowed with spices that made JP's nose twitch, hides dyed in dazzling colors, enchanted trinkets glowing faintly under protective runes.
"This place is insane," JP muttered, eyes wide. He pulled a small glowcap lamp from his pack, its gentle light catching the attention of passersby. A pair of children pointed in awe, tugging their mother's sleeve.
Within minutes, curious onlookers clustered. "What is that?" one farmer asked."A lamp," JP said simply, handing it over. "No oil needed. Safe even for kids. Lasts a week before recharge."
Coins clinked into his hand almost immediately. His heart soared—until a shadow fell across the stall.
A sharp-eyed man in a tailored vest, bearing the seal of the Merchant Guild, leaned down with a smile too polished to be friendly. "Quite the curiosity you've got there. But in this city, curiosities are… regulated. Best you sell through us. For your own good."
JP stiffened. Lyra's hand twitched toward her cloak where her dagger rested, but she said nothing.
The man's smile widened, wolfish. "Refuse, and accidents happen. Agree, and you'll find the city quite… welcoming."
JP clenched his jaw, gripping the lamp tighter. The guild arena had shown the adventurers he wasn't helpless. Now the marketplace wanted to test another side of him.
And he wasn't about to fold.