Julio looked at the gates and said, "Finally."
He walked inside.
The city rose around him—white stone buildings, glowing blue spires, streets paved with smooth cobblestones. Merchants called out from stalls. Children ran between the legs of adults. The air smelled of fresh bread, burning herbs, and something sweet he couldn't name.
Behind him walked Liana and Dorian.
Liana stepped up beside him. She reached into her robes and pulled out a small leather pouch. It clinked when she handed it to him.
"Ten silver coins," she said. "This is for helping us with the wolf."
Julio took the pouch. Weighed it in his palm. Said nothing.
Liana pointed down the main street. "If you want to register as a warrior, go straight up ahead and take a left. You will see the Darkseed Inn. Beside it is the guild."
Julio looked in the direction she pointed.
"The guild," he said.
"The Warriors' Guild," Dorian said. "Register. Take contracts. Kill beasts. Hunt demons." He glanced at Julio's leg. "You might need healing first."
Liana waited for something. A thank you. A goodbye. A nod.
Julio gave nothing.
He turned and walked toward the guild.
Liana and Dorian stood at the gate, watching him go.
"What a strange man," Liana said.
Dorian shrugged. "At least he killed the wolf."
They turned and walked the other way.
Julio did not look back.
Julio walked down the cobblestone street and allocated his stat points.
STAT POINTS USED: 5
DEX: 10 → 12
CON: 10 → 12
CRAFT: 10 → 11
UPDATED STATS
STR: 10
DEX: 12
CON: 12
INT: 10
CRAFT: 11
Julio reached the inn after ten minutes of walking.
He pushed open the door and went inside. Warmth. Smoke. The smell of ale. A few scattered patrons.
He sat on a bench near the wall. His leg ached. His energy was at 12 percent.
A maid approached. Plump figure. Brown hair. A smile too sweet to be real.
"I want to rest for two days," Julio said. "How many silver coins?"
She tilted her head. "Fifteen coins."
"Eight."
The maid's smile tightened. "Mister, do I look stupid?"
Julio's dark eyes locked onto hers. His voice was flat, cold.
"Actually, you do. You're dressed like a girl who sells her body anytime she sees the chance." He leaned back. "Look at me. Do I look like someone kind and naive enough to fall for that?"
The maid's smile vanished.
A long silence.
"...Ten coins," she said. "For two days. And food."
Julio pulled out ten silver coins and placed them on the table.
"Room key."
She handed it to him without another word.
Julio stood, took the key, and walked toward the stairs.
He didn't look back.
Downstairs, the bandits sat in the corner.
The large one had thick arms and a scar running from his temple to his jaw. Dirty brown hair tied back with leather cord. A broadsword leaned against the table beside him.
To his left sat a wiry man with a thin, pointed face like a rat. Two daggers hung from his belt. His fingers twitched toward them constantly.
To his right, a bald man with a broken nose and yellow teeth. Built low to the ground like a fighting dog. Scarred knuckles resting on the table like hammers.
The large one spoke first, his voice low and rough.
"Son of a bitch. He dares try to insult her?"
The wiry man nodded. "That guy is dead the moment he gets out of this inn. We will kill him."
The bald man grunted. "He thinks he is somebody."
The large one smiled. "Let him sleep. We'll be waiting."
Upstairs, Julio heard nothing.
He had already fallen onto the bed. Too tired. His body gave out. His eyes closed.
He slept in an instant.
The day passed. The sun rose. The sun set.
Night came again.
Julio opened his eyes.
The room was dark. The only light came from a sliver of moon through the window. He lay still for a moment, listening. Distant voices downstairs. The creak of the old building. His own breathing.
He checked his system.
HP: 100/100
ENERGY: 100/100
Fully healed. Fully rested.
He sat up on the edge of the bed.
He went downstairs and sat at a table. The same maid came over, her smile gone, replaced by something careful and cold.
"There's not much left right now," she said. "Only stale bread and some soup."
Julio nodded. "That's okay. Bring it."
The food came. Stale bread, hard but edible. Soup, thin and salty. He ate without hurry, chewing each bite, ignoring the stares from the corner where the three bandits sat watching him.
He finished. Wiped his mouth. Left the inn.
The guild building stood beside the Darkseed Inn, larger than he expected. Two stories of grey stone, iron lanterns flanking the entrance, a carved sign above the door depicting a sword crossed with a staff.
Julio pushed the door open and walked inside.
The interior was vast. High ceilings. Wooden beams. The walls were covered in old banners, faded battle standards, the symbols of warriors long dead. Tables filled the floor space, and at those tables sat men and women in armor—some leather, some steel, all worn. Spears leaned against walls. Swords rested on hips. Shields hung from hooks.
Julio walked past them in his torn shirt and dirty slacks, his cheap watch on his wrist, his gun hidden in his inventory.
He found the guild board. It was the most fancy thing he had seen—a massive wooden frame carved with beasts and battles, painted in gold and blue. Quests were pinned across its surface.
Wolf Pack Elimination — 20 silver
Goblin Cave Clearance — 50 silver
Mountain Troll — 200 silver
Demon Scout Sighting — 500 silver
Wyvern Nest — 1,000 silver
Dragon Sighted in Eastern Peaks — Reward Negotiable
Vulture Swarm — 30 silver
Julio read them quickly. He didn't know what half these things were. Goblins. Trolls. Wyverns. Dragons. He knew wolves. He had killed one. He could kill more.
He reached for the wolf quest.
"You cannot take quests without registering."
The voice came from behind the counter—a young woman with sharp eyes and brown hair pulled into a tight bun.
Julio turned and walked to the counter.
"Give me the quest," he said. "If I complete it, then we will see each other. And if I don't, then you will have nothing to worry about."
The woman stared at him. Her sharp eyes flickered. She slid a form across the counter.
"Fill this."
Julio picked up the quill. Wrote his name. Left the tier blank. Pushed it back.
She looked at it. Looked at him. Reached under the counter.
"Place your hand—"
"No."
Her hand stopped.
"No," Julio said again. "Give me the quest. I will complete it. Or I won't. Either way, you lose nothing."
The woman's jaw tightened. But she didn't argue.
She pulled out a small metal badge and slid it across the counter. "Temporary registration. One week. Bring proof of a completed quest, and we'll talk."
Julio picked up the badge. Turned and walked toward the wolf quest on the board.
Behind him, the woman watched. Her sharp eyes never left his back.
Julio pulled the wolf quest from the board and folded the paper into his pocket.
As he walked toward the door, he looked around the guild hall. The armored men and women at their tables. Their swords. Their spears. Their confident faces.
One thing Julio noticed was that these people were not quite as intelligent as humans.
Slower. More predictable. They followed rules. They believed in authority. They assumed the world worked the way they had been taught.
Which gave him the upper hand.
He pushed open the door and stepped outside. The night air was cold. The moon was high.
He lit a cigarette and took a long drag.
"Strength is borrowed. Intelligence is owned."
The night air was cold. The moon was high. Julio had just lit his cigarette when three figures stepped out from the alley beside the inn.
The large one with the scar led them. The wiry man flanked left. The bald, low-built one flanked right.
"You stupid son of a bitch," the large one growled. "Earlier you disrespected Marla."
Julio took a slow drag of his cigarette. His dark eyes moved from face to face.
"Who?" he asked.
The large one's face twisted. "Marla. The maid. The woman you insulted."
Julio thought for a moment. The plump figure. The sweet smile. The fifteen silver coins.
"Oh," he said. "Her."
"Yeah, her." The large one stepped closer. His hand rested on the hilt of his broadsword. "You think you can walk into our town, talk to our people like that, and just leave?"
Julio said nothing.
The wiry man's fingers twitched toward his daggers. "We said you were dead the moment you stepped out of this inn."
The bald man cracked his knuckles. "And here you are."
Julio looked at the cigarette burning between his fingers. Then at the three men blocking his path.
"What do you want?" he asked.
The large one smiled. "Everything you have. Silver. That nice shirt. Those boots. That thing on your arm." He nodded at Julio's wrist. "The shiny band."
The cheap digital watch.
Julio glanced at it. Then back at the bandits.
"No," he said.
The large one's smile faded. "No?"
"No."
The three bandits exchanged glances. Then the large one drew his broadsword. The wiry man pulled his daggers. The bald man raised his scarred fists.
"You're going to regret that," the large one said.
Julio took one last drag of his cigarette and dropped it to the ground. He crushed it under his boot.
"Probably," he said.
He reached into his inventory.