A platinum-haired girl who looked like a doll greeted Ronan as he walked in. She looked about eleven or twelve years old. She wore a professional smile.
Before she could finish her usual greeting, her cute eyebrows drew together. Her eyes locked onto the bloody bandage on Ronan's left arm, and her tone changed at once.
"It seems... you need treatment."
Seeing her staring at his arm, Ronan spread his hands and shrugged.
"As you can see, I'm not in great shape."
The girl's name was Airmid Teasanare. She quickly walked over to Ronan. She carefully lifted his injured arm and checked the wound. When she spoke,
"The injury isn't serious. It didn't reach the bone. It's only a flesh wound. You were lucky."
Ronan looked down at his messy arm and let out a sigh.
"Yeah. I have my gauntlet to thank for that."
Airmid nodded thoughtfully.
"Armor, I see. This was caused by a War Shadow's claw, wasn't it?"
It sounded like a question, but her tone already said she was sure. Clearly, the future Saint of the Battlefield already had plenty of experience as a healer.
"Yes, it was a War Shadow," Ronan admitted.
Airmid looked up at him with a serious face.
"Based on this injury, I can offer you three treatment plans..."
"..."
The moment she started, alarm bells went off in Ronan's head. A bad feeling hit him, and he cut in right away.
"The cheapest one!"
A tiny flash of disappointment crossed Airmid's face.
Clearly, she felt her sales skills still needed work. If she could have used her magic together with top-grade potions for a full treatment package, the profit would have easily gone over one million Valis.
"What a shame..." she whispered to herself.
"..."
Ronan's eyes twitched. She was already this sharp at such a young age? What would she be like later on?
Half an hour later.
His wound had been cleaned with fresh medicine and rebandaged properly by a professional.
After firmly refusing the expensive healing potion Airmid kept trying to recommend, Ronan practically fled from the Dian Cecht Pharmacy, feeling almost broke.
Damn that god Dian Cecht! What kind of things has he been teaching this cute girl? You bloodsucking old man! Ronan cursed in his head.
One fight with a War Shadow had cost him an entire day of work.
Today, he had earned a record amount, far more than usual. But Airmid had taken 5,000 of it in one go.
"At least it's only a light injury. Adventurers have tough bodies, but it'll still take about three days to fully recover."
He moved his wrapped left arm. He had to admit Airmid's skill was first-rate.
"I'll use these next few days as a break. I need to review and improve my new combat style. That real fight exposed a lot of problems."
He walked home while thinking it over.
Thump—
Suddenly, his shoulder bumped into someone else wearing a hooded cloak.
Ronan snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look.
The other person was acting very suspiciously and moving in a hurry.
"Damn it, watch where you're going!" the person cursed without stopping, then hurried into a side alley.
"?"
Ronan's expression darkened. He was annoyed at being cursed for no reason. I was distracted, but you were walking around with your head down too. It's both our faults.
"Moron."
He shook his head and put the unpleasant encounter out of his mind.
"What's this?"
As he stepped forward, something brushed against his foot.
"A branch? Did that guy drop it?" He bent down to pick it up. "Wait, did he drop some loot too?"
The object felt cool in his hand. A strange sensation spread from his fingertips, and it seemed to resonate with the magic inside his body.
Resonating with my magic? This is...
Ronan narrowed his eyes. He quickly checked his surroundings to make sure no one was watching, then slipped the item under his cloak and quickened his pace.
At home.
Ronan sorted out his damaged gear and set it aside so he could take it for repairs tomorrow.
After a hot bath and changing into clean clothes, he sat down at the table and began checking the rewards from tonight.
Three War Shadow Claws. He would sell them tomorrow. Together, they were worth 150,000 Valis.
One Magic-Breaking War Shadow Claw. This had dropped from the Special Individual. He needed to ask a blacksmith about it. It might turn out to be very important.
Those three things could be handled in one trip.
Then his attention moved to the items from the treasure chest.
There was a black envelope with a red wax seal stamped with a Familia emblem.
[Name]: Familia Invitation
[Type]: Contract Scroll
[Effect]: Invites a destined person to join the Familia. If they agree, a contract is formed.
[Description]: A black envelope with a wax seal containing a yellowed parchment contract. It is issued based on the user's subconscious preferences.
"This is exactly what I need!"
For Ronan, the most important thing right now was steady, fast growth so he could survive the dangers ahead. To do that, he needed Money and Experience.
He was confident he could gain Experience quickly with his magic.
But Money...
With his terrible luck, he could not count on getting rich from random drops. Most of the time, he had to live off the stable income from magic stones. On top of that, without a supporter to handle the loot, he wasted half his time just cleaning up after battles.
If he had a reliable Familia partner, those problems would become much easier to solve.
He pinched the corner of the envelope and followed the system's instructions, silently making a wish in his heart.
I want a vanguard. Someone who can hold the front line. It would be even better if they have support abilities too. You know what I mean.
He repeated the wish three times.
The black envelope began burning from one corner. Within seconds, it turned to ash and disappeared.
"Now I just have to wait. The instructions say the response takes about three days." Ronan looked forward to meeting the new member, then shifted his attention to the other item from the chest.
"Two items in one chest? Is this a reward for passing the trial?"
[Name]: Crafting Guide: Mage's Staff
[Type]: Blueprint Recipe
[Effect]: Increases magic power, steadies the mind, and can also be used as a physical weapon.
[Description]: A two-handed staff. The design is based on the "Soul-Eater Staff." The body is carved with runes, and the head is set with a magic gem, making it highly effective. Because of its twisted shape, it is nicknamed the "Twist Staff."
It was a staff design, complete with its materials, crafting process, and structure. As long as he had the skills and the materials, he could make it.
Of course, a mage's weapon cost a lot of money.
Looking at the long list of rare materials, Ronan's expression changed and his eyes slowly lost focus.
"Stats cost money, supplies cost money, gear costs money... everything costs money."
"And mage gear is even worse. My head hurts."
He gave up and fell back onto the bed.
"Sigh..."
"Time to sleep. I have to go to the Second District tomorrow."
He lay there and checked his status one last time before drifting into deep sleep.
[Status]:
Magic: E489
He did not notice that inside the [Level]: Lv. 1+ section, the numbers were slowly glowing like a breathing light, and that an orange plus sign had appeared there.