After the last of the evening clients had gone, Dallion was back in his room. It was the same as every night. His head was cleaned and put away, Dallion’s clothes were carefully folded—with the exception of the armor shirt that was at Eury for mending—the floor was meticulously cleaned, and the sheets of the bed straightened… The only major difference was that now Dallion was back to having forty-three silver coins and no level increase to show for it.

Life was so much like a roller coaster. Yesterday he felt unstoppable, wondering what secondary skill to choose once he passed his double-digit trial. After that everything had gone wrong. Well, not everything; Jiroh had helped him get his gear back and granted his protection. The wound he’d received was little more than a scar, thanks in part to the level of his awakened body. Everything else, though… the trial, the mugging, had given him pause to think.

Moping won’t get you any partners, you know, the shield said. No one likes the dark and depressive types. Except if you’re a mage or an artist. But you’re not either, so that doesn’t count.

“Heh.” Dallion remained on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Today had been another well-deserved kick in the ass. While still shaking on the inside, he was also grateful for the reminder. Funny enough, today’s revelations didn’t seem to hit him as hard as when he had failed the selection exam. Was that an indication that he was getting used to this world? Or just that he was maturing? Probably both.

“Do you think I have potential?” Dallion asked.

Wow. Didn’t expect that question to come from you.

“I’m serious.”

Okay, but usually when someone starts that way, they have something very different in mind. Not that I would have minded, just you don’t seem the type.

“Shield…”

Right, right. The shield paused for a moment. It would have been easier if you were in here, but yeah, you do have potential. Far more potential than the average person.

“Hmm.”

Why do I feel that’s bothering you for some reason?

“It’s not. I’m just wondering why Jiroh and Eury are keeping an eye out for me. And not only today, they’ve helped me many times before. If I were to pay them back, it would take me the rest of my lifetime.”

And that’s a bad thing? I used to dream of that. In fact, I lived through that. Those were the days—I could do whatever I wanted and not worry about money. At worst, I’d have to resort to alternative payment methods.

“Is that another of the things you can’t tell me until I become a double digit?”

No, I really have no idea why she has her eye on you. You’ve got potential, no doubt, but you’re not that extraordinary. I’ve seen geniuses in my day… I’ve even seen a few in that dreaded collection room. You’re not them. You’re just quite good. You keep making lots of mistakes, forgetting things that you should know by now. All in all, your progress is typical of a late bloomer: ups and downs like a wave. Didn’t you ask the echo?

Dallion smirked. For some reason, the shield kept referring to nil as “the echo.” Apparently, he didn’t like echoes much. From the perspective of a guardian, they probably were like guests one couldn’t get rid of. On that note, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have a chat with the guardian of the library ring at some point.

“Not yet. I wanted to hear your thoughts first. You’re older,” Dallion added, fully aware that Nil was listening in.

You might be hunter material, the shield said, the words soaked with doubt. It’s a long shot, but then again, I’m not a hunter, so I’ve got no idea.

“There were hunters in your day?”

It’s a given that there always are hunters. Just like cracks appear in items and buildings, they also appear in areas. Given enough neglect, they even manage to break out. That’s where the hunters come in.

Real life debuggers, Dallion thought. Considering the creatures that roamed the wilderness, no doubt a life-threatening task.

Don’t think about it too much. You’ll live a much happier life if you accept the world for what it is, and not delve into complex matters too much.

“That’s some terrible advice.”

Definitely terrible, but it’s also true. I’ve seen scholars argue about the nature of awakened powers for decades. Wars almost started because of that. And in the end everything remains just as unclear. Take you for example. There was a theory that humanity—all species in fact—were only those that managed to crawl out of an area into the wilderness, and it’s been trying to take us back ever since.

“Really?” Dallion sat up.

That’s what I’m telling you. No one knows. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. No one knows exactly what the creatures in the wilderness are, just that they want to destroy everything that’s not them.

“So, you’ve no idea.” Dallion lay back down.

The conversation ended there. Skilling his library training for the first time in a while, Dallion went to sleep. Even with all his awakened improvements, the events of the day had exhausted him to the point he wanted a normal night of sleep. By the time he woke up, it was already mid-noon. And with dawn, a new day began.

Splashing some water on his face, Dallion quickly ran down to the toilet, then after he was done, washed up and had a bite. Maybe because of yesterday’s events, Aspan had outdone himself again, making a dish that Dallion hadn’t tasted before. The only way he could describe it was a mix between a porridge and a smoothie with crackers inside. Definitely unique and uniquely delicious.

Once done, Dallion had a quick chat with Estezol’s echo—whom he’d named Esty—whether there were any jobs at the guild that could use him. As it turned out, there were two, one with Janna and Kellan, as well as one more with a party Dallion hadn’t heard of before.

Might as well go with the siblings, Dallion thought. Slow and steady wins the race.

Dallion rushed to get his gear, then with a quick bye to Hannah, he rushed to get the job done before it was time for lunch.

All in all, it was just like resetting a game: he might have failed a scenario, but he always could start again from the last save point.

Things at the guild were pretty normal. No one had any idea about the incident that had taken place, or the way through which Dallion had retrieved his gear. Upon arrival, Estezol prepped the exploration room while another of his echoes conveyed the information to the siblings. The pair came soon enough and with that the word day started—a five-level earing, which had been half cleared by another group.

Hearing that the previous team had quit halfway made Dallion slightly anxious. However, after reaching the midway point, he found that there was nothing to worry about. The guardians were pretty standard, it was the levels that were incredibly large and twisted, though after the rescue operation, Dallion found the whole experience like a walk in the park.

Three of the guardians were such that he had already seen, and just as before, he left Janna and Kallan to take care of them without getting in the way. Instead, he did what he was paid to do—assist and learn. It was amazing how much things became clearer when Dallion didn’t constantly speculate how he would have defeated it faster. For one, it turned out that the siblings were also using predefined patterns. Up till now, Dallion had thought that their battlers were a combination of combat experience, quick thinking, and lightning reflexes. Seeing them in action so many times, he came to the conclusion that everything they did was carefully planned.

They always started in the same way—a quick dash towards the enemy, with four distinct variations. It was exactly like an opening chess move. Then they would perform two probing attacks, sometimes in zig-zag fashion, before choosing a finishing attack. Even when facing guardians’ they would open in a specific fashion based on what they were facing. The only exception was the Mirror Widow. The crystal beetle was something that none of them had fought on their own, thus why the confusion in tactics when facing it the first time.

With the success of the job came the obligatory time for celebration. However, on this occasion, Dallion had to skip it. About half an hour remained until the start of his shift at the tavern, way too little for him to spend eating here. However, before he left, there was one thing that he wanted to do.

“Estezol?” he approached the short bearded man. “Any idea of Falkner is here?”

“At the guild? Not today. He only comes here from time to time. Why?”

“I wanted to talk with him about something. Any idea where I can find him?”

“His mentor does, although she’s not here either. If you want, I’ll tell him you want to see him, but there’s no telling when he’ll check his emergency ring.”

“Please do.”

There was no downside. Even if Falkner didn’t hear the request today, there was a chance that he would tomorrow.

“Thanks, Estezol. I’ll be heading to the inn now.”

“Say hi to Jiroh for me.”

“Will do.”

A gold coin and a half… that was the reward for successfully clearing the sphere item. Any other day Dallion be glad at the sum, but right now it seemed so small. He would have to keep doing missions for two weeks in order to make up for the money he lost. Even so, it was part of the process.

Think of the experience, Dallion told himself. As much as he tried to convince himself that all this was for the better, he couldn’t.

You’re going to do something stupid, aren’t you? the shield asked. It’s written all over your face.

“Who’s the more foolish the fool or the one who’s carried by him?”

That one was actually good. Congratulations, you’re actually getting better. It doesn’t change the facts, though.

“I’ll just see if I can take advantage of an offer that was made. That’s all.”

You don’t sound too convincing.

“It’s not like I’ll lose anything. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. And if—”

“Dal?” a familiar voice interrupted. Standing a dozen feet away was no other than Falkner himself. “You were looking for me?”

If there were any doubts that the meeting was coincidental, they were now gone. Still, it was impressive how Falkner had managed to get here so fast. Running was out of the question, and Dallion didn’t know any other method… except if Falkner had magic skills.

“You got here fast.” Dallion decided to be subtle about his request.

“I was on my way here, anyway. There weren’t any good jobs, so I was going to ask my mentor for something different.”

Dallion could clearly tell that the boy was lying. Since he was the one who was going to ask a favor, he didn’t point it out.

“What did you need me for?” Falkner asked again.

“Well…” Music, Dallion thought. Abusing awakened skills wasn’t something he appreciated, but right now he didn’t have much of a choice. If Dallion wanted to increase the chances of him getting what he was about to ask, every little bit helped. “Can you loan me some gold?” Dallion said, matching his voice to the emotions that vibrated within Falkner. “Just a small sum.”

Curiosity filled the boy. Dallion could almost see questions forming in his mind.

“What’s it for?”

“My awakening trial. I was thinking of going to a shrine this afternoon to reach level ten, and afterwards, who knows?”

“You want to become a double digit?” The curiosity was replaced by awe.

“I have to catch up to you, don’t I?” Dallion added a little flattery, while changing the pitch of his voice slightly so that Falkner would feel happy to help.

“I’m just at ten. I’m not ready to go through the second gate, yet. Anyway, will fifty gold be enough?”

The temptation for Dallion to accept was huge, yet he managed to keep himself from doing so. That was a lot of money and would no doubt come with a lot of strings attached.

“Ten’s fine.”

“Ten? I can give you that much now.”

Dallion’s heart skipped a beat. There were about twenty-five minutes till the start of his shift. If he ran, he could reach the nearest awakening shrine and get back to the inn in that time.

“I’d appreciate that,” Dallion replied, then stopped using his skill. Even in the awakening world, it was exhausting.

Without hesitation, Falkner took out his pouch and counted ten gold coins. From what Dallion was able to glimpse, there were many more from where those came from.

“Here.” The boy handed him the coins. “I’ve got a condition, though.”

“Sure.” Here it comes.

“I want to be with you when you complete the trial.”