Blanek kept Rael on his feet for a brief moment, just long enough for the shaking in his legs to stop. Rael could feel the strength in Blanek's grip, firm but controlled, like a reminder that he hadn't collapsed yet. Then Blanek released him and tapped his shoulder, almost casually.
"You're not bad," Blanek said. "But you think too much."
Rael raised his head, chest still rising and falling too fast.
"…Huh?"
Blanek clicked his tongue.
"You calculate every move. Every outcome. That's fine if you have time." He paused, eyes sharp. "But in a real fight? Thinking too much gets you killed."
Rael swallowed.
Thinking too much…
He'd always done that. Measuring distance, weight, angles. If he could predict everything, then nothing would go wrong. That was how it was supposed to work.
"You need to trust your instinct more," Blanek continued. "It reacts faster than your brain."
Rael nodded slowly. He wasn't fully convinced. Instinct felt unreliable, messy. But Blanek wasn't mocking him. There was no teasing in his voice.
He's serious, Rael realized.
And people like him don't survive by accident.
Lyo finally reached them, slightly out of breath himself.
"You okay?" he asked, eyes scanning Rael from head to toe.
"Yeah… I think," Rael replied. His legs still felt heavy, like they belonged to someone else.
Lyo let out a quiet breath he hadn't noticed he was holding.
Good. He's alive, Lyo thought.
That's enough for today.
Selena approached next. Her footsteps were calm, unhurried, as if the duel hadn't been intense at all. She stopped in front of Rael and observed him in silence.
Rael felt oddly nervous under her gaze.
She's measuring me, he thought.
Not my strength. Something else.
"Your name is Rael, right?" she asked.
"Yes."
"You handled yourself well. Many would've gone down after the first exchange."
Rael looked away, embarrassed.
"Thank you…"
Blanek crossed his arms, smirking.
"Yeah. The kid's got potential."
Selena let out a small laugh. The air around them changed. The sharp tension left behind by the duel faded, replaced by something warmer.
Recognition.
Not praise. Not encouragement. Recognition.
So this is what it feels like, Rael thought.
To be seen as someone who belongs here.
"If you want," Selena said, "we could take missions together sometime."
Lyo answered immediately.
"Sure."
Too quickly, maybe. But he didn't care.
Having them around means fewer chances of dying, he thought.
That's just logic.
Selena turned her gaze toward him. For a brief instant, her eyes sharpened.
A gravity affinity…
At his age…
That's rare.
Her expression didn't change, but her thoughts did.
If he loses control, he could destroy himself. Or worse.
Interesting… and dangerous.
She looked away without commenting.
Rael noticed none of it.
Soon after, the group split. Blanek left first, hands behind his head, humming softly. Selena followed, already lost in thought.
Rael and Lyo headed toward their inn, walking through quieter streets. The sun was slowly setting, painting the capital in orange and gold.
"You scared me back there," Lyo said after a long silence.
"Sorry."
"Don't pull stuff like that without warning me."
Rael smiled faintly.
"I won't promise."
Lyo sighed.
He never does.
Rael's body ached with every step, but his mind was calm.
He had lost.
But he hadn't been crushed.
I stood my ground, he thought.
And that means something.
Somewhere inside him, something had shifted.
A few days later, that feeling hadn't faded.
Rael and Lyo stood in the guild hall, facing the massive mission board. Parchments covered the wall like scales, each one a promise or a threat.
Rael squinted.
"So… we pick something where we don't die immediately."
Lyo nodded.
"That's my only requirement."
Rank D.
Giant rats.
Merchant escort.
Herb gathering.
Safe, Lyo thought.
Boring, but safe.
Rank C.
Corrupted wolves.
Bandits.
Ruins.
Manageable, he decided.
Then his eyes drifted higher.
Rank A.
His throat tightened.
"Rank D looks reasonable," Lyo said.
"Reasonable means boring," Rael muttered.
If we stay here, Rael thought,
we'll stay weak.
Blanek's voice cut in.
"Still thinking?"
Selena stood beside him.
"We just started," Lyo said defensively.
Blanek scoffed.
"Rank D is for learning how to hold a mop."
Selena studied the board quietly, then raised her hand.
"What about Rank A?"
Silence.
Lyo felt his soul leave his body.
"Rank… A?"
"Yes."
She's serious, he thought.
She's completely serious.
"There are four of us," Selena added.
Blanek clapped Lyo's shoulder.
"We've got your backs."
Rael barely heard them. His eyes were locked onto a single parchment.
Ancient dungeon. Unknown structure. No prior reports.
His heart started pounding.
A place untouched, he thought.
A place where strength is forged.
"That one," Rael said.
Lyo turned sharply.
"Rael, that's dangerous."
Rael clenched his fists.
Everything worth doing is.
"If we want to grow," he said, "we can't stay small."
Blanek grinned.
"That's the spirit."
Selena watched Rael closely.
He's not reckless, she thought.
He's hungry.
"Very well," she said. "We take it."
Lyo exhaled slowly.
This is insane.
But… maybe this is how adventurers are made.
"If we die," he muttered, "I'm haunting you."
"Do it after," Rael replied.
The parchment was removed.
The choice was sealed.
Far beneath the earth, something ancient stirred.
Not awake.
Not yet.
But waiting.