AT THE SAME TIMEHUAN POVMorning sunlight hit the training yard, warm and bright, and for once I didn’t feel the need to hide in shadow. Charlie and Garrick were already stretching, making a show of cracking their knuckles and grinning. Henry stood a little apart, observing, arms crossed, eyes sharp as ever."Alright, commander." Charlie said, smirking. "Show us how a D-rank leads a C/B-rank party."I lifted my sword, feeling the heat pulse through my fingers, the Solar arc humming faintly. "Efficiency first. Watch the spacing, follow my rhythm."I said.We moved through drills, slash after slash, fire coiling lightly along my blade. I could feel the system humming, analyzing, calculating. Henry called out corrections, occasional smirks at Charlie's dangerous swings or Garrick's dramatic lunges. By the time the sun climbed higher, sweat slicked our arms and necks. Training done, I excused myself quietly and slipped toward the stream. Within minutes, I had caught a huge fish, thrashi

AT THE SAME TIMEHUAN POVThe Guild Hall buzzed with the low hum of overlapping conversations, the scratch of quills against parchment, and the metallic rhythm of coins being counted across wooden counters, and for a brief, fragile stretch of time everything felt almost ordinary as Ina pushed our completed mission slips aside and began dividing the reward with precise, practiced movements. Charlie leaned forward far too eagerly, as if the money might evaporate if he didn’t guard it with his entire upper body, while Garrick stood solid and satisfied beside him, wolf pelts bundled neatly and scale plates stacked in orderly fashion at our feet like trophies of efficiency rather than violence."Two C-rank missions in one day." Ina muttered while finishing the tally. "You are either ambitious or reckless.""Optimized." I corrected calmly, collecting my share of coins and sliding them into my pouch, already calculating material costs for armor reinforcement and what adjustments would be pos

AT THE SAME TIMEHUAN The mission parchment remained tucked inside my coat as we crossed the city streets toward the market, the afternoon crowd moving around us in a constant stream of merchants, guards, and wandering adventurers. The Cold Forest was dangerous even for experienced parties, and although the guild had allowed us to accept the B-rank escort, that didn’t mean we would walk in unprepared. Preparation meant tools, tools meant explosives. Charlie spotted my destination before I even stopped."Oh no." He said with a grin. "You are buying more of those grenade things, aren't you?""Yes."I said."Smart kid."Henry said.Henry folded his arms, studying the stall."Controlled chaos." He muttered.The alchemist behind the stall looked up as I approached."What do you need?"He asked."Heat grenades."I said.The man reached under the counter and placed several heavy iron spheres on the wooden surface. Each one had small engraved runes around the seam. The man reached under the coun

THE NEXT MORNINGHUANMorning came slower than usual. The guild hall was quieter than the night before, though the faint smell of spilled ale still lingered in the air and a few exhausted adventurers slept across tables like fallen soldiers after a battle with barrels instead of monsters. Charlie walked in beside me and rubbed his temples."Next time." he muttered. "We celebrate with fewer mugs.""You said that after the fourth mug."Garrick snorted."I remember none of that."Charlie sighed.Henry walked behind us, perfectly composed as always."Discipline." He said calmly. "Includes knowing when to stop drinking.""You also drank."Charlie pointed accusingly."I drank one."Henry said.We stepped into the main hall and conversations immediately lowered. Not stopped, but lowered."That's them."One of them said."Black Lotus."Another said."The Cold forest party."Third one added."They jumped to C-rank in one mission."Another said."Oh no."Charlie noticed instantly and grinned."What."Gar

AT THE SAME TIMEHUANIt seemed the party had been formed. Two C-rank teams standing together in the guild hall was already drawing more attention than usual, and although the conversations around us tried to continue normally, I could feel eyes following our table from several directions."So shopping again?"Charlie leaned closer."Yes."I said."You prepare often."Serena raised an eyebrow."Goblins hide." I said. "Preparation removes uncertainty.""A correct approach."Henry nodded once."Try to return the tower in one piece."Ina watched us gather our equipment and simply sighed."No promises." Charlie said cheerfully.The morning crowd had fully filled the streets by the time we reached the market district. Merchants shouted prices, guards pushed carts aside, and several adventurers were already buying potions and arrows for their own missions."You again."The alchemist stall owner spotted me immediately."Yes."He said."He’s back for the fun stuff."Charlie leaned on the counter with