EX-Grade Grass

Chapter 5

Ren sold the cores the next morning. The old man at the stall paid fair prices and did not ask questions. With the coins Ren bought a better cloak that could hide most of his face and a simple pouch for seeds. He also bought medicine for the bruise on his side. It still hurt when he breathed too deep.

Lisa made him rest for half a day. Luna kept looking at him like she wanted to ask more questions but stayed quiet. When the sun was high, Ren left again for the dungeon. He could not stay home. The Kane family already knew his name. Sitting still would only make it easier for them to find him.

He chose Floor 1 once more. The safe zone looked the same, but fewer people stared this time. Maybe news of his expulsion had already spread. Maybe they simply did not care about a boy with grass talent.

Ren walked deeper than before. He needed stronger monsters if he wanted to grow faster. After an hour he found a small group of goblins near a rocky hill. They were level 3 and carried crude clubs.

He tested a new idea. Instead of long vines, he grew thin, sharp blades of grass and sent them flying like arrows. Three goblins fell before they could shout. The fourth tried to run. Ren made the grass under its feet rise and trip it, then finished it with a short spear.

Harvest gave him four small cores and two clubs. Experience came in steady. He was close to level 3.

He was about to move on when a low voice spoke behind him.

“Interesting.”

Ren turned fast. A man in dark leather armor stood ten steps away. He looked around thirty years old. A long sword hung at his side. His eyes were sharp and calm, the kind of eyes that had seen many fights.

Inspect showed nothing. The man’s level was too high for Ren’s skill to read.

The man smiled a little. “Most new awakeners with plant talents need years to control grass this well. You made blades fly and vines grow at the same time. And you barely look tired.”

Ren stayed quiet. He shifted his weight, ready to run or fight.

The man raised one hand. “Relax. If I wanted you dead, you would already be on the ground. My name is Kael. I work for someone who pays attention to strange talents.”

“What do you want?” Ren asked.

Kael walked closer, slow and easy. “Information. Yesterday you fought three young nobles from the Kane family on this floor. A girl from the Rein family stopped them. That kind of noise reaches certain people fast. My employer is curious about a boy who got expelled in two days and still walks into the dungeon alone.”

Ren’s side throbbed. “I don’t know anything special.”

Kael looked at the dead goblins. “Your talent says otherwise. Grass that cuts like steel and grows faster than fire can burn it. Unknown grade, correct?”

Ren did not answer.

Kael nodded as if that was answer enough. “My employer does not care about academy games or barons’ sons. He cares about useful people. He sent me to make an offer. Work for him. In return you get protection from the Kane family, better maps, and a safe place to train. Refuse, and… well. The Kane family is not the only group that dislikes loose ends.”

Ren felt the grass under his feet wait for a command. “Who is your employer?”

Kael smiled again. “You will learn that if you say yes. You have until tomorrow night to decide. Meet me here, same place, or don’t. If you don’t come, someone else will find you instead. They will not be as polite.”

He turned and walked away between the trees. In a few seconds he was gone.

Ren stood still for a long time. His heart beat hard. A stronger enemy had noticed him, just like Drake had promised. But this one did not shout or swing a sword. He simply left a choice that did not feel like a real choice.

Ren harvested the last goblin and headed back toward the safe zone. He needed to think. Lisa and Luna were waiting at home. If the Kane family or this new group came after him in the city, they would be in danger too.

He sold nothing extra that day. He went straight home.

Lisa saw his face and knew something was wrong. “Another fight?”

“Not a fight,” Ren said. “Someone watched me. He knows about the grass. He wants me to work for a person he will not name.”

Lisa’s hands stopped moving. “That sounds like trouble of a different kind.”

Luna looked up from her book. “Will you do it?”

Ren shook his head. “I don’t know yet. If I say no, they might come anyway. If I say yes, I might never be free.”

That night he sat on his bed and practiced small shapes with the grass. A shield. A rope. A thin needle that could pierce wood. The power still felt easy, but the weight on his shoulders felt heavier than any wound.

The next day he returned to Floor 1 earlier than usual. He hunted until his inventory held more cores than before. Every hour he watched the trees, waiting for Kael or for someone worse.

Near evening the same rocky hill came into view. Kael was already there, leaning against a stone like he had never left.

“You came,” Kael said. “Good.”

Ren stopped ten steps away. “I have questions first.”

Kael waved a hand. “Ask.”

“If I work for your employer, do the Kane family leave me alone?”

“They will be told to stop,” Kael said. “Whether they listen is another matter. But you will have backing they cannot ignore.”

“And if I refuse?”

Kael’s smile faded a little. “Then my job ends here. Someone else takes over. That someone is less patient than I am.”

Ren looked at the ground. Grass waited under the dirt, ready. He could try to hold Kael the same way he held Drake. But the man’s level was far above his. The fight would not end well.

Before Ren could speak, a new sound came from the trees to the left. Footsteps. More than one pair.

Kael’s eyes narrowed. He rested a hand on his sword. “We have company.”

Three figures stepped into the open. Drake Kane walked in front. Behind him were two men in dark coats. They looked older and harder than the academy students. Both carried real weapons.

Drake smiled when he saw Ren. “There you are. We tracked your badge again. This time the Rein girl is not here to save you.”

He noticed Kael and stopped. “Who are you?”

Kael’s voice stayed calm. “Just a traveler. I was talking to the boy.”

Drake’s eyes moved between them. “Leave. This is Kane family business.”

Kael glanced at Ren, then at the three men. “It seems your time to decide just got shorter.”

Drake drew his sword. The two men behind him did the same. Steel caught the fading light.

Ren felt the warm power rise in his chest. The grass around his feet began to stir.

Kael spoke one last time, soft enough that only Ren heard.

“Choose carefully. Whatever happens next, someone will remember your answer.”

Drake and his men stepped forward.

The hill was no longer quiet.