The Hero’s Ascension

Loot, Levels and a New Quest

“CLIIIINNNNTTTT! Wake up!”

Liza’s voice waking me from a pleasant dream about fishing off the coast of Australia, a place I can’t now, but never would have gone to anyways. The thought of fishing excited me however.

I clumsily looked for my clothes, tossing them on as fast as I could. Food and friends were waiting on me. After getting dressed, the smells of breakfast invaded my room.

“Smells great Celia, what have you made for us this morning?”

“Boar meat, potates and eggs. I hope you brought your appetite.” She finished her sentence with a wide grin before returning to her cooking.

Thomas sat at the table reading what looked to be a magical newspaper. Headlines shifted every few minutes, some news about a local farm flashed across it.

“Liza, did we make the news?”

“We sure did. John exaggerated just a tad, but he was so impressed he filed a report with the guild.”

The warmth I felt in that moment was on another level. Finally I had found something that felt gratifying and rewarding. I also felt I would go to extensive lengths to keep feeling this way.

“So… what's the first thing on the planner this morning? We should probably finish up at the guild right?” I asked, remembering we still had a quest to turn in. “With all the excitement of yesterday we never really got a chance to go did we…”

Liza shook her head in agreement, unable to respond due to the sheer amount of food she had shoveled in.

After breakfast we checked over our gear and said our goodbyes to Thomas and Celia.

The morning air was crisp as we made our way toward the Central District. The streets were already bustling with merchants setting up their stalls and people starting their day. We walked shoulder to shoulder. The cobblestone paths were narrow, forcing us to occasionally bump into each other as we navigated the crowd.

Every time our arms brushed, a strange jolt shot through my chest. It wasn't static electricity. It was something else entirely. I found myself glancing sideways at her. The morning sun caught the stray strands of her hair, making them shine like spun gold. She was always so focused, so full of wild energy, but right now she just looked peaceful.

"Take a picture, kid. It lasts longer," Liza said. She didn't look at me, but a faint pink hue crept across her cheeks.

"I don't have a camera," I fired back, feeling my own face heat up. "And I wasn't staring. Just making sure you didn't trip over your own feet."

"Yeah, okay," she laughed, bumping her shoulder into mine again. She let her arm linger against mine a second longer than necessary. My heart did a stupid little flip. I realized right then that I didn't just like this new world. I liked who I was exploring it with.

We pushed through the heavy wooden doors of the Guild a few minutes later. The place was just as loud and busy as my first visit. Dozens of people crowded around the large quest board.

"Hey, Cathy!" Liza yelled, waving her hand as we approached the front desk.

The auburn haired receptionist looked up and adjusted her glasses. Her shoulders dropped in relief when she saw us.

"Liza. Clint. I'm glad you're both okay," Cathy said. "Garth told me the King summoned you last night. Half the guild thought you were going to be executed."

"Just a friendly chat," I said with a smile. "No executions today."

Cathy let out a long sigh. "Good. Because I already filled out your permanent guild registration. Doing the paperwork twice would've been a nightmare."

She reached under the desk and pulled out a small leather pouch. She tossed it onto the counter with a heavy clink.

"Payment for the farm quest," Cathy explained. "Farmer John added a bonus for handling the boars without burning his entire field to the ground."

"See?" Liza nudged my shoulder. "I told you my plan was perfect."

"Your plan involved hitting a giant pig with a sword," I argued. "But I'll take the win."

Cathy handed me a small rectangular card made of dark metal. My name was etched into the surface, along with a large letter D in the corner.

"This is your official Guild Card," Cathy said. "Keep it safe. It tracks your completed quests and your current rank. You're officially a D rank adventurer now."

I took the card. The metal felt cool to the touch. The moment my fingers brushed the surface, a familiar blue panel flashed into my vision.

[ Quest Update: Register at the guild and complete your first quest. ]

[ Status: Complete! ]

[ Rewards: 100XP, Spatial Storage unlocked. ]

[ Level Up! ]

[ Clint Voyer LVL: 3 EXP: 0/3000 ]

[ Spatial Storage: 8 Slots Available. ]

"Whoa," I whispered.

"What is it?" Liza asked. "You just spaced out for a second there."

"Just taking it all in," I lied smoothly. "It's a lot to process."

I stared at the metal card in my hand.

*How do I use this spatial storage?* I thought to myself.

"Just focus on the item and will it into the space," System-kun chimed in. His floating emoji face popped up next to the blue panels. "It isn't rocket science, dude."

I ignored the annoying assistant and focused on the guild card. I pictured it disappearing into a pocket dimension. A faint blue light wrapped around the metal. In a blink, the card vanished from my hand.

A new panel appeared. It looked like an inventory screen from an old RPG video game. It had eight empty square slots. The first slot now held a tiny image of my guild card.

"It worked," I muttered.

Liza gasped and grabbed my arm. "Did you just... where did the card go?"

Cathy leaned over the counter. Her eyes were wide. "Spatial magic? You didn't mention he was a spatial user, Liza."

"I didn't know!" Liza stared at me. "When did you learn how to do that?"

"I guess I just... figured it out?" I rubbed the back of my neck and played dumb. "It just felt natural."

"Spatial magic is incredibly rare," Cathy noted. She shook her head in disbelief. "Most people have to buy expensive enchanted bags to carry their extra gear. You're extremely lucky."

"Yeah. Lucky," I repeated. If only she knew it came from a weird computer interface in my head.

I focused again, and the guild card reappeared in my palm. I slipped it into my actual pocket for now.

"Alright," Liza clapped her hands together. She quickly recovered from the shock, though she still looked at me with a newfound curiosity. "We have money. You have secret magic storage. What's next?"

She turned and pointed toward the massive quest board at the back of the hall.

"Time to pick our next job," she announced.

We walked over to the crowd. The board was divided by rank. I kept my eyes on the D rank section near the bottom. I scanned the parchment sheets until one particular request caught my eye. It was written in jagged, frantic handwriting.

"Look at this one," I pointed.

Liza leaned in close to read it, her shoulder pressing firmly against mine. I didn't pull away.

"Investigate the old mining tunnels under the eastern ridge," she read aloud. "Miners report strange noises and missing tools. Reward is fifty silver coins."

"Fifty silver is a lot for a beginner quest, right?" I asked.

"It is," Liza agreed. Her brow furrowed. "Usually means the guild thinks there's a higher risk. Could be goblins. Could be something worse."

I looked at her. "Are you worried?"

Liza looked back at me and flashed that familiar goofy grin.

"Not even a little bit. We took out a pack of giant boars yesterday. How bad could some noisy tunnels be?"

She ripped the paper off the board.

"We're taking this one," she declared.

I nodded. My fire magic was getting stronger, my storage was ready for loot, and I had someone by my side I actually wanted to protect. I was ready to see what else this world had to throw at me.