Nico blinked his eyes open to the gentle morning light filtering through the dusty inn window, still groggy from the events of the previous day. As he stretched, a warm presence beside him stirred, and he froze, processing the unexpected reality of not being alone.
Turning his head slowly, Nico's breath caught. Lila. She was curled up next to him, her hair strewn across the pillow, and… his heart skipped as he noticed her bare shoulders, the blanket pooled low around her. No way…
As if sensing his shock, Lila's eyes fluttered open, and when she saw Nico's surprised expression, her own face went bright red. In a flash, she wrapped the sheet around herself, eyes wide. "Wh-what happened last night?" she stammered, looking absolutely mortified.
"I… uh… I was about to ask you the same thing," Nico mumbled, searching his memory for any trace of how they'd ended up here. They'd celebrated his victory at the tavern—he remembered Lila's laughter, a blur of drinks, and…
"I don't remember either!" Lila gasped, pressing her palms to her cheeks in embarrassment. "I probably had too much to drink," she muttered under her breath, quickly gathering herself and slipping out of bed to find her clothes, glancing back with a bashful look. "Let's… let's just forget about it, okay?"
Nico nodded, trying to shake the bewildered grin off his face. "Agreed. No need to make things awkward." Still, he couldn't quite keep the smile from slipping back as he got dressed.
Once they were both ready, they made their way to the Adventurers Guild. The grand stone building loomed over the town square, with banners bearing the guild's emblem fluttering in the breeze. Inside, it was bustling with adventurers in armor, merchants, and guild staff, all immersed in conversations about quests, supplies, and bounties.
Nico followed Lila to the registration desk, where a stern-looking clerk looked them over with mild interest. "Welcome to the Adventurers Guild. Are you here to apply?"
"Yes," Nico said with confidence, glancing over at Lila, who gave him a small nod of encouragement.
"Good," the clerk said, pulling out a form and a quill. "But be advised, there is an application fee of fifty gold. Covers administration costs and initial evaluations."
Nico felt his stomach drop—he didn't even have a single gold piece, let alone fifty. Lila noticed his expression, concern flickering across her face.
"It's no problem," Nico said quickly, giving her a reassuring smile. He didn't want her paying for him again, not after all she'd done so far. A thought sparked in his mind. One of his passive skills from his reincarnated powers allowed him to conjure objects if he imagined them strongly enough… maybe, just maybe, he could make this work.
Turning slightly away from the desk, he focused his mind on the image of gold coins in his hand. He concentrated on the weight, the metallic gleam, the cold feel of each coin against his skin.
And in the blink of an eye, he felt a weight in his hand. He looked down to find fifty glistening gold coins, perfectly formed, as though they'd always been there. He clenched his fist around them, hiding his surprise and satisfaction.
"Here you go," he said, handing the coins over to the clerk with a smile.
The clerk counted the coins before giving a slight nod. "Good. Here's your application form. Fill it out, then proceed to the Power Orb for the evaluation. Since you're new, you'll start at E-rank, but this will help us verify your skill level."
Nico nodded, filling out the form with basic details, adding a bit of flair about his recent "training." Once he was done, the clerk directed him over to a large, glowing orb mounted on a stone pedestal. A few adventurers watched from nearby, some with knowing smirks.
Lila leaned in, whispering, "This is just a basic power test. They'll get your reading from it, but don't worry about the result. They have to assign you E-rank no matter what, since you're new."
"Right," Nico said, giving her a confident nod.
The orb seemed ordinary enough, but as he placed his hand on it, he felt a faint hum of energy beneath his palm. He focused, trying to keep his strength in check so he wouldn't cause any suspicious reactions.
A flicker of energy sparked within the orb, then intensified, building into a brilliant glow that filled the room. A murmur spread through the crowd as the light reached a peak, then—
Crack!
A hairline fracture appeared across the orb, and the light instantly faded. The onlookers gasped, and the clerk's eyes widened in disbelief.
But before anyone could speak, the clerk cleared his throat and tapped his quill on the form. "Right, E-rank. Thank you for completing the evaluation. You're all set, Nico."
Nico held back a laugh as he caught Lila's expression—a mixture of pride and barely contained amusement. She tugged him by the arm, pulling him out of the guild hall before anyone could question the cracked orb. Once they were outside, she burst out laughing.
"Oh my gods, did you see their faces?" she said, practically doubled over in laughter. "I've never seen that orb crack before. They're going to be talking about this for weeks!"
Nico chuckled, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he walked alongside her. "Well, I guess that's one way to make an impression."
"No kidding," she said, wiping a tear from her eye. She straightened up, a smirk still on her lips. "Welcome to the Adventurers Guild, Nico. You may be E-rank for now, but something tells me that won't last for long."
They wandered through the bustling town square, Lila pointing out notable landmarks and sharing stories about various guild members and quests. And as the sun dipped lower, casting a golden hue over the town, Nico couldn't help but feel a strange sense of belonging.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he had a purpose—and an ally by his side who believed in him.
"Ready to start your first quest tomorrow?" Lila asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"More than ready," Nico replied, feeling that familiar spark of confidence as he looked out over Dawnspire. "Let's show them what a level one noob can really do."