After Alex and Emily collected the herbs for their quest, they returned to the guild and received their reward: five coppers. That had been two weeks ago. Since then, they had taken on various odd jobs from the quest board—tasks like harvesting, farming, and mining. Neither of them had dared to take on combat quests. They lacked an understanding of how to use their abilities, and Alex couldn't stop thinking about the monsters they had faced at the ice wall and the island. Both of those creatures had been weakened exponentially by the gods, yet they were still terrifying.
For the first week, Alex and Emily worked together on quests, but once they settled into a routine, they decided to split up to earn more money. Their combined income was enough to pay for the food Betty prepared for them. They had even offered to contribute rent, but Betty refused. Her kindness was a small but much-needed reprieve in their strange new lives.
Now, at the start of their third week in this unfamiliar world, Alex was working on a job cleaning an old man's garage. The man, John, had been incredibly helpful to both him and Emily. Occasionally, John gave them cheese or milk from his son's cattle, a gesture Betty always appreciated.
Despite everything, Alex found himself reflecting on his situation. Life here wasn't terrible, but that didn't mean he wanted to stay. He missed his family desperately.
After finishing the job, Alex made his way back to the guild. He handed his completed request form to the receptionist, Lola, who had been a consistent presence at the desk over the past two weeks.
"Well done, Alex," Lola said, handing him seven coppers. "But you and your friend really need to start doing combat quests and ranking up. Most of the quests above F rank are combat-focused. Unless you're skilled in crafting, of course, but I've heard that's not your area of expertise."
"I'd love to," Alex replied, "but Emily and I can't use magic. We're ability users, and we don't understand inner energy manipulation."
Lola raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you two seriously don't know?"
"Know what?" Alex asked, a sinking feeling forming in his stomach. His mind raced with worst-case scenarios. Don't tell me they don't allow ability users here. If that's the case, we're screwed.
Lola's expression softened into a smile. "The guild provides free lessons in magic, strengthening techniques, and abilities. I can ask the guild leader to include you both in the next session."
"Please do," Alex said, relief washing over him. "I'd be very grateful."
Before they could continue, a deep, gruff voice interrupted them.
"Lola, what's taking you so long to pay the poor boy?"
Alex turned to see a large, burly man approaching from behind the desk. His presence was intimidating, with a commanding aura that filled the room.
Lola glanced at Alex. "Well, speak of the devil—that's the guild master himself. Guild master, this young gentleman here has some business with you."
The man's sharp gaze shifted to Alex as he strode forward. "Oh, really?" he said. Extending a massive hand, he introduced himself. "Name's Darren. As you probably guessed, I run this illustrious place. So, what business do you have with me?"
Alex hesitated for a moment before explaining. "Lola told me you're holding lessons. My friend Emily and I need to learn how to use strengthening techniques and our abilities."
Darren let out a hearty laugh. "That's all? No problem! I'd be happy to include you both. Lessons start in two weeks. Until then, I recommend starting some physical training and exercises."
"I'll do my best," Alex promised.
Later that evening, Alex returned home to find Emily already back from her job. She eagerly shared her experience of scouring the entire city to find a missing cat, a task that had kept her busy all day.
When Alex told her about the upcoming lessons, Emily's face lit up with excitement. But her expression quickly turned nervous as doubt crept in.
"Alex… what if it doesn't work out? What if we're not cut out for this?" she asked, her voice trembling. "What happens then?"
Alex placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If we're not cut out for this, then we'll make ourselves cut out for it. There's no other choice. I'm not ready to give up—not in a million years."
Emily's eyes glistened with unshed tears, but she smiled. "You're right. We'll make it work."
That night, they both went to bed with a renewed sense of hope.
The real journey was about to begin.