Shay, lying in his bed, stared at the ceiling as yellow, sharpening sunlight crept through the blind's gap.
His thoughts were drifting, staring at his workable plans and imagining shadowy figures practicing or hunting monsters.
He leaned against his mattress, fidgeting with his fingers as frustration overlapped his consciousness. A heavy sigh escaped his lips, shaking away his worries as he pushed his sheets and jumped out.
After completing his daily routine and dressing up, he took another deep breath, thinking. 'Reaching first place for top reward will be brutal, especially when facing fourth-graders.'
He played with his buttons, realigning his trench coat wings to beautify his visage.
Although the fight with Holden, who revealed his hidden prowess, was compared with the best 40th student after the second transformation, his desire aimed higher than that.
Before heading toward the exit, he prepared emergency water packs and took his backpack, still filled with the monster materials and mana stones, which he hadn't turned for positioning points.
As he stepped into the hallway, chatters resonated throughout the place. Laughters, disbelief, and other emotions left the passing groups.
He picked their general topic, perceiving his name and the brawl's details in every overheard conversation.
They raised their eyebrows upon recognizing the rising star, glancing in his direction for a second, before retracting them back. Despite the staring, they kept their distance, respecting his privacy
"Well, it's time to visit the Teleportation Hall." He said, walking straight like a new pencil as he left the school premise through the gates.
During his travels, his eyes were locked on his electronic device, searching for a place to sell his findings. At times, he shifted his focus, scanning the surroundings and examining the towering architecture.
The buildings differed in style and height; he passed by brick flats caped with emergency steel balconies, creating shadowy alleys.
They were filled with black garbage bags, string cloth hangers and neon signs leading to underground bars and other establishments.
Other sights brushed by his concern, forcing himself to stop as one name on the phone pulled his awareness, switching his attention across the street.
His unpredictable movement left some passersby cursing at his back, "Another stupid student from the boonies," changing their directions to avoid bumping into him while throwing their hands high.
Tsk.
Although Shay wore the local academy's uniform, his observatory head turns, inconsistent acts and a map on his phone hinted at his origin.
The location's traffic was overcrowded, honks reverberating in the otherwise muted area.
In rural cities, residents navigated to other sides through underpasses, disregarding the waiting issue with crosswalks.
He walked over to his desired destination, his head tilted up, observing the hanging sign connected to one of the shops.
It comprised letters 'B/H & H/S' and a wolf leaping over the H's with arrows struck inside it. Below the signature, a typical short sword with wooden hilt and steel blade served as a directional symbol aiming at the wall.
He glanced once more at his phone, matching up the place's name.
"I wonder what it stands for."
Upon entering, a sharp repetitive bell sound spread around. A clerk stationed behind the counter, concealed by a monitor, bolted up.
His posture was curved from the continuous waiting for new customers. He hid his identity with a boonie hat and void black sunglasses, munching on sunlight and vanishing completely.
Golden earrings hanged on his earlobes, two on each side, mystical engravings tracing its surface.
Shay wished to swipe his eyes further. However, the skeleton like person's lips shifted, diverging his attention elsewhere.
"Welcome to 'Buy and Hunt, Hunt and Sell.' How can I help you?"
Before answering, he scanned the place, so tiny it could hold just a few parts of the expository furniture.
He turned back and cleared his throat, putting down his backpack opened.
"I'd like to sell everything inside."
The clerk bent and inspected the content, brushing through the Growler fangs and claws bare handed.
Shay's vision narrowed, locked on the guy's unscathed palm. 'I don't think I could dive my hand into that.'
"Oh, is this…" He was switching his sight between the loot and Shay. "Wait for a moment. I'll take the stuff and offer you a price."
Under his outlined ribs, his muscles tightened as he took the bag to the rear, leaving the place without surveillance.
In the meantime, Shay traversed around, experimenting with balances of swords, studying different accessories and more.
'Woah. This amulet…' his thoughts started twisting, trying to unravel a memory.
"An interesting piece, right?"
The shopkeeper had sneaked behind him a while ago, watching his every movement when he tried touching the spark-shaped charm.
This occurrence sent iceberg cold shivers down Shay's spine. His sense didn't send any warning shock, which was a somewhat pleasing sign, yet it molded his face with drops of fear.
He recovered his composure and picked the gilded jewel with a pure white gem embedded in its center.
"Where did you get this?" He asked, swinging the sparkling item as light bended through its core.
"A year ago, some guy dropped by, wishing to sell his grandmother's heirloom which bestows—"
His speech was interrupted, locked in place, his jaw fell while hearing his own words come from the student's mouth before him.
"An immense power at the cost of life's essence."
His recollection left his lips, covering it with his palm.
'Fuck, I slipped up.'
The clerk carefully sized him up, noticing nothing special about this fellow as he pinched his chin.
Shay's mind raced, coming up with an offer to hide any further suspicions.
"Ehm, we can proceed with the payment, right?"
The man nodded, letting him to put back the jewelry, following the shopkeeper's steps.
'Why is it here though, if Zoe owned it in another world?'
He could not fathom this mystery due to the paucity of connective strands. For him, solving the puzzle could consume years before revealing the truth behind his mending memories.
"265000 credits, take it or leave it."
He looked at the secretive guy's hand, sliding a silver card across the counter toward him. His eyebrow rose, sending unverbal and quite obvious question.
"Consider it as a starting business partnership. I feel you will come with greater riches than simple Growler ones."
While speaking, he elevated his arm upward, aiming at the stars of the future.
"Perhaps sooner than you think."
Shay grasped the card and left with a smirk, stiffening his facial muscles right after, as blazing focus circulated in his veins.
With the emptied storage, he could finally head toward the Teleportation Hall, touching the outskirts of Nardem's heart.
As he closed up the distance, the street noise—filled with honking, screaming vendors, and grazing clothes—pictured the scene.
Multiple combinations of fragrances from bakeries and restaurants flew straight into his nostrils. His salivary glands produced significantly more liquid, intensifying his gulps.
He'd love to spend his money on sweets and first-rate provisions, but he could cook monster meat over a campfire on his outing. Additionally, he needed to save up for a quality sword, further advancing his reason to just pass the opportunities.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached his destination.
The building resembled a castle, stone blocks forming the sturdy walls and rectangular towers. A flower-filled square and greenery provided a fresh medieval setting.
Alongside the floral gardens, benches and historical lamps leaned against them, creating an almost romantic route to the gigantic, reinforced, wooden double doors.
The path was packed with different hunters of varying equipment and group sizes. Mostly, solo individuals were quite rare, since parties provided safety at the cost of splitting their profits.
He slipped through the busy pathway, entering the magnificent structure.
Although, from the outside, the palace appeared spacious, its insides were the exact opposite. At the front, a circular reception, encircled by dark forest green carpet, complementing the otherwise empty half.
Before Shay headed toward one of the hallways connected with the teleportation rooms, he queued up for the receptionists.
'Jeez, weekends are lively, huh?' he thought, tapping his foot against the soft material, muffling the vibrations.
After finally moving a few positions forward, a staff member called for him.
"Welcome to the association. How can I help you?"
'This formal question never gets old, I guess,' he reflected without changing his expression to show respect.
He then endured an hour-long administration process, signing up documents, printing a pass, and linking it to mana.
The fee cost thrusted a needle like pain through his heart as he made his way to one of the rooms, his head tilted down, looking at both his cards.
'50000… I want to cry.'
Upon approaching a random door, his eyes locked onto a black box, with two sheet-sized holes, next to them.
He used the items prepared in his hands, paying another bill worth 10000 credits to enter.
Inside, a circular pedestal with four dark claws, aiming at its middle, lay on the floor. On its front, a dent resembled a small mana stone.
On his left, a transparent shelf hugged the wall, showing its content. Nametags cloaked the void like gems, each with different glyphs, filled each panel.
At its side, tiers from F to A differentiated the target monsters' difficulty.
'The Forest Trolls should be ranked E.'
He checked the desired crystals, finding one with a tag attached to it, which stated 'Troll Woods.'
"Hey Shade, I'll be meeting you soon." He said to himself, as he inserted the mana stone, awaiting the portal's activation.