As the morning sun painted the sky in soft hues of gold and orange, Louis, Betty, and Locob stood outside the village chief's house, preparing to leave. The night before had been a chaotic battle against the shadow creature, but thanks to Locob's newly awakened magic, they had survived.
The village head, Sansor Hormen, stood before them, his arms crossed but a grateful smile on his face.
"You saved our village," he said in a firm tone. "I don't know what that monster was, but if you three hadn't been here, we might not have lasted much longer."
Betty waved a hand dismissively. "No need to be so dramatic, old man. We were just doing our job."
Sansor chuckled, shaking his head. "Regardless, you have my gratitude." He turned to Locob, his expression softening. "And you, Locob… You always had potential, but you never used it. To think you would awaken your magic in such a dire situation… Your father would be proud."
Locob looked down, shuffling his feet awkwardly. "I… I just did what I had to do."
Sansor stepped forward and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "You did more than that, boy. You've taken your first step toward something great. Use your power well."
Louis and Betty exchanged a glance before Louis stepped forward. "We'll make sure of that, chief. Locob's coming with us."
Sansor nodded, then turned and handed them a small pouch. "Take this as a token of our appreciation. It's not much, but it's the least we can do."
Louis peeked inside—it contained a handful of silver and gold coins. "Thank you, Chief."
With that, the trio left the village behind, stepping onto the road back to the Adventurers' Guild.
---
The Adventurers' Guild – Registering Locob
The guild hall was as lively as ever, filled with adventurers boasting about their hunts, merchants negotiating prices, and guild officials processing quests.
As Louis, Betty, and Locob stepped in, the receptionist at the counter—a woman with short brown hair and sharp eyes—looked up. "Back already?"
Betty smirked. "Did you miss us?"
The receptionist rolled her eyes. "What do you want?"
Louis placed a hand on Locob's shoulder. "We need to register a new party member."
The receptionist raised an eyebrow, looking at Locob. "Name?"
"Locob Hormen."
She scribbled something down before pulling out a crystal orb and placing it on the counter. "Place your hand on this."
Locob hesitated for a moment, then pressed his palm against the orb. A faint green glow pulsed through it, and a moment later, a thin sheet of paper materialized from thin air. The receptionist grabbed it and gave it a quick scan.
Her eyes widened slightly. "Strong fire magic potential… but no formal training?"
Locob rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… I, uh, just figured out I could use magic yesterday."
The receptionist sighed. "Great, another wild one." She stamped the paper and handed it to Locob. "You're officially a registered adventurer now. Try not to die."
Betty patted Locob on the back. "Welcome to the club, newbie."
---
Selling the Shadow Beast's Magic Stone
After registering Locob, they approached the appraisal counter to sell their loot. Louis placed a dark, pulsating magic stone on the counter—the core they had retrieved from the shadow beast.
The appraiser, an older man with round glasses, picked it up and examined it carefully. His eyes narrowed as he traced his fingers over its surface.
A moment later, he froze.
"Where… where did you get this?" he asked, his voice low and serious.
Louis crossed his arms. "From a monster we killed last night. Why?"
The appraiser's gaze flickered to them before he grabbed a book from the shelf behind him and flipped through the pages. Finally, he found what he was looking for, and his expression turned grim.
"This… this is the magic stone of an A-rank magic beast," he said slowly. "A creature known as a Tenebrous Wraith."
Betty's eyes widened. "A-rank?! Are you serious?!"
Locob gulped. "That thing was that strong…?"
The appraiser nodded. "A Tenebrous Wraith is a rare entity. They're neither fully beast nor spirit. Most weapons pass right through them, and they only have a few known weaknesses—one of them being fire magic." He glanced at Locob. "If you hadn't awakened your power, you wouldn't be standing here right now."
Louis smirked. "Good thing we had Locob, then."
The appraiser sighed and placed the magic stone on a scale. "Since it's A-rank, you'll get a high price for it. I can offer you… 200 gold coins.**"
Betty whistled. "That's enough to live comfortably for months."
Louis took the payment and split it evenly among the three of them. "This is your first reward, Locob."
The young mage stared at the gold coins in his hands, looking overwhelmed. "I've never even seen this much money before…"
Betty grinned. "Well, get used to it. Adventurers can make a fortune… if they survive."
Locob chuckled nervously. "Great. No pressure."
---
A New Journey Begins
After their transaction, they sat down at a nearby table, enjoying a meal. Betty stretched, looking satisfied. "So, what now?"
Louis leaned back in his chair. "Now? We train Locob. He's got power, but no experience."
Locob nodded firmly. "I want to learn. I don't want to be useless in a fight again."
Betty smirked. "Good attitude, kid."
As they planned their next move, the doors of the guild swung open loudly. A guild official, looking slightly panicked, rushed in.
"We have an urgent mission request!" he announced. "A high-risk target has appeared outside the safe shield! We need a strong team to investigate!"
Louis and Betty exchanged a look.
Looks like the real challenges are just beginning.
To be continued…