Dawn broke over the trees like fire on water.
Mist clung to the underbrush, and the sky hung heavy with gold. Ash followed Riven down a narrow dirt path, boots sloshing through the muck. Every step made his ribs ache.
His stats had mostly returned to normal, but the ghost of borrowed power still lingered in his muscles—like an echo waiting to snap back.
> [System Notice: Neural adjustment at 62% complete]
Balance improved. Combat readiness stable.
"Village isn't far," Riven said, eyes scanning the treeline. "Keep your head low and your mouth shut. Some folks don't like newcomers."
Ash smirked. "Good thing I'm charming."
The boy gave him a look. "No. You have the face of someone who lost a staring contest with a statue."
The path opened suddenly.
Nestled in a shallow basin between cliffs sat Ravenn Hollow—a frontier village surrounded by spiked wooden palisades. Smoke rose from blacksmith chimneys. Cloth banners hung limp in the morning air. The gates were open, but two guards leaned on spears, watching everything.
Ash didn't miss the way one hand drifted to a crossbow.
As they entered, the weight of a hundred eyes fell on him.
Hunters, traders, mercs—many of them worn and bloodied—moved through the muddy streets. Most bore visible weapons. Many wore guild tags shaped like wolf fangs, stitched with their ranks.
Riven led him through it all like he belonged. People nodded at the boy. Some looked impressed. Others… wary.
"Didn't expect to see you back, Riven," said a grizzled man with an eye patch. "Heard you were dead."
Riven grinned. "That's what they said last time, too."
Ash leaned in. "Popular?"
"Not really. Just hard to kill."
They stopped outside a long wooden hall with an iron sign hanging above: RAVENN GUILD POST. Swords, coins, and a howling wolf carved into the metal.
Inside, the room buzzed with voices. A bounty board dominated one wall, plastered with worn parchment. Names. Creatures. Prices. Death marks. On the opposite side, a desk manned by a sleepy clerk tapping a quill against his temple.
Ash glanced at the board.
[Wanted: Bogscale – 10 silver]
[Hunt: Shadow Elk – D-Rank – 25 silver]
[Bounty: Goremane Alpha – C-Rank – 100 silver – DEAD ONLY]
He whistled low. "So this is where we earn rent money."
Riven stepped up to the counter. "Registering a party. Temporary. Two members."
The clerk raised an eyebrow. "And the other one?"
"That's me," Ash said. "I punch monsters and ask questions later."
The clerk stared at him.
"…You're not ranked."
"I'm new."
The clerk sighed and slid a wooden token across the desk. "Trial hunt. Complete a verified mission and don't die. Then we'll talk tags."
Ash pocketed it. "Fair."
> [System Prompt: Trial Hunt Initiated]
Hunt & survive any creature D-rank or higher.
Reward: Adventurer Tag (Temporary), System Integration Upgrade (Stage 1)
Timer: 48 Hours
He blinked. "Wait. There's a timer?"
> Failure to complete in time: Guild denia
Village of Knives
system lockout, risk of stat stagnation.
Riven picked a quest off the wall—one marked with a faint bloodstain.
"Swamp run," he said. "D-rank. Two Bogscales. You in?"
Ash nodded.
As they stepped back into the mud and sunlight, heading toward the next fight, he glanced at the sky and muttered:
"Hell of a first week."
---