The day after slaying the Crawling Dragon, Oswald knew that he'd have to pay his dues. And sure enough, when he was walking back to the cabin with Selene, he saw the following:

  [Tribute due!]

  [Deducting Souls…]

  [Tribute complete, updating status]

  Souls: 20

  Resonance: 1

  Invocations: ???

  Days until Tribute: 30

  Skills:

  Slaughterborn (Special): Awakens a primal fervor for battle, enhancing reflexes, agility, and martial prowess as combat continues. These effects are amplified when facing stronger foes or overwhelming numbers of opponents.

  True Sight (Tier 1): Grants the ability to see through darkness and illusion magic.

  Gaze of Doom (Tier 1): When activated, drains the life force of any target that makes direct eye contact.

  Ascended Physique (Tier 1): Grants enhanced physical capabilities, surpassing ordinary human limits.

  Mana Sense (Tier 1): Grants the ability to perceive and detect mana cores within nearby living beings.

  Instinctive Mana Control (Tier 2): Enables the activation and utilization of the mana core automatically, without conscious effort.

  Oswald was very relieved that the whole tribute process was smooth. In fact, he still had 20 souls leftover so he wouldn't have to struggle as hard to fulfill the next payment. Least I don't have to worry too much about this soul stuff for now.

  Regardless, Oswald had more important things to focus on now. He followed Selene all the way back to Loria, and the city looked as busy as always.

  Merchants lined the streets, shouting as they tried to advertise their wares, while laborers hefted crates onto their shoulders, Closer to the bakeries, a group of children darted past, laughing as they chased one another through the crowded streets, narrowly avoiding a disgruntled vendor who shooed them away from his fruit stall.

  Oswald walked beside Selene. Vivi rested on his shoulder, perfectly at ease.

  People noticed them almost instantly. Conversations faltered, heads snapped toward them, and within moments, whispers surged through the streets like wildfire.

  “It’s her, Selene Whiteheart!”

  “No way! That’s really her!”

  “Well, damn. Didn’t think I’d see her walkin’ through Loria.”

  Soon, the bolder ones stepped forward. An armored woman, with a longsword strapped to her back stepped closer. “Lady Whiteheart! I just wanted to say, it’s an honor to see you in person. Your exploits, they’re—”

  Selene turned her head slightly, offering a small nod. “Thank you.”

  The woman opened her mouth as if to continue, but Selene was already walking. More people moved in as they progressed. A young man in a tattered leather tunic jogged up beside them, nearly tripping over his own feet.

  “Excuse me, Lady Whiteheart! About what happened in Varyndel! Is it true? Did you—”

  “No,” Selene said, not breaking stride.

  The man blinked, startled, but Selene had quickened her pace. Oswald watched the exchanges unfold, the way people wanted to speak to her, wanted something from her, even if it was just a moment of acknowledgment.

  And now, they were looking at him too. Not with the same awe they gave Selene, but with something else—curiosity. The kind that crawled under his skin.

  “Who’s that boy with her?” a merchant muttered to his companion.

  “Never seen him before, is he her apprentice?” another person chimed in.

  A group of adventurers leaning against a weapons stall cast him scrutinizing glances. One of them scoffed. “No way. Whiteheart don’t take apprentices.”

  “Then who is he?” a younger one asked, leaning in.

  A woman carrying a basket of herbs tilted her head, speaking to an older vendor. “Could he be her apprentice or something?"

  The vendor let out a dry chuckle. “Doubt it. Kid looks too green. But if he’s walkin’ with her, he’s gotta be somebody.”

  Oswald clenched his jaw, fingers twitching slightly at his sides. Not used to this many eyes on me.

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  Selene glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “Relax.”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re walking like you stole something, try to calm down."

  “Easy for you to say.”

  "I am saying this for your own good, Oswald. You would do well to listen." Selene warned.

  He dragged a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I'll… try."

  The streets quieted as Oswald and Selene walked faster. Eventually, ahead of them, the guild came into view.

  Oswald slowed down to a halt. His gaze lifted higher, tracing the large, bold lettering that crowned the entrance, words that had been obscured before by the sheer mass of people when he first tried to see Selene. Astral Wing Adventurer’s Guild, huh? So that's the name of this place.

  Thick wooden doors loomed over them, reinforced with bands of iron. The handles were large enough that a man in full armor could grip them with ease, built for the kind of traffic that passed through these halls every day. Selene pushed them open easily, and the two stepped inside.

  Hundreds of adventurers filled the grand hall. Long wooden tables groaned under the weight of food and ale, with rowdy groups exchanging boasts and laughter. Others clustered near the many quest boards that are placed around the guild. There were so many of them that Oswald didn't bother to count them all. Damn, I wonder if this place is always this packed?

  And yet, despite all the clamor, the moment Selene entered, heads turned. Some adventurers merely glanced her way. But others outright stopped what they were doing, their eyes widening as realization set in.

  “Is Lady Whiteheart really back?”

  “You think I could get an autograph?”

  “Didn’t know she was in Loria.”

  Oswald could feel the shift, that near-palpable weight of attention settling over them. Then, as expected, their gazes drifted to him.

  But this time, Oswald ignored whatever they said. Whatever other people thought about him were just distractions that didn't matter at all.

  Selene, as always, moved forward without hesitation. She acknowledged no one as she strode toward the many counters in the hall.

  One of the clerks, a young woman with blonde hair tucked neatly behind her glasses, glanced up at their approach. The moment her eyes landed on them, recognition dawned, and her face lit up.

  But before she could get a word out, her eyes went wide. “Oh, oh my gosh—”

  Her hands twitched, jerking upward in a startled reflex, directly into an open ink bottle. Dark liquid spilled across the parchment before her, bleeding through the papers.

  “No, no, no!” The clerk's voice rose in frantic horror as she scrambled to grab the papers, desperately trying to salvage what she could. In her haste, her elbow clipped the towering stack of documents at her side.

  The pile wobbled precariously. Her panicked gasp barely left her lips before the entire stack toppled. A loud crash echoed through the hall as papers scattered across the floor, loose sheets fluttering down like fallen leaves.

  The woman let out a choked noise that was somewhere between a whimper and outright despair. She stood frozen, hands hovering uselessly over the disaster she’d just unleashed, looking as though she wanted to sink into the floor.

  "Erin, are you alright?" Selene asked, visibly concerned.

  The clerk, still mid-recovery, stiffened like a startled rabbit. She lifted her head slowly, cheeks burning red. “L-Lady Whiteheart! Um! H-Hello!”

  Selene let out a soft chuckle, tilting her head ever so slightly. “Breathe, Erin. Slow down.”

  Erin coughed into her sleeve as she scrambled to gather the stray papers littering the desk. Her hands worked fast, stacking them with barely-contained chaos before she sucked in a deep breath and straightened. “Okay! Hah, okay. I’m calm. I’m fine. Totally fine.”

  “Good, are you available to help now?"

  “Oh! Right! Uh, how can I assist you, Lady Whiteheart?”

  Selene shifted slightly, gesturing toward Oswald. “I’m here to register him. This is Oswald, my disciple.”

  Erin’s eyes widened again. “It’s an absolute pleasure to meet you!” she blurted, clashing her hands together in front of her chest like she’d just been told she was meeting royalty.

  Oswald took a half-step back. “Whoa, uh, take it easy. I'm just a normal guy."

  “Right! Sorry, I just—” Erin said, rubbing the back of her head. “I mean, someone who’s Selene's disciple must be incredible.”

  “I ain’t.”

  “Huh?”

  “I ain’t incredible, just tryin’ to get registered. So… how do we do this?”

  “Right! So, um, for registration, there are a couple of things you’ll need to do.”

  Erin flipped through a stack of forms and pulled out a few sheets, sliding them across the counter. “First, you’ll need to fill these out, basic stuff, name, age, background, that kind of thing.”

  Oswald picked up the stack of papers, flipping through them with a cursory glance. Looked simple enough. Just a bunch of standard forms, nothing too complicated.

  “There’s also a registration fee: twenty-five silver pieces,” Erin said with an apologetic smile.

  Oswald nearly dropped the papers. “What? I thought it was only five silver!”

  Erin winced, adjusting her glasses. “Ah… yeah, it used to be. But the guild has had to increase fees over the years to account for administrative costs, record-keeping, additional staffing, expanded facilities. You know, the usual stuff.”

  Oswald’s stomach sank. Twenty-five silver? That was a fortune for someone like him. If he had to cover that himself, he’d be working for weeks just to scrounge it up.

  Fortunately, Selene slid a small pouch onto the counter. “I will cover the cost."

  Oswald blinked. “Wait—”

  “It's fine, Oswald, really.” Selene said.

  For a moment, he just stared at her, then exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Guess I owe you one.” No way I could’ve covered that myself.

  Erin, visibly relieved that the payment was handled, swept the coins into a small lockbox before clapping her hands together. “Alright! Now that we’ve got that settled, you’ll need to take an aptitude test. That’ll help determine where you’ll be placed in the rankings.”

  “Ah right, can ya tell me more about the ranks?"

  “Sure! Adventurers are ranked from F to S, with three sub-ranks in between. So, for example, the lowest rank is F, then FF, then FFF before moving up to E.”

  "Got it, so what’s the best rank someone can get right off the aptitude test?"

  “The best of the best can go up to DDD-rank right away. Also, the test’s available every weekday, and it only takes a day to complete. You’ll know your placement pretty quick.”

  Oswald nodded, tucking the forms under his arm. “Are there any slots open for the test today?"

  “There's plenty! Just bring the forms back when you’re done, and we’ll get you all set up!”