Raymond saw the worry in her eyes and, without hesitation, reached out and took her hand.
His voice was steady, reassuring. "It's okay. I'll go with you tomorrow."
Arya looked up at him, her uncertainty eting his unwavering confidence.
A mont later, she nodded firmly, squeezing his hand back.
"Yes!"
Tomorrow, her fate would be decided.
And Raymond would be right there beside her.
The next morning, before the first rays of sunlight had fully ward the streets, Raymond found himself skipping his usual morning exercises.
He had barely stepped out of his room when he noticed Arya already waiting outside, her posture stiff with anticipation. Her eyes sparkled with excitent, yet deep shadows beneath them betrayed a sleepless night.
Raymond frowned. "Arya, you didn't sleep, did you?"
She rubbed her red-rimd eyes, offering him a small, sheepish smile. "I did! ...A little. Right before dawn. But then I woke up again and couldn't go back to sleep."
Of course. Who could bla her?
He had been the sa way before his own awakening ceremony, tossing and turning, mind racing with a thousand possibilities. Would she awaken? Would she fail? Would her magic affinity be enough?
These were questions no one could answer until the ceremony itself.
Then, before he could respond, Arya suddenly grabbed his arm, nearly bouncing on her toes.
"Raymond! The temple should be open by now! Let's go!"
Raymond hesitated for a mont. He considered convincing her to rest, even just a little longer, but one look at her determined expression told him it was pointless.
Sighing, he shook his head. "Alright. But you have to promise , no matter what happens today, when we get back, you're going to sleep. Properly."
"Okay, okay! I promise!" Arya bead, her enthusiasm infectious.
Without another word, she dragged him downstairs, so fast that they skipped breakfast entirely.
As Raymond reached the door, a sudden thought struck him.
Wait. My own awakening. I have unfinished business.
Just as Arya stepped outside, he paused, turned on his heel, and said casually, "I forgot sothing upstairs. Give a second."
Arya waved him off impatiently. "Alright, hurry up! I'll wait here."
Her mind was so fixated on the ceremony that she didn't even question him.
Raymond smirked inwardly as he strode up the stairs.
Fifteen years old. That ant she was eligible.
This wasn't just Arya's awakening ceremony, it was his chance, too.
His chance to awaken the 'Thief' class.
He had known about the requirent for so ti:
To awaken as a Thief, one must successfully steal a piece of clothing from a female between fifteen and twenty years old, take it to their room, and remain undetected.
And now, the perfect opportunity had arrived.
Raymond reached Arya's room, pausing at the door. Experience more on My Virtual Library Empire
His fingers brushed over the handle.
Unlocked.
She really hadn't thought to lock it. But even if she had, he had a spare key.
With a soft creak, the door opened, and his target ca into view.
There, by the window, a single piece of cloth swayed gently in the breeze.
A pair of delicate undergarnts, hung up to dry.
Raymond let out a slow breath, stepping inside silently.
He approached, took the hanger and the fabric, then swiftly retreated back to his own room.
The mont he entered, a faint golden glow flashed before his eyes—
[Thief Awakening Requirent Complete: Successfully steal the undergarnts of a female between fifteen and twenty years old and bring them to your room without being discovered.]
[Awakened Profession: Thief]
A rush of new sensations flooded his body.
He could feel it, his movents felt lighter, his footsteps quieter, as though the very shadows around him welcod him.
Raymond clenched his fists, barely holding back his excitent.
Finally.
No ti to dwell on it. He quickly returned the item, closed Arya's door, and made his way downstairs; face carefully neutral.
---
Arya waved at him eagerly as he stepped out the door. "You good? Let's go already!"
Raymond cleared his throat, forcing a casual cough. "Yeah, I'm ready."
And with that, the two of them set off toward the temple, one step closer to a future neither of them could predict.
The Fall of the Black Wind Bandits
The streets of Wittes buzzed with excitent and chatter. News spread like wildfire, igniting conversations in every corner of the town.
"Hey, did you hear? The Knights finally did it! They wiped out the Black Wind Bandits last night!"
"Are you serious? After all their failed attempts? Soone must have tipped them off!"
"No, no, it wasn't a tip-off. The problem was the 'Beast Tar' in the Black Wind Group. He had a Wind Eagle that scouted from the skies and warned them every ti the Knights got close!"
"A Beast Tar?! In a bandit group?! That's one of the rarest professions out there! If they had such an advantage, how did the Knights manage to win?"
"You probably don't know this yet, but the Swift Wind Adventure Team got involved."
Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd.
The Swift Wind Adventure Team, the strongest gold-ranked adventurer party in Wittes, had finally taken action. Their presence alone explained why this ti, the bandits had no chance to escape.
As Raymond and Arya walked through the bustling streets, they overheard adventurers excitedly discussing the Black Wind Bandits' downfall.
"Raymond! Did you hear that? The bandits were finally taken down!" Arya's voice was filled with excitent, her steps practically bouncing.
Raymond smiled slightly. "Yeah, I heard. I didn't expect the Swift Wind Adventure Team to step in, but now it makes sense why the Knights finally succeeded."
His mind drifted back to Tresed and the elf archer Shatinara, the mbers of Swift Wind that he had encountered before.
Raymond had collected several skills from them, visible on his status panel, but most of them didn't suit him.
One of the warriors specialized in spear combat, the other was a shield-user, and the magician's spells weren't what he was looking for.
What Raymond truly wanted were the swordsman's skills, the kind that focused on agility and fast, relentless strikes.
"Wind Slash... That's the kind of attack I need," he thought to himself. Quick, hard to defend against, and perfect for a Thief.
anwhile, the streets were growing livelier.
Adventurers rushed toward the Adventurer's Guild, their excitent palpable.
For the past half a month, most adventurers had avoided taking quests, fearing an encounter with the Black Wind Bandits.
Now that the threat was eliminated, they could finally accept commissions again.
More importantly, since quests had piled up for weeks, the guild likely had a backlog of easy but highly rewarding tasks.
Every adventurer knew: first co, first served.
If they hesitated, all the good commissions would be taken by others.
As the streets grew rowdier with anticipation, Raymond and Arya quietly made their way toward the Temple of Awakening.
The grand temple stood tall, its white stone pillars gleaming under the morning sun.
As they entered, both of them bowed before the statue of the goddess, a ritual of respect before proceeding further.
A priest in a flowing robe approached them. His gentle yet authoritative voice broke the silence.
"Co, follow . The awakening ceremony is held in the side hall."
Raymond nodded, taking Arya's hand as they followed the priest through the temple's left-wing.
Beyond the ornate doorway, they entered a spacious square outside the side hall, where a group of nervous-looking teenagers had already gathered.
There were seven or eight other boys and girls, all around fifteen years old, standing in line.
So had co alone, while others were accompanied by family mbers. Excitent and anxiety were written on their faces.
For many, this mont would determine their entire future.
Arya's grip on Raymond's sleeve tightened.
Her gaze locked onto the heavy wooden doors of the side hall, which remained firmly shut.
"Raymond... this is where it happens, right?" her voice trembled slightly.
He nodded. "Yeah. The doors are closed because soone else is undergoing their ceremony inside. It won't be long now."
Taking a deep breath, he gently guided her. "Co on, let's get in line. It'll be our turn soon."
Arya swallowed, nodded, and stepped into place.
A few monts later, the doors of the side hall creaked open.
The first to erge was a young man with red, tear-stained eyes.
His shoulders trembled, his face twisted in misery.
The mont he stepped outside, he let out a choked sob, then turned and ran away crying.
Everyone watching knew imdiately.
He had failed.
No need to ask. If a person failed to awaken any profession, they were simply sent away, their dreams crushed before they had even begun.
The line of waiting candidates stiffened.
So gulped.
Others clenched their fists.
A nervous silence settled over them.
Arya stared at the young man's retreating back, her nervousness doubling.
Raymond felt her tension through her grip on his arm.
He turned to her, his voice steady, reassuring. "Don't let that shake you. You'll be fine."
She t his gaze. After a mont, she nodded firmly.
"Yeah."
And so, they waited for their turn, for Arya's fate to be decided.
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