Early morning.
In the small utility room on the second floor of the townhouse at No. 25 Red Rose Street, the rhythmic sound of labored breathing echoed in the confined space.
"One thousand five hundred fifty-six... one thousand five hundred fifty-seven…"
Raymond's voice carried through the air as his sweat-drenched body moved steadily up and down. His palms pressed against the wooden floor, which was now slick and darkened by the sheer volu of sweat he had poured into his morning routine.
The past two days had been a whirlwind since he registered as an adventurer. He could still vividly recall the scene when he returned ho that fateful evening.
Arya, arms crossed and her glare sharp enough to pierce steel, had confronted him the mont he walked through the door.
"Not only did you not make a single coin," she'd snapped, her tone laced with frustration, "but you 'lost' money? And you ca back injured?"
Raymond had tried—'tried'—to explain how unexpected circumstances had led to the mishap, but Arya wasn't having it. "That's it. You're grounded. No commissions, no adventures, no excuses. You're not leaving this house until I say so!"
No amount of pleading or reasoning swayed her. And so, for the past two days, Raymond had been confined to the house.
"Two thousand!" he finally grunted, muscles straining as he completed the last of his push-ups. With a low roar of triumph, he collapsed onto his back, staring at the ceiling as he gasped for air. Despite the exhaustion, a satisfied grin crept onto his face.
"This warrior class is 'incredible,'" he muttered between breaths. "Heavy armor, heavy weapons… and in just two days, my physical strength has improved this much?"
Raymond marveled at the changes in his body. When he'd first awakened as a 'fighter,' the most noticeable improvent had been in his agility and flexibility. While strength and endurance had improved slightly, it was nothing extraordinary. But ever since awakening the 'warrior' class, his body had transford in ways that felt almost supernatural.
In just two days, he had visibly bulked up. His muscles were denser, his stamina had skyrocketed, and his overall height had increased from 1.7 ters to 1.75 ters. And judging by the way his body still felt charged with energy, he suspected he wasn't done growing yet.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Raymond decided to check his stats. With a flick of his hand, he brought up the glowing blue panel hovering in front of him:
Na: Raymond Kelton.
Age: 15.
Magic Value: 215.7 / 215.7.
Occupations: Fighter, Warrior.
Skills: Bone Crusher [Fighter].
Skill Points: 0. Cumulative Value: 50%.
Awakenable Professions: [Hidden].
Learnable Skills: [Hidden].
His gaze lingered on his magic value. When he'd first awakened as a 'fighter,' it had been 210.3. The jump to 215.7 wasn't enormous, but he knew part of that increase ca from his battle with the giant mutant rat. Killing the beast had earned him 5 points, leaving his daily natural increase at just 0.2.
"I was hoping awakening the 'warrior' class would double my daily magic growth," he muttered with a hint of disappointnt. "But nope, still 0.2 per day."
He shrugged it off. After all, magic growth wasn't his primary focus. He could still increase his magic value by awakening new professions or defeating monsters, which made the daily rate feel negligible in the grand sche of things.
"Killing that mutant rat was worth it," he reflected, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Not only did I gain 5 magic points, but my 'cumulative skill points' shot up by 50%. Does that an stronger monsters give a higher percentage? I'll need to test this theory…"
Before he could delve further into his musings, Arya's voice rang out from the floor below, sharp and commanding. "Raymond! Breakfast is ready! Stop dawdling and co down!"
Raymond sighed, pulling himself off the floor. His clothes were drenched, and his body reeked of sweat. He glanced down at himself and made a quick decision. Grabbing a towel, he headed to the bathroom to freshen up. After a quick rinse, he changed into clean clothes and descended the stairs.
The sll of freshly baked bread and scrambled eggs greeted him as he entered the dining area. Arya was already seated at the table, her fork in hand and her plate half-empty. She barely looked up as she spoke around a mouthful of food. "You… should walk more quietly," she said, narrowing her eyes at him. "What if you break the stairs? With the way you're growing, you're going to stomp straight through them one day."
Raymond chuckled, shaking his head as he sat down. "You're exaggerating, Arya. I'm not 'that' heavy."
She raised an eyebrow, pointing her fork at him accusingly. "You've grown five centiters in two days! If you keep this up, you'll outgrow the house by next week."
Despite her teasing tone, Raymond caught the faintest hint of concern in her voice. He couldn't bla her. The rapid changes in his body were startling, even to him. Still, he decided to lighten the mood. "If I outgrow the house, I'll just start sleeping in the backyard. That should solve the problem."
Arya rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the faint smile tugging at her lips. "Just don't break the furniture, alright?"
"Deal," Raymond replied, grinning as he reached for a slice of bread. Despite his confinent, he couldn't deny he was feeling stronger, faster, and more capable than ever before. And as much as Arya fussed over his safety, he knew deep down that this was just the beginning of his journey.
Raymond could only sigh, shaking his head helplessly.
He wasn't oblivious to his predicant. Over the past few days, his strength had skyrocketed so dramatically that it felt almost alien to him. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't fully control it yet. That was precisely why he had been doing rigorous push-ups and various strength drills every morning, to train his body to obey him again.
But even with his training, he couldn't quite asure how much stronger he had beco. All he knew was that his strength had surpassed anything he could have imagined. Just yesterday, he had casually lifted the heavy oak wardrobe in his room, sothing that must have weighed at least 200 pounds; like it was a sack of potatoes. It had startled him enough that he resolved not to test his strength on the furniture anymore.
Now seated at the dining table, he eyed the breakfast Arya had prepared. It was a step up from the simple fare of bread and butter they usually shared. This morning, she had gone all out, crispy fried bacon, golden eggs stacked neatly on toasted bread, and a glass of fresh milk.
Raymond reached for the milk, tilting his head back and draining the glass in one gulp. As he set it down, he tugged at the collar of his shirt, frowning slightly. The fabric felt uncomfortably tight across his shoulders and chest.
He glanced down at himself and sighed. His clothes had beco noticeably snug, and not just in the chest area, his pants were starting to ride up, too. 'Looks like I'll need to go shopping for new clothes soon…'
As the thought crossed his mind, he noticed Arya staring at him, her sandwich paused halfway to her mouth. He raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at like that?"
Arya blinked, her face flushing slightly as if she'd been caught doing sothing embarrassing. "N-Nothing," she stamred, quickly taking a bite of her sandwich to cover her reaction.
But inside, Arya was anything but calm. Over the past few days, she'd been watching Raymond change before her eyes. At first, it was subtle, his confidence seed to have grown. But now, the difference was stark. His physical appearance had beco sharper, more commanding. His once boyish features had matured almost overnight, and he carried himself with a calm, steady presence that felt… reassuring.
She'd heard about the transformations that occurred when soone awakened, but this—'this'—was different. Raymond was evolving in ways she couldn't quite put into words. And yet, as much as the change was startling, Arya found it comforting.
Clearing her throat, she tried to steer the conversation to sothing else. "By the way, Raymond," she began, setting her sandwich down. "I noticed sothing strange this morning."
Raymond looked up, his curiosity piqued. "Oh? What is it?"
"When I passed by the Becker Hotel," Arya said, "I saw that it was closed."
"Closed?" Raymond frowned, the surprise evident on his face.
"Yes. I asked around," Arya continued. "It turns out Mrs. Becker and her family sold the inn and left town late last night."
Raymond blinked in surprise, setting down his sandwich. "They sold the hotel? And left town completely?"
Arya nodded, studying his reaction.
Raymond leaned back in his chair, a mix of emotions crossing his face. He hadn't expected this. He had assud that after their encounter, Mrs. Becker would simply lay low and keep her distance. But to sell her livelihood and leave West Town entirely? That was extre, even for soone who might have feared retaliation.
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. 'She must've thought I'd co after her…' he realized. In truth, revenge had never crossed his mind. He had already decided to let the matter rest after securing fair compensation from her. It wasn't worth the trouble. Besides, if he 'had' gone after her, it would have imdiately drawn the attention of the Knights. The last thing he needed was to incriminate himself.
Still, it was probably for the best. Mrs. Becker's departure ant there'd be no lingering hostility between them. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Well, I guess that takes care of that," he muttered.
Before Arya could respond, the sound of a loud 'clang' interrupted their conversation.
"Ding! Ding!" The bell hanging from the ceiling chid, its rope rattling slightly. It was their doorbell, soone was outside.
Arya stood up, brushing off her hands. "I'll get it," she said, heading toward the door. Her brow furrowed slightly as she walked. Hardly anyone knew they lived at No. 25 Red Rose Street, so why would soone co calling?
Curious but cautious, she opened the door.
Standing on the doorstep was a striking young woman in a crisp uniform. She looked to be in her early twenties, her posture straight and her expression professional yet friendly. Her dark hair was neatly tied back, and her uniform, likely that of a courier or official ssenger, was immaculately pressed.
The woman smiled warmly at Arya. "Good morning," she said in a clear, pleasant voice. "Is this Mr. Raymond Kelton's residence?"
Arya blinked, her eyes narrowing slightly as her guard went up. She didn't recognize this woman, and the fact that she was asking for Raymond specifically made her wary. "Who's asking?" she replied, her tone cautious.
The woman's smile didn't waver. "I'm here to deliver a ssage on behalf of the Adventurer's Guild," she explained, holding up a sealed envelope embossed with the guild's crest. "It's for Mr. Raymond Kelton. Is he ho?"
Reviews
All reviews (0)