Marcus extended his hand. His grip was steady, but his eyes flicked briefly toward the guild’s crest on Arthur’s chest. "That settles it. We’ll wait to hear which mbers you’re sending our way. Once your list is ready, send word."
He passed over the scrolls—quest forms, signatures, a brittle sheet marked with the contract seal. No ceremony. Just paper.
Marcus had already spoken to the quest patron. The man hadn’t argued. One short reply and nothing more.
"Finish the job. That’s all I care about."
Arthur stepped through the guild doors, the sunlight cutting across his face like a line drawn between old business and new.
A soft chi sounded in his mind, alongside the notification prompt across his retina.
[Ding! You have Triggered the A-Level quest: Find the Pyro’s Lotus inside The Grieving Hollow. Quest duration: None. Reward: Vire root(Epic-Rank) Failure: Loss of reputation in Caldera.]
Arthur scanned the quest descriptions carefully. The reward matched exactly what he was seeking, but the failure conditions made him pause.
It wasn’t the gold he was concerned about. Reputation mattered more. A tarnished na would ripple outward, weakening his guild’s standing and limiting his future opportunities. Privileges, influence, alliances—they all hinged on how others viewed him.
Still, the quest wasn’t impossible. Difficult, yes. Risky, certainly. But not beyond him.
I may not have my full team of summons, but I have Aether. Together, we can handle anything below level twenty-five. Arthur thought as he walked away from the guild.
Arthur had fought his share of dangerous creatures. Anything up to level twenty-four, he could handle with calculated confidence. Level twenty-five and above, however, that was where things beca complicated.
At level twenty-five, a beast or person could awaken a talent domain. And once inside that domain, everything changed.
Within their own domain, the user gained substantial power boosts tied to their innate talent. Attributes were amplified. Skills sharpened. Environntal control shifted in their favour. And the enemy? Debuffed, disoriented and disadvantaged.
Fighting within soone else’s domain was like stepping into a war where the ground, air, and very rules bent to their will.
Fortunately, very few reached that level. Only individuals with B-rank talents or higher typically broke through the threshold and awakened a domain. It was rare, but not rare enough for Arthur to ignore the possibility.
That was the source of his hesitation. Not fear, but prudence. Overconfidence had no place in high-stakes missions.
Still, he wasn’t about to back down.
He straightened, resolve firming in his chest.
He would complete this mission. He would secure the reward. Even if it ant slaughtering every creature inside the Grieving Hollow, he would not leave until the task was done.
...
[Race:] Primordial Felidae
[ID:] Maneki-Neko
[Level:] 21
[Talent:] Lucky (SSS)
[Health Points:] 240
[Mana Points:] 350
[Magical Damage:] 35
[Physical Damage:] 30
[Damage Resistance:] 24
[Attributes:] Strength 30, Agility 30, Vitality 24, Intelligence 35
[Skills:] Claw Slash (Rare), Paw Steps (Rare), Ninefold Fortune(Mythical), Shadow Pounce (Legendary), Unlucky(Legendary)
[Attribute Points:] 16
[Skill Points:] 13
...
Arthur glanced at Neko’s status screen as he made his way toward his next destination. Until now, he had never bothered allocating attribute points to the primordial cat. She never needed them. Her natural prowess and instincts had carried her through every battle with ease.
But with her now assigned to protect Charlotte, that had changed. Arthur couldn’t afford to hold back anymore. It was ti to finally invest those unused points.
As he considered which attribute would best enhance her combat potential—or perhaps her ability to shield Charlotte—his eyes landed on sothing unexpected.
Arthur’s brows lifted slightly.
"Oh? So she gained a legendary skill during her last level-up."
He hadn’t checked her status in a while; there’d never been a pressing need. Neko had always done her job with deadly precision and supernatural grace despite sleeping most of the ti.
But now, his curiosity stirred. The skill na caught his eye, and a small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"... for a cat with a luck-based talent? Sounds interesting."
Intrigued, he tapped the skill for more details, eager to see what kind of ability his feline companion had awakened—and how it might shift the odds in their favour.
Arthur narrowed his eyes as he read through the description, his mind already parsing the implications.
"Random major debuff... twenty to thirty percent drop in a combat stat... and it can’t be resisted through normal ans?" he muttered under his breath.
That was significant.
He didn’t need the skill to be predictable—just effective. Whether it crippled a target’s strength, reflexes, mana control, or even perception, any one of those in the right mont could be decisive.
And the kicker? It bypassed standard resistance checks.
"Debuff magic disguised as bad luck. Fitting for you, Neko." Arthur smirked.
The more he considered it, the more valuable the ability beca.
It wasn’t just about raw power—it was versatile. With this skill, Neko could protect Charlotte without resorting to lethal force. If Jasmine ever lost control or posed a threat, Neko wouldn’t have to kill her. One well-placed use of Unlucky, and Jasmine’s combat effectiveness would plumt. From there, Neko could restrain her, incapacitate her, or simply knock her out.
No bloodshed. No irreversible mistakes.
Arthur added the attribute points. Six were added to strength, and ten were added to intelligence.
Neko’s new status looked like the following:
[Race:] Primordial Felidae
[ID:] Maneki-Neko
[Level:] 21
[Talent:] Lucky (SSS)
[Health Points:] 240
[Mana Points:] 350
[Magical Damage:] 35
[Physical Damage:] 30
[Damage Resistance:] 24
[Attributes:] Strength 36, Agility 30, Vitality 24, Intelligence 45
[Skills:] Claw Slash (Rare), Paw Steps (Rare), Ninefold Fortune(Mythical), Shadow Pounce (Legendary), Unlucky(Legendary)
[Attribute Points:] 0
[Skill Points:] 13
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