Kano and Rudgard, still chuckling, entered the guild. The atmosphere inside was the same as it had been in the morning—conversations, the clink of swords, the chatter of adventurers. But this time, something was different.
As Kano took a few steps toward Naira's counter, he felt the weight of a foreign gaze. Then another. And another.
Why is everyone staring?
A heavy silence hung in the air—something invisible, yet oppressive, seemed to be suspended in the room.
—"Do you feel that?"—he muttered quietly, glancing at the dwarf.
Rudgard shrugged, but his eyes had also sharpened. Even the loudest and most drunken adventurers had quieted down today. Something was happening.
Then a voice rang out. —"Kano! To the office!"
At the top of the stairs stood Lenor, arms crossed over his chest. His face was unreadable, but his eyes gleamed with an enigmatic light. Something important was about to happen.
Kano exchanged a glance with the dwarf but said nothing. He just moved forward.
As he climbed the stairs, he could feel the adventurers' eyes following him all the way up. He opened the door and entered the office.
Inside, there were already four people.
Terron—a warrior with a sword. A tall, strong man with dark hair and a confident, self-assured gaze. His sword hung behind him, his arms crossed over his chest as if he were already in charge.
Gelbrik—a warrior with a spear. Blond-haired, quieter than his companion. His cold eyes assessed everyone in the room, and the spear in his hands seemed as if it had already pierced many enemies.
Sheila—an assassin. Completely wrapped in black clothing that tightly clung to her body. Her face was hidden. Two curved daggers hung from her back, weapons she could draw in an instant.
The elven archer—Lianel. Slender, with long silver hair. She sat calmly on the edge of the table, holding her bow, a barely noticeable smile on her face as she looked at Kano. Her large eyes reminded him of stars, and her movements were fluid and graceful. Kano recognized her. He had seen her in the bath yesterday.
Oh.
Kano quickly looked away, trying not to feel embarrassed, but the elf noticed—her smile widened just a little.
—"Oh, yes, yes, I remember you,"—she murmured softly, but loud enough for Kano to hear.
He gasped in surprise, and Lenor coughed loudly, drawing everyone's attention to the matter at hand.
—"Enough of the games,"—he said, shifting his gaze to everyone present. —"You six will be a team for a special mission."
A special mission?
—"What kind?"—Terron asked, clearly assuming leadership of the group.
Lenor paused before responding.
—"Reconnaissance. We suspect that someone is manipulating events in this region. Your task is to scout the surrounding areas, paying attention to any anomalous phenomena. If you encounter monsters—eliminate them. But most importantly, find traces of possible external interference."
The tension in the room thickened.
—"Time frame—one week. Payment—two hundred silver for the group."
Kano could see his new "colleagues" weighing Lenor's words carefully. This was serious.
Terron spoke again.
—"I'm the leader of the group. Anyone have a problem with that?"
Kano opened his mouth, but at that moment Lianel lightly touched his sleeve and gave it a small tug. He turned sharply and… locked eyes with her deep gaze.
What is she doing?..
He almost choked, as an image from the bath flashed in his mind.
—"Good. Everyone agrees."—Lenor concluded, not giving anyone a chance to argue.
—"You leave tomorrow. Prepare yourselves."
Kano exhaled heavily.
It felt like this was going to be a very long week.
After the conversation in Lenor's office, the group moved downstairs, toward the main hall of the guild. The tension still hung in the air. Each team member was processing what they had just heard, analyzing the situation, and weighing the upcoming risks.
As soon as they reached the bottom, Terron immediately took charge. His voice rang out sharply and confidently:
—"We meet in an hour by the outer gates. Anyone who's late stays without their share of the reward."
Lianel, without changing her expression, gave a soft hum, while Sheila raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
—"Hey, who appointed you commander?"—Rudgard crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Terron as though he were an arrogant peacock.
—"I'm the strongest here, and it's obvious."—Terron shrugged, not even hiding his confidence.
Kano noticed Gelbrik silently evaluating each of them, watching their reactions carefully. He didn't intervene in the argument, but it was clear he disagreed with Terron's words.
—"Wow, such modesty!"—Kano feigned surprise, shaking his head. —"Maybe you should just tell us that the rest of us should bow down to you right now?"
—"We can start with you, 'young adventurer'."—Terron squinted, sizing up Kano, as though trying to gauge how easily he could break him. —"You're here only because Lenor decided to give you a chance. But don't think that makes you our equal."
—"Right, right. And when are you going to finish your lecture about how great and mighty you are?"—Lianel interrupted, stretching lazily. —"We haven't even set off yet, and already we can hear your grumbling."
Sheila smiled silently beneath her black scarf but remained quiet. Clearly, she was observing everyone, making no unnecessary moves.
Gelbrik, who had been silent until now, finally parted his lips and spoke.
—"A kindergarten."
Everyone fell silent.
Gelbrik slowly surveyed the group, his eyes gleaming with cold analysis.
—"Do you want to figure out who's in charge, or do you want to complete the task?"
His voice was calm, yet filled with a threatening firmness. He wasn't shouting, wasn't raising his tone, but his words immediately made everyone think.
Terron gritted his teeth but said nothing. He clearly didn't want to give in, but he knew Gelbrik was right.
—"Fine, fine. One hour to gather. We meet by the gates."—He sharply turned and walked off toward the guild's storage.
When he disappeared, Lianel shot a mocking glance at Kano.
—"Well, now you'll have to put up with him."
—"Wonderful. I already feel like this is going to be an unforgettable journey."—Kano rolled his eyes.
—"If you need help, I'm here."—The elf winked.
Kano pretended not to hear, although his ears caught Rudgard's whisper.
—"Oh, boy, you'd better be careful."
Sheila silently vanished into the crowd, and Gelbrik simply turned and left, not saying a word.
—"Alright. Let's go gather our things."—Kano took a deep breath.
Rudgard slapped him on the back.
—"Yeah, and also stock up on patience. Because I already see this trip will be quite a ride."
Kano sat at one of the guild's tables, stirring a mug of warm liquid that had once been tea. His thoughts were far away. Lianel. He still couldn't understand how it happened that she ended up in his group. His thoughts were interrupted when a gloved hand thumped loudly on the table.
—"The library. Follow me. Now."—Lenor didn't even look at him, simply waiting.
Kano lifted his head, sighed, and stood up silently. They walked through the guild to the quiet part of the library, hidden behind massive oak doors. It smelled of old books and parchment. Lenor walked to the far table, grabbed a scroll, and unfurled it as if he were about to read. But his voice spoke of something entirely different.
—"You need to understand one thing. Elgot is not just an old drunkard. He is one of the strongest mages this world has ever seen. And he's an old friend of mine. But even someone like him needs help."
Kano began listening, but his thoughts again turned elsewhere. He couldn't forget the image of Lianel in the bath, and it was driving him mad. Why was she here? Was it just a coincidence?.. Or did Lenor do this on purpose?!
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
— "Enough!" — Kano jumped to his feet, his eyes blazing.
Lenor slowly lifted his gaze.
— "What's wrong?"
— "What's wrong?! Everything is wrong!" — Kano threw his hands up in frustration. — "You added her to the group just to mess with me, didn't you?! Because I saw her in the bath!"
Lenor froze. He looked at Kano as if the latter had just called him the worst name in the world.
— "She's my sister, you fool."
Silence.
Kano froze. His mind seemed to short-circuit.
— "Not another word about this. Or I'll gouge your eyes out and erase your memory." — Lenor spoke slowly, clearly, his voice carrying an immense threat.
Kano swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.
Lenor closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and seemed to calm down a little. He opened a portal and pulled out a set of elven-crafted armor. The armor shimmered as if light danced on its surface, reflecting shimmering magical symbols.
— "These are enchanted armor. They triple the power of your strikes."
Kano raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Then Lenor took out a magical amulet with a glowing green crystal.
— "When you wear this on your poor neck, you'll be able to wield magic far more effectively and powerfully."
Kano reached out, and the amulet trembled slightly in his hand.
— "Its effect will raise your life force to 10,000, and your mana pool to 5,000. You'll become a mid-level adventurer."
Kano pondered for a moment.
— "What if you wear this amulet yourself?"
Lenor smiled.
— "Then I'll be stronger than even Elgot."
Kano froze.
His mind raced to calculate.
"Elgot… 1,500,000 life force… 850,000 mana… Lenor stronger than him?"
Kano turned into a stone statue.
— "Another monster…" — he finally croaked.
Lenor slapped him on the shoulder.
— "Put it on, you fool. And the amulet too. It's a relic of our people, and it will save your life more than once."
Kano put on the armor. It fit perfectly, as if it had been made just for him. The magical symbols flickered, but he didn't feel anything extraordinary.
When he put on the amulet...
Nothing happened.
Lenor watched him, then grabbed his sword.
— "Alright, fool. Let's see how much stronger you've become."
Kano braced himself.
— "What do you mean?"
Lenor assumed a battle stance.
— "Time for the real test."
Kano felt a chill inside him.
He stood in his battle stance, gripping the hilt of his sword. In front of him, Lenor, calm, confident, even somewhat amused by the situation. He didn't rush to attack — just observing.
— "Ready?" — Lenor asked, tossing his sword in the air like it weighed no more than a feather.
— "If I say 'no,' will it change anything?"
— "Not a thing."
Lenor vanished.
Kano barely managed to notice his shadow before he felt a sharp push to his chest – the sword strike wasn't fatal, but it was strong enough to send him sliding across the floor. The stone surface of the library was slick, and he instinctively slammed his foot against it, stopping a few meters away.
— "What the hell?!" — Kano barely managed to notice his shadow before he felt a sharp push to his chest – the sword strike wasn't fatal, but it was strong enough to send him sliding across the floor. The stone surface of the library was slick, and he instinctively slammed his foot against it, stopping a few meters away.
— "What was that?!" — Kano shouted, reaching for his sword.
— "First strike. Wait, because it's about to get more interesting."
Kano jumped sideways, anticipating another blow. His instincts didn't fail him — Lenor's blade sliced through the air exactly where he had just been. Kano managed to counterattack, deflecting the strike from above and quickly delivering a side slash with his sword.
Lenor gracefully stepped back, letting the blade pass just a few centimeters from his neck.
— "You've gotten faster. That's unexpected."
Without wasting time, Kano activated basic elemental magic. He sharply swung his free hand — a small water sphere quickly appeared, heading straight for Lenor's head. At the same time, he made a thrust with his sword, adding a thick trail of fire behind it.
— "A combo?" — Lenor raised an eyebrow slightly and, with one movement, first parried Kano's sword, then sliced through the water sphere, causing it to explode in a spray of droplets.
Kano jumped back, already formulating a new plan in his mind. His foot slammed the ground, releasing a chunk of earth that he immediately tossed into the air, hurling it straight at Lenor's chest.
— "Are you serious?" — Lenor simply swatted the stone away with his hand.
But that was a distraction. Kano performed a sweep, forcing Lenor to shift his weight, and in that moment, struck upwards with his sword, adding a slight flare of flame.
Lenor finally changed his expression. He took a sharp step back, narrowly avoiding the strike by a millimeter.
— "What the hell was that?!" — he muttered.
Feeling a surge of adrenaline, Kano suddenly unleashed a series of strikes:
A cleaving slash from top to bottom. A quick thrust to the side. A sweep with wind magic to increase speed. Fire again — now accompanied by two swift sword strikes.
Lenor was managing to block everything. He saw Kano's speed, felt the combinations. But there was one "but" — the armor and amulet weren't working.
— "What the hell?!"
Lenor suddenly stopped, allowing Kano's last strike to stop just a centimeter from his throat.
Kano was breathing heavily, his arms still trembling from the exertion.
Lenor lowered his sword. He didn't look impressed, angry... just deeply disappointed.
— "I don't get it." — he muttered, more to himself than to Kano.
Kano looked at him, confused.
— "What?"
Lenor glanced at him with suspicion.
— "You're faster. You're more precise. You control magic better. But not because of my artifacts."
He fell silent, his thoughts drifting.
— "Why did the helmet merge with him? Why didn't Elgot say anything to me? What else don't we know?"
Kano slowly began removing the armor. He could feel its value, but he realized it wasn't something he needed.
He smiled, handing it back to Lenor with a bold grin.
— "It doesn't suit me."
Lenor looked at him in surprise at first, but then Kano's cocky smile irritated him, and he did something Kano didn't expect. He swept his feet from under him and knocked Kano to the ground.
— "There's nothing to be happy about."
He stepped back, stowing the armor back in its compartment.
— "Let's go."
Kano silently got up from the ground and brushed himself off.
They walked silently back toward the registration hall.
Kano stopped by the door and looked back at Lenor, who seemed to still be lost in his thoughts.
He took a deep breath and moved forward — toward the gates, toward his new group.