“Here’s your lunch,” the blonde waitress said, placing a tray of food on the table in the mercenary guild hall, smiling at Ye Chui and Debbie. Ye Chui now knew her name was Silas.
“Thank you,” Ye Chui said with a smile.
“You two really surprised me. Earning eight gold coins on your first mission, that’s a first for me,” Silas said, holding the tray with a touch of admiration. “If you need anything else, just call me. I’m happy to serve you.”
After Silas left, Ye Chui and Debbie eyed the spread on the table, both swallowing hard at the sight. Large slabs of fried steak, a whole roasted chicken, glossy roasted potatoes, soft and sweet lemon bread, and two big cups of warm milk. It wasn’t lavish, but it was a fine feast. Neither bothered with manners, diving in eagerly.
The guild hall buzzed with noise. Debbie’s summoned “Joyful Clown” stood on the table, performing comical antics, sparking bursts of laughter. In a remote place like Stan Town, a clown act was a novelty. Combined with the barrel of beer Ye Chui had bought for everyone, he and Debbie were blending seamlessly into the mercenary crowd.
Of course, not everyone warmed to them instantly.
After popping a crispy, peppery steak piece into his mouth, Ye Chui glanced up and noticed Kaimis and his group in the hall’s corner. Still frazzled from being electrocuted by Ye Chui yesterday, Kaimis’s hair stood on end, his expression darker than ever. Catching Ye Chui’s gaze, he drew a finger across his throat in a slicing gesture, smirked coldly, then whispered something to his companions.
Ye Chui looked away, forking another roasted potato into his mouth.
“Kaimis doesn’t seem ready to let this go,” Debbie said, noticing him too, her cheeks puffed with food. “Los, Matt, and the others are our friends now. Should we ask them to handle it? Or spend a few gold coins, and plenty of people would happily teach Kaimis a lesson.”
“Why rely on others?” Ye Chui said, shaking his head as if unconcerned. “If they want trouble, let them come. I need the fight. In six days, I’ve got a duel with Riken.”
Debbie’s delicate brows furrowed. “From what you’ve said, Riken sounds like he’s got some skill. Are you sure you can handle it? You’ve only got that light shield and [Lightning] spell, right? To beat a fire mage, you’d need more spells, but you’ve only been awakened for three or four days. That’s impossible.”
Shaking her head, Debbie looked unconvinced, her face tinged with worry.
“Little lady, have some faith in your partner,” Ye Chui said, popping a piece of lemon bread into his mouth, chewing quickly, and grinning. “I’ll let you in on something. My spellbook’s already mastered [Lightning Strike].”
“What?” Debbie’s head shot up, her food-stuffed mouth pausing mid-chew, eyes wide. “You’re joking?”
“Not at all,” Ye Chui said with a chuckle. He summoned his iPad spellbook, opened the app store, and glanced at his points: 27!
Each wolf rat killed earned 0.5 points. With forty-two rats, that was 21 points, plus his original 6, totalling 27. It felt like gaining experience from slaying monsters.
After a night of use, his spellbook’s magic had been depleted by the final wave of wolf rats. Stored in his body to recharge, it was now full. Following last night’s plan, Ye Chui deftly found the beginner attack spell [Lightning Strike], downloading and installing it.
“You really mastered [Lightning Strike]? Show me!” Debbie said excitedly after swallowing her food, but she quickly glanced around warily. “No, no, not here.” Though habitually goofy, she wasn’t foolish. She knew not to let Kaimis’s group learn Ye Chui had a new spell, giving them a chance to prepare.
Leaning closer, her big eyes sparkling, she said, “You mastered a new spell so fast! A spellbook’s quality determines how quickly spells are learned, and a mage’s talent plays a part too. Your spellbook’s supposed to be rubbish, yet you’ve learned three spells in three days!”
“Heh,” Ye Chui chuckled. His iPad spellbook’s power far exceeded ordinary expectations. Learning spells was nothing. With enough battles, becoming an all-powerful Omni Mage would be easy.
A thought struck him, and he pulled out the coin pouch Los had given him, taking out four gold coins and handing them to Debbie. “After the beer and this meal, we split the remaining eight gold coins.” Pausing, he added seriously, “You were saving for travel home, right? Four gold coins should be enough.”
Debbie hesitated, pocketing the coins. Her eyes flicked to the lively guild hall, then back to Ye Chui. The girl seemed to make up her mind, her face lighting up with a smug grin. “Pfft, four gold coins aren’t enough. I, Debbie, finally got to adventure. No way I’m going back so soon. If I don’t bring back treasure worth a thousand gold coins, my old man will laugh at me.”
Ye Chui blinked, then burst out laughing. “Right, right! And that dungeon, it’s gotta have good stuff. We need to figure out how to explore it. I’m telling you, my spellbook might just unlock the whole map.”
“Unlock the whole map?” Debbie’s eyes lit up. “No idea what that means, but it sounds amazing.”
Thus, the two, initially partners just to “earn enough to part ways,” became comrades set on “adventuring and pulling off a few more big scores.”
After finishing their hearty meal, Ye Chui and Debbie left the guild hall arm-in-arm, humming a chaotic, joyful tune. The “Joyful Clown” spirit bid farewell to the crowd and vanished through a colourful summoning gate.
Kaimis exchanged a look with his companions and quietly slipped out of the guild hall.
“Miss Los,” Matt, the archer, noticed and hurried to Los, who was drinking at the bar.
“No worries,” Los said, taking a swig of her drink and licking her lips with a smile. “Haven’t you noticed? Those two aren’t ordinary. If Kaimis wants trouble, he’ll be the one regretting it. I just hope he doesn’t get himself killed.”
