Five points on a stat were nothing to be laughed at. In absolute terms, that was the same number of points that one got for becoming a full awakened. However, after everything he had been through, Dallion felt the reward to be a total letdown. For one thing, it was in a stat he couldn’t even use yet. To make things worse, it was starting to look like he wouldn’t find out in the near future, anyway.

From what Nil had explained, an awakened had seven stages of development. Each stage was divided by a gate that acted as a level cap, requiring their own individual test. From there on things became complicated. Apparently, each gate doubled the number of levels required to reach it. The first gate was at level five, the next at ten, and the next—which Dallion had to look forward to—was at level twenty. In addition, there were two types of gates—major and minor. All gates block attribute advancements, but major gates blocked skill increases as well. The gate at level ten had been a major gate, ensuring that Dallion could increase his skills up to level forty. However, it also guaranteed that Dallion couldn’t reveal the hidden stat by level twenty-one. Dallion knew that, so he had decided to focus on his other attributes. This new reward messed up things just enough to make him regret his recent decision.

“I got an attribute boost,” Dallion said. “Are you sure there’s only one reward?”

What do you think this is, a treasure trove? The echo scoffed. Getting an attribute boost is quite significant. Keep in mind that achievements run out, rewards don’t.

“I was still hoping to gain the knowledge to craft something.”

Forge, Nil corrected. All you can do is forge and as well as you used to handle your music skills when I was given to you.

That was right. It had taken Dallion a while to figure out how to use music, and even now he was not an expert by far. Thinking about it, there were probably awakened that used it non-stop in everyday life. On several occasions Dallion had felt inclined to buy something off the street, just because he had found the stall seller to be charismatic. What if that was no accident, but an awakened was using music to attract customers?

Talk about subliminal messaging, Dallion thought. Realistically, though, the chances were slim. Music was a rare skill group. If one had it, there was a lot more that could be gained than attracting clients. Dallion’s mother would probably use it to make people happy. Likely she was doing just that back in the village. A pity, since she would have liked Nerosal a lot. Now that Dallion had completed his awakening, he was going to save enough to send a courier with gifts to Dherma. As much as he missed his family and friends there, though, he had no intention of going back.

“Is it fine for me to leave now?” Dallion asked.

Does that mean you’ve given up the idea of trying to become a master crafter in a day?

“Leave the cube.” Dallion sighed. In truth, he still very much wanted to try out his new skill, but the echo’s condescending attitude made him rethink his strategy. Maybe it was better to get some rest, not to mention he was feeling hungry again.

Yes, go ahead and leave the room.

“You know what, I think I’ll take a nap. Catch you later, Nil.”

Dallion returned to the real world. After the recent experience, the inn room felt surprisingly small and organized. The floor was a floor, the walls were walls, and Dallion couldn’t even reach the ceiling, let alone walk on it. Taking a deep breath, he tapped the hilt of the harpsisword.

“That was something, wasn’t it?”

And welcome back, the shield said. I heard that you linked a few things to your awakening room. Does that mean I’m to be next?

“I still need to buy you from the general. After that, sure.”

By the looks of it, that might be quite soon now that you’ve broken your cap. Just keep one thing in mind, though. Take it slow. Not worth getting messed up for three gold coins. If you need to pay off the general for another month or six, do it.

Another six months. That alone would cost a fortune, although considering the good the shield had done, it was well worth it. The greater problem was the selection test. There wasn’t that long till Dallion would have to enter the dagger alone. And from what he had seen so far, he was nowhere nearly as ready.

“Does anyone have an idea which level I need to get to clear the dagger?” Dallion asked.

It’s not about the level, Nil said. It’s about the skills and how you use them. Given the achievements you’ve amassed, your level is fine. You need to up your skills and come up with a strategy of what to do. You’ve already seen three and a half levels of the dagger. Think on what you need to do to defeat them, then prepare for a few more eventualities.

All good advice. For the moment, though, Dallion had a more urgent concern: food. According to the arrangement he had with Hannah, he would have free room and board as long as he didn’t abuse their arrangement. Leaving the gear in the room, Dallion made a quick check to see whether there was anything new in the guild. The thought of linking the emergency ring came to mind, but he decided against it for now.

Aspan’s food was as good as always. The cook even gave him a little extra to mark Dallion joining the ranks of the double digits. This was one of the weird things about Aspan—somehow he always knew what was going on. Not too long after, Jiroh joined Dallion as well.

“I’ll be absent for a while,” the fury said directly. “Don’t know how long it’ll be this time. Are you okay to help out with the waiting while I’m gone?”

“Sure.” Dallion smiled. After everything she had done for him, that was the least he could do. “Hunting?”

“Sort of. Hunters do more things than just hunting. You’ll find out some day.”

“You really think I’m set up to be a hunter?”

“The potential’s there. I hope that you are, but only time will say.” She took a sip from her cup. “That’s the thing about hunters. They are both born and made.”

“Ah.” Dallion took a gulp from his cup as well. For some reason, seeing others drink tended to always make him thirsty. “So, with a lot of effort anyone can become a hunter?”

“No,” Jiroh said with a sad smile. “Only those born to be a hunter can become one. However, not all born with the gift do. That’s why hunters are so rare, and also why so few mess with us.”

Dallion remained silent, continuing to eat his food. He was itching to finally find out once and for all whether she was an awakened or not, but knew that he wouldn’t get a straight answer.

“Don’t discount your strength. Things might become tougher before they become better, but you’ll get here. Also, you can rely on Eury to show you the ropes.”

That much Dallion already knew.

“Will she be joining you?”

“Yeah. This is bigger than our usual work, so there will be a lot of us.”

“And you still can’t tell me what it is?”

“Always curious, eh?” A gust of wind tapped Dallion on the back of the head. “You’ll find out at some point, but not today.”

“Right. Right.”

“You can go visit Eury before we leave,” the fury added out of nowhere. “We’ll be heading out in the middle of the night, so it’s okay to see her after the dinner shift. Think about it.”

“I will.” Dallion nodded.

I strongly recommend you don’t, Nil said. You have more important things to worry about. For one thing, you need to get a training sword from the guild. Now that you’re reached that stage, a training sword can do wonders.

“About Eury. Where did she come from?” Dallion ignored the echo’s suggestion. “She’s the only gorgon in Nerosal even if people have gotten used to her.”

“There aren’t many furies either. But yes, you’re right. She’s quite unique, and that’s something you should ask her.”

The conversation continued a bit longer, but all the important things had already been said. As difficult as it was for Dallion to concentrate on the real world with everything the double-digit level of awakening offered, he did make a note to go see the gorgon after work. It wasn’t like Jiroh to be so insistent on something.

Just as Dallion was finishing his meal, Nil let him know that there was an interesting job at the guild. Having a captain in his awakening realm turned out to be very beneficial in some ways; for instance, Dallion was aware of opportunities the moment they happened. Grabbing his gear from the room, Dallion then rushed to the guild. Upon arriving, however, it turned out that things weren’t as he expected.

“Dal, right on time!” Estezol greeted him.

“Hey.” Dallion waved. “On time for what?”

“I lieutenant’s planning a dark exploration. Since there’s no telling what it is, he’ll need a lot of experienced packrats. Given what you’ve shown, I think you can handle yourself in a stressful situation.”

“I’d like to think so. What’s a dark exploration?”

“If I knew it wouldn’t be dark,” the short man laughed. “Special order. Some of the clients who use our services sometimes make this arrangement. All that we know is that a sphere item will arrive in three days, at which point it is to be cleared as quickly as possible. A rather large advance is paid for our troubles and for that we must be ready. That’s why a lieutenant is taking this on personally. In most cases it turns out to be nothing, but every now and again we get a tough nut to crack.”

That was an interesting arrangement. The fact that it paid better was already enough to get Dallion interested, and as a bonus he was going to see a lieutenant in action. There was no better opportunity to compare himself to someone experienced and learn a few tricks in the process.

“Why not a captain?”

“Captains do it too, but that would cost a lot of money. And don’t forget if something is so serious that a captain is needed, we won’t be sending packrats.”

“Right.” That made sense. “So, what do I have to do? Get back in three days?”

“Well, there’s that, but the lieutenant also needs to see if you’re something he’ll want to take along. It’s his mission, so he must feel comfortable with the team, and I don’t mean only in terms of skill. I take it you’re interested in the mission? It pays triple.”

“Definitely interested.”

“In that case, go to the second floor. The lieutenant’s going over potential candidates. It’s easy to find, just follow the queue of people.”

Given that the mission had only been officially scheduled twenty minutes ago, Dallion didn’t expect to see too many people queueing for it. When he arrived on the second floor, he discovered that he had been somewhat wrong in his estimates. No less than three dozen people were there, waiting patiently. A few of them glanced at Dallion as he appeared.

“Hey, Dal!” Arthurows waved from the middle of the queue. “Cool to have you join in.”

“You know me,” Dallion replied. He was by no means surprised to find his slacker friend here. When it came to sniffing out opportunities, there wasn’t a single person in the entire guild better than Arthurows. It was curious how the rest had managed to find out. Apparently, Dallion wasn’t the only one to have echo help.

“Just remember to keep it short and sweet,” Arthurows shouted. “Do that and you’ll be fine.”

“Got you!”

Short and sweet. Dallion went to the end of the queue. This will be interesting.