'Let's be on our way then.'
The people standing behind the warrior looked at each other in confusion before one of them spoke
'Do you even know what you're doing?'
The warrior chuckled. He stood up and gestured for the others to follow before they went back to their previous seats.
The whole guild was full of murmurs
'You shouldn't have done that,' The attendant said quietly, 'He is one of the popular people here, you need to make sure you're not on his bad side.'
Dion didn't reply.
They walked out of the guild, and it felt like it was already almost evening.
The attendant walked towards a junction of the road where there was a sign labelled 'Carrier Stop', gesturing for Dion to follow.
After waiting for a few moments, a vehicle that looked relatively in good condition, with four wheels and a person seated at the front, pulled over.
'Where would you be headed to?'
'The Iron Mouse Inn,' The young attendant replied.
They both got in as the driver zoomed off. Dion looked out the open window at the children, working adults, even pets and rodents.
He sighed
'To be weak is to be comfortable, even if it's only for a while, but to be weak is to never attain freedom, to be at the mercy of the strong, to fear the strong, and to never be strong,' He thought.
They look so happy, yet their lives could end at the very next moment due to the actions of the strong. In this type of world, weakness could be considered a sin!
'We're here.' The attendant said, while looking at Dion.
'That would be 2 shekels,' The driver said gently.
The attendant tossed a few coins to the front of the vehicle before getting out with Dion.
Right in front of them was a 3-storey building, which was tan while the roof was brown. It gave off a homely vibe.
Once they entered the building, the attendant went up to the receptionist to confirm the booked room while she left Dion to wander around with his eyes. Dion was a very reserved person; some would even say introverted. He didn't really speak and preferred to observe.
'Here are the keys, they are for room 23 on the second floor.' The attendant handed the keys over with a pouch that was slightly larger than a clenched fist and said, 'I'll be taking my leave. Remember to get ready early tomorrow.'
Soon, all Dion could see was her back as she walked out of the building.
His eyes darted to the keys in his palm before he glanced at the receptionist, before going up the stairs to his room.
The first floor barely had any noise, though one or two people were entering or leaving their rooms. It was clean, and no imperfection could be spotted. Dion was impressed.
'I wonder how much it cost.'
He headed up to the second floor and then walked down a few meters before finding his room.
'23…'
He inserted the key and heard a clicking sound before the door opened.
Inside the room, there was a tidy bed to the right with a small table right beside it, most likely for reading. There was a door leading to another room on the left, which was probably a bathroom.
He entered the room, shut the door, and locked it right after. Directly in front was a window that was left slightly open with a curtain drooping over it.
He walked towards the bed before lying on it. All the tension in his muscles was released.
He then placed the pouch the attendant had given him in his field of vision. He sat up and opened it.
As expected, it was full of silver coins. 'I was feeling hungry anyway.'
He took off his uncomfortable shoes and put on some slippers that were placed neatly beside the bed. He carried the pouch and went back downstairs.
'Could I arrange for food to be sent to my room?' Dion said as he walked up to the receptionist.
'Yes, the lady who brought you here had done that already. It will get to you in a minute or two' The receptionist replied kindly.
'Okay.' He went back to his room, glanced at the window again, and smiled slightly before lying on his bed and pretending to be asleep.
'Obviously, there's something abnormal about me; it's probably a good thing considering the guildmaster contacted an academy.
But why is my memory so fuzzy? I really can't remember much
The core…!'
As he thought that, he placed his hand in his clothes and brought out the red orb
*Knock knock knock*
Dion got up and opened the door.
A hotel server brought in a tray of food; the smell could make one's mouth water.
'Have a nice day, sir,' she said as she dropped his tray on the table before leaving.
'Thank you,' he said before gently shutting the door behind her.
He picked up the tray and sat on the bed, placing it on his thighs. He first picked up the bottle of water and drank before devouring the fragrant rice with savory soup.
After eating, he drank more water and placed the tray back on the table.
Without wasting a second, he jumped off the bed, tossed off his robe and top, and began stretching his arms and legs.
Was he actually working out? And immediately after eating at that.
He started with a few pushups of different variations before doing crunches and sit-ups, then moving on to do leg exercises. He kept working out until he was fully exhausted. His body felt extremely heavy. It wasn't a very good idea to work out just after eating. He could feel his stomach churning; it was extremely uncomfortable. He felt like he would vomit in a few moments.
But he had a light smile on his face. He went to the window and closed it completely, making sure it was locked.
He then went back to his bed and lay, closing his eyes.
'Grade 9… How was I able to reach grade 9?
I need to find out how to get stronger, I can't keep doing nothing like this.'
He held the core again and stared at it. As he stared, he had an urge, the urge was taking over him completely, and he felt like he was being overcome with madness.
He didn't even feel like resisting; it felt like his true self was coming back.
'Maybe my memories will recover.' He thought, before letting the feeling take over him completely.
He suddenly had a bright smile on his face as he stared at the core intently. He felt his own soul moving around restlessly in his body.
He used his two hands to encapsulate the core before his soul started releasing what he could only describe as an aura into his hands.
The core in his hands vibrated terribly while glowing, the vibration increased as the glowing did, but he did not stop, he continued expending the soul 'aura'.
'His mind was filled with joy and excitement; he could only think 'I know now! I know what i'm passionate about! Is this refinement!?'
Before he knew it, the core pushed his hands apart. The glow started dimming, the core was falling apart, and it looked like it had shattered. But after the pieces of the core fell apart, there was actually something else floating in its stead. It looked like a small dagger. The dagger was small enough to fit in his palm, and before he knew it, a name invaded his mind.
'This... I have refined a heart sword!'