Arin sat on the bed, took a breath, and pulled up the red panel. He flicked to Raul's page to see what had changed.
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Subordinate: Raul Slade
Core Talent: Combat Sense
Rank: Soldier (37%)
Talent Skills: Sixth Sense, Martial Kinesthesia
Regular Skills: Basic Dagger Mastery, Quick Footwork
Upgrade: Locked (Unlock with 100 Lord Coins)
Lord Coins: 100 (Can be unlocked)
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Arin grinned. "Let's go, unlock."
The red text ticked.
100 Lord Coins have been consumed.
Subordinate Raul Slade's Upgrade panel has been unlocked.
A new block opened.
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Upgrade Panel (Raul Slade)
1) Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
2) Upgrade Skill: Basic Dagger Mastery → Advanced Dagger Mastery — 100 Lord Coins
3) Upgrade Skill: Quick Footwork → Nimble Steps — 70 Lord Coins
Current Lord Coins: 00
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Arin stared, then lost it. "YO YO YO WHAT! IT CAN DO WHAT NOW?"
Raul jumped and clamped a hand over Arin's mouth. "Why are you yelling like that, you crazy b—" He caught himself, scowled. "Stop. You wanna tell the whole building or what?"
Arin peeled Raul's hand off. "Sorry. I got hyped." He coughed, tried to look serious, failed.
Raul leaned in, curiously. "Explain, what does it do?"
Arin smirked. "Okay. Hypothetically, if I had a thousand lord coins right now, I could hit a button, and you'd be Captain rank. Right now. Also, bump your dagger and footwork skills."
Raul blinked once, then twice. "YOU SAY WHAT NOW, YOU FU— Are you messing with me? This is busted."
"STFU," Arin said, smirking. "You wanna tell the whole building or what?, hehe."
Raul blew out a breath. "Ahem, I lost my temper." He rubbed his face. "So it can rank me up, and boost skills. That's… yeah. That's big."
Arin grinned like an idiot. "That's what she said."
Raul shot him a look. "Be serious, dammit."
Arin chuckled, leaning back on the wall. "Couldn't resist."
Arin pointed at the bottom line. "But there's a teeny tiny minor issue."
"What?"
"In terms of Lord coins, we have no lord coins."
Raul looked at him in a deadpan expression. "Bro. Then we hunt, obviously. We kill, kill, kill."
"I'm cool with that," Arin said. "You're the one doing most of the killing. I'll cheer from the sidelines."
"Hell no," Raul said. "You're tanking."
Arin held up both hands. "MF, I just recovered. I keep catching scars every other day."
"Then dodge better," Raul said. "Skill issue."
"Shut up."
They both laughed. The room felt lighter.
Arin closed the panel and set the table straight. "Let's be smart. We saw coins jump faster for bigger monsters. Worms gave more than rats. Hounds gave steady ones. If we want a quick bump for footwork, 50 coins is doable in a week if we don't get stupid."
Raul nodded. "We don't chase stronger ones. We buy the cheap wins first. Then think about rank when the bag is fat."
Arin tapped the table. "Yeah."
Raul leaned back on the bed. "We should also test if coins pop only when I kill. Still true?"
Arin shrugged. "During sewers, it was like that. You kill, coin ticks. I kill, nothing."
"Then the same setup," Raul said. "You draw. I cut."
"Sure, sure," Arin echoed.
They made a simple list for tomorrow. Gear check. Bait and smoke. Ask Victor to sharpen Raul's knife, oil Arin's shield rim. Buy cheap chalk, extra wire, and a pack of bitter powder for lungs. Check the board for hounds, worms, or a clean goblin post. Skip gullies. No caves. Stay in open lanes.
Arin opened Raul's page again just to stare. The red looked good.
Raul watched him. "You gonna sleep or sit there drooling at your magic notebook?"
Arin flicked him off, still smiling. "Shut up."
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He set the shield by the bed, slid the sword out a finger's width, and clicked it back in. Raul rolled his shoulders, stood, and tested his stance, weight forward, heel ready, hands loose. He moved like the floor didn't stick.
Arin tossed him the rag. "Wipe your blade."
Raul cleaned it and checked the edge with his thumb, light. "Still good. Victor didn't cheap out."
"Tomorrow we roll," Arin said. He looked at the window, thin glass, city lamp glow. "Guild opens at dawn."
"Sure," Raul said. "I'm sleepy. Good night."
He dropped onto the bed and went horizontal in one breath. Arin watched him for a second, the way his chest rose evenly, the way his hands settled near his belt like they wanted tools even in sleep. Then Arin lay back too.
He didn't close his eyes right away. He let the day replay, the sewer stink, the hound teeth, the worm steam, the weight of silver in his pouch, the red coins that hit triple digits, the way it drained to zero in a blink. It didn't make him anxious. It made him hungry.
After a minute, he sat up again. "One more thing."
Raul grunted without opening his eyes. "What?"
"We should pick fights that match silvers," Arin said. "No pointless flex. If a job pays two silver but burns three days and gives one coin per kill, skip."
"Yeah," Raul said, eyes still closed. "We do jobs that stack ears and coins together. Bounties with proof and monsters that count."
"Also," Arin added, "we also keep quiet. No talking about screens. No shouting in halls."
Raul cracked an eye. "You shouting like a clown earlier was a one-time thing?"
Arin groaned. "One time."
"Good," Raul said. He shut his eye. "Sleep."
Arin lay back, finally. He let his breath steady. The faint arc on his palm felt like nothing now, just skin. The room had smells: iron, sweat, and old wood. Outside, someone laughed on the street, someone swore about a bad dice roll, a cart wheel creaked, and a gate hinge complained. Ordinary noise. He liked it.