*Live together*

When Axel returned, he sat down next to Kevin and placed the tray he had filled with different dishes in front of them. Kevin then asked curiously, "What were you talking about with Alan?"

Axel blushed and said, "I was asking him what to do if I wanted to live with you. As I have always been alone, it was a question I had never considered, but I know that Alan and Erik live together; that's why I asked him what the best solution would be."

Kevin put one of his hands on Axel's thigh to reassure him and asked, "So did you find a way for us to live together?"

Axel looked at him in surprise. "Do you agree?"

Kevin chuckled and replied, "Of course I do! I guess not everyone gets a second chance, so I've decided to truly enjoy this new life... and I want to enjoy it with you."

Axel wasn't expecting this confession, and his heart raced immediately. Since they were in a place full of Sun Sect members, he preferred to remain discreet, so he just put his hand on the one Kevin had placed on his thigh and squeezed it.

He said, "Since you're okay with living together, I can ask Douglas. We can rent a small pavilion; it will cost us 10 gold coins per day, but Alan told me that for a mage, it's the ideal place because the spiritual energy is denser inside the pavilions, and you will progress faster."

Kevin looked really excited by the idea, but as he still didn't say anything, Axel finally asked, "So what do you say?"

Kevin, too excited, continued, "Can we settle down together tonight, or will we have to wait a bit?"

Axel honestly told him, "I don't know yet, Kev. I'll go ask Douglas later. How's your training going?"

Kevin said proudly, "I managed to absorb many more particles, and I can now see the particles of the water and wind elements more frequently. As for my body, I've already felt some changes, and it's very pleasant. I can run faster, longer, and without tiring myself too much."

Axel ruffled his hair, saying, "That's great, Kev."

He then moved his lips silently, and even though Kevin looked surprised, he let Axel know he understood what he was saying.

Axel, still without making a sound, said, "Since tomorrow we have a free day, would you like to try to find another dungeon?"

Kevin smiled and said, "I would love that very much."

Axel seemed satisfied with this answer and told Kevin about how his morning had been. Then at 2 pm, they parted ways and each went their own way.

Axel went to see Douglas and immediately asked if he could rent a pavilion for himself and Kevin. He didn't hide the fact that Kevin had become his boyfriend, and Douglas didn't seem surprised given their interaction together.

He gave Axel two passes, one for himself and one for Kevin, and told him he could choose to pay weekly or monthly. Axel chose to pay monthly. No one would find it strange that he paid monthly because everyone knew he was making a good living.

There were still 9 days left before the end of the month, so he gave Douglas 90 gold coins and then asked another question, "Do you have a map of the different territories around the Sun Sect? I would like to buy one."

Douglas hadn't expected this request, but he replied, "Of course, I always have some with me. Do you want just the one for the territories around us, or would you also like the one for the continent?"

Axel thought about it, then said, "Give me both, and the more details, the better."

Douglas nodded and fetched the two maps for Axel. "The one for the territories around the Sun Sect is 50 gold, and the one for the continent is 200 gold."

Axel paid him, and Douglas then asked, "Are you planning to go on an expedition?"

Axel smiled as he put the passes and maps into his magic bag. He said, "I'm not sure yet, but these maps will help me make up my mind. Thanks for your help, Douglas. See you later."

Douglas waved his hand at him, and Axel was eager to take a closer look at these maps. He was planning to use them to try and find dungeons in the Wildlands. For that, he needed a map because he didn't know the precise borders between the different territories. He knew that the Wildlands were surrounded by three Sects: the Sun Sect, the Moon Sect, and the Sky Sect.

It was a very dangerous place, but it was known to have a lot of dungeons, and most importantly, it was very vast. He was confident enough in his own skills to keep Kevin safe, and it was there that he planned to loot dungeons without the Sect knowing.

Axel finally arrived at his post and put his thoughts aside to concentrate on recruiting the new fighters.

Kevin went straight back to his room in the inn and completed his hour of workouts and stretching for the second time that day. He received the usual message notifying him that he had completed his daily quest, "Strengthen Your Body."

When he checked the time, it was already 4:20 pm. Axel had told him to come around 5:45 pm, so he had just enough time to finish his last hour of meditation.

He got into bed and began to meditate immediately. An hour later, he finally received the last message for his daily quests for today:

[ Congratulations, you have just completed the Daily Quest: Strengthen Your Soul Force. The rewards have been sent. ]

[ Summary of Your Meditation ]

Lightning element level 5: 4,945 / 20,000

Water element level 3: 1,198 / 5,000

Wind element level 1: 332 / 1,000

Fire element level 0: 0 / 200

Earth element level 0: 0 / 200

Kevin then checked his Stats since he had completed his daily quests.

[ STATS ]

Name: KEVIN

Race: Human

Level: 4

Class: Mage

Experience: 130 / 400

Strength: 9

Agility: 9

Stamina: 9

Soul Force: 192

Perception: 23

HP: 40 / 40

Points available to distribute: 0

[ EQUIPPED ITEMS ]

None

If Axel could find them a dungeon tomorrow, Kevin would probably be able to level up to level 6 or 7, or maybe even more than that. It would be so great!