A Job Offer

Jax didn't do much for the next few days except train and get used to his unfamiliar body.

Improving one's speed, stamina, and reflexes was quite important for a warrior to survive, so exercise courses were placed in different places around the training center, where Jax spent most of his time.

The other times, he went around Seacrest City, getting better used to that location. He was certain he was going to leave that place soon, and yet he still found himself wanting to learn more about the city and its people.

The curiosity was one he couldn't push back.

On the fourth morning of being there, Jax finally unlocked his Navi Stage. He was a 1-Star Opal and now officially a sorcerer.

He was excited beyond belief.

Jax wanted to immediately begin practicing as a sorcerer, so he rushed to the sorcerer's training area, where he could see people from a distance using their magic.

Some threw large balls of fire at a wall, while some gently floated a few feet off the ground. However, when he went to find the trainer, his excitement faded away, replaced by disappointment.

As it turned out, there was no training for a sorcerer to be done when they did not even have a single spell.

Most sorcerers ended up learning a minor spell when they entered a new Navi Stage. Jax, however, due to his Single Spell Sorcerer restriction, wasn't given that luxury.

Since he could only ever learn a single spell, he needed to find that spell on his own. That meant he was either going to have to earn enough Navi Stones to purchase a spell or go kill monsters and gain some on his own.

Both of which he wasn't sure he could do.

After training around evening on the fourth day, Jax got into the shower. It was a communal shower, so he wasn't the only one there. Many others showered freely too.

As he washed away the dirt and grime from himself, he pulled up his Ascendant status.

[Ascendant Status:]

Name: Jax

Path: Mind

Navi Stage: 1-Star Opal

Highest Cart: 10

Helper: T-1388C (Gemma)

Time Remaining: 37 Days

[SPELLS]

[SKILLS]

[INVENTORY]

[MAP]

[TICKETS]

[REQUIREMENTS]

[RESTRICTIONS]

"Five stars each, you said?" he asked Gemma, who was still a floating mote of light around him.

"Five stars each for the five Navi Stages," Gemma repeated.

"And how exactly am I supposed to gather more Navi? How do I find a skill? Is it also either by purchase or killing monsters?" Jax asked.

"Skills need to be taught by someone who already knows one," Gemma said. "In the case that you can't find someone, you will need to learn it entirely on your own."

"Can you teach me one?" Jax asked, but he had expected the answer already.

"I can only help you so much, Jax. You'll need to do anything necessary to progress through the Celestial Express on your own."

Jax nodded.

After showering, Jax went directly to the dining hall. As usual, he sat alone in a corner, eating quietly. As much as he liked to know about people, he liked to work alone even more.

Someone approached his table and sat beside him. Jax turned to look and realized that it was Danny, the trainer he had befriended.

"You should get more rice," Danny said. "You need the energy considering how much you push yourself out there."

"You guys provide enough food for me twice a day," Jax said. He looked toward the group of trainers in the distance who sat together. "What are you doing here with me?"

"I have a job for you," Danny said. "But it's frankly a little embarrassing."

"What sort of job?" Jax asked.

"Do you know what a porter is?"

Jax thought for a bit and nodded. "It's a baggage carrier. What does that have to do with my job?"

"In here, a porter is usually someone who gathers stuff left behind by the warriors and sorcerers. They are busy fighting, so they don't have time to stay around and do the grunt work. So, they need other people to do it."

Jax narrowed his eyes. "And you want me to do it?"

Danny put on an apologetic face. "We had someone who was going to become the porter, but she ended up deciding that she wants to go to the maze right away. Since you can carry so much just physically, I thought I would ask you. I hope that is not disrespectful."

Jax paused for a bit and shook his head. "No, it's not," he said. "But what do I get from it?"

"Ooh, make sure you only get paid in Navi Stones. Those are the most important ones for you right now," Gemma said. "Or a spell."

"We can pay you a percentage of what we end up earning. We will have another porter along with you, so 5% of everything we make will be yours. How does that sound?"

Jax waited for Gemma to help him. He was too new to these negotiations to figure out what was good and what was not.

"Ask them about their party composition. How many warriors, sorcerers, and at what stages they are all at?"

Jax repeated Gemma's question. Danny seemed to have been expecting that.

"If you join, we will have seven people in the party. Five to fight and two as porters. Three of us are warriors, two are sorcerers. All of us except for one of the sorcerers are in the 3-Star Opal stage. The sorceress is 4-Star. Does that suffice?"

Jax listened to Gemma again and repeated another question from her. "What sort of monsters are we fighting?"

"We're going to the Cobweb Forest in the east. We should be mostly fighting wolves, bears, and hopefully giant spiders."

"Alright, give me a minute," Gemma spoke up immediately. "Each monster they kill should result in two or three Opal Navi Stones. If they manage to kill even just 20 beasts, that is about 50 Navi Stones. You will get around two or three from that. And after they sell the bodies, that should be another Navi Stone."

Jax took in Gemma's words. If he took this job, it was four Navi Stones. And all he would have to do was carry things around. It was also an excellent opportunity to learn more about the monsters, the fighters, and the general dynamics of battles in this world.

"When is the job?" Jax asked.

"Tomorrow, from morning to evening. We will prepare everything for you, so you just need to show up," Danny said.

Jax nodded. "Alright. I'll be there."

Danny beamed with joy. "Thank you. You're a lifesaver!" he said as he took his food and walked away from the table. "See you tomorrow morning."

Jax nodded as the man left and was all alone once again. He looked down toward the plate that he had nearly finished during that conversation.

"Huh? Maybe I should get more rice next time."