Chapter 14

"Level two?! No, this even exceeds level two!" exclaimed the attendant who had checked Aslan's level.

"What's wrong?" asked Aslan, confused.

"Sir, there's no need to lie about when you received your trigger," said the woman.

"I'm not lying. I really did get it just a few days ago," replied Aslan.

"That's impossible. No one gets a trigger and instantly surpasses level two."

"What do you mean? Don't regular people start at level one? So shouldn't it be normal for a user to be at level two?" asked Aslan.

"You're really strange, sir. You don't even know the basics. Someone who just awakened can't reach this level. When a person first awakens, they can barely make the crystal move—not even one centimeter."

"Tors energy always resonates with the user's emotions and will. When something goes wrong or they're in danger, a strong emotion may trigger the Tors energy. That's why it's called a 'trigger.'

"When someone receives a trigger, their body experiences a surge of Tors energy, which pushes them to a certain level—depending on how powerful the trigger is. If a person receives a trigger strong enough to push them to level two, they'll die. Their body wouldn't be able to handle such a sudden surge of energy. That's why no one ever reaches level two right away," the woman explained.

After hearing that, Aslan understood. If it hadn't been for the Harakka pendant his uncle gave him, and the young man who saved him, he likely would have died.

Wait! How could Uncle—a simple farmer—own such a valuable pendant? I'm sure he's never even fought before… Aslan thought to himself.

"I'm going to recommend you to work for a noble," said the woman, snapping Aslan out of his thoughts.

"What?! No, no way! I don't want to work for a noble," said Aslan quickly.

That would be the worst idea ever, he thought.

"Why not? Working under a noble pays well. And who knows—they might be so impressed with your talent that they'll teach you how to absorb Tors energy properly, or even enroll you in an academy if you swear loyalty to them.

"Look around—of all the people here, the strongest is only level three. That's because they don't know how to absorb Tors. But if you work for a noble, you'll receive training and can grow much stronger. Who knows? You might even become someone as powerful as the legendary Magic Sword Knight," she said, trying to persuade him.

"No, ma'am. I have my own reasons," Aslan declined firmly.

Tch, if only he agreed, I could've gotten a bonus from one of the nobles for bringing in someone so talented… the woman muttered quietly.

"Fine, I won't push you. Now, fill out this form first," she said.

"For what?" asked Aslan.

"To make your guild badge, obviously. You sure ask a lot of questions. I'm a busy woman, you know—I can't answer everything."

"Unless, of course, you're willing to leave a little tip," she muttered under her breath.

"Will this be enough?" Aslan asked, handing her a gold coin.

She froze for a moment.

"Of course! Ask anything you like!" she replied with a wide smile.

Hehe, even though this doesn't compare to the bonus I'd get from a noble, it's still equal to a month's salary, she thought happily.

"Do I really need to enter my real background here?" Aslan asked as he filled out the form.

"You don't have to… unless you want to receive a monthly salary," the woman said.

"Monthly salary?"

"Yes. It's about three silver coins a month. Did you think we only paid when you brought back monster corpses?"

"So I'll get paid even if I don't go hunting?"

"Of course not. Do you think the nobles are that stupid? Every time you sell a monster, we log it and send reports monthly. If your progress is slow, your pay gets cut. If you don't hunt at all, you don't get paid," she explained.

"Alright then," said Aslan, as he began filling out the form. He changed his name and origin, writing "Galang" as his name and using Amanda's village as his place of origin.

"Okay, wait a bit. I'll make your badge," she said, turning into the back room—only to suddenly come out and drag Aslan inside.

"Did you make a mistake writing your place of origin?" she asked.

"No, that's correct," Aslan answered.

"But… wasn't that village destroyed? So that's why you turned down my offer," she said, putting the pieces together.

"You really are stupid. This form will be copied and sent to all guild branches—and seen by nobles. If the noble who attacked your village finds out that someone who killed their monster survived, they won't sit still. There's no way they'll let someone who might seek revenge live freely."

"Do you know which family that symbol belongs to?" Aslan asked, his expression darkening with barely restrained anger.

"What are you going to do if I tell you? March straight to them like a fool? You'll just be throwing your life away!" she snapped.

"Then what should I do?"

"I don't know. I'm telling you this so you don't get into trouble. I'll change your place of origin on the form—think of it as thanks for that gold coin."

Aslan remained silent. She was right—he was still too weak right now.

---

A while later, Aslan's badge was ready.

"By the way, the monster that attacked your village was a level-three creature. Monsters at that level always produce a monster core."

"Monster core?" asked Aslan. He had heard the term from the young man who saved him, but he didn't know exactly what it looked like.

"When a monster—or any living creature—reaches level three and dies, a dark smoke-like energy emerges from their body. It then condenses into small black orbs. These are monster cores. The stronger the creature, the harder and denser the core becomes," she explained.

Aslan suddenly remembered the black orbs he'd found in the pouch he took from one of the fallen soldiers.

"So… that was a monster core," he thought.

To be continued...