The next morning, I woke up feeling… good. Better than I had in years, actually.

I wasn’t rich. I wasn’t powerful. But I could be.

As I sat up in bed, stretching out the lingering stiffness from yesterday’s fight, I let my thoughts wander back to the night before. Lying under the wool blanket, my belly full for the first time since I’d arrived here, I’d let myself think about something I hadn’t in a long time: possibility.

Back in my old world, I’d spent so much time stuck in my own head, overthinking everything. I’d told myself I could do anything with my life. And then, I’d spent so long deciding what I wanted to do that I missed the chance to do anything at all. I’d settled for a job that barely paid the bills, hated every second of it, and felt like I was constantly waiting for something better to just… happen.

But now, here I was—somewhere new, somewhere full of opportunity, even if it was terrifying and dangerous. I didn’t know how I’d gotten here, but that didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was what I did next.

And I wasn’t going to waste this chance. Not again.

I swung my legs out of bed and stood, feeling steadier than I had the morning before. My health and stamina bars were full again, though hidden from view, and the aches from the cellar fight were long gone.

"Alright, Sigvard," I said to myself, running a hand through my hair. "Let’s get to work."

The guild was already buzzing with activity when I came downstairs. Mercenaries crowded around the job board, eating breakfast, trading stories, and swapping gear. Behind the counter, Jason—Mason’s twin—was wiping down the surface, his sharp features set in a focused expression.

I walked up to the counter, the pouch of gold from my first quest clinking faintly at my hip. Jason glanced up, his gaze briefly scanning me before he nodded.

"Morning," he said, his voice brisk but polite.

"Morning," I replied. "I need two things: a weapon and to join the guild officially."

Jason set the cloth down, leaning forward slightly. "A weapon I can help you with. Joining the guild? That’s a bit more involved."

"How involved are we talking?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

Jason gave a faint smirk. "We’ll get to that. First, let’s handle the weapon." He ducked behind the counter and returned a moment later with a short sword.

It was simple, with a bronze blade and a sturdy hilt wrapped in worn leather. The bronze gleamed faintly in the sunlight streaming through the windows, and while it wasn’t much to look at, it was far better than the splintered stick I’d used before.

"Bronze short sword," Jason said, setting it on the counter. "Durable, lightweight, and sharp enough to handle low-level threats. Ten gold."

I picked up the sword, testing its weight. It wasn’t perfect, but it felt solid in my hand. "Deal," I said, handing over half my gold.

Jason pocketed the coins and nodded toward the sword. "Take care of it, and it’ll take care of you. Now, about joining the guild."

He gestured to a smaller desk near the back of the room, where a grizzled man sat flipping through a ledger. His weathered face was lined with years of experience, and his eyes darted sharply across the page as if no detail escaped him.

"That’s Sid," Jason explained. "He handles new recruits. If you’re serious about joining, you’ll need to speak with him. Just a heads-up—it’s not as simple as filling out a form."

I nodded, adjusting the sword at my side as I made my way over to Sid. He didn’t look up as I approached, his quill scratching against the parchment in quick, efficient strokes.

"Excuse me," I said, stopping just short of the desk.

Sid’s eyes flicked up, sharp and assessing. He studied me for a long moment before setting the quill down and leaning back in his chair.

"Let me guess," he said, his voice low and gravelly. "You want to join the guild."

"That’s right," I said, trying to match his direct tone.

"Class?"

"Ranger. Level 1."

His eyebrows raised slightly, and a faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "A Level 1 Ranger? Don’t see many of those walking in here on their own. What’s your story?"

I hesitated, my stomach twisting slightly. "It’s… complicated," I said carefully.

Sid snorted. "It always is." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "Listen, kid, joining the guild isn’t just signing a piece of paper. We don’t take anyone off the street. You’ve got to prove you’ve got what it takes—especially at Level 1."

"I’ve already completed a quest," I said quickly. "Cleared out a cellar of oversized rats at the Old Mill."

Sid raised an eyebrow. "Did you now? And you survived. Barely, by the look of you."

I bristled but held my tongue.

"Alright," Sid said after a moment, standing and stretching his shoulders. "Here’s the deal. We don’t throw new recruits into the deep end without seeing what they can do. If you want to join, you’ll be assessed. I’ll take you on a low-level job, see what you’re made of. If you pull your weight, you’re in. If not..." He shrugged. "At least you’ll know where you stand."

"Fair enough," I said, gripping the hilt of my sword.

Sid gave a sharp nod. "Good. Meet me by the north gate in an hour. Bring your sword and whatever else you think you’ll need. We’re heading out."

As I stepped away from Sid’s desk, my chest tightened with a mix of nerves and excitement. This was it—a chance to prove myself, to show that I wasn’t just another useless Level 1 with no future.

Jason caught my eye as I passed the counter, giving me a knowing nod.

"Sid’s a tough old bastard," he said, smirking faintly. "But he knows his stuff. Do what he says, and you’ll be fine."

"Thanks," I said, my voice steadier than I expected.

I adjusted the pouch of gold at my hip and the bronze sword hanging from my belt. One quest had already shown me how dangerous this world could be, but it had also shown me something else: I could survive.

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And this time, I wouldn’t be going in alone.

We set off not long after Sid barked a few orders at other guild members, his tone sharp and commanding. Whatever he’d told them, they nodded and scattered without hesitation. Sid didn’t bother explaining the plan to me. He just plucked a quest from the board, tucked it into his belt, and gestured for me to follow.

He didn’t tell me what the quest was. He didn’t say where we were going. He just walked, his long strides eating up the distance as we passed through the town gates and out onto the dirt road.

At first, I was too busy keeping up to think much about it. The sun was warm on my back, and the countryside stretched out in front of us, rolling hills dotted with patches of forest. The air smelled cleaner out here, the faint tang of grass and earth a welcome break from the stench of the town.

But after a while, the silence started to get to me. The rhythmic crunch of our boots on the dirt road was the only sound, and Sid didn’t seem like the kind of guy to make small talk.

It hit me, then, just how little I knew about him.

I glanced at his back, watching the way he walked—straight, confident, like a man who knew exactly where he was going. He was a guild veteran, sure, but I didn’t know if that made him trustworthy. I didn’t know his last name, his history, or even if "Sid" was his real name. Hell, I didn’t even know the name of the place we were heading to.

If I wanted to run right now, I wouldn’t know where to go.

The thought made my stomach tighten, and my grip on the hilt of my sword shifted. I didn’t think Sid had any bad intentions—he seemed straightforward enough at the guild—but that didn’t mean I could relax.

In my old world, wandering off with a stranger would’ve been unthinkable. In this world, where bandits, monsters, and god-knows-what else could be lurking just out of sight, it seemed downright suicidal. Every fantasy novel I’d ever read flashed through my mind, and they all screamed the same thing: Be careful. Trust no one too quickly.

But at the same time, guilds existed for a reason. They weren’t just about money—they were about survival. Companions to share the dangers, to watch each other’s backs when things got messy. If I was going to make it in this world, I couldn’t do it alone. That much I knew.

Still, I couldn’t ignore the gnawing unease.

"Hey," I called out, breaking the long silence.

Sid slowed his pace just enough to glance over his shoulder. "What?"

"Where are we going?"

He raised an eyebrow, like the question annoyed him. "Does it matter?"

"Kind of," I said, trying to keep my tone casual. "I mean, I don’t even know what the quest is."

"You don’t need to," he said simply, turning back toward the road. "Just follow my lead."

That wasn’t exactly reassuring.

"What if we run into something unexpected?" I pressed.

Sid let out a low chuckle, his stride never faltering. "Then you’ll get a crash course in surviving out here. You’re here to prove yourself, Ranger. Not to ask questions."

I gritted my teeth but didn’t push further. He wasn’t wrong—this was a test, after all. If I couldn’t handle a little uncertainty, I had no business joining the guild. But that didn’t stop the unease from crawling up my spine.

We walked for what felt like an hour, the dirt road winding through patches of forest and open fields. The sun climbed higher, and the heat pressed down on my shoulders. Every now and then, I caught movement in the corner of my eye—small animals darting through the underbrush, birds flitting from branch to branch.

But the further we walked, the quieter it got.

Eventually, Sid turned off the main road, leading us onto a narrow path that cut through a dense patch of trees. The shade was welcome, but the closeness of the forest made my nerves prickle. The path twisted and turned, the trees pressing in on either side, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched.

I opened my mouth to say something, but Sid held up a hand, signaling for me to stop.

"Quiet," he said, his voice low.

I froze, gripping my sword. Sid’s eyes scanned the forest ahead, his body tensing like a coiled spring.

For a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. Then, faintly, I heard it—a low, guttural growl, barely audible over the breeze.

Sid turned to me, his expression calm but serious. "Stay close," he said. "And keep that sword ready."

I nodded, swallowing hard as I drew the bronze blade.

Whatever this quest was, I had a feeling it was about to get a lot more interesting.

Sid stopped abruptly in the middle of the forest path, turning sharply to face me. His piercing eyes locked onto mine, and his sudden intensity sent a wave of unease through me.

"Where were you born?" he called out, his voice louder than necessary.

I froze. "Umm… ummm…" The words jammed in my throat.

"Umm is not a place," Sid said dryly, crossing his arms.

"New York," I managed to blurt out, though I immediately regretted saying it.

Sid tilted his head, his brow furrowing. "I’ve never heard of New York. Where is it?"

"Uh… northern United States?" My answer sounded more like a question, and I knew it didn’t help.

Sid stared at me like I’d just spoken in tongues. "United States? What is that? A kingdom? A territory?"

"Kind of neither?" I offered weakly, scratching the back of my neck. "It’s a… country."

He narrowed his eyes. "What is your race?"

I blinked, caught off guard. "Human?"

Sid’s expression didn’t change. "Human," he repeated, though he said the word like it didn’t entirely explain things. "You’re not Imperial? Slate? Con?"

"Imperial? Slate? Con?" I echoed, trying not to sound panicked. "No, just… human. Regular, boring human."

Sid stared at me hard, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Can’t you see my class and stuff?" I asked, trying to shift the focus away from me.

His expression changed, faint confusion slipping into his sharp features. "Only the info you allow me to see," he said.

That made me pause. Was that why I couldn’t see Jason’s level or Sid’s stats earlier? It all depended on what people chose to show? My thoughts spiraled for a second before Sid cut in.

"Check again," he said, his voice growing more impatient.

I bit my lip, then decided to test something. I focused on Sid like I had with Mason and Jason, but instead of thinking about seeing his details, I tried to reverse it. I thought about him seeing my information—all of it.

I willed it toward him. A single, deliberate thought: All of it.

Sid’s gaze flickered for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then his eyes widened, his face shifting from confusion to something far more serious. He looked like he’d seen a ghost.

"Outlander," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "You’re an outlander."

The word hung heavy in the air, and I felt the weight of it press down on me, though I had no idea what it meant.

"You came from another world," Sid said, his voice sharper now. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

I swallowed hard, the words sticking in my throat. "Another world?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Outlanders don’t belong here," Sid muttered, his eyes narrowing slightly. His hand drifted toward the hilt of his sword as if on instinct, though he didn’t draw it.

"Whoa, hold on," I said quickly, raising my hands. "I didn’t choose to be here! I don’t even know how I got here!"

Sid studied me for a long, tense moment. The forest around us seemed to grow quieter, the rustling leaves and distant chirping of birds fading into an eerie silence.

"How much do you remember?" Sid asked finally, his voice measured but firm.

"Not much," I admitted. "One minute I was home, and the next, I woke up in a jail cell with no clue how I got there."

Sid’s gaze lingered on me, his hand still hovering near his sword. "You’re telling the truth," he said, though it sounded like he was speaking more to himself than to me.

"Yeah," I said, my voice steady despite the pounding in my chest. "I don’t even know what an outlander is. I just… I just want to figure out how to survive here."

His hand dropped from his sword, though the tension in his shoulders didn’t ease. "Outlanders are… rare," he said carefully. "You don’t come from this world, but for some reason, this world accepted you—gave you a class, a place in its system. That doesn’t happen by accident."

"Accepted me?" I asked, frowning.

"Outlanders shouldn’t exist here," Sid said. "The system isn’t built for people from other worlds. It’s why most outlanders…" He trailed off, his expression darkening.

"Most what?" I pressed.

"They don’t survive," Sid said bluntly.

I felt a chill run through me, but I forced myself to keep steady. "Well, I’m still here," I said.

Sid gave me a long, considering look. Then he sighed, his shoulders relaxing slightly. "Let’s keep moving," he said, turning back toward the path. "You’ve got a lot to prove, Ranger. Outlander or not, if you can’t handle this quest, none of it will matter."

I nodded, gripping the hilt of my bronze short sword a little tighter as I followed him. The word "Outlander" echoed in my mind; its meaning heavier with every step. I didn’t know what it meant for my future, but one thing was clear: I wasn’t just another recruit. Not in this world.

And I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.