As the initial shyness began to fade, we shifted our hands into a more comfortable position. The awkward, mismatched grasp of loosely tangled fingers gave way to a deliberate interlocking of hands. The change was small but felt monumental, a quiet acknowledgment of something neither of us wanted to say out loud.

We walked closer together now, the gap between us shrinking as though the space itself no longer felt necessary. Each step felt lighter, as if the weight of the moment was shared evenly between us. I couldn’t help but glance at Thea from the corner of my eye. Her expression was calm, but there was a softness there that wasn’t usually present—like she, too, was trying to figure out what this all meant.

I focused on the sensation of her hand in mine, warm and steady, and let the silence stretch comfortably between us. The occasional brush of our shoulders was enough to make my pulse quicken, but I told myself to relax. For once, I didn’t want to ruin the moment by overthinking.

As we turned a corner, the familiar hum of the city surrounded us—merchants haggling, the clatter of armor, and the faint chatter of other recruits heading to their next tasks. Thea finally broke the silence, her voice quieter than usual. “Do you think this guild idea will work?”

The question caught me off guard, but I was grateful for the chance to focus on something practical. “I think it could,” I said after a moment. “It’s a good way to protect what we’re building.”

Thea didn’t respond right away, but she gave my hand a slight squeeze. That simple motion sent a wave of reassurance through me. She might not have said much, but it was enough to let me know she understood.

“We should go to the Grand Hall at some point too,” Thea added, her voice thoughtful.

“Yeah, I’m curious how those missions work,” I responded. “Will we be able to leave the training camp? Are they dangerous? This whole world still feels like a total mystery to me.”

“I was born here, and it feels the same to me.” She laughed lightly, the sound soft and comforting.

“You two seem a lot closer than I remember,” an amused and gruff voice said from behind us.

We both turned to see our former instructor standing there, a knowing grin on his face. Thea quickly pulled her hand from mine, much to my dismay.

“Don’t stop on my account, girl,” he laughed loudly, “you’re making him look so sad.”

I hadn’t realized my disappointment was so obvious, but I didn’t want to push her, so I quickly changed the subject.

“I have something to offer you, sir,” I said, straightening up. “Something that could unlock the rest of the value you said Body Refinement holds. We—or rather, Thea—figured it out. For real this time.”

“Oh?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Good. I was just heading to the Tank Guild to train. Why don’t you come along?”

“And something else,” Thea added, her tone steady. “We need information. Maybe even help… We want to start a guild.”

“What kind of guild?” he asked as we began walking.

Thea paused, clearly choosing her words carefully, before glancing at me. “A cultivators’ guild. One we can use to teach others for a price—but bind them with system contracts.”

He mulled this over for a moment. “Hmm. Well, the transformation after your Spiritual Reservoir Formation stage is impressive, not to mention the Grand Channel itself. But convincing people with just that might not be enough.”

“What about a thirty-point stat increase?” I offered.

He froze mid-step, his eyes going wide. “You’re sure about that?”

“Positive,” Thea said firmly.

He took a moment to think, his expression growing serious. “Let’s hurry,” he finally said. “We need to talk about this now. If that’s really the case, people will be lining up to learn from you. You’ll need an airtight system contract—something ironclad. Even the State might take an interest.”

My heart skipped a beat at his words, but his next ones were surprisingly reassuring. “Relax, recruit. The State won’t rob you. Not for something like that. It’s world-changing, sure, but only at the beginner stage of missions. Body Refinement has its limits if it’s just thirty points.”

“Huh?” I said, confused. “That’s not Body Refinement. Body Refinement seems to upgrade our endurance...so far. This was another transformation. We haven’t even started Body Refinement yet.”

He stopped dead in his tracks, his expression unreadable, before suddenly breaking into a jog. Over his shoulder, he barked the words I hated to hear: “Keep up! We need to talk now!”

“Why?” I grumbled under my breath.

“Come on, lazy. This should be easy now,” Thea said with a laugh.

We both began jogging. “It’s not the difficulty—it’s the principle,” I complained.

“The principle of what?” she asked, rolling her eyes in that signature way of hers.

“Of… not wanting to run?” I replied, though it sounded more like a question than an answer.

“Are you asking me or telling me?” she countered.

“What? No,” I said quickly. “Anyway, I just hope this whole thing—spreading our method—doesn’t end up being dangerous.”

I couldn’t help but think about the stereotypes I’d read about in stories: the protagonists who hoarded all their secrets, guarding them to stay safe. I didn’t have that luxury. If I had endless resources and points at my disposal, maybe Thea and I could keep our method under wraps, only sharing it with our group. But we weren’t that lucky. Not yet.

“I think the instructor’s reliable,” Thea said, her voice steady. “He’ll help us.”

Before I could respond, we stopped in front of a large building—one that could only be the Tank Guild. Its towering structure seemed imposing, but not unwelcoming.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, girlie. Now, let’s head inside,” the commander said, gesturing for us to follow.

I sighed and muttered, “We really need to get used to this whole ‘whispering doesn’t work for cultivators using our methods’ thing.”

Thea chuckled softly as we stepped through the doors.

The moment we stepped through the doors, the atmosphere shifted. The room was filled with towering figures—both men and women—who looked as solid as the shields they carried. Their builds ranged from broad and muscular to lean but intimidating, each radiating a presence that demanded attention.

Heavy shields rested casually against walls, some almost as tall as their owners, while massive weapons were slung over shoulders or propped near tables. Axes, war hammers, and blades far too large for any normal human to wield gleamed in the dim light.

Commander Griffith walked straight ahead, his presence just as commanding as those around him, though in a quieter, more self-assured way. He ignored everything and everyone, his pace steady and purposeful. No greetings, no acknowledgments, just a single-minded focus as he led us deeper into the guild.

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I swallowed hard, keeping my face neutral as Thea walked beside me, her steps unshaken.

We entered a room, and as the door closed, the outside noise disappeared into complete silence. The space resembled the private training room we’d used before—bare but functional, with enough room to work but no distractions.

The instructor turned to us, his expression unreadable. “First, tell me the information. I said before that the complete method would be worth one thousand points. I’ve already paid you five hundred for the theory, but with this new transformation, I may need to offer more. Speak.”

I glanced at Thea, confident she would take over. She was much better at teaching than me, and I patiently waited for her to explain. Instead, she turned to me with an expectant look.

There was an awkward pause.

“Peter,” she said, her tone dry, “how would I know what you’ve told him or not?”

“Oh—oh right,” I stammered, the realization hitting me.

“Impossible,” she muttered, shaking her head.

The instructor laughed loudly, the sound echoing through the room. “You’ve got your work cut out for you, girl.”

I sighed, only slightly hurt. “So—Thea discovered how to store energy in the body, but first, let me explain the transformation. When you finish carving—or maybe after, it might depend—either way, when the body purification is complete, you release a bunch of impurities all at once.”

“It’s horrible,” Thea said with a shiver, her voice low. I patted her shoulder in comfort.

“Anyway,” I continued, “your body feels much lighter afterward, and I imagine the force will now stick to the skin much more effectively. Based on how it worked for Thea, I think the process refines the body in this order: skin, bones, then organs...other than skin, and maybe there are more that are refined.”

“Peter,” Thea interrupted, “you forgot something about the transformation.”

“What? Um—” I looked to her for guidance. “Why don’t you take over… please?”

She sighed, her voice tinged with exasperation but steady. “The density of internal strength increases… massively. I haven’t tested it myself yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s two or even three times as potent. That increased potency, however, means cultivation will take longer.”

The instructor raised an eyebrow as he scratched notes onto a piece of parchment. “Longer cultivation, but greater potency. Go on.”

“As for how to perform Body Refinement,” Thea said, her tone serious now, “I highly, highly suggest having someone you trust help you.”

The instructor paused, his pen hovering over the parchment. “Help? Why?”

“You have to get close to popping,” she said bluntly. “The energy needs to build to the point where it’s forced out through your body. You stop yourself just before your skin starts to blister. In my experience, that’s… difficult to judge on your own. Having someone stop you instead is much safer. Unfortunately, it’s another reason cultivation slows significantly.”

The instructor nodded slowly, his expression contemplative. “That’s a risky method, but I can see the reasoning. Anything else?”

“We haven’t seen exactly how the stats are affected by Body Refinement yet,” Thea added, her tone thoughtful. “But I imagine once it reaches the muscles, tendons, and bones, endurance won’t be the only thing increasing.”

“Naturally,” the commander responded with a slight nod.

“That should be everything,” Thea said, folding her arms. “Once we complete Body Refinement, we’ll have a better idea of how to progress.”

“Hmm.” Griffith paused, his expression unreadable as he seemed to ponder something. “How about this—I’ll show you how to create a guild and set up contracts in the system. If you run into trouble with other guilds, I can provide… some help. But I can’t get too involved. The most I can do is keep the really big guys off your back until you get on your feet.”

“And I’ll hand over the five hundred points to complete the transaction from before,” he added, holding out his orb. Thea and I quickly brought ours out, taking two hundred fifty points each.

“Alright,” Griffith continued, slipping the orb away, “but before we go any further, you need to figure out what kind of benefits you’re offering.”

“Benefits?” I asked, glancing at Thea. “We’re offering stats. Isn’t that already better than most guilds?”

Griffith raised an eyebrow. “Stats are great, but most guilds include exclusivity clauses for a reason. They’re investing in their recruits—providing weapons tailored to their blessings, specialized gear, housing, and food. Those kinds of resources aren’t cheap, and spending that much on recruits without loyalty to the guild? That’s a losing game.”

Thea chimed in, her voice steady. “What if we skip exclusivity entirely? For instance, we could create a contract with your guild. That way, your recruits could join ours without leaving.”

“And pay for both?” Griffith countered. “Most guilds already take a percentage of their recruits’ points. Adding your fees on top of that? You’d need to prove it’s worth the cost.”

“We can,” Thea replied confidently. “Even graduating recruits could use an extra thirty points from the second transformation. And who knows how much they’ll gain from Body Refinement?”

Griffith nodded slowly, rubbing his chin. “That’s a compelling offer. But you’ll still need to keep costs manageable for bottom-rank recruits.”

“We can charge a flat fee based on the tier,” Thea suggested, her tone quickening with enthusiasm. “For now, we’ll offer up to the first transformation at a much lower price than most guilds charge. We’ll teach the method, and they’ll pay us. But unless they join the guild, they won’t receive any additional guidance.”

Griffith raised an eyebrow. “So, a store and a guild?”

“Exactly,” she said with a grin. “We won’t take a percentage unless they choose to join the guild. And honestly, Commander, most of these recruits are still bottom rank. The change they’ll experience after completing the Spiritual Reservoir Formation stage? They’ll be hooked.”

Griffith chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. “Ambitious. You might be onto something.”

Thea’s smirk grew, a mischievous expression that I swore she’d picked up from Elric. It was almost uncanny—except, on her, it was actually cute rather than scary.

“Okay, so how do we form a guild… and a contract?” I asked, leaning forward slightly.

“You can form a guild at the Grand Hall,” Griffith said. “The fee’s only a hundred points. As for the contract, it’s straightforward. Simply say the word, and your system will handle it. You decide the clauses and the punishment. The system enforces it.”

“What kind of punishment?” I asked.

“I’d suggest something severe,” Griffith said, crossing his arms. “A seal on all learned techniques, for one. And a massive debt—thousands of points. No one’s going to breach it if they know what’s waiting for them.”

Thea gasped. “Isn’t that… too far?”

Griffith shrugged. “Not if they don’t break the terms.”

I nodded slowly. “Then the clauses will be a ban on sharing the teachings, reverse-engineering, or sharing any insights gained individually from it without consulting the guild heads.”

“Fair,” Griffith said. “Anything else?”

Thea tilted her head. “How do we give the contract to someone else?”

“That’s simple,” Griffith explained. “Have physical contact with a person and say, ‘Contract transfer.’ The system will guide the process from there. The individual you’re transferring it to will need to say ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ for confirmation.”

“Why?” I asked, curious.

“To ensure the signer means it,” Griffith said, his tone firm. “The system also doesn’t allow contracts to be made under duress—physical or mental. If the individual is coerced, the system will refuse to transfer the contract. No forcing anyone into an agreement.”

Thea nodded, her expression softening. “That’s fair.”

“Exactly,” Griffith said with a smirk. “The system’s strict, but it keeps things balanced.”

“Great, thanks, sir,” I said, standing up. “I think we’ll be going. Good luck with the training.”

He gave a short nod. “Alright, go on now. Don’t forget to complete your dailies.”

Thea and I left the building, stepping out into the bustling street. “Should we go and make the guild first, or complete our dailies?” I asked.

“Let’s make the guild first,” she replied. “We can check the monthly missions too while we’re there. Knowing Elric and the others, I wouldn’t be surprised if they went to the Hall of Heroes to advertise and already have a bunch of fans lining up to learn from us.”

I laughed. “Pays to be an idol, I suppose.”

The Grand Hall wasn’t far, so the walk wouldn’t take long. The streets were alive with recruits heading in various directions, their chatter and hurried steps adding to the energy of the training grounds.

“I guess you’ll have to be the master,” I teased as we walked. “I can’t make contracts, after all. You’ll really be a grandmaster.”

Thea rolled her eyes, though her smirk betrayed her amusement. “I guess I will.”

The Grand Hall was only a short walk away, its majestic architecture looming ahead. We continued in a comfortable silence, broken only by the sound of our boots against the cobblestones. My gaze flicked to her hand, and my heart started pounding. Screw it, I thought, reaching over.

“What—” Thea started as I grabbed her hand, lacing my fingers with hers.

“Let’s go now,” I said, trying to sound casual despite the heat rising to my face.

She chuckled, her blush betraying her teasing tone. “Are you going to be clinging to me all the time now?”

“Yep. Is that a problem?”

Her reply was quiet but clear. “No.”