I stared at the hard bread and the soup before me. I couldn’t say it smelled especially good, but as they say, hunger is the best seasoning.

I ripped off a piece of bread and soaked it into the soup, then took a sip.

Divine.

Way too salty, but divine nonetheless.

“Isn’t it great?” Aerion asked, slurping her own soup up. “I paid for more salt.”

Oh, no.

I paled as the cold, hard truth hit me.

Aerion was one of those types. The kind of monster who carried around a vial of salt to put on literally everything they ate, no matter how salty. They had no upper limit. No sense of moderation. They were the kindred spirit of the ghost pepper lovers, though not nearly as deranged as those people.

I prayed to Cosmo that my future meals would not suffer the same fate. Which got me wondering how different prayer must work in this world where gods were real and physical. If they truly did answer the faithful, the concept might have some merit.

We sat at a long table in a bustling tavern. The seats were nearly identical to the ones you’d find in cafeterias from my world, just wooden instead of metal and plastic.

Being surrounded by boisterous drinkers would normally trip my introvert warning bells, but here, that was actually a good thing. Made it less likely anyone would overhear our conversation.

Our incredibly clandestine discussion about our respective futures.

“So, what now? Money shouldn’t be an issue, at least for the time being,” I said. I did wonder how economical it was to long-term at an inn, but Aerion assured me the discounts for lengthy stays made it cost-effective.

“I planned to register at the Hunter’s Guild,” Aerion said.

“Hunter’s Guild… That wouldn’t happen to be an organization that rewards mercenaries for completing contracts for killing things, would it?”

Aerion’s brows raised and her eyes widened. “How did you know that?”

“Believe it or not, where I come from, there are a lot of people who want to read about characters getting transported to fantasy worlds like this one. It’s a common trope.”

“Sorry? Fantasy? Trope?” Aerion asked.

“Er, I meant it’s a common theme in the stuff I’m familiar with. Magic doesn’t exist there, so we fantasize about this sort of thing instead. A lot.”

“I see…” Aerion said. “In peacetime, the Hunter’s Guild works in tandem with the Blacksmith’s Guild to post bodyguard contracts for smiths wishing to delve a Trial.”

“Because you can’t take materials out of the Trials. Right,” I said, suddenly wondering whether my inventory made such a feat possible. It’d be some time before I could try, but if I could, I could possibly introduce a commodity that didn’t exist in the entire world.

Of course, that would come with its own set of issues, so I—

My thoughts stopped as I saw a giant stoop down to enter the tavern. Luckily, the place had high ceilings so he was able to straighten up again. I didn’t mean to stare—I really didn’t—but I just couldn’t get over how lanky they were. Kinda like basketball players, if some god had grabbed their feet and their head and pulled. Less like true giants and more like… Longmen. Tallpeople. The Stretched—

“Are you listening?” Aerion asked, sounding peeved.

“Sorry,” I said, snapping my eyes back to Aerion. “What did you say?”

“I said that’s exactly it! Blacksmiths aren’t generally fighters, and even if they are, they need someone to carry their forge and protect them while they work. Most peacetime contracts revolve around the smiths, though you might occasionally get a contract for the subjugation of a Guardian. There’s no shortage of rich people lusting after exotic Soul Crystals, after all.”

That was incredibly interesting to me. This world’s analog of an Adventurer’s Guild seemed closely linked to the Blacksmiths, who were far more powerful than they’d otherwise be thanks to their ability to craft the rarest, most desirable weapons and armor within Trials.

“And in wartime?” I asked.

“In those times, the Guild assists the military, sending Hunters where they are needed most in order to quell Cataclysm outbreaks.”

“You’d figure the military would have their own share of Blessing holders, right? Why do they need to rely on the guild?”

Aerion shrugged. “The pay is often better as a Hunter. More dangerous and unpredictable, of course, but that is why the pay is higher. Most militaries don’t mind—they know they can rely on the Hunter's Guild in their time of need. This is how it has always been.”

“Fascinating.” I did wonder whether that cooperation had ever failed, but I could dive into the details later.

“Why do you want to be a Hunter?” I asked, taking another sip of my salty soup. I noticed the giant had taken a seat at a nearby table. His head stuck up over everyone else’s by a good two feet, making him easy to spot.

“Strength, prestige, wealth,” Aerion said without hesitation. “But mainly strength. Now that I have two… Blessings,” Aerion said, her voice barely above a whisper, “I’ll grow stronger by fighting. The Hunters will have no end of opportunities for me. Actually, speaking of strength, I’ve more than a few points saved up that I wish to spend.”

“Before that, let’s talk about your uh, new power,” I said, avoiding using the word Blessing. Aerion had said that barely two dozen in an average city had Blessings. It was many times that number for Boon holders, but even they were well-respected.

“You said it was Lightning, right? Can you tell me the details?”

Aerion’s eyes focused on something invisible in front of her.

“[Shock],” she said. “Emergence Rank. Currently Foundation - 0. When activated, it shocks anything I touch.”

“Wait, it's just a single ability? Not a full suite?”

Aerion sighed. “All Blessings are, Greg. You're the oddity, giving out Blessings that rival what the Champions receive.”

“Huh. Feels like a bit of a let down, if I'm honest. At least, compared to [Sylvan Reaver].”

“Perhaps a bit,” Aerion admitted. “But at high grades, a Blessing such as this would be devastating. Powerful enough to take on even higher ranked Cataclysm forces, the same as the Champions.”

“Interesting. But it won't, right? It's E Rank, which means it’s capped at Emergence?”

“I believe so. I believe this Blessing will not strengthen past Emergence. I would have to replace it with a higher rank blessing at that point.”

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That was curious. My own Blessing had no such restriction, nor did the one I gave Aerion. At least, that I was aware of.

“So, it’s a contact-based offensive lightning ability?”

Aerion nodded. “It appears to be.”

“I suppose that checks out. Dominion’s the god of strength, after all. Makes sense his gifts would involve close combat fighting.”

Rather, I’d have been more surprised if she got a ranged lightning spell. That felt like it’d be more of a Wisdom ability. Or perhaps Cunning?

“Does it give you anything else?” I asked.

“Yes. It says I’ll receive a gift of strength from Dominion at each rank. It doesn’t say how much, but I have received 25 points to Dominion for obtaining the ability.”

I gawked. “Twenty-five!? Are you shitting me?”

Our table neighbors gave me a quick glance at my outburst. Aerion remained stoic.

“You’re serious,” I said in a low voice.

“Quite.”

Aerion had 6 points in Dominion before this.

“So you’re at 31. And with your Reave boost…”

“91.”

“91,” I repeated slowly, leaning back on my wooden stool. I ran a hand through my hair as I stared up at the rafters.

I didn’t know whether to be ecstatic or jealous.

“Your Dominion stat alone is more than all of mine, combined,” I muttered. My total currently sat at 84.

“Ah, I should mention I leveled from Foundation - 2 to Foundation - 5 after defeating the dragon. I now have 30 free points from defeating the dragon.”

I let out a strained laugh. “Of course you do…”

“Er, I was about to put them into Vigor and Dominion.”

“Hang on,” I said, returning my eyes to Aerion. “Dominion makes you hit harder, but it won’t actually strengthen your magic damage, will it?”

“Correct. I am unsure if any of these other… stats will improve my magic.”

“Honestly?” I said. “Hard to say. But Wisdom might. That’s usually the stat that corresponds to magic in the er, fantasies I’m familiar with.”

“Shall I spend my points evenly, then?”

“No,” I replied, envisioning all the avenues for her growth.

“For one, that’s just a guess on my part. And even if it does work that way, and we split them between Dominion, Wisdom, and Vigor, you’ll be an all-rounder.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It is for you. Your ability is highly offensive and physically oriented. It’s one of the most unbalanced ones out there. Trying to make up for its glaring weaknesses will only dilute its strengths later on. I say we double down.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning the bulk of your points should go to Dominion, while the rest go into only one other stat.”

“Vigor, then?” Aerion asked, hesitating.

“No, I’d say Wisdom, if it does what we think it does. Of course, you’ll probably need some points into Vigor to let your body keep up with your strength—not entirely sure what effect dumping everything into Dominion would have on your body, but I’d recommend doubling down on your offensive strength. You’d deal heavy damage, both physically and magically. You’d be fucking unstoppable.”

“That’s… I’m not sure that I want this,” Aerion said, biting her lip. A habit of hers whenever she had reservations about something.

“You’re worried it’ll make you vulnerable. That going this route won’t give you the strength you’ve always wanted,” I said.

Aerion’s eyes flew wide open. “How did you—”

“You’re an open book for stuff like this, Aerion. Doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. Also, you’re right to worry. This is an extremely unbalanced build. If you go this route, you’ll be a walking nightmare. You’ll be unstoppable. But you’ll also be vulnerable. If you’re alone, you’ll need to be exceedingly cautious.”

“Then…”

“But you’re not alone,” I continued. “You’ve got me to back you up. If we work together—as a team—you won’t have anything to worry about. I can watch your back. I can keep you safe while you wreak havoc on our enemies.”

Surprisingly, Aerion grinned.

“That’s quite the image,” she said.

“Isn’t it? But listen, there’s no rush. It’s your power, and your decision to make.”

“It does feel like a big decision,” she admitted.

“It is, and this is all hypothetical, anyway. We don’t know what Wisdom does for sure,” I said. “Choosing your build is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. So don’t make it lightly. And don’t let me influence you. I’ll support whichever road you go down. Just… Maybe run it by me before you spend your points? And hold off until I can confirm that stat at the very least.”

Aerion nodded. “I will.”

A silence settled upon us as we continued eating, but Aerion broke it before it could turn awkward.

“You should consider joining as well.”

“Sorry?”

“The Hunter’s Guild. You should join.”

“Do they offer combat training?” I asked.

Aerion shook her head. “I’m afraid not. You’ll have to train on your own. Though, it can be a good place to find mentors who’d be willing to teach you. For a price.”

“Good to know,” I said. “I think I’ll pass, for now. I admit, I need to learn how to fight properly before we even think about going into another Trial, but figuring out the ins and outs of my power comes first. I’m not exactly maximizing its potential right now.”

Aerion frowned. “How so? It seems plenty strong to me. What’s more—it’s versatile.”

“Can’t argue with that,” I replied in between sips of soup. “But my Blessing shines only when my gear synergizes properly. Like back in the Trial, I got an ability that dealt damage to obsidian enemies. Every piece of gear I had with the same effect multiplied that power.”

Aerion’s mouth opened. “So if you were clad in head to toe with armor that gave you the same ability…”

“I could probably take on that troll on the fifth floor head on—even if I was Foundation rank.”

“I see…” Aerion replied, falling into thought.

“That’s not all. If I can predict what sorts of abilities and stats various weapons and armor gives me, then I can craft sets optimized for one specific purpose. Like that obsidian killing set. Good for that dungeon—basically useless anywhere else.”

“Wouldn’t that make you vulnerable, though?” Aerion asked. “Better to be well-rounded, no?”

“Being well-rounded means you’re a master of nothing, though,” I replied with a knowing grin. “Isn’t it much better to be a master of the right skill at the right time?”

Aerion understood my meaning. “You mean to create specialized sets for every purpose, and switch between them when needed?”

I nodded. “That’s the goal. Of course, I’m nowhere near that ideal yet. For one, I need a bigger inventory so I can carry all that around. And changing into armor isn’t exactly a fast process. But yeah, that’s the general idea.”

“And for that, you wish to learn about the different abilities you can gain.”

“Exactly. Plus, seeing your stats shows me just how far behind I am. I’m a rank higher than you, but my stats are way lower. That’s because I haven’t optimized that yet. Once I do, I’m sure my overall stats will double or even triple from where they currently are. I need to come up with a recipe book of sorts. Initialize as many pieces of gear as I can.”

“That… May prove expensive,” Aerion said, frowning.

“I’ll bet. Especially since I’d have to break down whatever I bestowed in order to try again. Not like I can just keep enchanting stuff, even if I could afford it.”

“So, what do you plan to do?”

I grinned. “I’m gonna become a blacksmith.”

Aerion looked at me blankly for a moment. “You’re not joking.”

“Uh, no. Why?”

“You think you can just become a blacksmith. Just like that?”

“Well, no,” I said. “I get that it’ll take some effort, but I’m willing to work at it.”

“Greg, it takes a decade for smiths to learn their craft. Sometimes more. Smiths train from a young age. You’re old! Who’ll take you in as an apprentice?”

I frowned. “Look, I know it won’t be easy. But I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I think I can make it happen.”

Aerion gave me a look halfway between pity and skepticism.

Well, fine. Let her doubt.

I rose from the table, meal finished, and we walked out together.

I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I’d prove her wrong. I had skills and knowledge of metals the ordinary people of this world lacked. I knew the difference between casting and forging.

At the very least, I was confident I could make a good impression.