Daniel woke up with a start. Help! A horrible beast was attacking him! Ah, wait. The horrible beast turned out to be his stomach, which was growling like a wolf who hadn’t eaten in days. His entire body was sore, and life generally sucked.

He mulled around his room, ignoring the hunger pangs. If he went out of his room, he probably wouldn’t be returning anytime soon. At times, it felt like he was a pebble in a stream, being swept away whenever a rapid current passed through. He couldn’t just wander around aimlessly, waiting for things to magically resolve themselves.

To that end, he sat down at his desk, marvelling at the magical quill and inkpot. It took some time to get used to it, but eventually, he had a small list written out on a piece of parchment., Of note was the fact that when he began writing English letters, his hand traced a completely different set of runes, ones which he also understood. How disturbing.

---

Things I should do.

Learn how to rotate Soul Scythe.

Pay off the debt to Lucius.

Find a place to rent.

Find allies to slay Velkir.

Discover information about the other targets.

Level up.

Learn more about what spirits are.

Are gods mad I’m stealing souls???

Observe a tough monster for Phantasmal Puppetry.

Learn more about the Steelford family.

Find out more about what LUK does.

---

After ten agonising minutes of sorting out his thoughts, he came up with a list in no particular order. These were things that would open up new doors to him, or at least improve his current situation, But, a thought struck him when he wrote down the last thing. What did he truly want to do?

On Earth, it was baseball, followed by academia. During his final year, he wished to write a book and make a name for himself. Now that he was in a brand new fantasy world, was there anything he genuinely wished to achieve?

Daniel struggled with the thought for some time. Truth be told, no grand ambition struck him, and no muse emerged to inspire him. He was already living his fantasy - every day, he got to see sights he had never even imagined, magic he had only thought about in his dreams.

He wanted to see more of what the world had to offer, and he was only just getting started. Perhaps in the near future, when he had explored enough of the city, he would travel to new and exotic lands. But, it was only his second day here, and there were still so many secrets left to uncover.

Daniel folded the piece of paper, putting it in his pocket, and stood up. When he went down the stairs, a true tragedy struck him. Most of the day was already gone, which meant the wizards had already eaten dinner, and lunch was still far away. With not a single crown to his name, he had to go beg the only “friend” he had in the guild - Finnean.

“I’ll pay it back, I swear. I found a job,” he said after finding Finnean taking a break from casting spells at training dummies. He seemed to be a lot more free than others.

“I regret ever calling you a noble. Did you find a job killing sewer rats?” Finnean quipped.

Finnean was unenthusiastically leading him to the same magical teahouse he had seen a while ago. Apparently, it served a monster very originally named the Leaf Rabbit. Any other restaurant was either too far away or not fancy enough for Finnean.

“I’m an exorcist of Morvina,” Daniel responded.

“Hah. Guess it fits, considering your skill from earlier. You know, mage types and priest types don’t really mix. Be careful with that,” he said, a wicked smile on his face.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, some of the major gods consider magic to be... eldritch. They decided that after the god of magic was slain, his name erased from existence. Probably godly politics. Makes you wonder if they squabble like children up there, huh.”

What Finnean said would get him a death penalty the moment he stepped into Prosperity Avenue, though no one here wore any religious jewellery or had any godly tattoos. Daniel wondered what the attitude of nobility was towards gods.

“What about you, Finnean? Do you worship any gods?” Daniel asked, sitting down at an ivy table, the smell of flowers in the air.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Finnean calmly ordered the rabbit along with crysmalean tea for the two of them.

“Not by choice. Everyone in my family prays to Vael, a minor god of knowledge. Popular among some mage circles, though some consider him too occult. As a godly man, you should know this. Something tells me you don’t.” Finnean said, sipping the red tea that smelled of honey and dreams. “How peculiar.”

Daniel dug into the rabbit stew with gusto, finishing it at record speed. It was complimented by a wide assortment of herbs, spices, and mushrooms. Some he recognized, and others had a flavour that he had never tasted before.

Still, the main highlight was the crysmalean tea with dream honey. As he sipped it, he sank into deep relaxation, fragments of other lives flashed before his eyes. One moment he was a dock worker heaving crates onto a leviathan ship, the next he stared outside the mouth of a giant worm, a city in its maws.

“The tea’s a favourite of mine. It's all real, so I advise you to take dream honey in moderation. Some aristocrats spent days living in the memories of different people, exploring every corner of the continent.” Finnean wistfully sighed, looking into the distance.

“One of the many drugs of nobles. You don’t want to know how much it costs,” he continued, settling the bill like a true nouveau riche.

They spent some time chatting, during which Daniel described a heavily edited tale of yesterday. This time, he spun it as wild as he could, going from one unlikely encounter to another. When he reached the end of it, he recalled his list of tasks. This was the perfect opportunity for one of them.

“My offensive spell is way too finicky,” he said, casting the spell when he was sure no one was watching. “It’s practically impossible to hit anything that’s running at you since it swings vertically.” The hand dutifully swung down the scythe, hitting nothing but air.

“I don’t see the problem. It looks to be a common spell, so just change it a little,” Finnean said.

“How do I do that?”

Finnean tilted his head, looking him straight in the eyes. Then, he started laughing, and every time he glanced at Daniel’s puzzled face, he would let out another roar of laughter. Finally, he stopped, wiping a tear away from his face.

“A mighty, young and talented mage that killed a Redlight Deer doesn’t even have Mana Manipulation. If only Eris could hear this. What a riot.” he chuckled. “You know, Lucius wanted to even recruit you for the guild. Said it takes guts to stare down something that could melt your brains in an instant.”

If Daniel had spoken to Lucius before he left, perhaps his life would already be different. The only reason he took up a job was to pay back the debt and secure living space.

“Don’t think that’s happening now, with the, you know, being a priest and not being capable of basic magic. No offence.”

Daniel took plenty.

“Anyways, I’m guessing you don’t have Mana Well as well. It’s 25 crowns a lecture at the Crowned Dragon for those not affiliated with the guild, as are most common skills. Should pick it up fairly quickly. I wouldn’t know. I received the skill when I was nine.”

Finnean spoke with such smugness that, for a brief moment, Daniel wanted to reveal his legendary class. It would be beyond stupid, but he wished to brag about something. Oh, but he certainly imagined the look on Finnean’s face if he told him about Xaviar.

“Right. I’ll do that when I have some money. Oh, another question. Do you know much about the... Emerald Woods,” he said, struggling to recall the name.

“The place where we found you? Sure. Not a place for anyone below level 20, and the hunting rights are split between Crowned Dragon and the church of Croelius.” A lightbulb went off in Daniel’s head. The meeting yesterday - it was his 13 LUK at work, which is what Daniel told himself to justify the point investment. He blissfully ignored other, more logical answers.

“One of the reasons the mages here don’t like priests that much. The damn zealots killed an apprentice because of a debate. The rights to the forest are frequently contested, which doesn’t help the issue. The monsters there are worth a fortune in materials,” Finnean said.

The man before him was a font of information, and, most importantly, he didn’t ask any questions. Perhaps this was the first step Daniel needed to take.

Daniel looked all around him in a conspiratory manner for a few seconds, provoking a smirk from Finnean. Then, he said in a completely serious tone.

“Listen, I’ve got a goal for going to the Emerald Woods. I wasn’t there for no reason.”

Finnean leaned in, his attention captured by the story.

“I have a proposition for you. I don’t know when, but in the near future, I’m going to go in there and slay a particular beast. His name is Velkir, and he’s the pack leader of the silvermoon wolves.” Daniel drew in a deep breath, trying to convince Finnean of the urgency.

“He’s special - much stronger than the average wolf, possessing numerous abilities from all of the beasts in the forest. I’d love your help with it. Even if you don’t go there yourself, just the information would be extremely valuable.”

Finnean leaned back, a never-ending smirk on his face. He seemed to ponder the offer for a few seconds before replying.

“We all figured you wouldn’t go in there for no reason. What’s in it for me?”

“Friendship?” They both laughed. Then, Daniel offered the only valuable thing on him.

“An old ring, huh? These runes are outdated, and most of them are faded. What does it do?” Finnean asked, carefully examining the ruby ring from the tomb.

“No clue.”

Finnean, although arrogant, was also smart, which is why he immediately put two and two together. “You’re a very daring priest, I’ll tell you that. I’ll say yes to the information part, and we’ll talk more about actually fighting when I find out about this Velkir.”

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. It was unnerving having to deal with a massive threat alone, and frankly, he didn’t have a clue about where to start. This would make it much easier.

“Well, let’s go and appraise the ring. I believe in the virtue of fair trade - something that, honestly, shouldn’t have been taught to me, considering all nobles do is exploit others. I promise you that I can bargain like the finest of merchants.”

With that, he stood up after generously tipping the waiter, a new spring in his steps. Daniel groaned. Seeing how easily Finnean spent money, he doubted they would get a decent deal. Then again, perhaps nobles in this world were different from what he imagined.

With that thought in mind, he followed along, a new found resolve blossoming inside of him.