The guild hall buzzed with life when Shadow arrived. Voices overlapped in a chorus of laughter, bargaining, and the rustle of quest papers being torn from the board.
It was different, being here in daylight instead of the cover of night. Different to stand in line with other adventurers rather than moving through shadows alone.
Ryn spotted him first. "Oi, Shadow! Over here!"
The trio waved him over, already holding a parchment stamped with the guild seal. Lena's calm expression gave away little, but Sera's grin betrayed excitement.
"It's nothing fancy," Ryn explained. "A clearing mission. A nest of scaled boars is too close to a farming village. We'll get decent pay and materials."
Shadow raised a brow. "And you want me along?"
"Of course," Sera said. "You think we'd turn down the guy who hands out gifts that boost our stats?"
Her playful jab earned a faint smirk from Shadow, though he pulled his hood lower to hide it.
They departed before noon, traveling together through the familiar roads that cut across the city's outskirts. The trio fell into their natural rhythm—Ryn leading with banter, Sera teasing him constantly, Lena quietly keeping them in check. Shadow remained silent most of the time, listening, observing. Yet slowly, something about their chatter began to feel less foreign.
When the boars finally charged, tusks gleaming, Shadow moved with them.
Ryn's spear pinned one down. Sera loosed arrows into another's exposed flank. Lena whispered sharp incantations that froze their legs in place. Shadow's gauntlets shifted into blades, cutting across hides where the others created openings. His strikes weren't the strongest—but precise, surgical, slipping through gaps with unnerving efficiency.
It wasn't long before the nest was broken. Blood steamed on the grass, and the last boar fell with a hiss of its dying breath.
"Teamwork wasn't half bad," Ryn admitted, planting his spear in the dirt.
Sera leaned on her bow with a grin. "See? You fight well with people, Shadow. Who knew?"
Shadow simply pulled his hood tighter. "It's efficient. That's all."
Over the next days, they took on more quests together. Sometimes Rena appeared, sweeping into the guild hall like a storm, her name echoing through every whispered conversation. She would join their hunts on occasion, her strength turning dangerous fights into quick victories. Shadow noticed the way she glanced at him in those moments—half challenge, half curiosity.
By the end of the week, Shadow's routine had shifted. No longer just the silent shadow in an inn room, he spent mornings at the guild, afternoons in the wilds, and nights in the blacksmith's shop. It was far from peaceful, but it was… something resembling life.
[Status Update]
Name: Shadow (Alias)
Level: 18
Race: Human (???)
Class: Unregistered (Hidden)
Job: Ego Forger
Title(s): The Shadowforged, Blacksmith's Heir
Stats
Strength: 46
Agility: 58
Endurance: 44
Intelligence: 41
Perception: 55
Luck: 17
Skills
Appraisal (Intermediate): Can read detailed status of lower/equal levels. Higher-level targets remain obscured.
Weapon Mastery (Bladed/Blunt/Ranged – Intermediate): Improved precision and adaptability.
Mana Control (Intermediate): Able to condense and infuse mana more efficiently.
Perception Focus (Advanced): Heightened senses, especially sound and movement.
Forgemaster's Memory (Passive): Retains blacksmithing knowledge despite amnesia; efficiency increases with rare materials.
Stealth (Intermediate): Movement leaves fewer traces, harder to detect below Level 25.
Survivor's Instinct (Passive): Natural danger sense; reaction speed improves in fatal situations.
Unique Skill
Ego Resonance (Low): Synchronization with the Shadowfang Gauntlets. Resonance grows as bond deepens.
Ego Weapon: Shadowfang Gauntlets – Stage II
Durability: 100%
Forms: Blade, Gun, Tonfa, Bow, Crossbow
Trait: Predator's Hunger – restores durability by absorbing mana fragments from defeated foes.
Elemental Coating (Limited Duration)