The other three sales associates scattered the second Mrs.
Dolores dismissed them, looking like they’d just been granted parole.
Levi stayed behind.
The others were all a little scared of her.
She was elegant, spoke perfect English with that heavy Eastern European accent, and carried herself like a deep, bottomless lake.
She never showed emotion.
Never lost control.
“You think the salary I’m paying you is fair?”
Once everyone else was gone, she asked the question calmly.
“It’s very good,” Levi answered honestly.
“Great benefits too.
I like working here.”
“If you want to keep this job,” Mrs.
Dolores said evenly, “don’t get too curious.
Be careful while I’m away the next few days.”
Levi didn’t fully understand why she was warning him specifically, but he could tell it was real advice.
He nodded.
“Alright.
You can go,” she said.
“Thank you for helping with the box today.
Emma will give you a bonus.”
Levi had been ready to say something suitably knightly about duty, but the word “bonus” made him conveniently forget he was supposed to be a knight.
He thanked her and left.
Still… why single him out?
Because he was new?
Or was there something going on with the boutique he wasn’t supposed to notice?
By the end of his morning shift he’d sold a bracelet and turned down a still-attractive female designer who made a very clear pass at him.
That cost him what should have been a three-hundred-dollar tip.
It shrank down to twenty.
Mrs.
Dolores’s hundred-dollar bonus more than made up for it.
After three hours of standing in air conditioning, he walked out with three hundred eighty-four dollars after tax.
Emma even bought him lunch.
On the way home, getting off at the 8th Avenue station, Levi’s eyes caught on a real estate rental agency sign covered in characters.
He still had seven gold coins.
One more 0.1 in Agility and he’d get another ten.
Even after giving Don Quixote thirty-five hundred, he still had close to seven thousand in cash.
Once he sold the coins, he’d have enough to rent something decent.
At least a place with his own real room.
Levi had none of those things.
Using Don Quixote’s credit?
His uncle’s score was probably worse than having none at all.
At least Levi had a good face and looked like a harmless Asian kid.
The small agencies along 8th Avenue were different.
Windows full of printed listings.
Plenty of illegal immigrants and fresh arrivals.
Some places only cared if you had cash.
First listing: Midtown Manhattan, 2BR 2BA, $7200.
One plus three.
Way too expensive.
Skipped.
Second: Brand new building on Long Island, 2BR 2BA, $5800 a month.
One plus six.
Long Island was packed with international students and strict credit checks.
Neither of them would pass anyway.
Third: Bensonhurst, Brooklyn.
14th Avenue area.
Second-floor 2BR 2BA.
$2850 a month.
One plus three.
No credit check.
landlord living upstairs.
Levi studied the photos.
A little further south than ideal, but still a massive upgrade from the basement.
Sharing the building with the landlord might be awkward, but the price and no credit check made it the best option he’d seen.
He took a photo with his phone.
Once he sold the gold coins, he’d go ask about it and bring Don Quixote with him.
…
Don Quixote came home later than usual that afternoon.
He went straight to his section and crashed without a word.
When Levi finished cooking and woke him for dinner, Don Quixote still looked half-asleep.
He grabbed his chopsticks, shoveled in a few bites, then rushed out again to wash dishes.
He didn’t come back until deep into the night.
“Squire!
Squire!”
The sleepwalking Don Quixote woke him again.
“Wake up!”
Levi opened his eyes to find the fully armored knight standing in his section.
Don Quixote’s face looked off.
“Sir Knight, you don’t look so good.”
“A small wound from slaying the dragon.
Nothing worth mentioning.” Don Quixote waved it off.
“But after the battle, I felt your potential, squire!”
Levi’s attention sharpened immediately.
“Yes, Sir Knight.
Give me the mission.
I’m ready.”
“Excellent spirit!” Don Quixote said.
“Follow me, squire!”
They stepped outside.
This time Don Quixote didn’t try to get in the car.
He led Levi to a concrete bollard by the curb and pointed at it without a word.
Levi looked at the silent knight, then at the heavy stone post.
He tried to follow the logic.
“Is this my final advancement test?” he asked.
“Some kind of training stone?”
“Ha!
Foolish squire!” Don Quixote shook his head.
“This is a Sealing Boundary Stone.
Every knight must pass this trial.
Move it, and you prove you are worthy of becoming a knight.”
The moment he finished speaking, a quest window appeared.
[Quest: Move the Boundary Stone]
[The Boundary Stone is the final obstacle before the knight class change.
Move it to prove you are ready.]
[Reward: Agility +0.1]
This was it.
The last step.
Levi stepped forward, took a breath, and shifted the heavy concrete post aside with almost no effort.
Notifications exploded across his vision.
[Quest: Move the Boundary Stone — Complete]
[Reward: Agility +0.1]
[Agility 1.1] → [Agility 1.2]
[Knight’s Path: Stage One — Squire — Complete!]
[Gold Coins +10]
[Class Change Triggered!!!]