“Oh, so you are evacuating from Mekarion, right?”
“How long will you be staying?”
“Wait, you do know there is a shelter center provided by the city?”
“Yes, you can eat there, everything is covered, you will not have to spend much at all.”
“And it is quite comfortable too, you know.”
Zeph could only stand there in silence as the girl in front of him kept talking without pause. Her voice slowly turned into a faint blur in his ears, and all he could really see was the movement of her lips as she continued rambling on.
“Name!” she suddenly said again. “Name, sir. Your name.”
Zeph snapped back to attention when she finally stopped speaking.
“Zephion.”
“Zephion,” she repeated, nodding as if testing how it sounded.
“Lena,” she added.
“Lena?”
“Yes, my name is Lena. Nice to meet you, okay?” She handed him a small access card across the desk.
“Your room is on the fourth floor, okay? Have a nice stay. There is a shared pantry near the end of the hallway, a communal kitchen on the second floor, laundry on the third, and there is also a small training room on the fifth floor.”
“Thanks.”
Zeph took the card and turned around, scanning the area for the elevator. There should have been one.
“Uhm, sorry, there.” Lena pointed toward the corner of the lobby, where a narrow staircase led upward.
“There is no lift in this inn,” she said with a smile that seemed far too bright for this early in the day.
Zeph nodded. He had not expected much anyway. He knew how affordable this place was.
Well, he should have enough money to stay here for one, maybe even two months, as long as he did not spend recklessly.
Zeph let out a long breath and hurried forward, climbing the stairs, one floor after another. By this point, he knew he was completely exhausted. Only then did it truly hit him that he had gone more than two days without proper sleep. Damn.
On top of that, the previous few nights had been filled with battles and events that had drained both his mental strength and his sanity. If someone asked him to explain everything he had gone through over the last several days, he doubted he could even put it into words.
He finally reached his room and unlocked the door.
The interior was simple. A small single bed stood against one wall. There was a compact sink, a window overlooking the street outside, and a separate door leading to a private bathroom.
Oh, really...
A private room. A place he could stay alone without worrying about anyone else.
Wasn't this what freedom felt like?
Zeph stepped inside, shut the door behind him, tossed his bag onto the floor, and immediately threw himself onto the bed.
The mattress sank beneath his weight.
"Lying down feels amazing.” He muttered. “This is so comfortable... and it even smells nice..."
The room was surprisingly clean despite its modest size. Maybe the receptionist had talked a little too much, but she had not been exaggerating about the inn being well maintained.
Still...
It was funny that he had run into that girl once already before arriving here.
"Lena?"
She looked about the same age as him. Maybe one or two years older. He was not really sure.
After a moment, Zeph realized how dirty and sweaty he felt. The brief rest had only made him more aware of it.
With a groan, he forced himself back up, stripped off his travel-worn clothes, and headed into the bathroom.
The space was small, but it had everything he needed. There was even a shower.
For someone whose life had rarely included comfort, this was more than enough.
Zeph turned on the faucet and let the cold water pour over him.
"Oh, wow..." A smile appeared on his face almost immediately. "This feels so refreshing."
He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation.
The water flowed across his skin, washing away layers of sweat and dust. With every passing second, it felt as if the exhaustion clinging to his body was slowly dissolving and disappearing down the drain.
It was such a simple thing. Yet somehow, it felt incredible.
Zeph ended up spending far longer in the bathroom than he intended, simply standing beneath the stream of water because it felt good. There was no other reason.
Eventually, after what felt like ages, he finally stepped back out. The cool air from the room's air conditioner brushed against his damp skin, making him feel even more refreshed.
After changing into clean clothes, he walked over and opened the window. The sounds of the city drifted inside.
From his room, he could see the busy street below.
"This should be a pretty active area," he murmured. "There's a food district over there, and there are plenty of people walking around."
Maybe there were important facilities nearby as well.
For the first time since leaving Mekarion, Zeph felt like he could finally slow down for a moment and simply observe the world around him.
He stood there for a while, staring blankly out the window, until something else crossed his mind.
Zeph turned away and faced the narrow space beside the bed, where a tall wardrobe with a full length mirror stood pressed against the wall.
There was still one thing that had been bothering him.
He closed his eyes for a moment and took a slow breath. Then he issued a mental command.
[Epic Grade Transformation Type Sigil, Night Cavalry, has responded to the user’s command.]
His heartbeat began to pound harder against his chest. It was not his first time activating it, so he was already somewhat used to the sensation.
Dark energy seeped out from his skin, spreading across his face and wrapping around his head. Within seconds, his features were completely covered by the mask once more. Because he was standing right in front of the mirror, he could now see the shape clearly.
“This looks way cooler than I imagined,” he said, lifting a hand to touch the surface of the mask.
There was something else he wanted to confirm.
Zeph pulled off his shirt and tossed it onto the bed. There was one spot he suspected to be the location of his sigil.
He turned his back toward the mirror and twisted slightly, trying to catch a glimpse over his shoulder.
And then, finally.
There it was.
“Yes… yes…”
His sigil.
It was positioned on his upper back. The size surprised him. It was large, almost covering half of the central area of his back.
The shape resembled a skull pierced from above by a sword.
“But that is not a human skull,” he murmured.
It looked more like the skull of a horse. A faint purple aura, almost like a drifting shadow, surrounded the sigil.
“But why a horse skull?” he whispered.
“Night Cavalry?”
Those Night Cavalry figures had emerged from the rift riding horse like creatures that ran through the air itself.
“Could it be…” Zeph narrowed his eyes slightly. “Is it possible that I can summon that horse too using this sigil?”
If what he imagined was true, then there was a chance he might one day summon the full form. The complete armor. The sword. And even that sky running horse.
“That sounds insanely cool,” he muttered.
Of course, he knew very well that at his current level, the most he could manage was summoning the mask that covered his face and the oversized sword, still half transparent and incomplete.
He could wait.
As he increased his level and rank, this sigil would surely grow stronger. That much, at least, he believed without doubt.
**
Zeph suddenly opened his eyes, startled, and found himself still in the same room he remembered just before drifting off.
He pushed himself up quickly and realized he was still not wearing the shirt he had taken off earlier. He must have been far more exhausted than he thought. He had only meant to lie down for a moment, yet he had fallen completely asleep.
“What time is it?” he muttered.
He looked toward the wall above the door, where a clock was hanging. It was already four in the afternoon.
His stomach growled again. He planned to head out and find something to eat, but there was one thing he had been curious about since earlier.
Zeph put his shirt back on, stepped out of his room, and made his way up the stairs once more. A short while later, he stopped in front of a pair of large wooden doors. Above them, a simple sign read: Training Hall.
It was supposed to be open for guests.
Still, an inn with its own training room? He had not expected that. The place was small, yet it even had a facility like this.
He pushed the unlocked door open and peeked inside.
The room was wider than he expected. Wooden practice dummies stood along one side, racks of training weapons lined the walls, and several padded mats covered the floor. In the middle of the room, someone was sitting cross legged.
The person turned their head.
Oh. Of course.
It was the same girl again, wearing a simple white training outfit that contrasted with her short blonde hair.
“Zeph?” she said.
Zeph slipped off his sandals and stepped inside. He had actually been planning to just take a quick look before going out to eat, but since Lena was here, it felt rude to leave immediately.
“I just wanted to see the training hall facilities,” he said. “I did not expect to find you here.”
Lena stood up. She did not look as overly cheerful as she had at the reception desk earlier. Her expression was calmer now.
“You want to train?” she asked.
“Yes, but maybe not right now.”
“You are Awakened too?” she asked again.
“Awakened?” he repeated. It was not surprising she would ask. After all, she had seen him running along the highway earlier. Though, technically, even normal humans could do that.
“Yes. I am. A new awaken,” he admitted.
Lena smiled and nodded. “Have you learned martial arts before? What kind of weapon do you use? Do you fight close range or long range? Do you specialize in anything?”
Zeph fell silent. He could only answer no to almost all of those questions.
“I have never had proper training,” he said honestly. “I want to learn how to fight with a sword. But I think I would need someone skilled, a proper instructor, if I want to do that seriously.”
The girl smiled again and walked slowly toward him.
“Come on, step inside. Let’s talk about it properly,” she said. “I’m newly awakened too, by the way.”
“Oh.” Zeph blinked, clearly surprised. “That’s… interesting.”
“You evacuated from Mekarion to this city, even though Mekarion has a better Hunter Academy,” she continued, tilting her head slightly. “You are not here for a casual vacation, right? I’m guessing you are planning to apply to become a Hunter.”
“Hmm…” Zeph hesitated for a second. “Yes. That’s my plan.”
“That’s good,” she said, nodding firmly. “That’s my plan too. We still have time before the next recruitment. We can train together.”
Before he could react, she reached out and grabbed his right hand, pulling him gently.
Lena?
“Come on. Let’s talk while we warm up a bit. I have a feeling this will be fun.”
Zeph ended up following her as she led him toward the center of the training hall.
They stopped and stood facing each other. From this distance, it became obvious that Zeph was still taller than her, at least by half a head. Even so, his body looked too thin, almost fragile, lacking the solid build most fighters had.
“Tell me your level,” Lena said enthusiastically. “Have you ranked up yet?”