The next morning, Arix woke up before sunrise.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling.
Then he remembered.
No Veyr.
No training.
No schedule.
No one waiting outside his door.
Arix smiled.
“Nice.” He got dressed and left the inn.
The capital was already awake.
Merchants were opening their shops.
Carriages moved through the streets.
Adventurers walked toward the guild in groups.
Arix followed them.
Not because he needed to.
It was simply where he was going.
He entered the Adventurer’s Guild and immediately headed toward the quest board.
His eyes moved across the papers.
F-rank.
Herb gathering.
Small deliveries.
Simple monster extermination.
Collection requests.
Arix scanned them quickly.
Then his eyes moved lower.
E-rank.
The rewards were noticeably better.
He continued.
C-rank.
Even better.
Arix stared at the board.
Then at his guild card.
F-rank.
He smiled.
Not because he was happy about it.
Because he had just found a problem.
His strength wasn’t limiting him.
His rank was.
And that rank existed because of a decision he had made himself.
Arix had deliberately shown the guild only his Mana.
His Aura remained hidden.
That meant everyone here believed he was an ordinary F-rank adventurer.
Arix didn’t regret it.
In fact— he preferred it.
Being underestimated was useful.
People ignored weak opponents.
They spoke freely around them.
They lowered their guard.
They revealed things they wouldn’t reveal to someone powerful.
And most importantly— they never prepared for them.
Arix’s smile widened slightly.
Let them think I’m weak.
The only problem was money.
F-rank quests paid very little compared to higher-ranked ones.
Arix began reading the available quests more carefully.
One quest would take several hours and reward a few silver.
Another required traveling across the capital for almost an entire day.
Not terrible.
Just inefficient.
Arix crossed his arms.
He didn’t need more strength.
He needed better opportunities.
His eyes moved toward several adventurers standing nearby.
They were discussing quests.
“Don’t take that one.
The material price dropped.” “Really?” “Yeah.
The alchemist near the eastern district is paying more for Moonshade.” Arix’s eyes shifted slightly.
Interesting.
Another group was discussing monster materials.
“The guild takes a cut if you sell through them.” “Then sell directly.” “Obviously.” Arix listened.
He didn’t interrupt.
He simply remembered.
Quest rewards weren’t the only source of income.
Monster materials.
Rare plants.
Alchemy ingredients.
Information.
The guild wasn’t merely a place to accept quests.
It was a market.
And markets could be exploited.
Arix smiled.
“Now that’s more interesting.” “Talking about what?” Arix turned.
The same girl from yesterday stood a few steps away.
She held a quest paper in one hand.
Arix looked at her.
“Oh.” “You remember me.” “Unfortunately.” Her expression barely changed.
“Charming.” “I try.” She glanced at the quest board.
“You’ve been standing here for a while.” “I was thinking.” “About?” “Money.” She paused.
“Money?” Arix nodded.
“It’s useful.” She looked at him for a moment.
“You’re strange.” “I’ve heard that before.” Her eyes moved toward his guild card.
“You’re still F-rank.” “Yes.” “You could probably take something higher.” Arix looked at her.
For a brief moment, his expression changed.
Not much.
Just enough.
She noticed.
Interesting.
He studied her for a second.
She wasn’t simply repeating what others had said.
She had actually observed him.
That made her different.
And potentially dangerous.
Not because she was an enemy.
Because intelligent people became problems when they noticed things they weren’t supposed to.
Arix smiled.
“Probably.” She watched him.
“Then why don’t you?” “Because I’m F-rank.” “You could request another assessment.” Arix chuckled.
“No need.” He turned back toward the board.
He had no intention of exposing his Aura.
Not yet.
Perhaps not for a very long time.
The girl didn’t press him.
Arix noticed that too.
Good.
She knew when to stop.
That was useful information.
The girl looked at one of the quests.
“I’ll be leaving soon.” Arix glanced at her.
“Quest?” “Yes.” “What rank?” “E.” Arix nodded.
“Good for you.” She looked at him.
“You really don’t care about ranks?” “I care about what they give me.” “What does that mean?” “Money.” She stared at him for a moment.
Then looked away.
“I see.” Arix smiled faintly.
He wasn’t sure whether she actually did.
But it didn’t matter.
He looked back at the board.
There was one F-rank quest that caught his attention.
A collection request.
The reward wasn’t impressive.
But the material being collected was valuable enough that the quest might be worth completing.
Arix picked it up.
He read the instructions.
Then smiled.
Not because it was exciting.
Because it was efficient.
He walked toward the reception desk.
The receptionist recognized him immediately.
“Good morning.” “Morning.” “Another quest?” “Yes.” He placed the paper on the counter.
She read it.
“This is an F-rank collection quest.” “I know.” “You’ve only just completed your first quest.” “I know.” The receptionist smiled.
“You seem determined.” Arix shrugged.
“It’s work.” She stamped the paper.
“Quest accepted.” Arix took the paper.
As he turned around, he glanced toward the girl.
She was still there.
Their eyes met.
She gave a small nod.
Arix nodded back.
Nothing more.
No dramatic farewell.
No reason for one.
They barely knew each other.
Arix headed toward the exit.
The girl watched him leave.
There was something strange about him.
He behaved like an ordinary adventurer.
But he didn’t think like one.
— Arix stepped outside.
The morning sunlight fell across the capital.
He looked at the quest paper.
Then smiled.
His public identity was simple.
Arix.
Seventeen years old.
F-rank.
Mana affinity.
New adventurer.
That was what people saw.
What they didn’t see was the Aura hidden beneath that illusion of weakness.
They didn’t know where he had trained.
They didn’t know what he could actually do.
And Arix intended to keep it that way.
For now.
He began walking.
He had money to earn.
Information to gather.
And an entire city to understand.
The world had finally opened its doors to him.
Arix smiled.
He wasn’t interested in becoming famous.
He wasn’t interested in being admired.
He didn’t need anyone to know his name.
He only needed them to underestimate him.
Because when people believed you were weak— they showed you everything.
And Arix had no intention of wasting that advantage.
End of Chapter 25