"Tolu."
His heartbeat quickened.
Taking a slow breath, he stepped out of the line and walked toward the Affinity Stone.
The practice hall grew quiet.
Tolu placed his palm against the smooth crystal.
For a brief moment...
Nothing happened.
Then, a warm amber glow spread through the stone.
Instructor Fadeyi nodded.
"Earth Affinity."
Tolu swallowed.
The amber light pulsed once.
A single glowing ring slowly formed around the crystal before coming to a stop.
No second ring appeared.
No third.
The glow quietly faded.
"Good."
Silence lingered for only a heartbeat before the whispers returned.
"Only Good?"
"I thought he’d at least be Excellent."
"He always trains with that girl."
"I guess hard work can only do so much."
Tolu lowered his hand, forcing a small smile despite the tightness in his chest.
He hadn’t expected to be Exceptional...
But a part of him had hoped.
Ore met him halfway back to the line.
"Don’t make that face."
"I’m not making a face."
"You are."
She smiled warmly.
"My affinity’s only one grade higher than yours."
"Easy for you to say."
She folded her arms.
"Did you miss everything Instructor Fadeyi said?"
Tolu looked at the floor.
"...Maybe."
"He literally told us that Grandmasters have come from Common affinities."
"I know."
"And yours isn’t even Common."
He let out a quiet laugh.
"When you put it like that..."
"Exactly."
She gently bumped his shoulder.
"You’ve always worked harder than anyone else I know."
"So stop looking like someone stole your breakfast."
That finally earned a genuine smile from him.
"...Thanks."
Near the front of the line, Ademola glanced briefly in their direction before looking away.
To him, another Good affinity wasn’t worth a second thought.
Instructor Fadeyi stepped forward once more.
"Now that you’ve all learned your affinities, your real training begins."
His gaze swept across the room.
"An affinity tells you where your talent lies."
He raised his staff.
"What you become..."
"...is a choice you make every single day."
The last of the novices stepped away from the Affinity Stone.
Instructor Fadeyi rolled the parchment in his hand and looked across the group of ten.
"For today’s exercise, the ten of you will operate as a single party."
His eyes hardened.
"And that means you will act like one."
No one spoke.
"There are three rules you will not forget."
He raised a finger.
"First."
"No one leaves the group."
"I don’t care if you think you’ve seen a rare herb, a wounded beast, or an easy monster."
"If you separate from your party without permission, your field training ends immediately."
A second finger.
"Second."
"You will attack only on my command unless your life or a teammate’s life is in immediate danger."
"Many young adventurers die because they mistake excitement for courage."
His third finger rose.
"Third."
"No unnecessary risks."
"If I order a retreat..."
"...you retreat."
"I don’t care how close the monster is to death."
"I don’t care how valuable its core might be."
"If I say run..."
"You run."
The room fell silent.
Satisfied, Fadeyi continued.
"Today’s objective is simple."
"You are not here to become heroes."
"You are here to learn."
"We will be entering one of the guild’s beginner hunting grounds."
"The only monsters you are permitted to hunt are slimes."
Several novices exchanged relieved glances.
"The only item you are to collect..."
"...is the slime core."
He reached into a pouch and held up a marble-sized crystal that shimmered faintly.
"This."
"A slime core is proof of your hunt."
"It is also used by enchanters and alchemists, making it valuable enough for the guild to purchase."
He returned it to the pouch.
"Do not concern yourselves with anything else."
"If you encounter another monster..."
"You report it."
"You do not engage it."
Fadeyi motioned toward a nearby rack.
"Collect your equipment."
The novices walked over.
Rows of simple but well-maintained weapons rested neatly against wooden stands.
Training swords.
Spears.
Axes.
Shields.
Short bows.
Bundles of arrows.
Leather armor.
Tolu picked up a straight iron sword and tested its weight with a few careful swings.
"It feels lighter than I expected," he murmured.
"Guild equipment is made for beginners," Ore replied as she fastened a leather bracer around her wrist. "Reliable, not fancy."
Fadeyi overheard them.
"Some of you are wondering why you’re carrying weapons after discovering your affinities."
He smiled faintly.
"The answer is simple."
"Knowing your affinity and using it are two very different things."
A few embarrassed laughs spread through the group.
"At the Novice level, your control over elemental energy is weak."
"You may be able to produce a spark."
"A gust of wind."
"A handful of loose earth."
"A trickle of water."
"Useful in practice."
"Nearly useless against monsters."
He tapped the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist.
"Until your control matures..."
"...steel will keep you alive."
The novices nodded in understanding.
Once everyone had armed themselves, Instructor Fadeyi walked toward the guild’s large entrance.
Bright morning sunlight poured through the open doors.
He stopped without turning around.
A faint smile appeared beneath his beard.
"Onward..."
He looked back at the ten young faces filled with excitement, uncertainty, and hope.
"...young adventurers."
"Your journey starts today."
Without another word, he stepped into the sunlight.
One by one...
The ten novices followed.
As the ten novices marched behind Instructor Fadeyi, conversations gradually faded within the guild hall.
Dozens of seasoned adventurers paused whatever they were doing to watch them leave.
Some leaned against the commission board with folded arms.
Others sat around wooden tables, mugs in hand.
Scars crossed weathered faces. Worn armor bore the marks of countless battles, and well-used weapons rested within easy reach. These were men and women who had spent years surviving the wilderness beyond Aramode’s walls.
For a brief moment, the guild’s usual noise quieted.
A broad-shouldered warrior chuckled.
"Another batch setting out on their first field training."
A woman polishing her spear smiled faintly.
"They’re trying so hard to look fearless."
"They remind me of us."
The warrior laughed.
"Except we were much louder."
"You were."
"I thought I was going to slay a dragon on my first mission."
"And what did you fight?"
"...Three slimes."
The table erupted in quiet laughter.
An elderly ranger, his hair more silver than black, watched the departing novices with a distant look in his eyes.
"They’ll remember today for the rest of their lives."
"Whether they know it or not..."
"...today is the first step."
No one disagreed.
Beyond the open doors, the line of young adventurers steadily disappeared into the bustling streets of Aramode.
The veterans watched in silence until the last glimpse of leather armor vanished into the morning crowd.
Their destination lay beyond the towering stone walls of the kingdom.
Beyond the massive city gates.
Beyond the safety every one of them had once taken for granted.
Only then did the guild slowly return to its usual rhythm, while ten young adventurers unknowingly took the first steps toward lives that would never be the same.