"Jog?" I asked, tapping Nozue's shoulder as the morning sun spilled gold over the rooftops.
"Every day, from now on," he said, matching my stride easily. "Got to build the body before I earn the title."
"After, want to head to the Guild and get you registered?"
"Yeah!"
We finished our route and turned toward the Guild's crossed-sword emblem, the morning's exertion still humming pleasantly in my legs. Inside, the usual roar of the hall greeted us — mugs clinking, exaggerated stories, the general chaos of people who'd survived something the night before and wanted everyone to know it.
Missy spotted us instantly, her face brightening. "Kazu! New quest today?"
"Actually — I'm here to get Nozue signed up."
"Nozue?" Her attention shifted to him.
He straightened, nerves and determination fighting for control of his voice. "H-Hello, Missy. Kazu's friend."
"Nice to meet you properly. Want to register?"
"Yes."
"Three requirements," she said, all business now. "Show us a usable skill. Be at least twelve. Carry active mana. Ready?"
He nodded and extended a palm over the counter, concentrating. A sphere of water formed and rapidly froze into a thin, perfectly clear disc of ice.
Missy's eyebrows rose. "That's a fine skill. Anything else?"
"No incantation needed, either," he added, a little proud of himself.
"Faster in combat. Impressive." She pulled a glowing orb from beneath the counter. "Let's check your capacity. Palm flat, gently."
He pressed his hand to the crystal, and it flared with light — white and blue intertwined, swirling together.
Missy's professional calm cracked for just a second. "Dual affinity. Water and Light."
"Light?" Nozue blinked.
"Rare — usually reserved for high clerics. Purification, high-tier healing, immobilization spells, mass detoxification, if you train it properly." She checked the reading again. "And your capacity ranks A."
"A-rank?" His jaw actually dropped.
"Congratulations. Wait here — I'll draw up your card."
The second she'd disappeared into the back, Nozue rounded on me, practically bouncing. "Kazu, did you hear that? A-rank!"
"That's incredible," I laughed. "I started as an F-rank anomaly. You're already ahead of where I began."
"I can't believe it."
"You've changed a lot since we met," I said, watching him practically glow with it. "You were so quiet back then. This suits you better."
He softened. "It's because of you. First real friend I've ever had. Thank you."
"Always," I said. "Now — we should find something on the board that'll help with our training. Something physical."
I scanned the notices until one caught my eye. "This — hauling logs to the lumberyard. Reward's decent, and the labor alone should help our Strength."
"I'll trust your pick," Nozue said. "I don't really know how to read these yet."
Missy returned with a freshly stamped copper card. "Here you are — officially F-rank, though with that A-rank mana behind you, you won't stay there long."
"Thank you, Missy!"
"Just doing my job." She glanced at the parchment I slid across the counter. "A construction quest? Kazu, you're S-rank — why this?"
"Training. Building actual muscle, not just skills."
She sighed, stamping it anyway. "You're both awfully young for back-breaking labor. Sure you can manage?"
"We'll manage," Nozue said, with more confidence than I think he actually felt.
"Be careful," she warned. "These jobs are tougher than they look."
The lumber camp sat at the edge of Leafa Forest, and the foreman who met us there looked like he'd been carved out of the same trees we were about to haul. "You the two who took my job?"
"Yes, sir." I showed him the stamped parchment.
"Hacho. Foreman. We load these logs, haul the wagons back to the shop in the city ourselves. Less talking, more lifting."
We worked through the morning under his eye, hoisting sap-slick logs onto the wagon beds, and despite mana that never ran dry, the actual physical toll of it was real — my arms burning, my back protesting by the second hour. There was something almost satisfying in that, an ache that had nothing to do with magic at all.
We finally wrestled the last log into place hours later, both of us coated in sweat and sawdust.
"That's the last of them," I managed, wiping my brow.
Nozue collapsed flat onto the grass. "Please tell me that's actually all of them."
"Half hour's rest," Hacho said, tossing us a waterskin. "Then we strap in and haul."
While we caught our breath, a familiar tingle ran through my thoughts.
[Strength stat reached Level 12] [New Active Skill: Quick Wield] [New Passive Skill: Sword Play]
Combat skills, from hauling logs? I turned the thought over. I've never even held a sword.
"What's got you thinking so hard?" Nozue asked.
"New skills. Maybe I should actually pick up a sword sometime."
"You're Assassin class, though. Isn't a sword going to be too heavy for that build?"
"I'll figure it out." I shrugged. "Can't hurt to try."
"You're always chasing something new," he said, something like admiration in it.
"Break's over, boys! Harnesses on!" Hacho barked.
We hauled the loaded wagons back through the city for two grinding hours, and by the time we finally unhooked the last one outside the lumberjack shop, my whole body felt like it belonged to someone else.
"A thousand silver each," Hacho said, tossing us two heavy pouches. "Tougher than you look, the both of you."
Nozue held his first-ever earnings like they were made of something more precious than coin. "This is amazing."
"How was your first real quest?"
"Exhausting. Fun." He grinned, wiping sweat from his eyes. "So this is what being an adventurer actually feels like."
"Let's report in," I said, already looking forward to whatever came next.
As we walked back, my system chimed again.
[Strength stat reached Level 15] [Exploration reached Level 90]
[New Active Skill: Whirlwind]
[New Skill: Item Space — an infinite pocket-dimension inventory]
An infinite inventory. I let that sit for a moment, already imagining the possibilities. There's always more to learn here than I expect.