The Guild hall was still warm with lamplight and the low hum of conversation when we pushed through the doors, the World Map and coin pouch tucked safely away in my Item Space. Missy looked up from a stack of papers as we approached.
"Kazu, Nozue! How'd it go?" Something in her voice trembled slightly, though I didn't think much of it.
"Successfully," I said, laying the map and pouch on the counter. "Chief Balthar was pleased."
Her eyes went straight to the parchment. "Is that a World Map?"
"A bonus, from the Chief. Druzka, Harandur, Soradia — all of it."
"Two thousand silver on top of that," Nozue added, unable to keep the pride out of his voice.
"Quite a reward for a food-gathering quest." She reached for her ledger. "I'll note this properly."
While she wrote, she noticed a sealed envelope among her papers. "Oh — Kazu, almost forgot. A notice on your registered skills, after the recent labor."
She held it out, her fingers brushing mine for a moment longer than strictly necessary, cheeks going faintly pink before she looked away. I broke the wax seal without noticing any of it, and the familiar tingle of the system rushed through me as I unfolded the parchment.
[Strength stat reached Level 23] [Exploration reached Level 93] [Assassin skill reached Level 92]
Strength's climbing fast, I thought, satisfaction settling warm in my chest. Getting closer to Rage.
Missy watched me read, fingers tapping lightly against the desk. "Significant updates, it seems. Glad you're pleased."
"Everything alright?" Nozue asked, catching my distracted look.
"Great," I said, folding the parchment away. "Really great."
"If you need anything tomorrow, just ask," Missy said, something quiet and a little wistful in her smile as we said our goodbyes and stepped back out into the night.
The cobblestone streets were dim and mostly empty on the walk home, the day's accomplishment sitting comfortably in my chest even as exhaustion crept in behind it. The orphanage still glowed with light and the muffled sound of children's laughter when we reached the door.
"You're back so late!" Rosalia said, wiping her hands on her apron, relief plain on her face. "How did it go?"
"We brought back an entire beast for the workers," I said, tiredness forgotten for the moment. "Chief Balthar was very happy with us."
"A World Map, too," Nozue added. "Druzka, Harandur, even Soradia across the sea. Kazu couldn't stop staring at it."
"A World Map — I'd love to see it."
I unrolled it across the dining table, and Rosalia traced the borders with something close to wonder in her expression. "It's a good reminder, isn't it. How much more there is out there than what we can see from here."
"Makes me want to go see it," I admitted. "All of it, eventually."
She rested a warm hand on my shoulder. "There's always more to discover, whether it's out there or in a classroom somewhere. You'll go far, Kazu. I believe that."
The younger children had gathered by then, drawn by the promise of a story, and Nozue and I told them about the boars and the ice and the fire, watching their eyes go wide with each new detail.
Then something in the kitchen crashed hard enough to cut every voice in the room dead.
Rosalia's face drained of color. "Stay here — I'll check."
"Wait—" My Murderous Intent Detection flared before I could finish the word, sharp and immediate.
The children huddled together as Nozue and I bolted for the kitchen. We burst through the doors to find the source of it — a Forest Bear, easily eight feet at full height, had torn through the back delivery door and was tearing through pots and pans with wild, hungry desperation, yellow eyes catching the lamplight.
"Nozue — get everyone clear!" I said, already dropping into a stance.
He didn't hesitate, herding the screaming children and Rosalia back and barricading the hallway door behind them.
The bear charged, claws swiping wide. "Blink." I reappeared behind it. "Fire Pierce!" The blast caught it square in the back.
It roared and spun on me, jaws snapping. I drew the Wrath of God, and rather than risk a fire spell tearing the whole kitchen apart around us, I channeled the flame directly into the blade instead — a controlled, contained blaze that lit the room without touching the wooden walls.
The bear thrashed through the ruined prep tables, sending knives and pans flying in every direction.
The door cracked open behind me. "Kazu — be careful!" Rosalia's voice, tight with fear.
I ducked under a claw that would have taken my head off and brought the flaming blade around in one sharp arc. "Whirlwind!"
The strike caught it clean across the chest, and the bear's weight crashed backward into the stone wall, one last gurgling roar escaping before it went still for good.
I let the flames die and sheathed the dagger, wiping soot and sweat from my face. "It's over."
Rosalia pushed past the wreckage and threw her arms around me before I'd fully caught my breath. "You saved us. Again."
"Just protecting my family," I said, hugging her back, adrenaline still shaking through my limbs.
The children peeked out from the hallway, terror already giving way to wide-eyed admiration, and cheered loudly enough that the whole street probably heard it.
We spent the rest of the night cleaning up the wreckage together and putting together a late meal to settle everyone's nerves, and by the time we finally sat down to eat, the kitchen felt less like a battlefield and more like ours again.
Rosalia pulled Nozue and me both into a tight hug before bed. "Thank you. For everything, today. It means more than I can say."
We said our goodnights and settled into our room, and as I closed my eyes, I let myself sit with something simple — that whatever the rest of this world turned out to hold, this house, this family, was where I actually belonged.