Something shifted within his physical channels over the past few days, granting him unnatural speed and fluid combat reflexes.
Hajin maintained a steady grip upon the mercenary's throat, carefully masking his true strength from the watching crowd.
'In standard Shard terms... what rank does this divine Ring power actually represent in this capital?'
He recognized the woman entering the guild hall on sight, having heard rumors regarding her fearsome reputation across the district.
Yenna, known throughout the kingdom as the Frost Fang, held fifth rank among all active capital guild champions.
Her crystalline plate armor radiated faint wisps of azure frost, cooling the tavern air by several noticeable degrees in seconds.
A slender rapier rested at her hip, forged from pure glacial steel that glowed with four perfected ice Shards.
She conquered three northern S-rank dungeons single-handedly last winter, earning the respect and fear of every veteran in the city.
Her reputation for absolute impartiality and ruthless combat efficiency made her the unofficial arbiter of public guild disputes.
Hajin observed her flawless balance and posture, calculating that her refined ice mana surpassed any opponent he faced previously.
The ambient magical temperature in the room dropped steadily, causing thin frost crystals to form along the floorboards.
The boisterous hall rearranged itself around her in quiet reverence, with seasoned sellswords stepping aside to clear a wide path.
Her armored feet clicked rhythmically across the floorboards as she approached the shattered pillar with calm, predatory grace.
'Entanglements with a top-ranked adventurer on day one... complications I would much rather avoid right now.'
He kept his breathing steady and his posture relaxed, showing zero fear before the renowned fifth-ranked guild champion.
His street instincts warned him that high-ranked fighters respected unwavering resolve far more than cowardly apologies or groveling.
Her sharp sapphire eyes scanned the cracked pillar, the battered mercenary hanging in midair, and the hooded wolf girl.
"Explain this disruption immediately," Lady Yenna demanded, her frost Shards swirling with glacial sharpness.
The battered mercenary found his trembling voice first, hoping to manipulate the guild champion into defending his wounded pride.
Blood dripped from his swollen lips as he squirmed desperately within Hajin's grip, seeking sympathy from the onlookers.
"Lady Yenna! This lunatic attacked me out of nowhere...!" the mercenary whimpered, spitting blood onto the planks.
"I was just talking to the girl!"
Yenna turned her frosty gaze upon the whimpering warrior, silencing his pathetic excuses with a look of absolute disgust.
Her icy glare cut through his dishonest fabrication, knowing precisely what kind of vulgar behavior caused this tavern brawl.
"Did I give you permission to speak?" Yenna asked, her eyes narrowing into slits of pure frost.
"N-no, my lady..." the brute choked out, cowering under her shadow.
"Then shut your mouth before I freeze your tongue to the floor," she commanded with icy finality, pointing a frost-covered finger at his face.
The cowardly mercenary shut his mouth immediately, trembling in terror beneath the freezing aura of the guild's fifth rank.
"You," Yenna addressed Hajin, nodding toward the bruised sellsword. "Drop that man right now."
Hajin unclenched his fingers without hesitation, letting the bruised mercenary drop onto the splintered planks below him.
The bruised warrior collapsed in a heap, coughing violently while clutching his swollen throat with both trembling hands.
'Cooperating with a ranked champion is the cleanest exit... provoking her here serves no practical purpose.'
"Now... what happened before I walked in?" Yenna asked, folding her arms across her silver breastplate and fixing Hajin with a piercing stare.
Her gaze carried the keen scrutiny of a veteran investigator who solved dozens of guild disputes across the province.
Before he could answer, slender trembling fingers caught the hem of his canvas travel coat from behind.
Juna stepped close behind his back, hiding her scarred face while using his broad shoulders as a defensive shield.
Hajin shifted slightly to keep her fully shielded from the crowd's prying stares, maintaining his focus upon the formidable ice champion.
"That trash put his hands on her," he stated plainly, his jaw tight. "Tried to buy her like livestock."
Yenna glanced at the shattered pillar, then looked down at the whimpering mercenary with cool, disdainful understanding.
Her expression softened slightly as she observed Juna clutching the youth's coat, recognizing the classic signs of cruel abuse.
"I see," Yenna sighed, shaking her head with disdain.
"We get too many undisciplined brutes who forget that basic decency applies within city limits."
She adjusted her polished silver gauntlets, stepping over the scattered stone debris with an expression of mild annoyance.
Her eyes lingered upon the deep fracture lines radiating across the masonry of the central load-bearing support.
"However... you shattered a structural pillar," she pointed out, gesturing toward the fractured masonry where deep cracks extended upward. "Masonry repairs aren't cheap."
The guild could not overlook structural damage, regardless of how justified the young warrior felt in defending his wolf companion.
'Of course there is a monetary penalty attached to the damage... nothing in this city is free.'
"I'll cover the damage," he answered without hesitation, meeting her gaze with a wry half-smile. "Sorry for the mess."
Yenna raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise, unused to young warriors taking immediate financial responsibility for tavern brawls.
Most arrogant rookies attempted to argue or flee, but this black-haired youth answered with calm, professional and polite maturity.
"Fifty silver coins for the pillar," Yenna stated firmly. "You have one week."
"Understood," he agreed with a calm nod. "Fifty silver in seven days."
Behind the exchange desk, the nervous guild clerk recorded the fine in official parchment records with trembling ink strokes.
The clerk dipped a brass stamp into crimson wax, pressing an official debt docket before sliding the notched wooden tally forward.
[ CringeSlayer91: fifty silver debt on day one lmao, bro is speedrunning guild bankruptcy ]
[ ShadowMage44: fifty silver is crazy, how many monster bounties does he have to turn in for that ]
[ DarkBlade: that frost champion is harsh but at least she made the drunk sellsword shut his mouth ]
Hajin accepted the notched tally and tucked the cedar wood into his coat pocket without a word of protest.
"Come by the reception counter tomorrow morning if you intend to register," Yenna advised, her tone softening slightly.
"The assessment fee is separate from the fine, but certified bounties pay far better than raw tavern scavenging."
"We will be here tomorrow morning," he replied, giving her a respectful nod.
She turned toward the back offices without another word, signaling that their public confrontation concluded on mutually acceptable terms.
Hajin reached back and took Juna's trembling hand in his own, leading her swiftly toward the open front entrance.
The watching adventurers parted in silence as the mysterious youth and the wolf girl walked into the afternoon sun.
Juna stumbled slightly from the rapid pace, but her fingers remained tightly wrapped around his hand without letting go.
The bustling noise of the capital streets washed over them, replacing the suffocating hostility of the crowded tavern.
The crisp afternoon air smelled of roasted meats and sweet pastries, carrying the vibrant energy of the grand marketplace.
"Fifty silver in one week...?" Juna gasped in horror, tugging his sleeve as they hit the street. "Where are you going to get that kind of money?"
"We will register our names tomorrow morning," he chuckled with an easy grin. "Then we pick up high-tier monster bounties from the board."
"You... you fought that man on my account," she whispered, looking down at her feet.
"I fought him for putting hands on my companion," he replied firmly, meeting her gaze. "You didn't break that pillar, I did."
They walked along the crowded stone avenue in silence for several minutes while horse-drawn carriages rattled past them.
Juna pulled the oversized hood lower over her dark ears, keeping pace half a step behind him.
"He offered ten silver for me," she muttered bitterly, her claws digging into her sleeve. "A dead monster core was worth more than my life in that hall."
"He was a drunken fool whose opinion is worth less than the mud under your feet," he replied with a dry scoff.
"Save the worrying until we settle the debt," he added, nudging her shoulder playfully. "First, we get your warm honey bread."
They approached the fragrant bakery stall together, where the cheerful baker arranged rows of fresh pastries.
"Two fresh honey loaves, please," Hajin said to the smiling baker, placing three copper coins on the counter.
"Right away, young traveler," the baker beamed, wrapping the steaming bread in greaseproof paper.
"It smells incredible..." Juna breathed, cradling the paper package against her chest with shining eyes.
Juna took an enthusiastic first bite, her eyes widening as the sweet melted butter and honey warmed her tongue.
"Eat up while it is hot," he laughed, watching her chew with pure, unadorned bliss. "You earned every crumb."
She broke off a steaming piece and offered it toward him with a shy, tentative smile upon her lips.
"Take some," she urged softly, holding the flaky pastry out. "It tastes much better when you share."
Hajin accepted the sweet pastry with a faint smile, enjoying the rare quiet moment amid the capital's noisy market traffic.
They navigated through the winding lanes of the lower merchant quarter, seeking affordable lodging away from the prying patrols of the high district.
Hajin checked the pouch at his hip, calculating five silver and fourteen copper coins remaining after the bakery purchase.
A weathered wooden sign swinging above an alley entrance marked the quiet presence of a modest two-story boarding house.
The elderly proprietor glanced at Juna's hood, accepted four copper coins without asking intrusive questions, and handed over a brass key.
The second-floor corner room was sparsely furnished with two clean straw pallets, a shuttered window, and a sturdy deadbolt.
Juna sat upon the edge of the nearest straw pallet, carefully inspecting the door latch with the tip of her claw.
"Nobody breaks through that doorway tonight," he said with a confident smirk, leaning his notched blade against the corner beam.
"I can take first watch while you sleep," she offered softly, her ears twitching. "My hearing will catch anyone climbing the stairs."
"Rest your paws first," he chuckled, settling onto the straw pallet. "Tomorrow morning, we return to the guild boards and start clearing that fifty-silver debt."
Beneath the frayed hem of her travel cloak, her tail swayed in subtle, contented arcs as she settled against the wall.
Across the lower district, inside the quiet guild hall, Yenna stood beside the reception counter, watching the open doorway with calculating eyes.
She recalled the lingering golden halo that still revolved around the young stranger's wrist when she entered the hall.
The stunned murmurs of forty sellswords and the shattered pillar corroborated what her own sharp senses detected.
'That was no ordinary elemental Shard... but an unbroken ring containing pure, unblemished divine energy.'
She pulled the grand capital adventurer registry toward her, flipping through the parchment pages to search for recent registrations.
Zero records existed of an unranked warrior wielding golden rings, indicating that he either operated beneath official notice or arrived recently.
Her fingers drummed thoughtfully against the counter as she contemplated the profound implications of his unrecorded power.
If an unranked rogue possessed divine Ring abilities, his sudden emergence would inevitably draw the attention of the royal palace.
The Grand Magic Master and royal inquisitors monitored every abnormal mana signature registered within twenty miles of the capital walls.
An unregistered warrior capable of shattering pillars with one arm represented an unpredictable wild card in the coming crisis.
"Have the hall carpenters bring solid oak braces for this column immediately," Yenna ordered, tapping the counter with her silver gauntlet.
The clerk nodded frantically, bowing repeatedly as he hurried toward the back storerooms to summon the guild repair crew.
"And if that youth returns tomorrow morning to register," Yenna added with a keen, calculating gleam in her eyes, "bring his docket directly to me."