Rael was curious about what seal this fragment would open and if he would get another passive and active ability. The first fragment had already granted him a perma +10 boost to both Strength aerity, along with an active ability—Ruinous Strike. It was also the only active skill he had, and while he had used it a lot, there was still much he didn't uand about its full potential.

  Would this sed fragment grant him something simir?

  "Open Status."

  — Status Window —

  Name: Noctus

  Css: World Ender

  Level: 35

  Affiliation: Eclipse (LVL-2) [Guild Leader]

  Pet : -

  [Stats]

  HP: 480/480

  MP: 360/360

  Stamina: 250/250

  [Attributes]

  Strength: 42(+10)

  Dexterity: 40(+10)

  Endurance: 25

  stitution: 32

  Intelligence: 24

  Charisma: 5

  Free Stat Points: 0

  —————————————————————

  Seals Unlocked:

  1st Seal – Seal of Awakening (Unlocked)

  Ability – Ruinous Strike: A basic attafused with destructive force, dealing signifitly increased damage.

  Passive – Unshackled Potential: Strength aerity exceed normal limits, increasing both by +10.

  2nd Seal – Seal of Soulbinding (Unlocked)

  Ability – Soulstep: The user momentarily phase through the fabric of reality, telep a short distahis ability allows the user to dodge attacks, close gaps with enemies, or quickly reposition in battle. The range of the teleport is influenced by the user’s Dexterity, and it be used multiple times, though it es a small portion of stamina and mana each time.

  Passive – Demonic Resilience:

  - Minor elemental resistance bonus.

  - Minor increase to HP and MP.

  - Mineion of HP and MP over time.

  —————————————————————

  Rael stared at his status s, his eyes lingering on the newly unlocked abilities. Both the active and passive seemed incredibly powerful—he could teleport short distances with Soulstep and regee HP and MP while resisting elemental damage. It was almost too good to be true.

  But then doubt crept in. As the initial excitement began to wear off, he found himself frowning. His css, World Ender, had no guaranteed progression path. Uhers, who gained new abilities simply by leveling up, Rael was forced to rely on his lu finding fragments of a broken artifact to unlock more powers. It wasn't as straightforward as increasing his level or receiving new skills automatically.

  Others would go into dungeons, plete quests, and steadily grow strohey could t on their css to provide them with sistent boosts and item advantages, growing more reliable with every step. But for Rael? Each ability, each fragment, felt like a gamble. He didn't even know how many more pieces of Zenith were out there. And there was no guarahat the fragment he found would be as beneficial as the st.

  Is it worth it? Rael wondered. Sure, the abilities he had were great, but relying ments meant he would always be at the mercy of luck. It was a gamble every time he ventured into a new dungeon or battle.

  Still, there was ohing Rael knew for sure—he would have to take a. Sitting idly and hoping the fragments would e to him wasn't an option anymore. If he wao stay petitive, he'd have to actively seek out more pieces and hope they were just as useful as the first two.

  * * *

  Rael walked through the city gates of Vash'kar. The city had always had a certain energy about it, but today, it felt particurly lively. He made his way through the familiar streets toward the guild hall, the Eclipse banner fluttering proudly above the entrance.

  As he stepped inside, a warm, weling atmosphere greeted him. The guild hall was more poputed than usual, with about 10-15 people milling about, chatting or doing various tasks. Their eyes turoward him as he entered, and a few voices called out iing.

  "Hey, Noctus! Wele back!" one of the members said, fshing a thumbs-up.

  Rael nodded in aowledgment, a smile as he moved deeper into the hall. His eyes soon found something iing—a card game was going oween Elias and Lupus. Elias, looking uncharacteristically serious, shuffled a deck of cards in his hands, his brow furrowed in tration. Lupus, oher hand, sat with a focused expression, his hands steady as he pyed his cards with deliberate precision.

  Rael couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. He wandered over, taking a seat to watch the exge. The card game seemed like a mix of strategy and luck, but Elias was clearly frustrated, his focus tightening with each turn.

  "I swear, Lupus, you've got god-tier luck," Elias muttered, throwing his hand of cards onto the table. "It's like you're reading my cards."

  Lupus didn't respond, his focus unwavering as he pced another card down. Elias's frustration deepened as his attempts to win were met with Lupus's unshakable posure. He was losing, and badly.

  "e on!" Elias sossing his cards down in frustration. "How are you pulling this off?!"

  Lupus didn't flinch, simply drawing his card. His wolf, sitting beside him, watched the game with quiet iy, its ears perked up at every movement.

  Elias looked at his hand, then back at Lupus, muttering curses under his breath. His hand trembled slightly as he relutly picked up his cards again, giving the game one more try.

  But it was no use. With a calm, almost predatory focus, Lupus id down his final card, seg yet another victory.

  Elias's shoulders slumped i as his face twisted into a mix of disbelief and annoyance. "You've got to be kidding me..." he groaned, rubbing his temples. "Every siime…"

  Before he could finish his sentence, however, he paused mid-breath. He slowly turned his head, his gaze log onto something—or rather, someone—behind him. There, sitting calmly, was Lupus's wolf, its head cocked to one side and its tongue hanging out cutely. The wolf stared directly at Elias, pletely i in its demeanor.

  Elias's fusion shifted to realization, and he quickly whipped around to face Lupus. "You cheated!" he accused, pointing a fi the wolf. "Your wolf see my cards, 't it?"

  Lupus, with an unwavering and serious expression, gnced briefly at Elias. He spoke in the calm, collective tone of someone who art of a hive mind, the words flowing as if multiple voices spoke in unison. "We do not cheat. We make use of what is avaible to us."

  Elias's eyes narrowed, but Lupus only returo his game without any sign of guilt. Rael watched the exge with amusement, reizing the subtle power dynamics at py. Lupus may not have cheated, but his methods were... uniquely effit.

  Elias looked up at Rael, a dramatic sigh esg his lips. "Ah, the mysterious guild leader, finally returns after five days of being MIA. Must've been hard, you know, pying all solo. I bet you didn't even miss us. You've probably done everything on your own by now, huh? All alone... just like in the good ol' days. You've probably leveled up aen all the dungeons, maybe even discovered some brokehat we'll never get our hands on." His tone dripped with sarcasm.

  Rael, unfazed, casually bonked Elias on the head. "It's only been five days, Elias. Get over it."

  "Five days, five years," Elias grumbled, rubbing his head. "Feels like forever, man."

  Rael rolled his eyes. "Where's Gale and Leon?"

  Elias, now slightly more serious, scratched his thoughtfully. "Leon's been busy seg mats and leveling up the cottonist Mages. You know, the whole level-up-the-mages grind. Real exg stuff, huh?"

  Rael nodded, aowledging the y of it all. "And Gale?"

  A sigh escaped Elias's lips. "Gale? Oh, he's off dungeon raiding with a team. It's like World War II all ain. Non-stop battle, no time for anything else. You know how he is."

  Rael nodded again, a quiet uandiling over him. "Got it. Well, I'm logging out for today. I've spent enough time in-game these past few days."

  With that, Rael stepped away from the table and logged out, his avatar disappearing in a flicker of light. As he blinked bato the real world, the first thing that hit him was the silence of the apartment.

  Rael shuffled toward the fridge, hoping to grab something to eat, but when he ope, his eyes widened in disbelief. The fridge was pletely empty. Not a sie of food in sight.

  "Elias…!" Rael sighed in frustration, shutting the fridge door with a small thud. "At this rate, we're gonna starve."

  Throwing on his hoodie, Rael decided to take matters into his own hands. If Elias couldn't be bothered to keep the fridge stocked, he'd have to get groceries—and some takeout, of course. He couldn't resist the lure of ese food.

  At the grocery store, Rael was walking down the aisles when a raised voice caught his attentiouro see a girl arguing with the cashier. She seemed flustered, her hands fumbling with her bag as she spoke animatedly to the cashier. The problem? She apparently had fotten her phone and couldn't pay.

  Rael, notig the otion, stepped forward and casually pced his items on the ter. Before the cashier could ring him up, he tapped the s. "I'll pay for hers too," he said, gesturing to the girl.

  The girl turo him, looking surprised. "You really don't have to—"

  But Rael just waved it off, ued in her protest. "It's fine."

  Without waiting for her to respond, Rael grabbed his bags and walked toward the exit. As he stepped outside, he heard light footsteps behind him. He turned slightly, only to see the girl trailing after him, still talking nonstop.

  "I 't believe you did that, you really didn't have to! But, I mean, thanks anyway, I guess. I'll pay you back, don't worry about it—"

  Rael didn't bother responding. He just kept walking, hoping she'd get the hint. But she didn't. She followed, her words blending into an endless stream of chatter as they moved through the busy streets.

  "I 't believe I fot my phone, seriously. I'm usually more ahan this, but—"

  Rael let out a quiet sigh, feeling the weight of her words pressing on him, but still, he didn't stop. He reached the er and gnced back, finding her a few steps behind him, still talking like she was his best friend.

  Finally, he halted and turo face her. He wasn't annoyed, but he was growing tired of the chase.

  "Miss, what's your problem?" he asked, his voice calm but with an edge of curiosity.

  She stopped iracks, her expression shiftiween surprise and amusement. Rael noticed then—she was actually pretty, her features soft but strong. Her silver eyes stood out, sharp and focused, and her silvery-bck hair framed her fa loose waves, almost like something out of a dream. He wondered if she dyed it that way—it seemed too perfect, too striking to be natural.

  She blinked a couple of times, as if sidering how to respond, befiving a soft chuckle. "I just want to settle the debt. I mean, it's only fair, right? You helped me out, and I'm not about to let that slide."

  Rael shook his head slightly, not sure why he was even engaging in this versation anymore. He didn't expect her to keep following him like this. "Look, I don't really need anything iurn. I just helped out, that's all."

  She smiled, clearly unvinced. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. In fact…" Her eyes brightened as if she'd just had an idea. "How about we go to a café? My treat."

  Rael raised an eyebrow. "A café? How exactly are you paying for this?" He couldn't help but feel the impendi of another awkward situation. He was already brag himself for the idea of paying again.

  But she grinned fidently. "You know the one, right? That little café, just a few minutes from here. They make the best coffee."

  Rael's gaze drifted toward the street ahead of him, where he could see the familiar sign of his regur café in the distahat pce? he thought, raising an eyebrow. It was the one pce he always went to escape. He'd been ing here for months now, always in pead quiet.

  "Fine," Rael muttered, giving in with a sigh. "Lead the way."

  They walked toward the café, just a five-minute walk from Rael's pce. He figured if he didn't go along with it, she'd just keep following him all the way home. Holy, he didn't want to deal with that, so he relutly agreed.

  Onside, she made a beeline for the ter and pced a ridiculously rge order—enough food to feed a small army. Rael just shook his head slightly, already feeling the weight of his wallet. He couldn't help but sigh at the absurdity of it all.

  He sat down at a table, pulling out his phoo scroll through the forums. The girl, now seated across from him, didn't stop staring at him for a sed, her silver eyes following his every movement.

  Rael couldn't help but feel a little uneasy under her gaze. How is she going to pay for all of this?

  He gnced up, his eyes narrowing slightly. He was still distracted by her presehere was something about her that just felt… familiar. At first, he couldn't pce it, but then it hit him. That silver hair—how could he have missed it?

  Her name was Sabrina. Her father was one of the wealthiest men in the try. She was the daughter of that billiohe one who owned half the buildings in Roid City. It clicked. He'd seen her in the news, online, probably in business articles and social media.

  No wonder she seemed so familiar.

  He sighed internally. He had no i iing caught up in a versation with someone who clearly had a lot of time on her hands. "Well," he started, setting his phone down. "This was a nice distra, but I should probably head baow."

  Sabrina tilted her head, not fully satisfied with his dismissive tone. "You py Solmora, right? I mean, I saw you earlier with your phone. You were cheg the forums. You must be pretty into it."

  He hesitated for a sed, not wanting to look like he was too ied. "Yeah, I, uh... py a little. You know, just for fun. Some casual stuff... I'm not really into the hardcrinding or anything."

  She raised an eyebrow, her smile slipping just a little. "Casual, huh? Guess that's one way to py, though. You probably don't even know what you're doing, do you?"

  Rael bli her, but she didn't give him a ce to reply before tinuing. "I mean, no offense, but you don't strike me as someone who would be taking the game seriously. Most people are obsessed with grinding or doing dungeons, but you seem... different."

  Rael chuckled nervously. "Yeah, just messing around, really. Not a big deal."

  She nodded with a knowing smile, but in her head, she couldn't help but ugh at how much of a noob he seemed. She had been around the game long enough that he was one of the pyers who just did the bare minimum, likely stumbling through the world without uanding much.

  Rael didn't catch the look in her eyes as she watched him. He was far more focused oing out of there before she dragged the versation any longer.

  "Anyway," he said, standing up abruptly, "I've got stuff to do. Thanks for the coffee."

  Before he could eve up, she leaned forward, a proud, almost smug look on her face. "Hey, you know, this isn't enough to pay the debt. But I could add you on Solmora, carry you through the game. It'll be a good deal for you, trust me. Not everyos a ce like this."

  Rael g her as she proudly offered to add him on Solmora and "carry" him through the game.

  He didn't even give it a sed thought. With a quick shake of his head, he stood up, grabbed his bag, and tossed a few bills oable before bolting out of the cafe. His pace quied as he hurried dowreet, the sound of her voice fading behind him. He wasn't about to stick around for whatever weirdness she had pnned.