I stepped aside, scanning the room again for a place to sit, but there was nothing. Not a single free spot.

"Yeah... no chance."

I turned and decided to head back to my room.

"Yo," a voice called from behind me. "You forgot these."

"Huh?"

I looked back to see Ken walking up, balancing his own tray in one hand. With the other, he dropped a fork and spoon onto my tray.

"Oh... damn, you’re right."

"Ambly’s hair, Ace," he muttered, eyeing me. "What happened to your uniform? It’s completely wrecked."

"Yeah... I went out hunting," I said as we started walking. "Didn’t go great. Any idea where I can get this fixed?"

"Tailor shops, probably your best bet," he replied. "I had a tear in my pants once. Cost me a silver. Robbery, if you ask me. With that kind of damage, though..." He glanced at my sleeve. "Yeah, they’ll charge you more."

"Great."

We made our way back through the hallway and reached our room. I pushed the door open and stepped inside, then set my tray down on the desk to the left and sat. Ken followed, closing the door behind him and taking the desk on the right.

Outside the window, the light was already fading. The sun had dipped low, leaving the sky dim and orange.

"You heard school’s off tomorrow?" Ken asked, already eating, talking with his mouth half full.

"Yeah," I said, picking up my spoon. "Didn’t think they’d take that fight so seriously."

"People could’ve died," he replied. "Of course they did."

"Fair."

I started with the soup, lifting the spoon carefully. It was hot, thick, and actually tasted good. Way better than anything I used to make back home. Most of what I ate there was instant noodles or takeout.

"You joining the tournament?" Ken asked between bites, shoveling food like he hadn’t eaten in days.

"Nah," I said. "I want my first year to be calm."

"What? You should!" he said immediately. "That tournament matters."

"Eh," I muttered. "How does it even work? Rules, rewards, all that."

"So," he began, leaning back slightly, "there are eight academies total. Each one sends a team of five."

"Alright..."

"Teams can be anything. First years, fourth years, doesn’t matter. Mixed classes, different roles, whatever. You register your team, then there are qualifiers inside the academy. Teams fight each other, and the winner represents Northwood."

"Got it. And the reward?"

"A thank you from the Queen herself," he said, grinning. "And a hundred gold per month for five months."

"Honestly... the gold isn’t that impressive."

"You’re missing the point," Ken said, shaking his head. "Nobody cares about the gold. It’s the recognition. You win for your academy, and the Queen personally acknowledges you. That’s huge."

"Yeah... when you say it like that." I nodded along, even if I didn’t really feel the same.

"Exactly," he said, clearly fired up. "Imagine that moment."

A few minutes later, we finished our food. I leaned back slightly, letting out a quiet breath. The meal had been genuinely good, and for the first time that day, I didn’t feel like I was on the verge of collapsing. With my stomach full and nothing urgent pressing on me, my mind drifted back to the system.

"I’ll get the plates," Ken said, standing up. "Gonna say hi to a few friends on the way."

"Thanks."

"No problem..." He picked up both his plate and mine, then shot me a grin. "Try not to do anything lewd while I’m gone, okay?"

"Seriously?"

He laughed to himself and walked out, leaving the door half-swinging before it settled shut.

Once I was alone, I got up and moved to the bed. I sat down and pulled the pillow up against the wall so I could lean back comfortably. Then I focused and brought up the system interface. I could check quests later, but right now I wanted to see what the shop offered.

╔═══════════════════════╗

> SHOP

────────────────────────

> COMMON SKILL: 25 LC

> HP POTION: 10 LC

> MP POTION: 10 LC

> INVENTORY SLOT: 100 LC

> DRIED MEAT: 5 LC

> EYES OF AMBLY: 200 LC

╚═══════════════════════╝

So this was the shop. A small notification blinked faintly in the corner, explaining that more items would unlock as I progressed. That made sense. That uncommon skill looked tempting, and I could afford it, but I wasn’t sure if I should spend my LC yet. And that last item, Eyes of Ambly, stood out immediately. No description, just a high price and a name that sounded important.

I decided to hold off for now. Better to save my currency until I understood things more.

I closed the shop and switched to the quests tab. Since I had completed the wolf hunt, the "Training" quest was gone, replaced by a new one.

╔══════════════════════╗

★ NEW QUEST ★

────────────────────────

> Title: Quick, quick

────────────────────────

> Objective:

• Complete two quests from The Guild.

────────────────────────

> Reward:

+ 75 EXP

+ 25 LC

────────────────────────

> Deadline: Today

╚══════════════════════╝

Today. I glanced toward the window instinctively. It had to be around seven, which meant I still had a few hours. Completing two guild quests in that time sounded doable, and the reward was solid.

There was also that other quest about practicing with a weapon, but that would have to wait until I actually got one.

I pushed myself off the bed and walked over to the window. Rain tapped lightly against the glass, thin streaks sliding down the surface. From here, I could see the circular street below, lanterns casting soft light over the wet stone. Across from the dormitory stood the girls’ building, its windows glowing faintly. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

I stood there for a moment, thinking it through, then nodded to myself.

"Yeah. I’m doing this."

The door opened behind me, and Ken stepped back in.

"Hey, I’m back."

"Hey," I said, turning toward him. "I’m heading out. Gonna pick up a couple of guild quests."

"Really?" he asked, his expression lighting up. "I’ll come with you."

"You don’t have to," I replied. "You can just—"

"I’m bored out of my mind," he cut in. "Give me a minute to change."

I considered it for a second, then shrugged. "Fine. We split the reward fifty-fifty."

"Works for me." He walked over to his wardrobe and swung it open. "By the way, I just bought this leather armor. Three gold. Can you believe that?"

"Good for you," I said, though I wasn’t nearly as impressed.

He turned slightly, using the wardrobe door like a cover as he started changing. I did the same, pulling off my school uniform until I was down to my underwear. Then I opened the inventory.

The interface responded immediately. A faint circular indicator appeared next to each stored item: basic tunic, plain trousers, worn shoes. The circles filled, and the clothes materialized in front of me, suspended in the air for a brief second before dropping into my hands.

╔═════════════════╗

> INVENTORY

╠═════════════════╣

> (EMPTY)

> (EMPTY)

> (EMPTY)

> (EMPTY)

> (EMPTY)

───────────────────

> Coin: 0

╚═════════════════╝