Vergil stepped through the village gates as the sky shifted from twilight to early morning. The breeze carried the faintest scent of dew and smoke from the chimneys as golden light spilled over rooftops.
Each step of his boots echoed with a thud against the stone as he made his way to the adventurers guild. Pushing open the door, a few members murmured near the bulletin board, eyes flicking over the latest missions.
Vergil approached with a small, almost imperceptible smile, towards the reception. "Morning, Elina."
She blinked in surprise, then softened. "Oh Vergil, you're back early. How did it go?"
He didn't answer immediately, instead he reached for his satchel, letting it clink softly as he placed it on the counter. Loosening the drawstring. Ten E-rank crystals tumbled out, each glowing faintly with an otherworldly colour.
Elina's eyes widened. "Wait... ten? You gathered all of them. Already!?"
Vergil rested his hand on his sword hilt. "The Grave Scavengers were predictable once I learned their rhythm, although they did give someone trouble at first. But after that..." he shrugged.
"That's... honestly incredible," she said. "Most new F-rank adventurers take days and usually form teams. You did it solo in one night?"
Vergil hummed quietly in confirmation. "It was necessary."
The words sounded colder than he meant them. But warmth was… uncomfortable. It didn't fit right on his tongue anymore.
Elina smiled, genuinely impressed. "Well, congratulations. You've passed with flying colours. May I see your adventurer card?"
He handed it over, she slotted it in the crystal reader as the device hummed softly as it was being processed. Moments later, she retrieved a new card. Its silver trim now gleaming:
Vergil E-Rank Adventurer
Alongside it, she placed ten silver coins. "You're now officially an E-rank. You can now do higher paying jobs and doing it solo will look better on your record."
Vergil nodded briefly, giving the smallest smile to the card before slipping it into his pocket. "Thanks."
Elina tilted her head. "Don't forget the rest, pushing yourself does catch up."
Her voice tried for lightness, yet her fingers lingered on the coins as she slid them across the counter.
Vergil caught it, concern disguised as banter.
"I could say the same to you," he said, forcing a smile he didn't quite feel. "But I'll keep that in mind."
---
Vergil left the guild. Silver in hand and his adventurer rank elevated, but his mind shifted to Eleanor.
Turning off the main path, he entered the quieter part of the village before reaching the cottage.
The door opened before he could knock.
Eleanor stood, framed in the morning light,
eyes cool and hair tied back as though she'd been waiting.
"You're late."
Her tone was neutral, but the faint quickness of her breath gave her away.
Vergil said nothing. He didn't need to. They both knew she'd been counting the hours.
Vergil nodded slightly. "You've changed."
She stepped aside. He entered.
The house remained as he remembered but parchment and books were scattered on the table. And small glyphs hovered around the air, gently pulsing with tame mana.
At the far end, Elvira glanced up from a tome she was reading on her chair. "Back from your hunt? Still breathing?"
Vergil smirked. "Cut me some slack, I just hit E-rank."
"Took you long enough," Eleanor spoke.
"Well... show me what you learned."
Eleanor's fingers danced as they formed a glyph, then her fingers pointed. A tendril of green extended outward like roots. [Entangling Snare.] Now stabilised and refined.
"It lasts twenty-one seconds now," she said. "Useful for slowing down targets."
Vergil watched silently. "And?"
She raised her hand. A faint green glow formed in her palm. "[Minor Restoration]. Tier-one healing. Closes shallow wounds, and mends fractures."
Vergil blinked in surprise. "You learned that in a day?"
She finally met his gaze. "If you bleed out, I don't want it to be because you were too stupid to dodge."
Cold. Direct. Sharp.
Vergil chuckled. "Cold as ever."
Eleanor met his gaze. "You're the sword. I'm control and support. That's our formation. I don't need warmth from you. I need efficiency."
There was no pride just purpose. After all, he was the one who inferred this from the start.
Elvira nodded from her seat. "She's sharper now lad, and harder to reach so keep that in mind."
Vergil glanced between them. "We're heading out tomorrow for a subjugation quest. Think of it as testing you in actual combat."
Eleanor nodded. "I'll be ready. So don't slow me down."
"I should be saying that to you," he said smirking.
She didn't reply. Just focusing on the hovering glyph.
Vergil turned to Elvira. "I want to learn fire and ice magic."
Elvira raised an eyebrow. "Done swinging swords for the day I presume?"
"I've been thinking that I need to have a more flexible 'kit'."
She exhaled, rising to retrieve two scrolls from the shelf.
"Fire and ice," she said, eyes narrowing. "Opposing polarities. Just because you have both affinities, don't think it'll be easy."
Vergil didn't reply and Elvira noted it. That silence again, sharp as steel. Always absorbing, never doubting.
"You really don't hear warnings, do you?" she muttered, half to herself.
Vergil didn't reply, already studying the diagrams.
"The first spell: [Ember Spark]. Foundational fire magic. You ignite volatile mana through agitation and compression."
He nodded, tracing the glyph, a tight spiral with jagged lines.
"The second: [Frost Touch]. Makes mana mimic the flow of water and cools it down and can be applied in a lot of situations."
Vergil gazed at both of the glyphs, memorising them. "How do I manage both?"
"Polarity control," Elvira explained. "Fire demands intent and movement while ice requires patience and stillness. Shifting between them is the core of dual polarity."
Vergil closed his eyes. Adjusting rhythms. Breath. Mental cues. Mana flow.
"I'll train tonight, and learn it."
Elvira snorted dryly. "Most mages take weeks to switch flows without backlash. You think you'll manage it in one night?"
"I don't need mastery right now, function is more than enough."
A faint grin tugged at her lips. "You're so stubborn. I like that. But if you fail after all that, I will smack you upside the head."
That night Vergil sat cross-legged beneath the open sky as moonlight bathed Vaelmont. Stars hung still and the world only seemed to exhale, no other sounds except Vergil's breath.
"Authority of Predation."
The black mouths released from his palm, crunched on the crystals, as they turned into a liquid form before dissolved into pure raw energy that was sent straight to him, surging with an otherworldly pressure.
Pain followed with it, gnawing with internal strain. His mana heart screeched under the flood of new energy, trying to force the chaos into control.
'System… allocate all points to Constitution.' He grunted.
[6 points have been allocated to Constitution.]
The pain began to dull, but didn't vanish. The current of energy bucked against his control like a wild current. He gritted his teeth, steadying his breathing. Pulling the energy into order through sheer will.
It was slow and brutal but the turbulence eased as hours passed. His mana settling in a smooth rhythm.
[User's Circle has reached 20% proficiency. 80% remaining until breakthrough to Second Circle.] [User has gained 5 points in Magic Power.]