“And it was your persisteo make a differehat sparked this moal ge in the unity,” Elysia said with admiration in her voice.

  Lord Chadriodded in agreement, his guards sharing his approving smile. “Haxks… won’t you sider staying in Dusthaven and being my personal attendant?” He asked upoing his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

  The guards exged surprised gnces.

  “Sir Fraunce, my trusted adviser, is about to retire,” the lord expined, his tone serious yet hopeful. “Would you be ied in being tutored by him until you take his pce? I couldn’t bear the regret of letting such a promising youth slip through my fingers.”

  Daisuke lowered his gaze, pting the man’s proposal for a brief moment before he spoke. “As you mentioned, it’s only a matter of time before the vilge’s prosperity transforms it into a town, or even a rge city. And that rapid growth will undoubtedly attract the attention of other kingdoms.”

  Lord Chadrick’s gaze narrowed at the mention of that.

  “And I have a feeling Lunarel will be too tied up with other pressing matters to offer any real aid,” Daisuke tinued ominously, recalling the peculiar arra he had made with the kingdom’s princess.

  “Right now, my priority is to acquire the power to defend myself and those around me. So, while I truly appreciate your offer, I won’t be able to accept it.”

  The man allowed a rueful smile, his grip on Daisuke’s shoulder tightening slightly. “It’s tough to give up on someone as smart and resourceful as you, but as a fellow man, I have to respect your decision.”

  Daisuke allowed a ile. “Maybe you should sider Elysia for the role,” he suggested openly. “She’s pretty clever and resourceful—quite the looker, too,” he said with a wink.

  Lord Chadrick stumbled back at the bold suggestion, his graceful disposition crumbling like a breaking dam. Elysia cleared her throat as she stepped forward, battling against the treacherous blush attempting to creep into her cheek.

  Without a word, the woman crouched in front of the boy, who stood a mere 125 timeters tall, and held his fident gaze. However, his perfectly schooled mask couldn’t fool her sharp femiuition. “I know it’s incredibly stressful and frustrating right now,” she whispered, ensuring only he could hear. “But if you keep f ahead, I’m almost certain that the right answers and paths will reveal themselves when you hem most.

  All you o do is keep moving forward and you’ll kly what it is that you o do. Mistakes are also a part of life, so don’t allow them to be a burdehem as a source of nutrients to grow even stronger.”

  Daisuke’s eyes quivered, the woman’s words shaking the crete walls he had erected around himself. As she spoke, he could clearly remember what both his virtual and biological parents had said to him—their words of wisdom resonated with Elysia’s, rekindling the same emotions within the depths of his soul.

  Daisuke took a calming breath. Wheing a program, he already had a clear vision of the e. All that remained was to write a string of code with the proper formus to fulfill the requirements. It was easy and straightforward—once you knew how to code, of course.

  However, adulting was airely different ballgame, and his social awkwardness certainly wasn’t doing him any favors. Life had so many variables, a daunting byrinth that left him feeling anxious and out of trol.

  Unlike g, where he had a clear vision of the e and the formus to get there, he faced the uainty of life without a roadmap. Yet, unlike code, he had the freedom to make mistakes along the way.

  As he tio weave his own narrative, he g to the belief that, eventually, he would discover the right path and struething remarkable from the chaos.

  Damn it! he scolded himself inwardly. Haven’t I already figured all of this out? I have a pn to amass plenty of gold. Now, I just o grow stronger. And as for Brek and the others…

  “Do you have any idea where the others may have been taken?”

  Elysia smiled, notig the renewed zeal igniting the boy’s eyes. “Sve traders are typically very cautious in their movements; even they have to fear bandits and meraries. Your best bet is to find a reliable information broker or sult the Merts’ Guild.”

  “Are you a member of the guild, by any ce?”

  Daisuke turo Lord Chadrick. “The Adventurers’ Guild? Yeah.”

  “I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the guild offers a postal service for its members. I have someone look into the kids for you. If we find anything, I’ll let you knht away. In exge, would you mind sharing what the situation is like in the capital?”

  “I’m on the road to figuring that out myself,” Daisuke informed.

  “When you do, pay a visit to the Merts’ Guild. They colborate with the govero provide a postal system fnitaries.”

  Daisuke raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I guess they’re not as servative as the Adventurers’ Guild.”

  “It’s a guild focused on acquirih and natural resources, after all,” Elysia expined. “Having strong es in the gover is essentially a golden ticket to financial opportunities.”

  “Spoken like someone assigned as a lord’s adviser would say,” Daisuke teased, a pyful smirk on his lips as he walked away.

  Elysia pushed herself to her feet with a pyful pout, but when Daisuke thanked her and began waving his goodbye, her expressioed into a warm smile. Uo resist the gesture, she waved back, the warmth of the moment brightening her demeanor as she watched him go.

  “I’ll reach out as soon as I learn anything,” Daisuke said to Lord Chadrick.

  The man nodded firmly, his curiosity piqued not only by Lunarel’s current state of affairs but also by the prospect of witnessing the youth's growth after several years.

  The vilge folk watched Daisuke ily throughout his entire exge with Elysia and Lord Chadrick, their eyes trag his every move as if he were some sort of deity. When he began to depart, a chorus of voices rose up, calling his h a mixture of admiration and reverence.

  “Thanks for all you’ve done!”

  “Please stay safe!”

  “May Goddess Seraphina bless you!”

  “You’re uardian angel! Please e back soon!”

  “You’re the reason my little boy is still alive!”

  Words of genuine gratitude and praise filled the air, creating a sweet symphony that resonated in Daisuke’s heart. His spirit quivered as he listened, a stark trast to the loneliness and depression that had once been his only panions after losing his parents.

  ed by his retives and abao a grim fate, he had grown aced to despair. Yet now, in this new world far removed from his own, he found himself loved and appreciated by these people.

  Unsure of how to respond to such warmth, he kept his head down and tinued running, letting their words echo in his soul.

  ***

  Time was of the essence. Daisuke khe lo took for him to find a trail, the harder the overall search was going to bee for the kids.

  A part of him yearned fate that could teleport him to Wonderelle, but as, Dusthaven o develop into a full-fledged city to possess such a ve and invaluable resource.

  Before passing through the western gate, Daisuke paused at the solitary hill that held his virtual mrave. Zephyr watched quietly as his panio beside the tombstone, carefully repg the snacks that the local rodent-like monsters had likely pilfered.

  “Hi mom,” Daisuke began, his expression not as somber as before. “Sorry about earlier; I wasn’t really sure what to say. But after a bit of thinking, I’ve decided what it is that I’d like to do.”

  ***

  After speaking his mind, Daisuke brushed a leaf from atop the crude tombstone and pushed to his feet, his eyes whispering one final goodbye. But before he could make his way down the slope, both his and Zephyr’s radar began pig up a disturbance.

  “Grr,” the pup growled, his hackles raised.

  Daisuke summohe Lipanthyer’s Fang, his eyes flitting from left tht as he focused his senses on the vibrations underground. It ’t be! Don’t tell me that damned Ekimmu had a vengeful twin brother or something?!

  All of a sudden, the quaking stopped. But rather than dropping his guard, Daisuke tightened his grip around his dagger.

  BOOOOM!

  The earth exploded, and out came a small fiend in the form of a mole-like creature. Daisuke’s body dipped low in pure battle-readiness while Zephyr’s maw went aglow with a raging fme. But before the elements of destru could verge on the monster—

  “Meow~”

  Daisuke stilled in his tracks as the mole transformed into a familiar feline. “M-Midnight?”

  DING!

  [Are you sure ?Midnight? is the name you would like to assign to the Shadow Djinn?]

  Before Daisuke could even formute a coherent thought—

  DING!

  [The Shadow Djinn delightfully accepts the name ?Midnight?!]

  DING!

  [A master-familiar tract has been fed between you and the Shadow Djinn!]

  DING!

  [The Shadow Djinn ?Midnight? has joined your party!]

  DING!

  [The title ?Master of Djinn? has been acquired!]

  DING!

  [The active skill ?Shadow Veil? has been acquired!]

  DING!

  [The Stealth stat has been acquired!]

  Daisuke righted his stand dismissed his on, his expression bnk. “Okay, so I guess from the very start, I had no say iter—wait!” He froze, recalling the feline’s previous mole-like appearand how it correted with Elysia’s description. “Are you the Guardian Spirit that discovered the water vein?”

  With an endearing “meow”, Midnight daintily made his Daisuke’s shoulder, olive-green eyes drifting close as he tenderly rubbed his cheek against his master’s.

  Daisuke chuckled softly, running his fihrough the purring feline's velvety fur. Meanwhile, Zephyr looked on with clear distent, appalled by the newer’s audacity to cim what he sidered his rightful throne.

  With an acg growl, Zephyr bristled up aly made his Daisuke’s left shoulder, gl at the infuriating nuisance. Midnight didn’t take kindly to the e’s bitter attitude, especially when he was more deserving sideri their master first.

  With a hiss, Midnight bristled up to mirror his new rival, his fangs bear.

  “Guys! Guys!”

  Before Daisuke could defte the tension, his face was caught in a violent cloud of cws and fangs. Moments ter, while he mao settle the dispute, his hair was a mess, his clothes disheveled, and his face covered in scars.

  With a sigh, he looked from Zephyr to Midnight with a poker face, clutg them by the scruff. “If you two ’t behave a along, you’re both going to have a time out.”

  Midnight pulled down his lower eyelid and stuck his to tauntingly. A vein bulged on Zephyr’s forehead, aaliated with an Emberstorm, i on burning the pest into a crisp.

  In the nick of time, Midnight partially turned his body into a dark mist, effortlessly phasing out of Daisuke’s hand and slipping into the shadow at his feet before he could be hit.

  Daisuke watched as the cheeky feline did backstrokes in his shadow as though it were in a pool of water, all while stig out a pink to a growling Zephyr.

  Daisuke sighed inwardly. I o remind myself o have kids.

  When Midnight submerged, evidently having his fill of mischief, Daisuke brought Zephyr to his face with a displeased gaze. “Dude, you seriously o take a chill pill; I uand Midnight, but aren’t you supposed to be a dignified Divi? You know better!”

  Zephyr whined repentantly, but fshed a triumphant grin wheook his rightful pce atop Daisuke’s head; a throne he wasn’t willing to share.

  “Okay, let’s take a look at Midnight’s stats,” Daisuke said as he navigated the digital menu.

  [Name: Midnight

  Level: 30 | EXP: 42,976/140,625 (30.56%)

  Race: Shadow Djinn

  Current Species: Cat

  HP: 3500/3500

  Little is known about Djinn, except that they are warm, peaceful entities with a strong affinity for nature and the world’s natural elements.

  On rare occasions, they ma before those they favor, bestowing guidance or blessings upon them. However, unlike panions, Djinn do not engage in bat. If a Djinn is sin, it is said to revive within seven days. Due to their mysterious nature, there are no known potions or remedies capable of resuscitating or emp them.]

  Daisuke stroked his . Well, being a nonbatant pretty much expins the ent stats—and its HP is signifitly lower than Zephyr’s. I guess Divis are of a much higher css than a Djinn. Still, I’m curious to see what kind of perks I’ll get going forward. Are the three new skills I got blessings from Midnight? Let’s see…

  [Master of Djinn]

  [Rank: Unique

  The Elementals, or Djinn, are as mysterious as they are fickle. They are known to gravitate toward individuals who possess uraits or captivating personalities.

  However, those who are chosen often find themselves abandoned for reasons unknowe this, f a tract with a Djinn is a rare and remarkable aplishment, and their blessings are highly coveted.

  Title Effect:

  ?? Elemental-based attacks deal 25% more damage.

  ?? Attack Power for ons imbued with elemental properties is increased by 15%.

  ?? Magic Defense +11%

  ?? Magic Resistance +9%.]

  Daisuke’s expression suddenly became lethargic. Despite the Djinn being bound by an official tract, he couldn’t help but remember when the feline abandoned him as a child. Man, it’d be painful if Midnight just up a and took back all these awesome perks—a 25% increase ial attacks? Magid resistand defehat’s amazing!

  [Shadow Veil]

  [Rank: Epic

  Cssification: Active Skill

  Lvl: 1

  Proficy: 0%

  Allows the user to blend seamlessly into their surroundings, moving with the silence of a whisper and the swiftness of a shadow. When activated, the user bees nearly invisible to the naked eye, their presence masked by an aura that distorts light and muffles sound. Footsteps bee inaudible, breaths are hushed, and even the sharpest eyes struggle to detect them.

  Skill Effect:

  ?? Reduces enemy dete range by 25%.

  ?? Increases Movement Speed by 12% while stealthed.

  ?? Attacks made from stealth have a 10% increased Critical Hit ce.

  ?? Physical Attad Evasion Rate are increased by 15% within dark pces.

  Mana Cost: 45

  Skill Duration: 3 Minutes

  Skill Cooldown: 20 Minutes]

  [Stealth]

  [Reduces visibility and sound, makiion by enemies signifitly harder. While applying stealth, you easily bypass foes and traps, set ambushes, or unch surprise attacks without warning.

  ?? Higher values increase effectiveness.

  ?? Stat Points ot be manually allocated.]

  Hell yeah! Daisuke excimed internally. This new skill and stat are amazing! Aside from cealing criminal status, these new abilities have everything the Phantom Cloak offered, and more. He smirked to himself. I was worried about losing my stealth capabilities when I upgraded my gear—but as long as I keep these perks, I won’t have to worry about that anymore!

  “Anyway,” he said aloud, reag up to stroke Zephyr’s head. “Are you ready to head out, boy?”

  “Kyuu~”

  “Alright. stop—the Merts’ Guild.”