Aaron stepped out of the shop, the girls trailing after him with faltering steps. Silent, they clung to each other's hands, their grip a silent vow: whatever fate awaited, they would face it side by side.
As they walked through the busy slave market, the girls saw other slaves standing outside the shops. None wore chains, but the pain in their eyes and the scars on their bodies said it all. Tyra and Kyela were now just like them.
Once they left the slave market, Aaron turned to the girls, making them flinch. He could see the truth in their eyes—so damn young, forced to follow a stranger who had just bought them like property. Their fear was real, and he understood why.
Aaron glanced at their wounds and pulled out two low-grade healing potions. He handed them over, saying, "Here, take these. They'll fix you up." The girls stared, surprised—a master handing slaves something this valuable? Tyra hesitated, but took both, passing one to Kyela. They drank, and within moments, their injuries faded away.
Aaron thought to himself, First, I need to get them some proper clothes and a decent meal. After that, I'll take them to Estrium for registration. I'll also sign us up as a mercenary team so we can get this system mission completed. With that, he led the girls toward the Merchant District.
By evening, Aaron and the girls sat together at a table in the inn's restaurant, where he was staying. He had bought them both casual dresses and paid for a room next to his own. After a much-needed bath, the girls now sat in clean, new clothes.
Now, washed up and dressed, Aaron noticed how their ashen-grey hair glimmered, still damp from the bath, making their resemblance unmistakable. Both wore simple sky-blue frocks. Even with their pale, malnourished bodies, they looked fragile, but beautiful.
Neither girl had spoken a word since leaving the slave market. Whenever Aaron addressed them, they only nodded silently. After a few minutes, the food Aaron ordered arrived: a decent meal with a couple of meat dishes and fresh bread.
The mouthwatering aroma filled the table. Kyela, who hadn't eaten all day, felt her stomach growl, and she gripped her frock tightly in embarrassment.
Aaron gave a small smile and, in his usual soft manner, said, "These are for you. Eat as much as you want." But the girls didn't move. They had never eaten in an inn before. Thanks to their father's gambling habits, most days they survived by begging for scraps, and sometimes, Tyra would bring home rabbit meat she hunted with a makeshift bow carved from forest wood and bits of string.
Aaron noticed their hesitation and thought, I should give them some space. He addressed them softly, "I have some work nearby. I'll be back in a few minutes. If you need anything, just tell the innkeeper." With that, he left the table and stepped outside the inn.
Seeing him leave, both girls sat in shock. They couldn't guess what their master really wanted. He had been polite, bought them new clothes, and now there was a table full of food for them. As they wondered about their fate, both their stomachs growled at the same time. Kyela looked to her sister, and Tyra gave her a small nod to eat.
About a quarter of an hour later, Aaron returned. The girls were sitting with their hands folded on their laps; they had eaten, but only a little, and much of the food still remained. Aaron figured their worry must be the reason. He thought to himself, I should tell them about the mercenary team. Maybe that will help them relax.
As Aaron settled into the chair across from them and was about to speak, Tyra's voice broke the silence. She stared down, hands trembling as she clutched her frock. "M...Master, I'll do w...whatever you want, b...but can you p...please leave my sister out of this...?" Her words quivered with fear, the memory of being treated like a plaything haunting her thoughts. She feared that maybe this young man—now their master—wanted the same filthy things from them.
Tears welled up in Kyela's eyes as she squeaked, grabbing Tyra's hand. "S...sister, no." Seeing the scene before him, Aaron could tell they were completely traumatized. He spoke gently, "It's not what you think. I have no intention of doing anything like that. I brought you here to join my mercenary team. That's what I'm building."
Hearing this, both girls looked at Aaron, tears still shining in their eyes. Aaron continued, "I know how you feel. I hate slavery myself. But I needed a way to ensure no one on my team would betray me in the future. The slave contract is just insurance for that."
Tyra was confused. Why would anyone buy E and F-rank Awakened for a team? She knew what usually happened to low-ranked slaves. She was about to ask Aaron, but Kyela spoke up in her tiny, trembling voice, "R...really, Master? You won't do any dirty things with us?"
Kyela had been fragile since childhood, spending most of her life at home. Despite all the hardships, her nature remained gentle and pure. Because she rarely left the house, she knew little of the world. Hearing Aaron say he didn't want anything like that, she couldn't help but ask him again.
Tyra turned to Kyela and quickly elbowed her, signaling her to keep quiet. Aaron let out a sigh and facepalmed, then cleared his throat. "First of all, I'm not like those scum. And second, don't call me 'master.' I'm about your age, so just call me Aaron."
A few seconds of silence hung in the air before Tyra hesitantly spoke, "Master, wh—" Aaron interrupted her, "Just call me by my name." Tyra nodded, then finished, "How can we be team members? I'm just E-rank, and Kyela is F-rank. How could we possibly be of any help?"
Aaron answered, "You don't need to worry about your rank. I'll make you both stronger. I just need the two of you to support me from range." Hearing this, the girls didn't know what to say. They still couldn't fully trust Aaron, but from his actions, they could tell that, for now, they were safe.
Aaron stood, paid the innkeeper, then said, "Let's get you registered as Awakened." The girls followed as he considered how best to use them in combat. He knew their status, but not their capabilities, and realized Kyela's class needed upgrading for real impact.
Tomorrow, I'll take them on a mission to help them level up, Aaron thought. Soon, they reached Estrium. For the girls, it was their first time inside. Tyra had only glimpsed it from afar. Their eyes widened at the sight: an enormous hall, still bustling with adventurers even at night. Aaron led them to the registration table. There was no line, only Xandyr behind the counter.
Aaron pointed the girls toward the counter and said, "You both go get registered. When you're done, meet me at the large counter beside the board," he added, gesturing toward the mission section. Both girls nodded and headed over. Aaron already knew their levels and affinities, so he didn't bother watching. Instead, he went to the mission section to register his team.
Anyone could register a team here. There were no member or rank requirements. All you had to do was fill out a form and pay the fee. There weren't any special benefits; the only purpose was that every mission completed through the team's token would be recorded here. Aaron went to the counter, paid the five silver fee for the registration form, and began filling it out.
The form was simple, with just two sections: team name and team members with their ranks. Aaron stared at the blank space, thinking hard. He sucked at naming things, so he decided to merge his class and the old code name he used in his past life. At first, he thought of 'Abyssal Shadows,' but figured that would freak people out. So, he settled on 'Phantom Shadows.'
It had a cool ring to it, Aaron thought, as he finished the rest of the form. By then, both girls had completed their registration and received their Bronze 2 tokens. A hint of happiness flickered across their faces after they were registered. The only thing left was to submit the team form and hand over the tokens for verification. Aaron asked the girls for their tokens, returned to the counter, and completed the process.
After verifying their rank tokens, Aaron was handed a bronze coin—one side stamped with a crown, the other with a bold number 2. With that, the team was officially registered. Instantly, system messages flooded his vision. Not wanting to look like an idiot reading notifications in public, Aaron decided to check them once he got back to his room.
[A/N]: Team ranks are the same as individual ranks.
After that, Aaron led the girls back to the inn. He asked if they needed anything. They were still hesitant, since trust would take time. So, he handed them five gold coins, telling them they could get anything they wanted without asking. Then he let them go to their room to rest. It had been a rough day for both of them.
Aaron didn't head to his room right away. Instead, he went to the restaurant for some coffee and to check his system messages while he drank. When the coffee arrived, he took a sip, smirked, and called out 'status' in his mind to check the notifications.
[Congratulations! Mission: 'New Beginning' completed.]
[Bonus: Mission completed 6 days early and 2 members recruited. Rewards have been upgraded.]
[New Feature Unlocked: Mercenary Guild section has been added to your status.]
Aaron checked his status and noticed two changes: a Guild section had appeared below his skills, and the mission was now marked as completed, with updated rewards displayed.
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Name: Aaron White
Class: SSS Rank – Abyssal Phantom
Level: 13 (Progression: 42%)
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Attributes
Strength: 21
Stamina: 10.50
Constitution: 20
Agility: 11
S.E: 15
Unassigned Points: 0
State: Stable
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Health Points: 2000 / 2000 (Constitution × 100)
S.E Capacity: 150 / 150 (S.E × 10) (Regenerates 1 per minute)
Attack Power: 210 (Strength × 10)
Affinities: Darkness, Shadow
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Skills
Abyssal Insight (Passive), Shadow Resource (Passive), Phantom's Resilience (Passive), Predator of the Weak (Active), Shadow Stealth (Active), Shadow Veil (Active)
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Guild
Name: Phantom Shadows
Guild Master: Aaron White
Guild Members:
Tyra (Expand to view details)
Kyela (Expand to view details)
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M.P. (Mission Points): 4
Mission #1: New Beginning (Completed)
Form your own mercenary team and recruit at least one member.
Reward: 4 MP and Bloodtwin Daggers (Distributed)
⟡⟡⟡
Aaron's eyes went straight to the mission section, the part he cared about most. His 2 MP had been upgraded to 4, a good gain, since he'd figured out that Mission Points were the most valuable thing the system offered. He planned to use them to upgrade Kyela's class as soon as possible, hoping this would be enough.
Next, he checked the weapon: Bloodtwin Daggers, now sitting in his inventory. When no one was watching, he quietly pulled them out. Two sleek daggers appeared in his hands, their deep crimson blades shimmering with a faint inner glow. The edges looked unnaturally sharp, catching the light with a sinister red sheen. Aaron activated Abyssal Insight to examine their details.
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Item: Bloodtwin Daggers
Rank: Rare ★
Enhancements: +5 Strength, +4 Constitution, +2 Agility, +2 Stamina
Passive Effect
Deals 1% of the target's max health per second
Duration: 10 seconds
⟡⟡⟡
Aaron's eyes shot wide open when he saw the details. The daggers were Rare rank, one of the most sought-after grades among high-level adventurers. In this world, there were six ranks for weapons and equipment: Common and Uncommon at the bottom, mostly used by adventurers under level 100.
Next were Rare and Epic, which offered far better attribute enhancements, with most coming packed with special effects. These were prized by adventurers up to level 300. Above them were Legendary, usually owned by royal families, with only a handful existing in the world. These could only be found in dungeons.
Above Legendary was Mythic, like the king's crown, rumored to be crafted from true dragon bones, discovered in the Apex tier dungeon by the previous king. Each rank up to Epic had three grades, measured in stars. Even though these daggers were just Rare, one-star, if he tried to buy them in the market, they'd cost more than 5,000 gold coins.
After one last look at the daggers, Aaron tucked them away and shifted his attention to the guild section. The mercenary team name he had just registered now appeared, along with its members' names. Each name had an 'expand' option next to it.
Curious, he decided to expand Tyra's name first, wondering if there would be new details compared to what he saw with Abyssal Insight. Her status window opened, this time showing much more detail, almost matching his own.
⟡⟡⟡
Name: Tyra
Class: E Rank – Cinderstring Archer
Level: 0 (Progression: 0%)
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Attributes
Strength: 1.5
Stamina: 0.9
Constitution: 0.8
Agility: 1
Mana: 1.5
Loyalty: 10% + 90%(Contract)
State: Fear, Distrust, Malnourished
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Health Points: 60 / 80
Mana Capacity: 15 / 15
Attack Power: 15 (Strength × 10)
Affinity: Hellfire
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Skills
Steady Draw (Passive) +
Steadies breathing and posture before releasing, increasing precision by 15%.
Keen Sight(Active) +
Heightens visual awareness and focus, increasing vision by 35%.
Mana Cost: -1 every second.
Cinder Nock(Active) +
Channels faint Hellfire into an arrow before release, increasing damage by 40%.
Mana Cost: 10
Cooldown: 60 seconds
⟡⟡⟡
Now Aaron could finally see Tyra's attributes in detail. They were higher than what he started with, but still not enough to make a real difference for her. She would only gain 0.5 to each stat per level up. He also noticed her loyalty: just 10% from her own will, the rest from the slave contract. Aaron didn't mind; trust was something that had to be earned over time.
He could also see her skill costs and durations, which meant she could only pull off one lock-on attack at full power right now. There were '+' marks beside each skill, and when he focused on them, the upgrade cost appeared as well.
[Upgrade Available: 2 MP required to enhance this skill.]
Aaron decided not to upgrade Tyra's skills just yet. He wanted to save his MP to upgrade Kyela's class first. With that in mind, he turned his focus to Kyela's name, hoping he had enough MP to unlock something new for her.
⟡⟡⟡
Name: Kyela
Class: F Rank – Spirit Tender (+)
Level: 0 (Progression: 0%)
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Attributes
Strength: 0.5
Stamina: 0.4
Constitution: 0.5
Agility: 0.5
Mana: 1
Loyalty: 20% + 80%(Contract)
State: Fear, Malnourished
⟡⟡⟡
Health Points: 40 / 50
Mana Capacity: 10 / 10
Attack Power: 5 (Strength × 10)
Affinity: Nature
⟡⟡⟡
Skills
Shared Senses(Passive) +
Links her perception with her summoned spirit.
Lesser Spirit Call (Active) +
calls a small nature spirit into existence.
Mana Cost: 20 mana during call and -1 every second.
⟡⟡⟡
Her attributes reflected her fragile body, and she had no offensive skills to speak of. She could summon a lesser spirit, but there was no guarantee it would help in combat, since most lesser spirits were weak. Spirit-related skills depended heavily on mana, which was why this class was usually found among elves, known for their naturally high mana from birth.
Kyela's loyalty was higher than her sister's. From today's interactions, Aaron could tell she was a gentle, simple-minded girl, and maybe being with her sister made her more loyal to him. Aaron smiled as he noticed a '+' sign next to her skills, but what caught his eye was the '+' beside her class. When he focused on it, the upgrade cost appeared.
[Upgrade Available: 4 MP required to upgrade this class.]
Aaron wanted to use the points right away, but he forced down his curiosity. It was better to wait until morning, when Kyela was awake, just in case there was a reaction. With that decision made, he closed his status window and finished his coffee.