We hit the Guild tavern just long enough to grab a massive plate of roasted meat and potatoes. My ribs were still aching from the Dwarf's hammer, and my pride was a little bruised too, so I kept my head down. We didn't spot Garret, the Elven archer, or anyone else from Kaelen's class, which was fine by me. We ate in relative silence and headed straight back to our dorm.
The moment we got inside, Snow curled up on her cushioned bed and immediately went to sleep, exhausted from being manhandled by a giant rock snake. I sat at the small desk, pulled up my Guild Comms, and spent the next two hours meticulously reading through Kaelen's assigned files. Anatomy of Common Lesser Void-Spawn was basically a horror novel disguised as a textbook, but I burned the weak points and behavioral patterns into my memory.
I was just starting the chapter on environmental hazards when a sharp, authoritative knock rattled the dorm door.
I winced, holding my ribs as I stood up to answer it. A young Guild runner in a crisp uniform stood in the hallway, looking slightly out of breath.
"Noah?" he asked, checking a slip of parchment. "Guild Master Adda has requested your presence in her office. Immediately."
Snow opened one ice-blue eye, let out a long, put-upon sigh, and gracefully hopped off her bed to follow me.
When we arrived at the top floor and stepped into the Guild Master's office, I was bracing myself for another lecture. Instead, Adda was sitting behind her massive oak desk looking surprisingly relaxed. Dare I say, she was actually in a good mood.
"Take a seat, Noah," Adda said, gesturing to the chair opposite her. She tapped a thick file on her desk. "I just finished reading Kaelen's preliminary evaluations from Training Room Four."
I slowly sat down, resting my hands on my knees. "I'm guessing the part where I got launched across the room by a hammer is in there."
"It is," Adda smirked, leaning back in her chair. "But so is the part where you surgically dismantled a compressed geode-round and tripped up a brawler twice your size using wire-daggers and raw speed. Your fighting style is incredibly messy, but your foundation is fascinating. In fact, it gave me an idea."
"An idea?"
"Kaelen will teach you how to survive the Void-Sector," Adda explained, folding her hands. "But you need specialized training to refine that speed and master those wire-daggers. I'm assigning you to our Head Scout Trainer. They specialize in high-mobility, low-strength combat. It will be a perfect fit for your... unique stat distribution."
"I'd love to meet them," I said, genuinely relieved. "I clearly need the help."
"Excuse me," Snow's icy voice suddenly echoed in my mind. "And what about my instruction? Am I expected to simply watch while you learn how to stop tripping over your own feet?"
I cleared my throat and looked at Adda. "Snow wants to know what she's supposed to do during this."
Adda's smile widened. "I haven't forgotten about your bond. Beasts require instruction just as much as Walkers do. The Guild currently has a Frost-Scaled Wyvern in our employment who has agreed to take on an apprentice."
I blinked, completely thrown off. "Wait. Employment? You employ a Wyvern? Like, it draws a salary?"
Adda laughed, a genuine, warm sound. "Noah, you have a lot to learn about how this world works. After beasts reach a certain threshold of power and age, their intelligence evolves right alongside their mana cores. They become just as intelligent, if not more so, than any Human, Elf, or Dwarf. Many of the ancient ones even gain the ability to take on a humanoid form."
I stared at her for a second, my brain trying to process the lore drop. My gamer instincts instantly kicked in. I slowly turned my head to look at the fluffy white cat sitting next to my chair.
"Wait," I said, pointing at Snow. "Does that mean... are you going to turn into a cat girl someday?"
Snow stared back at me. If looks could deal physical damage, my HP would have hit zero instantly.
"The feline form is the absolute pinnacle of predatory evolution, Noah," Snow projected, her mental voice dripping with aristocratic disdain. "I have zero desire to downgrade myself into a hairless, bipedal ape just to fit in with your bizarre fantasies."
She paused, her tail flicking thoughtfully behind her.
"Although," she admitted, her tone softening just a fraction, "I suppose having thumbs would make opening my own tins of fish significantly more efficient."
I snorted, trying and failing to hold back a laugh.
We didn't even wait for the morning. Adda stood up right then and there, leading us out of her office and toward a heavily reinforced, runic elevator at the back of the administrative wing.
The polished wood and quiet dignity of the upper floors vanished the second the elevator doors slid open on the lowest sub-level.
It was absolute, organized chaos. Guild runners were sprinting down the aisles, clutching glowing data-slates. The air hummed with the electric buzz of massive, flowing holographic maps projected from the floor, casting the entire command center in a stark, blue-tinted light. It was a complete mess of tactical chatter, shifting supply lines, and real-time Void-Sector monitoring.
But my eyes bypassed all the glowing tech and locked onto the man standing perfectly still in the dead center of the room.
It was an honest-to-god ninja.
He wasn't wearing some baggy, cheap Halloween costume either. He was clad in a skin-tight, matte-black tactical weave that looked like it could absorb light. Sleek, angular armor plates protected his joints and chest, completely streamlined for absolute mobility without an ounce of wasted weight. His lower face was obscured by a high-tech, breathable cowl, and a pair of wickedly sharp, short-bladed wakizashis were crossed perfectly over his lower back.
I stopped dead in my tracks. I had to physically bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from having a full-blown fanboy meltdown right there in the hallway.
Snow paused beside my boots. She didn't even look at the man; she just looked up at me.
"Are you ok?" Snow projected into my mind, her tone dripping with heavy judgment.
"I am having a moment, Snow," I projected back, keeping my face as stoic as humanly possible. "Let me have this."
"Pathetic," she scoffed, flicking her tail and striding forward.
Adda wove gracefully through the chaotic maze of holograms and runners, bringing us right up to the central table. The man in the black armor didn't even turn around, but I saw his shoulders shift a fraction of an inch as we approached. He already knew exactly where we were.
"Riyu," Adda said, her voice easily cutting through the noise of the room. "I brought you your new student."
The man turned around. Up close, his dark eyes were cold, analytical, and completely unreadable. He looked at my standard-issue Guild clothes, my two-toned black and white hair, and the wire-daggers strapped to my thighs. Then, he looked at Snow.
"This is Noah, and his bond, Snow," Adda introduced, gesturing to us. "Noah, this is Riyu. Head of Vanguard Reconnaissance, and your new instructor."
I swallowed the massive wave of geeky excitement fighting its way up my throat. "It's an honor to meet you."
Riyu stared at me for a long, silent second. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, smooth, and clipped.
"Low Strength. High Dexterity," Riyu stated. It wasn't a question. He had clearly already memorized my file. "Your stance is wide. Your center of gravity is too high. You walk like a brawler, but you're built like a ghost. You have zero control of your stats and no combat experience."
I winced slightly. "Yeah, I made that pretty clear this morning."
"Kaelen teaches survival," Riyu said, his dark eyes narrowing slightly. "I teach execution. Tomorrow at 0500 hours. Training Room Seven. Bring your weapons. Do not be late."
He turned back to the holographic map, instantly dismissing us.
I just stood there, my heart hammering in my chest. Adda gave me an amused, knowing smirk and tilted her head toward the elevator, signaling that the introduction was over.
"0500 hours," I repeated under my breath as we walked away. "I'm being trained by a cyber-ninja."
"If you start running with your arms rigidly behind your back," Snow warned telepathically, "I will freeze your shoes to the floor."