The registration area gradually quieted down as most students finished signing up. What had started as nervous energy slowly turned into lively chatter, with small groups forming everywhere to talk about the upcoming expedition.
Aaron and Rei walked side by side down the street toward the nearest bus stop. The afternoon sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the pavement from Lemuria City's massive defensive walls.
Rei still looked restless. He kept his arms crossed tightly, clearly trying to find the right words to talk some sense into his friend.
Finally, he broke the silence.
"Aaron… are you really sure about this?"
Aaron glanced at him.
"About what?"
"About going outside the walls," Rei said, frowning deeply. "This isn't some game, man. Even experienced hunters die out there all the time."
Aaron nodded casually.
"I know."
"That's exactly the problem!" Rei exclaimed. "You say you know, but you signed up like it's no big deal!"
Aaron let out a soft chuckle.
"If I don't try, I'll never know what I'm actually capable of."
Rei opened his mouth, then shut it again.
He had known Aaron for three years, but today his friend seemed… different. Still calm and easygoing like always, but there was something new underneath it. A quiet kind of confidence that wasn't there before.
Rei let out a long sigh.
"Fine. If you're really going, then I'm sticking with you."
Aaron stopped walking and looked at him.
"You already registered."
"I know," Rei said stubbornly. "But now I'm making sure I stay close. At least if something goes wrong, I can help you run away faster."
Aaron laughed.
"Very considerate of you."
They reached the bus stop and sat down on the worn bench. For a moment, the street around them felt strangely peaceful.
Aaron slowly turned his attention inward.
The system panel appeared in his mind right away.
Yoink!
....
[Effort Theft System Activated.]
Player: Aaron Emegrey
Class: Laborer
Rank: E
Level: 1
.....
A small notification blinked below the stats.
[New item acquired.]
Aaron opened his inventory.
Floating inside the storage space was a single dagger.
At first it looked fairly normal, but the moment he focused on it, detailed information unfolded.
.....
Frostfang Hunter Dagger
Quality: Rare
Attack Power: 48
Effect: Frost Edge – Each strike carries cold energy that can slow down targets.
.....
Aaron stared at the stats for a long moment.
He quietly compared it to what the system had originally mentioned — a Beginner Hunter Dagger (Common).
Normal beginner weapons usually had attack power around 5 or 6 at best.
This one had 48.
And that wasn't even the craziest part.
The Frost Edge effect meant it carried actual elemental power.
Even mid-level hunters would consider a weapon like this pretty valuable.
Aaron exhaled slowly.
So the system's amplification didn't just multiply things. It could evolve them completely.
A basic freebie had turned into something genuinely strong.
Rei noticed Aaron spacing out again.
"Brother Aaron?"
Aaron blinked and came back to reality.
"Hmm?"
"You've been staring into space for almost a minute now."
Aaron smiled.
"Just thinking about the expedition."
Rei groaned.
"You're way too calm about all this."
Aaron didn't explain.
Instead, he quietly activated his inventory. A faint light flashed in his palm as the dagger materialized.
The blade had a beautiful silver-blue sheen, almost like frozen moonlight.
Rei's eyes went wide.
"Where the hell did you get that?"
Aaron casually twirled the dagger once before holding it up.
"The Bureau gave everyone a beginner weapon when we registered."
"That is NOT a beginner weapon!" Rei nearly shouted.
A few people walking by glanced in their direction.
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?"
Rei leaned in close, studying the blade carefully. After a few seconds his expression turned weird.
"This… this looks like froststeel."
"Is that good?"
Rei stared at him like he was crazy.
"Good? Frostfang weapons are usually only used by mid-level hunters!"
Aaron blinked.
"Oh."
Rei grabbed his shoulders.
"Don't just say 'oh'! How did you get something like this?"
Aaron shrugged lightly.
"Maybe the Bureau was feeling generous today."
Rei looked like he wanted to scream.
Before he could press any further, a calm voice spoke from nearby.
"That dagger is not a standard Bureau issue."
Both of them turned their heads.
Luna was standing just a few steps away from the bus stop. She had walked up so quietly they hadn't noticed her.
Her eyes were locked on the dagger in Aaron's hand.
"Frostfang," she said softly. "Rare grade material. Even the academy's training weapons don't reach this level."
Aaron looked at the blade again.
"You seem to know your weapons."
Luna ignored the comment.
"Where did you get it?"
Aaron answered honestly.
"From the registration reward."
Luna's brows drew together slightly.
"That's impossible."
Rei nodded hard. "Exactly what I said!"
Aaron gave a small laugh.
"Maybe I just got lucky."
Luna studied him for a long moment, like she was trying to figure something out.
Her instincts were telling her this situation felt off.
But after a brief silence, she simply said,
"Luck won't save you outside the walls."
Aaron nodded.
"True."
Luna crossed her arms.
"The beginner expedition in three days will head into Sector Eight, east gate."
Rei blinked.
"How do you know that?"
"I asked the officer earlier," she replied calmly.
Aaron tilted his head.
"And?"
Luna looked straight at him.
"Sector Eight mostly has low-level monsters. But even they can kill inexperienced hunters if you're not careful."
Her voice stayed steady and matter-of-fact.
"If you're really joining the expedition, don't do anything reckless."
Rei whispered to Aaron, "Bro… I think she's actually worried about you."
Luna shot Rei a cold look, making him shrink back a little.
She looked at Aaron for one more second before turning to leave.
But just before she walked away, she added something unexpected.
"If you truly plan on fighting monsters…"
She paused.
"…then don't fall behind."
With that, Luna walked off and disappeared into the crowd.
Rei stared after her, stunned.
"That was probably the longest conversation she's ever had with anyone."
Aaron twirled the froststeel dagger once more, then smoothly stored it back into his inventory.
His gaze drifted toward the distant city walls standing tall against the sky.
Three days.
In three days, he would finally step outside Lemuria City for the first time.