Sora followed Jarek in silence. The mountains behind them receded with every passing minute, and the rocky, inhospitable environment gradually gave way to earth and vast fields. The tension that had built up throughout their conversation showed no sign of dissipating. With every step he took, Sora could still feel the pain of his burn, the sensation of having brushed against something dangerous, something he didn't understand.

He glanced at Jarek, who was walking ahead of him with disconcerting ease. The latter seemed so sure of himself, as if he knew exactly where he was going, at once relaxed and terribly serious. Sora, on the other hand, was not so certain. His mind was full of unanswered questions, and this feeling of incomprehension was not pleasant.

"Tell me," Sora began, his voice calmer, but tinged with a curiosity he couldn't suppress, "why are you staying on this floor if you're already Gold rank? You could easily go up a few floors if you wanted to."

Jarek turned his head slightly to look at him, his smirk still present. "Ah, you're intrigued? Well, you're not the first to ask me that question. And as for my answer... I'd say I have my reasons for not starting my climb now."

Not surprised by his answer, Sora only sighed. "I see... You prefer to keep it a secret."

Not bothering to turn around this time, Jarek replied in his characteristically casual manner. "You've got it all figured out. Let me ask you a question too. Why does a kid with no Ushi and no prima facie qualities want to get stronger?"

Sora expected this question in return and didn't really need to think to answer it. "You're asking me the question when I already gave you my answer the first time we met."

Raising his head to the sky, Jarek replied with a disappointed look. "I know, I just wanted to know if you'd changed your mind in the meantime."

Sora remained silent for a moment, watching the vast fields spread out before them, their green colors rippling in the light wind. "I haven't changed my mind, I still want to discover the Tower's secrets and find someone," Sora replied finally, his voice firmer.

Jarek glanced at him obliquely, still with the same disappointed expression on his face. "You've got a clear goal at least, that's a good start."

The discussion ended with his words, and they spent the next few hours following a path between numerous fields and a few copses, without exchanging a single word.

They reached Grimpoint in the early afternoon. The sun was still shining, although a few clouds were beginning to roll in from afar. They continued on their way to the Mercenary Order, where the atmosphere seemed to be lively.

"You've come to the right place, kid. I'll leave you to it, I've got business in town. You'd better not be late tomorrow morning, otherwise, believe me, the training will be even worse than I planned." Jarek added with a big smile on his face, before slowly walking away.

"I don't really want to die..." replied Sora, in a low voice.

When he entered the Order, a score of other mercenaries were already inside. Some were inspecting the missions hanging on the notice board, others were standing at the counter talking to the various hosts and hostesses, while others were simply sitting around a table talking and having a drink.

Sora approached the counters and took out his mission sheet before moving towards a counter, but noticed that no one was standing behind it. He waited a few moments before seeing Emma arrive, her arms laden with various files, each larger than the next.

She looked at Sora with a big smile before adding sarcastically. "Oh, there's our new star."

In total incomprehension, Sora didn't really know whether to laugh or not. "Your star? What are you talking about?"

Amused, Emma replied with the same annoyed look. "Getting spotted by Jarek when you've only been here less than a week, that's a first."

Sora raised his eyebrows, not really understanding. "Granted, he's the only Gold rank in the Order, but surely he's spotted others before me, right?"

Emma placed a folder on the counter with a slight sigh, as if not entirely surprised by his question. "I've been working here for about five years, and I've never seen him take an interest in a single mercenary before you. He's never had a single teammate and has always turned down group assignments. He's an enigma in his own right, having risen to Gold rank on his own strength, with no help from anyone. So believe me, being approached by Jarek is an unprecedented phenomenon, especially as he's a newbie who's only just moved up to Obsidian rank."

"It's true that she doesn't know the real reason why Jarek contacted me," Sora thought.

"He even asked of his own accord to train you. Which is, as you might imagine, a first." Emma retorted, not even giving Sora time to respond.

Scratching his forehead and unable to really explain the real reasons why Jarek had come to talk to him, Sora gave a rather evasive answer, but all the while making sure Emma understood. "Actually, he came to approach me and decided to train me for a certain peculiarity I have."

Emma immediately understood what particularity Sora was talking about and nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it's a real peculiarity that you have. And as for your mission, did you succeed? Although, looking at your condition, I doubt it was an easy one."

Sora sighed as he placed his mission sheet on the counter, recalling recent events. "Yes, I succeeded, but it was far from simple." He ran a hand over his arm, where the burning sensation still lingered. Emma watched his gestures carefully before flipping quickly through the mission report.

"Well, I'll let you describe it to me on your report." she replied, handing him a sheet of paper and a pen.

Sora nodded and moved away to an unoccupied table.

Sora took a seat at a slightly secluded table, away from the animated conversations of the other mercenaries. The ambient hubbub of laughter, loud chatter and clinking glasses contrasted sharply with the calm he was trying to regain to organize his thoughts.

However, it bothered him less than he might have thought. On the contrary, the general good mood almost gave him a feeling of pleasure as he continued to describe the course of his mission.

He tried to leave out as few details as possible, but still wished to keep secret the fact that he had almost completely immolated his right arm. In fact, if anyone looked closely at Sora, they would be able to see through his dusty white shirt that his arm was almost entirely black. But fortunately for him, nobody seemed really interested in him.

...

Sora was able to finish writing his report after a few minutes and handed it back to Emma, who was still working on a number of files.

She looked up from her paperwork when Sora placed his paper on the counter in front of her. "I guess you're here now for your reward."

Nodding, Sora watched Emma pick up her report and added. "Normally, it's a reward of 23 ecus."

Emma nodded as she quickly read the outline of Sora's report. Her expression remained neutral, but she glanced furtively at his right arm. Even though he was trying to hide it, she wasn't fooled.

"Indeed... 23 écus." She said, feigning reflection. She turned her head slightly, as if to gauge his condition with a steady gaze. "For a mission that left you in this state, I'd say you've more than earned every penny."

She opened a drawer under the counter, took out a small leather purse, and carefully counted the ecus before handing them to Sora. "Here you are. You should think about doing something about your arm... With the condition it's in, you might not be able to train properly tomorrow if you leave it as it is."

Realizing that she had noticed the pathetic state he was in, Sora didn't try to hide it any longer. "That's what I intend to do, don't worry. In fact, I'd like to book a room for tonight. The one at 2 écus is sufficient." He replied, placing two coins on the counter.

In response, Emme turned and picked up a key that was attached to the wall behind her. "You should think about getting a more comfortable one next time."

Sora knew this room was far from comfortable, but he'd rather save money than pay full price for rooms and then have nothing to eat. "I know, but this one will do for tonight."

"It's up to you." She replied, turning her nose up at the various sheets in front of her.

Sora finally left the counter, slipping the coins into a pocket of his pants. As he made his way across the room to his bedroom, he felt several eyes on him. Conversations had died down slightly, and he could hear whispers.

"The kid hanging out with Jarek... is that him?"

"He's really lucky, or he's hiding something."

"I even heard Jarek's going to train him starting tomorrow."

"Do you think he has any special potential? Why else would Jarek waste his time?"

Sora gritted her teeth. Those whispers, though unintelligible at times, had just put him in the spotlight. The quiet life was now over, and more and more eyes were going to be turned in his direction. Which wasn't exactly good news for someone with no USHI.

He quickened his pace and locked himself in his room. He collapsed onto his bed without a sound and stayed there for a few seconds before a new window appeared before his eyes.

[ Congratulations ]

[ The Climber To Win: +3 Morceau De Gueulepierre]

[ Climber To Win: 1 EPX ]

[ EXP Missing Before Next Level: 90 EXP ]

"Another 1 EXP more, I'm gaining quite a bit right now, but it's really not enough if I really want to get stronger. My swordsmanship is improving, but that's it, my body is still extremely weak."

Sora watched the luminous screen for a moment before sighing. The experience gain was a welcome reward, but insufficient to even attempt to climb to floor -4. As for those Gueulepierre fragments, he saw no point in looking at their specifics just yet, so paid them no further attention for the moment.

He sat up slowly, the pain in his arm returning in steady waves. He knew he couldn't simply ignore his injuries, and the thought of showing up to Jarek's training in this state made him frown.

"He'll probably laugh at me if I turn up like this..." he thought, grimacing.

Sora left his room after a few minutes' thought. He made his way through the building's corridors and down into the Order's main hall, where many eyes once again turned in his direction. He overheard bits of conversation about him, but preferred not to concern himself with it and went outside.

Outside, the weather had become cloudy and the air colder. Sora wasn't a meteorologist, but he could predict that it would rain later that evening, which didn't bother him too much, given that he had a roof to sleep under.

He soon arrived at the eccentric front of the alchemy store, hoping that Ideor would be there to provide him with something to speed up the healing of his arm. He wasn't thrilled at the idea of spending yet more money, but he knew he had no other choice.

As he entered, the pungent smell of crushed plants and the fumes of rare essences tickled his nostrils. Shelves overflowed with multicolored glass vials and ingredients of dubious origin. At the far end, Ideor was bent over a cauldron, mumbling something incomprehensible.

"The alchemist exclaimed without even looking up from his work. His hoarse voice echoed in the narrow room. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon after our last meeting. Is there anything you need?"

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