"I am Avry Tober," Ms.Tortoise explained. "I am the legal guardian for all five of you."
"So I will have to live under your custody until the end of the competition?" Aefia asked.
"Yes, you will live with me and so will your teammates."
"But didn't you live between Smod and Robertstown? Will it be easy to handle the moving burden with all five of us?"
"There is this one house in Robertstown that was on sale and I was thinking about a tour there. By the end of the week, you will all go pay a visit and if you all agree, I will buy it."
"Sounds great. Within that week, do we stay in our hostels?" This room is clearly a hostel.
"Yes, but we will go out every now and then."
"Alright," Aefia replied. Just then, she noticed the brooch and the notebook on the table. "Wait, aren't you going to talk about the brooch and the notebook?
"Oh, right," Ms. Avry took a look at the brooch. "This brooch here possesses the power to nullify the effects of the side-effect to match the capability of the wearer. It will slowly take away the barrier the more the wearer gets more powerful and develops the control necessary to withstand the pressure. As far as I am concerned, only the element with the 'Elemental Absorption' skill gets it."
I will really need it, but I fear suspicion. "That's an interesting fact. Maybe it was mistakenly displaced, but didn't you say none have the 'Elemental Absorption' skill?"
"The Guardian of Silence doesn't simply 'displace' anything. There might be a reason why he chose you to be the owner of such valuable things. I have gone to the other four rooms, and none got an item which belonged to a Guardian or a King.
"This notebook, too. Any kind of confidential things written on it will be blurred for other people except the owner."
Sounds useful. I think I can keep track of my unlockable skills in that notebook. Thank the Guardians for such valuable things. "Anyways, the food is getting cold. Aren't you going to eat it?"
"Yes, I will. But first, can I call you Ms. Avry instead? After all, you call me by Aefia, not wolf."
"Yes, I was going to tell you that, the others already call me Ms. Avry when I told them about it." Ms. Avry smiled. "Now quickly eat and get some rest. We will go out shopping when you wake up."
"Shopping?" Aefia asked, curious.
"Well, you can't wear the same clothes every day without washing them, can you? Plus, you need to have some formal clothing too. In Nikoan, we always get invited to events hosted by the Duchess in her castle. You will most definitely need a ceremonial outfit for your house, which is Robertstown, for any upcoming ceremonies. There are a lot of them in Nikoan. They are saying they are going to host a banquet within a month."
"Are all citizens of Nikoan supposed to attend it?" Aefia asked. She had always hated gatherings.
"It is a mandatory thing to attend banquets hosted by the royal family." Earth is better compared to this.
"And about the 'private detective' part, it will allow you to gain access to the forbidden part of the Library of Smod."
"Alright, I will make sure I get a good rest before the long haul." Aefia put away the items she had taken out of the box and put them back where they originally were.
"You know, I talk a lot when I am with you, and I also talk less harshly to you compared to others." Ms. Avry said while opening the door.
"Sorry, can you repeat that?" By the time Ms. Avry had left the room. What did she say? Something about talking less harshly. Ugh...I should have paid more attention to it. Aefia sat at the table and drew the food tray closer.
***
I am really full…Thinking of the time I was really hungry now makes me want to puke.
Food in Nikoan was more luxurious than on Earth. Aefia put down her fork and pushed the tray further away from her.
The food included a medium-rare steak, a bowl of chicken soup, boiled and salted potatoes cut into pieces, rice made with coconut milk, and a glass of water. The amount of money I would have needed to pay for the food on Earth would probably be enough to buy a new hoodie. Aefia calculated. The steak itself would cost twenty-five dollars at the place I stayed.
She got up and lay down on her bed. She thought of the time she first entered this dimension, this world. Her life felt a lot fuller now, without having to worry about the people around her.
I wonder how my brother is doing back on Earth. I wonder if my parents are worried for me the way I am worried about them. Aefia thought to herself. Regardless, I won't let my brother have the childhood I had. I will surely find a way to bring him to Nikoan during my research, even if it means fighting a lord; I will put all my efforts into it.
At that moment, Aefia realized that she was so tired that if she shut her eyes, she could instantly fall asleep. She decided she really needed a nap and closed her eyes for the final time.
She dreamt of her life on Earth. She was back at school, being teased around, and Nada was forced away from her again, jolting her awake as if it were a nightmare. I don't understand why I am still worried about my life being the same again. I wish I could forget it all.
She got off her bed and debated whether to open the door and take a walk around. She was still new around here and didn't know the way around. I have made up my mind; I will stay here and avoid getting lost. She took out the notebook and her pen and decided to write down something.
She wrote about the money denominations, the Aglic Calendar, and thinks she needed to research. She wrote down the skill names and types from memory. It was around eleven skills, but I only remember four. I need to use that device again.
She took out the device and called out 'Activate Scan'. The burning pain returned, and so did the red screen. She wrote down a list with two columns; one with locked written and the other with unlocked. After going through the list again, a sudden realization came to her mind. What if I could absorb the device's power?
Aefia clasped the device in her palm and focused on its system. Suddenly, Aefia could feel her veins heat up as the system got absorbed by every code. After a while, the last remnants of the system were absorbed, and Aefia took a few moments for the pain in her head to subside before calling out, 'Activate Scan. '
[Activating Scan]
A red screen appeared in front of her. It worked then! Now I can easily access my skills from here.
Just then, Ms. Avry came back and said, "I see you are awake. I checked just thirty minutes ago, and you were sleeping without a distraction," which made Aefia look in the direction of the missing tray.
"I was quite tired from the dimensional shift, as you said. Resting made me better," Aefia's forehead gave a sharp sting, and then the list of skills appeared in front of her. Wrong timing, 'Deactivate Scan'! The screen disappeared.
"Aefia? Are you alright?" Aefia realized Ms. Avry was watching her. Did she see the screen? In the novels I read, no side characters could see the main character's screen.
"Yes, just that my head spun on itself," Aefia answered, trying to act neutral.
"I don't know what skill you used, but you used an elemental skill." Did she really see it?
"How was it like?"
"Just the ordinary, your eyes were red." That means using the 'Elemental Absorption' skill is the same as using the skills of the absorbed element? Then I shouldn't be worried about it from now on.
"Come to think of it, I did just see through your overall health by mistake. You seem to be doing alright..." That's a skill of mine too, 'Enemy Weakpoint'.
"Oh, thanks...You seem to be at an advantage of having the wolf element," Ms. Avry smiled. "Now you might want to quickly bring the cloak and equip yourself with your new weapons. We will be heading out to collect your weekly paycheck first. Then we are going to the market in Robertstown to give your measurements for the ceremonial outfit. Then we will go grab new shoes. If you walk around in those shoes, people will be suspicious." Ms. Avry said, pointing to Aefia's sneakers. "And tie those laces, you don't want to risk falling."
"Isn't the cloak a bit too attention-seeking? I can carry the firearm in my pocket," Aefia pointed to the pockets of her hoodie.
"Well, we are going to a privately owned tailor by the company, I don't think it would be a problem. At least bring the brooch along with you. Oh, I forgot to explain it to you before, but the cape and the plate armour are detachable. Just remember to wear them in full during battles; if not, the special properties wear off."
"I will take note of that. But how exactly is it detachable?"
"Just pull the mechanism on the clips, and the remaining parts will fall. To reattach the armour and cape, push the mechanism and insert them." Ms. Avry spoke while showing Aefia how to do so.
"Thanks, I will have to memorize all of this. Shifting between dimensions is hard. It's like being a newborn who has a lot to learn about their world," Aefia spoke while putting on the cloak and strapping the gun to her cloak's inner pocket. She pinned the brooch on her sleeve, where it was almost invisible inside the cloak. "I am done."
"Then let's go." Ms. Avry opened the door to her room, and they both exited it. "Remember your room number, 009," she said while handing Aefia her room key. A silver body with copper detailing at the end.
***
"Your weekly pay is four angcle and two salars as a mage. If you wish to participate in combat, it will increase to five angcles and three salars. Your participation pays you two angcle, four salars, five vetors, and ten gadiens. You will get your participation fee first, at the end of the week, collect your weekly paycheck. This is because you might participate in lower threats in your area, which will add a bonus to your overall pay." A red-haired woman, who Ms. Avry said was one of the mentors and was known as Ms. Bat, explained to Aefia.
"Here," Ms. Bat handed Aefia an envelope of eleven banknotes and ten coins. Sweet!
"Thank you, Ms. Bat," Aefia answered while putting the envelope away.
Aefia met with the remaining four teammates in the hallway. 'What took you so long?' Anasiy spoke into Aefia's mind.
'I took a nap a bit later than expected. Plus, I just got my payment.' Aefia thought back.
'Nada has been yapping since she left her room. It's pretty annoying but lively.'
'You already understand why she was my only friend on Earth.'
"Why are you guys staring at each other?" Nada asked while stomping her foot.
"I was just looking at Anasiy's brooch. It reminds me of Ms. Pearl," Ms. Pearl was Aefia's cat back home.
"I was looking at Aefia's cloak; it looks pretty intricate."
"Aren't you guys going to talk about my coat?" Nada asked. Nada was wearing a white fur coat, which, Aefia thought, could have carried the side-effect nullification property.
When they exited the building, the sun was up and rising, causing the sky to turn purplish pink with a blue tint. The stars were still visible, and the market square was just opening up. They walked to the intersection of the three borders where children were playing around.
This world, Aefia thought, is a new beginning for me, a new life. The morning wind blew across her face.
"Wow! This place feels unreal!" Helio spoke.
"As if it was taken out of a game or a novel!" Diego joined the chorus.
"I feel like a Princess in a fantasy novel!" Nada exclaimed. Everyone looked at her. Cringe, Nada! You are not a baby anymore! Aefia let out a quiet laugh.
"You know what? Let's just stay here for a while," Aefia smiled at her teammates. All of a sudden, a scream was heard, drawing the attention of all the people present.
The scream was coming from the other end of Market Square. "That didn't sound ordinary," Ms. Avry ran towards the end of the market square, followed by the others.
Aefia withdrew her pistol from the holster and hid it in the cover of the cloak. Soon, they reached the location from where the scream was coming.
There was a beast with tentacles that had razor-sharp teeth at the ends and spider-like legs. The main figure came out soon after; it had a human head attached to its main body.
Aefia focused on using one of her skills, 'Infographics'. It had the power to track the enemy and spawn information into the user's mind.
"Phase 1 beast: Human-Scorpion," Aefia read out her mind. She then switched to using her 'Enemy Weakpoint' skill. "The creature's weakness is its head. Disconnect the head, and the remaining body dies." With that, Aefia switched to her 'Short-Term Futuresight' skill and kept it that way. "I will tell you about its next move."
"Thanks, for now, send each person to the safety barrier," Ms. Avry commented.
While running, a tentacle chased behind Aefia at incredible speed. Aware of her surroundings, Aefia dodged the attack by moving to her right and jumping on top of a crane. I am lucky that I was a gamer, and my Special Skill 'Gamer's Instinct' is really coming to use. Aefia glanced at the way she was running; she was outside the safety barrier.
"I am sorry, but I can't do anything. You need to contribute to the battle." Ms. Avry answered Aefia's thought for her. Isimply have no choice. I will accept my fate.