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“More than survive, I’d say!” Boromia exclaimed. “Word travels fast in Selas, you know. A group of newcomers already getting their second skills so early? And expensive ones at that. It’s caught our attention.”

A knot twisted in my stomach instantly. Apparently, my spending at the Cleric Guild didn’t go unnoticed.

And neither had Mira’s. Was someone watching us?

Then again, why would they? We were nobodies with no real accomplishments.

Then again, people sold a lot more than just monster parts and potions in Selas.

Sometimes information was more valuable than goods.

“We’ve been working hard,” I said cautiously, unsure of how much to reveal. “Just trying to improve our skills and contribute to the city.”

Captain Boromia’s grin widened even further, if that was possible. “And contribute you have! Clearly, you’ve managed to grow much faster than any of us expected! Which is precisely why I’m here. The RSB has a special assignment for your group.”

Kuro perked up at this, his earlier boredom forgotten. “A special assignment? For us?”

“Indeed!” Boromia nodded enthusiastically.

“We’ve received reports of increased monster activity in the northern reaches of the Whispering Woods.

Normally, we’d leave the Whispering Woods alone.

It’s far too dangerous to send my men in and risk losing them.

But given your recent successes, we thought this might be a perfect opportunity for you to prove yourselves and help the expansion of Selas. ”

I exchanged worried glances with Kai. The Whispering Woods was not an unknown place.

In fact, it was used mostly as a warning.

They were notorious for their danger, even among seasoned adventurers.

We had only ventured to its furthest outskirts so far, and even that had been challenging.

Never once had we dared to actually go inside.

“The Whispering Woods?” Mira’s voice quavered slightly. “Isn’t that a bit... advanced for… well for most everyone?”

Captain Boromia waved his hand dismissively. “Nonsense! You’ve shown remarkable progress. Besides, it’s just a scouting mission. No need to engage unless absolutely necessary.”

I felt a surge of unease. Something about this didn’t feel right. “Captain, with all due respect, we were planning to take a few days to rest and train. Perhaps another team would be better suited?—”

“Nonsense!” Boromia interrupted, his smile never faltering.

“This is a perfect opportunity! Think of the experience you’ll gain, the reputation you’ll build.

The RSB doesn’t offer opportunities like this lightly.

” He lowered his gaze, looking at each of us in turn.

“Besides, any group of newcomers that can drop gold coins so easily must have a trick or two up their sleeves. You’ll be just fine in the woods, I’m sure of it. ”

I felt my heart sink at Captain Boromia’s words. So that was it - our sudden spending of gold had drawn unwanted attention. We needed the skills, I knew that, but apparently, I’d been more careless than I expected. I glanced at Kai, seeing the same realization in his eyes.

“Captain,” Kai began diplomatically, “we appreciate the opportunity, but?—”

“It’s not really an opportunity, is it?” Rhia cut in, her voice low and dangerous. “You’re not giving us a choice.”

Captain Boromia’s smile dimmed slightly, but he recovered quickly. “Now, now, let’s not be so negative! Think of it as... a strongly encouraged suggestion. The RSB values initiative, after all.”

Kuro, for once, seemed to read the room correctly and kept his mouth shut. Mira fidgeted nervously with her wand, her eyes darting between us and the captain.

I took a deep breath, trying to think through our options. We were clearly being backed into a corner, but outright refusal could have serious consequences. I glanced at Kai, silently communicating my unease .

Kai stepped forward, his voice calm and measured. “We understand, Captain. When would you need us to depart?”

Captain Boromia’s smile returned in full force. “Excellent! I knew you’d see reason. You’ll leave at first light tomorrow. Report to the northern gate, and we’ll provide you with further details, supplies, and an escort.”

My heart sank. Tomorrow? That didn’t give us any time to prepare, let alone for me to study the new spell.

“And, since you were so willing to… cooperate, I’ll make it worth your while right now.”

He reached to his belt, pulling out a heavy coin purse. He made no small show of prying it open and letting the mound of gold coins catch the sunlight. It was enough money to keep us all fed and housed for years.

“Here you are, young man,” he said, flipping a single gold coin toward me. “To cover the cost of your new skill.”

I caught it, fumbled it, then caught it again before it hit the dirt.

I stared at the gold coin in my hand, its weight suddenly feeling like a boulder.

The implications of Captain Boromia’s ‘gift’ were clear - he knew exactly how much we’d spent and was making a point of it.

Someone at the Cleric Guild had given me away.

High Priestess Elayra wouldn’t have. I trusted her.

But maybe someone else was listening to our conversation.

I had no doubt the entire place had ears for anyone that might be trying to use illegal magic.

But my exchange with my mentor had clearly caught their attention, whoever it was.

“Thank you, Captain,” I managed to say, my voice tight. “We appreciate your... generosity.”

Boromia’s smile never wavered. “Think nothing of it! The RSB takes care of its own. Now, I’ll leave you to your preparations. Remember, the northern gate at dawn!”

With a flourish of his golden armor, he turned and marched away, his entourage following close behind. As soon as they were out of earshot, Rhia slammed her fist against the wall.

“Dammit,” she growled. “We’re being set up.”

Kai nodded grimly. “It certainly seems that way.”

I clutched the gold coin tightly, my mind racing. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have been so careless with that gold at the Cleric Guild.”

Kai shook his head, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “It’s not just you, Oliver. Mira spent a gold at the Mage Guild too. They’ve been watching all of us. They’ve probably been watching all the newcomers.”

Mira’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh no... I didn’t even think about it. I was just so excited about the new spell... ”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Rhia said, her voice low and tense. “What matters is what we’re going to do about this ‘assignment’ .”

Kuro, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, finally spoke up. “We could always just... not go. What are they going to do, force us?”

“They might,” Kai said grimly. “Or worse, they could revoke our status with the RSB. We’d lose access to the barracks, resources, protection...”

“Not to mention the bounties we could get in on later,” I added. “Then we’d be out of work.”

Mira wrapped her arms around herself and shrank back. “So, we have no choice but to go?”

“It seems that way,” Rhia growled, her fists clenched at her sides. “I don’t like it, but I’m not sure there’s any other choice.”

I looked down at the spellbook in my hands, feeling a wave of frustration. “I won’t have time to master this new spell before we leave. We’ll be going in at a disadvantage.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Kai mused, his brow furrowed in thought. “They’re testing us, seeing how we handle a challenge.”

“Or trying to get rid of us,” Kuro muttered.

“No,” Kai corrected. “I don’t think that’s it. This RSB isn’t trying to kill people off. Haven’t you noticed? In all the time we’ve been here, the RSB in Selas has made no headway into the surrounding wildlands. In fact, I think we’ve lost ground.”

We all stared at him, realization slowly dawning on us.

“The monsters are becoming stronger and more numerous. If they don’t put newcomers to the test, Selas will eventually be overrun.

” He shook his head. “I don’t know much about this King Garameck, but I bet he wouldn’t want to lose his outermost outpost to a bunch of monsters.

If we can prove we’re worth something, maybe they’ll take us in and make us full-fledged scouts.

It could mean no more scrounging for scraps and no more cave diving for mana crystals.

We could have a real and stable life here for the first time.

” He paused. “It’s ten gold each for us to buy our way into the RSB permanently.

Even with the crystals, it could take us a year or more to save up that much coin.

This could fast track us into the RSB without any gold at all. ”

The weight of Kai’s words settled over us, a mix of dread and possibility. He was right, this could be our chance to prove ourselves, to secure a real future in Selas. But the risks were enormous.

I nodded slowly, considering our options. “You might be right. This could be our chance to prove ourselves and secure a better future. ”

“Or get ourselves killed,” Kuro muttered, but there was a hint of excitement in his voice.

“We don’t have much choice,” Rhia said grimly. “We go, we do our best, and we come back alive. That’s the plan.”

Mira fidgeted with her wand nervously. “But... the Whispering Woods? I’ve heard terrible stories about that place.”

“We’ve faced tough challenges before,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “We’ll face this one together too.”

Kai nodded, a determined look in his eyes. “Oliver’s right. We’re a team. We’ve got each other’s backs. And even without the new spell mastered, we’re stronger than we were when we first arrived in Selas.”

I nodded, feeling a surge of determination. “Yeah. We’ve come a long way since we first got here. We may not feel ready for the Whispering Woods, but we’re certainly more prepared than we were a month ago.”

Rhia cracked her knuckles, a fierce glint in her dark eyes. “Whatever’s in those woods, we’ll face it together. I’ve got your backs.”

“And I’ll make sure to keep everyone healed,” I added, patting the spellbook at my side. “Even if I can’t master this new spell by tomorrow morning, my current healing abilities have improved a lot.”

Mira took a deep breath, steadying herself. “I... I’ll do my best too. My magic has gotten stronger, and my new fire spell needs some practical application. Maybe it’ll be enough to keep us safe.”

Kuro, not one to be outdone, puffed out his chest. “Well, I for one am not worried at all. With my superior swordsmanship, we’ll cut through any monsters that dare cross our path!”

Despite his bravado, I could see a flicker of uncertainty in Kuro’s eyes. His words lacked their usual cocky conviction.

“Alright then,” Kai said, his voice steady and reassuring.

“We should use the rest of today to prepare. Oliver, try to study that new spell as much as you can. Even if you can’t master it, any progress might help.

Mira, same for you with your fire spell.

Rhia, Kuro, let’s make a trip to the cave and gather a few handfuls of mana crystals.

We’ll sell them off and stock up on what we can before tomorrow. ”

“Don’t,” I said, turning to Kai. “They might be watching us.” I held out a hand, the gold coin from Captain Boromia flashing in the light.

“Use this to stock us up. That way they don’t find out about our secrets.

If this doesn’t go well… those crystals might be our only hope to get back on our feet. ”

“That’s a good idea, Oliver,” he replied, giving me a soft smile as he took the coin. “Good thinking.”

We all nodded, the gravity of our situation sinking in.

As the others dispersed to their designated tasks, I couldn’t help but feel the anxiety twisting in the pit of my stomach.

Still, I had to believe in Kai. He was our leader, and he’d never steered us wrong before.

If he thought this was a good idea, then I agreed. We had to make the best of it.

Sinking down against the wall once more, I opened my illusory spellbook, intent on learning as much of Twilight Veil as I could before dawn came calling once more.