Puddles still occupied Corrin’s city streets, but fierce sunlight made the storm a distant memory. Horse-drawn carts rumbled down the cobblestones, splashing water up onto the hundreds of pedestrians who crowded the dry patches of land. 

Freya shielded her eyes from the light. She looked down the street over everyone’s heads. A mass of grey text boxes filled the air. 

How did I manage to run into a demoniclast with a Player Card so soon after arriving?

There were a surprising amount of demoniclasts in the crowd of people; their swords and class descriptions gave them away. But thankfully, she didn’t see any more people with demoniclast swords and green text boxes. The man she saw early could have been a normal, non-Lanthe game player that just happened to buy a demoniclast-made sword, but he pretty much said he was a demoniclast. 

Daveth Cest, she thought, recalling the demoniclast’s name. I wonder how he got his Player Card.

Had he killed for it? Or had he stumbled across it? Given Sangen’s proclamations, the former was more likely. Sangen had said his leader and several others had “ascended” by killing people like her. 

A shiver ran down her spine, but she continued walking.

I had two goals in coming here. It’s good that I’m getting a head start with one of them. Now, I just need to become a demoniclast apprentice so I can fully infiltrate them and also learn more about fighting.

Besides their sword skills, demoniclasts were known for their overall fighting ability. Hand-to-hand fighting was part of their basic training. Freya hoped to learn something compatible with her martial artist class during her investigation. 

She continued to walk west, towards Lake Kel. The tall buildings shrouded her view of the lake, but once she spied the lake through a gap, she had to stop to admire the scenery. Deep blue stretched far beyond the horizon. If it weren’t for the game map, she would have thought it was the ocean. 

Narrow staircases allowed shortcuts through the winding streets as she got closer to the shoreline. Behind her, tall snow-capped mountain peaks rose. Between the incredible views of the mountains above and the lake below, Freya almost didn’t notice the craftsmanship of the stairs she was walking on. Iron was not a rare metal in her world, but it was usually reserved for tools. The rich and wealthy could afford wrought iron fencing, but they often had to worry about parts of their fence being stolen. However, here the railings of the public staircases were made of iron. Additionally, the railing was not made of simple straight cylinders. Intricate loops, lines, and flowers were incorporated into the metal rail designs. 

Freya stopped to inspect the railing closer. She remembered Mecha had complained about the quality of metal in this world, but to Freya’s eye, this was better crafted than the wizard’s metal machine. 

“Here for the apprentice trials?”

Turning to the sound of the voice, Freya saw a young woman with a large basket on top of her head.

“Yes, how did you know?”

The woman laughed, “We get a lot of out-of-towners for the demoniclast trials this time of year. They’re always fascinated by our stairs.”

“I’ve never seen anything like them,” Freya admitted. 

Smiling, the woman adjusted her basket. She took a step closer to Freya.

“Where are you from?”

“Oyosi, I grew up in a little town called Lisek,” Freya said. She had already decided to make her “Frey” identity close enough to her own, so she didn’t make any mistakes.

“Wow, that’s far from here.”

“It was a long journey.”

The woman looked at her expectantly, but Freya had little else to tell. Before the awkward lull in conversation stretched too long, Freya said, “Actually, I just arrived here. Do you know where the trials are being held? I’m trying to register.”

“Oh? You’re heading in the right direction,” she looked past Freya and pointed. “See the beach over there, with all the flags?”

A white sandy shoreline was easily visible. Black and red strips of fabric fluttered in the wind surrounding the area.

“Tomorrow is the last day to enter. The endurance race starts the day after. You got here just in time!” 

“I see. Thanks for the information. I better be going then,” Freya said and moved to continue down the staircase.

“Oh, could I get your name?” the woman called out.

“Frey Evenkey?” Freya said, slightly confused and worried that this woman was asking so many questions. She looked above the woman’s head for the first time.

[Mabyn Erlend]

[Lvl 5 Seamstress]

Nothing unusual. Mabyn dressed the same as any other woman Freya had seen around Corrin. She wore a midcalf-length dress with long stockings and a long-sleeve overcoat. 

“Frey,” Mabyn repeated, then smiled broadly. “I wish you the best of luck, Frey!”

She waved and then ran up the stairs. 

Freya watched her leave. She felt a little bad for being so suspicious of the woman. Maybe everyone in Corrin is just talkative?

Pushing the matter from her mind, she continued towards the black and red flags on the lakeshore beach.