I slowly crept my way up the tunnel entrance and eventually emerged out into the Dark Open. It was deathly quiet, aside from a very faint breeze and my ragged breath. The cavern trees were my only company as I did my best to erase my presence and travel the long path back to Gravel District 13. Sometimes I could hear scratches and clicks within the darkness, but because Licht could see the flow of mana now, we masked the form of our mana with the environment. Thankfully this fooled the creatures out in the dark as I crept along the dark road slowly, hauling the three dimensional bags.

Eventually the bright golden light of the city came into view, as well as the brightly lit gate. It seemed there were more guards now than when we left, and as i approached it became clear why. There were dozens of monster corpses around the gate, most of which were goblins. I grew close to the gate as a guard noticed me and approached, a look of confusion evident on his face. He looked familiar.

Patrolman: "Uh... You coming back from out there? Did you see anything unusual, like large amounts of monsters?"

Iris: "Not especially. Can you let me in? I'm exhausted. Tag." I said briefly, flashing my hunter tag in his face.

Patrolman: "O-oh, yeah, sure. Head on in. Gates! Open up!" he turned and shouted towards the gatehouse, a window which was positioned at the middle of the wall by the gate.

A moment later, the massive stone doors began to slide open and the patrolman stepped to the side. As the light spilled out from the city and illuminated him properly, I recognized his face. This was the patrolman that shot and killed me before. But I ignored him and walked into the city. I can't exactly get my revenge out in the open like this.

I sighed heavily after entering the city. It was like a pressure was taken off my chest and relief spread throughout my body. But I couldn't rest just yet, I walked through the streets until reaching the Hunter's guild and entered the building. I hadn't been able to clean myself off yet as I had been preserving my mana, so I was covered in dark, dried blue blood. That was probably why the patrolman looked confused. I drew plenty of stares from the hunters in the hall as I approached a receptionist, this time it was a girl with black hair put in a ponytail in an office dress, who looked surprised and concerned when she saw me.

Iris: "Here to turn in a quest. Tunnel exploration. Here's the tags." I said, placing mine and my teammates tags on the counter.

Receptionist: "A-ah, right away... Um, and your party...?"

Iris: "Wiped out, except me. We encountered a Reaper that blocked our exit. I killed it." My report was concise and simple, but I was wounded and exhausted. I just want the reward money and to go rest.

The receptionist was even more shocked to hear my report. "A-A reaper?! And you killed it?! We're-" I cut her off as she was leaning over the counter

Iris: "The reward please. I would like to rest before giving my report."

Receptionist: "Ah- Right away, sure... Here, 60 lead and 3 brass as bonus for the Reaper subjugation. And as payment for returning the tags of your fallen teammates, 4 copper. My condolences for your loss"

She quickly recomposed herself and distributed an accurate amount for me into a big coin pouch, which I took.

Iris: "Can you point me in the direction of a good tavern?" I asked, and was kindly directed to a popular hunter tavern just down the road. I thanked her for the hospitality and left the guild, heading over the the tavern next, which took me several minutes to arrive. I entered to the sight of a clerk standing at a counter by the stairs, with an empty doorway leading into the dining room.

Clerk: "Welcome... sir? Miss? Rough day out there, I take it...?"

The clerk, a tall, well-built man in an apron with short hair and a shaved beard greeted me, his welcoming tone changing to surprise, then sympathy. I guess I wasn't the only blood-soaked hunter he's seen in his time.

Iris: "You could say that. How much for a bed, breakfast, and bath?"

Clerk: "Bath comes with the room, so one iron, and a lead for each meal. I hope you enjoy your stay miss, the name's Alm. I'm the owner, and my wife Willow is the cook. She makes the best food in all of gravel district 13, you know!" He bragged confidently.

I placed pair of lead coins and told him to keep the change, and he happily gave me my room number. I went upstairs and entered my room, setting aside my luggage and using magic to heal my chest wounds so I could breathe properly again. Then I drew a bath in the small bathroom attached and stripped, my bare skin finally exposed. I was covered in bruises and small cuts. I sighed. A pretty girl's skin shouldn't get so damaged, but it was unavoidable. I dipped into the hot bath and felt the tension in my body relax, looking up at the ceiling.

A warm bath. A warm room. A bed. Safety. This is the first time Iris has felt anything like this. But I guess I wasn't uneasy or confused because Licht has experienced these things. His world was safer. My body soaked up the warmth of the bath and all the dirt and blood was washed away from me. It felt like it was washing it away from my spirit too. I looked down at my body for a minute. It almost seemed like I was growing faster than I should be. My assets grew a bit, I think. And my curves became more defined. I should get a proper outfit tomorrow after resting. Dressing as a boy wouldn't work anymore if it was this obvious I was a girl. And I had the money and materials to get some armor now.

Iris: "Status" I opened my status window to check the changes from earlier.

•

Iris - Age 13 - Female - Level 14

Body - Sp: 26/116 (^16) MP 34/110 (^16) - Dust Poisoned, Battered

Stats - Str: 14(^3), Dex: 18(^5), Agi: 20(^7), End 12(^3), Int: 22(^2) Luk: -

Skills - Parallel Thought {1}, Sword skill {1}, Gunsmithing {1}, Mental Resistance {3}, Disease Resistance {1}, Mana Control {3}(^1), Dagger Skill {2}(^1), Physical Up {2}(^1), Critical Point {1} [NEW], Dark Vision {1} [NEW], Marksmanship {1} [NEW]

Title: A Sapling in Stone

Capability: 110 (145 with PU)

•

...A Title? 'A Sapling in Stone'? The hell did that mean? Aside from that, I obtained many new things. My capability now exceeded 100, and I got a variety of new skills. And skill ups. Then Licht answered my question.

Licht: In other words, "you are one that grows in adversity"? trees don't normally grow in stone, but you are a sapling that does. I guess it means you grow in desperate situations.

I see. There were certainly plenty of trees that grew in the stone of the underground, but it isn't like they form a forest. And given my growth spurts... It felt accurate. I closed my status panel and left the bath, washing my clothes next before drying and putting them on. Then i hit the bed. It was time to sleep. It had been a long day.