I walked up to the board to see what quests were available. Nothing stood out. Just the usual—collect plants, clean something, run errands. Basically garbage.
"I'm done. There's nothing worth doing," I muttered.
Turning around, I spotted a priest leaning against the wall in the corner of the guild hall. I made my way over.
"Hey. You wouldn't happen to know if there's anything more interesting around here, would you?"
He didn't bother looking at me.
"There's something. Easy money, if that's what you want."
That caught my attention—not that I expected much.
"Sure. Whatever it is, I'll take it. What are we talking about, and how much?"
He finally turned his head.
"I've got a cargo job on the west side. Need someone to watch my back."
"¿A cargo? What exactly is it?"
Not that it really matters. I just like knowing what I'm walking into.
"I don't know either. The Church said it's some refugees. Could be anything, honestly."
Something about his tone was...off. why is he not sure?
"The Church? Right. And which god are you serving, then?"
As far as I knew, there were only three. The goddess of abundance, the god of war and destruction, and the god of corruption. Each had their own temple, their own cult, their own shady reputation. And honestly I Didn't trust any of them.
"The god of abundance," he said. "The Father said they're in desperate need, so he accepted them."
Doesn't sound great, but still better than picking up plants.
"Lead the way."
He just smiled and started walking out of the guild. I followed without thinking much about it.
"You're a glitchy one, right? I can tell from your vibes. And your old clothes—they match the pattern."
Well, it's not a secret. And I'm not planning to pretend my system works.
"Yeah, I'm glitchy...and Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
He let out a short sigh as we walked.
"I'm not worried. There'll be more people there anyway. I was just asking. And your element? I'm guessing it's tied to your abilities—hiding it under a gray tone like that."
Good thing he can't tell whether the gray in my hair is natural or just paint.
"It's… blue. I dyed it gray. The blue doesn't suit me."
We kept talking. I wasn't trying hard, but I let the conversation stretch—easier to get information that way. He seemed too innocent for someone offering random jobs, and that made things feel...off. Not in a dangerous way. Just not clean.
"I'm Jason. Feel free to call me by my name."
We were almost there. I'd stopped paying attention to time somewhere along the road.
"Just call me Will."
********
And we're finally here. A big container.
Not what I expected—figured we'd see a boat or something.
"A container? Are you sure we're here to pick people up?"
Something felt off. Didn't like it, but whatever. I'm already here.
"Jaja, yeah. It's pretty unusual, to be honest."
As we walked closer, I noticed there were already a few priests gathered. Even from a distance, I could tell they were from different temples—black robes for the god of corruption, red for the god of destruction, and Jason with his white tunic from abundance.
"You're late, Priest Jason."
Corruption temple priests aren't exactly known for their hospitality. No idea what they're doing here. Doesn't seem like their usual kind of work.
"Anyway, Will, help me open this container."
He ignored her. No surprise. The god of abundance and the god of corruption don't get along. Honestly, I felt a bit sorry for the girl… but it wasn't my problem. Better to just do what Jason says.
"Alright. I'll open the left side. You take the right."
The door was heavy, but thanks to mana, was manageable. It Would've been impossible otherwise.
As we got it open, the others gathered around.
"Let's see what we have here."
Women and children. Not a single man.
That's sad. I stepped back to let the priests and nuns handle things. My job was just escort duty. No need to get involved. I moved over to a quiet spot near some empty containers.
What a scene. Healers moving around, patching people up. The world's really changing.
"Everyone, stay close. Don't wander far from the container," someone shouted. "Priests, make sure to assign the refugees to the right temple."
Jason seemed pretty natural at this. Guess it wasn't his first time.
Not that it mattered.
I glanced around. All the women had at least two kids with them. More kids than I expected.
Looks like 20 went with the abundance temple.
25 with corruption? That's… surprising.
13 with destruction. Makes sense—most people probably don't want to fight.
"Will, we're leaving. Let's go. Your job is to make sure no one from the abundance temple gets lost on the way."
I simply nodded with my head and they started walking out. As we walked, some of the kids tried to run off, trying to explore the streets. Can't blame them. Who knows how long they were stuck in that container—at least a week, probably more.
"Will, make sure the kids stay with their mothers. We don't want accidents on our way to the temple."
Another nod. Better not to speak in front of these people. Not sure why, just a strange feeling. Better to stay quiet and focus on making sure the kids don't run off.
"We're close, Will. Keep an eye on the people. Make sure they're all still here."
The job was done well enough. There is no need to count. Staying in the back made it easier to keep track. Every time a kid tried to run, I simply told Jason and he brought them back to their mother. Honestly, it felt too easy. Which meant the pay probably wouldn't be much. Doesn't matter. At least it was something.
"All right, everyone. Enter in order. Don't wander around the temple. Stay close. We'll assign dorms. No need to push."
Finally here. Was starting to wonder how long this would drag on. These kids—can't even stay near their mothers.
"Sir?"
…When did this girl get so close? Didn't even feel her presence.
"Where are your parents, little girl?"
Her clothes were older and more torn than the others.
"I don't have… I came alone."
Strange. Who would let a girl this young travel alone? And in a container, no less?
"How old are you, little one?"
From her height, she couldn't be more than seven. She spoke clearly enough. That black hair… maybe her parents noticed a strong dark element and left her.
"I'm… ten years… Can you help me? I don't want to be in the temple."
Ten? She Looks younger. Probably she hadn't eaten properly in weeks, maybe longer.
"Oh, there you are, little one. Will, why didn't you tell me she was over here? For a moment I thought we lost one."
Jason didn't seem surprised that she was alone.
From wherever she came from, it wasn't somewhere normal. Even if there were questions, my instinct said to stay quiet.
"Hold on, Jason… this girl… I'll take her."
Something was off. She clearly didn't belong here. A dark element user in the church of abundance? And taking her to the corruption temple wasn't an option either.
Taking her made more sense.
"Hold on, Will. You can't just take her—let's talk abo—"
"This is my payment. Don't give me money. The girl's enough."
Stop hesitating, Jason. Just let it go.
"…"
"…"
"Fine. Take her. But don't say a word about today. We can't let the people outside know. The temple is low on food and space. I don't want more homeless showing up."
"Don't worry, Jason. You have my word—I won't say anything about today."
The girl stayed behind me, half-hidden. She was probably scared of everyone in this church. Better to leave before Jason changed his mind.
I turn around and grab the girl in my arms—she's not that heavy.
"Jason... if you need help with something else, I'm always free."
I don't like getting involved with the church, but I don't have many options.
Jason simply nodded and turned around. Probably for the best.
I turn around and leave. It's already late, and I'm tired.
As I walk down the street, I notice the girl's fallen asleep... I'm tired too, but surprisingly, I don't feel sleepy.
I can't even remember the last time I got a good night's rest.
Not that it matters, honestly. After walking for who knows how long, I finally make it home.
As usual, the first thing I see is all the mess on the floor.
"Alright, you can stop pretending to be asleep."
I need to figure out what my next move is, and what to do with this girl. I can't return her to the church, and obviously, I don't have enough space in this house.
I put the girl down on the couch and sit beside her.
"What's your name?"
"I don't have a name."
I don't know what I was expecting, to be honest.
"What happened to your parents?"
Don't tell me she doesn't know anything about herself.
"I don't know my parents… or my birthday..."
Sigh Of course she doesn't. Since I'm out of options—
"Open panel."
If she has a system, I'll see a screen with random characters. If not, I'll just get a small notification.
[N@)7+$9]
Great. She doesn't have a system yet.
If I remember correctly, there are two ways to activate a system. One is by trying to use mana for the first time—usually, a window appears telling you you're finally able to become a hunter.
The second is when someone externally messes with the mana inside you.
And of course, that only works if the person shares your element… or if you're like me.
Since I don't have an element, I can control raw mana itself. The only thing I can't do is cast normal spells. No element means no pre-built patterns—just interference. All I can do is mess with someone else's spells.
"Open panel?"
The girl tilted her head slightly, confused by my sudden words.
She clearly doesn't know how to activate her system—and to be able to cast a spell, she'll need assistance. I guess I'll have to mess with her mana. It won't be easy… and it'll be painful.
"Listen, I'm going to help you activate your system. But you need to promise me something first."
She nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course, anything, sir."
"Whatever happens today, you need to keep it a secret. And remember—don't scream."
If the neighbors hear screaming, they might come check. And I don't want anyone in my house.
"Scream?"
She clearly doesn't know how painful it is.
Neither do I.
"Don't think too much about it. I'll put my hand over your mouth just in case you can't handle the pain."
I placed my right hand on her head and my left hand gently over her mouth.
"Close your eyes. Focus on your body."
I'm not good at explaining things, so I skipped the rest and got to work.
I discharged part of my mana through her head. This would stimulate the mana inside her and force the system to open.
Almost instantly, she bite my hand with all the force that she have. Tears welled up in her eyes and started falling as she began kicking and pushing at me.
I didn't move. And try to stayed still.
The room was quiet—except for her desperate cries and the sound of her clothes shifting as she struggled.
My hand was starting to really hurt.
I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate harder.
It hurts. I can feel the blood dripping from my hand.
After what felt like an eternity, a panel finally appeared in front of my eyes—her system was awake at last.
I pulled my hand away from her mouth.
"It's covered in blood."
Her lips were completely red. She'd even torn a chunk of flesh from my hand. I glanced down—there it was, a small but deep bite mark. It burned like hell. I tried circulating mana to stop the bleeding.
Surprisingly, she wasn't screaming anymore. But her face was a mess—eyes tired and red from crying.
"Tell me what you see in your eyes."
With this, I could at least find out her name.
"I... s-se- hat m-my -ame is..."
She stopped reading and started crying again. The pain clearly hadn't gone away. I couldn't even make out what she said.
Sigh "It's fine. Relax for a bit."
I grabbed a shirt that was lying on the floor, tore it apart, and wrapped it around my hand. The bleeding had slowed, but I still needed to cover the wound.
I sat beside her, not even knowing what to say. I glanced around the room—magazines, trash, and empty dishes from old meals. Everything was a mess, as usual.