After the two adventurers in the tavern finished gnawing on their roasted wings, the man let out a long sigh. “Mara, we need to find a way to make some money.”

“Broad, don’t joke around. How are we supposed to do that? The two of us can’t beat the monsters outside, and the other jobs are exhausting. Besides, you refuse to work.” Mara pouted.

“Sigh... How about we rob someone?” Broad suggested.

“Rob who? Who around here do you think we can take on? If we get caught, we’ll be thrown in prison.” Mara shot back.

“Let’s rob that little kid from earlier. He looked like he had some money on him—enough to cover a few meals.” Broad’s expression turned sinister.

“Maybe we shouldn’t. He even shared his food with us.” Mara hesitated.

“That’s exactly why we need to teach him what it means for the strong to prey on the weak. You can’t trust people so easily in this world. Think of it as teaching him a lesson.” Broad grinned.

“But...” Mara thought back to the ragged clothes the child had been wearing and felt her resolve soften. If he’d been some noble who spent every day indulging himself, she wouldn’t have minded robbing him. But how could she bring herself to hurt a kind, ordinary kid like that?

“That’s enough. It’s settled. I’m not going hungry tomorrow. If you want to, you can stop following me.” Broad waved a hand and sighed.

“All right, but he’s probably here for the Element Awakening ceremony. Let’s not take his tag, okay?” Mara suggested.

“No problem. I’ve got no use for that thing, so we can leave it to him. Come on, let’s go find him. He’s probably registering at the Elemental Hall.” Broad nodded impatiently and headed for the door.

“Mm.” Mara reluctantly nodded and followed Broad.

......

After finishing the registration, Ryan finally received the tag he’d been dreaming of. It was made of silver, and the number 1258 was engraved on it, marking him as the 1,258th person to take the test. When the examiner called that number, he could walk up onto the platform and take his test. The tag itself would have to be left in a box nearby, though. It was made of silver, after all, which was quite valuable, so they needed to collect it afterward.

But according to the old man, Ryan would probably be the last child to take the test. Everyone else had come to register early, while he’d waited until almost the very last day.

But that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he’d finally gotten his qualification. All he had to do now was wait for tomorrow’s Element Awakening ceremony. He couldn’t wait to find out what kind of element he’d receive!

For now, he’d find an inn and get some proper rest, then take a bath. In the afternoon, he could go out and enjoy the sights and local culture of Frank Imperial City. That sounded like a pretty good plan.

Ryan checked the silver and copper coins in his pocket and nodded, reassured. He’d look for an inn farther from the city center; the prices should be cheaper there. Even if the cheaper inns were dirty and rundown, he didn’t care about the conditions. All he needed was somewhere to sleep.

Ryan had only taken one step when the two adventurers came over with cheerful smiles. “Looking for an inn?”

“Huh? Yeah, I am. Why?” Ryan asked, scratching his head in confusion.

“We’re really grateful you shared your roasted wings with us today, so we’ve decided to help you find an inn that’s good value for money. Don’t worry, we’ve been around here for years. We know the place like the back of our hands.” Broad thumped his chest confidently.

“That’d be great! Take me there!” Ryan said with a delighted nod and a smile.

.......