Arriving at the Capital

…

The journey continued without a hitch until they neared their destination, 13 days after they had left. They ditched Joseph’s cart before the gate—hard to explain a carriage pulled by an undead beast.

Joseph had spent most of the journey honing his magic control and regeneration, with the occasional spell experiment. He also managed to get some information about contracted spirits, but nothing especially particular about his own.

Tokko practiced skills and stances whenever the cart had space. She also chatted with the other girls and, over the days, grew somewhat friendly with them. For all that had happened, she’d barely known Che before joining the guild; the cart closed that gap fast.

…

On the final day, their singular carriage and handful of walkers arrived outside a large, walled city. The walls were thick and clean, flag-draped, and lined with soldiers who looked ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

At the gate, they were stopped and questioned. Thalia presented their guild identification. The guards nodded and waved them through with ease.

Thalia led them through broad avenues toward their accommodation while the newcomers soaked in their first real look at a medieval-fantasy city. Joseph rode atop the cart roof—no space inside and gave him a better view—scanning everything with that calm, clinical curiosity.

After ten minutes weaving through crowded streets, they stopped in front of another run-down manor. The garden was overrun with plants; vines and ivy smothered the house with dozens of cracked windows.

Joseph sighed. Inside was exactly what he expected: spiderwebs, bugs, and creeping greenery.

Before anyone could complain, the Guild Master addressed them.

“Alright, we’ve arrived safe and sound. As you can see, this place isn’t in the best condition. I apologize—we rarely come to the capital and cannot afford full time staff. I hope you can forgive me.”

The main guild members didn’t react and headed inside while Han and the others listened to Osric’s speech.

“Here’s the plan. You have two days to settle in. The competition starts the morning after tomorrow. On arrival, you’ll place your hand on a crystal to confirm your age is 25 or below, and if you are older than that another crystal that estimates your level.

After that, you’ll be escorted to separate accommodation within the palace grounds. The kingdom takes this quite seriously. It’s meant to prevent guilds from interfering or colluding. It isn’t perfect, so keep your cool if anything happens.”

Osric eyed Joseph in particular, but happily continued seeing they had understood so far.

“That same evening, there’s a banquet to mingle with other guilds’ talents. Thalia and I will meet with the other Guild Masters and representatives, you’re free to do as you like.

The next day, it begins. It usually lasts a few days—maybe up to a week—depending on how many members each guild submits. There used to be a variety of challenges, so it wasn’t only strength that was shown off but wit and knowledge.

Recently however, the kingdoms budget has been… well not as accommodating. It is now just two, singular events. The most profitable and important one: battle.”

They all nodded in unison, understanding so far.

“There’ll be two battle events: solo and guild.

In solo, you start with a survival round against monsters—last until the timer’s done. After that, it’s one-on-one duels. Win and you advance, even if you’re matched against someone from your own guild. It continues until there’s only one left. That will contain the largest personal rewards given out by the kingdom.”

Osric’s gaze lingered on Han and Joseph, knowing those two were the most likely to make it far. He couldn’t help but smile with pride just thinking about it.

“In the guild battle, you’ll face another guild in a mix of duel and group formats. The style is drawn randomly when opponents are chosen. In solo rotations, you can stay in after a win or tap out for a teammate—tapping out means you’re done for that match. For a small guild like ours, that’s rough; it becomes a numbers game.

Then there’s the group fight: all of you versus all of them. Finally, the duo rounds: you pair up and fight another pair; winners step back and the next duo takes the field, until one side runs out of fighters.”

Osric let out a long breath and gave a small chuckle as he looked at their focused faces, then carried on.

“I know that’s a lot so feel free to ask questions any time. One more important thing: your performance here will shape your future. The kingdom awards prizes for solo placement and a larger guild-wide reward for the team battles.

Why does the kingdom hand out prizes, you ask? Strong guilds mean a stronger kingdom, plus they market the tournament earning quite a sizable amount on ticket sales, bets, you name it.

But beyond the money, the real reason is recruitment. The crown often tries to poach top talents and enlist them in the army. If you perform extremely well, the king may invite you to join.

That choice is yours. If a member joins the kingdom, the guild receives rewards, but be careful and choose what’s best for your future. Joining the crown isn’t always the right path, and your rewards are respected regardless. We are fortunate to have a reasonable king.”

With no questions and only nods, the talk was nearly at its end. “One last thing… stay safe. No matter how you perform, we will welcome you home. And enjoy the next two days. After that, you’ll be locked in battle for a while.”

When the talk finally ended, they split off to claim their rooms. Soon after, Thalia whisked Che and Tokko away to shop—Joseph handing over every coin he had so the two could be properly clothed.

At the Guild Master’s request, Clive took Han and Logan out drinking, while Joseph remained behind to focus on training and replenishing Luminae’s spirit power.

Heading to his room, he used a brief bit of magic to expel the grassy, dusty stench out the window and cleaned away some of the cobwebs and vines before sitting down on his rickety bed.

Once seated, he steadied his breathing and called something out from within. His chest glowed faintly, and a figure shot out to circle around the room.

“Luminae, behave. I know you’re excited, but you should still be careful.”

Luminae, now awake, stopped her tour of the room and perched quietly on his shoulder. Joseph watched her observing the surroundings and sighed.

‘This little minx has been chewing through my spirit power the whole fucking trip. I’m exhausted… but at least she’s awake and has grown a little.’

Name: Luminae

Race: Lesser Holy Wood Spirit (+1 Vitality, +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Agility, +5 Spirit, +5 Radiance)

Stage: Juvenile

Contracted To: Joseph

Level: 8

Vitality: 3 > 17
Strength: 3 > 17
Dexterity: 3 > 17
Agility: 3 > 17
Spirit: 3 > 55
Radiance: 3 > 55

Mentally comparing her stats to before she had grown up, the difference was drastic. ‘Her stats are finally looking decent. I was so shocked and worried when I saw them start to drop again while traveling here.

Luckily, I was able to spend every night gathering and feeding her spirit power—but fuck me, it drained me mentally.

And it seems I need to keep giving her spirit power. When I didn’t last night, she glowed weaker and looked like she was in pain. God fuck, she’s going to drain me dry… hopefully once she’s out of the growing stage, she can start gathering energy herself.’

Exasperated, still battling a days-long migraine he’d been forced to endure, he leaned back against the wall.

‘At least it’s good practice. Controlling the energy flow into her has definitely strengthened my mental endurance and control. If I give too much or too little, she winces in pain.

Well… better get started. I need to stock her up today and tomorrow in case it’s harder during the competition.’

He began drawing spirit energy from the surroundings and channeled it into her. Feeling the flow, Luminae retreated back inside him and slipped into another state of sleep, the smile on her face wide and happy.

He spent the rest of the day doing this until Tokko knocked on his door to deliver the clothes she had bought for him. Looking them over, Joseph was pleased; he had no sense of fashion himself, so he trusted Tokko, and she had done a great job.

She had brought him a small selection of outfits for different uses and a suitcase to keep them in.

He checked the bag of coins, seeing only a few coppers left. Not that he understood their worth. Shrugging, he left it behind and went down to join the others for dinner.