The Friday dragged on with each lesson blending into the next until finally the weekend arrived.

  Sitting on his bed, Ethan grabbed his coin pouch and turned it upside down.

  With a dull clink, clink, clink, three silver coins fell into his open palm.

  He stared at them, expression darkening.

  "Damn… everything in this city is way too expensive."

  He sighed, rubbing his temple.

  "I thought my money would st a month—it didn’t even st a full week!"

  Shaking his head, he mented his financial situation, already dreading the thought of surviving on an empty pouch.

  Sending a letter home asking for money wasn't much of a solution as his family wasn't exactly wealthy and they would probably tell him to come back as they didn't have any more money to spare.

  "The professors said I could find part-time jobs on the message board… Maybe I should give it a try."

  Shaking off the reluctance weighing down his tired legs, Ethan left the dormitory and made his way toward the first-floor entrance, where the message board was located.

  Just as he arrived, a familiar voice called out to him.

  "Oh! Ethan! You’re here too?"

  Turning, Ethan spotted Daniel, looking as lively as ever.

  "Morning, Daniel. You looking for a job too?"

  Daniel chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

  "Hahaha! You got me! That’s right. My war funds are running low!"

  Ethan grinned, shaking his head. "Same here." Then, gncing at the board, he asked, "Do you know how this works?"

  "Oh, yeah. It’s simple," Daniel said, folding his arms. "Just grab a paper that interests you and go talk to the client directly. They’ll expin the job and pay you once you’re done. If you need something done yourself, you can put up your own request too. There’s no posting fee, so it’s pretty useful."

  "Got it. Let’s see what we’ve got here…"

  Ethan scanned the crowded board, filled with handwritten notes in various sizes and styles.

  ?? [Lost Cat] – I need someone to find my runaway cat.Client: Madam EraReward: 50 silver

  ?? [Herb Gathering] – I need 20 chamomile roots for my alchemy css.Client: Gavin ThornfieldReward: 5 silver

  ?? [Sparring Partner] – Looking for a training partner for practice matches.Client: Marcus VeldtReward: Negotiable

  ?? …

  The board had over thirty different job postings. Most rewards were just a few silvers, but since each task was fairly short fetch quest, a hardworking student could potentially earn two or three dozen silvers in a day—a solid income for someone still in training.

  Ethan rubbed his chin, contempting his options.

  Ethan was by no means a good fighter, so he doubted anyone would pay him a coin to accompany them for sparring matches.

  And even if they did…

  Considering his ck of skill, all that money would probably end up being used to pay the hospital bills.

  Yeah… hard pass.

  The Lost Cat proposition was mildly tempting, but he knew nothing about tracking. It would pretty much come down to dumb luck if he found the cat at all.

  Hmm… what about Herb Gathering?

  That for sure was the safest option. But it would mean venturing outside the city—which wasn’t exactly appealing.

  Wait…

  A thought sparked in his mind.

  If I remember correctly, chamomile roots sell for about a dozen for a single silver coin at the market…

  That meant he could buy the required amount for two silver coins and still pocket three extra coins for simply making a delivery.

  Easy money.

  Without wasting another second, Ethan plucked the paper from the board and turned toward the dorm manager’s desk.

  "Excuse me, dy. I need to talk to Gavin Thornfield about his request."

  The dorm manager, a middle-aged woman with a kind but tired expression, looked up from her papers.

  "Gavin from the alchemy department?"

  "Yes."

  She nodded thoughtfully.

  "He should be in his room—number 304."

  "Thank you very much!" Ethan said, fshing her a grateful smile.

  The dorm manager smiled faintly.

  "No problem. Have a nice day."

  Ethan turned on his heel and hurried toward the dormitory’s upper floors, already running through the numbers in his head.

  Arriving at room 304 on the third floor, Ethan knocked on the door twice and waited.

  …10 seconds passed.

  …20 seconds.

  …30 seconds.

  …Okay, maybe he’s not home.

  Just as Ethan was about to knock again, the door creaked open.

  A senior student with messy brown hair and dark circles under his eyes stood there, looking like he hadn’t slept in days. His expression was a mix of exhaustion and irritation.

  "What do you want?" he asked, voice ft and unfriendly.

  "It’s about the Herb Gathering mission…"

  Gavin’s gaze sharpened slightly.

  "So you’ve got the herbs? Give them to me."

  "No, I—"

  "If you don’t have them, don’t waste my time!" Gavin snapped, his tone suddenly sharp. "I’m busy!"

  Ethan held up his hands, trying to keep his voice calm.

  "I just want to confirm if the ones from the market will be enough."

  Gavin’s eyes narrowed, and his tired face twisted into a scowl.

  "Of course they will! What did you expect—to grow them yourself!? Are you stupid?! Seriously, what a fucking waste of time!"

  Ethan opened his mouth to respond, but Gavin wasn’t finished.

  "I’ve got so many tasks to do I’m going crazy, and now I have to waste time humoring some clueless newbie who doesn’t know how the world works!"

  Wow. Okay, someone needs to sleep.

  Ethan took a breath, forcing a polite smile.

  "Sorry to bother you. I’ll be back with the herbs in a moment!"

  He gave a quick bow and jogged down the hall.

  15 Minutes Later…

  With a small cloth bag of chamomile roots in hand, Ethan returned to room 304.

  Gavin barely gnced at him before snatching the bag from his hands.

  Without a word, he ducked back into his room. A second ter, he returned, handing Ethan five silver coins.

  No smile. No thanks. Not even a nod of acknowledgment.

  The door clicked shut before Ethan could say a word.

  Ethan stared at the closed door for a moment, then shook his head.

  "Well… money is money."

  He slipped the coins into his pouch, feeling a bit better now that his funds had doubled, but this was still far from enough.

  Let’s focus on delivering jobs. The pay may be low but they are quick and safe.

  Holding this thought firmly in mind, Ethan stood in front of the message board once more, his eyes scanning the various requests.

  This one needs a lesser magic stone…

  This one needs a transmutation scroll…

  This one… nope. Way too expensive. No funds for that…

  He moved from one posting to another, mentally calcuting the cost vs. reward for each job. Since he didn't have a lot of funds he focused on the cheaper requests first, slowly fattening his wallet, allowing for more expensive deliveries.

  He wasn’t sure why no other students were taking advantage of this system. The work was easy enough. Maybe they were too proud to take on what were essentially errand boy jobs?

  Well… more money for me.

  By the time night fell and the market finally closed, Ethan’s coin pouch was feeling noticeably heavier.

  He slipped into a quiet corner near the dormitory and counted the coins under the soft glow of a street mp.

  Thirty-five silver coins.

  Almost twice the amount he had when he arrived at the Adventurer Academy.

  A satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  "Not bad."

  And then the realization hit him.

  Back in his vilge, if he wanted to save this much money, he’d have to work for one or two months—maybe even longer if business was slow.

  God damn it…

  The big city was truly another world.

  And I think… I could get used to this.

  Feeling like fortune itself was smiling on him, Ethan tucked the coins away and headed back to his dorm room with a distinct spring in his step.

  Sunday arrived…

  …and with it came a deep, bone-deep muscle ache that made Ethan regret every step he had taken the day before.

  It turns out that walking back and forth from the market, arms overloaded with goods, wasn’t as easy as he had imagined. His body was now making damn sure he didn’t forget it anytime soon.

  Still, as he y sprawled on his bed, grimacing with every twitch of his muscles, his eyes wandered toward the small leather pouch sitting on his bedside table. The clink of silver coins inside was a comforting sound.

  Thirty-three silvers. 2 silvers less than before, but that's because yesterday he deserved a treat!

  For a delivery boy, that wasn’t bad. Hell, it was practically a fortune compared to where he had started.

  There were no regrets.

  …Well, maybe some regrets. Mostly about the fact that he was too sore to keep working through Sunday.

  Ethan stretched out his legs and winced as his calf cramped immediately.

  Okay, yeah… regrets.

  But what the hell was he supposed to do now? Just y here all day?

  His mind drifted to the infirmary.

  After the absolute hell that was physical education css, the infirmary had been his salvation—its muscle relief potions had been nothing short of magical.

  Maybe I should pay it another visit.

  Grimacing, Ethan forced his aching body off the bed and dragged himself toward the door. Each step sent jolts of pain shooting through his legs, but he pushed through, one painful step at a time.

  By the time he reached the infirmary, he was practically limping.

  He pushed open the door, expecting to see the same grumpy old man from before.

  But instead—

  "Oh?"

  A small voice greeted him.

  Ethan blinked.

  Standing behind the reception desk was a petite girl, barely taller than the counter itself. She had soft vender hair tied into twin pigtails with bck ribbons, and wide violet eyes that shimmered beneath long shes. Her delicate, doll-like face was framed by straight-cut bangs, and she wore a white healer’s uniform that seemed a size too big for her tiny frame.

  Cute.

  Way too cute.

  Her gaze lifted toward him expectantly.

  Ethan’s brain short-circuited for a moment. Then—

  "Yes Lolita! No touch!"

  The words slipped out before his brain could stop them.

  The girl’s violet eyes widened. "…What?"

  Ethan spped a hand over his mouth, his face burning. "N-Nothing! Just… something a few bad friends from my old life used to say…"

  The girl tilted her head. "Huh? Are you all right, onii-chan?"

  A shiver ran down Ethan’s spine.

  Onii-chan…

  Faint memories of a girl calling him that echoed through his mind, but who exactly was she?

  Focus!

  He cleared his throat, trying to reassemble the shattered pieces of his memory, but all that was left was the foggy image of an unknown girl.

  "Onii-chan?"

  His focus was suddenly broke by the girl's sweet voice, making him remember why he came here.

  "No, actually. I worked too hard yesterday, and now my whole body is sore. I was wondering if I could get something for muscle pain here."

  Her expression softened. "Oh! I see!"

  She smiled—a sweet, innocent smile that made Ethan's heart thud a little harder against his chest.

  Then she turned away from him and returned to the desk…

  …picked up a book…

  …and started reading.

  Ethan stood there, blinking.

  "Uh… What are you doing?"

  "Reading."

  "Yes, I can see that."

  She turned another page without looking up.

  "What about my muscle pain?"

  "Huh? Oh." She peeked over the top of the book. "That sounds like a problem."

  Ethan’s eye twitched.

  "Yeah, that’s why I came here."

  "Hmm…"

  She turned back to the book.

  "So…?" Ethan prompted, his eyebrow twitching dangerously.

  Without looking up, she said casually, "I’m not allowed to give potions to patients unsupervised."

  Ethan’s eyebrow twitched harder.

  "Then where’s the old man?"

  "Grandpa’s napping."

  "And when will he wake up?"

  "When he feels like it."

  Ethan stared at her, his gaze sharpening.

  "You… don’t seem very concerned about helping me."

  The girl’s gaze finally lifted from the book.

  "Do you want me to help you?"

  "Yes!"

  She blinked.

  Then smiled.

  "Then…" Her eyes gleamed mischievously. "…Ask nicely, onii-chan."

  Ethan froze.

  His brain short-circuited for a second time.

  His mouth opened.

  Then closed.

  He cleared his throat.

  "…Please."

  The girl’s smile widened.

  "Hmm… nope."

  Ethan’s jaw tightened. "What?"

  She closed the book with a soft thud and leaned over the desk, her delicate chin resting on her hands as her violet eyes glittered with malicious amusement.

  "That was far too casual."

  Ethan narrowed his eyes. "You just told me to ask nicely—"

  "Not nicely enough." She cut him off, her smile deepening.

  Ethan’s eye twitched. "You’re joking."

  "Do I look like I’m joking?" Her voice turned sickly sweet. "You’re a patient asking for the mercy of the healer, aren't you?"

  Ethan’s brow twitched dangerously. "What… exactly are you asking me to do?"

  Her smile sharpened. "Kneel."

  "…Excuse me?"

  "Kneel," she repeated. "Lower your head, csp your hands, and beg like the lowly patient you are. That's how you properly ask someone of high status for a favor, isn’t it?"

  Ethan stared at her.

  "…Are you serious?"

  Her eyes fshed. "Dead serious, onii-chan."

  Ethan’s pride screamed in protest—but his aching muscles screamed louder.

  For a long moment, they stared at each other.

  Then, sighing heavily, Ethan lowered himself to one knee.

  Her smile deepened.

  "Both knees."

  Ethan shot her a sharp gre. "You’re enjoying this."

  She rested her cheek against her hand. "Maybe."

  Grinding his teeth, Ethan dropped to both knees and csped his hands together.

  "Please, great and merciful healer, have pity on this lowly fool and bless me with your divine potion."

  She giggled. "Ah… Now that’s more like it."

  She hopped down from her stool and disappeared into the back of the infirmary. A moment ter, she returned holding a small gss vial filled with pale blue liquid.

  "Here. Good boy."

  Ethan snatched the vial from her hand, his face burning with humiliation as he downed the potion in one gulp.

  A chill shot down his spine, but almost immediately, the tension in his muscles began to fade. The dull ache in his legs lessened, then disappeared entirely.

  "Whoa…" He stretched his arm experimentally. "That stuff works fast."

  She smiled proudly. "Grandpa’s potions are the best."

  Ethan’s gre lingered on her. "You’re a menace."

  Her smile sharpened. "And you’re surprisingly obedient when pushed."

  Ethan scoffed. "Yeah, don’t get used to it."

  Her eyes glinted.

  "We’ll see about that, onii-chan."

  He turned toward the door, still feeling the strange weight of her gaze as he left the infirmary.

  As the door closed behind him, her smile lingered.

  Her violet eyes gleamed with unsettling amusement.

  "Come py again, Ethan onii-chan."

  The girl's sweet, sing-song voice followed him out the door like a sinister echo.

  Ethan shuddered, feeling a strange chill crawl down his spine.

  What the hell was that girl’s deal…?

  It wasn’t until he was halfway down the hall that he realized something.

  Wait! We never exchanged names!

  He frowned, rubbing the back of his neck.

  Then how the hell did she...well, I can ask ter!

  They’d probably run into each other again anyway—especially if he kept coming to the infirmary often.

  He shrugged it off and picked up his pace, heading back toward the dormitory. Now that his muscle pain was gone, there was nothing stopping him from making more money.

  "Let’s aim for 100 before the end of the day!"

  His hand curled into a fist, eyes shining with determination.

  The message board was waiting, and Ethan intended to milk it for every st coin it had to offer.