"First rule of guild fights, we don''t talk about guild fights," Mi Hye exclaimed seeing what was about to go down, acting casually as if guild fights like this is normal. "Second rule of guild fights, when you break something, you buy it."


    Ethan barely had time to adjust himself before the fight erupted. The men in black & white (Ethan giving them a random nickname in his head), gangs up on them.


    There wasn''t a tinge of fear within him. He has faced Grendel and have come to terms with his scarred past. He is no longer the same.


    Their leader, the burly guy swung his axe with terrifying precision, splitting another table in two.


    That would be... 9 gold, Mr. Burly man– Mi Hye jots down on a receipt.


    Splinters flew in every direction as Mr. Burly man bellowed, "Hand it over, and we''ll leave in peace!"


    "You clearly have no business taking care of a penguin you lumberjack!" Ashley snapped back.


    The guild hall fell silent for a split second, clearly the joke wasn''t funny. Regardless, every adventurer watch in anticipation to the brewing chaos.


    Ethan blinked, still fighting the minor patches of pain over his head and body from a hangover. His instincts kicked in. His mind sharpened.


    Focusing, he mutters in his head, let''s see how fast I can read...


    [ Name: Ethan Erstellen ]


    [ Adventurer Lvl: 4 ]


    [ Guild Rank: Bronze II ]


    [ Macro Skill: Reading (Master level) ]


    The world unravelled slower than usual allowing him to observed the movements of the burly man and his gang in high definition. Time was constantly flowing, yet it felt like he could perceive it faster than others, as if he was scanning past a page.


    Ashley stood, unbothered by the chaos around her, her gaze locked on the approaching enemies.


    "You shouldn''t have brought an ax in a fist fight!," Ashley said with a sly grin, cracking her knuckles. "μεγεθ?νω (megethyno)" her body grew in a proportion slightly taller than the burly man, she clothes tightened a bit but almost immediately adjusts to her size, she threw a jab at the burly man who manages to block it with his giant ax.


    Ethan felt the same surge of clarity flood through him. His body moved purposefully before his mind could even process it. It felt, familiar. He stepped forward, on his right hand, Lexcalibre is already tracing the air, preparing to manipulate the environment. The gang of four swarmed from all angles, each of them armed with crude weapons or brutal fists.


    The first man—a lanky brute with an eye patch—attacked Ashley with a wild swing of his oar. Ethan''s reflexes moved with the swiftness of a viper. He grabbed the back of a chair, spinning it into the path of the oar. The chair splintered on impact, but the man''s swing faltered. Ethan faltered a bit—concerned about the destroyed property, and as he expected Mi Hye was observing him closely; however, instead of reprimanding him about the broken chair, she mouthed the words "Go get ''em tiger!"


    I guess I should put on a good show atleast.


    Ethan took the opening, landing a clean blow to the Captain Oar''s (a nickname he came up on the fly) stomach. The man stumbled back, gasping for air.


    [ Name: Ashley Briar ]


    [ Adventurer Lvl 5 ]


    [ Guild Rank: Bronze Rank III ]


    [ Macro Skill: Reading (Master level) ]


    Panning our view to Ashley''s perspective, she immediately ducks a wide swing of the burly man''s ax. Her movements showing uncanny precision, almost inhuman. She moves to the side as if reading the arc of his strike before it even happened, then using her gigantic fist, delivers a swift elbow to his ribs. The burly man grunted, but he wasn''t out of the fight yet. With a growl, he swung again—this time with more anger.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Another dude teamed up with his boss... But with one kick from Ashley he was sent flying through the window with tainted glass, breaking it in the process.


    18 gold, Ashley Briar – Mi Hye jots down on a receipt.


    Ethan''s mind raced as he analyzed the fight. Ashley was quick—quicker than the burly man could anticipate—but the ax''s trajectory was almost too fast for her to avoid entirely.


    Suddenly, he felt a stinging sensation on his cheek. The next thing he knew he was already sent flying and crashing over the guild wall.


    –41 bludgeoning damage!


    [ Health: 79 / 120 ]


    Can''t read what I can''t see huh, makes sense. I must say, I didn''t saw it coming... pun intended.


    His vision blurred a bit, noticing he isn''t holding Lexcalibre, he looks around only to find the pen beneath the fighting grounds of Ashley and the burly man—and Vice Captain Oar about to sneakily deliver a swing at Ashley''s face.


    Ethan reached his hand out and makes a writing gesture, Lexcalibre faithfully animates and executes the wish of its master. It''s magical ink tracing the floor beneath all three combatants,


    Rewrite floor slab attribute, SOLID to LIQUID.


    –20 Lexical Points


    [ Lexical Reservoir 100 / 120 ]


    The solid marble beneath their feet shifted, and suddenly the ground became a coarse pool of sand, quickly submerging their lower half as their upper body struggled to maintain balance. The adversary''s feet slipped out from under them, and they crashed to the ground with a resounding splash, luckily for them, the surrounding floor remained solid and that prevented them from slipping in entirely. Their weapons flew out of their grip, skittering across the floor. Unprepared for the liquid floor, lost they their balance and fell into a heap.


    "μεγεθ? —" Ashley slips which caused her to miscast a spell. Her eyes widened in shock as immense silvery wings sprouted off from her back. They were far too large for her, and they caught the air, pushing her off the quicksand with an unexpected force.


    "What the... How?" Ethan gasped.


    "Whoa!" Ashley cried out, moving her arms instinctively to regain balance. The wings flapped vehemently, sending gusts of air through the guild hall, toppling several tables and sending food and beverages flying.


    Noticing the thugs struggling to get out of the quicksand, Ethan does another writing motion which Lexcalibre follows,


    Rewrite floor slab attribute, LIQUID to SOLID.


    –20 Lexical Points


    [ Lexical Reservoir 80 / 120 ]


    Rewrite floor slab attribute, MARBLE to ROMAN CONCRETE.


    –40 Lexical Points


    [ Lexical Reservoir 40 / 120 ]


    The concrete boasts a hardness that could stand the test of time. The burly man and his cronies tried to brute force their way out of its grip but to no avail. The ground held firmly until the city watch has arrived.


    When the dust settled, Mi Hye secretly hands puts a piece of paper in Ethans'' hands. It was a bounty for the a group of poachers calling themsleves the Ivory League.


    Ethan was ecstatic, turning in the bounty will earn him enough points to rank up to Bronze III. Before Ethan could say his thanks, Mi Hye is back at the counter minding her business as though none of the previous events transpired. Ethan understood that the bounty has handed to him in secret, so he pretended to know about it all along. He decided to claim the reward from another receptionist, it was a handsome sum of 45 gold pieces, and a rank-up as a bonus.


    "Congratulations adventuer, you have reached the coveted rank of Bronze III, yay," The receptionist said with a deadpan expression. "You are now eligible to take the rank-up examination and become a full fledge adventurer. Passing the test would allow you to upgrade your spatial storage as well as unlock other functions of your status screen, the guild recommends upgrading your armor and equipment. A custom made weapon would also be helpful as it is not just a symbol of status, but highlights your individuality as an up and coming adventurer. In the event that you fail the exam, which is a common occurence, you may only take the examination once every two months so think wisely, and throroughly prepare yourself before joining. Please come by anytime to take the test."


    "Professor, you made it!" Ashley joyfully exclaimed right after Ethan ranked up. They had a short celebration and continued where they left off, while the guild staff cleaned up the mess.


    It took a while before Ethan noticed that the penguin wasn''t eating with them. "Where''s the little guy?"


    "He has a name you know. It''s called Peachy. He usually wanders off on his own. Weirdly enough, he always finds his way back to me."


    "Peachy, what an uninspired name. You suck at naming and a terrible pet owner."


    The penguin, meanwhile, waddled cheerfully across the guild, sneakily snatching fish from tables of unsuspecting adventurers, its tiny tail wagging happily, like it was enjoying a fun little stroll in the midst of conflict.


    "Oh look, Peachy''s back!" Ashley says.


    "Pi-Pi-Che!"


    Looking at Peachy, Ethan was equally amused and curious over this little creature. It was simply a baby penguin—nothing special, no magical runes, no strange artifact attached to it—just an innocent little creature caught in a much larger story.