When Arthur left Master Ronin's place, he headed toward a restaurant instead of going home. It was a high-class restaurant, but he could afford it with his current wealth.
On a side note, it was a lot. He had already procured a million dollars from selling his artifacts. Each of his Protection Armors was sold for thirty thousand. While his Fire-Swords were sold for fifty thousand. His ability was a money-printing machine. However, he had stopped selling the artifacts since he didn't want the market to overflow with them.
However, their life remained the same except for their grocery and outfits. Arthur made sure his clothes weren't extravagant, yet not shabby. He wore a plain grey t-shirt and blue jeans most of the time. Arthur had to explain that they couldn't pay their debt yet or move to a better house before they were able to understand what happened to his father. His mom and brother agreed.
As he walked in, the receptionist seemed awkward as she explained that he needed a reservation to eat in this restaurant. It seems she had misjudged him based on his clothing that wasn't fit for the restaurant's atmosphere.
"Arthur Silvera, check it." Arthur furrowed his brows at her and the receptionist started checking the list. After finding his name, her eyes turned round as she started apologizing. Arthur waved it off and the receptionist guided him to the VIP table on a raised platform than the rest and a view showing the whole city.
"Pft, you know how to pick your clothing." Emma laughed when she saw him coming and Arthur's brow twitched.
"Are you mocking me?" He asked as he pulled the chair without waiting for the receptionist to do so, making her even more awkward before she hurriedly left.
"Not at all, I like simplicity. Wish I could do the same," Emma said, seeming slightly ruthful that she had to wear a dress.
"Then why didn't you?" Arthur asked, studying her simple, yet elegant, black dress. It was then that he felt slightly alienated by his simple clothing. However, he didn't care.
"Mm, my butler wouldn't allow me."
"Oh… Lives of daughters from wealthy families are sure rough."
"Hahaha, they are! We need to mind this and mind that, I'm sick of it. That's why I'm excited to leave this city next week!" Emma's face was dyed with excitement, making Arthur's heart also beat a bit faster at the notion of leaving.
"What day are we leaving?"
"Tuesday, if nothing happens."
"I thought the Runes Apprentice Cup starts on Friday?"
"Yeah, but we'll spend a few days in our workshop in the capital. You'll get to see how my family works since you'll be representing us."
"And your family just agreed?" Arthur asked, slightly nervous that her family might realize his runes were different.
"Yeah, they did after I convinced them. It was hard to do so without you giving me any of your works."
"I was kind of busy, sorry."
"Mm, that busy?" Emma perked her lips as she went into deep pondering. After a while, the waiter came and they ordered the best course meal the restaurant had. "Since I was the one who asked for us to meet, I'll be paying." Arthur simply nodded at her words.
"What is it that you wanted to talk about in person?" Arthur asked after he remembered her message. When Emma heard this, her face got a little more serious.
"It's about your work. I've seen it in the association. It's also the reason I asked to sponsor your participation." Emma's tone was grave, making Arthur slightly shift in his seat. "I don't know how much time you've been working on that rune, but it was beautiful. I could sense the mana in it. It was almost alive." Her words were still in a grave tone, but they held admiration.
"I don't have a way to prove that I'm trustworthy yet," She said while leaning back and sighing. "But I do wish for my benefit. If we work together, I don't think there's a limit for how far we can go." She said, slightly expectant.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm offering you a job at our workshop in the capital. You can start working there as soon as you finish the Runes Apprentice Cup."
Her words made Arthur slightly frown, as this wasn't in his consideration. To be honest, he'd rather stay alone since he couldn't work in front of others. Even if he got his own space in the workshop, his work would still be examined closely and tested. A couple of artifacts with no origin has already shocked the market, making some believe that he had unearthed an ancient armory of some city, not to mention working in a workshop and producing works for others.
"Sorry," He could see her lips arc downward at his words. "I can't. I have separate goals to achieve." Arthur said thinking about the other world. "I'm going to attend college, I need to." He said with a determination that forced Emma to nod helplessly.
They ate their meal and didn't talk about anything else for the rest of the night. They talked about their travel to the capital the next week and what would Arthur need to bring. They also discussed the format of the Runes Apprentices Cup.
Leaving the restaurant, Arthur's mind still lingered on Emma's words. He realized that he needed to find a way to disguise his runes as artificial runes. The mana consumed is far less than artificial runes, making it hard to disguise his works in the long-term. Until now, he had used basic tier runes that were still within an acceptable range. If his runes evolve and he keeps sending them into the world, it would become more apparent.
The only relieving factor is that his runes, except for their lower mana consumption and higher output, were similar to artificial runes. If he kept using basic runes, maybe he could pull it off?
Arthur shook his head. He was torn between showing too much and showing too little. He didn't want to suffer because he feared what the world would think. However, he also didn't want to attract unwarranted attention to himself that might spell his doom.
His head ached as he went back home.
***
Oren opened his eyes to the familiar, slightly cracked, ceiling. It was just like any other day, but his life was forever changed after he became aware of mana. His brother explained that abilities, told to him by Master Ronin, awaken when the gate finally opens. Oren could feel those gates distinctly, deep within his very beings.
He removed the sheets and sat up, still feeling drowsy. He had spent all night on the phone with… Selena. She had been his crush until she confessed to him that she liked him, making Oren turn tails and run. He knew he wasn't worthy; it would be an unbalanced relationship. Furthermore, he was still young, only turning sixteen next winter.
However, his awakening and his brother gave him a boost in self-confidence. He could feel his body getting stronger as he hunted in dungeons. He did so mostly with Selena and a few others, who didn't like Oren a lot but were friends with Selena.
He wore the armor his brother gave him as he remembered his words. Oren didn't know much about equipment, but he was taught about artifacts. His brother said that there were runes on his armor and sword that would help him if he ever gets in trouble.
His brother was worried sick about him hunting on his own and only allowed him to hunt in primitive grade dungeons for now. However, Oren planned on heading to a higher tier dungeon today to test his limits. It wasn't that he wanted to disobey his brother, but it was just that he wished to get stronger. Fighting in a mana-rich environment has been proven to be beneficial.
He wore his armor and left the room, passing by Arthur's door. As he was a few feet away, he heard his brother shouting through the door.
"I… did it! Finally!"
Oren didn't know what was going on, but his brother was participating in a competition in a few days. He came back the other day and holed himself up in his room, unwilling to leave saying he had important training to do.
Smiling that his brother was making progress, Oren was more pumped to hunt today to get stronger. He left his house and headed to a dungeon of the mid-tier rank. They would hunt low-mid-tier monsters there with Selena and her friends.
To make things clearer, Selena and her friends were the top students in his grade. Oren had no idea why Selena was into him like he was into her. He did ask this question when she told him that she liked him.
'I like you,'
'Huh? Why?'
His face burned as he remembered his lame answer. However, she never told him the reason why. She would always smile and say 'just because' leaving Oren even more confused.
"Am I getting pranked?" Oren wondered as he boarded the runic train toward the city's downtown. No matter how long he waited for her to tell him 'Ha! You fool, it was a prank!', she didn't say or act in that way at all. All he got from her was unconditional care.
Even if Oren was suspicious of her reasons, he still wanted to get close to her since she was his crush ever since he saw her. He braced his heart for today, thinking it might be the day he returns home crying for being fooled.