Morning in Port Jang did not come with birdsong, but with the harsh shouts of the dockworkers and the tower bells.

  Mira woke up with an irritating itch behind her right ear, a side effect of the rune ink beginning to fuse with her nervous system. She scratched it gently, then sat on the edge of the bed, whose mattress smelled of damp straw.

  On a small table in the corner of the room, the ugly King Crab doll she had won the night before stared at her with asymmetrical button eyes. Mira smiled slightly. The doll was proof that she could still do something in this world without the help of others, that she was no longer a burden that had to be constantly looked after.

  “Stop smiling to yourself,” Kars’ voice came from the window. The man was fully dressed, his gray robe perfectly fitted, and he was peering down at the street through the curtain’s slits. “We have a ship to find. I also left some new clothes for you.”

  Mira got up and stretched her stiff muscles. Her stomach still felt comfortable from the previous night's dinner, a luxury she hadn't experienced in a long time.

  She walked over to the new clothes Kars had prepared. “Where did you get these clothes?”

  “There was a traveling merchant this morning. I bought them while they were still cheap.”

  “Still?” Mira lifted the new clothes, spreading them out so she could clearly examine every part of the fabric.

  “The later it gets, the more expensive they become. It's the culture of the northern community.”

  “Don't peek.” Mira took a deep breath, letting the scent of the new fabric, with its rough flax fibers and tanned leather, fill her nose.

  Her old clothes, now burnt to a crisp, lay scattered on the bed, replaced by a dark gray tunic that fit her body perfectly. The fabric was not as smooth as silk, but it had a more reassuring thickness, the kind of fabric that would not tear easily just because it got caught on a branch in the forest.

  Her fingers traced the intricate black embroidery around the neck of the tunic, feeling the texture of the raised threads that formed patterns Mira did not recognize.

  “One, two... three belts? Seriously?” Mira muttered softly, but her hands deftly pulled the black leather straps at her waist until they were tight. A soft sound was heard as the metal buckle locked into place, holding the tunic so it wouldn't flap wildly.

  Mira looked down, noticing how the long charcoal gray fabric panel—a kind of half-skirt coat—draped over her black pants. At the bottom of the panel, dull silver runic patterns reflected the dim light of the room.

  Mira kicked the air lightly, and the fabric rustled heavily but did not restrict her movements at all. Very practical.

  With one flick, she put on black fingerless gloves, leaving her fingertips free to feel the cold air. Finally, she put silver arm guards on both arms. The protectors were made of thick leather, making it difficult for any sharp object to penetrate them.

  Then, lastly, she put on thicker, new boots. Mira stomped the heels of her thick leather boots on the wooden floor, making a solid, heavy sound.

  Mira was no longer a princess wearing a thin dress. She was now wrapped in layers of protection, ready to crash through anything that stood in her way.

  “Are we going straight to The Banshee Coil?” Mira asked, remembering the drunken sailor's conversation from last night.

  “That's the last,” Kars replied, tossing a small bag of green apples toward Mira. “Let's try the official route first.”

  They left the inn and were immediately greeted by the hustle and bustle of the morning harbor.

  The morning air was thick with cold sea fog. Port Jang Pier was a forest of ship masts. Hundreds of ships of various sizes and shapes were crowded along the coastline, their wooden hulls bumping against each other in rhythm with the waves.

  They headed towards a building not far from the pier. The building was quite busy with people coming and going through the main door. On the front of the building was a sign that read “Region 5 Adventurer Administration” decorated with waves and anchors that seemed to collide with each other.

  “Why are we here?” asked Mira.

  “You have to register as an adventurer first to cross international borders.”

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  “I know what this building is for, but is it necessary?” Mira rolled her eyes; she hated dealing with administration.

  “We want to try the official route.”

  “Aren't you a fugitive?” Mira said loudly, so Kars had to nudge her arm to lower her voice.

  “I have many identities,” whispered Kars, barely audible to Mira.

  The ground floor of the Region 5 Adventurer Administration Building was crowded. On the left, a giant wooden board was covered with overlapping request forms, some of them new and pristine, while others were yellowed and curled at the edges. In the middle of the room, long tables were filled with adventurers counting coins or showing off monster teeth they had hunted.

  Mira felt her new tunic being pulled gently from behind. Kars' voice sounded low in her ear. “Stay close to me.”

  They pushed through the crowd until they finally reached the end of the room, where a long counter with iron bars separated two different spaces. Behind the iron bars, brown-uniformed administrative staff worked at a pace like galloping horses.

  Kars chose the shorter line. In front of them, a young man carrying a bloody sack was arguing with an officer.

  “This is the head of the red-and-yellow hat! Look at his fangs!”

  “That's not him. His fangs are yellow, not black. We know the details of the person we're bounty hunting. So go away.”

  “Mira tapped the tip of her new boots on the floor. “Kars,” Mira whispered, pulling Kars’ sleeve. “That guy is so slow. Can I burn his sack a little so he’ll leave quickly?”

  Kars simply placed his heavy right hand on Mira’s shoulder. The pressure was enough to silence Mira.

  Finally, their turn came.

  The woman behind the counter looked as if she hadn't slept for a week. Thick glasses perched on the tip of her nose, and there were ink stains on her cheeks and forehead. The nameplate on the desk read: ROSA - Registration Division.

  “Name, purpose, specialization,” said Rosa without looking up, her hand already dipping a quill pen into an ink bottle.

  “Reylight. License renewal,” Kars, using the alias Reylight, placed a gold badge with numerous scratches on the table. “And new registration for her.”

  Rosa looked up slightly, staring at Kars’s badge, then at Mira standing beside him.

  “New kid?” Rosa took a blank form from the pile. “The registration fee is ten Kluppe. Place your hand on the Sphere of Aptitude.”

  Rosa pointed to a clear crystal ball the size of a human head placed on a worn velvet pad next to the counter. Inside the ball, a thin gray mist swirled lazily.

  “Touch the ball,” Kars ordered Mira.

  Mira swallowed hard. She took her right hand out of her tunic pocket, revealing her new fingerless gloves.

  “It won't explode, will it?” Mira asked hesitantly.

  “Only if you have corrupted Intian,” Rosa replied wearily, returning to her writing. “Hurry up. The line is long.”

  Mira placed her palm on the cold surface of the crystal ball. Immediately, a reaction occurred.

  Usually, the ball will glow one color: Red for physical fighters, Orange for weapon fighters, Yellow for long-range fighters/archers, Blue for wizards, Green for healers/support, Dark gray for scouts/spies, and several other colors that rarely appear or are rarely obtained.

  When Mira touched it, the mist inside the ball didn't just glow. It raged.

  First, a dazzling cyan color exploded inside the ball, accompanied by a small cracking sound like glass being pressed too hard. Rosa gasped in surprise, her pen scratching the paper.

  But a second later, the color red emerged from the core of the ball, swallowing the cyan color, condensing it into a regular but heavy vortex.

  The ball shook violently on its base. Its light flickered wildly between blue and red, creating a stroboscopic effect that hurt the eyes.

  “Hhhkk...” Mira gritted her teeth, trying to hold back the turmoil in her chest so it wouldn't spill over into her hands. The ball began to heat up, cracks appearing on its surface.

  Rosa stood up from her chair, her eyes wide. “For God's sake... What the hell—”

  Kars suddenly placed his right hand on top of Mira's hand, which was attached to the ball.

  Kars did not channel Intian. He channeled emptiness. He channeled a little of the empty aura remaining in his damaged left arm to neutralize the reading.

  The wild light inside the ball was strangled to death. Its color faded drastically, leaving a stable Dark Purple glow.

  “Sorry,” Kars said flatly, looking at Rosa, who was still in shock. “She's a little nervous. Her Intian control is still rough.”

  Rosa adjusted her crooked glasses. She looked at the now-calm ball, then looked at Mira suspiciously.

  “Purple...” Rosa muttered, opening the thick guidebook beside her. “Purple is usually for... Polymaths or Universalists. Adventurers who can do everything. But your purple is darker, which means... Re:Kala Kaosser, what does that mean? Why is there a colon here?” Rosa picked up a magnifying glass to make sure she hadn't misread it. The page was rarely, if ever, opened, so the ink had faded slightly.

  “Just write it down as Universalist,” said Kars, placing five Kluppe coins on the table.

  Rosa looked back and forth between the Kluppe and Kars, then ended up on Mira, who looked shocked. “Alright,” said Rosa, quickly taking the five Kluppe coins and putting them in her pocket before anyone could see.

  Rosa took the iron stamp, pressed it into the red ink pad, then stamped it on Mira's registration form.

  “Class: Universalist - Novice Rank,” read Rosa. She wrote something on the new identity badge made of a thin copper plate. “This is your temporary card, kid. Don't lose it. And for the safety of the city, it is forbidden to cast spells inside the tavern.”

  Rosa handed over the bronze badge.

  Mira took it with two fingers, still trembling from the battle of strength earlier. Her name was engraved on the plate: MIRA. And below it was a circle symbol, which meant the emblem for novice adventurers.

  “Novice?” Mira read the inscription with a furrowed brow. “What does that mean?”

  “It’s the rank for beginners. You can upgrade it by taking on more quests,” Rosa replied.

  Soon after, Kars’ badge was updated. Then the man took his own. “Let’s go. We’ve drawn attention.”

  It was true. Several adventurers at the nearby table were now staring at them, whispering about the strange light. Some were also discussing Mira's strange eyes.

  Kars was annoyed because the clothes he bought for Mira didn't have a hood, so he couldn't hide Mira's eyes.

  Kars pushed the woman toward the exit, leaving the noisy bureaucracy behind before anyone realized that “Dark Purple” was actually the biggest understatement of the century.