The silence in the parking garage was deafening. The fluorescent lights embedded in the rift chamber buzzed overhead as the team gathered around the small pile of gravel that had once been a rock golem.

  Layla crouched down and poked at the debris with her finger, watching as it crumbled further under her touch. No one spoke for several long seconds.

  Magi stood slightly apart from the group, waiting.

  He knew what was coming.

  "What ultimate skill was that?" Layla finally asked, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Some kind of high-tier destruction magic? Because I've never seen anything like it."

  "I just did a temperature shock," Magi replied with a small shrug. "It's basic physics."

  Jax snorted. "Basic physics. Sure. And I'm just doing some light cardio when I use my movement skills."

  "No, I mean it," Magi said. "Water gets into cracks. When water freezes or turns to steam, it expands. The pressure breaks things apart."

  Eli knelt beside Layla and picked up a piece of the former golem, examining it closely. "But you didn't use ice. You used heat to make steam." She turned the fragment over in her palm. "The precision required to do this... it's not something a beginner could manage."

  "I never said I was a beginner." Magi shifted his weight. "I said… I only use basic attributes. There's a difference."

  Marc hadn’t joined the others. He stood back, arms crossed, watching Magi with a different intensity. Less awe, more calculation. His gaze lingered a second too long.

  His gaze lingered a second too long.

  "How many attributes can you use?" Marc asked.

  Magi hesitated. "The usual ones."

  "Which are?" Marc pressed.

  "Fire. Water. Earth. Wind. Healing." Magi paused. "Lightning. Barehand combat and sword."

  "But you don't carry one?" Marc asked, confused.

  "Too much maintenance," Magi shrugged. "Sharpening, oiling, carrying the weight... it's inefficient."

  "And you call all of those 'basic'?" Jax's tone was skeptical.

  "That's what they are," Magi said. "Nothing special."

  Layla stood up, brushing dust from her hands. "Show me."

  Magi blinked. "What?"

  "Show me your status screen." Layla stepped closer, towering over him. "If they're just basic attributes, you shouldn't have a problem showing us."

  Magi looked at the others. Eli seemed uncomfortable with Layla's directness, but Marc nodded in agreement. Jax just looked amused.

  "We just escaped a death trap together," Marc said. "Transparency builds trust."

  Magi sighed. "Fine." He swiped his hand to open his status window and turned it outward so they could see.

  [MAGIUS NECROS]

  Level: 37

  [ATTRIBUTES:]

  Fire (Basic): 37

  Water (Basic): 35

  Wind (Basic): 31

  Earth (Basic): 29

  Healing (Basic): 40

  Lightning (Basic): 28

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  Sword (Basic): 12

  Barehand (Basic): 42

  The team stared at the window in silence. Magi counted three seconds before Jax burst out laughing.

  "This has to be a joke," Jax said. "Who levels barehand combat to 42 but keeps sword at 12? And where are your actual skills? Your techniques?"

  "I don't have any," Magi said.

  "That's impossible," Eli said quietly. "Everyone develops techniques as they level. The system grants them automatically."

  "Not to me."

  Marc stepped forward, examining the status window more closely before Magi dismissed it.

  "Eight attributes," he said. "All basic. No skills. No techniques." He looked directly at Magi. "And yet you just destroyed a B-rank monster in seconds."

  Magi shrugged. "The basics work fine if you use them right."

  "Then why does everyone else develop skills?" Marc asked.

  "I assumed they rushed past the fundamentals," Magi said. "Took shortcuts. I figured I just needed to keep practicing the basics until they worked properly."

  Layla looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "That's not how it works."

  "It works for me."

  The team exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them.

  Magi recognized the look. He'd seen it before, in previous teams that had disbanded shortly after discovering his unusual approach.

  He prepared himself for the usual questions, the skepticism, the eventual parting of ways.

  "We should report back and turn in the core," Magi said, hoping to move things along. "The contract deadline is in an hour."

  Marc nodded, seeming to come to a decision. "Right. Let's get back to the registration office."

  The walk back was quieter than usual. Jax kept shooting glances at Magi, while Eli seemed lost in thought. Layla walked close beside him, as if worried he might disappear if she let him out of her sight.

  "Does it ever bother you?" she asked suddenly.

  "What?"

  "Not having flashy skills. Just... basics."

  Magi considered the question. "No. They do what I need them to do."

  "But don't you want more? Everyone wants the ultimate technique, the special skill that makes them stand out."

  "I just want to finish jobs and go home," Magi said. "The basics are less complicated."

  Layla frowned but didn't push further.

  ***

  The registration desk was mostly empty when they arrived. The administrator looked up from her computer as they approached.

  "Team Venn," she said. "You're back early. Success or retreat?"

  Marc placed the containment vessel on the counter. "Success. Core extracted, mission complete."

  The administrator's eyebrows rose as she examined the core. "This is... significantly larger than expected for a D-rank."

  "The Rift was misclassified," Marc said. "B-rank minimum, possibly higher. Organized goblin forces plus a rock golem guarding the core."

  She looked from the core to the team and back again. "And you still completed it? With no casualties?"

  "We're good at our jobs," Jax said with a grin.

  The administrator tapped at her computer.

  "I'll need to flag this for review. Misclassified Rifts are becoming more common." She processed the core and began calculating their payment. "Standard rate for a B-rank core, plus hazard bonus for the misclassification. Split five ways?"

  "Four active combatants, one porter," Marc corrected.

  The administrator looked at Magi. "Porter? With those stats?"

  Magi tensed. He hadn't realized she could see his status.

  "That's our arrangement," Marc said smoothly. "Seven percent porter fee plus equal attribute gains."

  She shrugged and finished the calculation. "Total payout comes to 24,500 credits. Porter gets 1,715, the rest split four ways at 5,696.25 each."

  Marc accepted the transfer to his guild account. "We'll distribute internally. Thank you."

  Once outside, Marc led them to a small plaza near the registration office. "Let's settle up here before we go our separate ways."

  The team gathered around a bench as Marc transferred their shares. When he finished, he looked at Magi.

  "Your cut," he said, sending the final transfer. "Plus a bonus."

  Magi checked the notification. Marc had sent him 3,000 credits instead of the agreed 1,715.

  "This is more than seven percent," Magi said.

  "You did more than carry our gear," Marc replied. "Seems fair to me."

  "Thanks." Magi pocketed his phone and turned to leave. "Good luck with your next contract."

  "Hold on," Marc said, his tone stopping Magi in his tracks. "We need to talk about what happens next."

  Magi turned back. "Next?"

  "The Guild Association will ask how we cleared a Mutated D-Rank in 20 minutes," Marc said. "A misclassified Rift with B-rank monsters shouldn't have been possible for a team of our registered strength. They'll investigate."

  Magi felt a familiar sinking feeling. This was exactly the kind of attention he tried to avoid.

  "If you leave," Marc continued, "they'll investigate you. A freelancer with unusual abilities who keeps changing teams raises flags. If you stay, I'll fill out the report."

  "What does that mean?" Magi asked carefully.

  "It means I can explain how we used specialized tactics rather than raw power. How we coordinated perfectly. How we exploited environmental weaknesses." Marc's gaze was steady. "Official reports shape perception. Stay with the team, and I'll make sure the focus stays on our strategy, not your abilities."

  Layla stepped forward. "We work well together. Today proved that."

  "You don't even know me," Magi pointed out.

  "I know enough," she said. "You saved us in there."

  Eli nodded. "We're not asking you to explain everything. Just... stay."

  "Speak for yourself," Jax muttered. "I definitely want explanations. But yeah, stay. You're weird, in a good way of course. But useful."

  Magi looked at each of them in turn. He'd planned to find teammates just to avoid attention, but he hadn't expected to find people who actually wanted him around after seeing what he could do.

  "Just until the investigation is closed," Marc added. "After that, you can decide if you want to continue."

  Magi considered his options. Freelancing had become increasingly difficult. Guild recruiters were getting more aggressive. And now there would be questions about today's Rift.

  "Fine," he said finally. "I'll stay. For now."

  Marc nodded, a hint of relief crossing his features. "Welcome to Team Venn."