Like in any other organization, guild members are also split based on their level of importance. The newly initiated are called novices. Novices, journeymen, and independents make up the majority of every guild’s members, followed by experts and masters. Grandmasters are rare, generally each guild has between five and twenty such individuals at any given time.

  The rarest members of guilds are exalts, mageknights of at least seventh realm, who had devoted centuries to their craft. Some guilds don’t have awakened members at a realm high enough for decades or centuries at a time.

  — Excerpt from the Overview of Imperial Guilds

  Day 92, 2:10 AM

  Flake leaned against the corridor’s wall, waiting for me to leave the interrogation room.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t thank you properly while we were on our way here. The standard procedure when encountering demons is to head straight to the heresy hunters, no chit-chat, no nothing.”

  And so I learned that the Blood Cult were demons, as were probably the Ghost Cult. But were they demons or just demon worshipers? Languages and slangs were troublesome, and this seemed like something people learned in ways different from battling the aforementioned demons.

  Then, there was the fact that standard procedures existed, but I never found a mention of them anywhere, and finally, were those demons connected with the outer gods somehow? If they were, foiling the cultists suddenly became a high priority, right after staying alive. So many questions and no answers.

  “Don’t mention it.” I said, and she just nodded.

  “Anyway, thanks.” With that, she left.

  I stared behind the girl. This world’s inquisition interrogated me, I fought demonic mages, saved her life from potentially being a sacrifice to the outer gods, and she just walked away after saying thanks? Whatever. I guessed duds happened, and I could only hope she mentions me to her grandmother. That woman seemed more sensible anyway…

  At least I saved a kid. I headed back to the blacksmiths’ guild, letting Blunt grumble about Flake not even taking me out for dinner or something.

  I went over to my workstation, added fresh coals, and worked the bellows to fan the flames. Then I vented my anger on lumps of steel, beating and hammering them into a metal staff. The weapon was heavy and solid, but my mana-enhanced body could handle the weight until I came up with something better.

  I had an insane plan of making a legendary weapon by carving runic seals on a sheet of steel, then rolling it up into a staff practically made of magic. My goal was a long way away, especially until I officially joined the scribes’ guild, but I think it was within the realm of possibility. I hoped.

  Two days passed in a haze of blacksmithing, and my notification popped into existence for me.

  The choice was very fitting, given the level up condition - Initial Heat Tolerance and Initial Endurance. I chose the latter and checked my screen, finding my way forward barred. I needed to forge a master quality tool, but Advanced Appraisal told me the staff I had been making was merely at the independent tier, which was a step above journeyman, but two steps shy of being a master quality weapon.

  The list of still interesting classes, at least in the short run, included herbalist, apothecary, hunter, and alchemist. The difference between an apothecary and an alchemist was that the latter infused their creations with mana, while the former dealt explicitly in non-magical tinctures and powders.

  I wasn’t certain I could really do alchemy. It required mana and specialized tools at their guild with which I should be able to infuse my creations with mana derived from manarium. But first, herbalism.

  Leaving and returning to the imperial city always cost me a first realm crystal, but I was rich given my realm, and it was time to get to know the surrounding forest.

  I checked out the quest board I had memorized, and there were several quests regarding herb collection. The pay was pittance, but I was already heading for the forest.

  When I do the final loop to finalize my classes and choices, I should bring some sacks and let the guild-master know I was taking his missions.

  I left the city uncontested, Redo still red, but the rumor-house reported no banditry outside Thunderbluff. Strange how they had a rumor regarding me last loop. They said I witnessed Iceflow Frostgrave’s outburst and it snapped my mind, making me ramble at a terrified bartender.

  Just another reminder that nowhere was really safe. But not doing anything new while Redo was red felt mentally unhinged.

  People went about their normal lives without Redo, and that didn’t paralyze them, so I shouldn’t let it get to me either. I told myself that several times as I wandered the forest at night. Honestly, I expected a bandit ambush, demons to jump out from behind a tree, but what I got were the melodious chirps and screeches of tiny saurians on the prowl.

  I already had a decent knowledge of the forest surrounding Hailstown, but Thunderbluff’s surroundings were new to me. The forest was colder, its leaves yellowing. Fall was already well into stealing them, with winter some two months away. Once I would have thought the season would limit my options, but that wasn’t the case. Plenty of herbs were flowering, or their seed pods drying and slowly cracking open, sowing their seeds.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The period of two weeks I repeated thrice was very enjoyable and relaxing. I ended it at the rumor-house each time, confirming everything played out identically when I wasn’t in the city. My last run netted me six levels in herbalist, five completed missions for the adventurers’ guild, fifty-seven pieces of first realm manarium, and most importantly a tranquil state of mind.

  As for my skills, I acquired Initial Herbalism on my own, then bumped it up to Advanced at level one. I grabbed Initial Healing, and much to my joy, upgraded Calligraphy to Master. I had no idea why herbalists needed fancy writing, possibly for compiling almanacs, but I was glad they did. The skill should serve me well when scribing runes. Then, I chose Initial Focus, upgraded Appraisal, and finally, Initial Woodland Sense.

  For a seemingly humble class, herbalist came with a lot of goodies I found neat. Someone purely combat focused would have had a stroke at my words, but I was already a killing machine, and knowing a trade which was so applicable to real-life situations felt nice.

  I had also noticed something. Same skills often came in pairs. Appraisal and Haggling, Calligraphy and Arithmetics were the two pairs which had caught my eye, but there were certainly others.

  Three weeks passed since I left Hailstown — it was a bit more for me, but nothing worrisome. Being the townlord was becoming a shackle, and since I could redo, I went over to the city administrator to ask the question I’ve been considering for a while.

  The entrance hall was spartan, extremely so. Other than a desk and the elderly woman sitting behind it, the only thing to see was a pair of guards standing in front of an eye-catching flight of stairs.

  “How may I help you?” the clerk said.

  I expected the disturbing eye movements of a mage, but the person showed no sign of being an awakened.

  “Greetings,” I said with a professional smile. “I am Dandelion, the townlord of Hailstown. I would like to know what I need to do to terminate my tenure. What are the repercussions, and how do I go about that legally?”

  The woman stared at me. To her credit, her mouth remained closed even if shock did register in her eyes. She drew a deep breath to gather her thoughts, confirming my suspicion she was non-awakened.

  “First, you would have to pay a fine issued by the citylord, next your pardon would be revoked and you would be a criminal again—” she knew who I was, “—and finally, you would have to face the consequences of your crimes in accordance with royal law. If you’re still interested, I can make an appointment with the city lord so you can discuss the matter in person.”

  I had a feeling I was going to say goodbye to the money I earned from my gambling and pit-fighting, but that was fine. You earned money to spend it. Even if manarium had better uses in the Eternal Light empire.

  “Please do.”

  She nodded and opened a thick tome. “Does the seventeenth of Season of Water suit you?”

  It was the forty-seventh of Season of Earth, the middle of autumn, meaning I would have to wait sixty days or two moons on the dot. I stopped myself from sighing. The move was obviously a power play; the citylord showing how irrelevant I am, but that was fine. As long as I got out of the contract binding me to the frontier backwater, I was happy to wait.

  The question was what to do with the two months I had on my hands. I considered the matter while politely bidding the clerk a good day and leaving the lavish building. The next class on my list was apothecary. Pushing it to fifth level would take two weeks, and the rest I could do by playing hunter or by holing myself up in the alchemists’ guild and spending loops until I could properly brew various concoctions.

  I headed towards the gate closest to Hailstown. Thunderbluff was a nice place, and I would redo within its proper countless times while perfecting my alchemical skills and learning the trade to the peak of what a non-mage can do. That probably meant decades spent in the lab and visiting all the entertainment establishments the city had to offer. While nothing stopped me from heading for Hailstown during loops, having a few more real memories and moments with Ruby would be nice.

  [Name - Dandelion Blackfist

  Class - herbalist level 6

  Health 25/25, Strength - 25, Agility - 25, Physique - 25, Wisdom - 25, Intellect - 25, Willpower - 25, Presence - 25, Charisma - 25, Composure - 25

  Abilities - See Abilities for more information.

  Attribute points remaining - 14

  To level up, discover a new medical use for a known herb.

  Statuses - none]

  [Abilities - Expert Appraisal, Initial Forest Ambush, Advanced Looting, Literate, Inferior Heartcore, Initial Mana Gathering, Initial Mana Circulation, Initial Black Fist Arts, Advanced Body Reinforcement, Master Rider, Initial Fast Reader, Initial Reference Checker, Master Calligraphy, Initial Arithmetics, Initial Persuasion, Initial Photographic Memory, Initial Time Optimization, Initial Logical Deduction, Initial Steady Hand, Initial Eye For Detail, Initial Seal Deconstruction, Initial Seal Prototyping, Expert Staffmanship, Expert Swordsmanship, Expert Spearmanship, Initial Clubmanship, Initial Flailmanship, Advanced Knifemanship, Initial Axmanship, Initial Macemanship, Initial Slingmanship, Advanced Bowmanship, Piercing Weapons Master, Battlefield Mastery, Always Ready, Initial Sense of Danger, Initial Hammer Proficiency, Initial Find Structural Weakness, Initial Rhythm, Initial Endurance, Advanced Herbalism, Initial Healing, Initial Focus, Initial Woodland Sense]

  [Anarchist Level 7

  Abilities - Rage, Redo, Blunt, Heavy Handed, Direct, Insightful, Precise, Amicable, Visionary, Godly ??, Gate Sealer ??, Vengeful ?, Grandmaster Rider ?

  To level up, force the authorities to impose justice upon a party they had previously ignored.]