Lion's Guild

Wade stood before the Lion's Guild building, his throat dry. 

Now that he was standing before it, he had to admit that it was intimidating. 

Built out of a dark, almost black, stone, it stood at an impressive five stories tall, taller than any building in its vicinity. Its towers were even taller, reaching up into the sky.

Sitting above the door before him was the Lion's Guild banner, featuring a golden roaring lion on a black background.

Wade stood there, staring at the banner in both dread and anticipation, hunger gnawing in his stomach. 

He felt underdressed for the occasion, having shown up in the same clothes he'd worn for the past week. 

He'd tried to make himself presentable, but where was a beggar going to find a free bath in a walled city like this?

And so, he was stuck in his threadbare clothes, unable to even wipe away the dirt clinging to it.

"Are you going in or not?"

Wade was startled by the voice from behind him, and that was when he realized he'd been standing before the door for way too long. Others wanted to enter too.

"Oh! Sorry." He said sheepishly, shifting to the side and letting them through.

When they were gone, he looked up at the banner above the door and exhaled.

'You can do this Wade,' he hyped himself up in the safety of his mind. 'Remember. This is the only way.'

He exhaled, remembering everything that had brought him right here to this very moment.

A week ago, he'd been on the bus, on his way home from his night shift at the 24 hour convenience store. 

He'd been dozing where he sat when it happened. The bus had veered to the side, the loud squeal of the brakes had filled the air, then it ended with a crash.

And when he opened his eyes next, he'd woken up in this body. A young man who shared the same name as him. Wade Barrett.

He'd almost gone crazy trying to accept his new reality but he'd done it. He'd long since come to accept that he was Wade Barrett, a beggar in the city of Hiving, in the kingdom of Vasaria.

But that realization brought with it a new set of problems. The original Wade had died from hunger, and by the looks of it, Wade was next. 

He'd tried his best. Begging for scraps, and trying to steal what he could not get, but even that was not enough.

He'd been poor back on earth, but this was worse.

Hunger gnawed at him everyday. His stomach cramped at the lack of food. He couldn't take it anymore.

And that meant his only option was here. To join an adventurers guild.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he forced himself to move.

He strode through the door, and entered the lobby of the building.

The first thing he noticed was the queue. 

Several people, including what looked like merchants and noble servants were on the queue before a desk with a sign that read "Quests."

That was not his own destination.

His eyes moved to the next desk. It had no lines, and its sign had a single word. "Registration."

He strode to the desk, and the woman behind it looked up. "How may I help you, sir?" She asked.

"I want to join the guild." Wade said.

The woman quickly pasted a smile on her face. "Awakened or unawakened?"

"Unawakened."

She smiled at him, before ringing a small bell next to her. One of the guards that Wade hadn't even noticed peeled himself from his spot next to the walls to stand before the desk.

"He's here to join the guild." The receptionist gestured at Wade.

The guard, his expression hidden by his helm, looked him up and down. Even covered from head to toe, Wade could tell the man was sizing him up.

A second later, the man nodded, coming to a conclusion of his own. "Come with me." He said gruffly.

Wade followed, and a minute later, he found himself alone in a room. 

The room was bare, except for a table and two chairs, each chair sitting on the opposite side of the table.

Now that he was alone, his stomach groaned, a last cry for help. He hadn't eaten in more than 24 hours.

He exhaled at the thought. 

In this world, beggars never lasted long on the streets. They either died from hunger, or joined an adventurers guild. 

Wade had heard the stories. There was a reason why some beggars would rather die of hunger than join a guild. Both ended in death.

He looked up as the door opened, and a woman walked in. She was tall, with dark hair, her torso covered by a gleaming breastplate. She had a pauldron over her left shoulder, and it clinked as she walked.

"Hello." She nodded at him as she took her seat. "I'm Handler Calista."

"Wade. Wade Barrett," he answered.

She nodded, setting down a neat stack of documents on the table. "You wish to join the Lion's Guild, correct? I'm sure you're aware that all new members must sign a contract."

Wade said nothing. He already knew what was coming. 

This body's memories had shown him how guilds worked. 

They called themselves protectors, but everyone knew they were cartels. 

They controlled the dungeons, the loot, and the adventurers. Anyone who wanted to survive had no choice but to submit to them.

Calista slid two sets of documents across the table. "We at Lion's Guild offer two starting options. Basic and Standard. Premium contracts are only for veterans who have proven themselves. You should read both carefully. These are magical contracts. Once you sign, the terms are binding."

Wade pulled the documents closer. His eyes traced the words written on them.

The basic contract promised access to guild dungeons and permission to take quests from the guild hall. That was all. 

In exchange, the guild demanded thirty percent of his loot, plus the Right of First Refusal.

Every loot drop he got from their dungeons must be offered to the guild before he could sell it elsewhere. Worse, the guild would only buy at seventy percent of its market value.

The standard contract was marginally better. With it, he'd receive training, a bed in the guild dorms, and limited healing services. 

The tax was ten percent instead of thirty, but the guild would still take first pick of all loot he got from their dungeons. This time, at eighty percent of its market value instead of seventy. 

The buyout clause was almost laughable. One hundred million gold for the basic contract, fifty million for the standard contract. 

Numbers so large they might as well have been infinity.

Both were lifetime contracts. The guild could renegotiate every ten years, but Wade couldn't leave without paying the ransom.

It was slavery. Slavery dressed up nicely in fancy words.

He clenched his teeth, but he kept reading. 

The trick was obvious. The basic contract was the poison, designed only to make the standard contract look generous.

But still. Training. Room and board. Food. Shelter. All the things he needed just to live. Without it, he'd die in the gutters like this body's previous owner.

He looked up. Calista said nothing, waiting patiently as if she already knew what he'd choose.

Wade exhaled. The answer was obvious.

"I'll take the standard contract."

No matter what it takes, he definitely won't die poor.

Dimensional Merchant

Wade followed Calista out of the room, his footsteps echoing loudly in his ears.

His mind went back to what had just happened a few minutes earlier. He'd pricked his thumb, and stamped the contract with his blood.

It had glowed, magically sealing the contract. He was now an adventurer contracted to the Lion's Guild. And that meant it was time for his awakening.

He walked behind Calista for a few minutes, passing guards posted at various corridors before they finally arrived at a hall.

The hall was large, with bright light fixed to sconces on the wall, designed to make sure that even a rat had nowhere to hide.

It was chock-full of guards, but the word Wade would better use to describe them was soldiers.

They were in full plate armor, every inch of their body covered. Magic radiated off them in waves so intense, Wade could feel his hair rising as it touched him.

"Halt!" The soldier at the front raised a hand. 

Calista stopped immediately, and Wade followed her lead. She presented a badge, and the soldier beckoned her forward.

"We're here for an awakening." She said.

The soldier collected Wade's contract, going through it. Satisfied, he handed it back to Calista. But that was just the beginning.

They were then thoroughly searched, each one checked for any contraband. Of course, they found nothing on Wade except more debts.

After more minutes of intense scrutiny, they finally allowed them access.

"Come." Calista beckoned Wade.

Wade followed, trying to keep his calm as the eyes of the soldiers followed them down the length of the hall.

At the other end of the hall, they came to a gate. One of the soldiers posted there pressed a hand on the gate and it clicked open.

With a nod of thanks, Calista walked through, Wade following behind her.

They walked down another straight corridor, before emerging inside a room.

The moment they walked in, Wade felt the change. The air was cool, as if he'd stepped into winter. Torches burned in brackets along the walls, providing light to see by.

At the center of the room floated a cube, each of its faces as smooth as a mirror.

It hovered in the air at chest height, turning on a slow axis, reflecting the room and the people in it from all six sides.

Wade stopped without meaning to. On the surface of the cube was his reflection. 

White hair. Purple eyes. Tall, yes, but thin to the point of shame. He looked like a scarecrow dressed in a man's clothes. 

His shirt sagged. His trousers clung to bones instead of muscle. His face looked like it had been drained of muscle, with his skin sitting on just bones. His wrists looked brittle.

'This is what I came with,' he thought. 'But this is not what I'll keep.'

"The Awakening Stone." Calista said from beside him, gesturing at the cube. 

"It will read your soul and assign your class, and with it your origin skill. Place your hand on the surface and hold it there until the awakening ends."

Wade nodded at her words. His hands shook. He hid them by clasping his fingers, then let them fall loose again. 

'Do it,' he told himself. 'No more fear.' 

He stepped closer until the cube's cold reflection was the only thing within his vision. 

He could almost see the pores in his skin. The lines of hunger at the corners of his mouth.

He lifted his right hand and placed his palm flat on the mirrored surface.

It was cool to the touch, almost soothing. 

The metal, if it was even metal, did not give. 

His breath fogged the face for a second, then cleared.

Ding!

The sound rang in his ears. 

Golden letters rose into the air in front of his eyes as if written on the air itself.

[Unawakened detected…]

His chest grew tight.

Another line appeared.

[Cataloging life experience…]

His pulse thudded in his throat. He wanted to swallow but his mouth had gone dry.

The letters shifted again.

[Dimensional soul detected.]

[All requirements met.]

The words vanished. It was as if all sound had been sucked from the room.

Wade blinked. He glanced at Calista. 

She watched him with a small smile on her face, saying nothing.

'Was that it?' Wade thought.

Ding!

He was startled by the sound again.

More text flowed into existence in front of him.

[Class Unlocked: Dimensional Merchant]

[When others fight for scraps, you trade for worlds.]

[Growth Per Level: +5 Stat Points.]

[Bonus: +100 Unassigned Stat Points.]

Wade stared, breath caught halfway. 

A hundred unassigned stat points? He had never heard of such a thing. 

Not in all the talk this body's previous occupant had heard about adventurers in the cold alleys.

Ten extra points would be a gift. Twenty would be a legend. A hundred felt like a mistake that might vanish if he blinked too hard.

'Is this good, or am I about to be hunted for it?' The thought came fast.

The letters faded once more. He did not have time to chase the next thought before new text formed.

[Generating Origin Skill…]

[Please wait…]

A thin ring of light circled his wrist where it touched the cube. 

It wasn't hot. It wasn't cold. It felt like nothing, which somehow made it more strange.

Ding!

[Origin Skill Acquired: Dimensional Ledger]

[Records all trades made by the user, tallying profit into cosmic value. Profitable exchanges generate rewards in the form of Dimensional Dungeon Keys, granting access to hidden dungeons across various dimensions. Debts or losses increase dungeon difficulty.]

Wade read it twice. Then a third time. The words did not change. 

His throat loosened and then tightened again. 

He knew what an origin skill meant. Everyone did. It was the one thing no one could take from you. It was the root of your path. Skills you could use without any requirements.

'Trades become keys,' he thought. 'My own dungeons. Not theirs. Not regulated. Not taxed by Right of First Refusal. Private gates that no guild can lock.'

'If they knew this…' He did not let the thought finish. He had no wish to see himself dragged into a back room and made to talk.

Or worse, slammed with an even more restrictive contract that would hand his dungeon keys to the guild or something.

But with this origin skill, he was basically a one man guild. He could sell his loot from his personal dungeon and make enough to buy out his contract!

That was when Calista spoke, jarring him out of his thoughts. 

"Dimensional Merchant, huh?"

Half Truth

Wade's heart skipped a beat.

He looked at Calista, startled. "You can see it?"

She lifted her chin at the cube. The mirrored surface now held a single block of text where his palm rested.

[Name: Wade Barrett]

[Class: Dimensional Merchant]

[Origin Skill: Dimensional Ledger]

Only those lines. Nothing more.

Calista's eyes flicked back to him. "So, what does your origin skill do?"

Wade felt his heart go into overdrive, trying to beat its way out of his chest.

He held Calista's gaze, seeing it in her eyes. She truly did have no idea what his origin skill did.

But he couldn't let them know the truth. Not when he knew the true face of the guilds.

He needed to protect his one real edge, or he might never break free of his contract.

And that meant he had to give them something without giving them the truth. If he said nothing, that would be worse. Suspicion grew where silence lived.

"The skill is in the name. Dimensional Ledger," he said casually. "When I make a profit on a trade, it rewards me in stat points."

A half truth that might as well be true.

Profit did reward him. He just simply left out the keys, the private dungeons, and the scale of what "profit" might mean.

Calista studied him for a moment that felt long. Then she turned her gaze a few degrees past him, eyes unfocused. "I can see your status, you know."

Wade's stomach dropped, but he stopped it from showing on his face. "You can?"

"I have a skill called Observe. Most adventurers do." She met his eyes.

"You have one hundred unassigned stat points. That's the highest awakening bonus I've seen in this hall. Possibly the highest in the city."

Her mouth twitched into something not quite a smile, and not quite a warning.

"With that, you can raise yourself to match some adventurers between levels five and ten in a single day if you know what you're doing."

"And if your origin skill pays you in stat points when you profit, you could grow in any direction you choose. Flexible, fast, and hard to pin down. The guild values that."

The room felt smaller for a breath. The fact that she wasn't calling him out meant that she really couldn't see the details of his origin skill.

Wade felt so relieved, his vision wavered. He blinked, clearing it.

He did not know where to put his hands. He kept them where they were and tried not to stare at the cube's perfect face. "Is that… good?"

"It is good." Calista said. "It is also a target on your back if you are careless. So don't be careless."

"However," she continued, "the guild will equip you with Observe as well. And other skills, including a concealment skill to hide your numbers from others who have skills like Observe to see your status."

"The cost of those skills will be tallied to your account and deducted from your future earnings. That is separate from guild tax and other terms in your contract. Standard practice."

Wade nodded. Relief and worry tugged in different directions inside him. 'They give me tools. Then they take their cut. That's fine. For now.'

"Check your status," Calista said. "See what you're working with."

Wade lifted his free hand, then hesitated. "How do I…?"

"Think it," she said. "Call it the way you'd call your name in your head."

He focused and formed the thought like a word. 'Status.'

A panel of light bloomed before him, colorless and clear, with letters the same gold as the previous messages.

[Name: Wade Barrett]

[Race: Human]

[Class: Dimensional Merchant]

[Origin Skill: Dimensional Ledger]

[Level: 1]

[Exp: 0%]

[HP: 34/60]

[MP: 45/45]

[Strength: 5]

[Agility: 6]

[Perception: 9]

[Constitution: 15]

[Stat Points: 100]

[Skills: N/A]

He read the numbers and felt two truths at once.

One, his body was a ruin.

Two, the ruin could be rebuilt.

Calista stepped closer and tilted her head to see. "For reference, the average human adult sits at ten in each core stat. That is a general rule, not law."

"You are below that in most areas, which matches your… current condition. But your constitution is better than the rest, which is why you're still standing strong even with what your body is going through."

She crossed her hands, and lifted one hand, tapping her cheek with her fingers.

"But your stats also affected your hit points and mana points, which are a bit lesser than average. But not fatally so, and that's something."

Wade kept his face blank, but inside, a dozen plans flared and died and flared again.

'I need food. Then training. Then skills. Then a way to move money without their eyes on it. Then… keys.'

Calista touched the face of the awakening stone, and his awakening text faded back from the surface into mirrored steel. "We're done here."

"That's it?" Wade asked.

"That's it." Calista said.

She gestured back towards the gate they'd come through. "Now we register your class with the guild, assign you an identity token, and give you your starting skills."

"After that, you get food. Then we speak about your room in the dorms and your party assignment."

"Party?" Wade asked.

"Adventurers work in parties," Calista said. "You will not enter guild dungeons alone. Not yet."

Wade took his hand from the cube. The cool surface left a memory on his palm that made him want to touch it again, to make sure it had happened.

He flexed his fingers and followed as Calista moved towards the gate.

After what seemed like more than a minute of walking, they entered a narrow hall with sigils carved into the stone at shoulder height.

The sigils pulsed once as Wade passed. He felt nothing.

A clerk with a pinched face sat at a desk just inside the next room. He looked up and slid a slate forward.

"Name?"

"Wade Barrett."

"Class?"

"Dimensional Merchant."

The clerk's hand hesitated. He glanced at Calista. She gave a single nod. The clerk swallowed and wrote the words on the slate with a stick of chalk.

He turned to a small device set into the counter, placed the slate into its mouth, and pulled a lever.

A thin metal token rattled into a tray.

He picked it up and pressed it to a stamp that smoked at the edges, then passed the token to Wade.

"Guild identity badge," he said. "If you lose it, you pay for the replacement."

Wade took the badge. It was warm and stamped with the roaring lion crest on one side and his name on the other.

When he turned it in his fingers, a faint number hovered above it for a breath, displaying 000000, then the zeros rolled to 040137.

That would be his identification number for as long as he was an adventurer for the Lion's Guild.