Chapter 345: Adventurer Modi
The third cycle after the Transit Hub officially opened the gateway to the
Eldritch Realm, foot traffic had nearly doubled.
Eric sat behind the registration dais. Since 08:00 Hours, his pen had been a
constant variable.
He finished one stack of forms, pulled a second from beneath the desk, and
resumed the input phase. The demographic of registrants was diverse: families on
vacation-itineraries, solitary units on exploration missions, merchant groups
conducting site-surveys, and one Dragon-man who stated his sole objective was to
verify if the sky in the Eldritch Realm was statistically "Purple."
Eric performed each registration in sequence—verifying identity-markers,
providing navigational guidance, and directing the units to their corresponding
transit arrays.
At 14:00, he perceived a "Fatigue-Debuff" in his fingers. He set the pen down,
flexed his joints, and performed a visual audit of the plaza crowd.
He localized a familiar silhouette.
A deep-brown leather jacket, buckled tight at the cuffs. A tactical short-sword
at the hip. A weathered rucksack slung across the back.
Modi was standing at the edge of the plaza, hands shoved into his pockets, his
ocular sensors performing a slow sweep of the environment.
He had lost mass. His skin was several shades darker than his Academy baseline,
and a shallow scar traced his jawline—residual damage from a minor engagement,
now scabbed over.
Eric didn't signal him. He waited for Modi to localize the dais himself.
Thirty seconds passed. Modi's gaze swept across the sector, locking onto Eric
for a single heartbeat. Then, he approached.
He reached the dais, dropped his rucksack onto the stones with a heavy thud, and
leaned his weight on the counter.
"Yo."
"Yo."
The two shared a silent data-exchange for three seconds.
"Logic check: why are you at this coordinate?" Modi asked.
"I am currently fulfilling my labor contract."
"Negative. Why are you assigned to the registration dais?"
"Temporary reassignment. Personnel density was insufficient for the intake."
Modi looked down at the stack of half-completed forms, scanning two lines. "Your
penmanship has undergone a structural upgrade since the Academy."
"My gratitude."
Modi let out a dry, nasal chuckle. "Register my unit. The Adventurer's Guild
informed me the Eldritch Realm has opened 'Exploratory Challenge Gates.'
Completing them nets Guild Points."
Eric extracted a fresh form and picked up his pen.
"Full designation."
"Modi."
"Race."
"Human."
"Objective of visit."
Modi paused, his mind wandering back to their last conversation. "To step into
the mud and reach for the stars."
Eric's pen stalled. He looked Modi in the eye.
Modi met his gaze, that same unbothered, lazy smirk fixed on his face. "Record
it as 'Exploratory Experience'," he added.
Eric logged the entry as "Exploratory Experience" and slid the form across the
wood.
"Sign. Provide thumb-print for biometric verification."
Modi complied with fluid speed.
"Array localized at North-Plaza, Position B3. Join the queue for transit."
"Data received."
Modi slung the rucksack back over his shoulder and tapped the dais. "Meal-cycle
after your shift terminates?"
"Shift concludes at 18:00."
"I shall return for you at 18:00."
Modi turned and marched toward the B3 array. After a few paces, he pivoted back.
"By the way."
"Mmh?"
"How is the Vocation performing? Are you satisfied with the output?"
Eric set the pen down, calculating his response. He visualized eleven cycles of
spreadsheets, the dual-template formatting, every junction of his sweep-route,
the moment he passed the Sovereign in the street, and Grace's "No Problem"
evaluation.
"It is... adequate," he said.
Modi watched him for two seconds, then gave a slow nod. "Parameters seem
stable."
He departed, not looking back again. Eric wiped his pen, returned it to the
rack, and reached for a new one.
The next registrant was a Succubus family—a couple and two small offspring.
"Greetings. Provide identity data for audit."
Operations continued.
18:15 Hours.
The relief unit arrived.
Eric finalized the transfer of forms and remaining logistics, standing up from
behind the dais. His legs felt numb from the static position; he performed a
series of stretches to restart his circulation.
Modi was already waiting beneath a streetlamp at the edge of the plaza. His
rucksack looked more "bulky" than it had at arrival, and his short-sword was now
positioned at a different tactical angle.
"Assessment?" Eric asked, walking over.
"Superior," Modi said, his expression noticeably relaxed. "The 'Mist Forest'
challenge-gate is elegantly designed. It isn't a simple kinetic engagement. It's
a logic puzzle. You have to interpret acoustic cues to identify safe routes; a
navigational error triggers a transit back to the starting coordinate."
"Tactical difficulty?"
"Moderate. I stalled at the third gate for twenty minutes. I eventually
localized the correct vector by tracking the shift in wind-harmonics."
The two walked side-by-side toward the Commercial District. The thoroughfare was
crowded with a multi-racial mix: units extracting from the Eldritch Realm and
new arrivals preparing for entry.
An Orc child ran past, brandishing a grey, leaf-shaped item. "MAMA! LOOK! I
PROCURED A GHOST-LEAF!"
Modi watched the boy, his expression turning slightly cynical. "I saw those
leaves in the forest. I didn't project they would be processed into souvenirs
this quickly. High mercantile efficiency."
The Commercial District was in a state of hyper-arousal. New shops were swamped
with customers. A queue of ten meters had formed before a stall advertising
"Authentic Midnight District Snacks." Eric couldn't see the product, but the air
held a fragrance that was sweet yet carried a bitter, clinical
aftertaste—strange, yet not unappealing.
They localized a low-density tavern and took a table. It was Dwarf-owned. The
menu's script was as illegible as the license Eric had audited earlier; he spent
a minute deciphering the food items.
They ordered two portions of standard sustenance and a pot of tea.
During the wait, the dialogue was minimal. Modi leaned back, his eyes
half-closed. Eric watched the street, observing the passing crowd. He localized
several travelers he had registered earlier. Others were clearly Imperial
officials, identifiable by their uniform-tier.
"How much duration remains on your probation?" Modi asked suddenly.
"Two and a half cycles."
"And then?"
"If the audit is positive, I transition to Permanent Staff. Full Imperial
status."
Modi hummed once, offering no further syllables.
The food arrived. It wasn't "Gourmet-Tier," but the nutritional density was high
and the portions were ample. By the time they concluded the meal, the night had
descended.
The Hub's internal lighting ignited. The Light of Evernight radiated a soft glow
from the Wizard Towers, illuminating every road in the archipelago.
Modi stood, hoisting his pack. "I depart at dawn. The Guild has a contract
awaiting acceptance."
"Destination?"
"Unidentified. I'll accept whatever looks 'Interesting' on the notice board."
Eric stood, walking with him to the exit. They paused at a junction in the
Commercial District.
"Notify me before your next manifest," Eric said. "I'll adjust my shift to
procure a high-tier meal."
Modi tilted his head. "You sound like a unit with a standardized life."
"I possess a standardized life."
Modi let out a raspy "Ha," clapping Eric's shoulder. The pressure was the
same—heavy, but not a challenge. "Understood. Until the next cycle."
He turned and headed toward the temporary lodging sector. After several paces,
his voice drifted back through the crowd.
"Don't get yourself liquidated."
"I shall not."
The silhouette vanished into the light.
Eric stood at the junction, looking down at the obsidian stone beneath his feet.
The path was indeed a bit wider than anyone had projected.
He turned toward his dormitory.
Tomorrow, 08:00 Hours. Operations resume.
☆☆☆
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