An Unexpected Invitation Ethan sat at a corner table in the Guild Hall, still trying to process everything that had happened. The dungeon, the battle, his new class—Shadowcaster. He had walked into Nightshade Caverns as a porter. Now? He was a recognized adventurer. But that didn’t change one fact—he was alone. Until Gareth walked up to him. “We’re getting a drink. You coming or not?” Ethan blinked, caught off guard. Kara and Leah were already settled at a nearby table, a couple of drinks in hand. He hesitated. “I—” Kara rolled her eyes. “Oh, for the love of—just sit down already.” Leah smiled. “You earned it.” Ethan slowly stood and walked over, unsure what to expect. And just like that— He wasn’t sitting alone anymore.

  The Offer to Stay Gareth took a long drink before setting his mug down. “So. You did good back there.” Ethan nearly choked on his drink. Kara snorted. “Is that the closest thing to a compliment you can give?” Gareth ignored her. “Point is,” he continued, looking directly at Ethan, “we could use another blade in the group.” Ethan stilled. Was he saying what he thought he was? Leah nodded. “You handled yourself well. And after that nightmare of a dungeon, we’d rather not go back to three-man jobs for a while.” Kara sighed dramatically. “It’s not like we’re saying we like you or anything.” Ethan smirked. “Of course not.” But beneath her words, he could tell— She wasn’t against the idea either. Gareth leaned back in his chair. “So? You in?” Ethan didn’t hesitate. “…Yeah. I’m in.” And for the first time since this all began— He felt like he belonged.

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  A Few Days Off With the job officially completed, the party agreed to take a few days off before picking up another assignment. Leah had mana exhaustion from excessive spell use. Kara needed to repair her sword. Gareth wanted to line up a worthwhile contract. Ethan? He needed to figure out his next steps. “Take a breather,” Gareth said. “We’ll reach out when we line up the next job.” Ethan nodded. After everything they’d been through, a break was well deserved. A Currency Lesson Ethan stayed behind in the Guild Hall after the others left, heading toward the reception counter. Elias Thurman was still there, flipping through a stack of reports. Ethan hesitated, then cleared his throat. Elias didn’t even look up. “What is it?” “I… have a question.” Finally, Elias glanced up. “Go on.” Ethan took out one of the gold coins he had received from the dungeon. “I’m still new to this. Can you explain the currency system? How much is this actually worth?” Elias sighed but set his papers aside.

  He gestured to a metal chart on the counter that listed currency conversions. Currency Breakdown:

  100 Copper = 1 Silver

  10 Silver = 1 Gold

  100 Gold = 1 Platinum

  Ethan frowned. “And in real money?” Elias smirked slightly. “Comparing it to pre-System currency?” Ethan nodded. Elias tapped the chart.

  1 Copper = $0.10 (10 cents USD)

  1 Silver = $10 USD

  1 Gold = $100 USD

  1 Platinum = $10,000 USD

  Ethan’s eyes widened. “So… my 75 gold is worth—” “About $7,500.” Ethan nearly choked. His first job had paid him more than three months of working in the old world. Elias chuckled. “Welcome to adventuring, kid.”