The next morning, the house was quiet again, but it was no longer the silence of despair. It was the silence before change.
The rookies stood outside in the cool morning air, where Red had told them to gather. Their wounds were still fresh, both physical and emotional. Bandages peeked from under sleeves and armor. Their eyes were clearer now, haunted, yes, but also sharpened by reality.
Red stood facing them. No blades on his hips today. Just folded arms and the same unreadable gaze.
"You've completed seven quests," he said.
Red: "More than most rookies survive."
They didn't answer. They knew what was coming.
"But last time," Red continued, "you almost didn't come back."
Selena nodded. "We were reckless."
"You were greedy," Red corrected.
Red: "You chased copper like it was gold. Split up for speed. Took on more than you were ready for. And you nearly paid for it with your lives."
No one argued.
"Do you want to be strong?" he asked.
"Yes," they answered, all together this time.
Red: "Then Listen."
They sat in a half-circle in the grass. Even Greenie the green slime flopped beside Lio, mimicking his stiff posture.
Red placed a pouch down in front of them with a sharp jingle.
Red: "This was your total reward: 239 copper from seven quests. Not much. But enough, if managed well."
He looked at them.
Red: "Let's hear what you have left. Be honest."
Selena went first. "Seventeen copper."
Red: "Spent on?"
Selena: "Food. A pendant. I thought… I deserved it."
"You deserved to live," Red said simply. "Next."
Lio looked away. "Ten copper. I bought sweets for my sisters… and some roasted meat. A lot of meat."
Yuzu swallowed. "I have six. I… tried to buy a spell scroll. It was fake."
Rika shrugged. "Thirty-one. I restocked arrows. And a pastry."
"Which one?" Lio asked.
Rika: "Apple cinnamon."
"Sounds tasty..." Yuzu muttered.
Red didn't smile. "Last one."
Hina spoke softly. "I have twelve. Tea, bandages, and… some sugar cookies. For after quests."
Red wrote quickly on a scroll and held it up.
Red: "239 copper earned. Only seventy-six remain."
They stared at the number. Barely a third.
Red dropped the scroll.
Red: "You almost died, and you still don't carry basic supplies. No healing potions. No mana potions. No rope. No water. No firestarter. You were lucky, but luck is a trait of the dead."
He knelt in front of them, placing a few common adventuring items on the grass.
"A red potion," he held it up.
Red: "Five copper. This can stop a bleeding wound. Would've saved you twenty minutes of panic."
He set it down.
Red: "A mana potion. Twenty copper. Would've kept Yuzu on her feet."
Another item.
Red: "Clean water flask. Two copper. You didn't even bring this."
Next came bandages, flint, a whetstone, dried rations.
Red: "All of these together cost under 50 copper. More than one quest reward. Yet you bought food you didn't store, junk you didn't need, and sweets that did nothing but disappear."
Lio shrank slightly.
Red didn't scold him. Not cruelly. Just truth.
Red: "Your guild fees? Twenty copper each. Every month. You haven't paid next month's. You're already behind."
He looked at Yuzu. "You want to become a mage? Promotion costs twenty copper. Training scrolls? Another fifty if you want real ones. Not trash with crayon diagrams."
She blushed redder than her potion.
Red: "You want new armor? New weapons? Repairs? Upgrades? All cost copper. Lots of it. And don't forget food. Rent. Potions. Travel."
Red drew a line in the dirt.
Red: "You're not just fighters. You're managers of survival. And you've been failing."
Silence.
Then Red stood and tossed a small pouch to Selena.
Red: "Your new budget. Each of you will get ten copper per week. That's it. The rest is locked in this!"
He produced a small iron lockbox and placed it on a nearby bench.
Red: "This is the team fund. I hold the key. Every quest reward goes here first. I will deduct your fees. Buy your basics. Then give you your weekly allowance."
Rika raised an eyebrow. "What are we, kids?"
"Yes," Red said flatly.
Red: "Children playing with knives. I'm here to make sure you don't gut yourselves before growing up."
No one could argue.
"Starting today," Red continued,
Red: "you prepare before you quest. Every time. You check your gear the night before. You pack water, rations, potions. You know the route. You know the risk."
He stepped toward the training posts in the yard.
Red: "And you don't take a quest just because it pays high. High pay means high risk. And none of you are worth that yet."
They all nodded.
"You want to change?" Red asked.
"Yes," they said, softer this time. But true.
Red: "Then today is not for quests. Today is for learning how to survive."
He pointed toward the house.
Red: "Inside. Inventory your gear. Write down what's broken, what's missing, and what you never used. Then come back out here. We'll go over it together."
The rookies stood, slowly, and walked back toward the house.
Rika paused. "You're not coming?"
Red shook his head. "I already know what's wrong. This lesson's yours to live."
They went.
Red turned back to the training post and began sharpening his blades.
He didn't look up when the door closed.
He didn't need to.
They were listening now.