The light died down.
Ashen blinked, his vision still swimming with flickers of color.
He slowly took his hand off the Mirror of Arcana and looked around, expecting more chaos.
Instead, there was stunned silence.
[Elemental Affinity: Ice]
[Rank: B]
That was it.
No divine choirs. No system-level explosions.
Just a solid B-rank ice affinity.
Given the earlier explosion and the way people had reacted, he'd expected at least an A — maybe even an S-rank.
But no, he'd rolled middle-tier elemental magic.
Not bad. Not legendary.
Just enough to attract attention… and competition.
A ripple of whispers coursed through the crowd.
Ashen felt dozens of eyes turn toward him — some curious, some greedy, and some already calculating guild applications.
Then came a voice.
Loud, clear, and confident.
"I claim him for Guild Nocturne."
The whispers died immediately. Heads turned. Some gasps. A few poorly stifled groans.
Even Ashen turned toward the voice — and immediately swallowed hard.
Descending from a glowing sigil mid-air floated a woman.
A beautiful woman.
A stupidly beautiful woman.
She wore a sleek black dress that hugged her curves like it had a crush on her.
A long cape trailed behind her, attached at the shoulders with violet embroidery.
Her neckline was modest, her posture regal, but none of that hid the ridiculous hourglass shape of her body.
She had the kind of figure you'd expect on a magical temptress in a gacha game — only real.
Way too real.
Ashen blinked, suddenly remembering that this was a world of witches.
Unnaturally attractive witches.
Apparently, magical saturation affected physical health, longevity, and appearance.
In other words, most women here didn't need makeup.
They were just… born like that.
The woman landed softly on the platform, her heels clicking against the marble.
A cascade of silver-tinted hair tumbled behind her as she smiled — bright, sweet, and full of mischief.
She walked right up to Ashen, took both of his hands in hers, and beamed.
"You're mine now," she said like it was the most casual thing in the world. "No takebacks."
Ashen opened his mouth, closed it, and tried not to focus on how soft her hands felt. Or how warm. Or how close she was.
A chorus of scandalized muttering erupted from the stands.
Some witches scoffed.
One outright hissed. A few others looked like they were ready to launch a hex.
The silver-haired woman turned toward them with a grin, stuck out her tongue, and made an exaggerated wink.
The crowd fell into outrage.
Ashen tried to read her expression.
She didn't seem arrogant.
She seemed… chaotic. Joyful. Slightly deranged, maybe.
Still holding his hand, she pulled him off the platform.
He followed.
He didn't have much choice.
The crowd parted for them like the sea before a witchy Moses, some throwing her glares sharp enough to shave bone.
She ignored all of it.
As they passed through the town square, another man stepped up to the Mirror of Arcana.
The crowd's attention shifted. She took the opportunity to lean in toward Ashen.
"You're a lucky one," she said brightly. "We've been needing a new man around."
Ashen raised an eyebrow. "What happened to the last one?"
She looked thoughtful for a moment, then replied far too casually, "Oh. He got… drained."
Ashen blinked. "…Magically?"
"Sure, let's go with that."
His system dinged with a sarcastic notification:
[System Alert: Warning – Flirtatious Witch Detected]
[Side-Quest Unlocked: Don't Get Drained]
[Reward: Survival]
They crossed the outer square, approaching the city gates where transport mounts were stationed.
She tripped.
Literally.
One moment she was floating along like a queen of the wind, and the next her heel caught on the edge of her own dress.
She stumbled forward with a loud yelp, nearly crashing face-first into a fruit stall.
Ashen caught her elbow just in time.
"Graceful," he deadpanned.
She stood upright, brushed off imaginary dust, and gave a sheepish grin.
"Thanks. I'm allergic to straight lines."
Ashen stared at her. "You're clumsy."
"And you're mine."
Before he could reply to that, she reached up, cupped his cheeks between her gloved hands, and gave them a light pat.
"I'm Mistress Seraphina Veil, Guildmistress of Nocturne," she said with theatrical flair. "And you, darling, are my latest asset."
Ashen blinked. "Seraphina."
"Mhmm. Call me Sera. Mistress sounds too formal outside of contracts."
"I'll keep that in mind… Mistress."
She beamed like a cat presented with fresh cream.
With a flick of her wrist, a summoning circle flared open beside them.
A gust of wind whipped outward as a griffin materialized — sleek, silver-feathered, and at least twelve feet tall.
Its wings shimmered with ambient magic, and its saddle had room for two.
Ashen stared. "You ride that?"
She nodded. "Best way to travel. Unless you're into teleportation sickness."
She grabbed his hand again and pulled him up onto the griffin's back.
He settled behind her, feeling strangely lightheaded as the beast crouched, then launched into the sky with a forceful leap.
The city fell away beneath them.
Wind rushed past his face.
The rooftops of Velmira became a blur, the people below ants.
Beyond the city walls, the lush emerald forests stretched in every direction, dotted with floating lanterns and minor mana veins glowing in soft blues and purples.
Ashen looked down, then immediately regretted it.
"No seatbelt?" he muttered.
Sera laughed. "Seatbelts are for mortals."
He clung a little tighter.
The griffin soared westward toward a distant set of mountains.
In the distance, nestled between peaks and surrounded by floating crystals, stood a castle-like structure with dark spires, glowing windows, and a massive bat-shaped insignia projected in magical light.
Ashen's system pinged.
[Location Discovered: Nocturne Guild Headquarters]
[Affiliation: Chaotic-Neutral]
[Reputation: Infamous (Scandalous, Understaffed, Overpowered)]
His eyes widened. "That's your guild?"
She nodded proudly. "Welcome to your new home."
Ashen leaned back slightly, squinting at the structure.
"Looks haunted."
"It's charmingly misunderstood."
"Looks like the kind of place that drains men."
"Oh, you're learning already!"
He sighed.
This world really was insane.