Kaito stood in the centre of the grand foyer, holding three sets of garments he had manifested that morning. He had spent four hours "rendering" them—not for defence, but for cultural camouflage.

  "If we go out there looking like a Goddess, a Dragon, and a man in a tracksuit, we’ll be a traveling circus," Kaito said, handing a bundle of dark, supple leather to Lyra. "Put these on. I’ve categorized us based on your most 'efficient' traits."

  A few minutes later, the group reconvened.

  Lyra stepped out first, looking at herself in the floor-to-ceiling security mirror with a look of utter betrayal. She was dressed in skin-tight black leather, hooded and lined with silent silk. Small, enchanted daggers—which Kaito had designed to look like "basic steel" but were actually molecularly sharp—were strapped to her thighs and lower back.

  "A thief?" Lyra hissed, her face flushing. "Kaito, I am a Divine Arbiter! Why am I dressed like a common pickpocket?"

  "Because you’re quiet, you’re observant, and you spent the last hour trying to 'sneakily' check your tablet under the dinner table," Kaito replied without looking up. "You have the natural build for a Rogue. High dexterity, low physical confrontation."

  Before Lyra could argue, Silvane stomped out, and the sound was like a blacksmith’s shop collapsing.

  She was encased from neck to toe in heavy, matte-black plate armor. Kaito had designed it with internal cooling vents and gravity-reduction seals so she wouldn't feel the weight, but to the outside world, she looked like a walking fortress. She held a massive, blunt-edged greatsword over her shoulder as if it were a toothpick.

  "I am the wisest of all creatures," Silvane declared, her voice echoing inside the helmet. She flipped the visor up, her eyes gleaming with battle-lust. "Strategy is my forte! Ancient draconic wisdom flows through—"

  "You headbutt things when you’re annoyed, Silvane," Kaito interrupted. "You’re a Warrior. Your wisdom is 'hit it until it stops moving.' The armour is just to protect the ground from you."

  Finally, they looked at Kaito. He had opted for long, flowing robes of deep cobalt blue, embroidered with silver geometric patterns that looked like runes but were actually just stylized circuit diagrams. He held a staff of polished weirwood topped with a glowing crystal that was actually a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for his mansion’s servers.

  "A Wizard?" Lyra asked, crossing her arms.

  "It’s the most logical cover," Kaito explained, adjusting his sleeves. "In this world, if a man creates a house out of thin air, they call it a miracle or a curse. But if a Wizard does it, they just assume he’s high-level and expensive. It keeps people from asking too many questions."

  He tapped his staff on the floor. The air around them began to shimmer with a familiar blue light.

  "I’ve set the coordinates for a clearing three hundred yards from the North Gate of Oakhaven. It’s the closest town with an Adventurer’s Guild branch. Try to act... normal."

  "I am a master of disguise," Silvane said, accidentally clanging her gauntlet against her chest plate.

  "I'm going to need so much therapy after this," Lyra whispered.

  [TRANS-DIMENSIONAL SHIFT INITIATED]

  With a soft thrum, the sterile, perfect air of the mansion was replaced by the smell of damp earth, pine needles, and distant woodsmoke. They stood on a dirt path, the towering stone walls of Oakhaven visible through the trees.

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  "Alright," Kaito said, checking a small compass on his wrist. "The 'Adventure' hobby officially begins. Remember: no dragon-breath, no divine lightning, and for heaven’s sake, Lyra, don't try to 'audit' the guards' souls if they take too long with our paperwork."

  He began walking toward the gate, his robes snapping in the wind, looking every bit the mysterious Sage—while his "rogue" and "warrior" bickered behind him about whose boots were shinier.

  The walk toward Oakhaven was supposed to be a simple stroll, but Kaito’s "party" was already malfunctioning.

  Silvane was clanking like a kitchen drawer full of loose silverware. Every time she took a step, her heavy sabatons sank two inches into the soft forest loam. Behind her, Lyra was treading with exaggerated stealth, jumping at every rustle of a leaf, her hands hovering nervously over her daggers as if they were made of hot coals.

  "I feel... exposed," Lyra whispered, pulling her hood lower. "This leather is very tight, Kaito. I feel like a criminal."

  "You’re a Rogue, Lyra. You’re supposed to feel like part of the shadows," Kaito said, not looking back.

  Suddenly, a low, guttural growl vibrated through the trees.

  From the thicket burst a Shadow-Stalker Wolf. It wasn't a normal animal; its fur was matted with dark energy, and its eyes glowed a sickly, jagged red. It was a "menacing" monster by any rookie adventurer's standard—the kind that thrives on the fear of its prey.

  "A target!" Silvane roared, her eyes lighting up. "Watch, Kaito! I shall apply the 'Warrior's Wisdom'!"

  She wound up for a massive horizontal swing with her greatsword. But as she moved, the sheer physics of the heavy plate armour betrayed her. The "Dad-built" armour was so thick and reinforced that when she tried to twist her torso, the momentum carried her too far.

  Whiff.

  The sword sailed three feet above the wolf's head. Silvane, overbalanced by her own steel, spun like a top, her armour clanging as she stumbled into a tree. "Wait! This shell is too sturdy! I cannot find the centre of gravity!"

  The wolf snarled, turning its gaze toward Lyra. It crouched, muscles tensing for a lethal pounce.

  "Lyra! Use your daggers!" Silvane yelled, struggling to pull her sword out of the tree trunk.

  Lyra backed away, her face pale. "I... I cannot! I am a celestial being! To spill the blood of a lesser creature with a physical blade is... it’s messy! And it's beneath my station! I refuse to participate in such a barbaric exchange!"

  The wolf didn't care about divine status. It leaped.

  Time seemed to slow as the beast flew through the air, jaws wide, aiming for the "Thief’s" throat. Lyra squeezed her eyes shut. Silvane let out a frustrated growl.

  "That's enough," Kaito said.

  His voice wasn't loud. It wasn't a magical shout or a terrifying roar. It was the calm, firm tone of a father telling a rowdy dog to get off the sofa.

  The wolf froze in mid-air. It didn't fall; it was as if the air itself had become a thick gel, catching it and setting it gently back on its paws. The beast’s red eyes flickered, the malice draining out of them instantly. It tilted its head, its tail beginning to give a cautious, uncertain wag.

  Kaito leaned down, looking the monster in the eye. He didn't use a spell. He just adjusted the "Local Reality" parameters within a three-foot radius of the wolf’s brain.

  "You’re not actually hungry, are you?" Kaito asked quietly. "You’re just frustrated because that dark energy in your fur is itchy. Go to the stream two miles east. The mineral content there will neutralize the irritation. And stop jumping at people; it’s bad for your joints."

  The wolf let out a small, happy whimper. It licked Kaito’s hand, spun in a circle, and bolted into the woods with the joyful energy of a puppy headed for a park.

  Silence returned to the forest.

  Silvane finally pried her sword loose and flipped her visor up, staring at the empty path. Lyra opened one eye, then the other.

  "What... what did you do?" Lyra asked, breathless. "Did you use a Command Word? A High-Tier Charm?"

  "I just spoke to it," Kaito said, straightening his blue robes and continuing down the path. "I asked it to leave."

  "You asked it?" Silvane stomped after him, her armor echoing through the trees. "It was a Shadow-Stalker! They are driven by an insatiable bloodlust! You cannot just 'ask' a calamity to go have a bath!"

  "I didn't just ask," Kaito clarified, his voice clinical. "I identified the root cause of its aggression—biological discomfort caused by poor environmental conditions—and provided a solution. Once the itch was gone, it had no logical reason to attack us. It’s about communication and maintenance, Silvane. Everything in this world is just a system that needs a little tuning."

  Lyra looked at the spot where the monster had been. She realized that while she was worrying about her "status" and Silvane was worrying about her "strength," Kaito was simply treating the entire world like a house that needed repairs.

  "Communication..." Lyra whispered, pulling her hood back up. "He’s going to fix the whole world just so he can have a quiet walk, isn't he?"

  "Probably," Silvane grumbled, trying to walk without clanking. "But I still wanted to hit it."