A new Party

Jace eyed Nick with suspicion, crossing his arms. "You’re really an adventurer?"

Nick nodded, a little too eagerly. "Yes, I am."

Jace scoffed. "I doubt that. If you’re really an adventurer, why were those thugs bullying you so easily?"

"Well," Nick scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "You see, I’m a healer. A healing mage. I can patch people up just fine, but I can't exactly fight back. Healing magic doesn’t hurt anyone."

Jace's eyes lit up with curiosity. "A healing mage? That’s pretty cool."

Nick gave a dry chuckle. "Cool? Healing magic is rare, sure, but it’s not ‘cool.’ Trust me, no one’s impressed when you’re the guy stuck in the back, waiting for someone to get hurt."

"Still seems cool to me," Jace grinned. "By the way, what exactly makes magic rare?"

Nick blinked, tilting his head. "Wait… You don’t know? Have you lost your mind, or are you from another world?" His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Jace laughed nervously. "Ah, I’m just not good at remembering things."

"Right..." Nick shook his head, then launched into an explanation. "Magic is typically divided into elemental attributes. The four basics are earth, water, fire, and wind , the purest forms of magic. Then, there are secondary elements formed from combinations of these, like ice, magma, and mist. And finally, you have rare elements: light, dark, space, wood, and of course, healing."

"That makes sense," Jace nodded thoughtfully. Then, without much fanfare, he added, "But my element is steel."

Nick’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Steel? You’re kidding!"

"Nope. It’s steel. Is that bad?"

"Bad? I’ve never even heard of someone with a steel element! That’s insanely rare."

"But wait," Jace frowned. "Isn't steel just a sub-attribute of earth? Then why is it rare?"

Nick shook his head. "You're half right. Steel isn’t a natural element like earth or stone. It doesn’t exist naturally in this world. You see, we use different metals here. Steel is a foreign concept, something introduced by the summons ,  the heroes from other worlds."

Jace’s shoulders slumped. "So my magic isn’t even natural. Seriously? Why does it always have to be like this?"

Nick clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, don’t look so down. That’s what makes it special. Steel may not be a native element, but it’s practically legendary. No one knows its true potential because it’s so rare. People here might not recognize its strength, but who knows? You could end up making steel a force to be reckoned with."

Jace smiled weakly. "Thanks, Nick. You really are a true friend."

"Yeah, yeah," Nick grinned. "But if you’re serious about becoming an adventurer, you’ll need a recommendation letter. And only D-rank or higher adventurers can write those."

Jace sighed. "Exactly. So I’m back to square one."

Nick smirked. "Don't worry about that. I may not look like much, but I’m actually a C-rank healer."

Jace’s jaw dropped. "Wait, what?!"

"Yep! You see, I used to be part of an A-rank party. They were the best at what they did — flawless in every battle. But that also meant they rarely needed me. No injuries, no healing. Eventually, they left me behind." Nick's voice wavered slightly, though he masked it with a chuckle. "Since then, I’ve been wandering around on my own."

Jace’s expression hardened with determination. "Then they really didn’t know what they lost. But we’ll show them. We’ll form our own party, and you’ll see — we’ll make them regret ever leaving you behind."

Nick's grin returned, wider than before. "Yeah. Thanks, Jace."

"No problem. We're a team now."

And with that, the two newfound friends set their sights on the path. 

Nick "oh! , Jace what will be the name of our newly found party".

Jace "That's the problem for the author, it doesn't concern us".

Nick "yeah you're right".

Author " Ahhh!.. why naming is the hardest part".

To be continued...

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