CHAPTER 44: EVEN MORE FAMOUS? [II]

Vanessa gulped.

She hadn’t seen it properly earlier, but now there was no mistaking it — Lucius was muscular.

His body wasn’t bulky like the brawlers she sparred with, but defined in that lean, chiseled way that reminded her of the models she usually scrolled past online when stress got too much.

She swallowed hard, realizing she was staring far too long.

"Is anything the matter?" Lucius asked casually, not even bothering to reach for the shirt draped across the chair.

His tone was light, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking but wanted to hear her fumble the words.

"Well, I... wanted to thank you, Lucius," she managed, stepping inside his room.

Her voice was steady, but her fingers twitched slightly at her side. "Because of your post, I’ve had nearly fifty people apply to be part of Grimmaw."

Lucius blinked, then looked thoughtful.

’So it got that much traction, huh?’ he thought.

Honestly, he had rated it a coin flip. Maybe people would be inspired, maybe they’d laugh at his "return to old ways" speech.

But hey — it worked. If it doesn’t break then don’t fix it.

"They might just be coming to see me," he said, lips tugging into a half-smile then a frown, were they gay people as well?

"We can work that out," Vanessa replied firmly.

She meant it too.

They could ogle Lucius all they wanted — if they truly wanted to join Grimmaw, they’d be put through her grinder and turned into proper awakeners.

"Anyway... the caption was amazing."

Unlike so many other newbies who mocked or trashed guilds for clout, Lucius had been respectful.

He hadn’t dragged down other names, hadn’t pretended Grimmaw was superior to all others.

Instead, he had given a clear, almost idealistic reason for wanting to stay... with her.

’Not like that. Gods, get your head out of the gutter,’ she scolded herself, forcing her gaze to the side before it lingered too long on his bare torso.

"Thanks," Lucius said, shrugging. "I just spoke my mind. Thankfully, the public listened."

"Oh, and I noticed your hand healed." Her eyes flicked to the hand she had bandaged just hours ago.

Smooth skin, no bruises, not a trace of injury left. "Did you get some kind of healing ability?"

It wasn’t strange; awakening often revealed hidden talents suddenly.

People sprouted abilities overnight all the time. Although it was a minor one.

"Yeah. Now we can train more intensely," Lucius replied, flexing his hand as if he couldn’t wait to swing it into another fight.

She grinned.

He truly was meant for her.

...

The next morning, Lucius stood before a tall mirror in his room, admiring himself.

He turned left, then right, smirked, ran a hand through his hair, and gave himself a wink.

"Damn, I’m truly the most handsome man on Earth," he muttered.

The fact that no one was around to hear it didn’t matter.

He believed it, and belief was half the battle.

But today wasn’t just another day to admire his beauty.

It was a big day — his first official day in Grimmaw.

He had received dozens of DMs on Twitch since the post went live.

Questions piled up: When’s your next stream? What’s training like in Grimmaw? Can we see Vanessa on camera?

He truly hadn’t thought that far ahead.

’I’ll need to find something to stream later,’ he mused, tilting his chin to make sure his jawline caught the light.

Then his eyes drifted down to his outfit — Grimmaw’s official guild uniform.

In this world every GUILD had their own uniform, it was a way of identifying the members from afar.

This one was slick, practical, and surprisingly stylish: all black, tailored to fit without hindering movement.

Thin lines of dark silver ran across the shoulders and cuffs, catching light when he moved, and the Grimmaw emblem — a snarling wolf’s head biting into a broken chain was embroidered on the right breast.

There was a function that could let you use up to 3 Mana shields, after that you needed to recharge it with your mana.

"Perfect," he said, giving the mirror one last smolder before stepping out.

Elara was already waiting outside his room, her posture polite but eyes sharp.

She wore simple training clothes today, though Vanessa had promised to test her element.

Lucius could already imagine the Guild Master’s reaction when she discovered what Elara truly possessed.

"Let’s go," he said with a lazy confidence, and Elara nodded, falling into step beside him.

Downstairs, the smell of food greeted them.

Luna sat at the table with oversized headphones clamped over her ears, waving when Lucius appeared.

He waved back.

She wouldn’t be coming along today — she’d chosen to stay behind with Emilia, and judging by how quickly the two had bonded, that arrangement was working well.

Vanessa walked in from the kitchen with a tray balanced in her hands, cheeks puffed slightly and dusted with flour.

The sight almost made Lucius laugh — he really couldn’t believe that this was the same woman he was fighting with yesterday.

She served the plates — pancakes golden and steaming, drizzled with honey, paired with crisp eggs and roasted meat.

Vanessa didn’t skimp on meals, apparently.

Lucius dug in and found himself pleasantly surprised.

"Not bad," he muttered between bites, earning a small smile from Vanessa, who pretended not to care but clearly did.

The table was lively for a while.

Then, as they finished, goodbyes were exchanged.

Luna tapped her headphones and grinned, Emilia offered her quiet farewell, and soon enough, Lucius, Vanessa, and Elara were stepping into the sleek car.

Vanessa drove, posture straight, uniform crisp.

From the regular woman she had been, she assumed her serious mode and was staring at the road like it owed her money.

Lucius lounged in the back seat, utterly relaxed.

’I slept well but I’m pretty tired.’ He thought, hopefully he wouldn’t get a tough mission as his first one.

"Well, brace yourself," Vanessa finally said, her voice cutting the silence as the car turned a corner.

Her hands tightened around the wheel.

Lucius tilted his head lazily toward the window.

From a distance, the Grimmaw guildhall came into view — a massive blackstone fortress with banners flying, iron gates gleaming in the morning light.

But what caught his attention wasn’t the building.

It was the crowd.

Dozens no, hundreds of people were packed around the entrance, spilling into the streets, waving their phones.

Some wore guild uniforms of their own, some were clearly freelancers, and others just looked like starstruck fans.

Reporters jostled for space, cameras flashed, drones hovered overhead capturing every angle.

Lucius arched an eyebrow, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Oh? All this for me?"