The group eventually left the arena district together once the later bracket matches ended, conversations continuing as they walked through the evening streets of Dornhaven. Ren and Lyra argued most of the way about whether simulation rankings favored aggressive styles too heavily while Dain occasionally inserted short comments that somehow made both of them more irritated. Keira mostly listened beside Evan, occasionally hiding quiet amusement behind her drink whenever the argument became especially dramatic.
Training afterward had been lighter than the morning sessions, focused more on conditioning maintenance and movement sequencing than outright physical strain. Even then, the difference between Evan and the others remained obvious once the more advanced drills began.
They adjusted around his level without drawing attention to it, easing the pace just enough to keep the drills productive while still expecting him to keep up. The balance in that mattered more than Evan would have expected. It let him improve without feeling singled out for lagging behind.
The others carried themselves differently during free training periods, movements sharper, faster, more naturally reinforced by years of growth within this world. Ren alone could push conditioning exercises at a level Evan currently could not sustain safely. Lyra's balance and recovery speed during movement sequences still looked almost effortless compared to his own attempts. Dain and Keira both maintained a steadiness during high-pressure drills that Evan had only recently started recognizing through observation.
And their stats reflected that gap clearly.
Average eighteen-year-olds on Varethis often reached around forty in Constitution, Strength, and Agility before advancement, alongside roughly ten in Mind and Will and around two points in Mana. Individuals who reached the upper limits of Unbound, particularly around Level 9, generally stood noticeably higher even before accounting for stat allocation advantages, often averaging near fifty-five in their primary physical attributes, fifteen in mental attributes, and around four in Mana. Newly advanced Initiates stood higher still.
Compared to that, Evan remained behind.
Partly because he came from Earth. Partly because his body had only begun meaningful mana adaptation recently. The books had helped him understand that much. Yet understanding the reason did not erase the gap itself. If anything, it made him more aware of how much work remained ahead.
That awareness had quietly changed the way Evan approached each day afterward.
The others trained hard because they wanted improvement. Evan trained hard because standing still would leave the gap exactly where it was. Sometimes larger. The realization never discouraged him entirely, though it stripped away any illusion that a few early stat gains meant he had somehow caught up already.
Oddly enough, the group seemed to understand that without him needing to explain it directly.
Ren started offering practical conditioning advice between exercises after noticing Evan extending recovery periods incorrectly during heavier sessions. Lyra corrected movement inefficiencies almost automatically whenever she spotted them. Even Dain occasionally pointed out wasted motion during paired drills, usually through competition rather than direct explanation. Keira contributed differently, calmer observations about pacing, breathing, and overtraining before exhaustion became visible enough to interfere with performance.
They never treated him like an outsider because of the gap.
Just someone behind.
And because of that, Evan found himself pushing harder rather than withdrawing from it.
By the time he left the training hall that night, the town had quieted slightly compared to the earlier arena crowds. He adjusted the strap of the plain carry bag resting against his shoulder as he walked through the evening streets, maintaining the appearance of someone transporting ordinary belongings rather than relying on Spatial Inventory openly. The habit had already become automatic whenever he moved through public areas.
His thoughts lingered on the conversations from training and the numbers he had read in the library days earlier. Even ordinary advancement standards in this world stood far above where he currently was. And the people considered truly capable before Initiate advancement already existed at levels that still felt difficult for him to fully picture in practice.
He understood now why Valor focused so obsessively on fundamentals first.
Without proper structure underneath them, higher stats only magnified inefficiency. The books repeated that principle constantly. Mana reinforced patterns already established within the body and mind. If foundations were poor, reinforcement simply locked those flaws deeper into development later.
The same logic applied to other things too. Rushing into expensive purchases before understanding how equipment, training resources, or advancement actually functioned in this world felt like another way to build mistakes into the foundation early. Which was why, despite possessing enough saved money from the Authority Hall to purchase significantly better equipment already, Evan still had not touched most of it. Fifty gold remained largely untouched beyond living necessities. Stable income first. Understanding local systems second. Experience before expensive purchases. He had seen enough, both in books and in life, to know that early confidence often led people into costly mistakes.
The thought stayed with him as he turned into one of the smaller commercial streets branching away from the arena district. Unlike the louder market areas near the screens, this section of Dornhaven carried a quieter atmosphere at night, most shops lit by softer crystal lamps mounted above doorways rather than large display panels.
Evan slowed near a narrow storefront marked by a faint blue lattice symbol worked into the glass. Through the window, rows of thin metallic bands and small crystal-backed devices rested behind clean display panels. Lattice interfaces.
He had delayed buying one intentionally.
Part of it came from wanting a stable source of income before spending casually. More than that, though, Evan disliked the idea of relying too heavily on the Authority Hall funds unless it became genuinely necessary. The fifty gold remained security first, something meant to support long-term stability rather than temporary convenience.
Working at the stall had started changing that calculation little by little. He understood local pricing better now, had consistent income coming in, and enough familiarity with the town to begin purchasing smaller long-term necessities carefully.
A lattice interface also solved practical problems beyond communication.
Most local information moved through the lattice networks in one form or another. Arena match schedules, training hall updates, public district announcements, merchant postings, transport timings and basic banking access all relied on them to some extent. He had managed without one so far largely because other people around him talked constantly about those things anyway. That would not remain practical forever.
The shop itself was compact inside, though organized neatly. Thin glowing panels lined the walls displaying different interface bands arranged by quality and function. Some were simple metallic loops worn around the wrist. Others projected partial visual screens above the forearm when activated. A few looked expensive enough that Evan avoided even staring too long at the price plaques beneath them.
An older woman looked up from behind the counter as he entered. She had short white hair cut close around the ears and narrow dark eyes sharpened by years of evaluating customers quickly.
"You looking for something basic," she asked as her gaze moved briefly over him, "or are you here to spend far too much money on full synchronization features you probably don't need yet?"
"Basic is enough for now," Evan replied without much hesitation.
The woman gave a small nod, as though that answer had already been expected the moment he walked through the door. She gestured toward a cheaper display section near the side wall. "Good choice. Most people rush straight toward the expensive models first and regret it later."
Evan moved toward the lower display section, his attention shifting across the different interface bands arranged beneath the soft blue lighting. Most were simple in appearance, thin metallic loops with small embedded crystal nodes spaced along the inner surface. Price plaques beneath them varied heavily.
Some cost more than several months of stall work.
He ignored those immediately.
The older shopkeeper watched him for a moment before stepping closer to one of the cheaper display sections. "First interface?" she asked, though the way she said it made it sound less like a question and more like a quick conclusion she had already reached on her own.
Evan gave a small nod.
"Then you're better off starting with something practical and learning what you actually need over time," she said as she crouched slightly to tap a matte gray band resting near the bottom row. "Most people spend too much early on and end up paying for features they barely understand or never really use."
She lifted the band briefly before setting it back down in front of him. "This one's a standard civilian lattice band. Basic indirect synchronization with the local network, stable signal coverage through most established districts and settlements, public district announcements, banking links, district notices, that sort of thing." Her hand shifted toward a nearby tray holding several small ear-mounted pieces. "Long-distance communication still needs an external relay though. Those come separately."
Evan picked the band up carefully. It was lighter than expected, smooth along the inside with faint etched lines running beneath the surface. When his fingers brushed the inner crystal nodes, dim light flickered briefly across the band before fading again.
He turned it once in his hand before looking back toward the woman. "So what exactly can it handle day to day?" he asked. "Mostly communication and public access functions, or does it connect into other systems too?"
"Depends on what you need from it," the woman replied as she leaned lightly against the counter. "For basic civilian use, it handles messaging, calls once you attach a relay piece, public district access, banking connections, transport schedules, general notices, map support if the district maintains updated routing, things like that." She gave the band a brief glance before continuing. "Enough to function normally without carrying paper notices around everywhere."
Her eyes lifted back toward him afterward, sharper now. "What it doesn't do is direct neural synchronization, combat overlays, or passive system-assisted processing. Those are tied to higher-grade interfaces, and those get a lot more expensive very quickly." She crossed her arms lightly as she continued. "Honestly, they're usually a waste for a first purchase unless someone already knows exactly what they're doing and what functions they actually need." A faint shrug followed. "Though that part's your choice. I'm just giving the advice."
Evan appreciated the honesty.
He tested the weight briefly around his wrist before looking toward the relay attachments beside it. The cheaper ones hooked around the ear with thin conductive wire connecting toward the band itself. Functional rather than elegant. Which suited him fine for now. He was buying experience and utility first, not status.
Evan spent another few minutes asking practical questions before making the purchase. Battery equivalents did not exist exactly the way phones on Earth had used them. Instead, low-tier lattice bands slowly absorbed trace ambient mana to sustain basic operation, though heavier functions drained stored charge faster than the environment replenished it.
"Cheap ones recharge slowly," the woman explained while preparing the registration slate. "Don't run constant projection displays unless you enjoy waiting hours afterward."
Evan nodded, mentally filing that away alongside everything else.
The final purchase remained modest compared to the more advanced interfaces surrounding it. One basic civilian lattice band. One low-grade audio relay attachment. A simple carrying case. Enough to learn about it properly before deciding whether anything more expensive would actually benefit him later.
The payment still made him pause internally for a brief moment afterward. The cost itself was manageable, especially now that he had steady work and enough saved from the Authority Hall to live comfortably for quite a while if necessary. Even so, spending carried a certain weight for him that had not faded just because his situation had improved. He preferred knowing why something was worth buying before parting with money for it, especially in a world where ignorance could become expensive very quickly.
The money came from work now, not emergency reserves. That distinction felt important in a way difficult to explain. Small purchases built experience. Expensive mistakes built regret. Better to understand the technology first before ever considering higher-tier versions connected directly to the system itself.
The older woman handed the packaged band across the counter once the registration finalized, along with one of the smaller relay pieces from the tray beside her.
"Your imprint and device synchronization will finish automatically the first time you connect it properly," she explained while tapping lightly against the side of the band's casing. "Once that happens, the local lattice recognizes it as yours unless ownership gets manually transferred later."
Evan glanced down at the device again. "How do I actually activate it?"
"Simple enough," she replied. "Wear it against bare skin and press the inner crystal node for about three seconds. You'll feel a slight pulse once synchronization starts. After that, the interface projects through the lattice response field." She gestured briefly near her own wrist as if outlining an invisible display. "Most people either use voice prompts or touch commands after activation. Public functions become available immediately once the imprint finishes."
Her expression shifted slightly more practical afterward. "Banking access takes longer. Dornhaven's authority lattice still has to verify identity records and registration permissions before financial synchronization fully opens. Usually takes a few hours."
Evan gave a small nod while securing the packaged band carefully. "Understood."
The woman studied him for another brief moment before extending a hand lightly toward herself. "Marla," she said. "I own the place." One corner of her mouth shifted faintly upward afterward. "Shop's called Lattice Corner, in case you end up needing maintenance later instead of buying some cheap replacement from a street vendor."
"I'll keep that in mind," Evan replied.
"Good," Marla said as she stepped back toward the counter. "Enjoy the interface, and try not to drop it into a canal during your first week like half the district somehow manages."
Evan thanked her and stepped back outside into the cooler evening air afterward, the small package resting beneath his arm while arena light still flickered across the nearby streets. For a moment, he simply stood there watching people move through the district with lattice projections occasionally appearing above wrists and forearms around him.
Then, quietly curious despite himself, he opened the package and began examining the interface while walking back toward the Authority Hall.
The lattice band activated the moment he secured it around his wrist and followed the instructions Marla had given him. A faint pulse of coolness traveled briefly across his skin before dim lines of pale blue light spread beneath the metallic surface and disappeared again. For half a second, nothing happened.
Then a translucent panel unfolded softly above his forearm.
The projection startled him less than it probably should have after everything else he had already seen in this world, though the familiarity of the concept compared strangely against the differences in execution. The display floated without visible hard edges, text and symbols suspended almost like layered glass rather than a solid screen.
LOCAL LATTICE CONNECTION ESTABLISHED
DORNHAVEN CIVIC NETWORK LINKED
LIMITED PUBLIC ACCESS AVAILABLE
The interface responded more smoothly than he expected when he touched one of the icons hovering near the lower edge. The projection shifted immediately, opening a simplified menu structure. Banking. Public transit schedules. Arena notices. District maps. Merchant postings. Local authority announcements.
Primitive in some ways compared to Earth smartphones.
Far more advanced in others.
Instead of applications existing separately, most functions connected through the local lattice network itself, almost like shared civic infrastructure rather than isolated software. Public notices updated dynamically through district authority nodes. Arena schedules refreshed in real time. Some sections even displayed live crowd density estimates around major areas of Dornhaven.
Evan slowed slightly while walking, experimenting carefully with the controls. The projection responded to directional hand movements surprisingly well once he adjusted to the interface sensitivity. A map of Dornhaven unfolded briefly above his wrist next, glowing pathways threading between districts with active transport routes marked in shifting blue lines.
He found himself comparing it instinctively to the system map he had received through the Authority Hall earlier. The pathways themselves matched closely, though this version showed considerably more live detail. Transport routes shifted in real time, district markers updated dynamically, and smaller local paths appeared far more clearly than before. The system version had felt broader and more generalized by comparison.
Maybe that difference came from the lattice pulling information directly from the local network in real time. Or maybe the Authority Hall map had simply been limited by his current access level. Then again, his lattice access was still fairly basic too. The thought lingered briefly in the back of his mind as something worth asking about later once he understood the system better.
One feature caught his attention immediately afterward.
A section labeled Public Simulation Records caught his attention next. Full combat footage remained restricted behind paid access tiers apparently, though public records still included match outcomes, fighter statistics, ranking shifts, qualification brackets, and scheduled simulation listings through the civic network.
Evan's attention lingered there longer than he originally intended before he finally closed the panel again and continued walking through the quieter evening streets. Even limited access like this carried far more information than he had expected. Combat tendencies. Competitive progression. Public rankings. Match histories. The longer he thought about it, the more uses he could already see for something like that.
Useful barely seemed like a strong enough word for it anymore.