James leaned back in the surprisingly soft armchair. He had feared a man as rigid and spartan as Leonid Stein would have preferred hard, uncomfortable ones, but that didn't seem to be the case.

However, the rest of the office was exactly how he had imagined it. No decoration, save for one framed photo that could only be seen from behind the desk. Nothing adorned the walls, as the man's achievements could not be put on paper easily.

Somehow, after the grueling weeks of training he went through at the facility, it felt vaguely comforting to James, at least compared to the chaos of the dungeons.

Standing by the window overlooking the training grounds, Leonid finally turned to face them. He had told them to sit down and then kept them waiting for a few minutes in silence. His expression was one of solemn contemplation, which set the mood for a serious conversation.

Agent Martinez had already alerted them to expect the man to want to talk about their possible rank-up, but it was only now starting to feel real.

The tall blonde man clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over each of them. "You've all come a long way since you first arrived here. Your progress is not just in your physical abilities, although we have managed to make you squeeze a few stat points more than what the System gave you. You are now more aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Something most Awakeners never reach, which will cripple their growth."

He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. "As you approach the next tier of Awakening, you'll be faced with choices regarding the evolution of your Talents. These decisions will shape your path as Awakeners and define your roles in battles to come."

We are getting there. It's still crazy to think about, but we have gotten so close to the rank up in just a little more than six months. That's insane.

"I generally have this discussion with my pupils in private, because this type of information can be extremely sensitive. Knowing the ins and outs of someone else's Talent means being able to counter them. It's not something people want to be known." Taking a deep breath, he continued. "But I suspect you don't really care about that. Leila told me that Team 0 is a special case, and she was right. You know too much about each other, and yet, it's a strength rather than a weakness."

James shared a small smile with the others. They had been initially dismissed by almost everyone in the facility as Rookies, but their incredible growth had put those whispers to a stop.

"Therefore." Leonid resumed. "If there is no objection, I will speak with all of you simultaneously."

When no one said anything, he grunted, closing his eyes.

Maria stiffened in her seat when he opened them, fixing her with a stern look. "Maria, your talents as a mage are remarkable. Your choices will likely be centered around pure mage progression – focusing on the strength and control of your flames and expanding your elemental abilities, meaning you'd be able to wield more of them, like wind or lightning. While it would enhance your range and adaptability, this is generally discouraged, because it means not growing the strength of your main element. You'd simply add on it, whereas progressing your Talent means multiplying its might."

Daniel nodded solemnly as Leonid turned to him. "Daniel, your role as a Tank has been invaluable to your team. However, you'll have to decide whether to continue on this path or explore a more varied version. Each choice will offer different ways to protect and support your team, and while I understand that you want to keep helping them, you should also consider a few other options, which will allow you to become more independent. As things are, you are only so successful because you have people covering your weaknesses. You should keep an eye on those alternatives because there might be one that's just right for you."

Ezekiel gulped when it was his turn, hands clenched in his lap. "Ezekiel, your healing and support abilities have saved your team countless times, and I have personally seen how much you can grow. You might be faced with a decision to specialize as a pure Healer, a Support, or something that bridges both roles, which would be a continuation of what you are now." Seeing that the boy's expression was falling, the man added. "That doesn't mean the System will not consider your efforts these past few weeks. It should also provide you with a more balanced option, which would include directly offensive abilities."

After that, ignoring the bright smile on the boy's face, he turned to Lauren. "Your skills as a Rogue have grown by leaps and bounds while here. You were decent at stealth when you first came, but had nothing to back it up. Now, you can fulfill your role completely. The System should recognize this growth and provide you with some magical abilities. Likely to be elemental in nature, give your teacher's skills. Consider your options carefully, but you should aim to expand your repertoire with shadow or light magic, depending on the path you want to take."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Finally, it was James' turn. "Your Talent is similar enough to several others that I was initially of the belief that you'd follow a Warrior-like path, but after observing you for a while, I came to believe it's more like an incredibly specialized Support than anything else." A short silence followed while James computed what he had just heard. Then, things started clicking in his mind, and he could only nod dumbly.

How could I have not seen it? I'm basically buffing myself, enhancing my attributes and my resistances. It's just that my abilities only work towards myself and not others like Ezekiel's.

Leonid gave a slight nod, noticing that James had understood his point. "Yes, that makes me think the System will give you at least one option to expand your skills to include others, becoming a fully-fledged support. You'd be able to protect others much better than an average buff since you'd be working off a template you already have so much control over."

Then, he huffed a breath since James was still staring into the distance, contemplating the earth-shattering revelation. "That doesn't mean you have to take it, boy!" He rumbled, which made James refocus.

"That will just be one of the paths the System will offer you. You'll likely also have something to expand your skillset in a more selfish direction. You'll likely have to decide if you want to remain a close-range fighter or if you want to expand. More than that, you'll have several options regarding how your Talent will interact with others, becoming more directly involved with your offensive capabilities." With that said, the man sighed. His gaze swept all over them as he considered his next words.

"Remember, the choices you make now will set the foundation for your future as Awakeners. But no matter your chosen path, the necessity of gaining important experiences in the next five levels cannot be overstated."

His gaze became more intense. "In these levels, you will face monsters far more powerful than those you have encountered so far. We will be taking you to hunt creatures beyond your ability to handle. It's crucial for your growth to increase the options the System will give you. It might not be settled science, but there are enough anecdotal reports that it's better not to risk it."

James exchanged a look with his teammates. They were all extremely curious about what the man had in mind for them. They would give it their all, there was no doubt about it, but the long-awaited goal of ranking up called to them like a siren song, and it wasn't easy waiting so long when they could reach it in a few days of hard work.

Leonid abruptly changed the topic. "Leila, your teacher, will join you as soon as she returns from her own training. She's now on the cusp of the A-rank. The old man some of you have noticed hanging around - who I can assure you is more than capable of this - promised he'd help you reach that threshold, allowing her to push hard on her dungeon run. You must work hard, not just for yourselves, but to make her proud."

James found himself grinning. He had known his teacher was intensifying her training, since her presence had become more robust as time passed, but that she was so close to A-rank was surprising.

Daniel broke the silence, his voice steady. "We won't let her down."

Maria nodded in agreement, her eyes blazing with determination. "We'll handle whatever comes our way."

----------------------------------------

The room was bathed in the soft glow of the evening light filtering through the small window. Team 0, gathered in their shared quarters at the Facility, sat on the bunk beds that had become their makeshift seats for such discussions.

James leaned against the wall. He was wearing basketball shorts and an old t-shirt, his usual sleeping gear when not in the field. His gaze drifted to the ceiling as he spoke. "In the next few days, things are going to change rapidly for us. Facing higher-level dungeons… I'm very curious to fight those monsters, but if anything goes wrong, we are done."

Sitting cross-legged on the bed next to his, Maria nodded in agreement. She had a tank top and biker shorts on and had her hair in a messy bun. "I wouldn't mind if it was Miss Walker coming with us, but with her pushing to A-rank, I suppose it's not possible."

Daniel, sporting black pajama pants and nothing else, crossed his arms over his bare, muscular chest. "We can't be over-reliant on her. She has already set up things, so we'll be watched by someone she considers powerful enough to protect us."

Ezekiel merely hummed, lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. Lauren dressed similarly to Maria but with an oversized t-shirt instead, bounced on the bed next to him. "I wonder who this old man really is. I know James said he feels very powerful, but something about him tells me I should know him."

James shrugged. He knew the majority of powerful Awakeners, but some preferred to keep away from the limelight, and nothing could be done about those. No one was brave enough to poke such powerful people, after all. Not even the paparazzi.

"I wonder what's going on in New York." Ezekiel finally said, breaking the silence.

Maria groaned. "Crap, I don't even want to think about it. I just know it's gonna be sooo annoying."

That made James huff a laugh. He agreed that things in New York would likely start up again the moment they got back, but he also felt that they would be different. Team 0 was different, after all. "First of all." He began. "We'll probably be busy. If we manage to rank up, we'll have to take the test soon."

That made all the others groan. Somehow, with all the mess they had been through in the desert dungeon and the grueling training they had completed in the facility, the fact that they would have to prepare for an exam had slipped their minds.

"Oh, come on, I had fun last time." James laughed, teasing.

"Yes, because you spent the whole day flirting with that girl." Lauren shot back.

That made James reach around and pinch her sides, making her squeal extremely loudly. The Rogue jumped several feet in the air, her head touching the ceiling, before she fell down on James with the wrath of a thousand suns.

They spent the rest of the evening laughing together, relaxing, and enjoying the downtime, knowing they wouldn’t have many chances like this in the future.