Just like a perfectly wrapped gift that didn't contain what a child wanted for Christmas, the Awakener Association building was extremely disappointing when seen from the inside.
Oh, the sleek, clean interiors could fool anyone who had been living with their head in the ground at first, but James knew exactly how little power these offices held.
The AA should have been, by all rights, one of the most powerful agencies in the US, standing alongside the DoD and the CIA, but it had been killed in its infancy by heavy lobbying in Congress, which had passed laws to strip it of its oversight powers and removed much of its funding, in favor of tax cuts to established Guilds.
These days, the AA served mostly as the gateway into the supernatural world for new Awakeners and little more beyond that.
Well, they still employ a few elite teams for dungeon clearing duty, but even those are likely to disappear in a few years, with how quickly the money is draining.
Still, for all the frustration James felt, the AA was the place to go to get registered as an Awakener so that he could start earning money by cleaning up dungeons, selling off monster parts and mana stones. It also still held state of the art facilities to evaluate rankings and Talents, which James intended to fully take advantage of.
The lobby was relatively empty, with only a dozen people milling about, waiting for their number to appear on the screen atop the front desk to speak with the receptionist. Getting the hint, James quickly strode toward one of the small, softly glowing machines and got his own number after tapping a couple of buttons.
13 huh? I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, what with my luck lately. Still, it shouldn’t take too long for my turn. There just aren’t that many new Awakeners every day, and the older ones who want to get retested to increase their rank go through a different process.
He had managed to convince his grandfather not to wait around for him, as the process of getting tested could take a little while, but only after promising he’d call home as soon as he was done.
The nervousness he had expected to feel never materialized. Instead, James took the time to examine all the other new Awakeners.
There was no rhyme or reason to someone unlocking the System. A middle-aged salaryman stood before the desk, asking questions about the test he was about to receive. A bored looking teenage girl was accompanied by what he believed to be her older brother, given the resemblance between the two.
Well, there are no old people, but not because they can’t Awaken. It’s just that they usually enjoy the benefits of a stronger body without risking their lives fighting monsters, and so they have no need to take the test.
Luckily, the line moved pretty quickly, as several rooms were dedicated to evaluating new Awakeners. It only took half an hour of waiting before his number was called. James promptly moved to the front desk, where the receptionist, a pretty blonde with a bob cut and bright red nails and lips smiled professionally.
“Room 4, you’ll just have to answer a few questions, show off your powers a bit, and you’ll be free to go, ay?” She graced him with a wink, probably reserved for the younger testeés. James, too focused on the next part, barely remembered to acknowledge her, grunting a “Thank you.”
Following the brightly illuminated directions that littered the place, James walked deeper into the building, observing what would have been sterile white walls, but were given some life by art pieces from the local kindergarten. He didn’t know whose idea that was, but he could appreciate its efficacy. It made the AA feel less like a nameless government agency and more like an integrated part of society.
Eventually, he reached a warmly colored wooden door with the number 4 stamped on in softly glowing ink. Before entering the room, James used his Thakinetic Awareness, curious about what he’d find inside.
Within, two presences glowed to his senses. One, which he believed to be his examiner, sat toward the back of the room. The other, much fainter and hard to distinguish, stood at the other end, seemingly not doing anything but constantly almost escaping his grasp.
I haven’t felt anything like this before. Is it a stealth skill? Or something else?
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With a deep breath, James put those thoughts aside. He’d find out soon enough. He pushed the door, walking in on his Awakener Test.
“Good Morning!” He greeted, his customer service smile coming out unbidden. The biggest presence, which was facing him directly, turned out to be a large - both in width and height - old man with a shaved, bald head and a full, white mustache. Kind eyes regarded him, though James was immediately set on edge by something in his pose.
He was sitting behind a wooden desk of the same warm color as the door, the only splash of individuality in an otherwise unremarkable room. A cloth thrown over something that looked like a statue to the right was the only other thing of note.
Having lived with his grandparents since he was orphaned, James was well acquainted with how the elderly moved and behaved. Unseen aches and joints in poor condition made all their steps and shifts stiff and, at times, painful.
The old man before him, who had just gotten up to greet him with an extended hand, showed no sign of any of that. He possessed a fluidity that would have been enviable in an Olympic gymnast back before the Apocalypse, a sense of hidden strength in his hand as he carefully took his, as if barely containing his strength from crushing James’ hand.
Most old people who Awaken stay at home and only ever use the System enough to live a more comfortable life. That is what’s considered common knowledge. But there are a few who take to it like fish to water, who had been forced into stillness by their age and jumped at the chance of finally getting their bodies and lives back. Those rare few are dangerous and should be treated with all due respect.
The life of an Awakener was a dangerous business; to make it as either a very old or very young person, one had to be special.
“Welcome to your first test in the AA.” The old man greeted, his voice calm and soothing “I’m Marcus Bethany, your Examiner, and I’ll be conducting this test. If you are found to have truly Awakened, you’ll get an official ID and the clearance necessary to operate in the Supernatural Market as more than just a buyer.”
This was all rote information, but given how the newly named Marcus was saying it, it seemed like the most important information in the world. Still, James paid attention. He didn’t want to miss anything and fail because of that.
“As I said before, this will be your first test of many. To advance in ranks and get access to higher, more dangerous missions or areas, you’ll have to come back here and get certified as having ranked up. I’m sure you already know this, but your rank doesn’t necessarily depend on your level, though there is some correlation between the two. A person with a Talent not suited for fighting might get a lower rank, even though they are of a higher level than someone who has Warrior or Fire Mage.” Marcus continued, explaining basic but fundamental things about his future life.
James wasn’t particularly worried about being held back by his Talent. Thakinesis was a weird one, for sure, but it still allowed him to fight off two monsters without any training whatsoever. He might not have the flashy factor of an Elemental Mage, but it still worked well enough, and he was confident he’d be able to grow with it.
“Now, with all the official spiel done, we can get to the interesting bit.” Immediately, James refocused. Now was not the time to get lost in his theories.
Marcus walked over to the cloth covered thing, his steps not making any sound despite his massive frame. One large hand reached over and gripped the white cotton, lifting it with a flourish to reveal a human-shaped dummy made of some kind of gel.
James’ mind quickly made the connection to the practice targets he had seen in one of the few public training videos released by Towers’ Team, where he went through a golden version of the same dummy as if a knife through butter.
“This is a Slime Dummy, made of a material inspired by the old ballistic gel, but enhanced with mana. It can hold up to anything a G-rank can throw at it, making it almost overkill.” The old man explained, giving the dummy a tap to show how it jiggled with the force, dispersing it all through it.
“Since this is your first exam, and you aim to get an H-rank clearance, you just need to show me something that a normal, baseline human could not do. From your next one forward, the requirements will be steeper.”
Nodding to show he had understood, James focused on his skills. The more he used them, the better he became at calling upon them, and the need to show off and get a good result also aided him, focusing his will.
“Give it a go when you feel ready. A good, solid hit will do. Unless you have something more indirect, like a Poison Handler Talent.” Even as he said so, Marcus was already walking back to his seat, apparently having assessed that James would be a more straightforward Awakener.
“I’ll be punching it, sir.” The boy answered, keeping his tone polite while he focused his mana on his limbs, trying to keep it from dispersing all over his body.
Thakinetic Empowerment was a seemingly simple skill, but the more he used it, the more James realized that a lot of finicky details were hidden in the short explanation the System gave. In the future, he might be able to focus it on single points of his body, or even on just one attribute, rather than all three physical ones.
Still, he just had to show something beyond standard human ability for the moment. To do that should be easy enough for him, since he had already killed two monsters and leveled up, enhancing his body beyond his base level.
With a deep breath, James pushed all distractions aside and centered himself, coming to a stop before the dummy. Flexing his will, he coalesced mana through the medium of his skill into his upper body - seemingly the limitations of how much he could do with Empowerment at level 1.
When the feeling of power coursing through him came, he wasted no time. His right fist shot forward, his stance clear and steady, thanks to his grandfather’s teachings.
The impact against the Slime Dummy produced a very satisfying ‘Whack’, making the gel jiggle for a couple of seconds, until it finally settled down.
Suddenly feeling exhausted, James turned to look at his Examiner, to find him peering at the Dummy with a fascinated look. “Was it ok?” He asked, hating how insecure he sounded.
“Mmh? Oh yes, that was wonderful. I dare say you passed with flying colors. A fascinating approach to a frontline role. Yes, I think I’ll keep my eye on you, Mr. Summers.” Saying so, Marcus stamped a paper on his desk and proffered it to James.
“Take that to the reception, they will file it and give you your new ID Card. I hope to see you here again soon.” The smile the old man gave him this time was more genuine and less reassuring at the same time.
A bit confused but quite happy with the result, James took it and quickly left the room after one last ‘thank you’ to the examiner.
It was only when he was back in the lobby, waiting to get his new ID issued, that he remembered that he had felt another person’s presence inside the room before entering.