The air inside the guild building was still and quiet, with only the soft rustle of papers breaking the monotony. Aaron approached the reception desk, lowering his hood just enough to see the man behind it.
The receptionist James, as his nameplate read sat upright, his movements crisp and deliberate. A blue newsboy cap sat neatly atop his head, its color matching the light blue braces that ran over his black shirt and blue pants. His brown shoes peeked out from under the desk, polished to a muted shine.
“I want to get an Awakener ID”
Without looking up, James slid a blank application form across the counter. “Fill this out,” he said, his voice low and clipped, devoid of any unnecessary inflection.
Aaron nodded and got to work, scrawling the information he’d prepared onto the paper. The form asked for all types of information, Like when and how Aaron awakened and the weapon choices, Aspects, and stats, If Aaron was interested in joining the guild, and all that. As he finished, James took the form, giving it a quick scan. His eyes moved with practiced efficiency, skipping over anything irrelevant and zeroing in on the details that mattered. He wasn’t worried about Aaron not selecting their guild as he didn’t care.
“Follow me,” James said, standing up. His movements were smooth, his posture unshakably rigid as he turned toward a door behind the desk. Before leaving, he glanced at his coworker, a cheerful woman at a neighboring desk.
“Miss May, cover the front,” he said, his tone as curt as ever.
Miss May nodded enthusiastically, but James didn’t linger for her response. He went to a nearby door and opened it, holding it just long enough for Aaron to step through before following him inside.
The room beyond was dimly lit, its walls lined with shelves holding spherical, crystal-like objects. Round cores in varying sizes and colors rested in secure mounts, faint glimmers of light dancing within them. At the center of the room was a simple testing station: a padded chair and a raised platform where one core rested in an active state, glowing softly.
James gestured toward the chair. “Do you know the process?” he asked, his voice as neutral as ever.
Aaron nodded. “Yeah.”
James gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod in return. Without further comment, he strode to the shelf, selecting a smaller, duller core the basic-level testing core used for lower-rank evaluations. His movements were measured and deliberate, not a single motion wasted as he placed the core onto the platform.
“Sit,” James said, stepping back and crossing his arms as he waited for Aaron to comply.
Aaron took the seat, resting his hand on the core as instructed. The sphere pulsed softly, projecting a holographic display into the air above it. The glowing text shifted and scrolled, revealing Aaron’s stats in real time:
Rank: D
Aspect: None detected
Attributes:
* Strength: D+
* Speed: D-
* Endurance: D+
* Mana Capacity: E+
* Charm: B+
James didn’t react to the information, his expression remaining as stoic as ever. He quickly tapped the side of a nearby terminal, recording the results with a series of sharp keystrokes.
“Your ID has been approved,” he said. “It’ll be sent to the email you provided.”
Aaron leaned back slightly, relieved to have the digital copy secured. But before he could leave, James spoke again.
Stolen novel; please report.
“Physical copy?”
Aaron nodded.
“Wait here.”
James turned without another word, his footsteps echoing faintly in the room as he retrieved a blank ID card from a nearby machine. Each movement was precise, his efficiency almost mechanical. Within a few minutes, he returned, handing the freshly printed card to Aaron.
“All set.”
“Additionally, make sure to visit the official Awakener website to pay the required fees for activating your ID. If left unpaid, you’ll be charged a penalty of over 500B units every 24 hours, and within a week, your ID will be canceled entirely. ”
Aaron glanced at the card and then back at James, who was already turning to clean up the testing station. Not a word of unnecessary conversation had passed between them, and James hadn’t once strayed from his role.
“Thanks,” Aaron said, slipping the card into his pocket.
James gave a single nod, already focused on powering down the core. His silence was unyielding, his demeanor a stark contrast to the loud, expressive personalities Aaron had encountered in Satya City so far.
Aaron stepped out of the guild and into the bustling street, the faint clang of swords and distant chatter trailing behind him. He flipped his new ID card between his fingers as he walked, the bold word under the remarks section catching his eye every time it spun: Excellent.
The ID glinted in the light as he crossed two streets, the hum of the city blending with the rhythmic clink of the card in his hand
Awakener ID: #AWH24577
Name: Kane Status: Active
Rank: D- Main Weapon: Sword
Stats: Good Remark: Excellent
Aaron flipped his newly issued ID between his fingers, his eyes catching on the word that stood out in bold under the remarks section: Excellent.
Shaking his head. "He hasn’t even seen me fight!"
The laughter lingered for a moment, then ebbed as a vivid memory flashed through his mind.
At the guild entrance, the guards had stiffened the moment he approached, their mana thickening the air like a coiled storm. It had pressed against him—silent, heavy, expectant. Yet, Aaron had walked through as if it were no more than a summer breeze, his stride steady, his gaze unflinching.
Did James notice?
Was that actually a test?
The thought lingered, his laughter turning into a hum of contemplation. James had said nothing about it true to his no-nonsense demeanor but maybe that silence was more telling than any words.
Seems like the Swag Guild has its own unique Swag
“What a weird guy,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
The scent of roasting meat and fresh bread wafted through the air, drawing his attention to a small restaurant nestled at the corner. With one last glance back toward the guild’s towering silhouette, he stepped inside.
***
“No one, huh,” Aaron muttered, his voice barely louder than the faint clatter of utensils from the kitchen.
The restaurant was quiet, its tables empty. Sunlight streamed in through the glass, highlighting the polished wooden surfaces and giving the place a warm, inviting glow. Yet, it was oddly still too still for a place with such an appealing ambiance.
Aaron opened the menu on his watch by scanning the QR code present on the table, his brow furrowing deeper with each passing minute. Choices upon choices blurred together, and his stomach growled impatiently, breaking his focus.
He sighed, flipping the menu shut with a soft thud. “Alright, first sandwich I see,” he decided and ordered through the watch, his hunger finally overruling his indecision.
It wasn’t long before the food arrived by a small robot, the plate placed in front of him with a quiet clink. The sandwich was simple yet well-made, its golden bread glistening with a hint of butter. Aaron wasted no time, taking a large bite that silenced his growling stomach.
The flavors were balanced—savory, fresh, satisfying. He nodded to himself, chewing thoughtfully. "Good," he muttered, though the word carried more weight than it might for others. To him, good meant more than acceptable; it meant refined, worthy.
For someone raised in an elite family, good often bordered on exceptional for regular folks. So why was this place empty?
His gaze drifted back to the empty tables, the faint echo of his chewing the only sound in the room. The thought lingered, tugging at the corner of his mind as he took another bite.
Aaron ordered one more sandwich and enjoyed it, as he was prepared to leave the emptiness in the restaurant gave him an unsettling feeling but Aaron ignored it as he was a nobody now.