On the way, Caelithia asked Elvis in a small voice, "So, what Class are you registering for?"
"Warrior? I think poison isn’t well received by society, so registering it as my Class might put me in a completely ostracized position."
"Hey! Don’t you think that’s a bad plan in the long run? The constraint might affect you more than you think. Why don’t you go with Poison Warlock? I found out that the Warlock Class is very rare. But its rarity doesn’t make it a top-tier Class. Although, I think that’s a wrong orientation toward the Class.
"Most Warlocks are like warriors with a bit of a mage’s traits. But many claim that the ’bit of a mage’s traits’ is a distraction when building their attributes, making them neither excellent warriors nor very good mages."
"Hmm..." Elvis mused as they walked.
A minute later, he finally replied, "I don’t think that will do. I’ll go with Warrior Warlock."
Caelithia snapped her head toward him, raising an eyebrow. "Does that sound okay to you? Warrior Warlock? I’ve never heard of it."
"I’ll introduce a new Class to this world. That way, people will expect an anomaly and wouldn’t be surprised by my strength. This way, I can use some of my Poison Skills that don’t blatantly stamp me as a poison controller. I would have chosen Dark Warlock, but I don’t think all my poison Skills will be dark," Elvis explained.
"Wouldn’t that bring attention to you?" Caelithia asked, doubt lacing her tone.
Elvis covered his lips and whispered, "As long as I don’t devour while telling them I’m a level higher than my actual level, they wouldn’t notice a thing. Since I can’t remain low-key, then I need to play the game to the best of my ability."
They soon found a taxi and took it to the Awakener Guild.
Both of them took large strides into the tall building alongside the others entering.
As they entered, Elvis spotted a slender lady in a black suit behind the desk, her long golden-blonde hair framing her welcoming oval face and her ice-blue eyes shining as she directed the person in front of her toward the door beside her with a sunny smile.
They walked up to her.
"Good morning. How may I help you?" she greeted, a warm smile gracing her lips.
"Morning, ma’am. We want to register as Awakeners," Elvis explained, wearing a smile as well.
Her smile slowly changed into a slightly gaping mouth, confusion written across her face. Her eyes scanned them from top to bottom and back again.
"Sorry to ask, but are you eighteen years old?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in perplexity as she studied their faces.
Elvis chuckled. "No. I’m twenty-five. I was living in a village with my sister before I came to Vinegard City."
"Oh..." She nodded in understanding. "So, what are your levels?"
"We’re both Level 3."
"For how many years?!" she blurted out, her voice almost rising.
"Umm..." Elvis scratched the back of his head. "We were clueless about Awakeners."
She nodded and turned to her computer.
"So, what are your names and Classes?" she asked.
"Caelithia II Veyne. Light Warlock."
The lady raised her head above the computer screen and stared at Caelithia.
Then she turned to Elvis. "Caelithia I?" She arched an eyebrow.
She giggled while lowering her eyes to the computer screen. "Sorry about that. But in this era, the name sounds archaic."
"Class?"
"Warrior Warlock."
The clicking of the keyboard paused as she raised her head over the computer screen again.
"Pardon? Warrior Warlock?" she questioned for confirmation.
"Yes, ma’am." Elvis nodded.
"Okay. You don’t need to keep calling me ’ma’am.’ It makes me feel old. My name is Beatrice," she said as she returned to the computer.
After a few questions and answers, Beatrice finished registering them.
Then she explained sternly, "Being an Awakener doesn’t just mean you wield power over mortals; you also have a responsibility to protect them from the monsters in Axaeris. Never forget your roots; you were once a mortal.
"Always remember—monsters aren’t the only savage beasts; humans can be monsters too. The day you use your power to selfishly harm humans for your benefit—the day you cross that line—is the day you become a monster. An enemy of humanity.
"Lastly, never eat or have anything to do with black nexite shards. If you see one, hand it over or report it immediately. There’s a very rich reward for it."
Elvis and Caelithia nodded.
Beatrice waved her hand as she smiled again. "I believe you guys are sensible teena... adults."
Elvis could only smile, while Caelithia’s lips twitched.
"Okay. You will get a whopping sum of one hundred thousand Terris Credits to aid you as new Awakeners," Beatrice said, observing their reactions.
But they only nodded.
She continued, "Let me give you some advice for new Awakeners like you. Well, you’ve been Awakeners for a while, so you might decide you don’t want it."
"We want to hear it," Elvis answered.
"Humble, I see. A very good trait... just like me. What you need now is leveling up; you’re already behind your peers. By now, you should know there are two types of dungeons: Eternal Dungeons and Ephemeral Dungeons. You have no business with Ephemeral Dungeons... not like you can get a pass for one." Beatrice giggled.
’Very playful. I don’t know who appointed her to this position,’ Elvis mused inwardly.
She composed herself and carried on with the explanation. "Right now, what you want is leveling, and an Eternal Dungeon is the best choice for new Awakeners because you can afford the death penalty—permanently losing some of your Mana capacity if you happen to die inside one.
"The good part is that it can be recovered with a few white nexite shards. But the simplest way is by ranking up."
Elvis nodded, as he already knew that.
"But let me warn you—don’t get complacent in an Eternal Dungeon because if you die too many times and your mana capacity reaches zero, you won’t be able to use your Skills. Worst-case scenario, if you happen to die with your mana capacity at zero, congratulations—you’re dying for real. No redo," Beatrice warned.
Beatrice asked, "So, are you ready to go for a Rank 1 Eternal Dungeon, or do you want to think it through? I can help you secure one quickly if you choose one now. I don’t usually do this." This chapter was taken from NovelPing without permission.
"We want one," Elvis answered while Caelithia nodded in tow.
"Great. That’s the spirit of an Awakener right there. The least dangerous Rank 1 Eternal Dungeon is Frozen Forest, with the highest rank being a Level 6 monster. So, would you get added to a team or go alone? Although, it’s advisable to go with a team," Beatrice stated.
"We’ll go with the team," Elvis said.
"Hey! Don’t you know it will reduce our leveling speed if we go with others?" Caelithia whispered forcefully into his ear.
"It’s our first time! Safety first," Elvis whispered back.
Then he turned to Beatrice. "Sorry about that. We’ll go with the team."
"Okay. Let me register you quickly." She returned to her computer.
While typing, which Elvis assumed was part of the registration process, she said without looking up, "Lest I forget, one of the rules of all dungeons is that all equipment must be of the same or lower rank as the dungeon. For a Rank 1 dungeon, you need Common equipment. Anything of a higher rank will be destroyed."
Elvis already knew that part.
"Okay... By next Saturday, you should come here. A driver will take you to Seventh FF Street. Anything else?" Beatrice asked with a smile.
"Seven days from now..." Elvis muttered while pondering.
Breaking away from his rumination, Elvis suspiciously scanned his surroundings. Seeing everyone minding their own business, he turned back to Beatrice and leaned forward.
"Please, can we go tomorrow? We can work something out. How about half of the profit we make from the dungeon? This receptionist job wouldn’t be paying you much, right?" Elvis suggested with a friendly smile.
Beatrice, still wearing her sunny smile, shook her head.
"Fine. We’ll give you all of it," Elvis suggested.
Caelithia stepped on his foot the moment he said that, but he merely trembled and ignored her, his gaze never leaving Beatrice.
Beatrice still shook her head.
"What do you want?" Elvis asked.
"You shouldn’t try that. Other administrators wouldn’t take your suggestion without flinging you out. Remember, the Awakener Guild doesn’t take bribes. Okay, goodbye. See you on Saturday." She waved at them.
When they got outside, Caelithia snarled at him, "Who gave you permission to negotiate with my property?"
"Chill. I was just trying to shorten the time. You should know why," Elvis said.
"You should have informed me first. Although I’m your Spirit Beast—which I am not fond of—but always keep in mind that I am never your property!" She growled at him.
Elvis raised his hand in surrender. "Okay. I’m sorry about that."
"Just know your boundaries. Besides, what makes you think you can bribe your way in?" Caelithia asked.
"Well, she called one hundred thousand Terris Credits a whopping sum, so I deduced her salary wasn’t too high," Elvis clarified.
Suddenly, Elvis perceived an alluring scent. Raising his head, he spotted a lithe lady with red hair walking toward them.
However, what he saw was an alluring green pond within her head, separated from him by a ’thin skull membrane,’ calling out to him.
The world around him slowly faded into darkness, leaving only the glow of the alluring green pond as a lighthouse in the sea of darkness. He raised his leg to move toward the calling light.