Beside her sat an elderly man with neatly combed gray hair.
He frowned slightly as he looked at Maya.
"Is this really the young man you’re dating?"
"You know the rules."
"Dating an ordinary mortal is prohibited."
Maya nodded calmly.
"I know the Association’s laws."
"We only started dating after I tested him with the Tester Potion."
"Despite receiving only the weakest grade of Tester Potion, he was able to perceive the Death Flame Cerberus the moment it appeared on Earth."
The elderly man and the middle-aged woman exchanged surprised glances.
That was not something they had expected to hear.
Ben, on the other hand, gave the two visitors a polite bow.
"Hello, everyone," he said, not really knowing what else to say.
The middle-aged woman, whom Ben had secretly labeled as a MILF in his mind, smiled at him, while the elderly man observed him with interest.
"Hmm."
"It seems you truly found a promising young man this time, little Maya," the elderly man said.
Maya smiled proudly.
She walked over to Ben, held his hand, and nodded.
"Of course he is."
The elderly man gave a small nod.
"Very well."
"Let’s begin the awakening."
"After that, we’ll take him to Jupiter."
"The Jupiter Celestial Academy’s entrance examinations are about to begin."
"Many newly awakened youths from different colonies will be participating."
"He’s a year older than most candidates, but that won’t matter."
"As long as he shows sufficient talent, he’ll have a chance."
Maya frowned.
"But to enter the Jupiter Celestial Academy, he has to pass the entrance trial."
"There are only three months left before admissions."
"How is he supposed to become strong enough to pass in such a short time?"
The middle-aged lady smiled.
"It’s something every newly awakened mortal has to go through."
"Even if he fails to enter the best academy, it doesn’t mean his future is over."
"As long as he shows enough talent, he can still join one of the other Celestial Academies."
She continued,
"This is part of a new policy introduced by the Association."
"Instead of waiting years, talented awakeners are identified much earlier and brought under the Association’s protection."
Maya let out a small sigh before nodding.
"I understand."
Throughout the entire conversation, Ben remained silent.
He didn’t understand half of what they were talking about.
So, he simply kept his mouth shut and listened carefully.
Then the elderly man waved his hand.
A bottle filled with glowing blue liquid appeared in his palm.
"Now," he said, "I’ll give you two options."
He raised the bottle.
"This is an Awakening Potion."
"Drink it, and you’ll awaken immediately."
"The overwhelming amount of Celestial Energy inside the potion will force your body to awaken."
"It is the safest artificial awakening method we have."
As he finished speaking, he waved his other hand.
A transparent crystal orb appeared above his palm.
"This is your second option."
"It will send you into a low-level Celestial Realm."
"The realm is inhabited by weak creatures such as slimes, goblins, and wolves."
"As long as you kill enough monsters inside the realm, the Celestial Energy released by them will naturally flow into your body."
"With enough Celestial Energy, your body will awaken on its own."
He looked directly at Ben.
"This is called a Natural Awakening."
"It is much more dangerous."
"But it also allows you to unlock more of your potential than an artificial awakening."
Before Ben could answer, Maya grabbed his arm.
"Choose the artificial awakening, Ben."
"You’ve never fought in your life."
"It’s far too dangerous."
Ben remained silent.
He looked at the Awakening Potion.
Then at the crystal orb.
Finally, he remembered the countless treasures stored inside his Sign-In System.
If he wanted to make full use of everything he had collected over the past year...
He needed the greatest possible potential.
After a few moments, he made his decision.
"I choose the Natural Awakening."
The elderly man smiled faintly.
"As expected."
The bottle containing the Awakening Potion disappeared from his hand, leaving only the crystal orb.
Beside Ben, Maya bit her lip.
She wanted to stop him.
She wanted to convince him to choose the safer option.
But in the end, she remained silent.
It was Ben’s decision.
And it was his future.
"At least you’ve got guts, kid," the middle-aged woman said with an approving smile.
"My name is Amanda Reyes."
"I’m the Vice Branch Manager of the Celestial Association on Earth."
She then gestured toward the elderly man beside her.
"And this old man is our Branch Manager."
"His name is Raymond Morgan."
Raymond gave Ben a slight nod.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ben."
"Now, without any further delay, let’s begin your awakening," Raymond said as he took out a sword.
"Here. This is a Mortal Grade Sword. It will be more than enough for you to fight slimes and goblins."
He handed the sword to Ben before continuing.
"And let me give you a piece of advice."
"Don’t rush too deep into the jungle."
"That’s where stronger monsters live, and they’ll kill you if you’re careless."
"For now, focus on hunting slimes."
"They live in the open plains."
"Kill around ten of them, and it should be enough for you to awaken naturally."
"After that, you can start hunting goblins and wolves in the nearby forest."
"Their bodies contain energy crystals called Cores."
"Absorb those Cores, and you’ll gradually become stronger."
"You’ll immediately notice the feeling whenever you break through to a higher stage."
Raymond paused for a moment before continuing.
"Right now, you’re an ordinary mortal."
"Once you awaken, you’ll enter the Grey Realm."
"The Grey Realm is divided into ten different sub-stages."
"As you continue cultivating and absorbing Cores, you’ll naturally progress through those stages."
"As for the goblins, don’t worry too much."
"They’re weak enough that even an ordinary mortal with a weapon can kill them."
"That’s one of the reasons we’re allowing an untrained mortal like you to enter this realm."
"Of course, there is still danger."
"You could die if you’re careless."
"But that rarely happens."
"Most people simply kill enough slimes to awaken, then return safely."
"You can do the same if you want."
"Or, if you’re confident, you can continue hunting goblins, absorb their Cores, and become even stronger before coming back."
Ben listened carefully, memorizing every piece of information Raymond gave him.