Chapter 37 | Registering As An Awakener [2]
"Told you it doesn’t work," Alicar sighed, "But my class is Elemental Mage, I can use the power of the four elements: Fire, Water, Wind and Earth."
As a way to prove himself, Alicar summoned the power of the four elements around his hand, each one swirling in a small vortex of energy.
"So strange..." Godrick mumbled as he took notes on his computer, his fingers tapping away. "But I’ll make sure to register that, you got quite a powerful class."
An Elemental Mage was an upgrade of the basic Mage class, a specialization that allowed for greater versatility and power, and even among them, the number of elements they had was extremely different.
Some could only have two, others three, but it was very rare to actually have four, a feat that would make any awakener stand out from their peers.
Of course, unbeknownst to Godrick, Alicar actually had six elements at his disposal, though he didn’t feel the need to reveal that particular detail.
"You spent 2 weeks in there by yourself?" Godrick asked, his eyebrow raised with curiosity.
Alicar simply nodded, his expression neutral. "Yeah."
Once more, he didn’t feel the need to tell anyone about the Sun Temple or the Sun Beast, some things were better left unsaid.
Godrick continued for a few minutes, asking several questions which Alicar smoothly replied to, his answers carefully crafted to reveal nothing more than necessary, and once it was all done.
"Here we go," Godrick said, pulling a weird scanning tool from his desk drawer.
After pressing his fingerprint against the tool the man provided and signing his name on a freshly printed document, Godrick smiled warmly.
"Congratulations on your awakening and registration, Mr. Alicar, you are now a proud member of the Awakener Association, we hope to see you enter the First Layer soon."
He continued, his voice taking on a more business-like tone, "You are eligible for a monthly payment of $10,000, and it will increase if you manage to enter the First Layer, you can also now access all the facilities for Tier-0 awakeners, including the Trading Centre."
Alicar listened to everything, the excitement in his mind reaching new highs, his heart pounding with the reality of his new life.
"Is there anything else you’d like to ask about?" Godrick finished, leaning back in his chair.
Alicar was about to say "no" but he quickly found himself wondering, "Where can I sell an item I found in the Initial Stage?"
"At the Trading Center outside the Awakener Association," Godrick grinned, his expression amused. "But trust me kid, nothing you bring from there will be worth much, focus on completing your advancement task."
"Alright, thanks," Alicar nodded as he got up, exiting the office and returning to the main lobby.
With that done, he was officially an actual registered awakener, and it had gone much more smoothly than he anticipated.
But now... it was actually time to sell the S-Rank core.
Alicar left the Awakener Association and headed toward the Trading Centre, a building fairly close to the association’s headquarters, as they were pretty much linked by a covered walkway.
The Trading Centre was the biggest marketplace and hub across the entire megacity for awakeners to buy, sell or exchange items of all kinds, a sprawling complex that catered to every tier of awakener.
As a Tier-0 Awakener, Alicar didn’t have that many benefits, and he couldn’t even access the higher floors with the First Layer items, but still, that was a start to something, a foothold in a world he had only ever dreamed of entering.
Alicar entered the bustling building, and the sheer scale of it was staggering, with massive screens displaying items for sale, their images rotating in a constant cycle of gleaming weapons, shimmering armor, and glowing accessories that seemed to pulse with magical energy.
Rows upon rows of booths and stalls stretched out in every direction, each one manned by salesmen and merchants hawking their wares to the endless stream of awakeners that moved through the space like a river.
The air was thick with the sound of haggling, the clinking of items, and the hum of magical devices being tested, a cacophony of commerce that was both overwhelming and exhilarating.
Alicar approached one of the many security personnel stationed at various points throughout the lobby and asked the question that had been burning in his mind, "Hello, where can I sell items from the Initial Stage?"
Alicar watched in live as the personnel’s eyes went from glinting with joy at the prospect of a customer to suddenly hollow, the life in their eyes disappearing as they realized what tier he was. "A-Ah, yes sir, Tier-0 awakeners are limited to the first floor, so please head there!"
"Thanks," Alicar nodded as he turned toward one of the halls with the [Tier-0] mark on top of it, the sign glowing with a faint, unimpressive light.
’That kid wants to sell Initial Stage items,’ the security personnel thought to himself, barely hiding his disdain. ’Does he want to make pennies or what? Wasting our time.’
As said before, most awakeners didn’t even bother grabbing items from the Initial Stage, viewing them as beneath their notice.
None were worth the hassle, as the cores and materials found there couldn’t even create items that were truly powerful or valuable.
It was only at the First Layer that the real valuable items could be accessed after all, the treasures that would make an awakener’s career.
Alicar traversed the hall, his footsteps echoing on the polished floor, until he emerged into a massive room with other awakeners like him, all from the Initial Stage, their equipment modest and their expressions uncertain.
As expected, there weren’t a lot of people, since no one really needed Initial Stage items, the demand for such low-tier goods was practically non-existent.
He saw a few items scattered here and there on display tables, a few rusty weapons, some basic healing potions, and a handful of dull cores, but why would anyone even bother with such items if they could buy much better ones once they entered the First Layer?
Regardless, Alicar found the one and only salesman available in this place, a small booth with a table and a chair that looked more like an afterthought than a legitimate business.
Seems like the Trading Centre truly didn’t care about Initial Stage awakeners, relegating them to this forgotten corner of the building.