Revealing a blinding light...
In an instant, the light began to fade.
Before Lyxander could even react, Natanael had already stepped out of the elevator. Lyxander followed closely behind her.
They arrived in an underground base, a long corridor stretching far ahead, with hanging lights illuminating the path. Lyxander passed several people wearing lab coats, and from time to time, other crows greeted Natanael as they walked by.
Lyxander simply followed her, lacking the courage to ask questions, until Natanael finally stopped in front of a room that felt strangely familiar.
"Wait, this is Captain Simon's room," Lyxander exclaimed.
"That's right," Natanael replied briefly. "Before you begin your duties, I need to retrieve your military uniform from here."
"You won't get lost if I leave you here, right? Or do you need me to stay with you?" Natanael asked.
Who would have thought that this cold-looking senior was actually so considerate?
Lyxander's eyes watered slightly, and his face flushed red.
With a trembling, emotional voice, he said, "Senior, I'm sorry for judging you so harshly."
Before continuing, he wiped his runny nose with his sleeve.
"I-I… I didn't think you'd care this much, uwaaah."
Without realizing it, Lyxander tried to hug Natanael.
A fist flew straight into his face.
Smack!
"Alright then. I'll leave you here. See you," Natanael said before turning away.
"Ah—thank you, Senior!" Lyxander shouted, blood dripping from his nose.
"Just Natanael," she replied briefly without looking back.
"Then… thank you, Natanael," Lyxander muttered softly.
After Natanael left, Lyxander tried to enter Simon's room, but the door was still locked.
While waiting for Simon to arrive, Lyxander stood in front of the room.
One minute passed.
Five minutes passed. Lyxander was still waiting.
Ten minutes passed. He leaned against the wall.
Twenty minutes passed. He grew tired and sat down on the floor.
Thirty minutes passed—
"Damn it, you bastard Simon!" Lyxander finally lost his patience.
"Kekeke, it seems I'll have to deduct your salary."
The voice appeared together with Simon himself, who arrived carrying a work case.
"Captain, I have always respected you and taken pride in being your subordinate," Lyxander replied instantly. He clearly loved his salary more than his pride.
"Haha, good. In that case, let's go inside," Simon laughed with satisfaction.
They entered the room.
Simon placed the black case he was carrying onto the guest table.
"Go on. This is yours now."
"Mine?" Lyxander opened it with curiosity.
"Woah…"
His eyes shone brightly.
Inside were a military uniform and cap for a crow, along with a pistol and an identification badge proving his status as a crow.
"This is really for me?" Lyxander asked excitedly.
"Yes. Now go change in the restroom over there," Simon replied.
"Alright!" Lyxander quickly went into the restroom in Simon's office and changed his clothes.
While changing, he ran into a small problem—where was he supposed to put the pistol?
There didn't seem to be a suitable place, until Lyxander realized that the pistol could fold. It was a striking difference from Earth. After all, the technology in this world was clearly far more advanced.
Lyxander put on black gloves and adjusted his cap. For some reason, his body began to feel strange.
When he exited the restroom, Garnet was already there with Simon, seemingly organizing reports.
"Ugh—!"
Lyxander felt a tightness in his chest.
A change had occurred within his body.
He had become stronger. Lyxander could clearly sense the transformation.
"Star Identity Level 1: Crow," the words slipped from his mouth.
His first identity had been formed.
"So this is what you meant by 'playing a role,' Captain," Lyxander complained. "Damn it, then why did I even bother exercising yesterday?"
"Hahaha," Simon laughed.
"The requirement to create a Star Identity Level 1 is that the identity must be based on your role. Once you put on that uniform, you began acting as a crow."
"No wonder my Level 1 identity didn't form when I signed the contract. Then what's the requirement for a Level 2 identity?" Lyxander asked.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you that," Simon replied.
I see… Since when an identity user dies, the entity virus within them transfers to another object, the Entity Corporation doesn't want to freely share that information to reduce the creation of dangerous entities, Lyxander concluded internally.
Then he asked, "So how am I supposed to find out?"
Simon sat down at his desk and crossed his legs.
"It's simple. You just need to accumulate contribution points."
"Contribution points?" Lyxander asked for clarification.
"Garnet, please make me a cup of coffee," Simon said casually.
"Contribution points are evaluation results from the missions you complete. They're usually awarded by headquarters through the reports you write. Unfortunately, many seniors abuse their authority to manipulate reports and steal contribution points from their subordinates."
Garnet placed the coffee on Simon's desk.
"Thank you, Garnet. Wait a moment—I'll review your report after this," Simon said.
Garnet responded with a friendly smile. "No problem."
Simon took a sip of coffee.
"Alright, where were we?"
"Contribution points," Lyxander reminded him.
"Ah, right. If you accumulate enough contribution points, you can exchange them for the requirements needed to create a Level 2 identity. Or you can exchange them for other things, like money," Simon explained.
"Money?" Lyxander asked in surprise. "How much is one contribution point worth?"
"One contribution point equals one volar," Simon continued.
"If you want to exchange them for the Level 2 identity requirements, you'll need ten thousand contribution points."
Lyxander rubbed his chin.
"Then… can't I just buy it using my salary?"
Simon shook his head.
"Unfortunately, no."
Simon continued,
"But if you want to grow stronger, you can deepen your identity."
"Deepen it?" Lyxander tilted his head.
"Didn't I say the requirement for Level 1 is acting the role? The more deeply you embody your role, the stronger your identity becomes. If you're lucky, you might even fulfill the requirements for a Level 2 identity, allowing it to evolve," Simon explained.
Once again, Lyxander held his chin.
"I see… so from now on, my strength as a crow will continue to grow."
"No," Simon objected.
"Even if deepening your role increases your strength, everything has its limits. In the end, you must form a Level 2 identity if you want to grow stronger."
Knock. Knock.
Before Lyxander could speak, a knocking sound echoed.
"I'll get it," Garnet offered.
Simon chuckled.
"Looks like your partner has arrived."
"Partner!?" Lyxander was shocked—and curious about who it might be.
The door slowly opened—