Five minutes later, the sleek black car slowed as a towering structure gradually came into view in the distance.
The building looked like it was at least ten stories tall, its wide glass facade reflecting the afternoon sunlight like a mirror. However, upon closer inspection, it actually only had three floors.
The reason was simple because the first floor alone occupied nearly two-thirds of the entire building's height, making the structure look far taller than it actually was.
A massive emblem made of silver metal was embedded above the entrance:
Awakener Association — Sora City Branch.
The emblem shimmered faintly with mana fluctuations, symbolizing authority and power. This place was where every individual who was awakened in the city registered themselves and found missions for those who weren't in any factions, or maybe those who wanted to hire mercenaries or even formed their own factions within the city.
Kai gently parked the car in front of the luxurious lobby entrance. Before long, a valet worker dressed in a neat uniform walked over.
"Good afternoon, sir."
Kai handed the key with a smile. "Take care of it."
"Of course." The worker accepted the key with a slight bow.
Meanwhile, James stepped out of the car first while holding Liora's hand. Lan Yaolei followed behind them silently while gazing at the massive building in front of her.
The moment they stepped inside the building, a wave of noise and activity greeted them, as the entire first floor was enormous, easily the size of a football field.
Hundreds of people were moving around, some wore combat gear covered in scars and bloodstains, clearly returning from clearing the dungeons or from dangerous hunts outside the city. Others were administrative workers moving stacks of documents between offices.
There were also many awakeners sitting around tables, discussing missions, drinking, or negotiating deals.
The atmosphere was lively yet tense at the same time.
Liora looked around curiously. "Wow… there are so many people here."
James chuckled softly and patted her head. "This is the center of all awakeners in the city, of course it's crowded."
They walked a few steps forward before stopping near the entrance desk. A young woman in her mid-twenties wearing a black professional suit stood nearby, clearly one of the association's staff.
James approached calmly. "Excuse me."
The woman turned toward them with a polite smile. "Yes, how may I help you?"
"We're looking to hire awakeners." James spoke directly.
The worker nodded in response. "In that case, please follow me."
She turned around and guided them across the large hall. They walked for about half a minute before arriving in front of something massive, it was a gigantic bulletin board stretching across nearly twenty meters of wall.
Hundreds of papers were pinned onto it. Each sheet contained the information of awakeners available for hire, such as name, rank, specialization, experience, and monthly or yearly payment.
The worker gestured toward the board. "This is the recruitment board."
She continued as she explained briefly. "Awakeners who are currently unaffiliated often place their information here if they are looking for work."
"Are there many strong ones?" Liora tilted her head curiously, blinking her small eyes cutely as if she were skimming through the information in front of her.
She nodded and pointed toward the papers. "Quite a lot because the ranks available here range from C-rank to A-rank."
She continued her explanation with a slight smile. "Most of them are C-rank awakeners, roughly sixty percent. About thirty percent are B-rank and around ten percent are A-rank awakeners."
Liora gasped quietly, closing her mouth with her small hands. "A-rank?"
James smiled faintly, feeling satisfied because those kinds of experts were already considered top-tier powerhouses in most cities.
Naturally, their hiring prices were so astronomical that James was quite surprised when he looked at the lowest price of hiring a C-rank per month, which was $100,000.
James began scanning the board slowly and found out that most awakeners listed extremely high prices.
After several minutes of reading, James suddenly paused as his gaze landed on one particular paper.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "Interesting."
Kai stepped closer. "What is it?"
James took the paper down and handed it to him.
Kai then read the information.
Name: Victor Hale
Rank: B Rank Awakener
_Specialization: An experienced swordsman, expert in geography in the surrounding area
_Experience: Multiple expeditions outside Sora City / Cross-border exploration
_Condition: Left arm missing
Kai frowned. "His left hand is gone."
James nodded. "Yes."
That was exactly the reason why his price was so cheap because, despite being an experienced B-rank awakener, his monthly salary was around the same as those weak B-ranks who had just reached B-rank.
However, the most interesting part was written near the bottom.
"Even with my injury, I am still stronger than most average B-ranks."
James rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Someone like this… either has a huge ego, or he's telling the truth."
Lan Yaolei glanced at the information briefly and raised her eyebrow. "We can just check whether it's true or not once he's here, right?"
James raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You want to check it yourself?"
"Naturally." Lan Yaolei crossed her arms with a smile.
James chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders. "Alright then, if you say so."
He then placed the paper in his hand and nodded as he thought to himself. 'Let me choose him as the B rank that I want to hire.'
After that, James continued scanning the board. This time he focused on peak C-rank awakeners.
His selection criteria were simple. Experience and combat specialization.
A few minutes later he pulled out six more papers. They were two assassins, two swordsmen, and two close-combat awakeners. Each one was a peak C-rank awakener.
James looked at the papers and smiled faintly. "Perfect."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "You're hiring all of them?"
James only nodded in response, then took out his phone and began calling the contact numbers listed on the papers.
One by one, the calls connected.
James spoke calmly every time. "This is James Morgan. I saw your recruitment listing, and I'm interested in hiring you."
"Yes… We'll discuss the details in person."
"I'm currently inside the Awakener Association building."
After finishing the calls, James slipped his phone back into his pocket. "They'll arrive soon."
Liora blinked. "All of them?"
James patted her head with a smile. "Yes."
The worker standing nearby had been silently watching this entire process. Her expression had gradually changed because at first, she assumed they were just rich kids browsing for fun.
But now, they had just contacted one B-rank and six peak C-ranks, as they wanted to hire them like it was nothing. That kind of spending power was not ordinary.
Just then, James turned toward her again. "I also have another matter."
The worker straightened slightly. "Yes?"
James spoke calmly. "I want to create a guild."
The words landed like a bomb, as the worker's eyes widened instantly. "Y-you want to create your own guild?"
She stared at him in disbelief, as creating a guild was not a simple matter.
First, the founder had to meet the minimum power requirement—at least a C-rank awakener.
Second, they needed 10 registered members.
Third, they required an official approval from the Awakener Association.
It involved complicated procedures and background checks, yet the young man in front of her spoke about it like he was buying groceries.
She glanced at James again, then at Kai and Lan Yaolei.
Her mind quickly made a conclusion as she thought that they must be children from some extremely rich family. Probably spoiled heirs who wanted to play around.
She spoke carefully with a polite smile so as to not offend rich people like them since it would only bring her trouble. "I understand, but forming a guild requires certain qualifications."