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Although Gareth tried to console Lucian as he withdrew his hand, there was still a look of despondency in his eyes. The feelings which rose in accord with the revelation of his failure were more than mere words could appease.
'I vowed to find my parents...how can I accomplish that with no power?' To Lucian, it meant everything to find out what happened to his parents, so this ordeal devastated him.
When Cyrus noticed this expression, he consoled his brother, "Stop it, this isn't the end. It is just a setback."
Unfortunately, just like Gareth, his words weren't enough to soothe Lucian. After all, his brother hadn't experienced what he just did. In fact, it could be said that Cyrus was treading on hallowed waters.
He wasn't just a normal A Rank, his potential had been classified as A+. Should he be chosen to become a Guardian, his current attainments would allow him to experience a worthwhile awakening. In his case, there was even a definite chance to become an S Rank— the guaranteed realm of a Guardian!
Be that as it may, Cyrus still felt it was part of his duty to make sure his brother didn't feel dejected. If that happened, it would be harder to accomplish their long-standing dream.
Fortunately, Lucian's mentality wasn't overly weak. The past 8 years of taking over his sibling's parental role influenced his mindset. It wasn't farfetched to say that a large portion of his childish fulfillment was sacrificed for the sake of his siblings.
"I know," Lucian nodded, preparing a facade to appease his brother. Still, Lucian couldn't help but sigh before presenting this facade.
The sigh released his accumulated worries, allowing Lucian to gather the needed courage, "It isn't as bad as I think. At least your potential is amazing. If I'm not mistaken, Doctor Arc said a beginner Guardian's salary was 100 million Credits. Yours should be top-notch as well!"
Due to his exclamation, Lucian's last few sentences were overheard. Those who came from families that possessed Guardians could only shake their heads at his naivete. More importantly, Alana, the other A rank was intrigued by their conversation.
Silently, she approached them, "Uhm, you do know that Guardians and Awakened Individuals reside at completely different levels, right? They stand in two different leagues. After all, a Guardian undergoes a different type of Awakening." Alana disclosed.
Caught off-guard, Lucian and Cyrus turned towards her. Although they knew there was a difference, they didn't understand how large the divide was. To put it simply, an A Rank Awakened would never be able to combat an S Rank Guardian. Their abilities just couldn't be compared.
Moreover, S Rank was merely the weakest Guardian range, the beginning of Guardianship.
In light of their expression, Alana understood that the gist of her words had eluded their understanding, "What I'm trying to say is that, as an A+ Ranked Awakened, you're lucky to see a tenth of that amount."
Both Lucian and Cyrus sucked in a sharp breath. If Cyrus could only receive a tenth of the mentioned number, it would take at least 10 years to accumulate the funds needed to move forward with their siblings' treatment.
"Furthermore, that 100 million Credits you mentioned is the salary of a Guardian, a being born from within the Monolith. You, on the other hand, still need time to grow into your abilities and are a mere Awakened. Because of this, whatever organization you are recruited to will tweak your salary to match your current ability," Alana added. "Well, unless you become a Guardian, of course."
Once again, Lucian and Cyrus felt as if there was a sledgehammer hitting their minds. It felt like they couldn't catch a break. Every word uttered by Alana crumbled their spirits as their goal grew increasingly distant.
"You seem knowledgeable, what type of salary can we expect from current abilities?" Lucian questioned, breaking the momentary pause between them.
Unfortunately, contrary to what Lucian expected, Alana couldn't present the desired answer, "I have no clue. Everyone's initial strength is different. Some may start weaker but grow much faster; others may start stronger but advance slower. It's just a matter of circumstance."
"What about starting with a strong initial ability along with a rapid growth rate?" Cyrus interjected.
"That's unlikely. The higher you start from, the more potential you exhaust as a drawback. Mm, but it might be possible. It is just an extremely rare case and usually found in the offspring of overwhelmingly strong individuals," Alana said, emphasizing the word extremely.
"I see," Lucian nodded. Although the chances were slim, as long as they weren't zero, then there was a chance of it happening.
"Lucky for us, the Fractured Monolith is slated to choose another batch to awaken as Guardians. Plus, it seems this time the focus group is those under the age of 18!" Alana exclaimed with evident excitement.
Every time the Fractured Monolith selected a new batch of Chosen, the age group was randomized, and the range was undetermined. It was designed this way to allow every age demographic of humanity a chance to become Guardians; an opportunity to change their lives. After all, Guardians weren't typical humans.
Not only was their lifespan exuberant, but the selection of abilities they could awaken was vast and strengthened as well. Granted, the degree of strengthening varied based on the type of awakening one warranted.
"The monolith is activating again this year?" Lucian gasped. Unlike before, the Fractured Monolith had already been activated three times this year. Typically, it would only perform an annual activation.
Activation was different from Guardian's reentering. Activation meant the expenditure of energy to draw in new arrivals.
Usually, an abrupt change in pattern would arouse suspicion, yet news related to this never circulated to the civilian circle. Both the Federation and Republic released deescalating statements along the lines of bullshit to pacify everyone.
They surmised that as the Fractured Monolith had absorbed enough residual Mana, it could activate more frequently. Some found it believable, but there were always those vagrants who thought outside the realm of logic. They compiled conspiracy theories.
Unfortunately for them, their theories never saw the light of day as not only did the Federation and Republic act, even the Guardian Corps and Awakened Association moved to suppress the rumor-filled malarkey.
"Yes," Alana nodded. She wanted to say more, but Gareth interrupted everyone with a loud cough.
"Ahem, this concludes the original awakening process. I congratulate the 60% of you who have received a ranking. If anyone would like to rent the usage of the training equipment here, you may stick around. For those of you who failed, it is about time to bid our farewells," Gareth said with a sigh.
It was always a pain to dismiss those who failed as if they were useless dregs, but that was the protocol of the association. If they were of no use, their presence wasn't welcome.
Gradually, the Awakened Association's crowd thinned until there were barely 100 people left, a mere fraction of the large audience that was just present moments ago. Since they knew the protocol, none of the failures fretted with Gareth and simply excused themselves.
Not to mention, Gareth was a bonafide A Rank Awakened. He wasn't in his growth stage; he had reached his peak for quite some time now. There wasn't a single human present who would want to go toe-to-toe with someone of his stature whilst possessing zero powers.
On the other hand, Lucian was the only one who failed yet stuck around. Obviously, this was Cyrus's doing, he inquired if Lucian could stay, in the capacity of him being his brother. Before answering, Gareth considered Cyrus's rank and ultimately allowed it to happen as a part of Cyrus's preferential treatment.
Afterward, Cyrus followed Gareth and met with the branch executives. They discussed a deal in confidence. And finally, they settled upon some type of agreement.
Provided that he signs a non-exclusive contract with the Association, they agreed to pay Cyrus 2.5 million Credits to best assist his growth. Constant stimulation was ideal for the smoothest advancement.
Despite the fact it was a mere fraction of what they needed; Cyrus didn't possess the means to argue a better deal. It was already non-exclusive, and he wasn't a Guardian. Outside of some exposure for the association, he wasn't obligated to do much else, nor was he restricted from forming contracts with other organizations.
Moreover, this was only a temporary contract.
On the other hand, Lucian's attention was invested elsewhere. He stared at the Monolith with a cryptic gaze. "Why does it feel like…"
Boom!
A shockwave occurred and the entire planet trembled in response to the quake. Something different was happening with the Monolith because every symbol on its exterior was lit up.