The full power of Aiden's agility stat kicked in. Time seemed to have freezed as Aiden saw the attack heading towards him in slow motion.
He dodged to the left, causing the attack to strike a tree instead.
BOOM! BOOM!
The rocky orb blasted it's way through two trees before loosing it's power.
"Oh? you dodged?" a shock voice was heard as six figures appeared before Aiden.
The one who spoke was a fatty with a funky hair style.
"What? you think every random kid you come across is a weakling?" one of the fatty's companion sneered.
He had black spiky hair and was tall. He seemed to be sixteen years old by virtue of his appearance.
"But it's good right? that he's strong" a girl with pony tails laughed.
She was the youngest and was around Aiden's age.
"Hey kid, you are an Elite right? identify yourself!" the guy with spiky hair hollered haughtily.
"Really? your companion almost killed me and you can't even apologize?" Aiden barked in reply.
He felt anger. In his former reality, he detested bullies.
"Hahaha. Sorry? force me then" the guy with spiky hair laughed like what he just heard was a joke.
"That's enough!" suddenly, a cold voice was heard.
It was from a girl in the group. She had a cold attitude and had silver coloured hair. She was strangely, the same age as Aiden.
"Yes lady Ishtar" the guy with spiky hair bowed fawningly at the silver haired girly.
Aiden scrunched his nose in disgust. What a dog.
"What's your name?" Ishtar asked.
Her tone had a chilly effect in them making Aiden feel like multiple ice needles were pricking at his heart.
"Aiden"
"Aiden? he dosen't even have a family name" the guy with spiky hair laughed.
He seemed to be the noiseist of the group.
"Jay, shut your trap" Ishtar snapped coldly then turned her attention towards Aiden.
"You must have recently awakened?"
"You.. how did you figure that out?" Aiden grew cautious.
"It's not hard to guess.. that fatty is just like you" Ishtar replied in a lukeworm tone.
"You shouldn't be here" Ishtar added.
"Let's go" a pair of boots sudddenly wrapped around her feets.
Whoosh!
All Aiden felt was a gust of wind blow past his ear and then Ishtar was gone.
She didn't even leave an afterimage!
"Let's go!" the remaining five completely ignored Aiden, racing after Ishtar.
Apart from the fatty, the rest left after images when they moved.
"Whoa. They must be from a school or something" Aiden recalled that they were clad in matching outfits.
According to those webnovels he usually read in his former alternate reality, the magic society always had sects and schools.
Maybe this one wasn't an exception.
However, Aiden threw these thoughts in the back of his head and began to make his way out of the forest.
Meanwhile..
"Lady Ishtar, why didn't you kill that brat?" Jay frowned at Ishtar.
They were currently at one of the dangerous regions in the forest. On the ground were two bear with spiky hides, breathless.
"Why should i? he's just a weak level one novice rank kid" Ishtar shrugged.
"What if he compromises the mission?"
"Aren't you overthinking things? what can a weakling like him do uh?" Ishtar shook her head.
"Let's hurry up, we are still far from the Ruins" a map appeared in her grip.
Aiden finally exited the forest, finally seeing the almost foreign sight of cars and vehicles moving through the road.
Unlike in his former reality, the roads in this one were quite industralized and lacked an potholes.
Aiden flagged down a cab.
"Where to?" the cab man winded down and asked.
"Where is the nearest human settlement?" Aiden replied with a question.
"You must have been stranded here huh?" the cab man glanced at Aiden's worn out trouser and bare torso.
"Well.." Aiden scratched his head.
"I hate seeing kids like you suffer. Get in, i will give you a lift free of charge" the cab man generously claimed, punching a button on the cab dashboard.
The passenger seat began to part open, when Aiden got in, it shut itself.
"So, how did you find yourself in the dangerous forest of Vyl?" the driver turned towards Aiden as he began driving.
"I got captured by a bunch of kidnappers. Luckily, a mage just happened to be passing by. He beat them up and told me to leave the forest" Aiden lied.
"You must be lucky chap, to have encountered a mage. Not many have such a privilage" the cab man sighed in awe.
"Are mages that rare?" Aiden asked, puzzled.
"Extremely. For a little town such as Clear Wave town, mages are akin to gods.. ancestral gods"
"Excluding talent. The price to awaken, not just everyone can afford it" the cab man shook his head sadly.
"You mean awakening orb? wait, people can also awaken without foreign assistance?"
"Yes. They are blessed sons and daughters of heaven with unlimited potential. But such existences are even rarer than mages themselves. Only one out of ten thousand can achieve this feat!"
Aiden was shocked. And here he was, thinking that he was the most talented person in this world.
Well, not that he cared about competition. His dream was to be strong, nothing else.
"But there is another method to awaken, and that's through an awakening orb. But these items are too expensive. The lowest grade costs a thousand dynocores. The richest man in Clear wave town has a mere networth of eight hundred dynocores"
"Dynocores are so rare?" Aiden was shocked yet again.
This world was just too much! In his former world, the most valuable currency was USD, yet it was not as costly as Dynocores.
"Yes. Below dynocores are Melcions. A hundred melcion is equivalent to a single dynocores"
Aiden nodded solemnly, ingraining this new information in the deepest part of his memory.
"Oh, i forgot to ask but where are you taking me to?" Aiden suddenly recalled that the cabman didn't even ask for his destination.
"Clear wave Mercenary Association branch" the cab man replied.
* * *
"This is the mercenary association branch here in Clear Wave town?" Aiden was amused.
Before him was a large seven storied building. Rough looking people both males and females continously trooped in and out, like there wasn't an end.
Erected on the top building was a flag with twelve stars dripping with blood surrounding a blazing skull.
On the flag were the below calligraphy:
'MERCENARY ASSOCIATION'
"In Clear Wave town, we have a whooping of five Mercenary guilds and they all occupy a floor. The last floor belongs to the Guild Chairmaster of the Mercenary Association branch. Every Guild is superimposed to follow his instructions" the cab man besides Aiden gave an explaination.
Then he got into the cab and started the ignition.
"You're going?" Aiden was surprised.
"Any problems?"
"Aren't you going to ask the Mercenary Association for a reward for saving me?" Aiden had an ignorant pout on his lips.
The cab man couldn't resist bursting into a fit of laughter.
"The mercenaries are not like the police. Their main job is to serve as escorts to those weak rich scions when they travel on dangerous routes, and clear ruins" the cabman explained, amidst laughter.
"Oh" Aiden realized his error.
He waved the cabman goodbye and watched as it drove off. He then turned towards the big building.
"I am completely broke right now that i can't even afford transportation" he laughed self mockingly, while making his way towards the big huge building.
"Who are you kid? and what is your aim for coming here? are you here to find your daddy?" the burly man dressed in black combat vest stopped Aiden at the entrance.
"I want to become a mercenary" Aiden revealed his palm, which had a tongue of flames.
The burly man became serious. He snapped his finger and a scroll and pen appeared floating before Aiden.
"Fill up"
Aiden grabbed the floating scroll, skimming through it's contents.
It was nothing much. It was just requesting for his info data.
Without any delays, he filled it up and handed it to the burly man.
"What's your cultivation level?"
"First level novice rank"
The burly man nodded. There were no lack of novice rank mages who always came trying to register as Mercenaries.
It was either they were poor, or overestimating themselves.
"There are five Mercenaries guild in this building. Yellow Vale mercenaries, Fury Blade mercenaries, Siver Eagles mercenaries, Bison Slaughter mercenaries"
"What is their power ranking?"
The burly man smiled. He already anticipated this question because that was what the newbies always asked.
"Fury Blade mercenaries are the strongest. Following after are the Silver Eagle mercenaries. Below them are the Bison Slaughter mercenaries and Yellow Vale mercenaries"
Aiden fell into contemplation. He wanted to farm exp and also earn money. His only choice was to join the strongest Mercenary guild so he could clear even more dangerous ruins.
From just the name alone, he deduced that Fury Blade mercenary guild only allowed swordsmen to join them. So he set his sights on Silver Eagle mercenary guild.
"I wish to join Silver Eagle guild" Aiden informed the burly man.
"Heh, your aspirations are high, but can you ace it with your strength? the Silver Eagle guild isn't a place where just anyone can join"
"Although they are in the top three mercenary guilds in Clear Wave town, their crew isn't more than ten!"
Aiden's eyes constricted. Less than ten? how could they be so picky huh?!
"So brat, you better reconsider" the burly man huffed.
He was confident that the kid in front of him would back down.
"What's the stress Ulr? the kid wants to join my Silver Eagle mercenary guild. Why do you care huh?" a lazy female voice sounded from behind the burly man.
Cold sweat dripped from Ulr's forehead as he found that voice to be extremely familiar. How could it be that crazy lady?!
"Hey young blood. You can call me Tara, i heard that you want to join Silver Eagle mercenary guild eh? it just so happens that i am a member too!" Tara flashed a sweet smile at Aiden.
Poor youth. All he could do was stare at her with a mesmerized expression.
Tara seemed to be in her late twenties, with aurburn hair that reached her shoulder. She had smooth fair skin that seemed so delicate.
Her juicy red lips had a certain allure that would make most men have the urge to taste them.
Unlike the gaze Aiden was sending at Tara, Ulr was trembling with fright.
"T-Tara? you returned from that Ruins?"
"What? you were expecting me to die there?" Tara sent a kick at his way.
By the time Ulr could react, he was sent flying ten metres away, crashing roughly on the ground.
"Listen well scum, don't think we Silver Eagle mercenaries don't know about how you Bison Slaughter mercenaries cause many potential crew members to join your cause"
"We tried ignoring you scums, but it seems like that gave you people the room to get more confidence"
"If i hear or see such a shameless act from you Bison Slaughter mercenaries again, then prepare to become sworn enemies with my Silver Eagle mercenary guild" Tara gave a domineering warning.
Then she turned towards Aiden, flashing him a breathtakingly warm smile.
"Let's go"