For him, constantly becoming stronger and protecting his most cherished family is everything. Amidst the raging flood outside, what does he need to care about? Even though the unknown young man has touched his heartstrings, Alden's thoughts remained unchanged. He strives to train hard, aspiring to become an Awakener, to find a high-paying job, and to lift his whole family out of the slums and into prosperity. In a sense, he is already an Awakener now and has taken the first step toward achieving his goal.
"A 90-point Awakener?" Alden closed his eyes and communicated with his Awakened power. A piece of information surged in his mind: "Outburst: temporarily enhances one's strength, agility, and Awakened power value explosively, with the duration and extent determined by the user's Awakened power intensity and mastery of abilities...""As a trade-off, after using the Outburst, the body and Awakened power value will temporarily weaken, also depending on the user's Awakened power intensity and mastery of abilities..." This was the relevant information about his Awakened ability.
"This ability... though straightforward, is undoubtedly very practical!" Compared to Leo's spatial abilities from a few days ago, the Outburst may not be as dazzling but it is more solid. It complements Alden's accumulation of Awakened power. If he can grow to a higher level, the combined explosive power of the two would be absolutely terrifying!
"Alas, such a talented Awakener is gone just like that." "If he chose to be a 'hunter' instead of a member of the expedition team, I wonder how much money he could earn." "Shh! Those law enforcement officers haven't gone far yet. Be careful they might hear you!" Several medical staff chatted as they shook their heads and walked away.
Alden was moved when he heard the word "hunter": Hunter is a grey occupational system, similar to the expedition team, consisting mostly of Awakeners and primarily undertaking various high-risk missions in the wilderness. Although not officially recognized, the membership structure is mixed. In comparison, being a hunter brings in high profits and often allows them to become wealthy overnight with just one or two missions. "To be honest, although the museum might yield results, given the museum's security, I'm afraid it'll be difficult to access those exotic animal corpses...'' "On the other hand, if I were to take on hunter missions, there may be some opportunities..."
After considering this, Alden left the hospital and hurried to the Hunter Association located in the southern part of the city. The place resembled the dilapidated buildings and slums. After some twists and turns, he finally found the target location.
"Hey, what's happening today, we've got a handsome young man here? Did a student get lost and end up here?" At the entrance, a graceful woman teased Alden.
"I'm here to apply as a hunter," Alden replied straightforwardly, ignoring the woman's banter.
"Humph! Where did this little brat come from? Don't waste time here!" A rugged-looking man scolded.
The woman smiled and tried to defuse the situation, "Regardless, he's here to apply, we should at least let him try, right?"
"You little flirt, don't be smitten just because he looks good! How much Awakened power can a student have? Applying as a hunter before completing the awakening, isn't this a waste of time?" The rough man grumbled discontentedly.
Suddenly, the rough man exclaimed. Alden, without looking back, walked to the Awakened power testing device. He skillfully extended his palm, gently placed it on the tester, and silently thought to himself, "Outburst!"
"This kid..." The rough man was perplexed. Their city, City A, was only a black iron-level town, and the defense forces depended mainly on technological weaponry. The strength and number of Awakeners were at the bottom. Therefore, their branch of the Hunter Association didn't attract many outstanding hunters.
As the head of the branch, Ken felt particularly pressured by this quarter's performance assessment. At this crucial moment, a teenager suddenly appeared, still underage, and clamoring to apply as a hunter. Wasn't he clearly asking for trouble?
Ken rolled up his sleeves, about to throw the troublemaking kid out, but suddenly felt a surge of tension. He discovered that this seemingly frail student was emitting terrifying Awakened power fluctuations!
The Awakened power testing device emitted an urgent buzzing sound, and Ken was astonished to see the numbers on the device soar to 246!
"How is this possible!" Ken blurted out, unable to help swearing. This level of Awakened power had reached the peak of the first rank! Although their branch had encountered Awakeners of such strength before, seeing someone so young possess such formidable power was truly unprecedented for Ken.
"This kind of terrifying talent is probably only found in the 'families' of the higher-level towns, right?" Ken thought to himself.
At that moment, several hunters reeking of alcohol opened the door curtain and walked in. They were equally shocked to see the numbers on the device: "This student has over two hundred? Where did this monster come from?"
Alden slowly turned around and looked calmly at Ken. "Can I join now?" At this moment, Alden had restrained the terrifying aura he had exuded earlier, but his demeanor conveyed a sense of calm and restraint, like a low-key powerhouse.
"Fill out a form, leave your personal information and contact details, and you can receive the hunter's badge," Ken regained his composure and said, pointing to a nearby table. Alden walked to the table and carefully filled out the application form. His deliberate actions carried a different meaning in the eyes of Ken and the other hunters: "Such a masterly demeanor at such a young age, truly a natural genius!" They both admired and envied him.
"I'm done," Alden said.
Finally, Alden completed the information perfectly, deftly picked up the hunter's badge from the table, then turned and left, leaving behind an admirable figure.
"He truly is a genius..."
In the minds of those present, Alden's image had grown larger.
However, what they did not see was that as soon as Alden stepped out of the guild, his face instantly turned pale. He quickly walked to an empty corner, and his limbs began to convulse violently, followed by painful vomiting.
"Why am I feeling like this?"
Alden felt as if there were ten thousand knives scraping inside his body, as if his limbs and bones were about to shatter.
He had never imagined that the seemingly powerful Awakened ability would have such terrifying side effects!
He couldn't fathom how the young man had fought through such pain.
"Perhaps it's because my Awakened power value is too low, not yet reaching the threshold of awakening, causing me to suffer more backlash when using the ability."
"Additionally, maybe it's because of my lack of experience and proficiency, combined with the fear of not being accepted and exerting too much force, leading to such severe side effects."
Alden had been good at analyzing since he was young, and even in such a painful state, he could still calmly think through the problem.
"As long as I don't excessively release my ability, I should be able to alleviate this pain... But mastering this balance will probably require a lot of practice."
After a few breaths, Alden felt his body gradually returning to normal. Although still very weak, he was in better shape than when his Awakened power value was 60.
He guessed that if he were to test now, his Awakened power value would probably be less than 60.
However, Alden was not worried about this. Instead, he revealed a meaningful smile.
"This kind of effect... is just right!"
Since everything had been settled, Alden returned home at ease.
"Where did you go? Why do you look so exhausted?" His father, sitting in a wheelchair, noticed Alden's altered state with just one glance, furrowing his brow and asking with concern.
Alden admired his father's sharp observation. As a former soldier, his father's insight far surpassed that of ordinary people. Quickly gathering his thoughts, Alden calmly responded, "I went to the training hall. I intensified my training today."
In addition to directly absorbing Awakened stones, absorbing Awakened power also involved strengthening the body's absorption of Awakened power in the air through high-intensity exercise. The training hall was established for this purpose, but its fees were a significant burden for Alden's family, so he rarely went there to practice.
"...Don't push yourself too hard. Just do your best," Lin Long didn't ask much, only reminding Alden to take care of himself and not to force things too much.
"Don't worry, Dad, I know my limits."
Alden looked at his aging father, feeling a tinge of sadness in his heart.
"It won't be long. In three months, I will bring a earth-shattering change to our family..."
He silently vowed in his heart. The time was not ripe yet, and he hoped to give his family an unexpected surprise.
At that moment, a knock suddenly came from the door.
Alden got up and opened the door, only to see a young girl standing there.
"You're Flora, Alia's classmate?"
He recognized the girl at a glance. About to inquire further, he was urgently pulled aside by her, receiving shocking news.
Alden fell silent instantly, and an oppressive aura surrounded him.
"Dad, I need to go out for something. I'll be back soon."
With a brief explanation, Alden left the house right after Flora. The two hurriedly made their way to a school.
It wasn't A City High School, but a middle school.
Alden led Flora swiftly into the school, heading straight to the back of the teaching building. They arrived in front of a group of people, and Alden spoke coldly:
"Who hit my sister?"