"That's a lot of goblins right ears, Awakener Ryder. Good job! But before we proceed, please put your hands on this crystal ball. This will tell if you're lying by just buying these goblin parts on the black market for the sake of completing the commission untruthfully or if you truly subjugated them…" The Awakener's receptionist, the woman who processed his registration after a simple verification test, asked Ryder as she received the pouch of proof filled with green-skinned ears.
A moment or two later…
Woom!
"Hoho, that's a pass! I apologize if that makes you a bit uncomfortable, but it is a precautionary measure against fraud. Anyway, please present your Awakener's Identification Card (AID) so that I can modify it to record your current feats, which will help you in any case you travel, visit, and take commissions on other branches of the guild."
Ryder handed the rectangular grey card containing his basic details as an Awakened person.
After some time, the receptionist muttered,
"Open Awakener's Status."
What followed was the holographic screen showing his status as a newly registered Awakened, which contained the number of cleared Guild Commissions, and Awakener's Points required to officially raise one's rank.
"I've finished its modification, Awakener Ryder. To become a 2-Star Awakener, you need at least 1,000 Awakener's Points atop of becoming a Dual Soul. Of course, missions that put your life at risk would provide a high number of the required points. Anyway, here's your financial remuneration as well as your AID. If you have any more queries, don't hesitate to ask!"
As the receptionist returned the AID, Ryder was prompted with the Chuuni System's notification.
Ding!
[You have completed the 1-Star Awakener's Guild Commission!]
[You have obtained 100 Awakener's Points!]
[You have obtained 10,000 Kum Coins!]
'I feel like I expected something different there…' Ryder inwardly sighed, realizing that the Awakener's Points and Kum Coins he received were NOT from the system's generosity but from the guild itself.
He was reminded of those webnovels he had read where the system would make the main character stronger by accomplishing missions. However, in his case, the Chuuni System simply recorded and informed him of what he had earned from his hard work.
'Whatever… I guess I'll have to ask this woman.' Donning the Stripper's Mask, Ryder pondered for a moment.
After a few seconds, staring at the green-eyed woman behind the cat's mask, he casually said, "Uh, excuse me. May I ask who commissioned the goblin subjugation that I just completed? If I am right, according to the Awakener's Guild Rule Book, there are two kinds of commissions; one is the guild-assigned and the other is personally-assigned."
Guild-Assigned commissions pertained to the list of missions for Awakeners that were created by the guild itself after meeting certain criteria such as complaints. On the other hand, the Personally-Assigned commissions were requests of individuals outside the jurisdiction of the Awakener's Guild. In other words, the guild would just serve as a bridge and remain neutral unless the commission involved the well-being of the guild member itself.
"Ah, wait a moment... I'll first verify if the information of the commissioner can be disclosed."
After a few seconds, Ryder received an answer.
"It's from Lihan of the Venerable Sky Clan. I wonder though… I believed this village you've saved was already abandoned by those scoundrel pussies." For a moment, even the receptionist let out her seemingly restrained hatred towards the infamous clan in the World of Chuuni.
"I see…" Ryder paused for a moment.
"Is something the matter, Awakener Ryder?" Sensing the sudden change in the man's atmosphere, the woman asked.
"Nope, nothing. By the way, let me check the available missions belonging to the 1-Star and 2-Star categories."
'I was right. That bastard's a Chaos Awakener who likes to play with the lives of unawaken, especially those from the secluded areas far from the reach of the thriving cities.' Ryder thought to himself, recalling the sword marks tragically painted on the bodies of the children and elderly scattered in the Goblin Village.
Ryder never met the man himself when he was playing the Cosmic Nomenclatures as a virtual reality, but his senses tingled when he heard such a seemingly familiar name during his travel earlier in the dawn. Aside from that, he recalled reading about such a Chaos Awakener, though an NPC, which was snuffed out by the Venerable Sky Clan itself in the official forum of the players.
'In other words… as far as I remember, he's a damn thief that was chased to the ends of the earth and died when a player managed to report him! It means…' Ryder instinctively gulped. 'Money, money, or a treasure!'
"Awakener Ryder…?"
At that moment, the receptionist's voice snapped him out of his little reverie.
"Ah, my bad. I was lost for a second there. Anyway…" Looking at the recommended commissions, both guild-assigned and personally-assigned, Ryder decided on which mission to take this time.
"Can I do bounty hunting, Miss Reina?"
He could not help but ask the guild receptionist, who was momentarily flustered after hearing her name written on her attire's nameplate.
Ding!
[The Affinity of the individual named "Reina" slightly increases.]
'…?!'
***
Ding!
[You have taken an Awakener's Guild Commission!]
[Awakener's Guild Commission]
Commission Rank: 2 Star
Commission Category: Report
Commission Details:
[The Venerable Sky Clan is urgently looking for a certain individual whose name is something that cannot be disclosed. However, he is known as the potential successor of the Illusion Blade of the Sky Clan who excels in changing his appearance. If there's something that can help the identifier verify his identity, it's the unchangeable scar on his wrist that symbolizes the emblem of the Venerable Sky Clan. Report any sightings of the particular individual to the nearest outpost of the clan and you will be handsomely rewarded!]
Commission Rewards: 200 Awakener's Points (AP), 100,000,000 Kum Coins
Commission Failure Penalty: [?]
Leaving the premises of the Awakener's Guild, Ryder's eyes squinted as he read the commission details.
'A hundred million Kum Coins as a financial reward? I wonder what this bastard has stolen?! But if there's something clear, it's that this man cannot risk exposing himself in any way… It doesn't matter to me though, time to hunt!'
Ryder had decided to see first for himself in regards to what item was in Lihan's possession.
***
Unnamed Village, Erindem Valley, near the Erindem Forest.
Across the said village, a poster of a wanted man who allegedly murdered Ran and Cassian incessantly spread.
"Take care of the man in a cat mask!"
"A Chaos Awakener on the loose!"
"Take care of The Stripper!"