In the morning, after getting ready, he boarded a bus and arrived at the Explorers' League headquarters.
The building stood tall with 20 stories of high-quality glass and sleek materials. After scanning his ID at the entrance, he stepped inside. The lobby bustled with activity—people conversing, examining weapons, and checking information boards. Unsure of where to begin, he approached a man engrossed in a 50-inch screen.
"Excuse me," he began, "I'm new here. Could you tell me where I need to register?"
"Go to the reception area and ask those pretty girls over there," the man said with a smirk.
Asher glanced in the direction he was pointing and saw a line forming in front of a counter. He thanked the man and moved forward.
The reception area had ten counters, each attended by a receptionist, with 10-15 people, mostly students who had just awakened, waiting in line. Not wanting to cause any trouble, Asher scanned the receptionists using his insights. One girl caught his attention: she appeared to be a teenager with black eyes, red hair, and a slender figure.
Name: Sarah Fowler
Level: 15 (200/18000)
Bloodline: Moonlit Whisperfox (dormant)
Titles: Nil
Traits: Eidetic thinking
Skills: Focused Contemplation, Analyze, Mind's Eye Visualization, Mind drill, …
Power: Apprentice
Profession(s): Analyzer (Novice)
Familiar: Nil
Summons : Nil
Strength: 18
Agility: 21
Physique: 17
Aether: 250
Intelligence: 31
Affinities: Mind
Situation: Nervous due to first day as a receptionist
He was intrigued that it was her first day and her traits and skills showed that she was a rare intellectual-type awakener. He noticed that there were fewer people at her counter than the others, probably because she was a newcomer.
He went toward her line, where eight people stood in front of him. As he waited, he took out his phone to read some forums. After a while, it was his turn. He handed her his ID and said, "I'm newly awakened. Can you help me register as an adventurer?"
Sarah looked at Asher, who was probably younger than her but had a handsome look and alluring eyes. She took his ID and handed him a form to fill out. While he was completing the form, she used Analyze to try to look through him. Although she could see some details, her intuition told her that something was not right.
After pondering for a while, she said, "Do you want an exclusive receptionist, someone you can contact anytime when you are entering dungeons or trying to sell or buy something from the League?"
Asher pondered for a moment and asked, "How much does that cost?" He knew he didn't have much money left after his purchase yesterday.
She knew from scanning his ID that he was an orphan and said, "It's not much, just a small commission depending on the help or task you want me to do. Let's say you are selling monster cores worth 10,000 Aetherium to the League through me. I would get a 100 Aetherium commission."
Before he could reply, she continued, "You must know that it's time-consuming and less profitable to sell them in the market. If you sell them directly to the League, you have to wait for some time and may even incur appraisal costs. An exclusive receptionist makes this process much smoother."
What she didn't tell him was that every receptionist could only have at most 25 exclusive adventurers, and he was her first. She had a feeling that the boy in front of her was not as simple as he looked.
Asher pondered for a while and accepted her offer. She gave him her contact card and reached out her hand, saying, "I'm Sarah Fowler. Pleased to work as an exclusive receptionist for you."
Asher shook her hand. "Asher Embers. Happy cooperation."
He handed her back the form, and after a short while, she returned his ID. He received a message saying that he was now a Level 1 adventurer of the Explorers' League and that he had gained access to league forums, online stores, and more. He was delighted and then asked Sarah, "I want to enter Spider Hollow today. Can you help with that?"
Sarah nodded and was about to check when she heard him continue, "I have a special token given by my school to enter dungeons." He displayed the token on his phone.
Seeing it, she recognized it as a token given to special students who had just awakened and were the absolute best of each school. She took his ID and completed the procedure, then said, "You can go to the 5th floor to directly access the dungeon. Next time you need something from me, you don't have to come here; you can just text or call me."
He thanked her and headed toward the lift.
When he reached the fifth floor, he saw that it was a large hall with many space portals neatly arranged on each side. A staff member was seated near each portal. He could see people with bloodied armour and robes coming out of the portals, chatting with their teams.
Seeing this, he knew that many people tended to explore dungeons as a team. But since he had many secrets, he didn't like that. He had always been a loner, even when his parents were around.
He went towards a portal and said to the male staff, "Hello, I want to enter Spider Hollow. Do you know which portal to use?"
The man laughed and asked, "Is this your first time?" Seeing Asher nod, he continued, "These are not portals to dungeons but just space portals that help you enter wherever you need to through space coordinates."
With a slightly embarrassed smile, Asher handed over his ID. The man examined it and cautioned, "While entering alone can be profitable, it's risky. Many dungeons are dangerous."
Asher nodded in understanding as the man inputted something into the panel. Returning the ID, he said, "You can enter now. The portal will take you directly into the dungeon."
Taking a deep breath, Asher stepped through the portal into the dungeon.