To save time, they briefed me on the collected information and introduced themselves.
I learned the female official's name to be Leora Vik. She was a doctor on the emergency response team. Once back in the city, she would be responsible for emergency dispatch to assist other teams during medical crises.
Tobias Berg. 35 years old, short blond hair with an average build. He has been working with the law enforcement's crisis response team for over a decade. Among the first assigned to this new branch. He was in charge of team 3. My gate was their first mission.
This was true across Norway. As soon as the event started, the national government created branches with a guideline for setting up as fast as possible. The first individuals assigned were those already working for the government or counties. They needed people who were prepared to take charge without delay. The Association headquarters resided in Oslo, the capital city. Every county created a branch with one person in charge to gather people and delegate work. As a global emergency, everyone was expected to help.
Every county had a research team. They were tasked with locating and mapping every tower and dungeon entrance in the county. Their task was to study the system, and the most reliable information came from those who had entered the dungeons. Someone awakened held greater importance.
Information was shared globally among most countries, like a give and take. The global operation was led by the US government. Reports showed that most people left entry points quickly and contacted authorities. Those curious chose to exit while possible. Multiple individuals entering a gate as a party could awaken through collaborative work. Several gates with people inside had yet to see anyone come out for a long time. This was for cases where they had knowledge of the gates and anyone entering. The amount of unknown gates or people entering in secret was not accounted for. I'd be in that category if not for Jennifer's concern.
They told me about the regional manager. Mr. Knut Haug. He used to be a well-known professor at the University of Troms. Human Resources was his chosen field of study. He had expertise in temporary hiring methods.
The research team sent scouts to enter dungeons and promptly leave after getting the necessary information. These people were military personnel. From tests by the US, modern weapons did not work inside the dungeons, that included any form of guns, grenades, bombs or vehicles and machinery. Guns wouldn't shoot, grenades and bombs didn't explode, machinery and vehicles couldn't even be started. Surprisingly, non-combat items like phones can function inside. The only functioning combat items were defensive armors that required no activation.
The scouts collected information on dungeon names, suitable levels, environment descriptions, and occasionally, the monsters inhabiting them. Globally, these operations had a few instances of failure. When the scouts never returned, they classified the gate as red level gates. They hypothesized that these gates had immediate dangerous environments or monsters waiting by the gate entrance. No one could enter these gates until further notice.
Norway managed the situation effectively from the start. Complete chaos or anarchy erupted in many countries. Most positions in the new government branches, known as the 'Awakened Association', were temporary. Few aspired to be in these positions, but they'd offer aid until things were under control.
They told me about the known awakenings. From what they've been told, everything from almost mundane skills to complete impossibilities of nature existed. There was a person who gained the talent to count a number of items instantly, another person could sing notes perfectly. At the opposite extreme, there were individuals who possessed magical healing spells for minor wounds, humans who could throw fire, and someone with the power to make small items float. The world was on the verge of going crazy! No; the world had already gone crazy.
They knew little more than this.
We landed close to the temporary Awakened Association regional headquarters. They used a P. E hall owned by the University as the building. They immediately brought me in to meet with the manager. The door to the room was opened by someone for me.
"Hello, please come in! My name is Knut Haug. Please have a seat."
I sat down across from him, only his work desk between us.
"I'm sorry, this is very rushed, but we're out of options. What is your name?" He extended his hand to pick up a piece of paper.
"I'm Arild Dahl. Nice to meet you." He stopped grabbing for his notes.
"Oh, great, you're here! I already heard about what happened. You've experimented inside the gate?" He looked expectant.
"Yes, I've indeed learned some things."
The conversation continued. I shared with him my knowledge of stats, leveling up, my bedroom dungeon, monster drops, my talent for learning, and my lightning skill. My other talent, Talent Harvester, I kept a secret. I abstained from going into too much detail about my own skills and stats.
They were aware of certain aspects, but sought confirmation. I was unsure if it was to cross-check their current data or to confirm my awakening.
Knut noted down all the information on his computer. He then asked if I'd be willing to help.
"I can, but what's in it for me?" I didn't want to leave empty-handed.
"You see... On the surface, a lot of countries are working together. We realize this won't always be the case. The world now allows for superhuman abilities. No one is betting on their military to reign superior anymore. Now, what matters is integrating into our new world. Researching magic, strengthening our citizens. It's as if the power rankings have been wiped clean."
These things didn't cross my mind until now. The dynamics of global power will experience major shifts depending on who can effectively capitalize on the system.
"We'd like to offer you our support, team members, trading of goods and anything you ask within our powers, for a fair price, of course. In return, we want more information and your strength if needed. We would also like to gather Mana crystals, and will trade for a high price."
That sounded good. I wasn't looking for team members, but trading is useful.
"This sounds quite good for me. What's the catch?" I was suspicious.
"There's not much of a catch. We simply value you and would like to keep a good business relationship." He took a slight pause before continuing.
"You're the only known person in the region to have gone in solo and awakened."
"Then I would like to work together, but I can't promise anything as I don't know what changes to expect soon."
"That's understandable. For now, do you have any crystals you'd be willing to sell?"
I brought out all my crystals. I didn't need them and could easily gather more. Knut's face stared vacantly at the crystals for a few seconds.
"You got these all by yourself! I mean, I know you did, but this is a lot!"
It occurred to me that many people didn't understand the concept of grinding and why it's important.
"This should be a normal amount for someone aiming to clear a dungeon. My goal wasn't to gather crystals, but to level up and train my skill proficiency."
Knut nodded in understanding. He gave me an offer.
"We will offer you 5000 for each low F-grade crystal and 50 000 for the mid-grade one. This is the highest price I can offer now. We don't know what to value them at yet. All I know is that they're valuable for research as well as preparations for beginner awakened."
"I accept!"
I was transferred 200,000 NOK to my bank account.
After exchanging contact information and getting assigned a town assistant, I headed towards the exit.
"Oh Arild, just a minor question. You mentioned killing monsters to train your skill proficiency as well. If you didn't know already, you can do that without fighting. It's better to stay safe!"