The next day came, and Aiden was left alone in their house. His mother had gone to her part-time job, while his sister was attending her final year of high school.
Since yesterday, Aiden had been anxiously waiting for Liam's call. To cope with his impatience, he spent his time learning more and speculating about his Talent.
If he had a Talent to steal other Talents, would that technically change his real Talent, or would he just use it at will? What mattered most was his growth and the nature of his true Talent.
Although there wasn't clear technology for determining a person's exact Talent, relying only on discovered Talents to make comparisons, it was unclear if anyone could truly uncover his real ability.
However, that didn't concern him for now. What he needed was to grow and learn more about his first Talent. To ensure he didn't waste time or opportunities, and to achieve his goals, he needed to train his Lightning Manipulation.
An idea struck him—to search for videos online. While formal education wasn't essential, as most schools only provided certifications of completion, it mattered to him. He only had one life, and he couldn't waste it in Nexus.
After a few hours of searching, he couldn't find any helpful content on Lightning Manipulation.
Typically, Talents and science were closely related. To better understand each type of Talent, researchers studied the corresponding scientific principles and applied them to the Talent. As a result, only Talents that had been discovered could be explained by current technology.
Aiden then decided to research more about lightning.
While Lightning Manipulation defied some aspects of science, there was still much to learn from it.
From what he found, lightning is a sudden and intense discharge of electricity. With this understanding, he searched for more Talents related to electricity. Lightning Manipulation was one of them, but he knew he needed to learn more about electricity before fully grasping Lightning Manipulation.
After researching related Talents and understanding the differences in discharges, he realized that Lightning Manipulation involved controlling sudden discharges and generating enough potential difference to release it as a bolt.
'Clearly, Lightning Manipulation still defied the logic of science, so there's more to learn about this Talent. I thought it was just about feeling it and discharging, but it's not. The higher the potential rank, the harder it is to master.'
That might also be why learning everything about Talents was so difficult, and why it was important not to overlook non-Talented individuals in Solaria. Non-Talented people played a crucial role in research and discovery, as life might be easier for the Talented, but they couldn't push the boundaries of knowledge alone.
Thus, the existence of researchers was vital to the advancement of Solaria.
'Lightning can have different colors depending on the components it contains. Just reading about this is giving me a headache.'
Before Aiden could fully immerse himself in understanding the nature of his Talent and get frustrated by the dense information online, he received a call.
He picked up his phone and saw that it was Liam—just the call he had been waiting for since yesterday.
Answering, Aiden asked, "So, have you convinced your boss?"
On the other end, Liam hesitated to deliver the news from his superiors.
"Well, they've funded the budget for training and dungeon rental fees, so they were hesitant to accept your conditions."
Aiden sighed, feeling disappointed and wondering if he had been too greedy. However, he had already set his standards, knowing his real worth.
'In reality, I'm offering this starting guild an opportunity. Even though I want to be flexible and not flaunt my Master-Tier Talent, it's still beneficial for them.'
"The guild's advantage here is that I still lack formal education, which means I'll follow instructions as long as they're reasonable. While my conditions might seem absurd, you do understand the potential of a Master-Tier Talent, right?"
"We do. That's why my superiors will only accept your conditions if you agree to theirs. Fortunately, they've drawn a compromise. They'll accept your terms if you can deliver strong results. Basically, they want you to bring recognition to A-One Guild during your quarter-year stay. If you can do that, they're willing to accept your demands."
Hearing this, Aiden couldn't help but feel elated. He was one step closer to a better life. The thought of his mother leaving her unfair part-time job and being able to send his sister to university filled him with excitement.
It was great news, though it came with a challenge that would test his abilities.
"I know my terms were tough to accept, so this is their counteroffer?" Aiden said calmly over the phone, trying to sound understanding. "Alright, I accept."
'In a month, I'll be able to gain another Talent. But just to be sure, I need to plan which Talent I should target. Plus, I'll need to focus on how to make a name for A-One Guild.'
While the chance of becoming famous was slim, given that A-One had no base of supporters, Aiden knew it was possible. After all, AA Enterprises Inc. monopolized their industry, leaving consumers with no other choice but to engage with them. That could work in his favor.
'Thinking about it, AA must be aiming to extend their networks to the younger generation, securing a spot in the tide of changing industry trends. This must be part of their strategy.'
Enough thinking—Aiden had scheduled a meeting with Liam and other employees to exchange signatures.
If he wanted to receive his first salary, he'd need an advisor to ensure the contract modifications would proceed smoothly.
After a week of finalizing the contract, Aiden headed to the A-One Guild office. It was in a condominium building located downtown in Sunrise City, which was convenient since he didn't have to travel to another city just for the office.
Liam and the rest of the guild welcomed Aiden. They made up the three employees in the combined HR and PR department of A-One. Meanwhile, the marketing, legal, and other departments were at AA Enterprises Inc.'s main office, providing minimal support to A-One.
"Officially, A-One isn't registered under AA Enterprises. It's listed under an associate's name, so we can't openly mention our ties to AA Enterprises," Liam explained while giving Aiden a tour around the modest office, divided by a few employee desks.
"This is the lounge, and that room will be your office. Although you're not an employee but a business partner, from time to time, you'll need to review documents to help the guild."
"That's not a problem. My goal in seeking flexibility was to see how long the guild would last. Even though it's a short contract, I'll still do my best—building a legacy excites me."
Liam nodded without much reaction, though it seemed that meeting Aiden had shifted his perspective. There was a lot he still needed to learn about the world, especially after almost misjudging Aiden as someone from the slums.
'Maybe he just has bad fashion sense. Someone from the slums wouldn't be that skilled at negotiating.'
Soon, just a few days later, the guild signed a joint training agreement with other small guilds—something Aiden had been waiting for to learn more about Lightning Manipulation. In the days leading up to it, he relied heavily on the internet, which had only helped him manage to discharge small lightning bolts.
With his expectations set, Aiden dove into training Lightning Manipulation, preparing for his next visit to Nexus.
…
Colonel Talent School, Jasmine City
Seeing other Talented people, Aiden couldn't help but peek on their Talents. However, he was immediately disappointed when the screen appeared with just the cooldown.
[20 days remaining.]
Another feature was discovered—he couldn't check other people's Talents if he had already stolen someone's. Knowing this, he had to carefully choose his next Talent, something he wouldn't regret exchanging for the ability to pry into others' Talents.
A week had passed normally, studying his Talent, Lightning Manipulation, with the help of an expert.
Since the guild had enrolled him in a reputable school, he had already begun to grasp the Talent's potential.
After returning home, his mother, Luise, was already preparing dinner.
"You're home already?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.
Aiden nodded, taking off his shoes before stepping inside.
"I've noticed you haven't been going to Nexus much. Thank goodness."
'Mother must be really worried every time I enter Nexus.'
"I got a job."
Hearing the news, Luise couldn't contain her joy. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment—her son finally away from great danger.
"That's wonderful! So, what kind of job did you get?"
"Secret. I'll surprise you later."
'Well, she wouldn't be too happy since it still involves Nexus. But I want to surprise them—I want to buy a real house for us.'