After a while, Nitish closed the status screen and looked at Karl and Marco.
"So, how did it go for you guys?" he asked.
Marco was staring intensely at the air, excitement shining in his eyes, while Karl looked utterly shocked.
"I… I can't believe it worked this time," Karl muttered subconsciously.
His voice was low, but thanks to Nitish's enhanced senses, he caught it easily. He could feel the changes in his own body—his five senses had sharpened significantly, and somehow, he could perceive space itself.
Nitish glanced at Karl briefly and muttered to himself, "This guy isn't simple."
Well, it has nothing to do with me, he thought.
Meanwhile, one of the other minions crushed his mana core, but instead of being absorbed, the glowing mist simply dissipated into the air. The man's face went blank for a moment before he suddenly threw his head back and started screaming hysterically.
"Poor guy… It doesn't work for everyone," Marco sighed. "It's a miracle if even one in a hundred people awaken. But three out of five? That's unheard of."
"Yeah," Karl added. "It's nearly impossible for people with no bloodline or dormant abilities to awaken."
Nitish remained silent, listening intently.
Karl continued, "A person's class and dormant rank aren't something granted by the Voice of the Universe. They're inherited—something you're born with, not something you gain randomly."
Nitish stood still, but inside, his mind was racing. If classes and dormant ranks are inherited… then why did I get to choose mine?
Maybe it's because I'm an otherworlder…
Whatever the reason, it worked in his favor. His class seemed promising, and his dormant rank was S—that was definitely high.
"So, what's the plan?" Marco asked.
Nitish and Karl simply looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"If you guys don't have any plans, we should stick together for now—at least until we register with the Awakened Union. What do you say?" Marco suggested.
"I don't have a problem with that. I'm not the most social person, so having a group could be useful," Nitish said.
"I'm in too," Karl agreed.
Nitish turned to the two remaining minions, then glanced at William's unconscious body. "Maybe we should help them sell at least one of their mana cores," he suggested. Then, looking down at William, he muttered, "Man, this guy is pathetic. Got knocked out by a single kick."
Marco whistled. "That was one hell of a kick. Did you train in martial arts?"
"Nah," Nitish shrugged. "I'm just an average, ridiculously handsome guy who happens to be good at fighting." He grinned.
Karl slapped William awake. "Get up. You're coming with us," he ordered.
William nodded rapidly like a frightened chicken and followed them without question.
"So, do you know where the Awakened Union is?" Nitish asked Marco.
"Yeah, it's in the Inner City's West District," Marco replied.
Karl frowned. "The location isn't the problem. The moment we reveal that we're unregistered Awakened, they'll take us straight to the Union's branch." His expression darkened. "The real issue comes after that."
"They're going to question us… about our attributes and origins, right?" Nitish asked.
Karl nodded. "Yeah."