Asher tapped the side of his cup. The surface was warm, but his thoughts were already moving ahead.
It might be a hassle, but if he raised his status in Starfront, he could use the sa credentials to access the other Hyperion portals —beating all birds with one stone.
"So, if I choose it, what happens first? Do they just throw into a mission right away?"
Shery shook her head. "Not exactly. First, there's an orientation phase. They'll run a basic physical and taphysical test to figure out your abilities and what is your combat style. Nothing too serious. It's mostly to make it easier for you to join a squad."
"So I have to join a squad?" Asher asked. "What if I prefer working alone?"
She shook her head. "You can't. Especially not as a newbie who hasn't made a na for himself yet. Even if you got evaluated as A rank, you'd still have to join a squad—minimum of four mbers. "
"What if I'm higher?"
Shery froze. She stared at him for a beat before bursting into laughter.
"You've got quite a sense of humor, Boss," she gasped, wiping her eyes.
Asher didn't argue. "Just tell —would it change anything?"
Shery's smile faded. She leaned forward a bit, trying to read his face.
"If you're serious... yeah. It'd change everything," she said quietly. "With that kind of power, they'd probably skip orientation and offer you a squad of your own. Maybe even give you direct missions from command."
She paused, watching him closely. "Are you really an S Rank, Boss?"
"No, I was just curious," he shook his head.
Shery exhaled, a bit relieved but still a little uneasy. "Right... well, don't go around making jokes like that. People take S rank seriously in starfront. You don't want to end up in a bad situation."
Asher gave a small nod. "Noted."
When they were done eating, he leaned back, starting to ask more practical questions, like how life worked on this planet and where he could get a mobile phone.
"If you have the money, you should get a gear model. It's like a phone, but you wear it on your wrist. The downside is they cost more because they're made from stronger materials that can handle high-speed movent." She smiled.
"That's interesting. Take to one of their stores."
"Got it, Boss," Shery replied with a quick nod.
They moved to another area, where a sleek, driverless silver taxi waited. Asher scanned his card, and with a quick tap on the dashboard, he set the destination.
The taxi humd to life, lifting off the ground smoothly. There were no drivers, just a quiet, efficient system guiding them through the air.
He leaned back, impressed by how seamlessly it all worked.
In no ti, they reached their destination. The area was still in the uptown district, and everything around them scread expensive.
The buildings were sleek, modern, and polished, with high-end stores lining the streets.
But before they headed to the mobile store, Shery insisted they stop by a clothing shop first.
"That robe of yours is way too simple," she said, eyeing his attire.
Asher shrugged. "I could change it to sothing else, but it'd just draw more attention."
She raised an eyebrow. "Exactly. You want to fit in here, right? Might as well look the part."
He thought for a mont before nodding. "Alright, let's go."
They walked into the clothing store, and he imdiately noticed how different it felt.
The air was cool, and there was soft music playing in the background. The store looked clean and modern, with clothes neatly displayed that seed both useful and stylish.
Shery didn't waste any ti. She headed straight to a section of robes and coats made from tallic fabrics.
"This is what you need," she said, grabbing a silver robe with a subtle design. "It's simple but stylish, and the material is light but strong—perfect if you need to move quickly."
Asher looked at the robe, unsure. "I don't want anything too flashy."
She smiled. "It's not flashy. It's classy. You want to look like you belong here, not like you just stepped out of an underdeveloped planet."
He thought for a mont and nodded. "Alright, I'll try it."
As he stepped out of the fitting room, Shery found herself staring a little too long. She couldn't help but notice just how handso he really was.
His features stood out even more in those stylish clothes, and Shery felt a little hot and self-conscious.
She quickly cleared her throat, looking away. "Uh, yeah... those clothes look good on you."
Asher raised an eyebrow, catching the slight blush on her face.
Shery, trying to stay focused, quickly added, "Alright, let's get this paid for. We've got things to do."
Asher nodded, his magic robe still underneath, so he didn't have to worry about his defense.
Shery led the way to the checkout, eager to move on, though still a bit flustered from earlier.
After they walked out of the store, he couldn't help but notice the won around them stealing glances.
So even took quick, sneaky photos of him when they thought he wasn't looking.
Shery caught the stares, rolling her eyes a little. "Boss, why do I feel like my plan to make you blend in is backfiring? I think you're too attractive for your own good."
She tried to hide her own embarrassnt by joking, but it only made her flush even more.
Asher glanced at her. "I was just born this way."
"You're very humble, boss," Shery forced a smile, though it felt tight on her face. He was just telling the truth, but the way he said it ca off a bit too arrogant.
But she had to admit, he was really handso. Too bad she could tell he wasn't interested in her.
While she was lost in her thoughts, they reached the next store.
When they stepped inside, they were imdiately greeted by rows of gadgets, all neatly arranged in open spaces for custors to try them out.
People moved around, fully imrsed in virtual worlds, their faces covered by sleek VR glasses.
Others slipped into capsules, disappearing inside them for an even deeper level of imrsion, where reality seed to blur with fantasy.
It was like walking into a gar's dream co true—every item seed designed to bring the most imrsive experiences possible.
An attendant quickly approached them, greeting them with a wide smile. "How can I help you today?" she asked, her tone friendly and professional.
Shery, taking the lead, explained, "We're looking for the latest and most expensive gear-type phone."
The attendant's eyes lit up with excitent at the request. Another big commission was coming her way.
"This way, please." She gestured for them to follow and led them deeper into the store.
"As luck would have it," she began, "you're in for a treat. Razer Tech, one of the top tech companies in the universe, has just released their newest model—the Helios 185 Pro Maximum."
With a confident smile, she opened a sleek briefcase with a code, and the case hissed open, revealing what looked like a high-tech black and orange bracer.
She continued, "This phone uses hologram tech and gesture control. You can interact with it hands-free, and it automatically connects to internet networks anywhere in the universe."
Shery's eyes sparkled at the sight of the Helios Pro Maximum. She had only ever dread of owning sothing like it, knowing full well it was far beyond her budget.
"How much is it?" she asked.
The attendant, still smiling confidently, looked at Asher. "The Helios Pro Maximum costs 1.5 million units. It has 1 petabyte of mory, advanced AI, a 3200-gapixel cara, lifeti internet access, and a 500x optical zoom with a 1500x digital zoom."
Before she could say more, Asher handed over his card and paid. He didn't need any convincing; the price didn't matter to him.
Once the paynt was complete, he asked how to set it up.
With his sharp mind and the user-friendly interface, it didn't take long to get everything running.
He saved Shery's number first, and then they finally headed to the Starfront building.
Each city had only one HQ, and the one they were heading to was the largest on the planet.
The Starfront HQ wasn't tall, but it was impressively wide. With six floors, each one stretched out as wide as an entire football coliseum. It had no windows too and looked more like an oversized cube.
Inside.
Right from the start, the average strength of the people soared. The weakest here were E Rank, aning they were only slightly weaker than the S Rank awakeners from his ho planet.
And that didn't even factor in their weapons or items, which were likely far more advanced.
They headed straight to the main receiving area, where thirty windows lined the space, with clerks handling mbers either taking on missions or just returning from one.
On the side, he noticed several other areas, like a lobby for sitting and hanging out, a weapon store, a gadget shop, maintenance sections, and more.
There was even a store dedicated to selling spaceships.
It was like walking into a mall, with the sheer number of people everywhere.
Shery offered so insights.
"Starfront stays busy because it's the most accessible organization, so this kind of traffic is normal."
"The stores here make things easier. mbers can grab what they need right away. There's also a portals that takes you straight to the space station once you join. It costs more than the public one, but it saves a lot of ti."
Asher just nodded, taking in his surroundings, when suddenly a voice called from behind them.
"Shery Hos, what's soone like you doing in a place like this?"
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