After completing his visit to the awakener’s association and giving his own take on what had transpired, and doing so other legal things. Moon made his way back to his house.
On the way, a subtle but unmistakable frown ford on Moon’s face.
’Sobody is following ...’
Moon wasn’t certain exactly when the tail had begun, but the presence was undeniable now. It was concerning for multiple reasons.
Unlike the First Sanctuary where threats ca from beasts and fellow awakeners capped at level twenty-five, Earth presented dangers of an entirely different magnitude. Awakeners here weren’t limited by sanctuary restrictions. They could be any level, possess Second Order equipnt, and wield powers Moon couldn’t begin to fight against.
For all he knew, the person following him could be a Second Sanctuary awakener—an Evolver—which was sothing he absolutely couldn’t handle at his current stage of developnt.
The power gap between those who’d undergone their first class evolution and those who hadn’t was enormous. Not just the level difference, but the transformation in attributes, skills, and capabilities. There was a reason Second Sanctuary awakeners weren’t called re awakeners anymore, but Evolvers. They’d evolved their entire existence, transcending the baseline human-turned-awakener state into sothing much more superior.
What concerned Moon most was that the person tracking him seed to want him to notice. The presence wasn’t attempting genuine stealth, more like a ssage.
Moon stopped walking abruptly in the middle of the street. He turned to face the direction the presence emanated from and spoke clearly.
"Do you want to co out? Let’s talk."
Silence dominated the nearly empty street for a brief, tense mont. Then a presence revealed itself, stepping out from an alley with unhurried confidence.
"Mr. Moon. I’m pleased to et you. You have quite the sharp senses, I must say." A man wearing an immaculate formal suit erged, a soft, professional smile on his face.
He had darker complexion with brown eyes that assessed Moon with interest. His build was massive, like a tank in human form, with bulging muscles that his suit struggled to house.
Moon’s gaze locked onto the man, searching for malicious intent or imdiate threat.
"You weren’t exactly hiding your presence either," Moon replied, keeping his voice neutral.
"Haha. True enough." The man’s smile widened slightly, appreciating the observation.
"Allow to introduce myself properly. My na is Oliver Snack. I’m an Evolver currently employed by the prestigious Richter family."
Moon’s expression remained carefully composed, but his mind imdiately began processing that information.
’The Richter family.’
One of the absolute powerhouses among awakener dynasties. Unlike the Glassy family, whose patriarch had built influence primarily through business acun, trade networks, and economic dominance, the Richter family’s reputation rested on sothing far more direct and terrifying.
Raw power.
The Richter patriarch was known throughout the awakener world as one of the genuine powerhouses of the Second Sanctuary. So rumors placed him among the top ten strongest Evolvers globally. His combat record was legendary, Second Order A-rank dungeon clears, beast subjugations that seed impossible, victories against opponents who should have overwheld him through numbers or attributes. The patriarch was also rumored to be ascending to the third sanctuary within the past years, making him more terrifying.
A family backed by that kind of individual strength were hard to ignore.
Why is soone from the Richter family tracking ? I’ve never interacted with anyone from that family, Moon’s thoughts raced. This can’t be coincidence.
Oliver seed to sense Moon’s wariness and raised both hands in a placating gesture. "Please, don’t be alard. I’m not here to threaten or intimidate you. Quite the opposite, actually."
"Then what do you want?" Moon asked directly, seeing no benefit in dancing around the subject.
"I was personally sent by the patriarch himself. To extend a recruitnt offer to you, Mr. Moon."
Moon’s eyebrows rose slightly despite his attempt at maintaining composure. "Recruitnt?"
"News travels fast in our circles," Oliver explained, his smile never wavering. "Your performance at Ironpeak Base has made quite the impression. Killing a level twenty-five assassin through repeated execution. Critically wounding an S-rank beast with an imnsely powerful skill. Saving dozens of awakeners from permanent death. You’ve beco sothing of a rising star, Mr. Moon."
How did they get detailed information so quickly? Moon wondered. The battle ended less than twelve hours ago.
Oliver continued, clearly prepared with his pitch. "The Richter family recognizes exceptional talent when we see it, and we believe investing in promising young awakeners benefits everyone involved. We’d like to offer you a position within our organization."
"What kind of position?" Moon asked carefully.
"Combat specialist, primarily. You’d undertake missions, dungeon clears, and operations on behalf of the family. In exchange, we provide substantial compensation and resources." Oliver’s smile took on a sharper edge. It was evident that Oliver believed the offer he was about to present couldn’t be refused.
"Specifically, we’re prepared to offer you a yearly salary of five million dollars, with performance-based bonuses that could easily double that amount depending on mission outcos."
Moon’s expression remained neutral, but internally he was calculating. Five million dollars annually was substantial wealth for soone his age and level. Most awakeners wished they could get 5% of what he was getting annually.
Despite the large salary, Oliver wasn’t finished. "Additionally, upon signing the contract, you’d receive one First Order S-rank weapon of your choice from our armory. We’d also provide multiple A-rank items—armor, accessories, consumables—to ensure you’re properly equipped for the challenges ahead Most importantly, the patriarch himself will help you in completing your class evolution tasks, whether it’s ntoring, items, whatever it is, he will do his best to help you complete them."
The offer was genuinely impressive. S-rank First Order equipnt was difficult to acquire and prohibitively expensive for most awakeners. Having access to the Richter family’s resources would accelerate Moon’s developnt significantly.
Oliver let the offer hang in the air for a mont before asking the crucial question.
"So, Mr. Moon... what do you think?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers