As soon as Alden walked onto the second floor of the building, he noticed a young woman already waiting for him.
The second floor was quiet, unlike the busy ground floor, as only a few people were allowed access to come here.
"You're welcome," the woman greeted him kindly with a friendly smile and led Alden down the long hallway.
She stopped in front of a door and said, "I can only take you this far. You can go in now." Then she walked away.
Alden pushed the door open and stepped inside.
A man sat behind a table and his eyes immediately locked onto Alden as if he had been expecting him.
This was Orion, the one placed in charge of overseeing the affairs of the Registration Center.
"Junior greets you, Senior," Alden said respectfully, bowing slightly.
He stood near the desk, facing Orion. The man wore a large hat that covered half of his face but his sharp pressuring eyes were clearly visible.
He didn't say a word, simply staring at Alden, which made him uneasy. Orion's presence was so strong it felt like a heavy boulder pressing down on him.
"Such a powerful presence," Alden thought to himself. Without a word, he could already tell that the man before him was extraordinarily strong.
Alden wanted to use his ability to scan him, but as if sensing his intent, Orion raised his eyes and looked directly into Alden's.
He quickly stopped, afraid of being caught in the act and possibly angering the man.
"Pass it over," Orion finally said, breaking the silence that had felt like an eternity.
Alden tossed the silver token in his hand over to him.
Orion caught it and examined it briefly.
"So, you're the boy with the A-rank Talent," Orion said, tossing the token up and down in his hand.
"Yes, I am," Alden replied confidently.
Orion chuckled softly. "You're quite confident. I like that." He pointed to a chair. "Sit down."
Alden sat down facing him.
"Not bad, not bad," Orion said. "An A-rank Talent will really help our city. Seems like luck is finally on our side. This time, we've had several people awaken high-rank Talents, from C to A. You're the sixth person with an A-rank Talent today."
Orion paused and looked at Alden closely. "But there's something I don't understand."
"What is it?" Alden asked, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Sammy, we ran a quick background check on you and found out you failed the potential test at fifteen," Orion explained, his tone carrying a hint of curiosity. "How is it that you suddenly awakened a Talent? That has never happened before in this town."
Orion's eyes remained fixed on Alden's face, watching for the slightest reaction. There had never been a case like this before. Once someone failed the first test, they were considered hopeless for life. Yet here was a boy who had awakened a Talent despite that—it raised suspicion.
How could the Talent Registration officials not dig into the background of a new Awakener? That's the whole point of Talent Registration.
So, hearing the question, Alden wasn't surprised. Luckily, he had already prepared himself for situations like this.
Alden remained silent for a moment, acting as though he were trying to recall something.
He was putting on the act well.
"I don't actually know how I awakened, but somehow I found myself easily doing things I couldn't normally do."
"Easy enough to carry things I once struggled with... walking or running without getting tired quickly..."
Alden spoke in a confused tone, as if he himself was surprised by the awakening.
Orion sighed, seemingly convinced. "Oh, I see. You must be lucky then."
Alden was a little taken aback. He had expected a barrage of questions but instead received a simple reply.
He felt like laughing inwardly. Did the man think he could fool him? Deep down, he knew Orion didn't buy his story.
This was one of his biggest concerns from the beginning. He felt relieved that he hadn't revealed his true Talent.
If he had, the officials would go to any length to uncover how he awakened such power after failing the potential test—and that could put him in grave danger.
At this point, he also knew the Registration Center would keep a close watch on him and continue investigating his case.
"That aside," Orion said, waving it off. "Normally, we provide a certain amount to Awakeners during registration, depending on their Talent rank. It's meant to help them support themselves in their early stage—buy weapons or other things to increase their strength."
"For A-rank Talent Awakeners, the amount is 15,000."
Alden was shocked internally. Fifteen thousand dollars was a lot of money, it could take care of many things.
Orion passed a device to him.
Seeing the page, Alden quickly typed in the necessary information before handing the device back.
"Alright, you'll receive the money in your account later. Also, all the information you need will be forwarded to your Tmail."
After completing the registration process, Alden stood up, gave a polite nod to Orion, and left the office.
First plan completed. Now, it was time for the next one.
In the office, Orion immediately reached for his communication device and placed a call to an unknown person. After a few rings, a voice answered on the other end.
"Keep a close eye on Sammy Draven and get the others to keep digging for more information about him." With that, he ended the call without waiting for a reply.
Orion's eyes remained fixed on the empty seat where Alden had been moments ago.
There was something about Alden that didn't sit right with him, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was.
He leaned back in his chair, his brow furrowed as he tried to piece things together—surely, there was a puzzle missing its key pieces.
Orion's fingers tapped lightly on the armrest as his thoughts ran wild.
He considered various possibilities that could cause a late bloomer to awaken a high A-rank Talent.
The more he thought about it, the more curious he became but there was no answer to them.
"Strange..." he muttered. "Something about it doesn't add up."
"Sooner or later, I'll figure it out. We'll get to the root of whatever mystery you're hiding."