Rank

Gara glared fiercely at Zayn, his hazel eyes locking with Zayn's green ones. He narrowed his own eyes, attempting to project menace. But Gara simply huffed, averting his gaze.

"Don't you know, all the nobles here actually come from poor estates? So poor, in fact, that they can't afford their own Awakening Ceremony. They also don't have any branch families in other territories because they need all the manpower in their own. But they're still nobles, so you need to watch your behavior," Orman whispered, leaning in conspiratorially.

Gara rolled his eyes, thinking, You're the one who needs to watch your mouth! Still, he mentally filed away the information.

In the doorway, Zana recognized Gara, her face brightening instantly. Her brother, seeing this, felt a familiar prickle of irritation.

"Don't go near them," he commanded.

However, Zana was already walking towards the three commoners. Zayn moved to stop his sister, but a staff member's stern gaze locked onto him. He was only permitted to accompany her to the front door. With a sigh, Zayn turned and left the Mayor's office.

Meanwhile, Zana happily chatted with Gara. "My brother said that you're a Liner. I didn't know you only awakened yesterday! You can already use your Talent!" A glimmer of awe shone in Zana's eyes.

"He knew?" Gara was a little surprised.

Zana nodded. "When my brother held your wrist, you used your water Talent. My brother said the most difficult thing is activating a Talent. After that, it's much easier to control. You're so talented!"

No wonder it felt too easy yesterday. Gara thought, I already activated it in the most crucial way: by being burned! He glanced at the dark red mark on his wrist, barely resisting a sigh in front of the cheerful sister.

The room fell silent as Langga, accompanied by four other black-robed Liners—including Kala—entered with his usual arrogant stride. The other robes featured green trim along the hem, but only Langga's bore a golden line.

The reception room's seating had been meticulously arranged. A single, exquisitely carved wooden chair stood proudly in the middle near the wall. Two wider settees were placed on either side. Langga took the single wooden chair, while the four other Liners settled beside him.

"We meet again. Congratulations on your awakening, everyone," Langga announced, rising. "Today, all of you officially become Liners. From now on, you can achieve much greater things for your future."

On the side, Gara fought to suppress a yawn. Boring!

As if sensing Gara's state, Langga paused his speech. "Next, I welcome Mayor's senior staff, Liner Kala, to explain more about the Liner."

Langga sat down, and beside him, Kala stood. "Hello, everyone. I'm glad to have all of you join our Liner community in Falopo Town. First, allow me to give you your Liner Identity Card, proof of your Liner status."

A black-robed Liner beside Kala stood and distributed the cards to each person. Kala then explained the information on the card.

Gara stared at his card with sparkling eyes. It was made from thin, yet sturdy wood. It displayed his name, rank, association, job, and mission points. His current rank was E, or Entry, with Falopo Town as his association. The job and mission point sections showed 'none'.

The most interesting part was the small square at the bottom corner. In that section, the wooden material transformed into a transparent crystal with tiny, dancing lines of light within it, similar to what he'd seen on coins.

These light lines likely functioned like memory chips from his original world; they couldn't be tampered with.

"Liner ranks are divided into six levels: Entry, Disciple, Challenger, Breaker, Ascendant, and Sovereign. You are now E-rank, or Entry rank. Every Liner must start from this rank. You can increase your rank by completing missions. Missions also have ranks, from E to S. Each mission awards different points, and once you reach the point threshold, you can apply for a Rank Upgrade Mission."

Kala pointed to the word 'Rank' on the card and continued speaking in her gentle voice with a smile. "It's not mandatory to upgrade your rank, but applying for certain jobs will have rank requirements. So, all of you must strive to complete missions."

Kala then elaborated on the points awarded for each mission rank and the points required to upgrade to the next rank.

In his seat, Gara struggled to absorb every new piece of information. His head slowly began to feel hot. Finally, Kala stopped her lengthy explanation.

"The first step to becoming a Liner is to activate your Talent. We, the Mayor's staff Liners, along with the honorable Professor Altherian, will guide you to activate it after this. Following that, you can go to the Liner Affairs Office adjacent to this room to get your first mission."

The quiet reception room boomed with the hushed, excited voices of the newbie Liners. Orman nudged Madha's thigh beside him, then whispered, "Let's take our first mission together."

"I'll take it with Gara," Madha replied calmly and lightly, unfazed by Orman's slowly souring expression.

"If you two weren't boys, I'd think you were a couple," Orman quipped. Madha didn't answer, but a faint smile touched his face.

Meanwhile, Gara debated internally whether he should tell the staff that his Talent was already activated. Lost in thought, a tall figure emerged in front of him. "Follow me. I'll guide you."

Gara subconsciously took a step back. The man's blue eyes seemed to pierce him.

"I don't need your help. I've already activated my Talent."

"Oh?" Langga's eyebrow rose slightly.

Gara raised his hand. Water gushed from his palm towards Langga's face. Instantly, Langga covered his face with his robe. The robe appeared waterproof because when Langga lowered it, his face was clear of water, leaving only a sharp gaze.

"So-sorry, I didn't do it on purpose," Gara stammered. His hand had moved faster than his mind could process the consequences.

Everyone looked at him with amazement for his talent, but the moment he'd aimed water at this special professor from the capital, a wave of terror washed over the room. Everyone just wanted to flee.

Time seemed to slow. No one dared to move. Their gazes shifted between Langga and Gara alternately. Even Gara felt his heart pounding against his ribs.

A few tense seconds later, Langga finally nodded curtly. A collective sigh of relief could be heard from the other people in the room.

"Then I'll join Madha," Gara said, clutching the hem of Madha's shirt.

"Follow me to the hall outside," Kala instructed, after recovering from her shock.

...