The streets were noisy, people walking around, carrying out their daily activities. Cars rode past on the road, their subtle humming sounds filling the air.
There were skyscrapers reaching high into the sky and holding holograms of Awakened that were very popular all around the world.
But among all that showed, there was one that stood out, the number one Awakened in the world, Rion White. He was a tall, slim dude with neck-long red hair, and one of the only few humans with multiple S-class abilities awakened.
Silva didn't pay much attention to it though. That was a height he would never come close to reaching. His goal was not some grand "become the strongest" type of goal; it was simple—provide for his sister, give her the best life possible.
Silva kept walking on the side, head down and hand in his pocket, until he arrived at the guild branch. It was a three-story tall building, and the sign on it showed "Awakened Guild."
Without hesitation, he walked in. The glass doors slid open before he could reach them and allowed him to pass. The inside of this building was similar to a bank—there were some chairs for resting, a counter for the workers that handled issues there, and a massive holographic board that showed gates and other important information.
After he entered, it didn't take long for him to spot Peter standing with a group of people, so he walked toward them.
Peter noticed him and waved. "Hey bro, glad you could make it," he greeted enthusiastically. He walked up to Silva and threw his hand around him.
"Hey guys, this is Silva. He is the sensor type I told you about. He'll be able to tell us before a monster arrives," Peter said.
There were six people standing there aside from Peter and Silva. Three ladies. One was tall and had jet-black hair, wearing what looked like mage robes. The second was a bit shorter; she wore casual sports clothes and had a katana on her side. She had a buzz cut that was colored gold.
As for the last, she was dressed in a simple shirt and trousers and then with an ankle-length cloak. Silva knew her, she used to be his childhood friend until he had to start handling his life alone and couldn't keep up the friendship, so they fell apart. Her name was Stacy.
There was a reason Peter was still his friend. Peter stuck by and understood him even when everything went to shit. Peter helped him.
As for the guys, one was a tall, bulky man in his late twenties at least. He had a full connected beard and short black hair. He wore a complete chest-piece armor over his clothes and carried a heavy sword.
The second guy was an archer small build, with a very sharp gaze. And as for the last, it was Lewen. Unusual silver hair, tall, good-looking, and he had on some expensive gear like the ankle-length white jacket made using mana.
There was a sword on his back, and from the handle alone, one could tell it was very expensive.
Lewen was one of the few people lucky enough to have two abilities awakened, and not only that, he also had a larger than normal max growth.
In this world, when you receive your ability, it has a start point and an end point. Many people get an F-ranked ability, but they possess the potential to grow it to a B, and it can't go beyond that. Some might even have the ability to grow it to an S.
But then, there were those that couldn't grow their ability at all, people like Silva. They could only learn to master it but not grow it.
Lewen looked at Silva. There was a plain little look of spite in his eyes. "You know we can't carry any extra load, right? If you're willing to come to this gate, make sure you are ready to carry your own weight," Lewen said.
"Come on, Lewen, don't be like that, Silva is—" Peter tried to talk but was cut short.
"Silva is nothing. He is either going to carry his weight or he'll sit it out. It's his call. I, for one, know that none of us will be running around to save his ass when the time comes." Lewen made his stance very clear.
Peter wanted to say something else, but Silva tapped him, signaling him to stop. Then he stepped forward. "Thank you for allowing me to be on the party, Lewen. I'll make sure to carry my own weight around, and I'll not drag you down," Silva said.
"Hmph." The tall muscular man at the back looked at Silva. He didn't see why such a weakling had to be added, and he didn't hide his dissatisfaction. It was the same with the other members.
Silva could see all their looks, but he didn't care. He took a deep breath.
'For Ella, I have to do my best.' Silva thought.
"Alright then, since that's out of the way, then let's head to the gate. It's not too far from here," Lewen said.
The six walked out of the guild, leaving Silva and Peter. Silva took a few steps and Peter grabbed him.
"Are you sure about this? I knew it would be hard, but I didn't think Lewen would publicly try to humiliate you," Peter said.
"Don't worry about it, bro. I'm used to it. If I backed down now, I wouldn't be able to take care of Ella. I need the money desperately," Silva said and walked out of the guild. Peter let out a pained sigh and followed behind.