Bruce and Sophie stepped out of the house and started down the clean stone street, morning sunlight spilling over Velmora like golden silk. Merchants were opening stalls, awakened patrols were already moving, and beast-drawn carriages rolled past alongside sleek cars humming gently as they drove past.
"So," Sophie said, walking beside him with her hands lightly clasped behind her back, "what rank do you think you will reach in the trial?"
Bruce glanced at her. "Rank?"
"The Adventurer ranking," she clarified. "The higher your combat evaluation during the trial, the higher the starting rank they give you. Average Awakened of E and D get Bronze Rank. Talented ones of C rank get Silver. And the elites like me who are newbie awakened with high ranks of B and C start at Gold. While strength matters, IQ and performance in the trial are another deciding factor."
"And what do you think I will get?" Bruce asked casually.
