Once Zion reached Room 3217 and tapped the digital key against the scanner, the door unlocked with a soft chime and slid open, revealing the space inside.
'Wow,' he thought. 'That's… certainly an upgrade.'
A wide window ran across the wall, showing the glowing city lights far below. The suite itself was much larger than he expected from a standard mercenary room, not to mention having a real bed with a soft mattress instead of some stiff platform to sleep on.
Zion stepped inside and let out a quiet breath. "This is more than enough."
'Then, next up should be training and getting an official mercenary license,' he thought, nodding to himself. 'Without an official license stating my rank, it'll be hard to find a crew after all.'
Before he could even think of preparing himself, Uriel's voice echoed through his mind.
[Your body requires rest,] the AI reminded him. [Stress levels and muscle fatigue have far exceeded sustainable limits for several days.]
"Mhm."
Zion didn't argue, feeling the strain from the past few days clearly too. He closed the door behind him and made his way toward the bed.
For the first time in months, the moment he laid down, his entire body practically sank into the mattress.
"Yeah… I guess rest wouldn't hurt," he muttered, closing his eyes while appreciating the mattress's softness.
Within seconds, his eyelids grew heavy. And finally, he allowed himself to sleep without worry for once.
Nearly twelve hours flew by as Zion slept peacefully.
When he finally opened his eyes, the room was bathed in soft daylight shining through the wide window.
For a moment, he simply lay there, staring at the ceiling as his mind slowly caught up with his body.
"Good lord," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "I finally feel human again."
He truly had no idea how much stress he'd subconsciously been putting on his body. If it wasn't for Uriel, he might've worked himself to death.
Zion slowly pushed himself upright, stretching his arms as a faint stiffness ran through them. "Now it's time to get to work," he muttered as he swung his legs off his bed and stood up.
By the time he'd taken a full shower and dressed himself in some simple clothes, he was finally fully awake with his thoughts shifting to the next task at hand.
'First things first… the mercenary license,' he thought. 'Without it, I can't take missions and any proper crews wouldn't even bother taking me.'
[Correct,] Uriel replied. [The sooner you have access to the mission board, the higher the chance you'll come across a suitable mission for combat experience.]
"Yeah, yeah," Zion sighed, using his digital key to unlock the door. "Let's get it over with."
He took the elevator down and headed toward the same registration area as yesterday, the morning crowd already filling the lobby with countless footsteps and muted conversations.
It didn't take long before he spotted the glowing sign with 'REGISTRATION & LICENSING' on it, along with a small cluster of mercenaries waiting to be processed.
The clerk at the desk processed applicants quickly, barely speaking beyond a few required questions. When it was Zion's turn, the man finally lifted his eyes.
"Application?" the clerk asked, his tone emotionless and dark circles under his eyes.
"Yes, I'm here to apply for an E-Rank mercenary license," Zion said with a polite smile.
The clerk glanced down and tapped a few buttons on his hologram. "You'll need to pass the basic combat assessment. This is your key—go to Assessment Room 12."
Zion nodded, accepting a blank metal license card from the clerk. "Alright."
Without waiting any longer, he turned away and walked toward the hallway. Bright arrows and signs on the wall guided him forward until the noise from the lobby faded behind him.
After following the arrows for a few minutes, he finally reached the assessment wing. From this point on, the people around had greatly decreased while the corridor was mostly flooded with the sounds of machines and thuds from the surrounding testing rooms.
[Assessment Room 12 is up ahead,] Uriel informed him.
Zion gave a slight nod, still lost in his own thoughts. 'An E-Rank exam shouldn't be too difficult for the current me… it might be worth attempting the D-Rank one right away.'
A moment later, Zion reached the door. Just as he approached, it slid open, and a young mercenary stumbled out, wiping sweat from his forehead with shaky hands.
"Tsk… I almost had it this time," the man muttered as he walked past without even noticing Zion.
Zion watched the man disappear down the corridor, then exhaled softly and approached the door himself.
'Let's just get this done,' he thought, swiping the empty license card through the keypad.
The door immediately slid open, revealing the reinforced walls and countless high-tech devices in the room.
Only as Zion walked in did he notice the burn marks on the walls and the circular platform occupying the center of the room.
"You're here for the E-Rank assessment?" a voice suddenly called out.
"Yes," Zion answered without hesitation as he quickly located the source of the voice.
It didn't take long before he spotted a small platform with a large hologram and a single man standing behind it.
"The rules are simple," the man said, his voice cold. "Step onto the platform in the center and wait patiently for your surroundings to change. Then three waves of enemies will be simulated which you need to kill."
After a short pause, the man continued, "You'll be judged both by me and the system, which will automatically track your overall physical stats and weapons."
Zion gave a small nod, a smile growing on his face. "Understood."
Before stepping onto the platform, he asked, "One question. If I pass this, am I allowed to attempt the D-Rank exam next?"
The judge glanced down with a flat expression, as if he'd seen this scene a hundred times before. "...You haven't even cleared E-Rank yet. Don't bother making plans for the next one."
'Seems like it's possible,' Zion thought, contemplating if it was worth taking. 'I'll think about it after passing the E-Rank exam.'
Without further ado, the judge motioned for Zion to step forward as two additional holograms flew up beside him.
Stepping onto the platform, Zion immediately felt vibrations running beneath his feet as the system activated.
A soft hum echoed through the room while the lights dimmed everywhere.
[A simulation is being started,] Uriel reported. [Something similar to the training simulations.]
Zion took in a deep breath as he saw his surroundings changing to an empty area with solid, cracked ground.
'Ah, great,' he thought, narrowing his eyes. 'Familiar terrain at least.'
Before he got another chance to think, a mechanical voice echoed through the room.
"The assessment begins in ten… nine…"
Zion flicked the blade out from between his knuckles as scaly armor spread up his arms, and his body sank into a stable combat stance.
"…two… one."
A loud chime echoed through the room.
Zion lifted his gaze as faint outlines began flickering into existence around him.
'Here we go.'