Griffin's lips twitched as he rubbed his temples, frustration clear in his eyes. He was staring at a massive spiraling tower that gleamed brightly under the afternoon sun, just across the road.
Above the building hung a unique symbol that seemed to radiate a special aura. It had a diamond frame with a single eye carved in the center, flanked by two thin circular halos and two angular blades crossed at the bottom.
The metallic black lines caught the glaring afternoon light, while crimson highlights pulsed faintly through the eye, as if the emblem itself was watching everyone who passed by.
Griffin felt the weight of that gaze settle on him. He quickly looked away from the emblem, adjusting his collar nervously.
"It's now or never." Muttering softly to himself, Griffin carefully crossed the road and headed towards the gigantic entrance of the building. The moment he stepped inside, it felt like he had entered a different reality.
A vast expanse of space greeted him, with the entire floor crafted from a single huge slab of obsidian crystal that gleamed beneath his feet, reflecting his image back at him. In the center was a huge fountain with a holographic globe revolving slowly, streams of data flashing by at high speed.
People were constantly coming and going as the levitating elevators opened and closed in rapid succession. Griffin snapped back to reality and slowly made his way to the reception desk on his left.
As he approached the desk, he felt his heart in his throat. Although his face was calm, he was really nervous and a bit anxious.
When he reached the desk, the young female receptionist greeted him with a bright smile and cute dimples. "Welcome to the GRMA, how may I help you, sir?" Her melodious voice drifted into Griffin's ears.
Griffin coughed lightly to mask his nerves and approached the receptionist. "Hi, I'm here to register as a Walker. I just awakened my Class today."
The receptionist's eyes lit up, and her smile grew noticeably warmer. If her previous smile was professional, this one was genuine and excited.
"Congratulations, sir! It's amazing that you've awakened your Class. You're really lucky," she said, her enthusiasm infectious.
Griffin chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Can I get my Walker License, please?"
"Oh, of course, sorry about that," the receptionist replied, smiling apologetically. She tapped away on her keyboard and then looked back at Griffin. "May I have your ID?"
Griffin nodded and handed over his ID card. She took it with both hands, typing steadily as she entered his details, her smile still present.
"Alright, Mr. Creed," she said after a moment. "Everything is in order. Please head to the second floor for verification."
Griffin nodded and turned to leave.
"Oh, Mr. Creed," the receptionist called out.
Griffin cursed inwardly, turning back to her with a forced smile.
"What Class did you awaken?"
Griffin's lips twitched, his expression stiffening for a moment. His eyes showed a hint of bitterness as he replied, "Beast Tamer."
As soon as he said it, the atmosphere shifted. The receptionist's smile faded, her bright eyes dimmed, and the warmth in her voice disappeared.
The longing glances she had been giving him earlier turned into cold pity, followed by something worse—disgust. She quickly lowered her head, as if ashamed to look at him.
"I see... please proceed upstairs, sir," she said flatly.
Griffin let out a breath through his nose and gave a quick nod. No anger or complaints showed on his face; he had expected this. After all, the class he had awakened to was considered taboo.
Nobody wanted anything to do with the Beast Tamer Class. It was like a parasite everyone tried to avoid. Unfortunately, his luck was so bad that he ended up with this dead end class.
Griffin sighed heavily as he stepped into the elevator, absentmindedly staring at his reflection in the glass. He didn't blame the receptionist for her reaction. It wasn't just her; anyone who knew about his class would react the same way, maybe even more dramatically.
He rubbed his nose, thinking about his predicament. He had no idea what he could achieve with this class. He didn't come from a powerful background that could at least offer some encouragement for his future. His path seemed like a dead end.
Just then, the elevator stopped, snapping him back to reality. He stepped out into another large hall filled with sleek desks and long queues of people.
Without much thought, he joined one of the lines, waiting for his turn. It didn't take long before he reached the front. The lady behind the desk glanced at his information, saw no issues, and motioned for him to go through the entrance behind her.
Griffin nodded and walked through the door, entering yet another huge hall. The noise from outside faded to a muted hum.
This hall was different, divided into multiple rooms with noise-proof glass separating each one. Inside, countless people stood in front of strange machines that constantly scanned them. Everything here was built for one purpose: verification.
Griffin walked into one of the empty rooms, his face as unreadable as ever. He pushed open the glass door, and a sharp, sterile scent hit him immediately. The air seemed to hum, sending a cold chill down his spine.
In the center of the room was a large circular chamber, dominated by the Awakening Machine. It didn't look like any medical device; it resembled a weapon more than anything else.
A towering obelisk made of dark alloy rose from the floor, covered in thin, luminous lines that pulsed slowly. Four curved pillars surrounded it, each engraved with intricate circuits glowing a faint blue. At the top of the obelisk, a crystal core floated, spinning silently with arcs of energy flickering around it.
This was the device that judged and verified every Walker.
To his right, a bored-looking examiner in a gray GRMA coat motioned him over.
"Name."
"Griffin Creed."
"Step inside the ring and don't move."
Griffin stepped onto the circular platform. As soon as both his feet touched the surface, the machine sprang to life. The obelisk brightened, and the four pillars lit up in sequence. Lines of light crawled across the floor under his boots, locking into place around him.
A thin beam of pale light shot down from the crystal core, scanning him from head to toe. It passed through his skin, bones, and soul as if he wasn't even there. Griffin felt a sharp vibration crawl up his spine, and his vision flickered for a moment.
The examiner watched the monitor, expressionless.
Ten seconds.
Twenty seconds.
Then the machine let out a soft chime.
"Done," the examiner said. "You're clear."
He typed quickly, then printed a date card and slid it across the counter toward Griffin.
"Your Dimensional Walker License."
Griffin picked it up and took a closer look. The surface shimmered with embedded holographics.
His face appeared on a small frame on the left, followed by lines of sharp text.
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DIMENSIONAL WALKER LICENSE
Name: Griffin Creed.
Age: 19
Class: Beast Tamer
Rank: F Rank Walker
Dimensional Rift Clearance Level: F
Walker ID: 9A2-77C-K4
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"Your current rank is F. Your clearance level is F," the examiner said flatly, his eyes full of pity as he looked at Griffin. "That means you can only enter low-level Dimensional Rifts, no independent raids, but you can join a team."
Griffin nodded, pocketing the card as he stepped out of the room. The weight of the license sat in his hand like a stone.
The examiner looked at Griffin's retreating back and shook his head, eyes full of disappointment and pity.
"What an unlucky fellow."