The interior of the Awakeners Association branch buzzed with activity, catching Adam off guard.
From outside, the building seemed quiet, so he expected it to be the same, but to his surprise, it wasn't.
The space was crowded, and most of the people appeared quite young.
It didn't take Adam much long to figure out why. These people were likely new Awakeners, just like him.
With only two Awakeners Association branches in Woodstone City, it made sense that many Awakeners would gather here despite their rarity.
This week marked the nationwide Awakening Ceremony, and most of the young people in the Awakeners Association building were likely the new Awakeners from Harbor City.
By the end of today, the influx of new Awakeners registering would likely rapidly taper off, leaving the next two days much quieter.
Adam scanned around and made a quick estimate that there were at least thirty students present. a considerable number, given all came from just the nine public and private schools across Harbor City.
As he observed the bustling crowd, Adam joined behind one of the shorter lines leading to a reception table.
Though uncertain about what lay ahead, seeing the presence of others around his age, likely fellow new Awakeners, gave him a rough idea.
Fortunately, the wait wasn't too long. After waiting for twenty-eight minutes, Adam now stood at the front, with just one person ahead of him.
Behind him, the queue had grown as more people continued to join the line.
As Adam stood waiting, his phone in his pocket vibrated. He fished it out and saw a new notification:
[$5000 has been transferred to your account 31******89, XXXX Bank International, from Blessing Lucy! Your current account balance is $10,600!]
Adam's eyes widened. 'Five thousand dollars? That's quite a lot!'
He felt a pang of discomfort along with surprise seeing just how much money his mother had sent.
As he had mentioned before, his mother's monthly salary was only about $7,000, excluding occasional bonuses, which was modest by any standard.
Sending him more than 70 percent of her income at one go was no small gesture, especially considering it was mid-June and her salary typically arrived at the beginning of the month, this $5000 could very well be a quarter of what she had left for the month.
Even back on Earth, $7000 wasn't much if you had a family to live with.
Though Adam was concerned, he couldn't help but feel a warm sensation enveloping his chest and a surge of determination filled him.
He was truly loved in this world, something he had rarely experienced back on Earth. There, he had faced his battle with cancer alone, with no one to support him.
As he thought of his family, Adam secretly clenched his fist and made a silent vow to transform their lives and take care of them.
However, a wave of uncertainty crept into his mind.
'Is becoming an Awakener truly life-changing for the average person as everyone believes?'
To be honest, everyone had been raised to believe that becoming an Awakener was a guaranteed one-way ticket to the top, but the specifics were elusive.
Beyond the promise of power, the exact reasons and ways it transformed a life remained shrouded in mystery for most.
Still, one thing was clear: power brought wealth. And for someone like Adam, who had the life simulator, he could make the most of it!
While various thoughts consumed his mind, Adam didn't realize that it was his turn until the receptionist's voice pulled him back to reality.
"Good day, sir. What can I do for you?"
The receptionist, a composed woman in her late twenties, greeted him with a professional smile.
Her calm demeanor eased Adam's troubled mind a little, allowing him to reply calmly, "I'm here to register."
"As?" the lady inquired, her gaze flickering briefly at his school uniform.
Usually, there were only two types of students who came to register: new Awakeners or those talented enough to reach Rank One as Cultivators while still in school.
Today was the National Awakening Ceremony day, but she preferred not to jump to a conclusion right away.
"Yes, I'm here to register as an Awakener," Adam confirmed.
"Oh, I see," the lady replied, not surprised by his reply.
After confirming the reason for Adam's coming to the Awakener's Association, she then began to ask Adam a series of questions.
Most of which were about his personal details, like his name, age, and also his address.
She even asked for his bank account number and phone number for some reason, which Adam gave her without hesitation.
Thankfully, the process was quicker and surprisingly straightforward than he had expected, and they soon reached the final stages of the question, the part that mattered the most.
"Adam, you possess a unique talent, yes?"
Adam nodded.
"What is the name of your talent?"
Adam hesitated briefly then replied calmly, "My talent name is life simulator."
The lady furrowed her brows then turned sideways to the screen before her and began browsing through a range of abilities.
After a long while, her gaze was solemn as she spoke, "We have no record of a talent called life simulator so I will have to ask you a few more questions."
Adam gave her a warm smile, "Go ahead, miss."
The lady nodded then signalled to her co-worker to inform the organisation.
Within a few minutes, a middle-aged man emerged through the elevator door by the side.
He wore a black suit and his expression was serene as he walked, his neatly combed short hair and dark eyes hidden beneath the glass helped portray an air of seriousness from him.
He glanced around then located Adam and walked towards them.
Ignoring Adam he spoke to the receptionist, "You may proceed with the questioning."
Seeing Adam furrow his brows, the receptionist flashed him a wry smile, "This is Luck and he is one of the lie detectors of the organisation. We don't want people lying about their abilities."
Adam understood, her words felt reasonable…
Still, would the true secrets of his talent be revealed?
Adam couldn't help but feel uneasy as the receptionist began her questioning session.
"Your talent, life simulator, does it affect the rate at which you increase your strength?"
Adam's heart skipped a beat at her question. He couldn't hide it!
Should he reveal to them that in fact his ability could instantly take him to the peak of the world given some time?
Adam could hardly think of a way to trick the system.
Just then as though struck by lightning, the useless white talent activated, bringing Adam's thoughts some clarity as he understood what and how to reply