Allen picked up the four silver badges from the desk, each one etched with a sequence of numbers that would define their lives moving forward.
He handed the first one to Elise.
"Your badge," he said. "Do not lose it. Replacing a Ranker badge requires a massive fee and a mountain of paperwork."
Elise took it with both hands, staring at the number '14,820' engraved across the front. Her thumb brushed over the digits lightly, a soft, accomplished smile breaking across her face. "Thank you, Guildmaster."
He handed the next one to Sable, who took it with a quick, decisive nod, her eyes lingering on the '9,210' for just a second before she slipped it into the pouch on her belt.
Juna didn't even reach out for hers. She just crossed her arms and looked at the badge like it was completely useless. Hajin grabbed it for her, tossing the '1,450' badge into his bag alongside his own, which read '1,210'.
