Amidst the stunned gazes of the crowd, Eryke remained completely unresponsive.

"Is there no Awakener nearby in such a big city?" he asked with a frown.

He didn't want to be in the limelight just yet. Once he underwent his Awakening ceremony, he knew he would inevitably attract the world's attention.

Until then, he wanted to continue gathering strength through his clones.

Unfortunately, that plan might now go awry.

He glanced at the girl and the others, who were staring at him in stunned silence.

Even the chaotic crowd seemed to freeze, becoming strangely peaceful in that moment.

Everyone's attention was fixed on Eryke, refusing to shift away.

Geneva noticed the situation almost immediately and stood up with a cough, a faint blush breaking through her professional demeanor.

"Let's talk after we get in the car," she said, turning around and walking outside.

"Okay," Eryke replied casually.

"Umm, sorry for—" the girl began, flustered, but Eryke interrupted her.

"It's fine," he said, patting her head again. "You didn't know."

Then, pulling up the hood of his black jacket to mask his face, he walked out.

The moment he left, chaos erupted once more.

"Woah, Eda, did you just meet a bigshot?"

"Maybe he's a high-ranked Awakener?"

"That big limo over there belongs to the Awakener Association! And with that professional-looking woman coming all the way here just for him… could he be an A-Rank Awakener?"

They were more excited than ever, and Eda felt like the luckiest girl alive, as if she had just won the lottery.

***

"So, can you speak now?"

Eryke asked, his voice calm.

Sitting across from him, Geneva looked anxious, fear lingering in her eyes.

"Yes," she said. "Although we already have some Awakeners defending the area, the highest among them is only a B-Rank. We haven't determined the Dungeon's rank yet, but it should be high."

"What about the guilds?" Eryke's eyes lit up slightly. This could be the perfect opportunity to strengthen himself again, provided these people didn't interfere.

"We've already notified them," Geneva said, "but they're still arguing over who gets to enter the gate first."

"Then why are you inviting me?" A glint of doubt flashed through Eryke's eyes.

"That's because of this," she said, pulling out a contract. "Although it might not be absolutely necessary, it's helpful for officially proving that you're a temporary member."

"..."

Eryke glanced at the contract. It wasn't some bulky, hundred-page document, just a single sheet.

The terms could basically be summed up in one sentence: he would be acting as an Awakener for the Hunter Association for the day, and all his private information would be kept confidential by them.

Also in exchange for entering the gate, he would hand over 20% of all resources obtained within the dungeon. Once he returned, he would also be awarded fifty million dollars as compensation for risking his life.

The rewards were simply amazing, no matter how you looked at it, but Eryke didn't seem the least bit moved. He glanced at the contract and asked, "Give me a pen."

"Okay," Geneva said, handing him one.

Without a hint of hesitation, Eryke signed the contract.

"Remember, my identity must remain confidential for now," he said, pulling his hoodie lower to further obscure his face. "Also, give me a mask."

Geneva handed him a simple nose mask. "Sorry, we don't have anything that covers your entire face."

"...That's fine," Eryke said with a nod, slipping the mask on.

The car sped through the streets and quickly arrived at the gate. A large camp had already been set up right in front of it, and all the nearby residents had been evacuated.

This was the heart of the city, where Awakeners were most active.

As the limo pulled up, the crowd instinctively parted to make way for it.

There were many people gathered around, mostly Awakeners and employees from the Awakener Association, so most of them already understood the implications of the situation.

"So this is the special, privileged Awakener who's going to join us?" someone muttered.

"Who do you think it'll be? Judging by the way they're talking, it should at least be an A-Rank Awakener, right?"

"Let's see for ourselves first."

The Awakeners from the guilds whispered among themselves in low voices.

As they continued to watch the scene unfold, the crowd's breath grew heated with anticipation.

They watched as Geneva stepped out of the limo, turned to the opposite side of the car, and opened the door.

A tall man, around 6'2", stepped out.

He was dressed in simple black clothes from head to toe, a mask covering his mouth, and the hood of his jacket casting a shadow over his forehead. Only a pair of boundless blue eyes shone through, sharp and piercing.

Silence fell over the camp.

"Let's head inside," Geneva said calmly.

Eryke nodded and followed her toward the cave.

The moment the two entered, the Awakeners exhaled, their eyes wide with horror.

"What kind of monster has the Awakener Association brought over?" someone whispered.

As Eryke entered the camp, he was greeted by a round table with eight seats.

In one of the seats sat Rolf, looking expressionless and stern.

The moment he saw Eryke, however, his face lit up, and he hurriedly walked over with a broad smile.

"Haha, this is the Awakener who'll be joining us in the dungeon this time!"

The other seven remained silent, their gazes sharp, but Rolf continued smiling brightly.

"Come, I'll introduce you. First, from the Silver Wolf Guild—" he said, pointing at a shirtless man wearing a wolf head as a mask.

Looking at him, Eryke thought to himself with some amusement, A furry?

"This one is from the Black Phoenix Clan, this one from the Red Dragon Brotherhood, over here is the Golden Eagle Alliance, White Tiger Sect, Blue Serpent Circle, and finally the Crimson Bear Tribe."

Eryke, however, was too lazy to memorize each one. Instead, he simply looked ahead and said:

"When are we entering the gate?"

"When the shares of the gates are settled," Rolf said with a helpless expression.

"When will that happen?"

"We just started the discussion, so it might take more time."

"..."