Chapter 66: 66 | Meeting With Teammates
On her chest was an S-rank badge.
A genuine S-Rank Hero.
Following his gaze, Rachel chuckled.
"That’s Aurora."
"She became an S-Rank Hero just last month after successfully clearing her first S-Rank Dungeon."
Dexter stared.
Aurora walked calmly through the courtyard as though she didn’t notice the countless eyes watching her.
"Her talent is Sky Manipulation," Rachel continued.
"A ridiculously rare ability that lets her control almost anything connected to the sky."
Dexter’s eyes widened.
"That’s absurd."
Rachel nodded.
"It is."
"Wind. Weather. Lightning. Even the air itself bends to her will."
"Some people believe she’ll become one of humanity’s strongest heroes someday."
As Aurora disappeared into the distance, paparazzi gathered at the front gate. They didn’t dare enter the Hero Association grounds. That would have been like walking into a lion’s den with a camera and a death wish. But they hovered at the boundary, lenses extended, trying to get better photos of her as she walked away.
Dexter slowly looked back toward the towering Hero Association building.
For the first time since arriving in this world.
He truly felt it.
The world was bigger than he had imagined, much bigger.
The heroes he had fought, assassins he had killed. All of it felt significant in the context of his small life. But standing here, surrounded by people who could probably destroy city blocks without breaking a sweat, he understood how small his world had been.
And somehow.
For the first time.
That thought excited him.
Not because he wanted to compete. But because there was so much room to grow. So much strength to gain so much investment to be made.
"Alright," Rachel said as she led Dexter deeper into the Hero Association headquarters.
Finally, they arrived at a towering silver building.
Large words were engraved above the entrance.
HERO LICENSING CENTER
"This is where your journey officially begins," Rachel said.
The hall inside was enormous.
Far larger than Dexter had expected.
Hundreds of people moved through the building.
Some were newly awakened heroes that couldn’t contain their excitement.
Others were veterans renewing licenses or submitting reports.
Several queues stretched across the hall.
Rachel pointed toward one of them.
"You’ll need to register first."
Dexter looked toward the line.
Around fifteen people were already waiting.
Rachel lowered her voice slightly.
"The licensing examination itself isn’t complicated."
She crossed her arms.
"Usually it’s a controlled dungeon environment."
"You’ll be observed while fighting monsters alongside several other candidates."
"They’ll evaluate your combat ability, teamwork, decision making, adaptability, and overall potential."
Dexter listened carefully.
Rachel continued.
"Clearing the first wave automatically grants an F-Rank Hero License."
"If you perform better than expected and clear additional waves, your evaluation score increases."
"The Association keeps records of promising newcomers."
"Those with high scores are given priority for dungeon requests, emergency missions, and sponsored expeditions."
Dexter nodded.
That sounded reasonable.
However, Rachel suddenly smiled mischievously.
"Although..."
"Don’t try too hard."
Dexter raised an eyebrow.
Rachel shrugged.
"The more talented you appear, the more attention you’ll attract."
"The Hero Association values talent."
"But dangerous missions tend to find talented people first."
"If an unusually dangerous F-Rank Dungeon appears. The outstanding rookies are usually among the first names considered."
Dexter understood immediately.
Outstanding talent brought opportunities.
But opportunities often came with risks. Sometimes fatal ones.
"I’ll keep that in mind," he replied.
Rachel smiled.
"Good."
Then she leaned slightly closer.
"Try not to die, alright?"
Dexter laughed.
"I’ll do my best."
She smiled flirtatiously before turning around and leaving.
"Good luck, Dexter."
He watched her disappear into the crowd, then he joined the queue.
Fifteen people stood ahead of him.
He took ticket number sixteen and waited patiently.
Twenty minutes later, his number was finally called.
The receptionist was a beautiful young woman with glasses and a completely expressionless face.
She barely looked up from her computer.
"Purpose of visit."
"Hero License Registration."
She typed something. Her fingers moved with mechanical speed across the keyboard.
"Current cultivation level."
"First Rank Superhuman."
"Talent rank?"
"E-Rank."
For the first time, her fingers stopped moving.
She looked up as her expression shifted slightly.
Superhuman Realm wasn’t particularly impressive inside the Hero Association.
There were thousands of Superhumans within Stargate City alone.
But an E-Rank talent holder reaching the Superhuman Realm at such a young age.
That was different.
It usually meant one of two things.
Exceptional background.
Or exceptional luck.
The receptionist studied him for a moment before returning to her work.
"Identification card."
Dexter handed over his ID.
She scanned it, entered several details into the system, then returned it.
"For F-Rank Hero Licensing, candidates must clear at least one monster wave inside a controlled dungeon environment."
She handed him a temporary identification card.
"This is your temporary candidate license."
She pointed toward a hallway.
"Proceed to Building Twenty-One."
"Next."
Dexter accepted the card and headed toward the designated building.
The door to Building 21 slid open with a soft hiss.
Dexter stepped inside and immediately noticed that he wasn’t the first to arrive.
Four people were already seated in the briefing room.
The first was a tall and handsome young man with sharp features and a confident expression.
He sat lazily with one leg crossed over the other, his posture radiating arrogance and superiority. Everything about him screamed money and privilege. From his tailored clothes to his perfectly styled hair to the expensive-looking sword resting against his chair.
The second was a massive young man built like a tank. His muscles strained against his shirt, and his thick arms looked as if they could crush stone with ease. He sat still with his arms folded across his chest and an enormous shield rested against the wall beside him.
The third was an athletic young woman with shoulder-length black hair and two daggers hanging from her waist.
She looked energetic and approachable, with sharp eyes.
The fourth was a quiet girl sitting in the corner of the room.
A longsword rested against the chair beside her.
The moment Dexter entered, all four pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Or more specifically.
Toward the temporary identification card hanging on his chest.
The large letter printed on it was impossible to miss.
F-Rank Talent Holder.
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