After understanding his situation, Moon felt a weight lift from his chest. The crushing pressure that had been suffocating him since the ceremony began to ease. In fact, the recent events had sprouted something important in his mind.
Even the person he had trusted most, the one he'd wanted to spend the rest of his life with, had abandoned him at his lowest point. The lesson was clear and brutal; he couldn't afford to trust anyone easily anymore.
Thinking back about their relationship, he was the one who had tried the most. She never really tried to do much, whether it was emotional or physical support.
This ordeal had shown him who would stand by his side when things went wrong, and the answer was clear: no one would.
He would remember that.
Moon turned back to glance at the girl who had invited him earlier, but stopped short. She'd already gathered two other awakeners, a small group forming around her with surprising speed.
She's good, Moon thought.
Making connections wasn't exactly easy, especially in a place like this where everyone was sizing each other up. Yet she'd managed to assemble a whole team in the few minutes he'd been distracted.
He walked over to join them. The girl's face lit up when she saw him approaching.
"You're done? Perfect timing. I found two more people." She gestured excitedly to the others. "We should introduce ourselves properly. I'm Selene."
"Moon," he said simply.
The larger of the two newcomers spoke next. He had a broad build, thick shoulders, and was quite tall. "John. Tank class. Nothing fancy, just the basics."
The other was a tall blonde woman, nearly matching Moon's height at around 1.8 meters. She carried herself with a certain poise, her eyes sharp and assessing. "Hey, I'm elara. My class is an archer."
Selene practically bounced on her heels. "What's your class, Moon? Mine is water mage."
Moon didn't hesitate. "I'm a water mage."
When he heard Selene, Moon had made a decision, he'd copy her class. The reasoning was straightforward. As a mage, he wouldn't need to worry about equipment. No arrows to buy or maintain like Elara would need. No heavy armour or weapons like John. Just mana, which his status showed he had fifteen points of, slightly above the human average.
More importantly, mages stayed in the back line. He could position himself near Selene, observe how she used her skills, and learn from her technique while maintaining relative safety.
And something about her suggested she wasn't simple. Not at all. The way she'd approached him, gathered the others, the confidence beneath her nervous energy.
"Oh!" Selene's eyes widened with delight. "Another water mage! That's amazing. Do you have the same skills as—"
"Why are they all gathering over there?" Moon cut in smoothly, gesturing toward a section of the hall where a large crowd was forming.
Selene's attention shifted immediately, following his gesture. "Oh, that's the guild area. New awakeners can try their luck getting into a guild early. If you have a desirable class, healers, mages, stuff like that, some guilds will offer initial support. Resources, guidance, that kind of thing."
"I see," Moon said.
He studied the crowd for a moment. People pressed together, voices raised as they tried to catch the attention of guild representatives. The energy there was desperate, competitive.
Everyone was trying to prove their worth, to secure an advantage that would help them survive longer.
Neither John nor Elara seemed interested in joining the throng. John crossed his arms, content to observe from a distance. Elara's expression remained neutral, unbothered by the opportunity.
Selene tilted her head. "None of you want to try?"
"Guilds come with obligations," Elara said simply. "I'd rather see what the First Sanctuary is like before I commit to anything."
John nodded his agreement. "Same. Rather figure things out on our own first."
Moon said nothing, but internally, he agreed completely. The last thing he needed was being tied to a guild, a weak one at that. Better to stay independent, at least until he understood exactly what he was capable of.
Selene considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough. I just thought I'd ask. So, should we figure out what we're doing next? I heard there are basic training grounds where we can practice and get used to our abilities before venturing outside the base."
The basic training ground was located inside the base itself. One of the primary benefits of having fortified bases was that stronger awakeners could capture and transport beasts back for weaker ones to practice against. Of course, this service wasn't cheap, and it benefited both parties. The strong earned money, and the weak gained crucial early experience.
These training grounds allowed new awakeners to hunt contained beasts, gaining lives and experience in a controlled environment. With enough effort, you might accumulate enough experience to reach level two and earn additional stat points before venturing into the real dangers outside the walls.
Moon had been saving money specifically for this. Getting an extra life and more stats before leaving the base wasn't just smart, it was potentially lifesaving. Money could be earned back later by hunting beasts and selling equipment. But lives? Once you died, that was it. There were no second chances.
"I'm in," Moon said.
The others didn't object. They seemed agreeable, almost eager, so the group made their way through the base's stone corridors toward the training grounds.
The entrance wasn't packed. Not many could afford the fee, especially fresh arrivals who'd spent their savings just trying to survive the outside world. Moon had been fortunate to have money saved from his part-time work, combined with the modest fund he received as an orphan. Even so, he'd barely managed to scrape together enough.
An awakener stood at the entrance, an older man with scarred forearms and the confidence of someone who'd survived the First Sanctuary long enough to make it a career. He looked up as they approached.
"Ten thousand dollars per person to enter."
Selene pulled out her card without hesitation, practically bouncing with excitement. John and Elara followed suit, their movements calm and unbothered. For them, the fee was clearly a minor expense.
Moon felt his stomach tighten. Even though he'd prepared himself mentally for this moment, watching the others pay so casually made the weight of it real.
With this ten thousand spent, he'd have only one thousand dollars left in his savings. One thousand dollars to his name in both worlds.
He pulled out his card, then scanned it.
The machine beeped, and the transaction went through.
The man gestured for them to enter. "Training ground three is available. You'll find contained beasts at levels 1 to 3. Start with the weakest and work your way up. You have two hours."
Moon stepped through the entrance, his mind already calculating. He needed to use every second of these two hours to his full advantage. He needed to get strong enough to earn money hunting outside with the group. Otherwise, with only a thousand dollars left and no job to return to in his world, homelessness wasn't just a possibility; It was a certainty.