26 A.A 1 (2/2)
As Aaron handed over the shining card, Ernst inserted it into a rectangular hole on one wall and said, ”Hub, this is Ernst. This Ascender has won against the present Skystead Hamlet Chief. Please record that, and give him his rewards. Also add in his first Core, too, as he just registered.”
The female voice spoke up.
”Ex-Chief Ernst- message confirmed. Rewards: 3.”
This made Ernst raise his eyebrow. Weren't there only supposed to be two?
Yet, the next moment, his eyes lit up with excitement.
”Mass Production of Ascender Assistant has been successful. As such, deployment has been authorized for all Ascenders who have stepped foot on the path. Stand by to receive.”
”Kid, you're lucky! The A.A is famous for giving an edge to all Ascenders on their journey! I never thought that…”
”This message was sent 3 weeks ago. The Chief missed the message.”
”Oh, right.”
Ernst smiled consciously, as he did have a habit of forgetting certain things.
Well, it wasn't often that an Ascender won against him. In the last three weeks, there had only been losers.
So, he hadn't bothered to check any changes in rewards.
An awkward silence followed, after which a faint rumbling was heard from another wall.
Here, there was a square-shaped thick door that glowed briefly before opening.
Inside were 3 items:
A velvet pouch, a fingernail-sized black, cubical object and a book with red leather.
”Come and take them! These are all yours!”
With growing excitement, Aaron walked up the vault and retrieved the three items.
The moment his hand entered the vault, another beam of light scanned him, as if to check if he really was the one who was supposed to get the rewards.
As Aaron held the velvet pouch, he could feel two items inside, which he recognized to be Cores.
As for the book, its title read 'Basic Technique for All Classes- Part 1'.
Only the small, black cube looked unremarkable, but Ernst walked up and said, ”May I?”
Shrugging, Aaron handed it over, while Ernst said, ”Now, don't move too much. And don't bolt, again.”
Aaron wondered why the Chief was saying that, but the next moment, his jaw almost dropped to the floor while he jumped into the air with shock.
The former Chief had walked forward and placed the cube on the nape of his neck, right where his spine began.
The cube stuck on to Aaron, giving him a cold feeling, but it was what happened after that that had elicited Aaron's extreme reaction.
He heard the same female voice as the hub, but, this time, it was coming from inside his head.
”Ascender Assistant: A.A is booting up. DNA analyzed. No red flags have been raised.”
”Congratulations on taking your first, solid step onto the Path to the Stars! I am your Ascender Assistant, or, in short, your A.A. I have been designed and deployed by the World Government to help aspiring Ascenders like you on their journey! I can analyze all Teras you come across that are in my database. Even if I do not recognize a certain Tera, I am equipped with a database of all pre-apocalyptic animal life so that similarities can be assessed! I can also lead you to where your next Challenge should be! I also have many, many more functions!The World Government thanks you for stepping onto the Path!”