Chapter 5: Bronze Badge Hero

The moment Talon reached the busy street where he had settled with Pontus, he was already out of breath. Pontus was happy to see him return. "Good, good, a trustworthy man like you will definitely have good luck. He who doesn’t cheat others can never be cheated by the world."

Talon gave a wry smile. "Did you think I would run away with your money, boss?"

Pontus simply laughed without a word.

"I need to get some rest, boss. It's been a very tiring day."

"Hmm. Be sure to come back early tomorrow morning; the real sales start then." Pontus handed Talon two silvers.

Talon wanted to thank him, but he felt an icy sharpness invade his lungs. It was like he had glass shards inside him, making each breath almost unbearable. He had to do everything to avoid grimacing, but even then, his face changed.

"What? Are you not satisfied? You'll get better pay if you do even better tomorrow," Pontus said, waving his hand as if chasing away a fly.

Before leaving, Talon managed to squeeze out a word, "Thanks." Then he turned around and disappeared into the crowd. The moment he turned down the next street, he entered an alley and said in his mind, "System."

The sky-blue screen appeared in front of him again, with a return button blinking. Talon touched the button mentally and vanished from the spot.

***

The moment he appeared in the familiar, unfamiliar space, a soft golden light descended on him, leaving a soothing feeling all over his body. The impending death he felt from the ice creeping into his lungs disappeared as if it had never been there. All his injuries vanished too, and he was soon back to his optimal state.

The synthetic voice rang out in the space again.

— Congratulations on completing your first mission.

— You’ve received your mission rewards.

— You have unlocked the Interdimensional Bazaar as a Bronze Badge Hero.

— You can now access your Personal Space.

The space trembled, and the darkness vanished. Light filled the environment, and the dark space became a white space. The floor remained the same, but the space was now a small island of about 50 square meters. The edge of the island was thick rolling white fog, with colorful fog occasionally visible. Even the sky was filled with the same fog. When he walked to the edge, he found it impossible to pass through, as it repelled him like two poles of a magnet. He gave up trying to pass through it.

There was a bronze door at the other end of the island, where the portal had previously appeared. He instinctively knew that opening the door would allow him to exit this space.

— This is your personal space, and it will be named after you.

A podium stood at the center of the island, new since he hadn’t noticed it before. A screen floated above it with a ray of golden light shining on the podium from an unseen place. He walked to the podium, where a floating screen displayed four menu buttons in the middle of the translucent screen: Market Place, Bazaar Shop, Personal Space, and Gambling House. In the right corner, an icon of human silhouettes floated with the label 'Social Network.' In the top left corner was his name, 'Talon,' in a name box with bronze laurels underneath. A medal labeled 'Hero Rank' was beside it, with a small coin pile showing the number 0 next to it. A small golden wheel with spokes displayed 20 karma. In the top right corner, a glowing and blinking floating chest tried to gain Talon’s attention, with a Merchant Icon beside it showing the number 0.

— These are all the options open to you.

Before he could read through the confusing array of icons, the system brought up a pop-up screen.

— It is time to set up your profile. Please choose your hero name. Hero names are important as they can protect your identity in situations where your interests clash with those of other heroes in your world. Here are some sample hero names.

The screen changed to show many existing heroes and their names, ranging from simple ones like 'Wandering Swordsman' to eccentric ones like 'I Love Big Milkers.'

“Can I change my hero name after picking one?”

— You can’t.

Talon nodded, understanding the importance of choosing wisely. He could imagine how embarrassing it would be for someone with a name like 'I Love Big Milkers' to introduce themselves to other heroes. 'If I were that guy, I’d prefer to die again instead.'

After some thought, he found it hard to choose between ‘Avenging Angel,’ ‘Wandering Adventurer,’ and ‘Black Iron Talon.’ When he asked the system, both Avenging Angel and Wandering Adventurer were rejected because they were already taken. Resigned, Talon chose Black Iron Talon as his hero name. The name on the name box changed to Black Iron Talon with bronze laurels underneath, and his personal space was renamed Black Iron Talon’s Space.

— Your rewards have been deposited in your personal space.

He saw the 3x ticket appear on the podium.

— One of your rewards requires immediate utilization.

The golden light expanded, covering Talon. He could see nothing but golden light, but it was soft on his eyes and didn't harm his vision.

— Awakening Process Commencing…

A head-splitting pain struck Talon out of nowhere.

***

When Talon opened his eyes again, he was still in front of the podium, but the golden light had returned to just shining on the podium.

— Congratulations on Awakening.

The screen above the podium displayed three symbols: a muscular man, a shining brain, and an ethereal swirl. Talon instinctively understood these represented the three categories of professions: Physical power, Mental power, and Magic power.

Eren had awakened a rare profession called Sun Fire Mage, allowing him to create mini suns with high heat and luminosity. Denzel’s profession, Ironclad, gave him extreme resistance to physical harm and high endurance, even allowing him to absorb force from impacts to become stronger.

Professions varied in rarity, with some appearing only once in a century. Talon didn’t have high expectations; a rare profession would satisfy him. The rarer the profession, the harder it would be for others to know his weaknesses. As he thought about this, the stoic voice rang through the space.

— You have awakened, Mind Hunter.