Out in the ruins beyond Prospect City, Jack was efficiently clearing Mana Skinks.
Meanwhile, the class chat group at Prospect City Preparatory Academy was blowing up over a piece of huge news.
Campbell, an A-rank Ice Mage, had officially signed with Blackwater Company.
"Oh my god, Blackwater! Campbell is insane!"
"I heard the signing bonus is over a hundred gold coins, plus they'll sponsor a full set of green-quality newbie gear!"
Leveling up fast required burning through massive resources. Recovery potions, stat-boosting equipment, expensive skill books—all of it demanded enormous amounts of gold. Blackwater Company was a top-tier investment firm that existed precisely to fill that need. They would scout exceptionally promising professionals during their early stages and provide lavish material sponsorship.
In return, once those professionals grew strong, they had to fulfill contractual obligations—things like leading the company's dungeon-clearing teams for high-level raids, or turning in specific quantities of rare materials.
Being scouted by Blackwater was a huge honor in itself. It meant Campbell's strength and A-rank talent had been recognized by a premier commercial institution.
Cut to downtown Prospect City.
For the 90% of this world's population who couldn't awaken, their life paths almost all revolved around the awakened. Some worked assembly lines in alchemy factories, some ran errands in weapon shops. But landing a position as an agent at Blackwater was hands-down the highest-paying, most respectable job an ordinary person could reach.
Blackwater Company Headquarters, Intern Agent Office Area.
The space blazed with light. Enormous holographic screens scrolled through rough data on graduates from every preparatory academy.
"Cheers!"
A wave of celebration erupted from the center of the office area.
Intern agent Karen stood holding a glass of champagne, basking in her colleagues' congratulations. She had just inked a deal with one of Prospect City's most anticipated rookies this year—the A-rank Ice Mage Campbell. This dazzling accomplishment was more than enough to secure Karen's transition from intern to full-time Blackwater employee.
After soaking up the praise, Karen strolled over to a workstation tucked in the corner of the office, champagne glass in hand.
Another young woman sat there: Emily.
"Hey, Emily." Karen swirled her glass lightly, her voice dripping with undisguised smugness. "Dinner's on me tonight. We're all heading to a fancy restaurant downtown. You should come."
Emily didn't look up from the rookie profiles on her screen. "I'm busy. No time."
Karen let out a soft laugh, just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. "Don't be such a buzzkill. After all, your time at Blackwater is running short. The internship is almost over—this might be one of our last chances to get together. You sure you don't want to grace us with your presence?"
At those words, Emily's fingers froze on the keyboard. She clenched her jaw as a wave of bitter frustration surged through her.
Karen and Emily had been classmates since their student days. The two had been locked in fierce competition for years. A few years back, Karen had even used some underhanded tricks to steal Emily's boyfriend at the time. Since then, their relationship had been pure hostility—neither willing to concede an inch.
After graduation, they'd both applied to Blackwater and joined as intern agents.
The agent role at Blackwater was brutally competitive. The internship lasted only a single month. Company policy was clear: within that month, an intern had to successfully sign at least one promising awakened individual. Fail, and you were out.
In this rigidly stratified world, dealing with powerful professionals was the only way an ordinary person could leapfrog social classes. Becoming a full agent meant a sky-high base salary and fat commissions.
Karen had now signed Campbell. Her future shone blindingly bright.
Emily could already picture it vividly: Karen collecting a huge bonus, moving into a sprawling luxury villa, decked out in designer clothes, frequenting elite venues, maybe even rubbing shoulders and pairing up with high-level professionals.
Seeing those contrasting images in her mind made Emily feel like her heart was being squeezed in a vice. She absolutely refused to lose to Karen, the nemesis who'd always targeted her.
But reality was suffocating.
Emily's record was still zero. If she couldn't land a client in these last few days, she'd be kicked to the curb. Once she left Blackwater, her only option would be those second-rate, bottom-tier contracting companies.
Without Blackwater's massive financial backing and prestigious name, attracting talented professionals to sign would become exponentially harder. The path would only narrow, and the most likely outcome was sliding down to the bottom, stuck in cheap manual labor that traded her body for pennies.
For Emily, her career seemed to be reaching its end before it ever truly began.
"Thanks for the invite, but I actually have plans tonight." Emily stood up, grabbed her jacket, and answered stiffly. "I'm heading to the Professional's Guild to try my luck. See if I can sign a few rookies."
Karen watched Emily hurry off, shaking her head in mock regret while her eyes gleamed with pure contempt.
Half an hour later, Emily arrived in Prospect City's bustling Professional's Guild district.
The highest official body overseeing professionals was the Professional's Guild. But besides the main guild hall, each class had its own specialized gathering spots, like the Mages' Association, the Knights' Association, and the Warriors' Association.
These specialized associations were where professionals of the same class swapped combat tips, formed parties, and traded class-specific gear. Players grinding out in the wilds would usually hang around these places after returning to the city.
Emily took a deep breath and walked through the doors of the Mages' Association first.
A faint shimmer of magical energy hung in the lobby. Rookies in robes of all colors clustered in small groups. Emily smoothed her business attire and approached a young mage wearing a B-rank talent badge.
"Excuse me, sir." Emily put on her professional smile and offered her business card. "I'm Emily, an agent with Blackwater Company. Would you be interested in learning about our sponsorship contract? We can provide your early-stage leveling funds."
The young mage glanced at the word "Intern" on the card, and his attitude instantly cooled.
"Blackwater? One of your senior account managers reached out to me last week already." He waved a dismissive hand and cut her off. "I'm still weighing offers from several top firms. As for you—intern—can you secure me any special resource advantages? If not, don't waste my time."
Emily's expression stiffened. All she could do was awkwardly pull back her card and apologize.
The entire afternoon, Emily bounced between the Mages' Association, the Knights' Association, and the Warriors' Association. These were the hottest, most combat-efficient classes right now—and the prime targets for every recruiting company.
Without exception, she hit a wall everywhere.
The rookies with B-rank or even A-rank talents had all been snatched up by seasoned agents from major companies right after the Awakening Ceremony. Armed with huge bargaining chips, they had zero interest in a low-authority intern. These arrogant new talents were utterly unimpressed by the business card Emily offered.
The sky gradually darkened.
Emily walked alone under the streetlamps, her heels clicking monotonously against the stone pavement. She clutched the untouched stack of business cards in her hand, her spirits plummeting to rock bottom. Signing a promising professional was just too damn hard.
The rookies from the popular classes were completely out of reach. She had less than three days left. If she didn't find a breakthrough tomorrow, she'd really have to pack up, leave Blackwater, and watch Karen parade around triumphantly, lording it over her.