Special Treatment

"Welcome to the Association." The official of the Refiner's Association smilingly welcomed Aldrin after turning in the contract which he signed.

In the end, he got roped in by Janet. It's a promise he made and... what she said last about sending him to Sunspeak successfully bought him. Not only will his debt of favor be cleared, but he can also now look forward to reuniting with Renissa in that city.

Before turning in the signed contract, he first apologized to the other four officials who offered him a contract, especially to the Branch Head of the Frostland.

However, much to his surprise, they didn't think too much of him returning the contracts unsigned.

It's a competition among them and... they all have access to the information of the new Energy Refiners beforehand.

Like what the Branch Head of the Association did, if they saw someone promising or just someone they like for their organization, they would draft an enticing contract offer for that one.

And this time, although Aldrin's spherical Energy Quintessence was truly an eyebrow-raiser, that's not enough for them to scramble to get him by offering higher benefits.

At best they highlighted what they could give him but all of those were overshadowed by the generous offer of the Refiner's Association.

Frostland also gave some favorable conditions but it didn't reach the level of the Association.

Perhaps if he showed that he was already enlightened to a Concept then that's a game-changer. Someone who could easily achieve enlightenment was a huge asset and a trove of great potential. They could carefully nurture the Energy Refiner, giving him the more advanced Concepts to comprehend.

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After sorting out the new Energy Refiners, the officials then brought away those who signed with them. And being contracted to the Association, Aldrin and a few others remained in that hall where they would be briefed for what they have to do as not just a registered Energy Refiner but also an employee of the Association as well as be awarded of their signing bonuses.

Before leaving, Irina and Frederic exchanged contacts with him as well as others who wanted to build a connection with other Energy Refiners.

Aldrin accepted all those and exchanged contacts with them. It's a lot better to be prepared at all times. Building a network with other Energy Refiners would be beneficial to him in the long run.

Besides, mingling with them was one of his plans to keep being under the radar.

It's not that he didn't want to show his progress, he just had to make sure that nothing would go awry once he was found out to be progressing at an insane rate than any other Energy Refiner he encountered. This was real life and not just the MMOs he was playing before. There, he could brag about his fast progress and all he would get was some envious look but here, he had to be cautious. Inherent human nature could be scarier than Dimensional Rifts and Rift Monsters.

As rookie employees of the Association, the official told them that they wouldn't be sent to an actual battlefield without an ounce of experience.

First, they would be sent to train at the Joint Training Camp tomorrow that was expected to last for a month.

There, they would be taught about what it means to be a full-fledged Energy Refiner. The basic duty of one and the common etiquette among them.

Moreover, they would also be taught how to operate a Metadome.

Just like what he heard from Frederic and Irina, they would also dive inside and explore a Maintained Dimensional Rift. And to do that, they would need to learn how to operate a Metadome.

The Metadome served as a mode of transportation as well as their own fortress. Because what's inside the Dimensional Rift would be unpredictable at most, it's a lot better to have that kind of protection rather than go on foot or only rely on their Battlesuits.

As for the specifics, the official only told them that it would be elaborated tomorrow at the start of the Joint Training Camp.

"Hmm? You seem to have gotten a haul, Renissa's boyfriend. Follow me."

On his way out of the Association to go home and prepare for tomorrow, Aldrin was ambushed by Janet who was waiting by the reception desk.

Still unaware that he was deliberately given a more favorable offer, the woman, who already found herself as Aldrin's boss, thought of taking care of his underling.

Seeing that Janet already moved without waiting whether he agreed to follow her or not, Aldrin had no choice but to chase behind her while still holding the suitcase filled with the things he received as the signing bonus.

He got the money that he planned to give to his parents and his sister on top of what he set aside for them. There's also the title for the house granted to him, the Basic Refiner Battlesuit as well as two different Basic Refiner Firearms that he chose. He already had the sword and handgun so those guns would be used by his Shadow or Dimensional Clones.

As for the Metadome, it was put on hold for now. He needed to pass some kind of assessment first after the lesson that would be held about operating a Metadome during the Joint Training Camp.

That was for him to be aware of what's suitable for him as well as to calibrate it based on his capabilities.

A few minutes later, Janet led Aldrin to a spacious room on the fourth floor of the building.

Upon looking around the interior, Aldrin deemed that it was more of a personal room than an office. There was a lot of furniture inside, including a bed.

But what caught his attention was what was placed on top of a table. It was a piece of equipment that was carefully placed upright.

Looking at its intricate metallic design, Aldrin began to guess what kind of equipment it was.

"Oi. Stop drooling. Starting today, you're now my underling. So... I have to make sure that you'll excel, right?" Janet flicked her fingers in front of him as she proudly moved towards the table, presenting the piece of equipment.

"But I'm not the only new recruit of the Association. Is it fine to give me a special treatment?"

No matter how he spun his head around this situation, the woman in front of him was about to give him special treatment.

"There you go minding small details again. I'm fond of you and think of this as something of a repayment for how I always tease Renissa."

"Then shouldn't she receive this instead of me?"

"I sent her one earlier, happy?"

"If that's the case then, alright." Aldrin nodded.

He would feel guilty to accept it if Janet called it as repayment for Renissa.

In the first place, they're not in a relationship and she deserved it better. Even though Janet told him that it cannot be bought easily, with his increasing wealth, it's just a matter of time for him to get it himself.

"Heh. You really like that girl. Why did you not say anything before?"

"Is realizing it too late an acceptable excuse?"

"Tsk tsk... That's acceptable. Either way, even if you realized it earlier, I doubt you will stop her from leaving."

'That's true. I will not hinder her path even if I realize this sooner. Besides, my feelings only developed when she's already at Sunspeak.' Aldrin thought to himself, not denying his attraction to his former classmate anymore.

Even if their experiences together could be said as brief, what they went through was worth more than the years they spent in high school where they barely talked to each other.

"That's just being selfish even if I want to. She has her own path and I have mine. I'll hold onto the possibility for our paths to cross again."

Slightly cringing from Aldrin's words, Janet then brushed away that topic by picking up the equipment she's granting to him, "Ugh. I can't believe you're a romantic. Anyway, here, try it on."

"What's this?"

"You received your Battlesuit, right? Although this isn't included in the set, you can think of it as the sixth piece. It cannot be bought easily, mind you. See how generous I am?"

Upon hearing that, he thought back to the eighth piece of Dimensional Clone equipment. The back guard. The shape of the equipment on top of the table fitted the Back Guard attached at the back of his Dimensional Clones.

"This... Since it cannot be bought easily, this is an expensive equipment, right?"

"What did I tell you? Don't mind the little details. Go on. Put on the whole Battlesuit along with this."

Since she won't take no for an answer as well as stop his attempt to talk his way out, Aldrin succumbed to it and followed her instruction.

Upon opening the suitcase, he used his refined energy to influence the six pieces of equipment to fly and equip themselves in his body like magnets being attracted to a metal.

Compared to when there's only five pieces of it, Aldrin felt a swift increase in the circulation of his refined energy as soon as the sixth piece attached itself to his back.

Following that, a clear glass extended from the helm of the Battlesuit, covering his eyes. The clear glass then glowed and opened an interface in the corner of his eyes without blocking his view, indicating how it came online and that a new module was attached to his back. [Hover Module]

Reading the details of the sixth piece of equipment, Aldrin found out that... not only it enhanced the efficiency of his refined Energy, but also it has its own functionality like a jetpack booster.

He could use it to hover longer in the air after jumping as well as enhance his maneuverability while mid-air.

"How is it? You can praise me now." With a proud smile on her lips, Janet urged Aldrin.

Before answering her, Aldrin analyzed his somewhat 'upgraded' Battlesuit thanks to the addition of the sixth piece. Within the spacious room, he began moving like a speedster as he tried circling around to check how fast he could go if he fully utilized the integration of refined energy to the Battlesuit.

Naturally, he refrained from trying out the [Hover Module]. He's at a roofed place.

"Thank you, Miss Janet." Aldrin sincerely expressed his gratitude in a sincere voice after removing the Battlesuit. Along with that sixth piece of equipment, they all returned to the suitcase.

"Stop! Instead of using Miss, call me elder sister." WIth her hands on her hips, Janet still had her proud smile on her lips, eagerly waiting for Aldrin to follow her words.

"Eh?"

"What, you don't want to?"

"No... It's just weird to think that I will be calling someone my elder sister at this age."

He knew that the woman in front of him was older than him for a few years, but he never had the instance of calling someone his elder sister. Moreover, he's more comfortable being called a brother due to his sister.

However, like always, Janet remained silent while casting her gaze on him, waiting for him to give in.

"... Then elder sister Janet." Aldrin forced himself to say just to finally get out of the situation.