Inside the elevator where Mark and the girl—whose name he had learned was Vicky—stood, they were completely alone.
It was strange, considering the massive number of Awakeners in the building. But what surprised Mark most was the labyrinthine series of doors they had passed through.
Each one opened only after a passcode was entered with such blinding speed that he couldn't even keep track. Finally, they reached this elevator, which had been ascending for three full minutes and still hadn't reached its destination..
Mark's anxiety spiked. The tension was evident on his face—beads of sweat began to form. His hand trembled slightly as he stole a glance at Vicky, who remained fixed on the door, never once looking his way.
He began to wonder if they were planning to assassinate him right there, alone in the elevator, which was unnervingly, excessively clean. He simply wondered if, at this height, anyone would even hear his scream after they finished him off. But after a moment, he realized that hope was futile.
Beep... Beep...
The elevator finally reached its floor. The doors slid open automatically, retracting into the walls.
Before Mark lay a floor-to-ceiling glass wall, revealing the ground far below from this towering height. Mark reached out and touched it with his fingertips.
He felt like he could burst into tears just looking at the drop; the sheer altitude was enough to make his knees buckle with fear.
Yet, the sound of his fingers sliding against the glass was a luxurious, pristine hiss—a level of cleanliness he absolutely adored. For a split second, the thought of licking it even crossed his mind, but he dismissed the idea immediately.
"What are you doing?"
Vicky's eyes narrowed as she watched Mark's bizarre interaction with the glass.
"Nothing... it's just... the glass is so clean," Mark stammered.
Vicky let out a sigh of disappointment and moved through the hallways. Mark followed immediately behind her.
"Listen closely... behave yourself once we're inside. Understood?"
She didn't need to tell him. Mark had already decided to remain as silent as a grave. The person he was about to meet certainly wasn't ordinary—undoubtedly a high-ranking Awakener. In novels, if you so much as blink without permission, these people take offense. He would stay quiet until spoken to.
When they arrived, Vicky quietly opened the door and signaled for Mark to enter, stepping aside to clear the way. Mark's mind raced, trying to guess the identity of the person inside.
"Go on, get in. Why are you standing on the threshold?"
Mark looked inside and saw a nameplate on the desk of an elegantly dressed man.
Vladimir Hernandez – Branch President
Mark entered slowly, and the door clicked shut behind him.
"Don't just stand there. Sit." The man smiled, gesturing for him to take a seat. Mark's expression was completely frozen as he sat in the chair opposite the desk. The man's overwhelming aura spoke volumes about his power—it screamed, 'I am dangerous, do not mess with me.'
Mark wanted to speak, so he raised his hand. Vladimir noticed.
"Go ahead. Say what's on your mind."
Mark swallowed hard, trying to find his voice—or perhaps prepare his plea for mercy if things went south.
"Sir... thank you for this... lovely trip. I truly don't wish to trouble you. I simply wanted to submit my resignation."
Mark tried to sound as meek as possible. Based on the memories of his predecessor, he was just an ordinary guy—what could he have done besides ask to quit or cause a small scene outside? He wondered if the wealthy "Young Master" had reported him for causing a riot, but he didn't want to incriminate himself. He wanted to know why he was brought here first.
"Do you know how many people have requested to resign in the history of the Union? Since the Great Catastrophe and the founding of this Kingdom and this institution... there have only been five. You are the fifth. Do you know why?"
Mark was stunned. According to his memories, the Great Catastrophe happened over 300 years ago. Only five people? And he was the fifth..
"Why?" he asked hesitantly.
"Look closely." The man handed Mark a book titled "Universal Laws of Awakeners." On the first page, the second law read: "It is strictly forbidden for anyone who has received a notification of their appointment as a Player to submit a resignation or claim injury to receive an exemption."
Mark hadn't known this. Had he just walked into a crime without realizing it? He was about to launch into a frantic apology.
"Can I see your ID card?"
Mark quickly pulled his card from his suit and handed it to Vladimir.
"Mark Hao... twenty-three years old... Unranked... Class: Slime Warrior... Rank: F-"
Mark desperately wanted to say: 'Look how weak I am!'
"Slime Warrior... Slime... Hahaha!" Mark felt a surge of fear at the man's laughter; he wanted to scream.
"Sir, as you can see... my class is extremely weak and useless. I am weak and of no value to anyone. Can I please be exempted?"
The man returned the card and looked at him intensely.
"I saw the fight you were involved in downstairs... and you didn't look like an F-rank to me. You managed to suppress three people who were all ranked higher than you at the same time. Are you truly an F-?"
Mark tried to patch it up with any excuse he could find. "Actually, I leveled up a while ago and haven't come in for a re-evaluation yet."
The man's gaze sharpened even further. "That means your class potential is higher than 'Unranked'..."
He had him cornered. Mark didn't know what to say. Was he going to be exposed after just one day? Was he that bad at staying hidden?
"Sir... honestly, I don't understand what you're implying. But these are my actual ratings... they were issued by your Union, I didn't make them up."
The man looked at him again, smiled, and placed a hand on his forehead.
"Hahaha!" He started laughing even louder.
"You know... I really am a strange one for thinking that about you. Out of all the Awakeners in the world... every country, every corner... that it would be you. Hahaha, I suppose I'm overthinking things. My apologies."
Previously, Vladimir had received orders from high command: Find the SSS-ranker at any cost. All they knew was that the class involved a "Slime." Mark appeared before him as a candidate who fit all the traits the experts predicted after analyzing the Saintess's words: uncontrolled, somewhat clumsy, skeptical, and possessing more power than his rank suggested.
And he had "Slime" in his class name.
The man in front of him checked almost every box. But Vladimir felt it couldn't be him. Why? He told himself it simply couldn't be this man; all his records showed he was pathetic, far from being an SSS..
He looked like nothing more than a lucky man who had stepped slightly beyond his limits—which made far more sense than the idea that the SSS-rank the whole world was dreaming of was sitting right in front of him.
But he still had doubts. What if it really was him? He had to register him as a suspect at the very least. Or keep him under surveillance for a while to monitor his behavior. Ultimately, he would be subjected to a re-evaluation to see his stats, and only then could a final decision be made. This thought weighed heavily on Vladimir's mind.