Almost instinctively, Talia Merlin turned her gaze toward the street outside the window.
The avenue was bustling with people coming and going, and many of the passersby had their status panels appear before her eyes.
So... it shouldnât be my problem, then.
Talia rubbed her temples, then looked at Caelan with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Had she underestimated this kid after all?
But then again... it seemed that Caelan had underestimated her as well.
She gave a soft shake of her head, temporarily pushing those thoughts aside. What she was considering now concerned Caelanâs future development.
Based on her past experience, little Caelan had likely awakened some truly remarkable class.
As expected of my cousinâdefinitely not simple.
On the other side, Caelan had already prepared dinner.
Although his cousin was a lazy woman, her tastes were extremely picky. Fortunately, Caelan knew her well enough to perfectly cater to Taliaâs preferences.
After a whirlwind of eating, Talia narrowed her eyes, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
"My dear cousin, with cooking skills like yours, even if you hadnât awakened a class, youâd never have to worry about making a living."
"How about this... why donât you just become my personal chef from now on? Sounds good, doesnât it?"
Caelan froze for a moment and gave her a strange look.
"So, Cousin... do you actually have the money to pay my salary?"
Talia paused, then an awkward expression surfaced on her face.
"Well... I am your cousin. Talking about money like that is a bit too distant, donât you think?"
"Doesnât that hurt our relationship?"
After saying that, she seemed to remember something. She rummaged around in her pocket, then pulled out a semi-transparent card.
"Here, take this. Itâs my ex-boyfriendâs legion application card. Iâll give it to you."
Caelan was momentarily stunned.
To be honest, he hadnât planned on joining any legion in the first place. He had intended to be a lone wolf.
However... at his current stage, there really werenât any better Instance options available. If he joined a legion, he could at least clear legion-exclusive Instances.
On top of that, completing legion missions would grant generous rewards.
After a brief moment of consideration, Caelan made his decision.
Still, as he accepted the translucent card, a doubtful thought crept into his mind.
Cousinâs ex-boyfriends... arenât they all first-class suckers?
A legion chosen by someone with that kind of intelligenceâcan it really be reliable?
With suspicion lingering in his heart, Caelan examined the information on the card.
Ironclad Legion Invitation Card
Legion: Ironclad Legion
Tier: Special Class (Highest)
Jurisdiction: Eastern Border
Legion Traits: [Iron Armor], [Hot-Blooded], [Inspiration], [Heart of Steel]
Effect: After using the card, you may directly accept the Ironclad Legionâs trial mission. Upon completion, you will become an official member.
Sheâs not joking this time?
Caelan was stunned. In his memory, this was one of the very few times his cousin had acted this reliably.
And besides... how could someone like her possibly have an ex-boyfriend from the Ironclad Legion?
The Ironclad Legion was one of the top legions among all of humanity. Every single member was elite among elites.
How could such an outstanding individual fall for his lazy cousin?
"Cousin, your ex-boyfriend was actually something else," Caelan said.
He knew very well that the semi-transparent card in his hand alone was worth no less than ten million gold coinsâand that was assuming one could even find a buyer.
After all, for most Awakeners, even passing the Ironclad Legionâs initial screening was impossible.
On the other side, Talia waved her hand dismissively.
"Something else? Please. He was a complete waste."
"My dear cousin, you clearly donât understand just how charming I am."
"Let me put it this wayâamong my ex-boyfriends, he doesnât even rank that high."
She spoke with a smug expression, as proud as a peacock showing off its feathers.
Caelan, meanwhile, could only shrug helplessly.
Honestly, after living together for so many years, he had never noticed anything particularly outstanding about his cousin.
Sure, she was beautifulâbut what good was beauty alone?
A lazy woman like her... it was probably just that her ex-boyfriends hadnât yet discovered her true nature.
That said, Caelan didnât know much about legions in general.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Cousin, do you think itâs a good idea for me to join a legion at this stage?"
Talia paused, then nodded firmly.
"Do you even know how good the benefits are in the Ironclad Legion?"
"Let me tell youâever since the game descended, communication between city-states has become extremely difficult. Traveling between different cities costs a huge amount of gold coins, just to buy portal usage."
"But once you join the Ironclad Legion, you can use portals for free and travel to any city you want."
"On top of that, youâll get access to legion-exclusive Instances, plus all kinds of mission rewards."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"And most importantly, once you reach a certain rank, youâll start receiving a monthly welfare stipend."
"Think about itâonce you have that stipend, wouldnât you be able to forget about a salary and obediently become my chef?"
"We could even use your welfare money to completely lie flat and enjoy life. Just imagining it makes me feel happy."
Hearing Taliaâs explanation, Caelan felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
So after saying all thatâand even screwing over an ex-boyfriendâsheâs just eyeing my future welfare money?
My dear cousin... can you please act like a human being?
Am I just your personal slave in your eyes?
Caelan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his urge to complain.
No matter how he looked at it, joining a legion at this stage wasnât a bad idea.
So he nodded.
"Alright, Iâll go take a look."
"But before that, I still need to represent the academy in this yearâs Ranked Match."
"Cousin, what are your plans next? I remember you saying earlier that you quit your job again."
"So what about the salary you earned during this time? According to our agreement, you should contribute part of it to household expenses."
Talia froze, her gaze immediately beginning to dart around.
"Well... my dear cousin, didnât I tell you already? The boss at my last job was a total pervert."
"Alright, alright, letâs not talk about that. Iâm going to look for a new job. I wonât be coming home for a while."
"My dear cousin, good luck in the Ranked Match!"