Chapter 103: The Birth of Shadow Genesis

The next morning, Aldric arrived at the Mercenary Guild.

The building was already bustling with activity. Mercenaries crowded the entrance and registration counters, while several groups gathered nearby to discuss their latest assignments.

“Have you heard? There’s a new mission posted on the board this morning.”

“Which one?”

“The escort mission to the northern region. The reward isn’t bad, but the route passes through a dangerous area.”

“Hmph! That’s nothing. I heard the military is preparing a high-rank mission near the outskirts of Silverwood City to clear the Monster Beast. That’s the one worth paying attention to.”

Conversations about missions could be heard everywhere.

Aldric paid them no attention and walked straight toward the registration counter.

A young woman sat behind the desk, handling documents and answering questions from mercenaries. When she noticed him approaching, she put down the papers in her hand.

“Hello. How can I help you?”

“I want to register a mercenary squad,” Aldric replied calmly.

The receptionist looked him over before asking, “You do know that the squad’s representative needs to meet the Martial Master requirement, right?”

Aldric didn’t answer.

Instead, he released a wisp of Martial Aura.

The receptionist’s expression changed slightly as she sensed it. She immediately understood that the man standing before her wasn’t an ordinary person.

She took out a registration form and handed it to him.

“All right. Fill this out with the required information. Once you’re done, take it to the waiting area. You’ll be called for the next step.”

Aldric accepted the form without saying anything and moved to a nearby table.

He filled in the required details, including the name of the mercenary squad he wanted to establish. After checking the information once, he returned the form to the receptionist and sat down to wait.

He had barely settled into his seat when a middle-aged man approached him.

“Hey, buddy!”

Aldric looked up.

The man wore a mercenary uniform and had a friendly smile on his face.

“Are you here to become a mercenaries?” the man asked.

Aldric gave a slight nod.

The man’s eyes brightened.

“That’s great! How about joining our Blood Mercenary Group instead? We’re an established group with plenty of opportunities. You’ll have access to better missions, and you won’t have to worry about building a team from scratch.”

Aldric looked at him briefly.

“No.”

The middle-aged man’s smile stiffened for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

“Come on, don’t reject me so quickly. Our group has a good reputation, and we can offer you plenty of benefits. You should at least hear me out.”

Aldric turned his gaze away.

The man continued trying to persuade him, talking about the group’s strength, available missions, and the advantages of joining an established organization.

Aldric didn’t respond again.

The middle-aged man’s smile gradually became awkward.

Just as he was about to say something else, the receptionist called out.

“Candidate Number Twenty-Four!”

Aldric immediately stood up.

“Here.”

The receptionist checked his details and pointed toward a corridor.

“Please proceed to the training hall. You’ll need to complete a strength test before we can continue your registration.”

Aldric nodded and walked away.

The middle-aged man watched him leave, then shook his head.

“What a strange fellow…”

The training hall was considerably quieter than the main lobby.

Several testing machines stood along the walls, and a few candidates were waiting for their turn. An examiner sat beside one of the machines, recording the results.

When Aldric entered, the examiner glanced at the number on his form.

“Candidate Number Twenty-Four?”

“Yes.”

The examiner pointed toward a large strength-testing machine.

“Hit the center of the target with a punch. The machine will record your strength.”

Aldric walked over and stood in front of it.

He didn’t bother asking any questions.

He simply drew back his fist and punched the target.

BANG!

The machine shook slightly as a number appeared on its display.

45,000!

The examiner stared at the result.

For a moment, he wondered whether the machine had malfunctioned. He checked the display again, then glanced at Aldric.

The examiner’s eyes twitched involuntarily.

Forty-five thousand points from a single punch? That’s it.

The examiner glanced at Aldric and raised an eyebrow as he looked over the squad’s strength.

“Are you sure you want to register your squad with this level of strength?” he asked, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief. “You do understand how dangerous missions can be for a squad of your strength, right?”

Aldric met his gaze without showing any hesitation. He didn’t bother explaining himself or arguing with the examiner.

“Yes,” he replied calmly.

The examiner stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to say something more. However, Aldric remained silent, his expression unchanged.

Seeing this, the examiner let out a quiet sigh and shook his head.

Another fool who’s practically signing his own death warrant, he thought, looking at Aldric with a mixture of pity and resignation.

He had seen plenty of people like this before. They would enter the world full of confidence, only to realize how cruel it could be when they faced their first real mission.

Unfortunately, Aldric seemed to be no different.

After checking the machine once more, he cleared his throat.

“All right. You’ve passed.”

He quickly wrote something on a slip of paper and handed it to Aldric.

“Take this to Room Number Four. They’ll handle the remaining verification.”

Aldric accepted the slip.

“Thank you.”

He then left the training hall without showing the slightest excitement over his result.

The examiner watched him disappear through the doorway and muttered, “What a monster…”

—

Room Number Four was a registration office where candidates completed their final verification.

When Aldric entered, he saw a beautiful young woman sitting behind a desk. She was looking through several documents and barely glanced up when he approached.

“Candidate Number Twenty-Four?”

Aldric handed her the slip.

“Here.”

She took it and checked the examiner’s mark.

“All right. Give me your citizenship identification.”

Aldric reached into his pocket and handed over the document Magnus had arranged for him.

The woman examined it before placing it beside her computer.

“Next, release a wisp of your Martial Aura into this device.”

Aldric followed her instructions.

The device lit up as it registered his aura.

The woman then prepared the equipment for the blood sample and completed the necessary procedure. After a short wait, she checked the results on her screen.

Everything appeared to be in order.

She nodded.

“All right. The verification process is complete. You can wait for the final confirmation.”

Aldric remained standing beside the desk.

The woman began entering the final details into the registration system, then paused and looked at him.

“By the way, what name do you want for your mercenary squad?”

“Shadow Genesis,” Aldric replied.

She typed the name into the system.

“Shadow Genesis… All right. Please wait while the registration is processed.”

Aldric moved to a nearby seat.

He didn’t need to do anything else. Lucian had already prepared everything, and Aldric had completed each step according to his instructions.

After a short while, the woman received the verification results.

She checked the screen, confirmed that the information had been accepted, and retrieved an identification card from the desk.

“Candidate Number Twenty-Four.”

Aldric stood up and approached her.

She handed him the card.

“Your registration has been approved. Shadow Genesis is now officially registered with the Mercenary Guild.”

Aldric took the card and examined it briefly.

The name Shadow Genesis was clearly printed on it.

His task was complete.

“Thank you,” he said before turning to leave.

—

At Sterling Manor, Lucian was sitting in his room when he received the news through his connection with Aldric.

The moment he learned that the registration had been approved, a smile spread across his face.

Finally.

After all the trouble with the identification document and verification requirements, Shadow Genesis was officially established.

He had managed to register his mercenary squad without appearing at the guild himself. ANd the process had gone smoothly.

Lucian stood up and sprinted off to his uncle’s office. Where Evelyn was also present

“Uncle!, Evelyn! I have some great news!”

Both Evelyn and Lucian’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“What is it?”

Lucian couldn’t help but grin.

“Shadow Genesis has been registered!”

Evelyn’s face lit up and instantly cheered.

“Seriously?! Well done!”

She rushed over and gave him a tight,strong hug.

Lucian gladly returned the embrace. He was in a very happy mood.

Magnus has a bitter smile while watching the interaction but didn’t say anything.

“Well done. It seems everything went according to plan.”

“Yes. Aldric completed the verification, and the guild issued the registration card.”

Magnus patted him on the back.

“That’s good. At least your first objective has been completed.”

Though he quickly frowned.

“Just keep in mind that this is only the first part. Now you’ll need to find suitable missions and establish Shadow Genesis’s reputation. . You can’t just have a name and become powerful.”

Lucian nodded.

“I understand, Uncle. I’ll study the available missions and their requirements before making any decisions.”

“Very good. Don’t go rushing in to anything you aren’t ready for.”

Evelyn grinned at Lucian.

“So Captain. What are you going to do first?”

Lucian looked up with a small frown.

“Find out which missions are available first. Which suits my criteria”

“That sounds like good idea,”

Lucian looked down at the paper he had gotten from Aldric.

He was smiling at the fact that his team had an official name!

Shadow Genesis!

They had come from an idea and then it became a crazy idea as it required a few simple papers. But it was now officially known within the Mercenary Guild.

Now that Aldric had finished the registration, he could move onto the next part.

Lucian grinned with confidence.

“Shadow Genesis is finally registered!”

But for him it was just the beginning.

Sorry for uploading only one chapter today. I’m not feeling well. Thanks for understanding!