Chapter 75: Her Official Rank

The moment Summer stepped into Zone 33’s headquarters, she opened her status panel.

[Status Panel]

[Name: Summer Beaumont]

[Age: 25]

[Rank: SSS-Rank Guide]

[Mental Stability: SSS]

[Remaining Bank Balance: $894,907]

[Reputation: +334,888]

Summer stared at the screen for a few seconds.

SSS-Rank?

She had expected her rank to be high, but seeing it written there still felt strange.

Then another message appeared.

[Certain errors remain in your evaluation results.]

[However, after reviewing multiple factors, including your ability to successfully guide two Elite Sentinels and your proven ability to remain stable and effective under highly stressful conditions, we have determined that your overall qualifications meet the standards required for an SSS-Rank Guide.]

[As one of the Elites, you will be granted special permission to conceal your actual Rank.]

Summer stared at the message for a moment. She had a feeling that it was probably rare for high-ranking Sentinels or Guides to hide their real rank.

After all, the higher someone’s rank was, the more respect they usually received. People naturally treated S-Rank and above very differently from ordinary Sentinels and Guides, especially in places where strength could decide almost everything.

Still, she could understand why some people would choose to hide it.

A high rank could attract attention, too much attention to be exact.

There were probably people who concealed their real strength for safety, to avoid being targeted, or simply because they did not want every organization in the zones trying to recruit them.

Summer slowly narrowed her eyes. Should she do the same?

She could probably pretend to be an A-Rank Guide, or maybe even an S-Rank Guide, and no one would question it too much.

It might make things easier.

Summer thought about it for a few more seconds, then she immediately rejected the idea.

Nah. Why should she hide it?

If someone wanted to look down on her, then she wanted them to see exactly who they were looking down on.

If someone wanted to treat her like a weak little rabbit, she would rather watch their expression change the moment they realized that the "weak rabbit" in front of them was actually an SSS-Rank Guide.

That sounded much more satisfying and would be great for livestream content.

Summer smiled slightly and tapped the screen. "I’ll keep it visible."

[Confirmed.]

[Your official Rank will remain publicly visible as SSS-Rank Guide.]

[You may change this setting at any time through your personal status panel.]

[Please collect your new uniform from the nearest headquarters: Zone 33.]

She closed the status panel and finally looked around the headquarters.

Zone 33’s headquarters was not as large or modern as the one in Zone 0. The building looked older, and there were fewer people walking around, but the place was still busy enough that Summer immediately noticed several Sentinels and Guides passing through the main hall.

She then walked toward the information counter near the entrance.

A young woman in a dark gray uniform was sitting behind the counter, typing something on her screen.

When Summer approached, the woman quickly looked up and gave her a polite smile. "Good morning. How can I help you?"

"I was told to collect my new uniform here," Summer said as she showed her identification on her terminal.

"Of course. Please give me a moment."

The woman then scanned the barcode on Summer’s terminal.

A second later, her expression froze. Her eyes slowly moved from the screen to Summer’s face, then back to the screen again.

Summer immediately knew what she had seen. "Is something wrong?" Summer asked innocently.

"N-No." The woman quickly straightened her back. "Nothing is wrong, Guide Beaumont."

Her voice suddenly sounded much more respectful than before.

Summer had to stop herself from smiling. Apparently, displaying her rank had been the right decision.

The woman tapped several things on the screen before saying, "Your uniform has already been prepared. Since you have officially been registered as an SSS-Rank Guide, you have also been granted Elite status."

"I see."

"Please wait here for a moment. I will have someone bring it to you."

Summer nodded and moved away from the counter.

Less than three minutes later, another staff member came out through a door behind the counter while carrying a black box with both hands.

"Guide Beaumont?"

"That’s me."

The staff member immediately walked toward her and handed her the box.

"Your new uniform is inside. We have already adjusted the size according to the measurements stored in your profile, but you can request another one if there is any problem with the fit."

Summer accepted the box. "Thank you."

She was about to walk away when the staff member suddenly added, "Your Elite identification has also been sent to your terminal."

Summer stopped walking. "Elite identification?"

"Yes." The staff member nodded. "Only Elite Sentinels and Guides receive one. It allows you to enter several restricted areas without requesting permission every time. There are still some places that require special clearance, of course."

Summer immediately opened her terminal again and realized that her status panel had turned golden instead of the dull brown color it had been when she was an F-Rank.

She tapped the corner of the screen and opened the new Elite identification.

[Elite Identification]

[Name: Summer Beaumont]

[Classification: Guide]

[Rank: SSS]

[Access Level: Elite]

[Status: Active]

There were several other lines under it, including the areas she could enter without approval and a note saying that her access could still be limited during emergency military operations.

Summer read through everything once before closing the page.

Well, this was nice. At least she would no longer need to wait for Ilya or Archer to enter some Elite places, like the Elite cafeteria or lounge.

"Summer!"

A familiar voice came from behind her, making Summer immediately turn around.

From a distance, she saw Saddie and Julie arriving together at Zone 33’s headquarters. Both of them waved at her before finally approaching.

Before this, Saddie had to pick Julie up from her academy first because the academy did not want something bad to happen to their student again.

"Sorry! Sorry! Our train was delayed!" Saddie said the moment she stood in front of her.

Summer replied, "It’s alright. I just got here too."

Her pink eyes then moved toward the black box in Summer’s hand. "Ohhhh. Did your official rank finally come out? Is it SSS-Rank?!"