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 shouldn't 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 Caelan's future development.
Based on her past experience, little Caelan had likely awakened some truly remarkable class.
As expected of my cousin—definitely 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 Talia's 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 hadn't awakened a class, you'd never have to worry about making a living."
"How about this… why don't you just become my personal chef from now on? Sounds good, doesn't 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, don't you think?"
"Doesn't 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. It's my ex-boyfriend's legion application card. I'll give it to you."
Caelan was momentarily stunned.
To be honest, he hadn't planned on joining any legion in the first place. He had intended to be a lone wolf.
However… at his current stage, there really weren't 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.
Cousin's ex-boyfriends… aren't they all first-class suckers?
A legion chosen by someone with that kind of intelligence—can 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 Legion's trial mission. Upon completion, you will become an official member.
She's 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 coins—and that was assuming one could even find a buyer.
After all, for most Awakeners, even passing the Ironclad Legion's 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 don't understand just how charming I am."
"Let me put it this way—among my ex-boyfriends, he doesn't 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 beautiful—but what good was beauty alone?
A lazy woman like her… it was probably just that her ex-boyfriends hadn't yet discovered her true nature.
That said, Caelan didn't know much about legions in general.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Cousin, do you think it's 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 you—ever 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, you'll 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, you'll start receiving a monthly welfare stipend."
"Think about it—once you have that stipend, wouldn't 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 Talia's explanation, Caelan felt the corner of his mouth twitch.
So after saying all that—and even screwing over an ex-boyfriend—she's 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 wasn't a bad idea.
So he nodded.
"Alright, I'll go take a look."
"But before that, I still need to represent the academy in this year's 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, didn't I tell you already? The boss at my last job was a total pervert."
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about that. I'm going to look for a new job. I won't be coming home for a while."
"My dear cousin, good luck in the Ranked Match!"