Chapter 225: Ch 225: Joining the Association - Part 3

Daniel blinked as he looked at Noah and then blinked again. He looked like he could not believe his eyes, but after a few seconds, he seemed to recover enough to rush towards him and hug him.

The esper leader who stood beside Noah took a quick step back before an accident could occur.

"What are you doing out here? You should be inside our quarters. Were you waiting for us? How sweet. But there is no need for you to wait here, especially with such company."

Alan’s smile was sweet when he looked at Noah, but it turned sour when he looked behind him at his ’company’.

The ’so-called’ company let out bitter smiles and diverted their eyes away from him as well. Both sides were clearly uncomfortable, which made Noah let out a sigh.

He lightly hit Alan’s side to attract his attention. When the SSS-grade esper turned to look at him, Noah made sure to show his disappointment.

"Stop bullying other people for no reason. Those people helped me get here and waited for me since my ID won’t work."

There was no point in dragging the truth out any longer, especially when it was something that was bound to come out sooner or later.

People at lower levels did not have the luxury of selecting their work. They had to report whenever and wherever they were called for duty.

And speaking of duty, Noah felt a sudden shiver go down his spine. Seconds later, his new intercom, which he had picked up for work, started to beep.

He decided to answer the call, wanting to see what the person on the other side wanted from him.

[Guide Noah, please report for duty. Your first assignment has been selected for you]

Noah let out a sigh at the announcement.

He had known that the association would be quick to put him to work, especially since he was an unregistered B-class guide who had gotten here through nepotism but did not have any backing.

As weird as it sounded, he was likely not the only case like this, and he had a feeling his life was going to get tough.

For now, he had no choice but to report for duty.

’Sigh.’

"Well, it seems like I have no choice but to go now. I will try to come back soon from this assignment—"

Everyone around him had gone quiet, with displeased looks on their faces. They were not merely concerned; they looked as though something was truly troubling them.

It made Noah feel concerned as well.

"Is something wrong?"

He asked in a low voice, waiting for an answer. He noticed how the esper leader bit his lip in agitation.

But the one who answered him was Daniel, and he sounded pissed.

"According to protocol, no new employee is supposed to be assigned any work within the first 24 hours of their acceptance. It is to give them time to adjust to their new environment and the protocols. But it seems these people have no intention of giving you the same courtesy as everyone else."

Ah, so it was a clear disregard for the rules? That was not a big deal.

Noah had a feeling the head researcher was behind this and that the man was doing this to break his spirit.

But Noah was not going to let him get away with this. He would make sure to get his revenge.

For now, though, it would be best if he went to his assigned work and did not complain.

"I see. I am sure there must be a glitch in the system that is making me work on my first day. But it should be fine... right?"

The looks he was getting made it seem like this would be anything but fine. He just hoped no accidents would happen because of him.

"This is not fine! How can you think this is fine? This is a clear violation of human ethics and rules. I will have a talk—"

"Daniel, calm down. You will just get yourself into trouble for no reason. I am sure this is a mistake."

Noah stressed these words, mainly because he knew that this was a mistake.

A deliberate mistake caused by the head researcher. Not that telling Daniel this was going to change much.

Daniel looked pissed but decided to calm down.

But the one who took it even more personally was Alan.

"It seems like someone is having too much fun with the funding provided by my family. I might need to make a report about this. Don’t worry, Daniel. I will make sure your name won’t come up at all. After all, it is an internal matter."

Alan said this, but his eyes told Noah that this was personal. And not in a good way. He was taking this situation personally.

For now, it would be best if Noah pretended not to notice what was going on.

"I... see... Anyway, I will head back to work for now. Glitch or not, I don’t want it to be shown on my record that I skipped work on my first assignment."

Noah told the pair as he started walking towards the private elevator that he had taken to get here.

But there was one problem that he had not noticed, and someone else pointed it out.

"It’s fine for you to go to work, but would you be able to come back just as easily? After all, your security card is of the lowest level."

It was the esper leader who had escorted Noah this far using his own card. Of all the responses, this was the most valid and well-founded concern.

Noah looked at his card with a detached expression.

’Right, this was something I forgot.’

He let out a sigh and then gave them a reassuring look.

"It will be fine. I promise."

Noah told them, but someone suddenly grabbed him just before he could step into the elevator and he was pulled back.