----

Once Doctor Arc determined that the pair of brothers would both undergo an awakening, he wasted no efforts, immediately getting in contact with the branch of the Awakened Association in their general area. While they weren't mandated to join the society if they succeeded in awakening, there was always a slim chance it would happen.

"It is settled. You'll join the next batch of individuals experiencing their first awakening attempt in an hour," Doctor Arc revealed, reappearing through the adequately secured, tempered glass doors outfitted with biometric scans.

"Wait, an hour? The nearest Awakening Association branch is 700 miles away!" Jacob exclaimed with widened eyes. An hour was cutting it too close when factoring in the time to prepare them and all the other matters. After all, when it came to punctuality, if you weren't on time or early, entrance to the association would be barred.

Some might say they were overly strict, but they welcomed only the utmost order amongst their ranks. As such, even the guests were expected to follow their long-running guidelines.

"I'm glad you understand. But to help you, I'll allow you to take one Class D enhancement drug. Also, you should take a Class E resistance suit for both of them. At the speed of Mach 1, I'm sure they'll experience damage if we aren't careful," Doctor Arc replied with a lighthearted attitude.

"W-what!? Help? That does not help... And, I don't want to take one of those. The drawbacks are always horrible. If you want me to take it, 3 months salary in advance, no exceptions," Jacob adamantly retorted.

Due to the forced elevation that enhancement drugs produced, the aftereffects which followed usually escaped the bounds of the user's physique. After all, the purpose of the enhancement drug was to increase their power beyond their current limit.

Of course, these drugs possessed finite usage capabilities. Furthermore, the most a person could elevate their grading by was to the cusp of their rank. After that, not only would it become borderline suicide, the drugs would lose efficacy as the body rejected them.

Nevertheless, after listening to his demands, Doctor Arc nodded, "Very well, I believe it may be worth the wager. I'll grant your request, just get them there, now!"

With a nod, Jacob brought them downstairs to the lower level. Unlike before, he changed his attire. Even though it looked similar, the elastic material this new suit was made from seemed many times more durable.

"We are going to be breaking the sound barrier. Therefore, I suggest you cover your ears. Since you aren't awakened, there's a 96% chance of your eardrums experiencing compound ruptures," Jacob warned.

At the same time, he passed both Lucian and Cyrus weakened versions of the suit he wore. Moreover, he also supplied two headgear sets consisting of a visor and noise dampening buds.

Before wearing it, however, Lucian looked at it curiously, "Earlier, it looked like you didn't want to take that drug. Are we causing you an inconvenience?"

"Not necessarily. I was able to swindle 3 months of my salary in return. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to utilize the Awakened Association's training chambers to properly exhaust the rest of my potential," Jacob replied.

"Then, what are the rankings?" Lucian questioned.

"Well, you're already heading towards the Association. Once there, the inspector will divulge all the information needed. What's more important now is for us to get there expeditiously. We're tight on time," Jacob answered.

Without delay, he grabbed each of their hands as a subterranean exit leading to the surface opened up. A moment later, he blitzed forward, turning into a blur.

Once outside, he released their hands, but there was a bitter smile on his face as he did so. Different from before, there was now a small vial filled with milky white liquid in his hand, "Damn it… this damnable medicine," Jacob cursed.

In one fell swoop, he threw his head back and gulped the contents of the vial. At first, there was no change. But, as the seconds went by, his breath turned into a white mist as light blue veins originating from his neck flowed down towards his extremities.

The power coursing through him was his own, but it was extremely agitated. Especially his joints, they felt as if they were inflamed and on the brink of tearing, 'This is just a Class D vial, I can't imagine what those others experience.'

Typically, such an item wasn't utilized unless it was a dire situation. But, Doctor Arc knew how hard it was to get their hands on an opening on such short notice. The schedule of the Awakened Association was usually packed. So, he determined it was worth it.

As long as they awakened, the commission rewarded from the referral of a prime specimen would settle the costs.

"Are you ready?" Jacob questioned. Unlike before, there were vibrations were coming from his feet as he took up a running posture. As he set up the positioning of his feet, his body continued to cause the ground to tremor.

"Woah... ready," Cyrus nodded, marveling at the unsteadiness he felt. Similarly, Lucian nodded while in awe as well.

Since both Lucian and Cyrus answered, Jacob reacted instantly. In a fluid motion, he grabbed them both, hoisting them up under his arms before stomping the ground.

A single step; that's all it took for him to propel them over 300 meters in a second.

Naturally, a sonic boom accompanied this rapid movement, and his speed kept climbing until finally, it bottomed out at Mach 1.2. Be that as it may, it caused an apparent strain on his body as he gritted his teeth the entire time.

Even though he wanted to continue at his top speed, it was physically impossible for his current condition. Though awakened, he still possessed many limits as he was in truth just a strengthened human. Not to mention, the accumulation of fatigue would overshadow his ability to reach that speed.

By the time they reached their halfway mark, Jacob's body could only withstand a steady output of just over Mach 1.

In light of this, he settled for this constant pace. Due to the initial burst of speed, they were already ahead of schedule. Even if he was forced to reduce his speed under Mach 1, he would still get them there on time.

On the other hand, even though they were equipped with resistance equipment, the initial breaking of the sound barrier still caused both Lucian and Cyrus to become disoriented.

----

Soon enough, they arrived before the towering building of the Awakened Association. It resembled a large corporation except there were numerous outdoor training facilities aligned in a ring shape.

"G-go...inside," Jacob heaved, holding back the urge to regurgitate. The duration of the enhancement drug's effect was an hour at best. And, 30 minutes in, the signs would start appearing and gradually become worse.

As of now, approximately 40 minutes elapsed. Simply put, accounting for the time it took to prepare, they were right on time.

Lucian then turned his head and noticed a stream of individuals entering the building before them. He tapped his brother, "Cyrus, look. Let's enter."

Both of them ran towards the line, joining the back of the line. Right before they entered, they glanced over to Jacob and watched him take a seat on a public bench. That was the last they saw as the door of the building closed behind them.

Moments later, within the grand lobby of the Awakened Association branch, they were approached.

"Welcome, I am Inspector Gareth. I sense that you all share the common trait of seeking the unknown. Thus, I shouldn't keep you waiting. Let's begin the walkthrough of the process," the robust, rough man named Gareth announced.

Everyone remained quiet and followed the man. A quick tour was given, showcasing all of the available training gear before venturing to an expansive room housing a single machine.

"Here, we'll test your validity as an Awakened One. For those of you unfamiliar with the procedure, allow me to fill you in," Instructor Gareth boomed, turning towards the pooling crowd.

Everyone perked up, interested in the information to come.