In the Divine Sun Prefecture, south of City G, near the Hunter Association branch office, several career officials were setting up a magic array across the floor of the large playground.
Today, over a hundred third-year students at City G Pre-Hunter High School were undergoing their unified career transition.
The students stood upright, listening attentively to Principal Diomande’s speech.
"Students, after three years of study, you have all learned and mastered the theoretical knowledge of hunters, as well as the basic combat skills that will aid you in clearing dungeons, regardless of the talent you awaken," Principal Diomande began.
"Today is the day of your career transition, a day that will determine the course of your future. Whether you awaken and become one of the first-class citizens or remain a mortal, forever beneath your peers, depends on this very moment."
"I won’t say much more, but I hope each of you can reach heights greater than your predecessors and bring glory to humanity!"
It had already been eight hundred years since humanity’s collapse, when monsters, demons, and creatures from the Void appeared on Earth and nearly drove mankind to extinction.
Since then, people had long grown accustomed to the term awakening and understood its importance, not only to society but to their future as well.
So, it didn’t come as much of a shock to me that I wasn’t the only one not wearing a City G Pre-Hunter High School uniform among the crowd of teenagers.
I stood in the middle of the crowd so as not to draw attention to myself or the demon mask I was wearing.
My gaze drifted toward the raised platform overlooking the playground.
Standing atop it was the academy principal, Tier 4 A-Rank Diomande. He was a tall, muscular man dressed in a neat suit, with a pair of dark shades covering his eyes.
His gaze swept across the crowd, taking in the sea of faces before him, before he spoke again, this time in a calmer tone.
"I know many of you are excited for your awakening, while some of you have probably already shit your pants in fear. So, without further ado... let us begin."
The woman standing beside the principal, a tablet in hand, stepped forward, adjusted the glasses slipping down her nose, and began calling out the students’ names.
"Jude Evans!"
As the name echoed across the playground, a young boy, short for his age, stepped out of the crowd and made his way up the stairs with shaky steps.
From his pale complexion and trembling body, it seemed awakening was a do-or-die affair for him, much like it was for me.
Once Jude Evans reached the top of the stairs, he bowed slightly to the principal before stepping in front of the large white crystal orb behind them.
"Jude Evans," the woman said in a dismissive, almost commanding tone. "Place your hand on the orb and allow its energy to course through you. It will clear your meridians and create a small core that will be used for the assessment."
Jude nodded once before stretching out his hand and placing it firmly against the surface of the crystal.
A few seconds later, light bloomed within the orb. Then, with a brilliant flash, vibrant purple radiance erupted from it, engulfing him and causing the woman’s eyes to widen as a smile spread across Diomande’s face.
Above the crystal orb, numerical readings rapidly climbed into the thousands. With barely restrained excitement, the principal himself made the announcement.
"Jude Evans has awakened an S-Rank Tank Class!"
He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. "Congratulations, my boy. You’ll make a fine warrior."
A huge grin spread across Jude Evans’ face. Although he was still trembling, he looked far less sick than he had moments ago.
The students stared in stunned silence before whispers erupted throughout the crowd. Meanwhile, a group of boys standing near the front grew paler by the minute, as though their lives were already over.
Although I was happy for the little guy after he awakened such a high-ranked class, I couldn’t help but wonder how someone so small was supposed to act like a tank.
’Maybe he’ll be like those dwarf tanks from the medieval novels back on Earth.’
Several more names were called after that. Most failed to awaken. Some awakened low-ranked traits, while others received the notoriously useless Support Class.
Only one girl attracted the attention of the media personnel who arrived later, having awakened the rare SS-Rank Healer Support Class.
It was only after a long while that I heard a name that was somewhat familiar to me.
"Ivy Fox, please step forward."
This time, the woman in the suit spoke in a much calmer tone than she had with the other students. After all, the person walking up the stairs was the little angel of the Fox Family, one of the great families of City G.
My gaze darkened slightly at the sight of the beautiful young woman ascending the stairs.
Although she wore the same white shirt and short pleated skirt as every other girl, she somehow made the simple uniform look like a custom outfit tailored by a world-famous designer.
Ivy had long purple-and-black hair and silver eyes that seemed capable of freezing the world around her.
When she reached the top of the stairs, she offered the principal a faint smile without the slightest hint of respect before making her way to the crystal orb.
"Still as cocky as ever," I muttered under my breath.
Honestly, if it were up to me, I would’ve made her fail the Awakening Ceremony just to humble her.
But life was truly unfair. Some people were simply blessed by the gods.
A brilliant light erupted from the platform, engulfing not only the stage but nearly the entire playground.
The radiance shifted from white to deep crimson as the numbers above the crystal orb climbed higher and higher until the orb itself began to crack under the pressure.
"Oh..." the woman in the suit gasped. "Oh my God! It’s the legendary SSS-Rank Fighter Class! Our City G has produced a once-in-a-thousand-years prodigy!"
The media immediately rushed onto the stage, every camera trained on Ivy’s face.
She greeted them with a gentle smile, one that could convince anyone she was nothing more than an angel.
"This much is nothing," she said modestly. "As the daughter of a great clan, I shall bring glory to my race."
The entire playground erupted into cheers, praise, and outright worship for the girl the academy’s students had long since dubbed their goddess.
The commotion grew so loud that no one noticed someone else climbing the stairs until another brilliant light burst across the playground.
A vibrant green radiance swept through the entire arena, causing every head to snap toward the stage.
I let out an exasperated sigh as I facepalmed. ’What’s wrong with that idiot?’
Standing on the stage was none other than Felix, his trademark grin plastered across his face.
"Hey, motherfuckers! Tell me my rank! I refuse to believe I’m any lower than that crazy bitch who stalks my best friend!"
Ivy’s eyes turned ice-cold at his words, yet a smile I couldn’t quite understand slowly spread across her lips.
The principal was the first to recover from his shock. "It’s another..." His voice trembled. "It’s another SSS-Rank. An SSS-Rank Marksman Class!"
"What the hell?! I couldn’t even awaken, and our school already has two SSS-Ranks! Did these fuckers steal all of our school’s luck or something?!"
The media quickly swarmed Felix as well.
Compared to the daughter of an already established great clan, the son of a billionaire family with no awakened members made for an even juicier headline.
It took everything the school security and private personnel had to calm the raging crowd and push the reporters back from the Awakening Platform.
Only then did the ceremony finally continue, this time with the irregulars who weren’t students of the academy.
Just as everyone had expected, their awakenings were hopelessly uneventful, with only one young man managing to awaken a B-Rank Support Class.
Most of the reporters had already begun making their way toward the gates to secure interviews with the students who had awakened high-ranked classes when the woman in the suit spoke once more.
"Now for the final irregular, who submitted his entrance form late, is..." She stared at her tablet for a long moment before sweeping her gaze across the crowd. "Atlas."
Every eye turned toward the only person who had yet to step onto the stage.
Me.
I let out a slow breath, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze and the tension of the entire Awakening Ceremony settle on my shoulders.
With steady steps, I walked through the crowd and climbed to the top of the platform.
"Please place your hand on the crystal, Mister Atlas."
I gave her a small nod before sweeping my gaze across the crowd.
Felix stood some distance away with both thumbs raised high, silently cheering me on. Ivy, on the other hand, wore a faint smile, her silver eyes fixed on me for reasons I couldn’t understand.
Even the reporters had abandoned what they were doing and turned their full attention toward me.
’Damn, they really had to make me go last, didn’t they?’
I placed my hand on the crystal and let its energy flow into me.
’Please, world. I’m not a main character, so don’t give me one of those weak-but-secretly-overpowered abilities. I beg you.’
With that, I allowed the crystal’s energy to completely flow through my body.