A sea of 1,000 elite students from various prestigious academies had gathered in the city’s Grand Coliseum for the Awakening Ceremony, while millions more tuned in worldwide to watch.
Bright spotlights illuminated the circular platform at the center, where the future of humanity would be determined.
Multiple Awakening Pillars lined the arena floor, allowing efficient testing throughout the day and ensuring every student got their chance.
The event was prestigious enough to draw the country’s most powerful figures.
S-Class heroes, high-ranking guild leaders, and government officials were all present to scout promising talent.
This was where the strong were revealed, where legends were born.
Cain sat at the far end of the last row in the student section, his fingers clenched around the edge of his seat.
The sheer scale of the event was overwhelming, but that was only one of the many things making him nervous.
His eyes were locked onto a man sitting in the VIP section, surrounded by the most powerful figures in the world.
Leonard Wright. Also known as the Titan of Valor.
The leader of Aegis, the nation’s most powerful guild.
Cain’s father.
He wore his signature white-and-gold plaid suit, exuding an aura of absolute strength. Even among S-Class heroes, he was a legend, a man whose very name could tip the balance of power in wars.
Guild leaders and high-ranking officials sat beside him, murmuring in hushed tones, their gazes flickering toward him with reverence.
Even the S-Class heroes present acknowledged him with nods of respect.
Cain’s gaze lingered.
Even after all these years, the sight of his father left him in awe.
A moment later, Leonard turned his head toward him, and Cain stiffened, his breath catching in his throat.
His father was looking at him.
He began to blink rapidly.
Why is Father looking at me?
Leonard smiled, and Cain’s heart began to pound.
What the hell... was this for real?
His body tensed, and he was about to smile back. But then a familiar figure moved past his seat, and his father’s gaze followed.
Adrian... Of course.
Of course his father wasn’t looking at him. He was looking past him at Adrian, who strode down the aisle with confidence, his golden hair catching the light and his eyes brimming with unwavering determination.
Cain lowered his head, embarrassed.
What did I expect?
The moment his father learned about his potential, he had practically abandoned him.
After that came the mistreatment from his stepmother and Adrian, which eventually escalated into them kicking him out and forcing him to live on the outskirts of the city.
He still remembered the scene vividly.
He was leaving the mansion and caught sight of his father’s car slowing down beside him. He stopped, expecting his father to ask where he was going; instead, Leonard turned away in disgust, uttering one word:
"Trash."
He took the painful word as motivation instead of wallowing in depression, deciding that he was going to prove his father wrong.
He was going to make his father acknowledge him by awakening with a high-rank ability despite his trash potential.
The outcome of an awakening, however, wasn’t in his hands.
The murmurs from the students around Cain grew louder as they spotted Adrian, the son of the strongest hero. Cameras flashed as people took pictures of him while he approached his father.
Adrian reached the VIP section and knelt before his father, who placed a firm hand on his shoulder and whispered something only he could hear.
Adrian smiled proudly as he moved toward his seat near the front. Just before sitting down, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes finding Cain with uncanny precision, as though he already knew where he was seated.
His gaze dropped briefly to the bandage across Cain’s nose, and a mocking smile spread across his face before he lowered himself into his seat.
Cain’s fists tightened in response.
But before he could dwell on his anger, a loud, booming voice from the announcer interrupted his thoughts.
The Awakening Ceremony had begun.
The ceremony was the most sacred event for aspiring heroes, a rite of passage that determined one’s future. Every individual possessed latent potential, but only during this moment, when they placed their hands upon the Awakening Pillar, would their true abilities manifest.
The Awakening Pillars were otherworldly obelisks unearthed from the depths of dungeons.
The first was discovered during the earliest dungeon breaks, buried within the ruins of a collapsed core. When a dying soldier collapsed against it, his body convulsed, his wounds vanished, and a surge of power erupted from within him.
He had awakened.
One by one, others followed, each emerging with unique abilities, and the world quickly realized the truth:
These pillars unlocked humanity’s hidden potential.
More were found, always deep within high-level dungeons, as if they had been waiting.
Now, every major city safeguards one, turning the Awakening Ceremony into a global tradition.
A single touch, and the power you received was yours for life.
The stronger the ability, the greater the destiny.
Those who awakened high-tier abilities would rise to prominence, securing positions in elite guilds and government forces.
Those who awakened weak abilities would simply be cast aside.
The coliseum fell silent, thousands holding their breath as the first name was called.
"Melissa Carter! Step forward."
A tall girl with short red hair approached the Awakening Pillar. She placed her hand on it, and a gentle blue glow surrounded her.
The voice rang out from the obelisk:
[Awakening Complete]
"Melissa Carter, C-Rank."
A polite round of applause followed.
C-Rank wasn’t impressive, but it was usable. With the right training, Melissa could carve out a place for herself in a mid-tier guild.
She bowed slightly and walked back, her expression neither thrilled nor devastated.
"Jonas Reed! Step forward."
A stocky boy with a determined look stepped up. He took a deep breath before pressing his palm against the Awakening Pillar.
A small ripple of energy pulsed outward.
Then a silver shimmer briefly coated his skin before fading.
[Awakening Complete]
"Jonas Reed! B-Rank."
The reaction was much stronger this time.
A B-Rank ability meant real potential.
The applause grew louder, with some guild recruiters even taking notes.
Jonas grinned and pumped his fist before stepping away proudly.
One by one, more names were called.
"Angela Li, C-Rank."
"Michael Grant, B-Rank."
"Eric Dawson, C-Rank."
...
Some faces lit up with relief, while others sank with disappointment.
The tension in the coliseum only grew as the names climbed the list.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for.
"Adrian Wright! Step forward."
Adrian strode to the center of the Awakening Platform, every movement exuding confidence.
The arena buzzed with anticipation.
Adrian was the son of Leonard Wright, an S-Class hero renowned for his unmatched power. His mother was also an elite healer, making him the perfect combination of two exceptional bloodlines.
Everyone expected him to awaken something extraordinary.
The Awakening Pillar hummed with ancient power as Adrian placed his hand upon it.
A pulse of golden energy surged upward, tendrils of raw celestial force wrapping around his body.
Cain clasped his hands together.
"Please... let it be trash."
"Please... let it be trash."
He didn’t care if it was petty. Just this once, he wanted Adrian to fail. To be ordinary. To know what it felt like to be looked at with disappointment instead of awe.
But fate was never that kind.
The very air trembled, and a brilliant explosion of divine energy erupted from Adrian’s form, lifting him into the air. Ethereal patterns materialized in the sky, shifting and swirling as though the cosmos itself was acknowledging his power.
The holoscreens zoomed in as the voice from the obelisk rang out:
[Awakening Complete]
The announcer began to stutter:
"A... A... Adrian Wright, S Rank!"