The first hundred Terrans to awaken received skills early on.
An element of luck was involved in this. They were in the right place, at the right time, and had access to some defense weapons that they were able to do this.
The apocalypse happened at the same time, but people lived in different time zones. Many people were deep asleep when this happened, while others were already ending their days, and had low energies and their guards were down.
For these people, people who mostly landed North of Alterra, it hit most of them midday. While the sun was up and everyone was energetic, others suddenly fell down, and when they got up, they were no longer human.
Cardinal was the highest among them, ranked at 007. Cardinal was part of the seminary; his parents named him this because they wanted him to be a priest, though ultimately he went on to apprentice as a chef.
When the Change happened, he was on itchen duty with a very old head chef. He was even holding a knife.
