I was on my way home again, trying to gather my thoughts about what to do next — almost skipping with each step because I simply couldn't contain my happiness.
I must have looked like a lunatic grinning ear to ear, because I noticed a couple of people down the street trying to act subtle, pointing and chuckling to themselves.
If only they knew, I thought, puffing out my chest a little. They're laughing at a soon-to-be world-renowned Awakened. Someday they'll be trembling just hearing my name.
Then again… maybe I was getting a bit carried away.
Okay, okay… step down from the high horse, Ethan, I chuckled to myself. You've got an F-Rank Fireball, not an A-Rank Deathray.
Still, I couldn't help but feel amazed. The energy coursing through my body felt incredible.
I remembered from school that everyone who Awakened had their base stats reset to 10 — equivalent to Olympic-level athletes. But experiencing it firsthand was a different matter entirely.
I felt like I could sprint around the entire world without even breaking a sweat. My heart was racing, not from exhaustion, but from pure exhilaration.
As I reached the halfway point home, something odd nagged at the back of my mind.
There had been something… strange… in my System page. Something we hadn't been taught in school.
Talent? What Talent?
I slowed my pace and stopped under a streetlight. Closing my eyes, I focused on the sensation I had used earlier to call up my System.
When I opened my eyes, the translucent screen floated before me again.
[SYSTEM PAGE - ETHAN VALE]
Class: Mage
Talent: Mana Overflow
Class Rank: F
HP: 110 / 110
STA: 110 / 110
Stamina Regen: 110 Stamina / Hour
Mana: 150 / 150
Mana Regen: 150 Mana / Hour
STR: 11
VIT: 11
AGI: 11
STA: 11
Mana: 15
Spell Power: 12
Spells: 1 / 6
Spell Memory:
F-Rank - Fireball - Mastery: 0.00%
F-Rank - Fireball
Mastery: 0.00%
Mana Cost: 10 Mana
Cooldown: 2 seconds
Range: 20 Meters
Base Damage: 50 → 56 (+6 from spellpower)
I scanned through the stats again to ground myself.
We had studied all this in school:
Strength: Increases physical attack power; +1% damage per point to melee abilities and weapon strikes.
Vitality: +10 HP per point; improves toughness.
Agility: Improves movement speed, evasion, and attack speed.
Stamina: +10 Stamina per point; +10 Stamina Regen per hour per point.
Mana: +10 Mana per point; +10 Mana Regen per hour per point.
Spell Power: Increases spell damage and spell effect strength; +1% per point for offensive & supportive spells.
Then my eyes returned to the unfamiliar word:
Talent: Mana Overflow.
We had never been taught anything about Talents. No teacher had ever mentioned them.
Curious, I tried the same method I used to open the System. Closing my eyes, I focused on the word Talent, specifically on Mana Overflow.
When I opened my eyes again, a new message floated before me.
[Talent: Mana Overflow]
Every time Ethan Vale empties his entire Mana pool he gains +1 stat in Mana and Spell Power permanently. (Can be upgraded)
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then a wide grin stretched across my face.
No way… no freaking way.
It was only one sentence — but that one sentence would change my life.
Permanently gaining Mana and Spell Power every time I emptied my Mana pool?
If I trained smart, if I pushed myself, I could surpass anyone. I could have a limitless Mana pool. I could outlast everyone in any battle.
And Spell Power? That meant my damage potential would keep rising, too.
This… this is insane. This is my ticket to the top.
My heart pounded with excitement. Without another thought, I started running — full speed, a grin plastered on my face. The remaining two kilometers (1.24 miles) home flew by.
I sprinted the last stretch and practically slammed the café door open.
Luckily, the small café was empty. Mom and Dad were behind the counter cleaning up, and Alice sat at a table, sketching in her notebook.
"I awakened."
The words tumbled out of my mouth — breathless, raw with emotion.
I saw Mom and Dad freeze, their eyes going wide. Slowly, their eyes glistened with tears.
If Dad had said anything at that moment, I was sure it would've been something along the lines of: "I'm not crying — just sweating through my eyes."
Alice didn't even look up from her drawing. Without missing a beat, she asked, "Where are the pastries?"
I couldn't help it — I laughed.
At that, Mom and Dad rushed from behind the counter and practically tackled me in a hug. Despite my newfound status as an Awakened, I swore I could hear my bones creaking.
I blinked away a tear. Damn… I really did it.
"I knew you would awaken, sweetheart," Mom beamed, her smile brighter than I had ever seen. She looked like the proudest mom in the world — as if I'd just won first place in a national competition.
Dad pulled back and wiped at his face. "So, son — what Class did you get?"
I knew they had been preparing for this question.
"In school," I began, "we learned that there are five Classes: Knight, Tank, Assassin, Mage, and Support. And you can awaken between one and three spells.
One spell means you get an F or E-Rank spell. Two spells means you get one F/E and one D/C-Rank. Three spells means you get an F/E, a D/C, and a B/A-Rank spell."
Mom and Dad nodded eagerly, hanging on my every word.
"So?" Dad asked, eyes gleaming. "What Class?"
I grinned sheepishly. "Mage Class. But before you get too excited… I only awakened one spell — an F-Rank Fireball."
Their smiles didn't falter. But before they could say anything, Alice finally looked up — her eyes sparkling.
"So you can breathe fire like a dragon?!"
"No, silly," I laughed. "It doesn't come out of my mouth — it comes from my hands."
At that, the entire room burst into laughter — full, genuine, joyous. The small, rundown café felt like the warmest place in the world.
"Come on!" I said, already moving toward the back door. "I'll show you all how your brother shoots fireballs — just like the heroes on TV!"
Mom, Dad, and Alice followed me eagerly into our tiny garden out back.