Solaria Empire, Verdan Academy
"The Awakening Ceremony is about to begin! The day of crossing the plank with a thousand troops is here!" A boy clenched his fists, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
"I hope I awaken as an Elemental Mage, summoning blazing storms with a wave of my hand to blast those monsters crawling out of the Abyss Rift into oblivion, defending the honor of Verdan Academy!" Another boy, tall and thin with glasses, spoke dreamily. His eyes sparkled behind the lenses.
"Wake up, Jack! A mage is not enough, and now you want to be an Elemental Mage?!" A companion next to him immediately poured cold water on his hopes. "That is a rare combat profession! Do you think the Goddess of Fate personally kissed your forehead?"
Tension, anxiety, and heated anticipation filled the classroom. The triennial Awakening Ceremony would determine the future path of every eighteen-year-old student present.
In this world, it was undoubtedly the most important watershed moment of a lifetime, and no one could face it with indifference.
In the third row from the back, by the window, Kieran exhaled slowly, drawing his gaze back from the familiar academy scenery outside.
A complex and hard-to-read emotion flickered across his ice-blue eyes. Strands of his blue-gray gradient short hair stubbornly stuck up, adding a hint of carefree youthfulness to his otherwise refined features.
As a transmigrant, Kieran had lived on this Blue Star, fused with another world, for eighteen years. That span of time had been enough for him to understand the language and the culture.
About a hundred years ago, the Blue Star had collided violently with a mysterious, energy-filled other world and ultimately merged with it.
Countless Abyss Rifts connecting to unknown lands and Otherworld Dungeons, filled with both opportunity and danger, began to appear across the globe.
Monsters ran rampant, and the old order teetered on the brink of collapse.
To survive, humanity carved out new paths amid the chaos, ushering in the Era of Global Class Awakening.
Every youth who reached the age of eighteen had the chance, at the Awakening Ceremony, to determine their future profession.
Some awakened to basic combat classes such as warriors, archers, or mages, stepping onto the frontlines against the Abyss and gaining the power and prestige to change their destinies.
Others awakened to life-oriented classes, becoming a chef, a teacher, or an artist.
Between classes, there existed a natural chasm of power.
At the top of the pyramid were the combat classes, capable of directly wielding power and confronting threats.
Next were the special support professions, such as enchanters, blacksmiths, and alchemists.
The most common classes, forming the backbone of society, were the life-oriented professions.
Even within life-oriented professions, there were vast differences.
A chef awakened in this era was nothing like a cook flipping woks in an old-style restaurant. In terms of status, ability, and identity, the gulf was immense.
A chef's creations could contain special effects, restoring energy quickly, temporarily enhancing physical abilities, and in legends, the finest banquets could even grant permanent buffs. Ordinary cooks, by contrast, could only satisfy hunger.
In other words, successfully awakening, even to the most ordinary daily profession, marked one as a Class Awakened, moving beyond the purely mundane and stepping onto a higher social starting point with more possibilities.
At the podium, Mr. Emerson continued speaking at length. Before the ceremony officially began, he needed to ensure that every student had a clear understanding of their future path.
"Undoubtedly, combat classes are the dream of most students. Power, glory, resources, all are closely tied to them."
His gaze swept across the countless nervous faces below before he shifted tone. "But does this mean that ordinary or life-oriented professions have no future or limited prospects?"
"No, absolutely not!"
He used the enchanter, a support class, as an example. Early on, it required massive resources, rare magical materials, expensive enchantment schematics, and countless failed practices to gain experience and improve skill.
Without being born into a wealthy family or receiving backing from a major faction, ordinary people could hardly survive this difficult incubation period.
Yet, once an enchanter mastered their craft, even reaching the level of a grandmaster, their value multiplied exponentially. At that point, even the simplest Sharpness enchantment could earn rewards that would astonish ordinary people.
"Remember this," Mr. Emerson emphasized, speaking each word with weight, "in this world, no profession can ever be equated with garbage. This is a truth I dedicate to every one of you present."
He softened his tone. "Of course, the profession you ultimately awaken to depends on the dormant potential within you and its resonance with the world. The ceremony will reveal this unique answer."
The homeroom teacher concluded his speech.
The word potential caused a subtle stir among the students.
Although there was no strict ranking system for talent, everyone understood that innate traits, physical abilities, psychic sensitivity, and even personality tendencies would subtly influence the profession they would ultimately awaken to.
Mr. Emerson had repeated these words countless times, and Kieran always listened quietly.
He had no clear perception of his so-called potential. His transmigrant soul might have brought certain differences, but he could not be sure where those differences would lead. Deep inside, he still longed to awaken to a combat class.
The reason was grimly practical. Among all classes, combat professions offered the fastest path to wealth and resources, as well as the ability to break free from social stratification through one's own strength.
Since the merging of the otherworld, the Solaria Empire had established a basic national policy. Before awakening, the Empire provided all eligible citizens with foundational education and survival support.
Once a profession was awakened, this equal, unconditional support ended. Future equipment, skill training, dungeon access, and even special resources required to maintain class abilities largely depended on personal effort.
Not everyone was born into noble families with vast ancestral backing.
Awakening was merely the starting point. Beyond it lay a long, perilous road.
As a rootless commoner, Kieran had to face a practical concern: how to survive and grow stronger after awakening, relying solely on himself.
The popularity of combat classes stemmed partly from their ability to enter Empire-controlled or naturally generated dungeons directly, hunting monsters and collecting rare materials to earn wealth and improve independently.
Even resource-intensive classes like Mechanist or Summoner could rely on their creations or contracted companions to gain early self-sufficiency in combat and earning capacity.
However, past data showed that fewer than thirty percent of students awakened to combat classes. Those with exceptional physical abilities, psychic sensitivity, or elemental affinity were more likely to achieve it.
Kieran usually excelled in academic courses and maintained decent physical fitness, but he could not determine which direction his potential favored. This uncertainty cast a shadow over his heart.
A plump hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, interrupting his thoughts.
"I feel doomed!" A round face popped up, exaggerated with worry. "With my build and my habit of tinkering with little gadgets, I'll probably end up an Armorer or Engineer."
It was Tommy, Kieran's seatmate, behind him. Straightforward and outspoken, he was a notorious class clown.
He scratched his brown curly hair and leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Kieran, what about you? What do you think you'll awaken as? You're usually so quiet; maybe an Assassin or a Shadow Walker?"
Kieran raised his hand, instinctively smoothing a few rebellious strands of hair on his forehead, and replied calmly, "I haven't decided yet. Depends on luck."
Tommy twitched his mouth. Luck? Was he truly calm or pretending ignorance?
Although awakening had a degree of randomness, it was strongly linked to personal traits. How could it be purely luck? A slim, calm type like Kieran should most likely awaken to an ordinary class or certain life-oriented professions.
Could he really expect to awaken to a combat class? Lady Luck was supposed to favor Tommy, not Kieran.
Finding the conversation pointless, Tommy turned away and went to chat with a nearby female classmate, trying to calm his own nerves.
The classroom remained lively, every student using chatter to mask their anxiety and anticipation.
Kieran returned his gaze to the window. In the central square of the academy, the massive crystal stele used for the Awakening Ceremony was already faintly visible, glimmering mysteriously in the sunlight.
His mind was not entirely at ease. Uncertainty about the future, intertwined with the stubborn refusal to submit to an ordinary life, deep within him.