Chapter Five
Eugene opened his eyes after a deep sleep.
"Ugh… what time is it now?"
He walked toward the glass clock on the table. It was 9:33. Three hours remained before the Awakening Ceremony. He got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to pee, then stepped into a hot shower to fully wake up.
"Why is the water this hot?" he muttered to himself.
After finishing, he walked out with droplets falling to the floor. He rushed to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
"What should I make? Eggs… tea… or those pizza slices?"
After a moment of thinking, he decided to cook quickly, choosing the eggs. He added salt and lemon, lit the stove, and started preparing the meal. He ate fast while getting his things ready.
Eighteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. He went to open it and found Ryn standing there.
"Finally, you're awake! Are you ready?"
"Yes, I'm ready," Eugene answered.
But Ryn looked at him with worry.
"I don't see any primitive resource residue here!"
Eugene suddenly remembered Alex's words about the importance of preparing the body before the ritual. He froze for a moment—time had already hit 10:03. Only two hours were left.
Reem appeared at the apartment door.
"Wait—why are you two yelling? What happened?"
Ryn pointed at Eugene.
"This idiot forgot to prepare his body for the feathers."
Eugene smiled awkwardly.
"Hehehe… yeah. My bad."
Reem quickly gathered the resources, and Eugene returned to find in front of him: Green-Man Herb, Mountain Wolf Fangs, Black Dragon Fruit, Ice-Mountain Lemon Peel, and finally, Nile River Water.
He began consuming the resources one by one. Some were hard, sour, and strange, except for the Nile water—it tasted sweet. After finishing, he sat down to meditate, trying to sense the energy of the elements inside him.
As time passed, lights began glowing inside his stomach. A sharp pain hit him, along with a pounding headache, but he endured it and started stretching and jumping exercises, just like Alex had advised, to help the feathers spread through his blood and body.
Half an hour later, a strange sensation washed over him—like he was absorbing energy from the air itself. He stepped out of his room into the hall, where gray clouds and strong winds filled the sky. Suddenly, he remembered the atmosphere of Elesu Village before the incident, and nausea and headache surged back for a moment.
He moved slowly toward the Awakening Hall. Ryn was anxious.
"Why is Eugene late?"
Fred appeared behind him.
"Where's Eugene?"
Before Ryn could answer, Musa began speaking:
"Listen, students—today marks your first step into the world of cultivation. For those who don't know what the Awakening Ceremony is, Elder Wu will explain."
Elder Wu stepped forward and pointed at a large glass orb.
"This orb will receive the feathers you release. Through it, we will determine the depth of your Feather Sea."
A student, Mazen, stepped forward and began releasing his feathers. Sparks emerged from his body and were absorbed by the crystal. After a few seconds, the mist formed the letter B.
"What does that mean?" one student asked.
"B means his talent is grade B," Alex answered.
Students followed one after another—most of them getting C and D grades, with only three possessing B talent.
Then came Reem's turn. The crystal began glowing with shifting colors, forming mist… and then suddenly—
Grade A talent!
A rich student shouted:
"Wait! She's from the public batch! There's no way she has high talent!"
Fred stood tall and confident.
"And what if she's from the public batch? That doesn't make her talent any less than yours."
The students fell silent under Musa's stern stare, while Reem felt a wave of overwhelming joy.
Next was Ryn's turn. He was extremely nervous; some students even laughed at how scared he looked. He stepped toward the crystal while Eugene watched from afar.
Then, finally, Eugene's turn came.
His sunlit eyes were filled with worry and tension. Everyone fell silent, all waiting to see his grade. He stepped onto the platform, heart pounding, and released every feather he had.
The mist began forming… the colors shifting… everyone holding their breath in anticipation…
A talent of grade…
End of Chapter Five