The test hall was loud.
Not celebratory loud.
More like people-about-to-have-their-lives-judged loud.
Asher Black stood near the back of the line, hands in his pockets, staring at the massive crystal at the center of the room. Every few seconds, someone stepped forward, placed their hand on it, and had their future decided in about three seconds.
Cheers erupted.
Groans followed.
One guy cried. A lot.
"C-rank! Combat class!"
The crowd applauded.
Asher exhaled slowly.
Please don't be nothing, he thought. I don't even care if it's bad. Just not nothing.
"Next," the examiner called. "Asher Black."
That was him.
Asher stepped forward, ignoring the way a few people glanced at him with mild curiosity—the kind reserved for strangers whose names you'll forget immediately.
He placed his hand on the crystal.
It was cool. Smooth. Disappointingly ordinary.
The crystal flickered.
A translucent blue screen appeared.
[Awakening Result]
Class Rank: F
Class Path: None
Silence.
Actual, painful silence.
Then—
"…Oh."
Someone snorted.
Another person whispered, "That's rough."
The examiner sighed like this was the twelfth disappointment of the morning. "F-rank," he said flatly. "Barely awakened."
Asher blinked. "That's… bad?"
"It means you're functionally a civilian," the examiner replied, already tapping on his tablet. "No combat clearance. No dungeon entry. No hunter privileges."
Asher's stomach sank. "So… what can I do?"
The examiner didn't look up. "Auxiliary work. Transport. Cleanup. Maintenance. Dungeon perimeter duty. If you're lucky."
If you're lucky.
That stung more than the rank.
Asher stepped aside as instructed.
The next person walked up.
"D-rank! Physical combat!"
Cheers exploded again.
Asher didn't join them.
He stared at his hands.
They felt the same.
No power.
No surge.
No cinematic awakening moment.
Just… him.
As he reached the edge of the hall, the public screen faded.
Then another screen appeared.
This one was smaller.
Quieter.
And very clearly not meant for anyone else.
[System Detection Complete]
[Unique Core Identified]
Asher froze.
"…Excuse me?"
[Heaven's Heart – Activated]
Classification: Anomalous
Growth Potential: Uncapped
His breath caught.
Uncapped?
Before he could process that, more text scrolled in.
[God's Vault – Locked]
[Personal Dungeon Key – Issued]
Asher swallowed hard.
This didn't feel like consolation.
It felt like a challenge.
The screens vanished.
Around him, people were still celebrating. Still complaining. Still living in the version of the world that made sense.
Asher clenched his fists.
"…Fine," he muttered.
If this is how it starts—then I'll climb.
He didn't look back.