[ Congratulations ]
[ You have awakened a D-Rank Talent ]
[ Talent: Master of Left Hand ]
[ Affinity: Self ]
A faint glow flashed—and faded.
[ Congratulations ]
[ You have awakened a C-Rank Talent ]
[ Talent: Iron Physique ]
[ Affinity: Self ]
A stronger reaction this time. A few impressed murmurs rippled through the crowd.
[ Congratulations ]
[ You have awakened an E-Rank Talent ]
[ Talent: Fast Fingers ]
[ Affinity: Self ]
And then… disappointment.
One by one, the participants stepped forward, touched the crystal, and received their verdicts. After Mara, not a single beast-affinity talent appeared. Every awakening was self-based—useful in their own ways, but lacking the prestige and potential of beast compatibility.
Some talents were genuinely solid.
Iron Physique, for example, increased the density of muscles and bones to nearly ten times that of a normal human—an excellent foundation for frontline fighters or labor-intensive professions.
Others were far less impressive.
Talents like Fast Fingers, Steady Grip, or Minor Reflex Boost earned polite applause at best and quiet sighs at worst.
The excitement from earlier slowly drained from the crowd.
Hope dimmed.
Finally, it was his turn.
Fatty swallowed hard and glanced sideways at his thin friend. "H-Hey," he whispered, voice cracking slightly. "You wanna go first?"
The thin boy stiffened as if insulted by the suggestion. He pushed his glasses up his nose—again—and shook his head vigorously. "No. Absolutely not. I'm… uh… saving my luck."
Fatty opened his mouth to retort—'I'm not stealing your luck, idiot'—but before he could—
"You there," Officer Bart called out. "Step forward."
Fatty froze.
"…Y-Yes, sir."
He gulped.
With heavy steps—literally—he climbed onto the raised platform. Each footstep sounded louder than the last in his ears. The crystal sphere loomed before him, smooth and unassuming, yet terrifying all the same.
His hand trembled as he lifted it.
'Please… anything decent,' he prayed silently. 'I don't want to be useless.'
Then, with what felt like the weight of the world behind it, he placed his palm against the crystal sphere.
For several long seconds, nothing happened.
Fatty stood frozen, his palm pressed against the crystal sphere, heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
Then—
Buzz.
The crystal flared to life once more.
The same violent purple glow erupted like before, sending ripples of energy through the air. Gasps echoed across the Awakening Center as translucent panels rapidly formed above the sphere, lines of light assembling into unmistakable words.
[ Congratulations ]
[ You have awakened a C-Rank Talent ]
[ Talent: Heavy Force ]
[ Affinity: Beast / Self ]
For a heartbeat—
Silence.
Then the place erupted.
"A second beast talent?!"
"No way—that guy?!"
"So the lucky one was the fatty all along?!"
"C-rank though… is that really that amazing?"
"What are you talking about? Of course it is!"
"Rank matters less once you're a beast tamer, idiot—it's the beast that counts!"
Arguments broke out instantly, voices overlapping as excitement and envy flooded the crowd.
Kael watched quietly, eyes narrowing in thought.
'Another beast-affinity,' he noted. 'And combat-oriented, most likely.'
Nearby, Sarah stared at the glowing panel, stunned.
"Hey," she said, disbelief clear in her voice, "that fatty actually awakened a beast talent? Since when was he this lucky?"
A few steps before them, the thin boy's face had gone pale.
"Oh no… oh no, oh no…" he muttered under his breath, clutching his glasses as if they might fall off. "Why didn't I go first? What if I don't awaken a beast talent now because of this? Oh no…"
Kael barely registered him.
His attention was fixed on the name.
Heavy Force.
'Vague,' he thought. 'But anything tied to force usually means direct combat.'
It wasn't flashy, but paired with the right beast, it could be terrifyingly effective.
Officer Bart raised his hand sharply. "Enough!"
The noise died down almost immediately.
"You," he said, pointing at Fatty. "Step aside and stand next to Miss Mara. You'll wait there until the ceremony concludes."
Fatty nodded stiffly.
He moved toward Mara in a daze, his steps unsteady, his mind struggling to process what had just happened.
'A beast talent… I really got a beast talent…'
Mara glanced at him, then sighed quietly and shifted a little to give him more space.
Neither of them spoke.
The crystal's glow faded once again.
Next came the thin boy's turn.
He stepped forward like a man walking toward execution.
His legs were stiff, his shoulders tense, and when he raised his hand, it shook so badly that several people in line winced in sympathy. He swallowed hard, adjusted his glasses one last time—more out of habit than necessity—and pressed his palm against the crystal.
For a brief moment, the Awakening Center held its breath.
Then—
The crystal lit up.
Not violently this time, but steadily—its purple glow spreading outward in calm, measured waves. A familiar holographic panel materialized above the sphere.
[ Congratulations ]
[ You have awakened a D-Rank Talent ]
[ Talent: Agile Force ]
[ Affinity: Beast / Self ]
The thin boy froze.
Then his knees nearly buckled.
"I—I did it…?" he whispered, disbelief flooding his face. He staggered back a step, barely keeping himself upright as relief washed over him like a tide.
The crowd exploded once more.
"Another beast talent?!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Those two came together, didn't they?"
"First Heavy Force, now Agile Force—what kind of luck is that?!"
Kael raised an eyebrow slightly, his attention sharpening.
'Heavy Force… Agile Force,' he thought. 'That can't be a coincidence.'
The difference in rank was obvious—C-rank versus D-rank—but the naming pattern was far too similar to ignore.
'Force-based talents,' he concluded. 'Potentially complementary.'
Beside him, Sarah stared at the two boys with her mouth slightly open.
"…Are you serious?" she muttered. "Since when did those two become this lucky?"
Officer Bart clapped his hands loudly. "Quiet!"
The noise died down once again.
"Stand with the other awakened candidates," he instructed the thin boy, gesturing toward Mara and Fatty.
The thin boy nodded repeatedly and almost ran off the platform, his legs still weak as he joined his friend. Fatty looked at him, stunned, then broke into a wide, disbelieving grin.
After that—
Disappointment followed.
The next five candidates stepped forward one after another, hope flickering in their eyes—only to have it snuffed out almost immediately.
Every result was the same.
Self-affinity only.
E-rank.
Nothing noteworthy.
The excitement that had filled the Awakening Center earlier slowly cooled, replaced by a dull, creeping tension.
Finally—
It was Sarah's turn.
She turned to Kael with her usual tomboyish grin, hands planted confidently on her hips. On the surface, she looked relaxed—almost eager.
But Kael noticed it.
A slight tremor in her fingers.
"Wish me luck," she said lightly.
Kael met her gaze, his expression calm, his voice steady. "Don't worry. You'll get what you want."
The certainty in his tone made her pause.
Then she laughed softly, rubbing the back of her head. "Heh… now I feel dumb for being nervous."
She nodded once. "Alright. I'm going."
Kael nodded back. "Go. Show them what a real beast talent looks like."
The words carried.
Several nearby students turned to stare at him.
Sarah froze for half a second, her ears turning red—but she nodded quickly, squared her shoulders, and marched toward the crystal.
All eyes followed her.
Sarah took a slow, steady breath.
She stepped up to the platform and gently placed her palm against the crystal sphere. Unlike the others, she didn't grip it tightly—her touch was almost reverent.
Her heart thundered in her chest.
"Please be good… please be good… please be good," she whispered under her breath, the words tumbling out like a desperate prayer.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
The crystal remained silent, dull, and unresponsive—just like it had for so many before her.
A flicker of doubt crept into her chest.
Then—
Boom.
The crystal reacted.
But not with the familiar purple glow.
A reddish-orange light erupted from within, violent and blazing, flooding the Awakening Center in an instant. It wasn't merely light—it was presence. Heat pressed against the air, and the glow was so intense that the entire hall was swallowed by its hue, shadows erased completely.
Gasps echoed everywhere.
Officer Bart staggered back a step, eyes wide.
The crystal roared with energy.
Above it, a holographic panel began to form—but unlike the previous ones, this display was massive and ornate, layered with complex sigils and radiant symbols that pulsed like a living thing.
Then the words appeared.
[ Congratulations, Sarah Ardent ]
[ You have awakened an S-Rank Talent ]
[ Talent: Perfect Symbiosis ]
[ Affinity: Beast / Self ]
Silence.
Not a single breath was heard.
Sarah stood frozen, her hand still resting on the crystal, eyes reflecting the blazing light as her mind struggled to process what she was seeing.
An S-Rank.
The crystal's glow continued to burn—unyielding, absolute.
And in that moment, everyone in the Awakening Center understood one thing clearly:
This ceremony had just changed forever.
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