[Candidate Failed to Awaken.]
[Evaluation Type: Rerouted.]
'Rerouting? What does that even mean? What's going on?' Rean thought to himself. 'Whatever, that doesn't matter.' He immediately left that thought chain, and another came in, and then another. He was overthinking.
"What—" he was cut short.
Another monk came in. "Young sir, please come with me," the monk said.
"What?" Rean remarked. "What's going on?"
"Don't worry, all your questions will be put to rest. Now shall we proceed?" the monk added.
"Yes, let us," Rean said. 'I need answers right now,' he thought to himself. "I do need answers," he finally said out.
The walk through a passageway: they go left, then straight on, and then the pattern becomes confusing—left, right, a turn, an elevated step. It was almost as if they were heading to a secret room.
"Wow, the architecture of this place is insane," Rean let out to ease the tension.
'Fuck, that was corny,' he said to himself, feeling embarrassed.
"We are here," the monk said, tapping the door lightly and then stepping in. The monk concluded, leaving Rean in front of a massive door.
"A tap," he said. Rean initiated the action.
The giant doors came opening. Rean walked in. It was no room; he entered a giant hall, filled with nothing but a center table.
'Wow, the aesthetic of this place. I made a joke previously, but no joke, this stuff is next level. The artifacts are medieval and accurate, mind you, not the usual flimsy imitations.'
'The round table... those are people, right?'
The second seat was the first to speak up.
"Huh, this one is dull. He didn't even notice our presence."
"Now, now, don't go assuming just because we weren't the most shining thing in the room that he didn't notice us," the third seat replied. "You did notice, right?" he continued.
"Well—"
Rean was immediately interrupted.
"You're probably wondering why you are here, so I'll get down to it," the fourth seat said. "You did not fail to awaken. Forget the phrasing."
"I didn't? So then what's up?" Rean said.
"Have you ever heard of someone never awakening?" the fourth asked.
"No, actually I haven't. So am I the first in human history?" Rean replied.
"No, you don't follow," the fourth said.
"I told you he was slow," the second said with a chuckle.
"You did not fail to awaken. You are simply a blank," the fourth continued. "You do not have the regular prerequisites to gain a huntsman's system. You, however, have the makings of a vessel."
"Vessel? What's that? Like a vehicle for something?" Rean said.
The twelve seats were seemingly shocked. They assumed he wasn't capable of critical thinking because of his previous comments—cynical and whimsical of them—but this was a thought they all shared.
"You will join the many who will make it as vessels. The vessel system was made to scale the walls of Stage S, not just reach it but surpass it," seat four said.
Rean fell to the floor. All this was becoming too much.
"You have no choice but to accept, as denying would result in permanent neutralization," seat five finally spoke.
"He means death, by the way," seat six cut in.
"This is what's going to happen. You're going to tell people you awakened as a C rank, and then you'll run the gauntlet. You'll only run the gauntlet after you've reached Stage S," the second seat added.
"Gauntlet? Wait, this guy actually thinks I can become Stage S. This is insane. I'm getting hype just from hearing all about this. The fascination... I feel like a kid again," Rean said.
They continued for a while until...
"Raise your hand," the third seat said.
Rean responded, and then all twelve seats pointed their hands towards him, with the exception of seat one. The room was filled with a bright light, and the picture was something divine. It looked like aura was shared from all eleven to Rean.
Everything went black.
Breathing heavily, Rean erupted from his bed. It was the next day.
'What was all that? What just happened?' Rean said to himself.
"Here, here, have some water."
Tylan's voice tore into the room with a cup in his hand.
"You're alright, okay?" Tylan reassured him.
"What happened? I mean, they said you passed out. Did anything unusual happen or..." Tylan said, seemingly waiting for Rean to say something—something specific.
"I... I went in when I got called. I placed my hands in the stream, and then this emotionless voice informed me I had awakened. Only as a C rank, though."
"Ha, you did it!" Tylan said, hugging him.
"Hey, hey, don't go getting all emotional just because I got only C rank. Don't forget I can level up. I mean, who knows, in no time I might even become an A rank," he said.
Both brothers laughed it out.
"I'll leave you right now. I have guild duties. I'll come back and get all the details," Tylan concluded, running out. He was off to work.
'I can't believe I lied to my brother. He'd never forgive me if he found out. I have to make the most of this situation.'
"Come," Rean said, immediately summoning his system's interface.
Back at the roundtable.
"It's probably going to end in another failure. I mean, this guy, just like the rest of them, didn't get big ol' one right here to add to his mana traits," one of them said.
"I know, right? He's yet to approve of anyone. I believe that's the reason no one has run the gauntlet and survived. They're lacking factor one."
"I doubt there'll be another blank for a bit. We'll just have to edge our bets and depend on this Rean Icaran," seat two said.
"Icaran? Things might get interesting soon."
"Call Stan Wrol. Tell him to keep his eye on this Rean," seat three said, summoning a monk into the hall.
"Yes, sir," he replied.
"I can't imagine Stan being eager to babysit and play along this time as well", Seat seven said with a wide grin