After awakening, he was asked to move to the side so he wouldn't stall the line of students still waiting to be tested. Even the old man's tone changed instantly when addressing him, shifting from cold indifference to that of a concerned uncle.
However, once the awakened student stepped aside, he called for the next one, his voice turning cold once more.
And so, the awakening process continued for all the students of Region C.
By the end of it, only about ten students had successfully awakened their systems, becoming the newest batch of super soldiers in Phoenix City.
As for those who failed, they had already been escorted out of the hall, their heads lowered, lost in deep thought. Meanwhile, the ten successful awakeners wore smug smiles as they looked at the remaining students from the other three regions.
They already felt as though they had surpassed many of those still waiting below.
Next were the students of Region D, and once again, a series of heartbreaking failures unfolded. Fortunately, this time around, about thirteen students managed to awaken, shocking many.
But despite the fact that Region D had produced more awakeners than Region C, the C Region students didn't seem particularly concerned. On the contrary, they still kept their distance, acting proud and mighty simply because they belonged to a higher region.
They believed they would receive better opportunities and had the financial backing needed to surpass most of the newly awakened super soldiers from Region D.
The students from Region D noticed their attitude but didn't pay it much mind. Instead, they gathered around a particular male student with a green mohawk and a rough, flashy style.
Despite wearing the academy uniform, he somehow made it look like streetwear, giving off a strong thug-like aura.
Just like that, the Region D students were fully accounted for, and those who failed to awaken were escorted out of the hall, leaving only Regions E and F.
The process began again as the old man on the podium called the students of Region E one by one. Unlike the previous two regions, which seemed to maintain a rough ratio of one awakening after about ten students, the E Region students were far less fortunate. Their first successful awakening only came after thirty students had already failed.
It was a moment of relief for the Region E teacher who had bragged earlier to Mr. Charles. However, after that, their luck seemed to improve slightly, and a few more students managed to awaken. By the end, they had a total of four awakened students.
Compared to Regions C and D, it was a low number, yet their teacher looked more than satisfied as he glanced at Mr. Charles, as if silently challenging him to do better.
But Mr. Charles ignored him and stepped forward, telling his students to remain calm, as it would soon be their turn once the failed E Region students were ushered out.
At this moment, Jake could feel his heart pounding faster than ever. He couldn't help but pray—whether to fate or whatever force had brought him into this world—that he would awaken.
Right now, Jake didn't even know what his true purpose was. All he did was attend school, trying to improve himself while learning more about this world.
Each month, he received a small allowance of 100 Alliance Coins because he had lost both of his parents, who had been three-star super soldiers.
But that support would end this year.
Now that he was eighteen, the government of the city considered him an adult—someone expected to fend for himself.
However, for Jake—who was practically useless aside from the gaming experience he had in his previous world—he knew very well that if he didn't seize this chance, he had no idea what else he could do.
He had been attending classes since he transmigrated into this world, and the jobs and career paths here were far more advanced and demanding than those on Earth. They required a level of intelligence he wasn't confident he possessed.
Another reason Jake was so desperate to awaken, aside from his love for mechs, was the financial benefit. Even as a Common talent rank pilot—the lowest rank in the pyramid—he would be entitled to a monthly stipend of 500 Alliance Coins.
That alone was enough reason for him to want this.
"Next!"
While he was lost in his thoughts, the cold voice of the old man on the podium rang out again, declaring the previous student a failure.
Hearing that, Jake couldn't help but shiver. With each failed awakening, it began to feel more real—that perhaps the students left in Region F were truly talentless, just as the Region E teacher had claimed.
However, the first awakened student from the F Region finally appeared after about fifty people had failed the test.
"Yeah, Aiden!"
The moment the first awakener emerged among them, the remaining untested students of Region F burst into cheers, clenching their fists and shouting in excitement.
They were genuinely happy. Many of them had already begun to lose hope, believing they were destined for mediocre lives, but they still held onto the hope that at least one person from their region would awaken.
Otherwise, the shame of all two hundred of them walking out without a single awakener would have been unbearable.
But the excitement didn't stop there.
When the second student who stepped up after Aiden also managed to awaken, it sent waves of shock through everyone watching.
Though consistent awakenings weren't exactly rare, it was still uncommon for mages to awaken back-to-back.
So when the old man called for the next student, many of them nearly fought over who would go up, hoping that whatever luck had favored the last two would also favor them.
However, the next student who eventually stepped forward failed to awaken, shattering that hope. And so it continued for a while until it finally reached Jake's turn.
"Next!" the old man called.
When Jake looked around, he realized he was the only one standing at the forefront.
"Phew…" Jake sighed as he began to walk up the stairs, keeping his fear bottled inside. It was finally his turn, and he just wanted to get it over with.