Krish looked directly at the senior, his calm eyes steady. "So Senior, could you please tell us a few more details about the event?"
The senior took a deep breath and spoke slowly, his voice low enough that only their table could hear. "Listen, brothers, this thing is highly confidential. The university has issued strict orders that juniors are not to be told anything. Seniors usually don't even talk this much with first-years. I only shared it with you because I come from an orphan background myself. I know exactly what poverty and struggle feel like."
The five friends exchanged silent glances and nodded quietly, understanding the weight of his words and the risk he had taken for them.
The senior stood up, pushing his chair back. "Alright, I should go now. My food is finished too. Just remember — there will be a hidden quiz on the fifth day. Be prepared."
He walked out of the cafeteria without looking back.
Mahi turned to Krish immediately. "Krish, what do you think?"
Krish answered in his usual calm, measured tone. "I think the senior was telling the truth. We really need to prepare ourselves."
Yug nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I feel the same."
Laksh spoke up, worry clear in his voice. "Then we should go back to the room and start preparing for the quiz right away."
Rudra asked at once, "But what kind of questions will they ask in the quiz? General knowledge or something else?"
Laksh replied thoughtfully, "It won't be general knowledge. Most of the questions will be about the Awakened World — monster ranks, their levels, and the different types of skills they possess. Basic but important things. Don't worry. Since it's a hidden event, most students won't be prepared. Only a few exceptional ones from powerful families will already know about it."
Krish stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Let's head back to the room now. Tomorrow we can ask Professor Meera about any doubts we have."
By evening, the five friends reached their modest hostel room. It was simple and functional — five narrow beds lined against the walls, one small study table cluttered with notebooks, the soft glow of neon lights casting cool blue hues across the ceiling, and a window that offered a distant view of the glittering futuristic city skyline beyond the campus domes.
Mahi, Yug, and Krish went first to take showers. Only Laksh and Rudra remained in the room.
Rudra asked quietly, sitting on the edge of his bed, "Laksh, what are you thinking? How do you think we'll perform in the awakening program three days from now?"
Laksh replied in a slightly gloomy voice, staring at the floor. "I don't know about myself. Maybe you all will do fine."
A little while later, when the other three returned from the shower, Rudra and Laksh took their turn. Half an hour later, all five friends gathered in a circle on Laksh's bed, sitting cross-legged like they used to do back in the orphanage.
Krish started the conversation. "Laksh, what exactly should we ask Professor Meera tomorrow?"
Laksh took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "Look, until middle school we were living completely normal lives. We know very little about the world of Awakeners. We only heard bits and pieces during the university entrance exam. So we need detailed information about monster ranks, levels, and especially skill stones."
Mahi nodded firmly. "Yes, Laksh is right."
Rudra joked lightly, trying to ease the tension. "Okay, we'll ask exactly that tomorrow. But Yug, you'd better wake up early tomorrow. Otherwise I won't be able to save a seat for you."
Everyone burst into loud laughter. Gradually the laughter faded, and one by one they lay down on their beds, the room filling with the soft sounds of breathing and the distant hum of the city outside.
Laksh lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. A storm of thoughts raged inside his mind:
"Will I really be able to awaken any talent? What if I can't? These four are my entire life's friends. If they all awaken and I remain normal, I'll have to separate from them. How will I live alone? Normal life isn't bad, but leaving these four behind… ah…"
Lost in these heavy thoughts, he didn't even realize when sleep finally claimed him.
The next morning, 7:30 AM.
Krish and Mahi were already fresh and ready, uniforms crisp, hair neatly combed. Laksh and Rudra were still fast asleep. Yug, of course, was snoring deeply, completely lost to the world.
Krish smiled mischievously. "So what should we do? Leave him like this or…"
Laksh sat up abruptly and said, "Yesterday he was talking so much, and now look at him — sleeping like he's sold all the horses. Mahi, bring a glass of water."
Mahi quickly fetched a glass of cold water. Laksh signaled to Krish and Rudra. The two of them quietly spread a plastic sheet around Yug's bed to protect the floor.
Then Laksh poured the entire glass of ice-cold water straight onto Yug's face.
"What the hell are you doing!!" Yug shouted, jolting upright in shock. A few seconds later, once he calmed down, he muttered, "I thought a black cat was peeing on my face."
The entire room erupted in loud, uncontrollable laughter that echoed off the walls.
Rudra laughed hardest. "Yeah, yeah, you must have been having a really nice dream. Now hurry up and get fresh. Class is at 9 AM."
Yug glanced at the clock — 8:05. He rushed through his routine and by 8:20 all five were heading out together.
The atmosphere in Professor Meera's classroom that day was noticeably calmer than the first day. All the students sat quietly, waiting patiently for the professor to arrive.
At 9:02, Professor Meera entered. She scanned the entire class with her cool, piercing eyes and smiled faintly. "It seems you all are very eager to listen today."
Everyone nodded.
She asked, "So tell me, what topic should we cover today?"
Laksh immediately raised his hand and said clearly, "Professor, we want to know in detail about monster ranks and skill stones."
Professor Meera looked at Laksh and nodded approvingly. "Very well. Today we will discuss exactly that — Monster Classification and Skill Stone Ranks."
She turned toward the large holographic board. With a soft chime, intricate 3D models began rotating slowly on the screen — monstrous silhouettes, glowing energy charts, and detailed classification trees.
"After the Great Catastrophic Year, almost every species on Earth evolved into monsters — except humans and a few specially protected ones. Scientists classify these monsters into nine main ranks. Each rank is further divided into three sub-classes: Lowest, Middle, and Highest."
Laksh raised his hand again. "Professor, I know the ranks from F to A."
Professor Meera smiled. "Very good. F is the weakest, followed by E, D, C, B, and A. These are low to mid-level monsters. But above A, there are three more ranks that only high-level experts can handle."
Krish spoke hesitantly. "Professor, I've heard of S and SS."
"You heard correctly. After A comes S, then SS. And the most dangerous rank of all is SSS. To defeat an SSS-rank monster, one or two Soul Divinity experts are not enough — it usually requires five or more working together."
Mahi spoke excitedly, "So the full sequence is — F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS."
Professor Meera nodded. "Exactly. And within every rank there are three sub-classes — Lowest, Middle, Highest. For example, the Lowest F-rank monster is the weakest possible, the Middle is somewhat stronger, and the Highest F-rank is the most powerful within that rank."
All the students in the class nodded, absorbing the information.
Professor Meera continued smoothly. "Now let's talk about the skill stones that monsters drop. Scientists divide skill stones into five quality ranks — Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary."
One student asked curiously, "Professor, is there anything above Legendary?"
Professor Meera's expression turned serious. "Some Soul Divinity experts believe there might be higher ranks, but they cannot confirm it because obtaining even a single Legendary skill stone is already almost impossible."
She went on, "Skill stones are extremely rare. Killing low-rank monsters (F and E) usually gives Common or Uncommon stones. For Rare stones, you need to hunt C or B-rank monsters. Epic stones can drop from A-rank or higher. And Legendary…"
She paused for a moment, letting the weight sink in. "In the entire country of India, only ten people possess Legendary skill stones — and they have successfully absorbed them. The probability of obtaining a Legendary stone is so low that even if you kill ten SSS-rank monsters at once, there is still only a fifty percent chance of getting even one Legendary stone."
The entire class fell into stunned silence.
Krish asked, "Professor, are those ten people still alive?"
"Yes. Five of them are currently the principals of the top-five national universities."
Another student asked eagerly, "Is our university's principal one of them too?"
Professor Meera smiled. "Yes. Our principal also possesses a Legendary skill."
A profound silence settled over the classroom.
Finally, Professor Meera said, "Now you understand why even Soul Divinity experts cannot confirm anything beyond Legendary. The probability is almost impossible."
The whole class nodded together in understanding.
Professor Meera switched off the holographic board and concluded, "That's all for today. Tomorrow we will discuss skill absorption and the awakening process in detail."
As soon as class ended, the five friends stepped out into the corridor. Even more questions were now swirling inside Laksh's mind.
Would he ever be able to obtain a skill stone?
Would he be able to stay together with his friends?
He still had no idea that the awakening program on the fifth day would not only awaken his talent, but would change the entire course of his life forever.
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