The Aethelgard City.
The streets brimmed with anticipation and anxiety.
The Aethelgard Preparatory Lyceum, central pride of the city with its great marble dome towering like a crown, was overflowing with people.
Parents clutched the hands of their children, merchants left their shops shuttered, and guards struggled to keep the excited crowd in neat lines.
After all, today wasn't just another day.
It was the long-awaited day of Awakening.
The day when every youth across the continent of Arathorne would step onto the Circle of Essence, have their destinies etched into their very souls, and receive the first glimpse of what fate had prepared for them.
Some would walk away as Warriors with steel in their hearts, Weavers with essence flowing through their fingertips, Healers with the touch of life itself, or something even greater — Sword Saints whose blades could cleave mountains, Heroes whose names would echo through the ages, Archweavers who could reshape reality with a single word.
These fortunate few would become the next legends, their paths illuminated by power and purpose.
Others would receive nothing remarkable and fade into the background of history, forever marked as Mundane — a classification that carried no shame in words, yet crushed dreams all the same.
"I hope I can at least awaken a good Uncommon Class." One of the boys from the graduating classes muttered hopefully. "It's fine as long as it's a combat class."
"Uncommon?" scoffed a boy called Marcus from behind him. "I'm aiming for Epic at minimum. My family never produced anything below Rare."
"My grandmother was a Storm Weaver," a red-haired girl next to Marcus smiled proudly. "I am confident I will get at least an Epic Class."
"Epic?" laughed Nolan nervously. "My father always said to dream big. Legendary or nothing!"
"Hehe, you are all thinking too small," whispered Tomas, his eyes gleaming. "What if someone gets a Mythic today? Can you imagine?"
"Haha, that would be amazing." Others exclaimed in anticipation. "Our academy would produce a Mythical Class after so long!"
Nael, waiting in the nervous line of his classmates, shook his head with a faint smile.
'They're still so childish."
While their worries were true, and he himself was hoping to get a good class, he firmly believed everyone had a chance to grow and reach higher ranks. They just needed to work harder and search for opportunities, use their class to the fullest.
The city lord Oz was a prime example of this. With just an Uncommon grade 'Stone Knight' Class decades ago, he had risen through sheer will, tactical brilliance, and unrelenting discipline to command the City Guard and later govern Aethergard itself.
What was more amazing was that he managed to evolve his class after breaking through to level 50.
Many believed he could easily rival those with Epic Class holders. While some questioned what his evolved class actually was.
'The real question,' Nael thought, adjusting his clothes, 'isn't what Class you're given. It's what you do with whatever you get.'
"Next!"
Just then, the ceremonial herald's voice boomed louder across the plaza through the amplification crystals.
"Brennon, the son of Alistair!"
'Oh, it's the class president's turn.'
Nael followed everyone's gaze to look at the massive projection panels that were above the Awakening Crystal.
With a few flashy effects, the guy finished his awakening.
A few moments later, the translucent display shimmered, revealing the results in glowing runes.
______
[ Class: Sun Knight ]
[ Grade: Epic ]
[ Primary Stat: Vigor ]
______
"Whoa! Sun Knight!"
"An Epic Class!"
Waves of surprise and awe echoed through the crowd like ripples across a pond.
Nael ignored the commotion and squinted his eyes at the platform, watching their class president, Brennon, descending the stairs with that same confident stride he'd always carried.
'He's a 'Golden Boy' till the end, huh.'
He had the looks, the brain, the impeccable family background, and flawless social skills. And now, he had a powerful Epic class.
'He gives off a 'hero' vibe. I honestly envy him a little.'
While Brennon had everything, Nael practically had nothing, at least by the standards of the world.
He had no family. He wasn't strong. He wasn't some kind of genius. He only had a small amount of money left by his late parents and his 'different' mindset.
So yeah, Awakening was his only hope.
His one chance to change his circumstances.
'Haah... It seems like I'm no different from the others...'
'Hmm?'
Nael noticed several figures emerging from the guests' side, some old with luxury robes and calculating eyes, others young with the bearing of seasoned Awakened.
'Are they... the recruiters?'
He guessed inwardly as they gathered around the young Sun knight like moths to a brilliant flame.
'Yeah, they are recruiters.'
He didn't give any attention to them because they hadn't shown themselves this openly till now, and not in these numbers.
'I guess they are only interested in 'the best'.'
He wondered whether there were scouts from the top five academies as well.
Shaking his head from distracting thoughts, he focused on the awakening platform, watching his other classmates undergoing awakening, waiting for his own turn.
'Hmm?'
It was then that he noticed the abnormal state of the girl sitting beside him.
"Mira, is something wrong?" He asked worriedly. She was his only friend in the academy after all. "Should I take you to the infirmary?"
"E-eh?" Mira, a girl with long, silky silver hair, glanced at him.
Her cerulean eyes, usually sharp and focused, seemed hazy and distant. They blinked slowly, as if she were struggling to process his words.
"N-no, I'm fine," she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. "Just... a little dizzy. It's nothing."
But it wasn't nothing.
Nael could see a faint, unnatural silver sheen flickering deep within her pupils. Something was wrong, very wrong.
'What could it be? She was fine just yesterday.'
"Mi-" before he could press her further, a sharp voice caught through the ambient noise.
"Nael! You're next! Stop dawdling and get to the platform now!" the head instructor barked, gesturing impatiently.
Nael hesitated, his concern for Mira warring with the imperative of the ceremony.
"Nael!" Instructor's voice echoed again.
"I'll be right back, stay put," Nael muttered while reluctantly but hurriedly standing up.
He made his way through the rows of anxious students, his mind still on his friend's strange condition.
'...I hope it's nothing bad.'
He reached the base of the platform just as the previous student, the boy who was talking about getting an uncommon class, descended with a disappointed slump to his shoulders.
He awakened an Uncommon Class as he hoped for, but it was a Herbalist, obviously not a combat type.
"Next! Nael, son of Korbin, enter the circle!"
'Huff...'
Taking a deep breath, Nael quickly climbed the steps. The grandeur of the Lyceum seemed to shrink, narrowing until all that existed was the dais and the massive, pulsating Awakening Crystal at its center.
'Father. Mother.'
As he stepped into the Circle of Essence etched into the marble floor, a strange sensation enveloped him. It was like being submerged in warm, electric water that tingled against his skin and made the air itself seem alive. The sensation was both foreign and somehow familiar, as if awakening something that had long been dormant within him.
'Hmm...'
He forced himself to calm his racing heart, pushing the image of Mira's glazed eyes to the back of his mind.
'...I'm finally going to awaken.'
Closing his eyes, Nael placed both hands against the cool surface of the crystal and waited for his destiny to reveal itself.
But what awaited him was...
'!'
Pain.
'Urgh!'
A sharp throbbing began at the base of his skull, like the worst headache he'd ever experienced, multiplied tenfold. It pulsed through his mind in waves, making him dizzy and nauseous. His vision exploded into white-hot fragments, his temples pounding.
'Urgh-!'
His hands trembled against the crystal surface, and he had to bite his lips to keep from crying out. Every instinct told him to pull away, to escape this mounting torment, but he forced himself to hold on.
'I have to... I have to endure this!'
The ache spread through his mind like fire, making his thoughts scatter and his concentration waver. His breathing became shallow and rapid as he gritted his teeth, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.
The pain wasn't unbearable for him, but it was persistent and draining, like his mind was being stretched and reshaped.
After what felt like an eternity, though it was probably a minute or two, the throbbing finally began to fade. The sharp edges of pain dulled into a warm, tingling sensation and then disappeared entirely.
'H-Huh? I feel...'
Nael muttered inwardly. His mind felt... different.
Clearer. Broader somehow, as if the fog that had always clouded his thoughts had finally lifted.
Knowledge flowed through his consciousness, as if it had always been part of him.
He instinctively understood what he was naw, what he had awakened as.
"...Investor?"