The recruits didn't leave the platform immediately.
No one spoke.
What they had just witnessed lingered in the air—the precision, the restraint, the terrifying ease with which power had been wielded.
That was when Cross stepped forward.
Unlike the instructors, he didn't raise his voice.
He didn't need to.
"You saw power," he said calmly. "But more importantly, you saw clarity."
He turned, eyes scanning the group.
"Most of you think awakening is a moment. A flash. A miracle."
A pause.
"It isn't."
Murmurs spread.
Cross continued. "What most people experience is an incomplete awakening."
Axel stiffened.
The words hit closer than they should have.
"Incomplete?" someone asked.
"Yes," Cross said. "Mana enters the body. Skills manifest. Physical enhancement occurs."
He tapped his chest once.
"But the core doesn't fully align."
Several recruits frowned.
Cross walked slowly along the platform.
"You gain strength, but not understanding. Power, but not control. You function—but you don't resonate."
Axel's heartbeat quickened.
Resonate…
"True awakening," Cross said, stopping, "is when mana stops feeling foreign. When it stops being something you use… and becomes something you are."
The silence deepened.
Cross's gaze flicked briefly—just once—toward Axel.
Then away.
"Some Hunters never reach it," he said. "Some die before they do. Others plateau forever."
A recruit swallowed. "Then… why train us like this?"
Cross's lips curved faintly.
"Because pressure reveals alignment."
Before anyone could ask another question—
A sharp pulse of mana erupted from the far side of the field.
A scream followed.
Everyone turned.
A recruit had collapsed to their knees, clutching their chest.
Mana surged wildly around them—unstable, violent, uncontrolled.
"He's overloading!" someone shouted.
Instructors moved instantly, forming a barrier.
The recruit screamed again.
Then—
The mana snapped into place.
Silence.
The pressure changed.
It wasn't explosive anymore.
It was deep.
The recruit stood slowly.
Their eyes glowed—not brightly, but steadily.
The air around them felt… heavier.
Different.
Axel's breath caught.
That's it…
The instructor checked the readings, eyes widening.
"…Confirmed. Full awakening."
Gasps erupted.
The recruit stared at their own hands, shaking.
"I… I can feel it," they whispered. "It's not slipping away anymore."
Cross watched calmly.
"This," he said, "is what alignment looks like."
Axel felt something twist in his chest.
Not jealousy.
Not envy.
Recognition.
So that's what I'm missing.
The recruit was escorted away, surrounded by officials and healers.
The platform buzzed with whispers.
Axel remained silent.
But inside—
Something settled.
Not fear.
Not pressure.
Understanding.
This isn't about getting stronger.
It's about becoming complete.
The system flickered faintly, unreadable.
Cross turned back to the recruits.
"Training resumes tomorrow," he said. "If your awakening comes—good."
His eyes hardened slightly.
"If it doesn't… you'll still be judged by how close you get."
As the group dispersed, Cross passed Axel.
He didn't stop.
Didn't speak.
But as he walked by, his voice reached Axel alone—quiet enough that no one else heard.
"Don't rush it."
Axel froze.
Cross kept walking.
Axel exhaled slowly, staring at the empty field.
"…I won't."
For the first time since the dungeon—
He wasn't chasing power.
He was waiting for himself.