Looking around the classroom, I realized that not all my classmates were here. It made sense. Some students had already cultivated their soul weapons, and there were a few who decided to use specially crafted beast weapons or just regular weapons.
"Soul weapons are weapons created from an awakener's skill," Professor Sinclair began as he paced back and forth at the front of the class, looking at each of our faces with a scrutinizing gaze.
"There are several advantages to using a soul weapon as your main weapon. One advantage being compatibility. Since your soul weapon is created from your skill, it will be more compatible with you. Another advantage is that soul weapons can only be used by the person who created them."
I already knew everything Professor Sinclair was explaining. But he had left out one crucial fact and that was souls weapons are often times the most powerful weapon there is. No crafted weapon could keep up with some of the most powerful soul weapons.
That was the main reason I wanted a soul weapon. That was why I didn't try creating a weapon for myself with my skill. I only kept the dagger I created before.
"Only a few awakeners naturally awaken their soul weapons. The rest have to force an awakening,"
Saying that, the professor pulled out a small pill from his shirt pocket.
"This is what is called a soul tablet. This is the second way in which you can awaken a soul weapon."
A soul tablet was one of the rarest items in this world. A single tablet cost millions of zencoin to acquire, and here the school had them in abundance to hand them out to every student. This was the only academy with the resources to do so.
If I didn't enter this academy, the chances of me obtaining a soul tablet were slim to none.
"Though there is only a 15% chance of you awakening a soul weapon from this tablet. There are currently 30 of you in this class. It would be a miracle if even 5 of you managed to awaken a soul weapon."
The professor's statement wasn't entirely correct. There was a 15% chance for humans and a 30% chance for elves to awaken their soul weapons. But for demons, the possibility was closer to 5%.
"Whether you are successful in awakening a soul weapon, you will find out in three months. This timeline also coincides with when you'll go on your first planetary expedition. In order to be permitted, each student needs to have a weapon. So your choices are either cultivating a soul weapon, purchasing your weapon, or crafting your own weapon. But bear in mind, if you decide to craft your own weapon, then this weapon will have to pass the school's weapon's test for you to be permitted to go."
I remembered the first planetary expedition the students went on. Right now, the school was keeping which planets the students would go to a secret, but I already knew which planet it would be. This was actually the first major arc in the academy.
After Professor Sinclair had gone over the basics, he began handing out one tablet to each student.
Looking at the tablet in the palm of my hand, it didn't seem all that special. It was the size of a peanut but oval in shape. It had a light pink color to it.
I glanced around the room, and with Professor Sinclair's permission, the students swallowed their pills. I followed after them and did the same. The pill had a slightly bitter taste, but I swallowed it instantly so the taste didn't linger much.
Just a few seconds after swallowing the pill, some of the students slumped over face first on their mats, clutching their stomachs. They were clearly in pain but the professor hardly even react to them.
Seeing the condition the other students were in I was now a bit, worried about swallowing the pill.
My body was weird.
How would my body react after swallowing something like this pill?
I've done things that shouldn't be normal even for demons. Most demonic skills change your body physically. Of course, this wasn't always the case, but it happened so often that if someone had a skill that changed their body too much, they were often suspected of being a demon.
Similarly to what happened with the other students, I began feeling abdominal pains shortly after.
"The pain you feel right now is the soul tablet taking root inside your abdomen. It should pass in a few minutes if you follow my instructions. Delay will only make the pain worse. What I want you all to do for me now is to sit in a position in which your body is at the most comfortable. Preferably the lotus position."
Saying that, Professor Sinclair took a seat on the mat at the front of the class, with each foot resting on the opposite thigh and his hands resting in his lap.
Most followed his lead and sat in the same position as him, while a few others did their own thing and sat in whatever position that made them comfortable. I was one of the students who followed the professor's lead, ignoring the burning pain in my abdomen.
"Now I want you to close your eyes and focus on the burning pain in your abdomen. Try to visualize it as much as you can." he said.
Following the professor's instruction, I focused on the burning pain in my abdomen. I tried to visualize it as much as possible, and soon an image began to form.
"If you're successful in your visualization, then what you are seeing right now is your soul core," the professor explained. "The form it takes will differ from person to person. It depends most on your skill and personality."
I remember seeing Levi's soul core a few times in the game before. It was a radiant ball of light with no imperfections. It emitted radiant golden light that was reminiscent of the sun.
Looking at my own soul core, I couldn't help but think the opposite. It was vastly different. My soul core was sphere-shaped, except it was far from smooth. It was jagged with edges that seemed to be as sharp as razor blades.
Whereas Levi's soul core was a ball of light, mine seemed like a ball of endless darkness. This ball of darkness was surrounded by what looked like lightning, except the lightning was red in color.
'This thing was supposed to represent my personality and skills.'
"Now it's the time for you to begin your first cultivation! What I want you to do from here is focus on the mana inside your body. Being Awakeners, we all possess mana. It's the source of your skills. All you have to do is pretend as if you're using your skill against your soul core. Continue to pour your mana into your soul core until the pain finally subsides."
I did as the professor instructed and poured my mana into my soul core. But strangely, no matter how much mana I poured inside my soul core, the pain wouldn't subside.
It only took a few minutes for the other students to accomplish. Noticing this, I started to get worried.
'What is the matter?'
My abdomen felt as if someone had lit a fire inside of me.
It burned.
But no matter how much mana I poured inside my soul core, the pain wouldn't fade. I spent the entire class pouring my mana inside my soul core until my body began to feel weak and my head started spinning.
At this rate, I would die of mana fatigue before I finished my first cultivation. Just as I began to think the worst, finally, the pain faded as if someone had doused the fire with water.
Feeling relieved, I let out a deep sigh, but just then…
CRACK!
My 5 second bliss crumbled in an instant as my soul core cracked and split in half.