Griffin pushed open the heavy doors of the DOA building and stepped out into the afternoon light. The city street stretched ahead of him, wide and clean, lined with tall buildings that had been rebuilt stronger after the Sixth Extinction.
Holographic screens and billboards covered almost every wall and floated in the air above the sidewalks, flashing bright colors and moving images that made the whole street feel alive.
Some screens showed breaking news about fresh Dimensional Gate openings in distant regions, others played dramatic clips of high-rank Walkers charging into rifts and coming out victorious, covered in monster blood but smiling for the cameras.
A few billboards were dedicated to today's Awakening Ceremony, highlighting the candidates who had awakened the strongest Classes. Griffin walked slowly along the sidewalk, hands still in his pockets, eyes drifting from one screen to the next.
According to everything he knew, only those who awakened S-Grade and above ever made it onto the public broadcasts. Everyone else was quietly forgotten.
One particular news feed caught his attention and made him stop in the middle of the sidewalk.
The headline glowed in large golden letters: "SS-Grade Awakening in Eldoria City – Young Prodigy Awakens Valkyrie Class!"
The screen showed a girl who looked about his age, standing on the same kind of platform he had just left. She had long silver-white hair that seemed to glow under the lights, sharp features, and eyes that looked both beautiful and dangerous at the same time.
The system voice played clearly through the speakers. "Valkyrie Class – SS-Grade Aptitude."
The crowd on the feed cheered wildly as guild recruiters rushed forward to offer her contracts. Griffin stood rooted on the spot, staring at her face.
She looked like a goddess stepped out of legend, calm and powerful even in the middle of all that attention. He felt a heavy twist in his chest. This world is really unfair, he thought.
Some people get everything handed to them in one bright flash while others get nothing but mockery and a useless label. He stayed there for a long moment, watching the replay of her awakening, the way the crystal had lit up like it was celebrating her.
Then he forced himself to keep walking, the image of the silver-haired girl lingering in his mind like a bruise he couldn't stop pressing.
The streets were busy with people going about their day, but the conversations he overheard as he passed were all centered on the same thing.
A group of office workers standing outside a café were talking loudly. "Did you see that Valkyrie awakening in White Elephant City? SS-Grade at eighteen years old. That girl is going to be a legend before she's twenty. The guilds are probably fighting over her right now."
One of the women laughed. "Of course they are. Valkyrie Class is rare and powerful. She'll be clearing high-grade gates while the rest of us are still trying to pay rent. It's crazy how some people are just born lucky."
A little further down the street, two older men sitting on a bench were discussing the other big awakenings. "Three S-Grade awakenings today across the continent," one said, shaking his head.
"One kid got Storm Sovereign, another pulled Eternal Guardian. All of them younger than my son. They're already getting invitations from every major organization. The world really favors the strong."
His friend nodded slowly. "That's how it's always been since the Sixth Extinction. The powerful get more power, and the rest of us just try to stay out of their way."
Griffin kept walking, the words following him like shadows. Every screen he passed seemed to be showing another success story.
A boy in the southern continent awakening an S-Grade Blade Emperor Class, a girl in the western regions pulling a rare S-Grade Life Weaver. All of them smiling, all of them surrounded by excited recruiters promising bright futures and fat contracts.
Griffin felt each one like a small punch to the gut. He thought about his own result again, Hunter Class, Zero Mana Affinity and the loud laughter that had filled the hall. The memory made his jaw tighten.
He turned down the narrower street that led toward the lower districts where his family lived. The buildings here were older, more worn, but still standing strong behind their reinforced walls. People sat on front steps talking, kids played in the small parks, and the smell of street food drifted from the corner stalls. Even here the conversations were the same.
A woman hanging laundry on a line called out to her neighbor. "You hear about that Valkyrie girl? SS-Grade. My daughter is the same age and she's still waiting for her turn next month. I keep praying she gets something decent. I don't want her stuck hauling corpses like my brother did for twenty years."
The neighbor answered while folding shirts. "I saw the feed. That girl looked like she was born for it. The crystal practically sang when it chose her. Meanwhile the rest of these kids are sweating bullets hoping they don't get something useless. My nephew got a minor wind Class last year. He's working as a scout now, but he says it barely helps in real fights. He's already talking about quitting and going back to civilian work. It breaks my heart, but what can you do? Not everyone can be a hero."
Griffin walked past them without stopping, the words sinking deeper with every step. He thought about his mother waiting at home, probably pretending to be busy in the kitchen while she watched the live updates.
He thought about his sixteen-year-old sister who always looked up to him even when he told her not to. He thought about his friend Kai, a year younger, who would go through the same ceremony in a few months and was already nervous about it.
The walk home felt longer than usual, each block reminding him how small his result made him feel. By the time he reached the front door of their modest apartment building, the sun was starting to dip lower and the holographic billboards were glowing brighter against the evening sky.
He opened the door and stepped inside. The small living room smelled like the simple stew his mother always made when she wanted to comfort someone. She was standing by the stove, stirring the pot, but the moment she saw his face she knew.
His father was sitting at the worn table, reading an old tablet with the day's gate reports. His sixteen-year-old sister, Lena, was on the couch with her legs tucked under her, scrolling through her own feed. They all looked up at the same time.
His mother set the spoon down slowly. "Griffin… how did it go?" Her voice was gentle, but he could hear the worry underneath.
He closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a second, trying to find the right words. "Hunter Class," he said quietly. "Zero Mana Affinity."
The room went still. His father put the tablet down and rubbed his face with both hands. "Zero mana… that's rough, son. I'm sorry."
Lena sat up straighter, her eyes wide. "But Hunter Class isn't completely useless, right? You can still do something with it. Maybe train hard and make it work."
Griffin gave her a small, tired smile. "It's pretty much the bottom of the barrel, Lena. The guilds rejected me on the spot. The Big Three didn't even wait a second. Everyone in the hall was laughing."
His mother walked over and pulled him into a hug, holding him tight the way she used to when he was little.
"We'll figure it out," she said softly against his shoulder. "We always do. You're still our boy, and that's what matters most. Don't let their laughter define you. We'll find a way to keep going, just like we always have."
His father stood up and put a hand on Griffin's shoulder, squeezing once. "It's not the end of the world, Griffin. Plenty of people live good lives without fancy Classes. You can still work the lower gates as support, bring in steady pay. We'll make it through together. I'm proud of you for standing there and facing it. That takes guts."
Lena hugged him from the other side, her voice a little shaky but trying to be strong. "Yeah, and if anyone gives you a hard time I'll tell them my brother is tougher than any stupid crystal. We don't need some fancy Class to be worth something. You're already the best big brother I could ask for."
Griffin hugged them back, feeling the warmth of their support even through the heavy disappointment sitting in his chest. They meant every word, he knew that, but it didn't erase the sting of standing on that platform while the whole hall laughed at him.
A little while later his friend Kai called. The younger boy's face appeared on the small screen, looking worried. "Hey man, I saw the feed. Zero mana Hunter Class… that sucks. I'm really sorry. I know you were hoping for something better."
Griffin sat down on the edge of his bed and sighed. "Yeah, it wasn't great. The laughter was the worst part. The guilds rejected me right there in front of everyone."
Kai nodded, his expression serious. "That's messed up. But listen, you're still you. Class or no Class, you've always been the guy who keeps pushing. When my turn comes in a few months I'm going to be thinking about how you handled this. Don't give up, okay? We'll figure out what to do next. Maybe there's some training program or something for Hunter Classes. I'll help you look if you want."
Griffin managed a small smile. "Thanks, Kai. I appreciate it. Just focus on your own preparation for now. We'll talk more later."
After the call ended Griffin told his family he was tired and went to bed early. He lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling, the day's events replaying in his mind, the warmth of the crystal, the cold system voice, the laughter, the pitying looks, the glowing image of the silver-haired Valkyrie girl on every screen.
The disappointment sat heavy in his chest, mixed with a quiet bitterness he couldn't quite shake. He closed his eyes, exhausted in every way, and waited for sleep to come.