"Unfortunately, your life force wasn't enough to activate the Soul Sphere and trigger an awakening. I never imagined that anyone would ever achieve the minus possibility."
"Huh?" Rentaro's eyes widened a bit.
"Return to your seat, Mizuno." Alister said with a harsh tone and a cold glare.
For a moment, Rentaro stood silent. Then he sighed dramatically.
'What was I expecting?' All his life, nothing went well for him. Not the stable love of a family, or even a source of surviving daily. This ceremony, this world, this new chance he received.
It thought at least everything would be different, but the results remained the same.
"Yo... He actually got it." A whisper flew.
"That's impossible... The minor possibility is a possibility that has been determined completely rare and unlikely to get!"
The minor possibility (-F) was a myth created throughout the ages as some sort of lie to encourage the young ones to train hard and develop a body that can accommodate a decent grade.
It theoretically did not exist, yet somehow, Rentaro managed to get it.
"The minor possibility is equivalent to a failed awakening... Are you saying his life force is so pathetic that he couldn't so much as awaken even an F-tier talent?"
"Man... The minor possibility is as good as death."
The boy who awakened the F-tier talent brightened up a bit, although his chances of survival were slim, it was nowhere compared to the fate that awaited Rentaro.
"If that guy knows what's good for him, he should end his life now. No one that useless can survive the sanctuary."
Rentaro heard each word, every statement that came out of their mouths, but he could careless. Being looked down upon, being mocked by others, it was a concept he was already used to and mastered, so it didn't bother him much.
All his life he had gotten the same treatment over and over again, so this was the least of his worries.
He returned to his seat with an expressionless face, and spared no glances at the whispering crowd.
He returned to his seat besides Eliza and sighed trying to pretend like everything was alright when clearly it was not.
"Sorry, I couldn't awaken a talent like you hoped." He said casually, like it wasn't really that much of a bother that he failed to awaken.
But what he got in return made his bone shiver a bit.
Eliza didn't respond, instead, her eyes became cold and detached and she didn't say anything. She just looked forward as the other awakenings happened, her disappointment wasn't something she could easily mask given the results of his awakening.
Around them, more awakenings continued. Most were successful with the range of C to B-tier, and most were almost complete failures that ranged from F-E, but they still held more importance and value than Rentaro's.
The chattering voices around Rentaro and Eliza grew distant, that was until one voice cut through the silence that hung between both of them.
"Eliza Morgan... Your awakening is as beautiful as it's owner."
Ethan Kaiser stood in front of them with one hand politely extended.
He carried himself with confidence that was fitting his achievements, and for a good reason to. He was one of the top awakeners of today's ceremony that drew the loudest reactions, awakening the A-tier talent — The Warrior's Will.
A spirit will known for its potency and raw offensive power.
"Your support will is the last and perfect addition to our party, why don't you join us?"
Immediately after their awakenings, forming a party was a crucial necessity, and also one of the most challenging parts of the Talent Awakening Ceremony.
An assimilator's fate was decided from this very moment, it was common knowledge that it's impossible to survive on your own in the Sanctuaries.
The Sanctuaries were divided into 50 levels, with each harboring their own several threats and dangers, and of course, was more dangerous than the last.
To curb this danger while moving up, assimilators usually grouped themselves into parties with each member possessing a unique ability that contributes to the success of their team.
Eliza took his hand without hesitation, and a smile stretched across his face. "Your addition will be of a great benefit to our party. Will and Lillian have already made the decision to join us. Together, we can clear the Sanctuaries and ensure humanity's survival."
Ethan was very picky about the kind of assimilators that would join him, and their abilities weren't a joke either.
Lillian awakened the talent of the Beast Will, a talent that heightened her senses to unimaginable levels. Her physical strength didn't just increase, it was magnified. No object or person could escape her enhanced sights, not even in pitch darkness. And no sound escaped her ears.
Then there was Will, the shield of their team. The Guardians Will sharpened not just his resolve, but also his defenses. He was literally the ultimate shield that nothing could penetrate.
"That's awesome. Thanks for having me!" Eliza screamed with excitement, in a sense, it was literally the ultimate team if her support class was put into the equation.
Amidst her excitement from joining an elite party, Eliza completely forgot that Rentaro was literally right next to her.
All heads turned to look at him as he stood just behind her, but none of their expressions were welcoming.
"Hey Eliza, you two seem pretty close." Lillian spoke up. "You know him?"
"No, I've never seen him before." She replied coldy, and all of a sudden, she sounded like a completely different person from the Eliza he knew moments ago.
'What?' Rentaro's jaws dropped slightly. He couldn't believe his ears.
"Hm?" Ethan leaned in and it took a closer look, then he burst into a sudden laughter. "Wait, you're that kid who couldn't awaken even an F-tier Spirit Will. Man, failed awakenings were considered F-tier, but to think you managed to awaken something the minor possibility."
"It's alright, not everyone is fortunate as you to have awakened an A-tier Spirit Will." Rentaro, although a bit down at his inability to awaken a Spirit will, forced a smile for them.
"That being said, you were unable to awaken a Spirit will. That means you're not just unfortunate, you're a failure destined to die." Lillian said bluntly, not having a care for how Rentaro would feel.
"H-Hey! Couldn't you be more kind at least? No need to rub it in his face." A slightly pissed Will chimed in, there was no need for rudeness considering someone's life was at stake.
Excluding her beauty, one of the traits Lillian had that he detested was her rudeness and pride, especially to those beneath them.
"You who awakened a C-tier Spirit Will has no right to interfere, shut up."
"Hey failure." Lillian leaned in closer. "This is me being as generous as I can, so if I were you, I'd end it all between now and midnight."
"Hey! Lillia-?"
"Let it go, there's no point in dragging it out further even more." Rentaro, who was the victim of their abuse said with his arms crossed.
He wasn't bothered by their actions because they were right, not because of the fact that he was talentless. He wasn't on earth anymore, the presence of supernatural abilities meant any wrong move could result to his permanent end.
He took a good look at the cold glare of Eliza, and he understood immediately. She didn't stick around with him because she liked him, she was using him as a means for her survival.
As much as his memories rejected her ideals, and muscle memory refused to accept her actions. It pointless when he couldn't do anything. They all awakened a magnitude of impressive Spirit Wills and judging from the proctors face, their ranks were not a joke. If they wanted it, they could fatally injure him.
"Let's go Eliza, we have to be together by the time the countdown begins. There's nothing more left for us here." Together, the newly formed party turned around to leave.
"Wait." Rentaro called out gently with the curiosity that stemmed from his memories over the years.
"Why?" Everyone spent their years training hard and honing their bodies in preparation for this day, but the previous Rentaro? He sacrificed his years caring and providing for the girl he fell in love with.
But now?
"Surely you're not that dumb Rentaro... The moment you failed to awaken, you were already dead. Why would I stick around with a dead man?"
Rentaro's eyes shot open in disbelief, her words cut through his heart like butter, easily and swiftly. But he quickly regained his expressionless face despite her betrayal. "I see..."
They all turned around left him in the hall. All hope, all aspirations and dreams the previous Rentaro ever had, Eliza took it all away from him with a single statement.
..
Rentaro returned to his small house he managed to acquire by years of effort and hard work, it was evident, Eliza wasn't coming back anytime soon.
He slumped into his creaky bed, and sighed heavily.
The memories of the previous Rentaro flowed in intervals. His dream of becoming an awakener, the future he imagined and dreamt of with Eliza, they were all poured down the drain, washed out as bad blood and dirt.
And honestly? He couldn't careless, the current Rentaro that is. It was the least of his worries.
To say he wasn't suffering from the results of everything would be a blatant lie. The mockeries and suicidal advice was surely more than he handled.
But that wasn't on his mind right now, all that remained in his mind was the supposed trial of the Sanctuaries.
He wasn't backed by any party, as a matter of fact, those assimilators who awakened an F-tier talent and E-tier talent did the unthinkable.
In the history of mankind, this was the worst case of suicides recorded.
The total of Awakeners in the hall exceeded 250, and a total of 50 awakeners had committed suicide. These suicides were part of the factors that dwindled the population of humanity. Was it advisable? Hell no.
But could you blame them?
Suicide was a far better option than facing whatever it was that awaited them in the Sanctuaries.
And honestly, it was an option Rentaro actually considered, but he wasn't going to die twice.
He stood up quietly and stared out the window at the brilliant moonlight that shone down at the earth, he didn't even realize how quickly time had passed, and before he even realized it, five minutes was all that was left till midnight.
At midnight, everyone who went through the talent awakening ceremony, successful or not, will be transported into the Sanctuaries.
The Sanctuaries was in no way an ordinary place, what made it even frightening was, even awakeners were terrified of the dangers that lurks within it.
And for someone like Rentaro who was unable to awaken? The dangers transcended to a level he couldn't comprehend.
The Sanctuaries were divided into 50 levels (as stated earlier), and each level contained beasts that were even more dangerous than the rest. These beasts hailed from different races, differed in ranks, and were also separated by power levels.
To move to the next level, you had to find a fragment of the Soul Stone. It held the power to unlock the path forward. Each fragment was hidden deep within the heart of a sanctuary, guarded by forces beyond their understanding.
Only those who cleared every level could gain the rare, overwhelming mystical power of the Sanctuaries and turn it into a gateway.
In the history of the human race, even the strongest of all awakeners only managed to clear just thirteen levels.
[Warning.]
Suddenly, a blue holographic interface flared to life in Rentaro's sights.
[You will be transported into the first sanctuary in five minutes. It is advisable to prepare immediately.]
Rentaro chuckled softly as a mechanical chime entered his ears. It was probably the same voice that everyone from the hall should be hearing now.
It advised preparation, but what could he do?
Even if he equipped the strongest armor, an impenetrable shield, and the sharpest blade. In his hands, those weapons became items, just a silly obstacle that slightly delayed the inevitable.
[10...9...8...]
"Whatever..." He lay back down on his bed. "Let's just get it over with.
[You are being transported into the first sanctuary.]