A sudden wave of joy and ecstasy surged through his body. The flickering messages from the Awakened System before his vision sent ripples of emotions crashing through his mind.
From happiness and nostalgia to sadness and euphoria—an overwhelming flood of feelings rose to his throat, but he forced them down with a hard swallow. He pinched himself, wondering if what he saw was real and not a dream.
When he finally verified that it was real, the last system messages left him in utter shock.
"Did I awaken a Class?"
It didn't matter what kind of Class he had awakened—awakening one alone was an extraordinary feat. Only one in a million people could awaken a class, and some believed that the odds of getting it were even lower.
During the process of awakening, you have the chance to obtain a Skill, Trait, Talent, Power, or, in the rarest cases, a Class. Among all these, the one with the lowest probability of appearing was the Class, with less than a 1% chance of getting one.
Why? Because a Class could come with a combination of Skills and Traits (for example) that would make its bearer much more powerful than their peers.
Now, there are different Class ranks: Common, Rare, Epic, Mythic, and Legendary, which are the main ones. However, there are rumors of an even greater rank—the Divine Rank. But among all these ranks, one stood out as truly peculiar: the Unique Rank.
It is said that a Unique Rank Class could be anything—from Common Rank or Legendary Rank; the only peculiarity it needs to have is that it is unique and unparalleled.
Although that system of Unique Classes was a bit random, Elliot didn't care about its ranks.
He had awakened!
More importantly, he had obtained a Class.
It was a cause for celebration, even if he had no idea of its rank or power.
He quickly tapped on the system's flashing messages and opened its interface without hesitation.
His stats appeared before him, but he barely glanced at them since he was more interested and impatient to learn about the class he had obtained.
He frantically continued to scroll through the system, looking for the skills window, until he finally found it.
*****
[Class Monarch of Energy: He who rules energy, his three Talents and two Manifestations]
Rank: Unique.
*****
"Three Talents?" Elliot's eyes widened, a spark of excitement flaring within them. His heart suddenly raced like a startled cat.
He had never heard of a Class that could grant three Talents to its bearer; it was absurd.
Talents were among the most sought-after types of skills by the Awakened because they usually provided an immense advantage to the holder in accumulating the precious stat points. The word 'Talent' sounded exciting to any Awakened, regardless of whether they were weak or strong.
'Does something this powerful really exist?' He couldn't help but wonder.
But as he read further, his expression shifted.
'What's a manifestation?' He mused.
Naturally, no one was there to answer him. What he was sure of, though, was that he had never heard of a type of ability called "Manifestation." And yet, his class granted him two of them…
He immediately started reading the next section.
*****
[First Manifestation]
Lord of Energy: You can manipulate the Energy of Attributes within your body to create invocations of attributes. These invocations are formed with pure energy, and their properties will vary depending on the type of energy used.
When creating an invocation, you can control the amount of energy used to enhance your invocations. The more energy invested, the more power they will have.
Conversion: 1 Statistic Point = 5 Invocation Points.
Example: Using 1 Physical Attribute Energy point when creating an invocation will have 5 Statistic Points in Strength.
*****
'I can create energy-based invocations? Am I… some kind of special invoker?'
Astonishment was evident on his face; for a moment, he even lost the ability to react.
Being an emotional person, his body and mind roared with uncontrollable joy and excitement, realizing that his class looked amazing at first glance. But his mind managed to calm down quickly.
He had a lot to think about.
Leaving aside the fact that his class had told him he would get Three Talents, he was witnessing something entirely new—the birth of a very different kind of summoner than any he had ever heard of.
Despite his unassuming appearance and lack of formal study, he wasn't ignorant about many things about the Awakened world. Some things were common sense and others he had learned from his father or from the books he used to read as a child.
This was also why he knew that this 'Manifestation,' the meaning of which he couldn't decipher correctly, wasn't as simple as a regular invocation.
As a general rule, an invoker cannot strengthen their invocations, let alone imbibe them with power. This was because each invocation already came with a specific pre-established power that, to a large extent, depended on the invoker themself.
But right now, he was witnessing a skill that defied that very rule—one that allowed him to strengthen his invocations since he does not 'invoke' them, instead 'creating' them. There was a huge difference between the two terms, and he believed that this difference was the basis of his Manifestation, enabling him to enhance his invocations in ways that ordinary invokers never could.
Now, if he turned out to be a 'Summoner Wizard,' he already had a clear idea as to where his class was heading.
'Will I be a part of the Variant group? If I remember correctly, Summoner Wizards fall under the 'Varied Wizards' category within the Variants.'
He was slightly intrigued to find this out.
Variators were the most common type of wizard, but even within that group, different subclasses emerged depending on their primary stats. In general, there were four major types, and the last of them was the 'Varied Wizard,' and those who belonged to this category were distinct from the other three.
Generally, there were two most well-known—Control Wizards and Summoner Wizards. There were still more, but the truth is that they were a type of mage that was much sought after by the guilds, making them very important people in the world.
That was why he didn't dwell on the drawbacks of his manifestation. He knew that if he were to strengthen his invocations, it would leave him temporarily weakened since it required investing his stat points. But instead of focusing on the downside, he lowered his gaze to continue reading.
*****
| First Talent.
*****
When he read those two words, his mind was 100% focused. His Manifestation was already impressive enough to leave him deep in thought. But how good was his Talent?
*****
| The Harvester: You can harvest the surrounding Attribute Energy. Stay close to the places where it is generated to benefit more.
| Additional Talent Bonus - 1: When killing a beast, human, or any other race, you can collect an additional 50% of the energy if you sacrifice 50% of the victim's body.
| Additional Talent Bonus - 2: If you find a BEAST that you did not personally kill, you can absorb around 50% of the energy it had before dying in exchange for destroying 100% of the body.
(Bonus 2 Note: Only works on beasts.)
| Additional Talent Bonus – 3: You are a reaper of what you once sowed; therefore, Attribute Energy is created faster for you.
*****
"!"
His body suddenly trembled, a shiver running down his spine as every hair on his body stood on end.
"Is it really that good?!"
The shock was so overwhelming that he couldn't help but exclaim, which, fortunately, no one was around to hear.
His manifestation was already absurd enough that he would be happy even if it had nothing more than that. But now? Now, he was granted a Talent that could make him exponentially stronger with every step he took!
'This doesn't make sense…' he thought, struggling to understand his talent fully.
We must know that in this world, there is something that enjoys absolute exclusivity: Attribute Energy.
Since the world's Awakening 500 years ago, beasts, dungeons, and portals have reshaped the Earth.
Even new territories emerged from antiquity, as is the case of Atlantis, the famous mythological island that, at some point 500 years ago, became a reality in the distant Ancient Lands, also known as the Northern Continent.
Or the world-famous Great Continent of Pangea, which had since broken into the Eastern and Western Continents. Its modern name is now 'High Land' because of its towering mountains and breathtaking wonders, such as the beautiful Floating Islands of Calithea.
Yet, despite all this territorial or environmental exclusivity, they were merely beautiful places, far removed from this forgotten and abandoned Southern Continent.
The same applied to the new races—elves, dragons, and many more.
Among so many fascinating things, there were two things that had changed humanity's destiny: the System and Attribute Energy.
Even among the two, the System had formulated the rules of reality. It established the Laws of the Game, which brought the Age of Awakening to the Earth.
These new laws prohibit many once-common things like wars. In its place, it transformed the world into a battleground of absolute competitiveness—where kingdoms and powerful organizations no longer ruled. Instead, Guilds became the new sovereigns, operating under the pure mechanics of video games.
The guilds fought for supremacy, hiring Awakened to compete in the Competitions prepared by the System, which offered all kinds of prizes.
Lands, titles, classes, abilities… even Divinity.
Although the world was now a better place, competitiveness was rampant than ever, and everyone longed to become a Champion even more than they desired to reach the ultimate power—though the two go hand in hand.
Even in this distant Loen City, which belongs to the territory of the Arce Guild, this remains true. Elliot, like many others, longed to achieve Glory.
But not even the Laws of the Game or the System itself enjoyed the exclusivity of Attribute Energy.
It is difficult to explain yet crucial to understand because humans continue to exist because of it and the way the System harnesses its power.
To become stronger, one needs Attribute Energy, which is the lifeblood of all the Awakened Ones. And although it always exists, to become strong, you must do something to 'create' it because one cannot absorb the energy in the environment nor take the energy that someone else has created.
You must create it yourself.
The depth of this truth runs much greater, but in simple terms: You need to create the energy to strengthen yourself, and the energy you create cannot be absorbed by someone else unless they manage to kill you and take it.
This is the reason why the Energy of Attributes holds a higher status than the System itself. However, other reasons also exist, such as the intricate Magical Systems erected by the Global Awakening System.
In any case, this was why the Talent in front of his eyes made no sense.
Wasn't it violating a universal law? Since it allowed him to absorb the energy that others had created.
Then, a revelation struck him.
It made him think that there was something he didn't know about Energy.
He couldn't help but reread what the Talent said once more to ensure that he was seeing it correctly.
And as he did so, he frowned even more.
And again. Then, a third time.
He then skimmed through the details about Manifestation, reading them several times.
His body trembled again.
'It doesn't say…' he thought, with an astonished yet excited expression.
"No… it doesn't say. I'm sure it doesn't."
This time, his body trembled, not from fear or cold as it had been in previous years. This was something else—a form of indescribable emotion that he couldn't quite name—that flooded through him.
There was something missing, something that his skills should have said because all the skills granted by the System do say it. But that 'thing' that should have flashed before his eyes was nowhere to be seen. No matter which system window he opened, there wasn't a single clue, reference, or trace of it.
And that was something he couldn't ignore...
*KNOCK*
*KNOCK*
When he was at the peak of excitement, a sharp knock at the door snapped him back to reality.
'Who's bothering me now?' he thought, annoyed. Just when his mind was on the verge of thinking of something great, someone had to interrupt him.
'Well, it has always happened to me. Let's relax better.' He sighed, thinking of going to see who it was.
But suddenly, he remembered that it was night and he was already off work.
'Strange…'
He had never had visitors before. Who would come to visit him in the middle of the night?
Cautiously, he approached the door and peered through a small crack.
'The Boss?'
Elliot's mind raced.
'He shouldn't know where I live.'
'Has he come to the wrong door, or…?'
He didn't want to take any chances, so he turned around and took a small, low-grade knife from his backpack.
'In this world, the Awakened are the most dangerous. But even a strong Misfit is dangerous enough for me, so I have to be careful.'
Although the new rules protected civilians, he was no longer one. The rules of the system to protect civilians no longer apply to him. If someone wanted to come and kill him, they could do so without much trouble.
Of course, no one knew that he had Awakened, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
'The system has loopholes in its rules, and many people tend to take advantage of them to do terrible things, so it's better to be cautious,' he thought and tucked the knife into his clothes for 'safety.'
Then he took a deep breath and opened the door.