An hour passed.
Rami hadn't moved much. He sat on a cold metal bench, a small booklet in his hand, his mind running full throttle.
Beginner's Guide to Awakening.
A plain title… but the content? More useful than he expected.
He flipped through the pages quickly, but his eyes stayed focused. Like he was carving the information into his skull.
Finally, he closed the booklet quietly. A slow exhale escaped his chest, as if it carried a weight he hadn't noticed before.
"Selena, Yan… focus," he said in a low but sharp voice.
Both of them turned to him, brushing the boredom off their faces.
Rami continued, "Like I told you earlier, classes are ranked from F up to SSS. But the rank alone doesn't decide your future. There's more to it."
He gave Yan a quick glance before adding, "The Second Awakening. There are only two ways to get it. First: an Awakening Potion, which is extremely rare and not sold publicly. Second… pushing yourself to the absolute limit, then facing a near-death situation."
Yan said dryly, "Got it. I'll try hanging myself when we get back."
Rami slapped his forehead, while Selena snapped, "Idiot. Hurting yourself doesn't work. The danger has to be real, from the outside, something that forces you to survive."
Rami warned, his voice firm, "And even then, you have to survive for it to matter. Don't be stupid."
Yan nodded, a bit ashamed of himself.
"Anyway… S-class and above don't come with preset skills. Unlike the other classes."
Selena commented, "I heard something like that from our old supervisor."
Yan moved aside, clearly tuning out.
Rami continued, "Turns out these classes have titles. S = Rare. SS = Legendary. SSS = Exceptional. These ranks don't give you automatic skills—you have to craft them manually, based on your class type and mana nature."
Selena spoke through clenched teeth, "That's not fair. They get ready-made skills, and we have to invent ours from scratch?"
Rami pointed to a line in the booklet. "But in return, we get full customization. Flexibility in growth. Ready-made skills might be strong—but they're fixed. We're not bound. They're predictable. We're not."
Before she could respond, Hojin's voice cut through:
"The first part of the test is over. Anyone with a D rank or lower will wait here. You'll be sent back to the orphanages."
More than half left. Some cried, some yelled, others stayed silent.
Rami looked at Yan.
He was still here.
Out of nearly fifty, only twelve remained.
"You. Follow me," Hojin said.
They reached the elevators. Five took the first one. Rami, Selena, and Yan took the second.
Rami felt something.
A stare.
He turned.
A boy.
Short, quiet, annoyingly familiar. Looked at him for a second… then turned away.
Rami said nothing.
Seventh floor.
The place was different.
A wide hall, massive, filled with training gear, targets, machines, weights… some of which he didn't even recognize.
The glass walls reflected the inside. Nothing could be seen beyond them.
Hojin spoke: "These tools are for testing your skills. I'll explain how to use them later. For now, if anyone has felt a skill appear in their mind, raise your hand."
No one moved.
"Just as I thought… Sit down. I'll guide you through it."
Rami stepped forward, but Hojin raised his hand.
"Rami. Selena. Lin Tian. You don't need to sit. Wait over there."
The three of them headed to separate seats.
Rami spotted the boy from the elevator. The same one: Lin Tian.
He sat beside Selena.
She whispered, "Do you think you've seen that kid before?"
Rami nodded. "Yeah. Uncomfortably familiar. I just can't place why."
Selena watched Lin Tian and noticed how he lowered his eyes when theirs met.
She said softly, "Honestly… he reminds me of someone, but…"