Blue Star, Longxia Federation, Sea City Military Academy.
On the Awakening Ceremony ground, bursts of dazzling brilliance lit up one after another.
All the new students at the Sea City Military Academy were taking part in the professional awakening today.
Fang Zhou stood in the ranks, a trace of anticipation in his steady gaze.
Decades ago, the world changed dramatically, demons invaded, and humanity entered the [Era of Myth].
Awaken a profession, master skills, raise your tier, and strengthen your power.
Fight monsters on Blue Star and in the Mythical World, carving out a space for humanity to survive.
Without a doubt, the [Era of Myth] belonged to Awakened Professionals.
But professions have their strengths and weaknesses; exactly which one you'll awaken to—no one can say for certain.
The cadets who awakened before Fang Zhou were mostly mainstream combat professions like [Warrior], [Archer], or [Knight].
There were occasionally a few [Mage] professions, while support professions were even rarer.
"Fang Zhou, step out and prepare to awaken!"
With Instructor Lu Hu's command, Fang Zhou promptly stepped forward.
The noisy lineup fell silent for a moment.
"I wonder what profession Fang Zhou will awaken?"
"Judging by his vibe, I bet it'll be [Priest]!"
"I think so too! He's so handsome—if he doesn't become a [Priest], what a waste!"
A few vibrant young female soldiers in the ranks looked on curiously, whispering to each other.
Though they had just started school, Fang Zhou was already a bit of a celebrity in the company.
Orphaned child of a martyr, exceptional physique, and top marks in academics.
Most importantly, he had a handsome, chiseled face and star-bright eyes.
As the crowd watched with anticipation, the array spun and light gleamed brightly.
Suddenly, Fang Zhou felt a wave of dizziness as his viewpoint split in two.
One viewpoint stayed in the Awakening Array, while the other was on a barren land covered with bones and shrouded by a blood moon.
What the heck is going on?
Crack.
Crack.
A faint sound came. Fang Zhou raised his hand.
In the second viewpoint, the thing before his eyes wasn't a hand, but clearly a yellowing, blackened skeleton.
Following the abrupt joints down, Fang Zhou saw slim, tough arm bones, neatly arranged ribs, and long leg bones.
He touched his own head—a smooth, round skull with a satisfyingly tactile feel.
An empty nasal bridge, neat white teeth, and eyes like black holes burning with blue ghostly flames.
It was the classic image of a skeleton.
"Awakening successful—attribute panel activated!"
Before Fang Zhou could even be shocked, a transparent panel appeared in front of him.
[Name] Fang Zhou
[Profession] Undead Mage
[Tier] Apprentice · Lower
[Attributes] Strength 1, Constitution 1, Agility 1, Spirit 2
[Status] Soul Split
[Equipment] None
[Skills] Summon Skeleton (Apprentice-level, Beginner)
[Clone] Skeleton
[Soul Power] 0
Undead Mage?
Skeleton Clone?
Attribute panel?
I've crossed over for eighteen years, and my long-awaited golden cheat finally arrives?
Fang Zhou kept a calm expression, but inside his emotions roared like a stormy sea.
"Fang Zhou, what are you spacing out for? Get out here!"
Outside the array, Instructor Lu Hu's call interrupted his train of thought.
With everyone watching, Fang Zhou didn't dare to think too much.
He slowly adapted to the split perspective and stumbled out of the Awakening Array.
Upon seeing this, Lu Hu next to him misunderstood.
He coughed lightly and said seriously, "Fang Zhou, don't lose heart!
[Undead Mage] may be the most, uh, the most promising profession for now, but it has great research value.
A real man never gives up—where there's a will, there's a way!
You might just blaze a path of your own!"
Fang Zhou was momentarily stunned, then quickly caught the meaning in the instructor's words.
In the short decades of the Era of Myth, fewer than a hundred people in humanity had awakened as Undead Mage.
So, Undead Mage was basically a textbook rare profession.
By the logic that rarity means potential, this class should've shone bright, creating countless powerhouses.
But sadly, cultivating as an Undead Mage required a strong enough connection with the Undead World.
Life and death are opposites; as living humans, how can we truly understand the Undead World?
For decades, the strongest Undead Mage had only reached [Gold] tier, and their combat power was much weaker than other professions of the same tier.
Lacking strong seniors meant no complete skill tree inheritance.
For newbies, this was no doubt the worst-case scenario.
Thus, Undead Mage topped the rankings of humanity's weakest professions for years.
But—the Undead World?
Fang Zhou glanced at the Skeleton Clone and the death-ridden Otherworld and suddenly had a bold guess.
As he thought about it, his face took on a look of disappointment. He saluted the instructor before stumbling back to the lineup.
The other cadets all looked at Fang Zhou pitifully.
Just a moment ago, Fang Zhou was dazzling like a future superstar.
Now, because of his awakened profession, he was fated to become a useless pretty boy.
That must feel awful.
No one disturbed the "loser" Fang Zhou; the awakening continued in good order.
The dazzling brilliance lit up again and again, met with cheers or sighs.
Soon, all one hundred cadets in the company had awakened successfully.
Not a single failure!
Even someone as stern as Instructor Lu Hu couldn't help breaking into a proud grin.
A one-hundred-percent awakening rate—even for the elite Sea City Military Academy, that was an outstanding result.
Lu Hu eyed the somewhat noisy ranks and shouted, "All units, attention!"
The cadets instantly fell in line. Lu Hu nodded in satisfaction and said, "Classmates, awakening is only the first step!
Right now, you are just green apprentices.
From here on—Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Glory Champion, all the way up to Legendary King's Crown—are waiting for you.
I hope that today you are proud of your profession, and tomorrow, your profession will be proud of you!
All for the Human Alliance!"
The cadets replied in unison, "For the Human Alliance—everything!"
"Good!" Lu Hu shot a glance at the "dejected" Fang Zhou and continued, "Here's what's next.
First, all of you will be granted the rank of [Junior Sergeant], with F-level clearance. You can claim two apprentice-level skill books from the Human Alliance Skill Library for free.
Second, you'll soon record the starting skill you awakened today in your personal terminal. If it's a brand-new, unregistered skill, you'll get a generous contribution point bonus!
Third, one month from now, Sea City Military Academy will open the [Simulation Battlefield] to test your combat ability. Standouts will earn rich rewards.
Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Great. Begin skill entry now."
Fang Zhou opened his wrist terminal and, following the instructions, copied the [Summon Skeleton] skill into the Human Alliance Skill Library.