Thousands of unknown, mysterious pieces of information suddenly flooded into his mind, accompanied by an equally mysterious power.
In an instant, every detail about his profession and the skills he had acquired was fully comprehended and mastered.
He glanced at the Branch Manager standing beside him, who was staring at him in shock.
As if awakened by Ethan's gaze, the man's expression shifted.
His eyes glimmered faintly, and in the next second, he used his special skill, trying to see through Ethan's awakened profession, skills, and traits, but only a frown appeared on his face as he announced: "Candidate 777, Profession: Necromancer."
Everyone who heard the name of the profession widened their eyes in shock and disbelief.
Even the university recruiters reacted the same way.
"It's a brand new profession."
"Judging by the phenomenon that manifested, it's definitely a high-grade profession, no, it might even surpass high-grade professions."
"What's this kid's background? Where did he come from?"
Ethan, still dazed and trying to gather his thoughts, ignored the noise around him and focused on the information in his mind.
"I awakened a unique profession?" Ethan muttered in disbelief.
Unique professions were just that, unique.
They were one of a kind.
Once someone awakened a unique profession, no other awakener could possess it.
That meant Ethan alone owned this profession.
Unique professions were either soul-bound or, in rare cases, bloodline-bound.
Regardless of the reason, Ethan was always destined to awaken this unique profession: Necromancer.
His thoughts were interrupted by Rovan.
"You can enter the dungeon and start leveling up. We'll discuss the specifics afterward."
Placing a hand on Ethan's shoulder, Rovan continued, "You've awakened a profession never seen before, and I can tell it's a unique grade. That means its skills are also unprecedented."
"Judging by the phenomenon earlier, it might even surpass high-grade professions. Just focus on leveling as much as you can."
"I will," Ethan replied, still finding it strange that Rovan even spoke to him.
Rovan wasn't kind or offered advice to any other candidates, not even those who awakened high-grade professions.
Ethan simply assumed that Rovan was just curious about the brand-new profession he had awakened and didn't think much of it as he entered the gate.
...
Rovan watched Ethan enter the dungeon with a serious gaze before leaving the area and hurrying to another well-furnished room.
Several Awakeners, excluding the most powerful presences, were already seated separately inside.
All of them were high-level Awakeners, and the weakest among them was Rovan himself, who was around Level 80.
Their eyes turned toward Rovan, collectively waiting to hear the news he had brought.
"So, what happened? What profession did he awaken?" one of them asked.
"A unique profession known as Necromancer," Rovan replied in a respectful tone.
"And? Tell us about the skills he awakened. Did he awaken any traits?" another top-ranker asked.
"That's all I was able to find out, even with my special skill," Rovan replied.
"This profession is either too powerful for my skill to see through, or it's an Advanced-grade profession, or maybe both. All I could confirm was the name of his profession."
"Obviously, it's an Advanced-grade profession, judging by the phenomenon it manifested. Tell us something we don't know," another top-ranker remarked.
"That boy just made history. Normally, only evolved professions are considered Advanced-grade, but his initial profession already seems as powerful as one. I wonder how powerful it could become if it evolves, if it even can."
"Necromancer, its manifestation was somewhat similar to that of the Summoner profession. It should be a summoner-type profession, or perhaps a hybrid class combining summoner abilities with magic or support-class skills," another high-ranker speculated.
"It sounds like this profession deals with the undead. He can probably summon undead creatures, but that's not the important part. What matters is the scope of its capabilities. Just how much can this profession really do?"
"Regardless, we can all agree he awakened a powerful profession. He might actually serve his purpose," another high-ranker added.
"Then we should discuss his future. Didn't Vikor say that the boy is aiming to join Monarch University? I suggest that someone of his potential would be better suited to Guardian University," said the Headmaster of Guardian University, smiling as he looked at the headmasters of the other seven universities, along with Vikor and Rovan.
"Cut the bullshit, you just want to poach him for yourself," the Headmaster of Sanctum University sneered.
"Why? You want him? Your university specializes in Mage-class professions. It would be useless for him to join you," the Guardian University headmaster shot back, crossing his arms.
"In that case, he should join Mystic University. We have many powerful Magic and Support class profession holders that he can learn from. It would be the most ideal place for him," the Headmaster of Mystic University added.
"Why don't we just let him choose instead of bitching among ourselves?" said the Headmaster of Monarch University, rolling his eyes.
...
Ethan, still in deep thought about his profession, entered the gate.
Only Awakeners could pass through a gate; if an unawakened person tried to enter, it would feel like walking into a metal wall.
But for Awakeners, it felt like passing through a cloud.
[You have entered the [Verdant Hollow Dungeon (Level: 10)]]
Ethan found himself standing in the middle of a forest covered in vines and moss, with thick trees and dense leaves stretching in every direction.
"A Level 10, normal difficulty dungeon..." he murmured.
Normal dungeons were those with a fixed "Normal" difficulty.
They had no level restrictions on Awakeners, meaning anyone could enter regardless of their level.
The level of the dungeon corresponded to the level of the monsters inside.
Since this was a Normal-Difficulty Dungeon (Level: 10), the strongest monster within would be Level 10.
If it were a dungeon of higher difficulty, the monsters' levels would exceed that of the dungeon itself, and the higher the difficulty, the greater the disparity between dungeon level and monster level.
"Let's check out my skills first," Ethan said, glancing at the three system prompts floating in front of his face.
---
[Awakener: Ethan Aurel Ashenfall]
[Profession: Necromancer]
[Level: 1 (0%)]
[Attributes]
-Strength: 10 (Base)
-Dexterity: 10 (Base)
-Stamina: 10 (Base)
-Vitality: 10 (Base)
-Sense: 10 (Base)
-Spiritual Energy: 10 (Base)
[Skills]
-Summon Undead Knight (Level: 1)
-Death Link
-Undead Graveyard: 0/11
[Traits]
-Black Halo(Unique)
-One Ascends(Unassigned)
---
His attributes were as expected.
Everyone started with the same range of attributes, while their growth depended largely on the development of their profession as they leveled up as Awakeners.
He was more curious about the skills, especially the traits.
---
-Summon Undead Knight (Level: 1): Summons an undead knight that possesses the attributes of a Knight-Class awakener of the corresponding level. The summoned undead knight retains only basic, low-level battle instincts.
(Cost: 5 Spiritual Energy (May change depending on skill level))
-Death Link: You will not take any form of damage as long as at least one of your summoned undead remains active on the battlefield. This effect only applies while your summoned undead are outside of your Summon Storage.
-Undead Graveyard (0/11): Allows you to place your summoned undead to rest within your spiritual graveyard. The number of undead that can be housed increases with your level.
----
"One active skill and two passive skills…" Ethan muttered as he activated the only active skill he possessed.
[Summon Undead Knight (Level: 1): Skill Activated]
Ethan felt his energy drain rapidly as, in the next instant, a green smoke condensed on the ground before him.
From within the smoke, a pale, lifeless hand emerged, pressing against the earth as it pulled the rest of its body out from the undead realm.
Moments later, the figure stood upright, staring blankly at its master.
The undead knight resembled a human, except its skin was a pale Dead white.
It was clad in full-body knight armor from head to toe, and the mask covering its face revealed a pair of white, lifeless eyes devoid of emotion.
The knight's build was lean yet muscular, with a back-bladed sword hanging at its waist.
---
[Undead Knight]
[Level: 1]
[Attributes]
-Strength: 20
-Dexterity: 20
-Stamina: 20
-Vitality: 10
-Sense: 10
-Spiritual Energy: 10
---
"Its attributes are around the level of a level 2 knight profession awakener with strength, stamina, and dexterity higher than the other two attributes," Ethan muttered as he activated the active skill once more, completely using up his entire Spiritual Energy reserves since it costs 5 spiritual energy to summon one undead Knight.
Another undead identical to the previous one appeared, crawling from the ground. Its attributes were also identical to the previous one.