Ashenreach Base
Dawnfall Awakened Academy
We stood in neat rows, facing the stage.
The crystal ball floated at the center, motionless. Clear. Smooth. Ordinary at a glance. No glow, no sound. Just there.
Everyone was staring at it.
That crystal decided the future of the students standing here today. Nothing else mattered as much.
Some students whispered to each other. Others muttered quietly, pretending to talk about unimportant things. It was obvious they were trying to distract themselves.
Today was Awakening Day.
No one here was calm.
Everyone wanted to awaken. More specifically, everyone wanted to awaken a good class.
In this world, awakening meant strength. Strength meant authority. Authority meant you didn't get pushed around. You could rise in status. You could change your life.
That was why people feared this day as much as they hoped for it.
Among these rows stood a boy with black hair and a fairly decent face.
That boy was me.
My name is Alen Vole.
I reincarnated into this world, Eldora, at a young age. I still remember my previous life clearly. Because of that, I understood how abnormal this world was.
On the surface, Eldora looks similar to Earth. Cities, transportation systems, communication networks. In fact, technology here is more advanced. Energy efficiency is better. Infrastructure is stronger.
But Eldora is not peaceful.
Five hundred years ago, gates appeared across the world.
They appeared everywhere. In cities. In deserts. In forests. Even in the ocean.
Above each gate, a percentage number could be seen.
At first, no one understood what it meant.
Governments around the world went on alert. Militaries were dispatched to investigate. Soldiers entered the gates in groups.
No one came back.
They tried again. Same result.
After repeated failures, governments stopped sending people inside. There was no return. No information. No benefit.
So they waited.
When the numbers above the gates reached 100%, the waiting ended.
Monsters emerged.
They poured out of the gates and slaughtered everything in sight. Cities fell within hours. Infrastructure collapsed almost immediately.
Modern weapons didn't work.
Bullets didn't penetrate their skin. Missiles exploded against them without effect. Even heavy artillery barely slowed them down.
Governments escalated.
Nuclear weapons were launched.
Low-level monsters died.
High-level monsters didn't even take a scratch.
The world erupted into chaos.
Cities were erased by nuclear explosions. Radiation spread. Monsters continued slaughtering humans without slowing down.
In just one month after the monsters emerged, half of the world's population died.
The world turned desolate.
Civilization collapsed.
Then, in the second month, something changed.
People began to awaken.
They gained strange abilities. They awakened classes. Their bodies became stronger. They could fight monsters and grow stronger by killing them.
These people were called Awakeners.
Humanity finally had hope again.
Awakeners began killing monsters. They reclaimed land. They built fortified bases where survivors could live.
It took nearly a hundred years for peace to return.
Now, five hundred years after the emergence of monsters, the world has advanced far beyond what it once was.
Awakening now meant status and power.
Countless people aspired to become awakeners, but only a few succeeded.
And even among awakeners, there were differences.
Classes were ranked.
F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS.
F-rank was the weakest.
SSS-rank was the strongest.
SS and SSS ranks were practically legends.
In Ashenreach Base, a middle-ranked base, even an A-rank awakener was considered extremely strong. Many middle-ranked bases only had B-rank protectors at most.
Ashenreach wasn't weak, but it wasn't powerful either.
That was normal.
As I was thinking about this, the noise around me suddenly stopped.
I lifted my head.
A short, bald man walked onto the stage.
It was Principal Li, the head of Dawnfall Awakened Academy.
He looked over the students one last time before speaking.
"Awakening ceremony preparations are complete," he announced.
"All students, please step onto the stage and place your hand on the crystal ball in an orderly manner."
"This moment will determine your future. Treat it with utmost seriousness."
After that, he began calling names.
"Mira Solenne."
A short girl stepped out of the crowd. Her face was tense. She walked to the crystal and stood still for a moment before placing her hand on it.
The crystal shone with white light.
A screen appeared above it.
Name: Mira Solenne
Class: B-rank Spirit Archer
A slight tremor passed through the crowd.
The first awakening was successful.
And it was a B-rank.
That was rare.
B-rank awakeners were considered pillars of a base. The current protector of Ashenreach was an A-rank, which was already considered good for a middle-ranked base. Many bases didn't even have that.
If Mira graduated from a good university, she could become a base protector and live in wealth.
Envy and jealousy spread through the crowd.
Principal Li congratulated her and asked her to stand to the side for further instructions.
He was clearly in a good mood.
The next few students didn't awaken anything.
The pressure increased immediately.
After that, a few students awakened F-rank and E-rank classes. They were instructed to stand aside as well.
Later, four students awakened D-rank, and two awakened C-rank classes.
Principal Li was satisfied.
Two C-ranks and one B-rank was already considered a good outcome.
If we can get one A-rank, he was clearly thinking, we can request more resources from the higher-ups.
His expression brightened.
He didn't even consider S-rank or above. That was unrealistic for a middle-ranked base like Ashenreach.
At most, some lucky bases might produce an S-rank.
SS and SSS were impossible.
Even in all his years of service, Principal Li had never seen a single SS or SSS awakening.
By now, half of the four hundred students had completed the ceremony.
Principal Li, still smiling, called another name.
"Drex Halvar."
A tall, muscular young man stepped forward confidently and placed his hand on the crystal.
The crystal shone with bright white light—much brighter than when the B-rank was awakened.
Everyone's gaze locked onto the crystal.
A screen appeared.
Name: Drex Halvar
Class: A-rank Iron Vanguard
The crowd froze.
Then reactions erupted.
Envy. Jealousy. Shock.
An A-rank awakener had a 100% chance to become a protector of at least a mid-ranked base.
Principal Li's expression became brighter and brighter.
He was already thinking about how he would boast about this result to other academies in Ashenreach.
He instructed Drex to stand with the other awakened students and continued the ceremony, still smiling.
Then he called my name.
"Alen Vole."
I stepped forward.