"Hey, Draven, wake up! Hey!"
Chris shook Draven's shoulder, but the one being called only muttered something unintelligible and pulled the blanket back over himself. Seeing that, Chris let out a sigh, then sat back down on his bed with a flat expression. "Fine then, Draven. You'd better forget your dream of becoming an Awakener. You'd be better off becoming a potato businessman here."
Hearing the word "potato," Draven immediately jolted awake as if struck by lightning. "Damn it, Chris! What time is it now?!"
Chris gave a slight grin at Draven's reaction. "Seven o'clock."
"Huh?! Seven o'clock?!" Draven instantly went into a panic, jumping off the bed, grabbing his clothes, and putting them on in a hurry.
"Hey, you're not taking a shower?" Chris asked casually.
"No time!" Draven shouted as he ran out of the room.
In the living room were Emily and Jack. Emily turned in surprise when she saw Draven in a mess. "Morning, Draven. Morning, Chris—"
"Hey, what's going on? Why do you look like that?" Jack cut in, confused.
Draven didn't stop running. "Hey, Jack! Sis Emily! I'm heading out now—I'm already late!"
Jack frowned. "What do you mean? It's only six."
Draven suddenly slammed on the brakes. "Huh?" He slowly turned toward Chris, who had just stepped out of the room with an innocent expression. "Chris… you… AGHHH!" Draven growled as he clenched his fists.
Jack burst out laughing, while Emily only chuckled softly with a hand over her mouth. Without wasting any more time, Draven stomped out of the house.
"Hey, where are you going so early in the morning?!" Jack shouted.
"Where else?! Of course, to the academy!" Draven shouted back without turning around.
Emily shook her head, then looked at Chris. "Chris, what did you do to Draven?"
Chris replied in a flat tone, "I just tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't get up. So I decided to mess with him."
Jack laughed again at Chris's answer.
Elsewhere, Draven walked quickly toward the city center. Damn it, that bastard Chris… what the hell was that about… he fumed inwardly.
As he walked, Draven occasionally glanced at the colossal wall towering high above. But then, suddenly—
BOOOOM!!!
An explosion. The sound was so deafening that the windows of the surrounding buildings shook violently. Draven and the people on the street froze in place.
"What was that…?" Draven murmured. His eyes widened as he stared at the plume of smoke rising from the direction of the wall.
Without a second thought, Draven sprinted toward Ark Academy. As he ran, warning sirens began to wail everywhere—a danger signal issued from the Main Headquarters of the leaders and the Awakeners.
When he arrived at the front gate of Ark Academy, the scene was already chaotic. Hundreds of kids around his age had gathered there, their faces pale, confused, and panicked.
Suddenly, a booming baritone voice thundered over the sirens.
"WHO HERE HAS COME TO REGISTER FOR ARK ACADEMY?! FORM UP IMMEDIATELY!"
Draven stopped, panting heavily. "Hah… form up?" He quickly pushed his way into the crowd, following the instructions and lining up with the others.
The man who had shouted spoke again, "EVERYONE, CALM DOWN! NOTHING HAS HAPPENED! THE AWAKENERS WILL HANDLE IT! STAY CALM!"
The previously noisy crowd gradually fell silent. The man's aura was overwhelmingly oppressive, forcing everyone into compliance.
"I am the one who will be conducting your test before you enter Ark Academy. You may call me… Gunar."
Suddenly, the sound of wind tearing through the air split the sky. SYUUUSH!
Three Awakeners shot through the air at incredible speed toward the colossal wall. At the sight of this, the line of children grew noisy again, whispering among themselves.
"EVERYONE, CALM DOWN!" Gunar shouted once more, the veins on his neck bulging. "And now, follow me to the testing site!"
The children moved in silence, following the instructions without daring to argue. The atmosphere there felt overwhelmingly oppressive.
"All I need is for you to endure the energy pressure I release for one minute," Gunar said as he coldly scanned them one by one. "Anyone who can endure it and does not faint within one minute will be declared a pass. On the other hand, anyone who collapses or loses consciousness… you fail! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
"UNDERSTOOD!" they shouted in unison, though the voices of several children trembled.
Draven took a deep breath. Calm down, Draven… calm down… He clutched his chest, feeling his heart pounding violently, as if it were about to leap out. Around him, the atmosphere grew chaotic with whispers of fear.
Suddenly, without any warning, Gunar released an enormous wave of energy.
BOOM!
It wasn't the sound of an explosion, but the sudden pressure of the air becoming as heavy as concrete. Several children in the front row immediately fell, some even losing consciousness on the spot, their eyes rolling back.
"D-damn it…!" Draven cursed inwardly. His body swayed. He quickly bent forward, gripping his knees with violently trembling hands.
Draven felt his lungs being crushed. Oxygen seemed to vanish from the air. His face flushed deep red. Around him, the same scene unfolded—other children bent over with their palms bracing their knees, desperately struggling not to collapse to the ground. They felt as if their lives could be torn away if the pressure increased even slightly.
tes… tes…
Fresh blood dripped from Draven's nose, splattering onto the ground. His eyes began to droop, his vision blurring. NO! he screamed in his heart. I can't fail! D-damn it! My breathing—
The pressure grew heavier with each passing moment, crushing every inch of their bodies. And just as Draven felt he was about to lose consciousness—
TENG!
One minute ended. Gunar instantly withdrew his energy.
"Hah!"
All the children who had managed to endure collapsed to the ground at once, Draven included. Sitting weakly on the ground, Draven looked at Gunar's figure through hazy eyes. So… this is the power of an Awakener…? he thought, a faint smile forming as he wiped the blood flowing from his nose.
Gunar gave a small grin as he looked at the remaining children who were still conscious. Quite a lot of them endured it, huh… he thought.
"ALRIGHT! YOU MAY REST FOR ONE HOUR! AFTER THAT, WE WILL PROCEED TO THE SECOND TEST!" Gunar shouted.
An uproar erupted. They were completely shocked. One child tried to stand shakily and raised his hand. "E-excuse me… Instructor Gunar. Are we really continuing to the second session today as well?"
Gunar turned with a cold look. "YES! IF YOU FEEL YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, YOU CAN GO HOME TO YOUR MOTHER'S EMBRACE AND BECOME SPOILED BRATS!"
After saying that, Gunar turned to leave. However, his steps halted when a shout tore through the silence.
"HAAAAAAAAA!"
Everyone flinched. Even Gunar turned back.
Draven stood there, his breathing still ragged, but his face was fixed straight on Gunar with a wide, defiant grin. "HEY! DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME, YOU BASTAAAAARD!"
Silence. All the children stared at Draven as if he had just lost his mind.
"I WILL DEFINITELY PASS! I WILL BECOME THE STRONGEST AWAKENER AND KILL ALL THE ALIENS IN THIS WORLD!" Draven shouted loudly, his voice echoing throughout the academy grounds.
The children around him began whispering mockingly. "Hey, is he crazy?" "The strongest Awakener? Killing all aliens?" "He doesn't even think before he talks."
Gunar fell silent for a moment. He stared at Draven with a flat, unreadable gaze, before finally turning around and leaving without saying a single word