"Listen carefully. This is your final awakening ceremony. Those of you who fail today will spend the rest of your lives as civilians. You'll attend regular universities, work regular jobs, and live regular lives."
The instructor's words resonated in the hearts of every student in the gymnasium, including Moon, who sat near the middle of the assembled students.
Next to him was his girlfriend, Sarah.
Their relationship had been deteriorating recently, but today wasn't the day to think about that; today was about awakening his class.
Two centuries had passed since the Collapse, when rifts suddenly appeared in the skies and spewed out creatures that only belonged in fantasy.
Humanity had nearly fallen, but luckily, the age of Awakeners arrived, individuals whose bodies evolved, granting them classes and abilities that defied anything humans thought was possible.
The war between the awakeners and the beasts had been brutal, lasting decades, but eventually humanity clawed back its survival. Now, the age of eighteen represented a possibility, a chance to join the ranks of those who shaped the world rather than merely existed in it.
"We'll proceed now," the instructor continued, gesturing to the crystal on the table before him.
"You know the drill. Place your hands on the stone. If you've awakened, it will respond. If not...you know your fate."
"Aaron Wells!"
A boy from the front row stood, his legs visibly trembling as he approached the podium. Moon watched as Aaron pressed both palms against the stone's surface.
After a few seconds had passed, light bloomed within the sphere; the phenomenon was brilliant and sudden. A spectral shield materialised in the air beside Aaron before fading away.
"A powerful Guardian Knight class. Congratulations, Aaron, you will make a fine warrior!"
The gymnasium erupted in applause. Moon clapped along with everyone else; the more awakeners, the stronger humanity was.
Three more names were called, of which two were successes and one failure. The girl who failed walked back to her seat with her head down, and the conversations around her died to uncomfortable silence before resuming moments later, completely ignoring her existence.
Moon's heart hammered against his ribs. Sarah sat perfectly still beside him, with a composed expression.
"Sarah Vixen!"
Sarah stood without hesitation, smoothing down her uniform as she walked to the podium. Sarah wore black tights and a short skirt, which highlighted her curves.
Moon watched her go, willing the stone to respond; she was still his girlfriend, even if things had been hectic for the past few weeks.
They'd been together for almost two years after all.
Sarah placed her hands on the awakening stone.
Barely a second had gone by before a soft, golden, and translucent threads began to form as a phantom above her.
"Lifebinder class! That's a rare and powerful support class, excellent result, Sarah. Your class is sought after by many guilds. With enough hard work, you will be able to enter the top guilds and reach great heights!"
Clap! Clap! Clap!
The applause was thunderous.
Normal support classes were rare and highly valued, not to mention a rare variant.
Sarah would have her pick of teams, academies, and opportunities.
She smiled as she returned to her seat, but Moon noticed she didn't look at him, ignoring him completely.
His smile disappeared and a frown formed on his face, but before he could speak to her about it, Moon heard his own name being called.
"Moon Outlaw!"
'I will talk to her later…'
As Moon walked to the podium, he could feel every eye in the gymnasium tracking his movement.
The awakening stone sat on the table, still faintly glowing from the previous student's success.
Moon stopped before it, staring at his own reflection in its shiny surface.
Moon pressed his palms against the stone, which was cool to the touch, and smooth like glass.
Moon waited, focusing everything he had on that single point of contact, trying to feel something, anything that might indicate a response.
The stone remained unresponsive under his hands, its light neither brightening nor changing.
The seconds crawled past rather quickly before the instructor sighed shaking his head. "That's enough,"
Understanding dawned Moon. "Instructor, give me just a moment."
"Moon…step back." The instructor spoke with a harsh tone. He had seen this too many times, and he grew frustrated when it occurred constantly.
Moon's hands fell away from the stone.
"Awakening failed. Next, Natalie..." The instructor called out.
As Moon walked back to his seat, the instructor looked at his back with hidden pity. Sigh, he's an orphan and a null. He will struggle in life.
Null was what they called people who failed all their awakening attempts. People with null potential and dim futures. It had started as slang among Awakeners and spread until it became an insult among children and teenagers.
Moon kept walking, his vision tunnelling. He found his seat and sat down.
Sarah looked at Moon, the way someone might look at a stranger who'd stumbled in front of them on the street.
Her expression was perfectly composed, but in that moment, Moon understood with absolute clarity that whatever had existed between them was already over.
She'd just been waiting for confirmation that he wasn't worth the effort of a proper goodbye.
Moon wasn't dense enough not to understand. Sarah had prepared herself for this moment; if he failed, she would break it off, if he succeeded, she might continue, and it seemed like it was the former.
Sarah turned away, redirecting her attention to the podium where the next student was approaching the awakening stone.
Moon sat in his seat and stared at nothing in particular, the instructor's voice calling out more names fading into background noise.
Around him, the ceremony continued. More successes, more failures, more futures being decided in the span of seconds.
♢♢♢♢
The voices around Moon had become distant, underwater sounds that barely registered, until one voice cut through the fog with perfect clarity.
"Sarah, want to join our party?"
Marcus Miller stood at the end of their row, one hand extended politely.
Marcus carried himself with confidence and prestige, fitting his background. His awakening had also drawn one of the loudest reactions of the ceremony. He had awakened Bladestorm, a variant swordsman class known for its raw offensive power.
Hearing the proposal, Sarah's expression remained neutral, but after a pause that lasted just long enough to seem deliberate, she accepted his hand and stood.
"We could use someone with your talent and wits," Marcus continued, his smile widening. "Adrian's already confirmed he's joining. Lena and Mark, too. With you as our Lifebinder, we'd have one of the strongest compositions in the entire academy. We will do amazing in the First Sanctuary."
The names alone carried weight. They were all powerful awakeners with strong classes that complemented each other in a team setting.
Together, they'd form a party that could hold its own ground in the first sanctuary. Of course, this could only occur if they were placed in the same base; if they weren't, then they would have to wait until they headed to a more powerful base that the party could agree on.
The first sanctuary was the name of the land where humans had the ability to travel to. It was a different world, where races from all over the universe fought over resources and power.
Humans were one of the weakest races in the sanctuary, due to their late arrival and weak bodies.
Moon watched Marcus's face, cataloguing every detail of that self-satisfied smirk.
Rich second-generation trash.
That's what people called students like Marcus behind their backs, though never to their faces. His family owned a chain of supply stores that catered specifically to Awakeners. He'd grown up around power, around success, around people who never heard the word no. Everything he wanted, he eventually got.
And apparently, that now included Sarah.
Despite the hollow ache in his chest, despite the word Null still echoing in his brain, despite the sensation that his entire future had just collapsed,
Moon's expression became cold. He wouldn't give Marcus the satisfaction he wanted.
Their eyes met for a fraction of a second. Moon's expression was flat, offering nothing.
There was no anger, despair or any negative emotion that Marcus would enjoy.
Marcus's smirk faltered slightly, as if he'd been expecting something different and found the lack of response somehow unsatisfying.
"Give me a moment, I'll join you in a minute," Sarah said, her voice quiet but audible in the brief lull of conversation around them.
"Sure, take your time." Marcus's smile returned, easy and confident. He gestured to the other three members of his forming party, who'd gathered near the gymnasium's side exit. "We'll be over there. Don't keep us waiting too long."
He walked away, and Moon heard laughter drift back from the group. Adrian said something inaudible, and Marcus responded with another laugh, louder this time.
Sarah turned to face Moon directly for the first time since he'd failed his awakening.
Moon met her gaze and waited.
He knew what was coming, had known, before she'd even accepted Marcus's hand. Maybe he'd known for weeks, during all those small moments when she'd pulled away and created distance.
Sarah opened her mouth to speak.
"Moon, we're breaking up. Live a good life, and don't get into trouble." Sarah offered no explanation beyond that.
Moon looked at her coldly.
Live a good life... Don't get into trouble.
How noble of you… Sarah.
She was ending their two-year relationship in the same gymnasium where he'd just been branded a Null, surrounded by classmates who'd witnessed both humiliations. And her parting words were hollow pleasantries that someone would offer a random person they'd just met.
Live a good life. As if his life hadn't just been fundamentally limited by his failure to awaken. As if the upcoming years wouldn't be spent watching people like her ascend to heights he could never reach.
Don't get into trouble…The addition almost made him laugh. What trouble could a Null possibly get into that would matter? He'd be sorting inventory in some warehouse or processing paperwork in some forgotten office while she was clearing rifts and making a name for herself in the first sanctuary.
But what really made him realise how foolish he had been was her new party. Sarah had decided to team up with the same person who had many fights with Moon throughout the academy years.
Sarah knew all of this, witnessed it. She'd even complained about Marcus once or twice in the beginning.
Moon had so much he could say. About her timing, choice. About the fact that she couldn't even give him the courtesy of a real conversation, just these empty words designed to make her feel like she'd done the decent thing.
But he said nothing.
Because if he did, she'd get to walk away feeling like they'd had a proper ending, like she'd handled this maturely. Or worse, she'd get to see him hurt and take that image with her as confirmation that she'd made the right choice.
He wouldn't give her either.
Moon turned, walking away with no visible reaction on his face, as if nothing that had happened today mattered.
Behind him, he heard Sarah's quiet exhale.
Her footsteps moved in the opposite direction, toward the side exit where Marcus and his new party waited.
Moon pushed through the main doors and stepped into the sun. The campus stretched out before him.
Students clustered in groups across the quad, celebrating successes. Moon walked past them all, heading for the gates.
Nobody called out to him, and nobody tried to stop him.
...
Back in his small apartment, Moon glanced at the time with a firm but powerless gaze. To say that he wasn't overwhelmed by his failure to awaken would be a lie.
How could he not be? His dreams, his ambitions of becoming an Awakener had been nullified in the span of seconds. And what made everything worse was that the summoning was about to begin.
There were two ways a person could enter the First Sanctuary for the first time. The first was at midnight immediately following their awakening. The second was on the night after their eighteenth birthday, regardless of awakening status.
In mere hours, Moon would be thrust into the dangerous world of the First Sanctuary.
The First Sanctuary was no ordinary place. Even Awakeners struggled to survive there, especially in the beginning. The danger wasn't inherently fatal because new arrivals typically spawned inside bases controlled and maintained by other humans. Safety existed within those walls. It was only when you ventured outside, when you stayed too long hunting monsters beyond the perimeter, that the real threats emerged.
For someone like Moon, someone who hadn't awakened, the summoning served a different purpose. He'd be transported to the First Sanctuary, the world would scan him, recognise his lack of potential, and send him back through one of the established portals. It was akin to a formal and final confirmation of his status as a Null.
Humans who didn't awaken simply returned after their brief transportation. Many portals existed between both worlds, stable gateways that those who'd already visited could use freely. Awakeners travelled back and forth regularly, treating the First Sanctuary like a second home, a proving ground, a source of resources and power.
But those portals were selective. Attempting to enter without the First Sanctuary's recognition meant death. The portals themselves would reject an unrecognised body, tearing it apart at a molecular level. Moon had seen videos of the aftermath once, back when he'd still believed he'd awaken. A careless civilian had tried to follow an Awakener team through a portal as a prank.
They'd found him in pieces.
The summoning ritual solved that problem. When a person was naturally transported during their first summoning, something nobody could fully explain, the First Sanctuary acknowledged them and scanned them. Gave them an identity within its system. After that, they could enter and exit through the portals however they liked, recognised as valid entities by whatever force governed that world.
Moon stared at his phone. 8:47 PM. The summoning would occur at midnight. Three hours and thirteen minutes.
His apartment felt smaller than usual. One room serving as a bedroom, living area, and kitchen. A bathroom barely large enough to turn around in. Cheap furniture he'd bought secondhand. It was all he could afford on his part-time wages, especially after his parents had passed years ago in a rift breach.
He'd thought awakening would change everything. It would give him the power to ensure that he could avenge them and he could protect people he cared about and cared about him…or so he thought.. It would lift him out of this cramped existence into something better, something meaningful.
Instead, he was still here, powerless and in three hours, the world would confirm it officially.
Moon walked to his small window and looked out over the city. Lights stretched toward the horizon, thousands of people living their lives. Somewhere out there, Sarah was probably celebrating with Marcus and his party, planning their future and imagining the adventures they'd have.
He closed the blinds and his eyes.
♢♢♢♢
[You are being summoned to the First Sanctuary in one minute. Prepare accordingly.]
Moon opened his eyes as the ethereal voice entered his ears. The same voice that everyone his age and all newly awakened should be hearing at the same time, across the entire world. A phenomenon that defied explanation, understood by nobody but experienced by all.
He was still lying on his bed, fully clothed. He hadn't bothered changing. What was the point?
[5...]
"Let's just get this over and done with." He sighed, staring at the water-stained ceiling of his apartment.
[4...3...2...1...You are entering the First Sanctuary.]
The world dissolved.
It wasn't painful, but it wasn't comfortable either. Moon felt his body come apart and reform in the same instant, like being pulled through a space too small for him to fit and somehow making it through anyway. Colours blended together, then separated. Sound became texture, texture became light, and then everything snapped back into something coherent.
Moon stood in a stone courtyard.
He blinked, his vision adjusting. To his surprise, other people materialised around him in flashes of light, appearing in ones and twos. Some gasped in wonder. Others immediately looked around in fear; they were easy to identify, they were people who hadn't awakened their talents.
The sky above was different from that on Earth. Two moons hung in the darkness, one pale blue and one deep crimson, neither matching the moon from his world. Stars formed constellations he didn't recognise.
This was the First Sanctuary.
More and more people started materialising around him, until Moon felt like nearly a thousand people were next to him, summoned to the same courtyard. He didn't recognise anyone from his high school, nor did he want to.
Then, a spirit appeared in the air. She had a beautiful, curvaceous body and a smile that would topple planets rather than mere kingdoms.
Without speaking, she clicked her hand after taking a quick glance at the crowd, her eyes scanning every single person like a hawk.
Once her click registered in the ears of everyone present, tens of people started disappearing gradually, and Moon knew exactly what that was.
'The nulls are being transported back to Earth. I guess it's time, Moon thought with a bitter feeling, as he closed his eyes, no longer looking at the two Moons that he would never see again in his lifetime.
Within moments, twenty percent of the people present were sent back to earth.
[Welcome to the First Sanctuary.]
The voice returned, clearer now, resonating not through his ears but directly in his mind. All around the courtyard, the other students stopped moving, stopped talking, their attention drawn inward to the same ethereal presence.
[You are the chosen ones. Those deemed worthy by the world itself to walk between realities. Here, in the First Sanctuary, you will find both rewards beyond imagination and dangers that will test the very limits of your potential.]
Moon's confusion deepened with each word.
Chosen ones? Worthy? The voice was addressing all of them equally, making no distinction between those who had awakened and those who hadn't.
[Within these walls, you are safe. The bases scattered across the First Sanctuary serve as havens for your kind. Beyond them lie territories filled with creatures of increasing strength, resources of immense value, and mysteries waiting to be uncovered.]
Why was he still here?
[Your status panels will guide you. Your abilities will grow. Your choices will shape your path. Treat this world with the respect it demands, and it will reward you accordingly.]
...
Moon's hands began to tremble. This wasn't right. The voice was explaining the basics of the First Sanctuary as if he belonged here, as if he had the same right to be present as the awakened students around him.
[May your journey be prosperous. Welcome, once more, to the First Sanctuary.]
The presence faded, leaving behind a profound silence that was quickly filled by excited chatter. Students began comparing notes, discussing what they'd heard, marvelling at their surroundings.
Moon stood frozen, his mind racing.
An error. It had to be an error. Some terrible glitch in whatever system governed the summoning process. His luck, already abysmal today, had somehow managed to get worse. Instead of being cleanly rejected and sent home, he'd slipped through a crack, been overlooked by the mechanism that should have filtered him out.
His breathing quickened, and panic crept up his spine like ice water.
He had no class or abilities. Essentially, he had no way to defend himself if he left the safety of this base and from what he understood, people couldn't just leave the First Sanctuary whenever they wanted on their first visit. There was a minimum duration, usually a week, before the return portals would accept a new arrival.
He'd have to survive here for an entire week with nothing but his baseline human capabilities. No system interface to track his health, no skills to call upon, no power to protect him and no food to eat.
Moon's eyes moved around the courtyard.
[You may check your status by thinking or uttering the word 'status'.]
The spirit's voice returned with this final instruction.
It was common knowledge, really.
Every child knew this from the moment they learned about Awakeners. But hearing it directly from the spirit made Moon respond instinctively, despite knowing he had no class to display.
"Status," he whispered.
Light coalesced before his eyes, forming into a translucent panel that only he could see.
[ Name: Moon ]
[ Race: Human ]
[ Class: Classless ]
[ Level: 1 ][ 0% ]
[ Lives: 1 ]
[ Strength: 10 ] [ Agility: 12 ] [ Constitution: 12 ] [ Mana: 15 ]
[ Attribute Points: 0 ]
[ Skills: None ]
[ Talent: Grim Reaper]
[ Class Skill: Class Slot {0/1} ]
Moon stared at the panel, his mind grinding to a halt.
How could he have a status while being a Null? That made no sense. Nulls were rejected by the system entirely. They didn't get panels. They didn't get stats. They certainly didn't get talents or class skills.
Was something wrong with the awakening orb? Had it malfunctioned? Maybe his awakening hadn't failed after all.
Before he could process this revelation, the world dissolved again.
This time, Moon appeared inside a massive base with huge, sturdy walls. Other students materialised nearby, filling what appeared to be some sort of plaza. The architecture around was solid, defensible, unmistakably designed for safety.
Moon looked around, trying to orient himself, when a girl with big round eyes and blonde hair that was tied in two ponytails approached him. She looked young, probably one of the new awakeners, and radiated nervous energy.
"Hey...I'm kind of new here. I just entered the First Sanctuary. Can I...form a team with you?" She looked at Moon with an expectant gaze.
Moon glanced at her for a second, his thoughts racing. Getting a team would be ideal for survival. He still didn't understand what was happening with his status, so playing it safe made sense. Besides, if she was an awakened, she wouldn't be completely helpless. Having someone with actual abilities would increase his odds dramatically.
"Sure, but can you give me a moment? I'm just sorting out some things."
The relief on her face was immediate. Her breath that was caught suddenly left her chest.
"Oh, thank you! Yes, of course, take your time." She stepped back slightly, her eyes darting around the base with undisguised curiosity.
Moon turned his attention back to his status panel, focusing on the entries that made no sense.
[Class: Classless]
[Description: You are an anomaly. Whilst everyone is tied to a class from their birth, you are free from the restrictions of the system. You are able to learn any skill from any class based on your comprehension or from fruitful encounters.]
His breath caught. Learn any skill from any class? That was impossible. Classes were rigid by design. A mage couldn't learn sword techniques. A knight couldn't cast spells. The system enforced those boundaries absolutely.
But apparently, he had no such restrictions.
His eyes moved to the next entry.
[Talent: Grim Reaper]
[Description: You are the Grim Reaper; you gain 5x the lives from the creatures you kill.]
Moon's mind reeled.
Lives were the currency of progression in the First Sanctuary. When Awakeners killed monsters, they absorbed a portion of the creature's essence, gaining what the system called "lives" that could be used for evolving skills , and most importantly to live.
The first sanctuary had multiple zones some zones once you die there, you will lose a single life. But there were other zones where, once you die, you lose tens or even hundreds of lives.
Five times the normal amount. That wasn't just good. That was extraordinary. Most talents offered minor percentage increases or small utility benefits. This was a complete multiplicative bonus on the fundamental resource of this world.
His hands shook as he focused on the final entry.
[Class Slot {0/1}]
[Description: You are able to mirror a class you see in action for twenty-four hours. You gain the class skills of that class depending on your level. The class skills you gain can be turned to real skills based on your understanding and comprehension.]
Moon read it twice. Then a third time.
He could copy classes. Not permanently, but for twenty-four hours at a time. And more than that, if he understood the borrowed skills well enough, he could make them permanent. Real skills that would persist even after the mirrored class expired.
His failure to awaken hadn't been a failure at all. It had been something else entirely. Something the awakening orb couldn't recognise because it fell outside the standard.
He was an anomaly.
...
After understanding his situation, Moon felt a weight lift from his chest. The crushing pressure that had been suffocating him since the ceremony began to ease. In fact, the recent events had sprouted something important in his mind.
Even the person he had trusted most, the one he'd wanted to spend the rest of his life with, had abandoned him at his lowest point. The lesson was clear and brutal; he couldn't afford to trust anyone easily anymore.
Thinking back about their relationship, he was the one who had tried the most. She never really tried to do much, whether it was emotional or physical support.
This ordeal had shown him who would stand by his side when things went wrong, and the answer was clear: no one would.
He would remember that.
Moon turned back to glance at the girl who had invited him earlier, but stopped short. She'd already gathered two other awakeners, a small group forming around her with surprising speed.
She's good, Moon thought.
Making connections wasn't exactly easy, especially in a place like this where everyone was sizing each other up. Yet she'd managed to assemble a whole team in the few minutes he'd been distracted.
He walked over to join them. The girl's face lit up when she saw him approaching.
"You're done? Perfect timing. I found two more people." She gestured excitedly to the others. "We should introduce ourselves properly. I'm Selene."
"Moon," he said simply.
The larger of the two newcomers spoke next. He had a broad build, thick shoulders, and was quite tall. "John. Tank class. Nothing fancy, just the basics."
The other was a tall blonde woman, nearly matching Moon's height at around 1.8 meters. She carried herself with a certain poise, her eyes sharp and assessing. "Hey, I'm Elara. My class is an archer."
Selene practically bounced on her heels. "What's your class, Moon? Mine is water mage."
Moon didn't hesitate. "I'm a water mage."
When he heard Selene, Moon had made a decision, he'd copy her class. The reasoning was straightforward. As a mage, he wouldn't need to worry about equipment. No arrows to buy or maintain like Elara would need. No heavy armour or weapons like John. Just mana, which his status showed he had fifteen points of, slightly above the human average.
More importantly, mages stayed in the back line. He could position himself near Selene, observe how she used her skills, and learn from her technique while maintaining relative safety.
And something about her suggested she wasn't simple. Not at all. The way she'd approached him, gathered the others, the confidence beneath her nervous energy.
"Oh!" Selene's eyes widened with delight. "Another water mage! That's amazing. Do you have the same skills as—"
"Why are they all gathering over there?" Moon cut in smoothly, gesturing toward a section of the hall where a large crowd was forming.
Selene's attention shifted immediately, following his gesture. "Oh, that's the guild area. New awakeners can try their luck getting into a guild early. If you have a desirable class, healers, mages, stuff like that, some guilds will offer initial support. Resources, guidance, that kind of thing."
"I see," Moon said.
He studied the crowd for a moment. People pressed together, voices raised as they tried to catch the attention of guild representatives. The energy there was desperate, competitive.
Everyone was trying to prove their worth, to secure an advantage that would help them survive longer.
Neither John nor Elara seemed interested in joining the throng. John crossed his arms, content to observe from a distance. Elara's expression remained neutral, unbothered by the opportunity.
Selene tilted her head. "None of you want to try?"
"Guilds come with obligations," Elara said simply. "I'd rather see what the First Sanctuary is like before I commit to anything."
John nodded his agreement. "Same. Rather figure things out on our own first."
Moon said nothing, but internally, he agreed completely. The last thing he needed was being tied to a guild, a weak one at that. Better to stay independent, at least until he understood exactly what he was capable of.
Selene considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "Fair enough. I just thought I'd ask. So, should we figure out what we're doing next? I heard there are basic training grounds where we can practice and get used to our abilities before venturing outside the base."
The basic training ground was located inside the base itself. One of the primary benefits of having fortified bases was that stronger awakeners could capture and transport beasts back for weaker ones to practice against. Of course, this service wasn't cheap, and it benefited both parties. The strong earned money, and the weak gained crucial early experience.
These training grounds allowed new awakeners to hunt contained beasts, gaining lives and experience in a controlled environment. With enough effort, you might accumulate enough experience to reach level two and earn additional stat points before venturing into the real dangers outside the walls.
Moon had been saving money specifically for this. Getting an extra life and more stats before leaving the base wasn't just smart, it was potentially lifesaving. Money could be earned back later by hunting beasts and selling equipment. But lives? Once you died, that was it. There were no second chances.
"I'm in," Moon said.
The others didn't object. They seemed agreeable, almost eager, so the group made their way through the base's stone corridors toward the training grounds.
The entrance wasn't packed. Not many could afford the fee, especially fresh arrivals who'd spent their savings just trying to survive the outside world. Moon had been fortunate to have money saved from his part-time work, combined with the modest fund he received as an orphan. Even so, he'd barely managed to scrape together enough.
An awakener stood at the entrance, an older man with scarred forearms and the confidence of someone who'd survived the First Sanctuary long enough to make it a career. He looked up as they approached.
"Ten thousand dollars per person to enter."
Selene pulled out her card without hesitation, practically bouncing with excitement. John and Elara followed suit, their movements calm and unbothered. For them, the fee was clearly a minor expense.
Moon felt his stomach tighten. Even though he'd prepared himself mentally for this moment, watching the others pay so casually made the weight of it real.
With this ten thousand spent, he'd have only one thousand dollars left in his savings. One thousand dollars to his name in both worlds.
He pulled out his card, then scanned it.
The machine beeped, and the transaction went through.
The man gestured for them to enter. "Training ground three is available. You'll find contained beasts at levels 1 to 3. Start with the weakest and work your way up. You have two hours."
Moon stepped through the entrance, his mind already calculating. He needed to use every second of these two hours to his full advantage. He needed to get strong enough to earn money hunting outside with the group. Otherwise, with only a thousand dollars left and no job to return to in his world, homelessness wasn't just a possibility; It was a certainty.
...
Moon and the others were led deeper into the training facility, arriving at an area where beasts ranging from level one to level three were contained. The space was vast, divided into clearly marked sections with reinforced barriers separating each zone. Large signs indicated the difficulty of each area, ensuring no one accidentally wandered into something beyond their capabilities.
Moon positioned himself beside Selene as they walked, deliberately keeping close. He needed to see her in action first, needed to witness her class abilities before he could mirror them and fill his empty slot.
He still didn't know how, but he had a hunch that every awakener had about their class. He had a natural inclination that he needed to witness a class to be able to mirror it.
The group made their way to the section marked for level one beasts. Inside the enclosed area, sheep-like creatures grazed peacefully, though these were far from ordinary livestock. Their horns were massive, curved and sharp, easily the length of Moon's forearm. Their bodies were lean, muscular, with patchy wool that left sections of thick hide exposed.
John moved first, activating some kind of defensive skill that caused his skin to take on a faint metallic sheen. He approached one of the creatures with his fists raised. Elara hung back, summoning a basic bow that materialised from light.
She then nocked an arrow and took aim at the beasts.
Moon stayed near the barrier, watching.
He could feel a new sensation. An awareness he hadn't possessed before. Like invisible threads extending from him toward each member of his group. He instinctively understood that he could pull on any of those threads, could activate his Class Slot ability on John's Tank class or Elara's Archer class right now if he chose to.
But he didn't. He simply waited, his attention fixed on Selene.
Selene, however, hadn't moved to attack yet. She turned to look at him, her head tilting slightly. "Why aren't you hunting like the others? Is everything alright?"
Moon nodded. "Yeah, just zoned out a little. Thinking about something."
Selene's response was a warm smile. "We don't have much time. Let's get to work."
"Right," Moon said, but still didn't move forward.
Fortunately, Selene seemed to take his hesitation as simple caution. She turned her attention to the nearest beast, extending her hand. Moon watched intently as mana gathered in her palm, coalescing into a sphere of water that hovered for just a moment before launching forward and striking one of the sheep creatures directly in the side.
The moment he saw the skill activate, Moon felt the invisible thread connecting him to Selene pulse with possibility.
[Class Slot {1/1}]
[Class: Elemental Mage]
[Skills: Elemental Attack, Four Element Affinity]
[Duration: 24 hours]
New information flooded his mind like waves crashing against the seabed. He could feel it now, the pathways through which mana could flow, the shapes it could take. More details appeared as he focused on the skills themselves.
—
[Four Element Affinity]
[Rank: Rare]
[Proficiency: 0%]
[Details: You have low affinity to the four elements. Water, Earth, Wind, Fire.]
—
[Elemental Attack]
[Rank: Common]
[Proficiency: 0%]
[Details: You are able to conjure an elemental attack using mana and your affinity towards the element.]
Moon stared at the information, momentarily stunned.
Selene wasn't a water mage at all. She was an Elemental Mage, someone with an affinity for all four primary elements. That wasn't just rare. Classes with multiple elemental affinities were considered exceptional, the kind that major guilds would compete to recruit.
Her class was far from ordinary. It was powerful enough to make Moon question who she really was. He'd suspected she wasn't simple from the way she'd gathered their group so effortlessly, the confidence beneath her friendly demeanour. But this? This was beyond what he'd expected.
Meeting her might have been the best stroke of luck he'd had in a long time.
Moon composed himself quickly, pushing down his surprise. He needed to maintain his cover. As far as everyone else knew, he was just another water mage. Nothing special.
He raised his hand, mimicking the gesture he'd seen Selene make. Mana began flowing through the pathways his newly acquired class provided. Water gathered in his palm, forming into a crude sphere. It wobbled slightly, less stable than Selene's had been, but still a sphere nonetheless.
[Sheepbog]
[Level: 1]
[Details: One of the weakest creatures with low potential, usually stays with the herd.]
He released it toward one of the sheep creatures. The water ball flew forward and splashed against the beast's flank. The creature bleated in surprise and turned toward him, its massive horns lowering.
"Not bad!" Selene called out, already forming another attack. "Your control looks a bit shaky, though. Try to compress the water more before you release it."
Moon nodded, already forming another sphere, this time focusing on keeping it denser, more stable. He had twenty-four hours with this class. Twenty-four hours to learn everything he could, to understand these skills deeply enough that maybe, just maybe, he could make them permanent.
The sheep charged towards Moon with eyes glinting with malicious intent.
Moon gathered himself and locked eyes with the sheep. He had studied enough to understand that level 1 beasts are dangerous enough to kill new awakeners, so he didn't take the sheep charging lightly.
Rather, he took it seriously. Moon conjured another water ball and sent it hurling towards the charging sheep.
Splash!
The water crashed against the sheep, momentarily dazing it and stopping its charge completely. Moon took advantage of that momentary stun and conjured another ball of water.
The water ball crashed once again, this time hitting the sheep cleanly in the head.
The attacks were powerful and not to be scoffed at. Each attack weakened the sheep further. After two more water balls, the sheep succumbed to its injuries and fell to the ground with a wet thud.
"Wooo! Congrats! That's your first kill, how do you feel?" Selene joyfully celebrated nearby, having gained her first kill, moments before Moon did.
Moon flashed a victorious smile. "Feels good, what about you?" Moon asked, pointing at the dead sheep before her.
"Really Good!" She grinned, revealing her snow white teeth.
A notification flashed before his eyes.
[You have gained…]
