'What is going on? Why isn't the Awakening Stone displaying his class or rank? This has never happened before.'
The Proctor frowned, caught in a dilemma.
"Souchu, would you tell us what class you've awakened?"
In the end chose not dwell on it. Judging by the giant illusory figure and Souchu's performance during the trial, he was certain the class was related to the fire element. The rank, however, he was not sure.
"Fire element Martial artist, C-Rank."
Souchu answered calmly. He knew there was little point in hiding it. Sooner or later, people would figure it out once they saw him fight or use his abilities.
As he slowly descended from the platform, the proctor announced the result in a respectful tone.
The family head and other influential figures began congratulating the Lochan family patriarch. In their eyes, a C-Rank awakening was already an excellent result. With the resources and backing of one of the town's great families, it was only a matter of time before Souchu reached B-Rank.
No one paid mich attention to the fact the the Awakening Stone had failed to display his class and rank. Nor did anyone question the usually realistic giant that had appeared during the awakening. The Proctor had noticed that something felt offended, but after a moment's hesitation, he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
Soon, another aspirant's name was called.
Souchu's awakening caused little to no commotion. At the very least, such a result was expected from the heir of the Lochan family.
More importantly, Kaelen's legendary direct A-Rank awakening had stolen the spotlight entirely. Any other young master might have felt overshadowed, but for Souchu it worked in his favor.
The less attention on him, the better.
He was more than happy to avoid endless congratulations, question, and attempts to curry favor.
After the ceremony, he was invited to the guest pavillion.
As he entered, his gaze swept across the gathering.
Many of the town's most influential figures were present. These were people whose words could shape the future of not only this town but several neighbouring settlement as well.
For the first time that day, Souchu felt slightly out of place.
As Souchu approached, he realized he had no idea how to properly greet people of such status.
"Greetings, monarchs."
He placed his right hand over his left chest and bowed slightly.
"Huh...? Hahaha!" One of the noble seated among the honoured guests burst into laughter.
"Not bad, not bad. I like this one. Monarchs, huh?"
The man was clearly flattered. He was also the head of one of the great families.
"You've awakened as a C-Rank. From now on, you can't afford to slack off. You've done well. But where have you been all this time? And what's with your appearance?"
"I…"
Before Souchu could formulate a response, the head of the Kassandra family cut in.
"Lochan, why do you sound a little disappointed? Did you expect him to awaken as an A-Rank right away?"
His tone was playful, carrying a hint of teasing.
"Don't get smug, Lazarus. You were only a D-Rank awakener yourself. Don't forget that."
The Lochan family head shot him a sidelong glance.
Hearing that, several people nearby chuckled. The atmosphere immediately grew lighter, the
tension dissolving into friendly banter.
"Hey, Koleriuos! Now you're getting personal. I was only joking. Why are you digging
up the past? We're here for the kids." The head of the Kassandra family frowned, his
expression visibly darkening. The remark from the Lochan family head had struck a
sensitive nerve.
"Enough bickering. We all know how difficult it is to awaken as an A-Rank. Not
everyone is as fortunate as the Vance family heir," another family head interjected,
attempting to defuse the situation.
"W-What!? An... A-Rank in the Vance family? Could it be Kaelen awakened as an A-Rank?"
Even Souchu, who usually remained indifferent to such matters, couldn't hide his shock.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Awakening directly as an A-Rank was almost unheard of. People could rise to A-Rank
through years of training, battles, and countless opportunities, but to awaken at that level from the very beginning?
What kind of monster would someone have to be?
A forgotten tale resurfaced in his memory. He had read it somewhere in an old book, though
he had always dismissed it as little more than a myth.
Hero Aurelius.
People revered him as humanity's savior. When monsters first appeared on Earth, mankind had no way to fight them and stood on the brink of extinction.
Aurelius was the first awakened human and the hero who led humanity through that dark
age. Legends claimed that he was also the only person in history to awaken directly as an
A-Rank. According to historical records, he was the only person known to have awakened directly as an A-Rank. His strength had been so overwhelming that he single-handedly conquered nearly half of the continent's mountain ranges.
Mountains were humanity's greatest threat. They were the breeding grounds of powerful
monsters that periodically descended upon human territories, leaving destruction in their
wake.
If Kaelen had truly awakened as an A-Rank...
I truly underestimated the world. Just when I thought I had surpassed my peers, reality proved otherwise. There is a sky beyond the sky and a heaven beyond the heaven.
That nosy, shameless, overly friendly pest awakened as an A-Rank?
Heaven truly has no eyes.
Souchu let out a silent sigh.
Humanity is done for.
Now that I think about it, where that bastard run off to? He must be basking in everyone's admiration. Surrounded by people singing his praises.
While the family heads continued arguing themselves, Souchu quietly slipped away.
***
Later that day, Souchu set out on an expedition with several members of the Lochan family. An experienced guardman led the group towards the nearby Basker Hills.
Two days after the expedition, a rumor spreads that scion of Lochan family had single handedly killed seven High C-Rank hill beasts.
Claims sounded absurd, yet Souchu had became the first member of younger generations from town who single handedly slained monsters on his own.
After three more expedition he realised there is nothing on Basker Hills that challenge him. Whats more he realised that he still don't understand his full extend of class and skills yet.