The principal handled the situation, and authorities weren't involved. As Marcus left, he said that he would defeat Orion in the upcoming graduation ceremony and prove that he is better than him in every aspect.
Orion didn't bother. He had four SSS-rank classes. He can easily swipe the floor with Marcus, with just his stats.
After Marcus left, the principal addressed Orion.
"Orion, it seems the awakening stone is not able to detect your awakened class. You should go to the Awakener Association and register."
Orion nodded. That was his goal. After that principal said a few words to Kael and James, saying that a few guilds have contacted the academy and want them to join their guild.
Kael and James were clear on their goal. They will consider such offers only after the graduation ceremony.
After that, they left the academy. Orion bid goodbye to his friends and headed for the Awakener Association.
The Awakener Association building stood like a towering sword in the middle of the city. Every city had one such building. Awakener Association was responsible for everything related to awakeners, from keeping their records to managing them. It even monitors all the rifts in the area and responds in case a rift break occurs.
Orion entered the building and approached the receptionist at the front desk.
"How can I help you today?" she asked, her tone professional but kind.
"I'm here for an awakener reevaluation," Sirius replied.
Awakener reevaluation was something many people requested. It generally happens when someone doesn't awaken at the Academies.
They would burn through money to check if the awakening store was defective. Few people rarely turned out to be awakeners of that awakening. Those who managed to awaken through reevaluation were mostly powerful S-rank class holders or twin class holders.
"It will cost 1000 federation credits." The receptionist said and passed him a form.
Orion filled out the form and paid the amount.
"Please follow me, sir," The receptionist said and guided him to a different chamber.
Orion found an awakening stone in the centre of the room. It was much larger than the one at the academy.
"Please place your hand on the awakening stone," the receptionist instructed.
Orion placed his hand on the crystal. Though he wanted to keep his classes a secret, he needed to follow instructions. If he doesn't get an Awakener Certification, he will not be able to enter the abyss.
The awakening crystal shone brightly. It was a clear sign that Orion did possess an awakened class. But the screen above the awakening stone flashed with red words.
[ERROR! CLASS NOT RECOGNISED]
[ERROR! CLASS NOT RECOGNISED]
[ERROR! CLASS NOT RECOGNISED]
And then as if the stone started getting hot. Orion could feel the heat. He removed his hand. And everything stopped. The glow of awakening stone dimmed.
The receptionist was clearly confused. This kind of situation has never occurred before.
"Let me confirm the situation with my superior," The receptionist said as she contacted the higher-ups.
After some time few people entered the room. They talked with the receptionist. The receptionist gave a clear record of the things that happened. After that the people turned t face Orion.
One of them looked at Orion and came forward, "Orion, it's you."
Orion had a faint memory of this person. He was a friend of his father. He had even offered to take Orion as his adopted son after his parents had died.
Orion gave a polite smile to the man.
"Harris, do you know this boy?" An old man asked.
"Yes, sir. He is a friend's son," the man said.
The other man nodded.
Then the man checked the machines and the awakening crystal. After some time, they all turned to Orion.
Uncle Harris was one to speak.
"Orion, it seems the class that you possess is very powerful and complex. The awakening stone is simply unable to read the data. You have to wait till the first call of Abyss to find out about the talent. But I can say for sure that you have more than one class, and they are very powerful, probably S-rank classes," Harris said. There was actual happiness on his face. The receptionist was so shocked that her mouth was open like a O.
"Uncle, actually, I have already done my first call and know my classes and talents." Orion said.
This shocked everyone.
"Great, tell everyone what classes you awakened," Uncle Harris said happily. Others were also quite happy. A twin S-rank class awakener emerging from their city was great news that would attract the attention of higher authorities. They will provide more resources to the city administration to train such geniuses.
"I have awakened two classes. The first class is an S-rank swordsman-type class called Crimson Swordsman that gives me powerful swordsmanship and the ability to create a sword with my blood. The sword can equip three talents or skills, taken from the beasts I kill. I can use those talents or skills to my liking."
"The other class I have awakened is called Celestial Arcane. It's another S-rank class, but it belongs to two distinct class types: mage and beast tamer. For mage-related abilities, I have Arcane Magic that allows me to learn and use any kind of magic skill. I also have an affinity for the ten elements. Fire, water, earth, wind, wood, metal, ice, lightning, light, and darkness – I can use them all. For beast tamer-related abilities, there is beast taming, which allows me to tame beasts and store tamed or contracted beasts in beast space. There is another talent called Talent Synchronisation that allows me to use the talents of my tamed beast."
Everyone sucked in a deep breath.
Such classes had never appeared before. And he can use magic, swordsmanship and even tame beasts. That was the best possible combination for an all-rounder. Most of the class had some weaknesses. Warriors could be bombarded with long-range magic spells. Swordsman had speed but lacked defensive ability. Mages were powerful in long-range combat, but if a monster managed to sneak close enough. That will be their death. That's why many awakeners prefer teams where other awakeners cover their weaknesses.
But Orion? He had no such weakness. All he currently lacked was defensive capabilities, and that, too, wasn't hard to handle. All he needed was to learn a defensive spell or bond with a powerful beast that excels in defence and share its talent with talent synchronisation.
"Great. Great. Orion, you will make your parents proud. Let me handle your awakener re-evaluation. I will give you an SS-rank Awakener Certificate. You should prepare yourself. When higher-ups hear about your class and talent, they will train you into a great awakener for sure," Uncle Harris.
A look of concern immediately flashed in Orion's face. After some contemplation, he asked, "Uncle, could you do me a favour?"
Harris was stunned. He knew Orion had backbone and refused any kind of help. Back when he had offered to take Orion as his adopted son, Orion had refused, saying that he could do well on his own.
"Sure, what do you need?" Harris asked anyway.
"Umm, could you keep this awakening under wraps? I don't want people to know about me being a twin S-rank awakener," Orion stated his intention.
Uncle Harris and the other men immediately understood Orion's thoughts.
"Orion, I know you don't want to attract bad attention, but it's still our duty to inform the higher-ups. They will provide you with better resources and even protection. But I can do one thing. Your file will be classified as top secret. Only those higher up will be able to see the real details of your file. Those without sufficient authority will only see dummy data of your choice. Is that ok?" Harris offered a suitable solution.
"Then please register me as a B-rank Elemental Mage with three element affinities – fire, water, and lightning – with a talent for beast taming, too," Orion said
Harris nodded.
"Orion, follow me and demonstrate your abilities." Harris said and led him to another chamber.
Orion demonstrated his abilities, casting out various elemental spells and even performing a sword technique. Harris even arranged for a simple monster – a kobold. It was captured during a small rift break. Orion killed it using his Crimson Sword and equipped the two Bronze-tier talents Kobold possessed – Poison (Bronze) and Stealth (Bronze).
He could freely use the two talents now stored in his Crimson Sword. Poison allowed his sword to be coated with a poison that can make enemies dizzy and slow. He can even release poisonous mist from his mouth. Stealth allowed him to suppress his presence and turn invisible. He still had another slot left.
Uncle Harris even offered to get him a good beast to tame, but Orion stopped him. His explanation was simple. He wanted to search for a suitable beast himself.
After that, Uncle Harris quickly handled the basic procedures. Soon, Orion had his Awakener Certificate in his hand. Though the certificate showed the B-rank Awakener class – Elemental Mage, Orion knew what actual class his actual record would display. And he had still hidden quite a bit. He had completely hidden the fact that he also had talent for floral manipulation, archery and his Shadow Monarch class, which allowed him to have an army made from shadows of beasts and monsters he killed.
After he got the certificate, he headed home. It was already getting dark. He stopped by an electronics store and bought a brand new smartphone. His idea was clear. Wealth only had meaning when spent on something. Buying luxury and comfort is the only reason to earn wealth.