System awakening ceremony

As Headmaster Dracyl finished his statement and initiated the beginning of the awakening ceremony, the hall filled with mechanical sounds, capturing everyone's attention.

To their surprise, three platforms began to rise from the floors, assembling to form three altars. On the altar rested a blue-colored crystal, seemingly floating in thin air without any visible connection to the ground.

"That must be the awakening crystal," Allen thought inwardly as he carefully observed the spinning and levitating crystal.

Despite his attempts to remain composed, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of nervousness. It was a natural reaction given the gravity of the situation.

Allen turned towards his left and noticed Jackie sweating profusely, a clear testament to his fear and anxiety. With consecutive gulps, Jackie's nervousness was palpable, causing Allen to sigh in concern.

"Jackie, calm down. No matter the results, I will always be with you," Allen comforted, placing his hands reassuringly on Jackie's shoulders.

His words seemed to have an immediate effect as Jackie let out a heavy breath, his tense expression softening into a relieved smile as he faced Allen.

"Thanks, Allen," Jackie replied with a cheesy grin, feeling bolstered by his friend's support. As he glanced at Allen, thoughts flickered through his mind. "I wonder if he's gotten over her yet... Well, I hope he has," Jackie thought, recalling Allen's lingering feelings for Emma.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by a commanding voice, bringing Jackie back to reality. Turning his attention, he saw a man positioned at each of the altars, accompanied by two individuals dressed in tactical outfits.

"Please, line up in an orderly fashion at each of the altars," the voice instructed, prompting Jackie to refocus on the ceremony unfolding before him.

Amidst the flurry of activity, some students rushed to line up while others hesitated, their fear of not awakening palpable. The stakes were high, as failing to awaken could drastically diminish one's importance in society.

In times of emergency, normal civilians often found themselves at the bottom of the priority list, with governmental associations prioritizing the evacuation of system holders without a second thought.

As the line formed, a boy stepped up to the altar with boundless confidence, a smug smile playing on his lips. His arrogance radiated from his very gaze as he looked disdainfully at the examiner.

However, the examiner remained unfazed, simply waiting to discern the nature of the boy's system before making any judgments.

"Place your hands on the crystal," the examiner instructed, holding a tablet ready to decipher the awakened systems, their types, ranks, or whether he had awakened any in the first instance.

The boy complied, placing his hands on the blue crystal as a bluish glow radiated in response. Soul energy surged forth, permeating through his being in search of a reaction, something to latch onto, something to ignite and spark to life.

Yet, cruelly, there was no response. The soul energy found no attraction, no will within the boy.

Confusion clouded the boy's thoughts as he opened his eyes, grappling with the realization that there had been no effect or reaction. His heart raced with possibilities, but the absence of any discernible will could only mean one thing: he had failed.

"You can take your hands off now," the examiner instructed once again, his tone devoid of sympathy. As he checked the tablet in his hands, a small grin tugged at his lips.

With confirmation that the boy had not awakened any system, the examiner now held the authority to evict him by any means necessary.

"Kevin Brown failed," the examiner declared, his announcement sending shockwaves through the room.

Participants who had once been courageous and fearless now shivered, retreating into their shells at the realization that even the first person to step forward had failed to awaken a system.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavy with a sense of dread as the weight of the possibilities settled upon the students.

"Wait, that's not—please, give me another chance!" the once-arrogant boy pleaded, his voice filled with desperation as he fell to his knees.

His facade of confidence shattered, he now faced the harsh reality of his failure, a burden weighing heavily upon him as he became a disappointment to his family.

Driven by the fear of such a fate, he lunged forward, determined to try again, to touch the crystal once more in a desperate bid for redemption. However, such a reckless decision was fraught with danger.

Allowing soul energy to permeate through the body and soul twice was a precarious situation that must not be allowed. The consequences could be catastrophic—ranging from severe soul damage to death, permanent disability, entering a coma, or even immediate explosion upon contact.

The guards, poised and ready for such eventualities, sprang into action with unreal agility, their movements defying what would be possible for normal humans.

They were no ordinary guards, and their swift intervention prevented the boy from making a potentially fatal mistake.

Despite his struggles, the boy found himself apprehended by the unyielding grip of the guards, who began to drag him out of the hall.

His gaze met with the examiner, who wore a mocking smile before waving him a dismissive goodbye. The boy's initial urge to rage was quickly quelled as the weight of his failure settled upon him, and reluctantly, tears began to trickle down his cheeks.

"Next," the examiner's voice reverberated through the room, sending a shiver down the spine of the next person in line, who was gripped by a cocktail of fear and nervous anticipation.

He desperately wished he wasn't the one called next, casting a pleading glance back at the person behind him, silently begging to switch places, but his plea fell on deaf ears.

With a heavy heart, he trudged forward, each step feeling like a weight pulling him closer to an uncertain fate.

"Place your hands on the crystal," the examiner instructed, his tone devoid of any warmth or empathy as he continued with his duty.

The boy complied, his hands trembling with anxiety and sweat dampening his palms as he made contact with the crystal.

A surge of soul energy coursed through him, probing, searching for a connection, something to latch onto amidst the vast expanse of his being.

In a heartbeat, it found it—the faint glimmer of will buried deep within him. With a swift rush, the energy converged, merging with his will, and in a burst of light and sound, it happened.

*Ding*

[Wolf system awakened]

|Iron rank|

----

"James Cott, Passed," the examiner announced, his voice cutting through the tension in the room like a beacon of hope. A wave of relief washed over the boy as he heard his name, his expression transforming from one of trepidation to pure joy.

Despite awakening the lowest ranked system, the sense of accomplishment flooded his being, for he had not awakened nothing, but something.

As the event continued, with many experiencing a range of emotions from dejection to excitement, Allen couldn't help but feel a mixture of tension and impatience.

After what felt like an eternity, it was finally his turn. Spotting Jackie on another line, the two exchanged a silent good luck gesture, their eyes meeting briefly before each stepping forward.

"Good luck, Jackie," Allen whispered, offering a thumbs up before Jackie nervously made his way to the stage. Allen watched him go, reminiscing for a moment before being pulled back to attention by the examiner's command.

"Step up to the altar," the examiner instructed, and Allen complied with outward confidence, though his thoughts churned in turmoil. Panic set in as he questioned his readiness and feared failure.

He had promised his father to become the strongest, to conquer all, and he couldn't afford to awaken a weak system. All his seventeen years of waiting now hung in the balance—a moment that would decide his destiny and his future.

In a world where danger lurked in every corner, where strength ruled and the weak were disregarded, Allen refused to accept a fate of insignificance. He steeled his resolve, feeling time slow as his hands came in contact with the crystals.

As the awakening commenced, soul energy erupted forth, surging through Allen's body and soul with an intensity that permeated every cell.

It searched relentlessly, seeking out the dormant will that had been waiting in anticipation. Finally, it found its mark—a spark of determination that responded eagerly, absorbing the soul energy with a voracious hunger.

The soul energy, though initially resistant, proved helpless against the will's absorption. In return, the will sent forth its own energy, intertwining with the soul energy to give the crystal a reading on the type of system Allen had awakened.

Hidden from prying eyes, the true nature of Allen's system remained veiled to the examiner and the crystal only to be known by Allen alone.

*Ding*

[Draconic system awakened]