One in a Generation

Roy remained seated in a meditative position, unaware of the chaos unfolding around him. The golden sigil above his head continued to shine, growing brighter with each passing moment, filling the hall with an overwhelming radiance. The crowd erupted into an uproar, disbelief and awe spreading like wildfire.

In a dimly lit gambling den across town, the tension was even more palpable. A single winner sat stunned, clutching a betting slip.

"Wait... someone actually placed a bet on an A-grade talent?!"

"Damn it! I wish I'd thought of that!"

News of an A-grade awakening was already racing through the city streets. In the last decade, such a talent had not emerged, and in this age of rapid information, it was only a matter of time before the entire kingdom knew.

—

On stage, Zara's voice wavered as she monitored the sudden influx of viewers tuning in.

"Wow, look at those numbers!" she exclaimed, watching as the live audience count skyrocketed from a few thousand to tens of millions. The continent housed over five hundred and fifty million people, but that didn't account for the countless others tuning in from different continents across the kingdom.

She took a deep breath before addressing the global audience. "For those unfamiliar, what we're witnessing is the birth of a one-in-a-thousand A-grade talent. Roy Clifford is on the verge of setting a record-breaking awakening time, shattering the previous best by more than two whole minu—"

Her voice suddenly trailed off.

"Wait... what the actual fu—?"

The excitement in her eyes vanished, replaced by utter disbelief.

—

Within His Inner World

Roy frowned, confusion gripping him as he scanned his surroundings. "Wait… the process should be over by now, shouldn't it? Then why the hell is there another wall?"

A few miles away, an ethereal barrier loomed. Unlike the first, which resembled an aged mountain forged over eons, this wall was smooth and glistening white, exuding a dignified aura of absolute purity. Strange runes, shaped in an ancient language, pulsed across its surface.

A shiver ran down Roy's spine as a strange intent whispered into his mind. He didn't need to decipher the symbols; he could feel their meaning.

"You want me to touch you?" he murmured, eyes narrowing in disbelief.

A sudden force surged from his essence sea, lifting him above the water until he stood upon its surface. With slow, deliberate steps, he approached the wall, extending his hand to make contact.

The moment his fingertips brushed against it, his mind was torn from his body.

—

Visions of a Distant Battlefield

A vast battlefield stretched before him, littered with corpses. The air was thick with the stench of blood and death. Above, an apocalyptic sky crackled with wild storms, torn apart by the presence of beings so powerful they could alter the land with a mere breath. Titans among mortals. Gods of war.

Monsters, elves, humans, and other races stood united—a coalition of apex beings, their very presence warping reality. Each of them possessed power that could crush continents with a wave of their hand and level mountains with the swing of a blade. Yet, despite their strength, a single emotion gripped them all—

Terror.

A high elf, her body wreathed in celestial flames, stepped forward, voice trembling as she cried, "Blade Sovereign… you don't know who you're messing with! With all our lives combined, we will put an end to your rampage!"

Her words rang empty.

On a mountain of corpses, a lone figure stood, clad in a crimson aura so dense it seemed to devour light itself. In his hands, he wielded a blade so massive it defied reason. He had just torn through a monstrous lightning dragon—a beast so large its mere presence blotted out the sun. Now, its remains tumbled from the sky, its severed halves crashing to the battlefield below, shaking the land with the force of a cataclysm.

Blood rained down, painting the golden hair of the conqueror a deep shade of red.

He threw his head back and laughed.

"Hahahahaha!" Older Roy's voice boomed across the battlefield. "If all you offer me are your lives—then it's not nearly enough!"

With a single leap, he soared high into the heavens, his blade expanding, vibrating with unrestrained might. The air itself screamed as he brought it down, cleaving through the sky as he descended straight into the heart of his enemies.

—-

The Awakening Chamber

Roy's vision snapped back to reality. He stood on the platform, breath ragged, mind spinning. Before he could process what had happened, his lips moved on their own, speaking words he did not understand—

"One with the blade."

Silence.

Absolute, suffocating silence.

The entire hall stared at him, stunned beyond belief. His gaze instinctively flicked to Denwen, who had his mouth agape. Slowly, almost hesitantly, Denwen raised his hand, giving him a thumbs-up.

Roy barely had time to react before he found himself surrounded.

Principal Dvalin and a group of elite instructors stood before him, their expressions unreadable. Dvalin wasted no time, placing a firm hand on Roy's shoulder.

"Roy Clifford, you're coming with us. Now."

With a flash, they vanished from the stage.

Zara exhaled, trying to process what had just happened.

"Guys… the last people to awaken an SS-grade innate ability during their ceremony were the past Emperor Amun and his brother now Emperor Seth." Her voice grew hushed. "And now, in our generation, we have another." She chuckled dryly. "Unfortunately, it seems our MVP has been stolen away. Guess he shone too brightly."

—-

A Painful Failure

Meanwhile, Angus sat frozen, unable to hide his envy. "I don't believe it… That bum. First, he gets an A-grade talent, then an SS-grade innate ability? The world must be ending."

Denwen snorted. "Well, I guess it's easier to believe the world is ending than accept you'll never reach his level."

Angus clenched his jaw. "Tch. Maybe our batch is just special, like the royal siblings'. Who's to say I won't awaken something insane next?"

"You wish," Melissa sneered.

"Better keep that same energy when I wipe that smirk off your face."

Before anyone could respond, a student on stage suddenly collapsed.

—-

Rudy pressed against the wall, and it shattered. A deafening roar filled her ears as the overwhelming current surged in, sweeping her away.

"No, no, no!" she gasped, struggling to swim upward, but the weight of failure clung to her like chains. The sea grew murkier, her body heavier.

"I can make it… I can make it!" she repeated like a mantra, clinging to the promises she'd made—

To her mother.

To her friends.

Tears mixed with the cold water as she reached out. The surface was so close.

Her soul key flickered.

Then, it died.

The last thing she saw before everything went black was the world above, slipping away, as her dreams were crushed beneath the waves.