Lucia filled Daniel in on the situation as the pair rushed toward their friend’s location. Lucia told him that they had taken a detour towards the library and encountered a group of boys Alex had clashed with a couple of weeks ago. This time, the situation escalated, and they managed to corner him. Alex quickly urged Lucia to run and seek help before he decided to fend off the group.

Turning a corner, they found Alex, his back against the wall, surrounded by a group of six boys. Despite the odds, two boys already lay flat on their backs while Alex was currently fighting off the remaining assailants. While another three boys stayed back observing the fight. When the two friends made eye contact, they nodded without speaking, understanding what needed to be done.

Without a moment's hesitation, Daniel surged forward, his mind calculating the situation rapidly. Lucia stood behind him, her voice cutting through the tension. “Stop this! Let him go!”

The leader of the group sneered, his voice laced with malicious amusement. “What's it to you? This is none of your business.”

Daniel stepped forward, his tone firm. “Stop this, Hayden before you’ll regret this.”

“And what is it to you, Orphan? Do you honestly think you can stop us from beating this worthless son of an even more worthless knight? He should leave this academy before he stains its reputation.” Hayden spat out the words, his eyes glinting with hostility.

“You know what, I’ll do that brother of yours a favour and beat you up too.” he followed up as he signalled the remaining boys who stood on the sideline to start attacking Daniel.

Now surrounded Daniel hesitated a moment before he found the smallest of the assailants and tried to push through him. but before he could execute his plan he heard a deafening voice coming from behind. Shocked Dnaiel turned around and saw the half-elf instructor standing next to Lucia.

“STOP THIS AT ONCE BEFORE THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES,” the Aura-infused voice of Instructor Braier was deafening. Some of the weaker assailants fell to their knees, clutching their ears in agony. Even Hayden seemed momentarily stunned, his confident demeanour faltering under the suffocating presence of the instructor.

Instructor Braier stepped forward, his eyes narrowing at the group of boys. “This behaviour is disgraceful and will not be tolerated within the academy grounds. Now, scramble and take your knocked-out friends with you before I change my mind and pursue this matter.” As he finished his sentence, the group of bullies quickly made their getaway.

But before Hayden left, Daniel could hear him say, “Don’t think this is over, you piss stain,” while pointing at Alex. “Just as how my father has beaten your father in the past, I will beat you.”

While Hayden and his goons made their exit instructor Braier approached Alex, who was leaning against the wall while trying to catch his breath. “Hmm, you’re definitely his son,” he said while grabbing Alex's chin and inspecting his face. “You are at least partly as tough as him. A regular kid would have succumbed long ago from such a beating.”

Alex managed a weak smile. “Thank you, sir, but don't let him hear that or you’ll get an ear full on how I am not.”

Instructor Braier started laughing loudly. “Yeah, that sounds like the Samuel I know.” As the instructor finished laughing, he turned to Daniel and Lucia. “Take him to the infirmary to get him checked out by the healers.”

The trio finally headed to the infirmary after Alex stopped protesting and kept claiming he was fine. As the instructor saw the trio leaving, he sighed and said to himself, “At least he isn’t as stubborn as his dad.”

….

“Stop winching so much and stay still I need to cleanse the wound before I heal it or it might scar.” The nurse nagged at Alex who couldn't sit still infirmary bed.

“I would be sitting still if it didn't sting so much.” The boy cried out, his voice strained with discomfort. “And I don't even care if it scars or not.”

As the burly boy cried out, Lucia couldn't help but stifle a giggle, her blue eyes twinkling mischievously. “Come on, Alex, it can't be that bad, can it?” Her laughter bubbled up, barely contained.

When Alex heard this, he locked eyes with Lucia. And with a frustrated huff, he retorted, “Why don’t you give it a try, huh? Remember when you cried out of pain when you got hit on the knee by a training sword last week?”

“I'll have you know that was a legitimate injury,” Lucia retorted playfully, her laughter still evident in her voice. “Unlike your dramatics over a little sting.” She grinned teasingly.

“Whatever, just get on with it then” the boy exclaimed as the nurse finished cleaning the minor cuts and bruises and started chanting a healing spell.

Daniel noticed how the nurse started applying the healing magic. A bright glow came from the nurse’s hands that were hovering above the injured areas. the bruises noticeably started healing and the minor cuts were gone within seconds.

“I think we’re finished unless you’re hurting anywhere else?” the nurse asked the now healed boy “But I prefer if you stayed here for a bit in case you have any internal injuries”

“No I can't stay behind I'm fine, I have other things to do today” he said while standing up and trying to grab his shirt. But before he could grab it Lucia stopped him.

“No, that can wait. Your health comes first, just meet us in front of the auditorium later” she insisted, but Alex still attempted to reach for his clothes, which were lying on the dresser behind the girl.

“Come on, ‘Lex, don't be so stubborn. Helping me can wait; you should rest for now,” Daniel swiftly grabbed the clothing from the dresser before Alex could get to it.

“Yeah, and besides Daniel and I can visit the city soon. We can ask a beast tamer from my family to help in identifying this egg,” Lucia explained.

While they walked to the infirmary Danial had filled Lucia in on all the events that happened the night before and agreed to visit her family’s merchant branch.

The boy grumbled before agreeing, “Fine, I’ll stay here. You guys should go on with your day; there’s no need to waste your time too. I’ll be fine on my own,” he said, swiftly grabbing his shirt out of Daniel’s hands and settled back into the bed With a resigned sigh.

“Now go, I'm tired. I'll go take a nap,” the boy said, waving for his friends to leave.

The duo left after wishing Alex a speedy recovery. As they got out, they had a quick discussion and decided not to go to the library they’ll instead just wait for when they go to the city. After parting ways, Daniel decided to get some food since he hadn’t eaten yet and was quite hungry.

….

On his way back to his dorm room he swung by the infirmary. Thankfully, Alex was fine the nurse assured him that his friend would be discharged soon after he had awoken from his nap. His friend snored so loud it even woke up some of the other patients, which Daniel could relate to since he had often suffered from Alex’s snoring too.

After grabbing a bite to eat, Daniel decided to check the library since it would still be a while before the awakening would take place. Unfortunately, he couldn't find anything resembling the large egg that was now resting on his desk. During his research, he stumbled upon a crucial detail: beast eggs are required to absorb mana daily from their owner to imprint themselves as the master of the beast when they hatch.

Daniel decided to start feeding the egg mana every day because he didn't know when it would hatch. And not being eaten by the creature that would hatch from it would be nice too.

Daniel held the dark purple egg in his lap and focused his mana, allowing a stream of it to flow from his fingertips onto the egg's surface. To his amazement, the egg absorbed the mana almost instantly, causing it to start shaking slightly. After a short while, golden lines appeared on the purple surface, glowing brightly, and stopped absorbing mana. “Hmm, thankfully it isn't very hungry,” Daniel remarked, relieved by the egg's reaction.

As Daniel put the egg back into his bag the the lines disappeared and the surface returned to the same dark purple from before

Daniel then placed the bag in a cabinet of his desk, he covered it with a towel so that if someone snooped at his desk they wouldn’t immediately find it, granted this wasn’t a rock-solid solution but it was the best he could do for now since he didn't have a storage ring like some of his peers had. As Daniel laid back in bed, he began to ponder what kind of creature the egg would eventually hatch. Eventually, after a while, he fell asleep.

….

Daniel woke up to a loud noise, he sat up straight in his bed and looked around for the source of the noise, he found Alex standing in the middle of the room grabbing his fork and knife from the ground.

“Sorry mate didn’t mean to wake you up from your beauty sleep” Alex joked while grabbing a rag and started whipe his cutlery “You wouldn’t have been able to sleep much longer anyway since we need to go to the awakening soon. Unless you want to wait two years and join the regular folks when you’re sixteen”

Typically, individuals awaken their class at the age of sixteen, when their bodies can adequately handle the mana from the awakening stone. However, Daniel's attendance at the Astral Academy allowed him to awaken earlier, thanks to the academy's superior facilities designed to aid in the awakening process.

“When did you even return?” Daniel stood up wiping the last remnants of sleep from his eyes.

“I got back a few moments ago. After I woke up from my nap and was cleared by the nurse, on my way back I grabbed some food since I was starving, anyway, we should hurry The head wants to give a speech and then take us to the awakening halls” Alex explained.

Daniel nodded in agreement, understanding the urgency. He got up and quickly changed into his school uniform—a crisp white shirt, navy blue blazer adorned with the academy emblem, charcoal grey trousers, and polished black shoes. Making sure he looked presentable, he then slipped into his brown coat since it tended to get a bit chilly in the afternoon.

While they waited for Alex to finish his food they talked about their awakening.
“So you don't want a pugilist class or a magic one? What about Cleric?” before Daniel could even finish the last word in his sentence all the colour drained from Alex’s face “Hahaha, I thought so, it hadn’t even crossed your mind did it?”

Alex shook his head “What about you then? You haven’t told me much besides you’re fine with everything but something like Farmer or Mason.”

“Yeah… I don’t know yet, I hope either on a carving- or crafting-related class such as Rune Carver Initiate, Enchanted Inscriber, Rune Scribe or something more magic-related like Elemental Novice, Mana Acolyte or something like Golemmancy would be pretty cool too” Daniel said with a smile on his face

Alex had in the meantime finally finished his food “Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough,” Daniel said. “Let's head to the auditorium. I don’t want to miss the sight when you receive the Cleric class.”

“Mate… you can’t just say that. That’s horrible. You know, they can't have relationships with women once they join the church… or any social life for that matter” Alex shook his head and gave Daniel a friendly pat on his chest.

Daniel's eyebrows wiggled playfully, teasing his friend in good humour before regaining his composure. “But hey, let’s go now. We cant let Lucia wait too long, you know how grumpy she can get when we do.” they left their dorm room and headed toward the auditorium

….

As they reached the auditorium, they found their friend Lucia waiting outside, her blonde hair catching the sunlight a stark contrast to the black shirt and white pants combo she was wearing.

“Where have you guys been? It's almost starting!” Lucia's blue eyes bore into them.

“I’m sorry we were having an interesting discussion about Alex’s future as a cleric. Which made us lose the sense of time” Daniel grinned while patting the back of Alex.

“I don’t care what type of conversations you two meatheads have. Just make sure you guys don't make me wait too long. You know how awkward I felt when everybody went inside and I was just standing here like an abandoned puppy waiting for their owner to return?”

Under the intense gaze of their short friend, the boys started apologizing to their short friend for making her wait for so long.

Feeling a bit guilty, Daniel and Alex rushed inside the auditorium, with Lucia following closely behind. The room was abuzz with excitement, with students chatting and speculating about the upcoming ceremony. They quickly found three empty seats near the exit.

As they settled in, Daniel couldn't help but feel the nervousness inside him grow. The atmosphere in the spacious building didn’t help him calm down since it was filled with the students’s discussions about their hopes and dreams. He looked to his left and noticed how Alex and Lucia were leaning into each other and were whispering to each other, due to the loud discussions taking place he couldn't hear what they were talking about.

But before he could join their conversation the auditorium lights dimmed, signalling the beginning of the ceremony. The headmaster, a frail-looking man with a long white beard stepped onto the stage and a potent surge of mana was released from the frail man. An immediate hush fell over the students as they looked in awe towards the stage.

Alex leaned towards Daniel and whispered to him “I guess they were right, don't underestimate him just because of the way he looks, if he wants to he could flatten the entire academy instantly.” but before Daniel could reply the headmaster’s voice amplified with mana broke the silence in the room

"Welcome, students, to the 253rd annual Awakening Ceremony hosted by the Astral Acadamy," the headmaster's voice echoed through the hall. “Today marks a significant moment in your lives”

The Headmaster continued his speech, delving into the history of the academy and recounting the stories of renowned figures who had undergone their awakening on the campus grounds, some names Daniel recognized from lectures and historical texts. He went on to explain that in the upcoming week, professors from rival academies would be present on the campus. This arrangement allowed students the opportunity to interact with them and explore if their academy aligned better with their preferences.

He mentioned a renowned academy known for its focus on lancers and spear users, informing the students that those who received such classes should seek out the corresponding professors. This was because the Astral Knight Academy, which was located on the other side of the Astral Magic Academy, temporarily didn't teach classes related to spears and lances due to an unfortunate accident involving the instructor.

“With this, I conclude this speech. Let’s head out to the awakening hall,” the headmaster said before seemingly teleporting from the stage in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, professors ushered the students out of the auditorium and toward the awakening hall.

….

As the trio arrived at the awakening hall they noticed that the vast hall was filled with students, each class standing in their designated area, eagerly awaiting further instructions.

Lucia, Daniel, and Alex found their classmates. The students exchanged excited whispers, their faces lit with anticipation.

The professors, wearing blue robes adorned with the star symbol representing the academy, moved through the hall, guiding the students into formation. The headmaster appeared on the stage, his presence commanding attention. He raised his hand, and the hall fell into a hush.

“Students, I understand the excitement in the air, but I urge you to remain calm. Shortly, each class will proceed to their assigned room. Inside, you'll find the awakening stone placed on a pedestal in the middle of the room. According to your student number, you approach the stone one by one for your awakening. Should you require assistance, rest assured that a professor will be present during the process”

As the headmaster's instructions echoed through the giant hall, Daniel, Alex, and Lucia followed the flow of students toward their designated room. Daniel couldn't help but feel nervousness growing with each step to the point he almost had to puke.

Upon entering the room, they found themselves in a space filled with beautiful artwork. The walls were adorned with intricate tapestries depicting various magical creatures and mythical beings. Rows of chairs were arranged in a semi-circle around the dais that was located in the middle of the room, on top of the dais there stood a pedestal. Resting on the pedestal was the awakening stone, resembling a giant cut diamond, with a soft yellow glow emanating from its core.
Daniel scanned the room and spotted Sarah, a classmate with whom he was on friendly terms. She flashed him an encouraging smile, which helped ease his nerves slightly.

As the students settled into their seats, murmurs filled the room as they began chatting among themselves. Daniel, Lucia, and Alex engaged in conversation about the classes they hoped to avoid.

With Daniel’s student number being fifty-seven, he found himself near the end of the queue. Luckily, it wasn’t as bad as Alex's, whose student number was sixty-four, while Lucia had number fifty-eight.

Professor Shadewood stepped onto the dais and stood next to the pedestal with the awakening stone on it that was in the middle of the room and raised a hand, signalling for silence. The room fell quiet at his command, all chatter coming to an abrupt halt as everyone turned their attention to him.

“As instructed, you will all come forth based on your student number," he began, his voice clear and commanding. "Meanwhile, I expect all of you to remain quiet when it isn't your turn. Let us proceed with order and respect for the process."

….

so far the awakening gone smoothly most classmates were happy with the class they received but a few were clearly disappointed, he could even hear a few students talking about how they might abandon this class and beg their families to purchase an expensive reawakening stone from the solarian church since their class was that bad.

Using such stone wasn't only ridiculously expensive but would the user also give a debuff for the next five years and limit their potential overall. Most people would rather choose the option to quickly level up and pray that they’ll receive a better second-tier class.

It was finally Daniel’s turn. It took him a moment to gather the needed courage to stand up and walk over to the dais that were located in the centre of the room, but after a friendly pat from his friend Alex, followed by some encouraging words, he had all the courage he needed to proceed.

As he approached the dais, he could hear Shadewood’s instructions in his ears, “Don’t worry, Daniel. Just lay your hand on the stone and let its mana flow into you. Don't try to fight it.” Daniel nodded in response.

He was now standing before the Awakening Stone, Daniel followed Shadewood's instructions and laid his hand on the stone. As soon as he did, all the light around him disappeared and he found himself all alone in a dark room, he began looking around for his classmates and Shadewood. But they were all gone instead a box with a message blocked his sight.

[CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE AWAKENED]

[CHOOSE YOUR CLASS]

[ERROR]

[ERROR]

[ERROR]

[ERROR]

[LAUNCHING ABYSSAL NOBLE SYSTEM]

[10%] [ERROR] [20%] [ERROR] [30%] [ERROR] [40%] [ERROR] [50%] [ERROR] [60%] [ERROR] [70%] [ERROR] [80%] [ERROR] [90%] [ERROR]

The numbers continued to rise, each step punctuated by an error message. Suddenly, Shadewood's voice echoed in his ears, urgent and filled with concern. "DANIEL, WATCH OUT!" Before Daniel could respond to the worried voice, a blinding flash of purple light seared into his eyes. The intensity of the light was overwhelming, and an intense, searing pain gripped his mind, as if it was being pulled in multiple directions at once. The world around him blurred into a chaotic mess of colours and shapes, and he felt disoriented and vulnerable.

The pain intensified, becoming nearly unbearable. Daniel clenched his teeth, trying to hold on, but it was as if his very essence was being torn apart. Just before he succumbed to the overwhelming agony and lost consciousness, he managed to glimpse a final, ominous message:

[SYSTEM DAMAGED, NEED REPAIR. AWAKENING SUCCEEDED]