The atmosphere in the assembly hall was still charged with excitement after Elara Veyne's awakening. Students were whispering among themselves, teachers were discussing the unusual appearance of a Rare Class, and Elara herself was still trying to process everything that had happened. Yet despite all the commotion, the awakening ceremony continued, because there were still students waiting for their opportunity to place their hands upon the Awakening Orb.
Elara returned to her place among her classmates and quietly sat down, her mind still occupied by the blue interface only she could see. She had awakened as a Demon Summoner, received three class skills, obtained a mysterious innate talent called Evolve, and gained access to Genesis World through her Gift of Genesis. She didn't understand most of it yet, but simply knowing that she had successfully awakened made her feel almost weightless.
The ceremony continued for another twenty minutes. One student after another stepped onto the platform, placed their hands against the Awakening Orb, and waited. Some experienced the same disappointment as the students who had already failed, while a handful succeeded and were met with applause from their classmates. Eventually, the final student from Elara's class returned to his seat, and the teacher looked down at the results.
Out of the thirty students from her class who had participated in the ceremony, only three had successfully awakened.
Elara.
A girl named Serene Halbrook, who had awakened an Uncommon-class Fire Mage.
And a boy named Leon Hart, who had awakened the Common-Knight class.
The three of them were asked to remain behind while the rest of their classmates were dismissed. The remaining students slowly filed out of the hall, some excited about their futures and others walking quietly with expressions that showed disappointment. For those who had failed, this day would probably stay in their memories for a long time.
Mrs. Cynthia, their class teacher, approached the three newly awakened students with a warm smile. She had taught them for years, but there was something different in the way she looked at them now. She wasn't treating them as ordinary students anymore.
"Elara, Serene, Leon, come with me."
The three followed her out of the assembly hall.
Elara walked quietly between the other two students. She didn't know Serene particularly well, although she had seen her around school countless times. Leon was more familiar. They had been in several of the same classes over the years, though they had never really spoken enough to call themselves friends.
Serene seemed nervous but excited, while Leon looked almost unnaturally calm. He walked with his hands behind his back and occasionally glanced at the system interface only he could see.
"You got Fire Mage, right?" Leon eventually asked.
Serene nodded. "Yes."
"That's pretty good."
She smiled awkwardly. "You got Knight."
"Yeah."
Then both of them looked at Elara.
She immediately became uncomfortable.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Serene hesitated before asking, "You're the Demon Summoner, right?"
Elara nodded.
"Rare class?"
"Yes."
Serene's expression became one of genuine admiration. "That's amazing."
Elara immediately shook her head. "I don't know if it's amazing yet."
Leon gave a small laugh. "It's a Rare Class. Of course it's amazing."
Elara didn't know what to say to that, so she simply looked ahead.
Mrs. Cynthia glanced back at the three students and smiled.
"Don't worry. You'll learn soon enough. The school will provide you with the basic materials you'll need to understand your classes, but that's something we'll discuss with the principal."
They soon reached a large administrative wing of the school. The security here was noticeably stricter than in the ordinary parts of the campus, with several magical barriers built into the walls and a few armed security personnel standing near the entrances.
Elara recognized the area immediately.
This was where the school handled important matters involving Awakener students.
As they approached the principal's office, they discovered that they weren't the only ones arriving.
Several other teachers were already walking toward the same room, each accompanied by one or more newly awakened students. Some teachers had only one student with them, while others had two, three, and in one unusual case, five students following behind them.
The atmosphere immediately became more lively.
The teachers exchanged greetings as they gathered.
"Congratulations, everyone."
"How many did your class produce?"
"Three."
"Three? That's pretty good."
"We got two."
"Five from ours."
"Five? You're kidding."
Elara listened quietly while the adults discussed the results. She hadn't realized there were so many newly awakened students across the school. She had only been thinking about her own class.
One of the teachers noticed Cynthia and walked over.
"Mrs. Cynthia, congratulations. I heard one of yours awakened a Rare Class."
Cynthia smiled and glanced toward Elara.
"Yes. Elara Veyne. Demon Summoner."
The teacher looked toward Elara with visible surprise.
"A Demon Summoner? That's a new one, but it is rare, it must be good."
Elara lowered her head slightly.
"Thank you."
Soon, everyone had gathered outside the principal's office.
There were students of various ages, though all of them fell within the school's Awakening eligibility range. Some looked incredibly excited, others confused, and a few were still processing the fact that their lives had just changed.
The principal's assistant opened the door.
"Please, everyone, come inside."
The group entered the spacious office.
It wasn't particularly extravagant, but several magical artifacts were displayed around the room, along with a large emblem of the Righteous Federation hanging behind the principal's desk.
The principal himself stood as the students entered.
He was an older man with neatly combed gray hair and a calm expression. Unlike the nervous teachers and excited students, he appeared completely composed, as though supervising Awakening Day was simply another responsibility he had performed countless times.
"Congratulations."
His first words immediately caught everyone's attention.
"Every one of you has taken the first step toward becoming an Awakener."
He motioned for everyone to settle down.
"I know many of you are excited. Some of you are probably already thinking about the powers you'll gain, the money you'll make, the places you'll visit, or the things you'll accomplish. That's normal."
The principal paused.
"But remember something important."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"Awakening gives you power. It does not give you wisdom."
The room became quiet.
"The moment your class appeared, you became different from the majority of people in this world. You gained access to abilities that ordinary people will never possess. You may eventually become stronger than your teachers, stronger than your parents, and perhaps one day stronger than almost everyone around you."
He looked across the students.
"Do not let that convince you that you are above those people."
Elara listened carefully.
"The Righteous Federation exists because history has already shown us what happens when power is placed in the hands of people who believe themselves above everyone else."
The principal's voice remained calm.
"Awakeners are not rulers simply because they are powerful. Cultivators are not rulers simply because they can fight. Strength comes with responsibility, whether you want that responsibility or not."
He paused before giving the students a faint smile.
"Of course, none of you need to worry about becoming heroes tomorrow morning. You're students. You have much to learn, and most of you have probably not even figured out what your classes actually do."
A few students chuckled nervously.
The principal's expression softened.
"Today isn't about sending you into the world and expecting you to solve every problem you encounter. Today is about welcoming you into a larger community."
He turned toward his assistant.
"Please begin the registration."
The assistant nodded and stepped forward with a tablet-like magical device.
"All newly awakened students will be registered with the Righteous Federation today."
Several students immediately looked surprised.
One raised his hand.
"Sir, don't Awakeners have to go to a Federation office for registration?"
"They do," the principal replied. "However, this is a private institution with an established Federation partnership, and our school is authorized to complete preliminary registration on-site."
The assistant began collecting everyone's information.
Name.
Age.
Class.
Level.
School.
Basic Genesis System information.
One by one, the students were registered.
When it was Elara's turn, she provided the information displayed by her system.
Elara Veyne.
Sixteen years old.
Rare-Class Demon Summoner.
The assistant paused momentarily when he saw her class, though he quickly continued without asking unnecessary questions.
"Registration complete."
A small Federation emblem appeared on the device.
Then another notification appeared on Elara's personal system.
[Federation Membership Registered.]
[Welcome, Elara Veyne.]
She stared at the notification curiously.
The principal continued explaining.
"Your Federation membership gives you access to several basic services. The most important one for now is the Awakener and Cultivator network."
The assistant raised his device, and a new icon appeared within Elara's system interface.
[Federation Network]
"This platform is where verified Awakeners and cultivators can communicate with one another," the principal explained. "You can exchange information, discuss abilities, share cultivation methods where permitted, ask questions, post requests, form teams, report unusual monster activity, find opportunities related to Genesis World and last but not the least buy and sell resources of all types."
Several students immediately became interested.
The principal smiled.
"Think of it as a massive private community reserved for people who have chosen—or been fortunate enough—to walk the supernatural path."
He paused.
"But remember that access does not mean complete freedom. The Federation monitors the platform for obvious reasons. Trading dangerous techniques, spreading forbidden information, or deliberately misleading other members can result in consequences."
The students nodded.
Elara glanced at the new interface again.
She had gone from an ordinary student that morning to a Rare-Class Awakener with access to an entirely new world of information within a few hours.
It was overwhelming.
Yet, strangely, she found herself excited.
The principal finished the registration and looked over the group one final time.
"That's all for today."
He smiled.
"Congratulations once again. Your lives have changed."
The students slowly began leaving the office.
Elara followed the others into the hallway, quietly staring at the Federation Network icon floating within her system.
She had no idea what she was going to find there.
She had no idea what her class would eventually become.
And she certainly had no idea that, within the next few hours, she would make the most reckless decision of her entire life.
For now, however, she was simply happy.
She was an Awakener.
And tomorrow, she would begin learning what that actually meant.