Inside Silsom City, in the most prestigious Awakener Academy in the kingdom of Aethon, existed the most talented students.
They were hailed as the future of humanity, the protectors of this world from the monsters that emerged from the gates.
If there was one thing they all shared in common, it was talent, except for one student…who didn't have any.
Separated from all friend groups sat a young man of 16 years. He sat alone in the corner of the food hall, eating alone.
His mind focused on something that the others near him couldn't see.
Gazing at the young man eating alone, a girl in one of the girls' groups found him attractive. The young man had short black hair, deep black eyes that felt like the void and a lean build.
Deciding to rise up and strike a conversation, Amy thought about what she was going to say. She had just entered the academy today, and didn't know much.
Before she could take another step forward, one of her friends held her and frowned.
"What's wrong, Clair?" Amy asked, a frown on her face.
"You're not planning on talking to that guy…right?" Clair asked in a serious tone.
"What's the problem? Is he famous? Or perhaps a genius?"
"No," Clair responded with a grim look.
Noticing Clair's grim expression linger, Amy seemed to understand something.
"Clair…are you perhaps interested in him too?"
"No!" Clair shook her head strongly, a look of disgust appearing on her face. The thought of being in love with that man irked her entire being.
"You said famous? Pfft. More like infamous. As for genius…don't make me laugh. He's the only student in Sina's history to have never awakened a talent. He is still mana-less at sixteen." Clair explained.
"What? How? Are you saying he is unawakened? There's never been an unawakened in the academy before. It's impossible…" Amy was shocked beyond belief.
"Well…he made it possible," Clair muttered.
Amy's smile vanished.
"What makes his situation worse is his background...he's an Ashblade, well, a half-son." Clair continued.
"His mother died birthing him. Now he's a stain on their name. Handsome? Sure. But beauty won't slay realm beasts." She turned away pointedly. "Find someone who won't drag you down."
Amy stood there, shocked as she gazed at Draco's body for a second before turning back to face her friend.
"You are not the only one who was shocked. Everybody had the same reaction when he failed to awaken for the second time at the age of sixteen. Being from such a noble family…yet awaken no talent…it's pitiful and sort of…pathetic." Clair said, before eating a mouthful of her food.
CRACK!
A bowl exploded at Draco's feet, splattering food across his boots.
Students across the food court froze mid-bite.
Glade Von Ashblade loomed over the corner table, his shadow swallowing Draco whole.
"You are skipping training again? First, you shame our bloodline. Now you shame our discipline?"
Draco didn't flinch.
Up close, Glade's resemblance to their father was uncanny; they had the same facial and body structure.
Draco's eyes met Glades ' before he replied flatly, "Training's useless for me, or did you forget your own words?"
Glade's hand snapped out, vice-gripping Draco's forearm. "How dare you…"
Draco's expression darkened before he muttered. "Let go."
"Alright, that's enough!" Miss Ember said, separating the two with her eyes from afar.
Glade moved his hand away with reluctance, glaring at Draco.
Draco's expression remained stagnant as he stood up, staring Glade in the eyes for a second before walking away from his table.
The students in the cafeteria remained frozen as they watched the scene unfold.
Draco ignored all the stares and whispers around him as he walked away. He was no longer bothered by their comments or looks.
He had been dealing with it for his whole life. Whilst he walked away from the cafeteria, he couldn't help but curse his stepmother's ancestry.
She had deliberately placed him in an awakener's academy despite him being talentless. As for the reason? It was obvious.
She simply wanted to humiliate him even further, all because he was the son of her husband's favourite concubine.
Draco headed to his safe haven, the small hill behind the academy's main building.
The Academy of Sina was the largest and most prestigious academy in the City of Silsom.
It housed the best teachers and most talented students; Draco was the only anomaly without any talent because of his stepmother's connections.
'Not anymore..' He thought, a small smile forming on his handsome face.
Whilst he was eating inside the cafeteria, a sudden windowed overlay flashed across his retina, cyan blue in colour.
Draco Von Ashblade [Unawakened]
Title: None
Talent: None.
Strength: 11 (10) / Agility: 12 (10) / Health: 10 (10) / Mana: 0 (10)
Skills: None
Stat points: 0
'Zero mana? No wonder why I was unable to awaken…but how, why do I have zero mana?'
[You received a newbie gift pack!]
[Would you like to open the gift pack?]
[Yes | No]
Without hesitation, Draco pressed yes immediately.
Upon opening the gift pack, a large influx of colours emerged from the gift pack.
[You have received SSS-Rank Talent: Dragon Lord]
[You have received Core-Reforging Pill x1]
[You have received Beast Egg x1]
Staring at the several notifications he had received, Draco was stunned.
The SSS-Rank talent, Dragon Lord, sounded incredibly powerful that it made him shake in anticipation.
The beast egg and core-reforging pill remained in question. Both didn't show any immediate signs of usefulness; the beast egg could be bad or good, as for the pill, he didn't know what it could be useful for.
Draco played around with the system for a bit, pressing random buttons, and he found something useful.
He was able to inspect the items.
[Item: Core-reforging pill]
[Description] A Legendary pill used to reforge and revitalise a broken mana core, reviving the circulation of mana within a person's body.
Reading through the description and his status, Draco stopped.
'What if my mana core is damaged? That might be the reason I can't get an element, my mana is zero…now it makes more sense." Draco muttered silently, a thoughtful look on his face.
After thinking for a while, Draco decided to consume the pill.
[Ding!]
[Core-Reforging Pill has been consumed!]
[Reforging process initiated…]
A searing pain shot through Draco's chest as the pill dissolved within his body. It felt as though molten metal was flowing through his veins, burning and rebuilding every fiber of his being.
He collapsed onto the grass, gritting his teeth to prevent himself from screaming. The last thing he needed was to draw attention from the academy guards.
The pain intensified, focusing around his heart where his mana core should have been. Draco could feel something cracking, like an eggshell being broken from the inside.
Through his blurred vision, he noticed his hands beginning to emit a faint golden glow.
[Reforging 30% complete…]
[Reforging 60% complete…]
Sweat poured down his face as the burning sensation spread throughout his entire body. His muscles spasmed uncontrollably, and for a moment, he wondered if the pill was killing him rather than healing him.
[Reforging 85% complete…]
[Reforging 100% complete!]
[Congratulations! Your mana core has been successfully reforged!]
The pain vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of energy unlike anything Draco had ever experienced. He could feel power coursing through his body.
Standing up slowly, he called up his status window again.
Draco Von Ashblade [Awakened] EXP: 1/100
Title: None
Talent: Dragon Lord (SSS-Rank)
Strength: 11 (10) / Agility: 12 (10) / Constitution: 10 (10) / Mana: 50 (10)
Beastmaster Manual: None
Skills: None
Stat points: 0
His mana had jumped from zero to fifty. That number was most definitely high. But more importantly, next to his name, it no longer read
"Unawakened."
A smile spread across his face. After years of humiliation and mockery, he finally had the power.