Aaron looked back, only to see Alden Wilder, the boy who had killed the previous owner of his body. With a muscular build, Alden didn't resemble someone who was just fifteen.
Today, Alden wore new clothes that looked strikingly similar to the butler's uniform from Aaron's past life.
At the sight, a smile crept onto Aaron's lips subconsciously. He tried his best to suppress it, then rushed inside the Adventurers Academy, leaving Alden standing with a confused look on his face.
"Did I hit his head so hard that Aaron had a mental breakdown?" he muttered as he walked in alone.
Aaron, who had entered the class according to the memory, immediately laughed.
After laughing for a while, Aaron's thoughts drifted back to the earlier encounter. The moment he saw Alden, control over his own body nearly slipped away. The lingering will of the body's previous owner still thirsted for vengeance against his killer. If not for the sudden recognition of Alden's iconic outfit, Aaron might have lost all grip, both on his body and on the storm of emotions surging within.
"Aaron, what are you laughing at?"
Aaron heard a sweet voice behind him. He turned around and saw a beautiful girl with striking red hair and fair skin. She had a petite figure, with a small bust and slim hips. Her eyes were a soft shade of amber, curious and warm, and her smile carried a gentle charm that brightened her face. She wore a simple yet elegant dress that fluttered lightly with the breeze, adding to her graceful presence.
Aaron's eyes lit up, and he subconsciously said, "Alice."
In fact, it wasn't his original intention at all, his body was clearly beyond his control.
This left him stunned and helpless at the same time. It seemed he needed to find a way to solve both problems.
Alice looked at Aaron and noticed something different about him. She couldn't tell what it was, but the Aaron standing in front of her felt completely unlike the person she once knew.
Still, she didn't dwell on it much as the class teacher, Mr. Albert, walked into the room.
As soon as he entered, the children fell silent.
Mr. Albert looked over the students he taught and began, "As you all know, today is an important day. Some of you might already be familiar with Awakening, but for those who aren't, I'll explain it."
"First of all, Awakening is the day your fate is determined by the type of soul you awaken. Yes, souls. Every person is blessed with a kind of soul when they are born in this world of Antasia."
"Souls are classified into different types, like swords, bows, animals, elements, hoes, hammers, and more."
"At the Awakening ceremony, we simply awaken the type of soul. Each soul is ranked from S to F, with S being the highest grade and F the lowest."
"Now, let me talk about something important, professions. A person can choose a profession based on the soul they have awakened. For example, someone who awakens a sword soul can become a warrior, and someone who awakens an elemental soul, like fire, water, or air, can choose the mage profession. Similarly, those with animal souls can choose the summoner profession."
"There are some people who awaken rare light elements, and of course, the shield soul. They belong to the support type and are considered the core of an adventurer team."
"Everything I've talked about so far relates to fighting professions. Now let's discuss life professions, which most people awaken, like hoes, needles, and others. You can choose a life profession too. In fact, life professions are also valuable. At least you won't have to face the monsters out there and can live a stable life. Moreover, don't underestimate life professions, without them, the human race might have ceased to exist countless years ago."
"Life professions are even recruited in the new territories and are given various kinds of benefits. So don't think any profession is wrong."
"Now I will call your names one by one. Remember, just place your hand on the Awakening crystal and close your eyes. That's all you need to do."
After saying this, he paused for a moment before calling out, "Jack."
The boy named Jack walked toward Mr. Albert with a nervous look on his face.
In a calm tone, Mr. Albert said, "Jack, put your hand on the Awakening crystal," while pointing toward the shiny crystal lying on the table.
Jack, with a nervous expression on his face, placed his hand on the Awakening crystal and closed his eyes. Instantly, the crystal began to shine faintly, and two seconds later, it projected the image of a sickle, with D Grade written above it.
Seeing this, Mr. Albert said, "Jack, okay, you have awakened your ability: Sickle, D Grade."
Jack opened his eyes, tears faintly visible as he realized his talent only allowed him to harvest crops 30% faster. He was destined for a life profession.
Mr. Albert noticed this but chose not to comfort him, it would be useless to say anything. Instead, he politely asked Jack to step aside and began calling the next name.
Aaron watched the scene from a distance with a calm expression on his face. He already knew that everyone's fate was predetermined.
He waited until he heard the familiar name, "Alden."
He watched the boy place his hand on the crystal, and two seconds later, Mr. Albert announced in a surprised tone, "Sword, B Grade."
Then he looked at Alden and said in a somewhat kind tone, "Alden, very good. You have the ability to choose the warrior profession. Not only that, but in the future, you might even reach Tier 5 or Tier 6."
Aaron knew that Tiers were classifications based on every ten levels. For example, Level 1 to Level 10 was Tier 1, Level 11 to Level 20 was Tier 2, and so on.
To progress from one Tier to another, one had to complete a class advancement according to their profession.