Magister Isolde's eyes narrowed, sweeping across the crowd. She looked mean, and most likely, this character of hers was passing on to her magus students.
"Do not goof around with this. If your body and soul do not align with your chosen path, the Vocation Crystal will reject you.
A failed Vocation means you will wait until next week for another chance, and by then you will have already missed the Novice Dungeon test. Consider that carefully before you speak."
A shudder moved through the assembly as names began to be called, one mage and one knight at a time, each step toward the Vocation Crystal sending ripples of tension through their hearts.
It was no surprise to Darien that nobles were called first to the ritual.
He watched as Vincent Velgrane took confident strides toward the open portal, his sister next in line.
With confidence, the future duke of Eldermead stepped into the dimension. He came out only moments later, a broad smile on his face.
Darien attempted to inspect him to see what class he chose, since people do not publicize their classes as they do for talents.
But the panel remained unchanged from the last time he inspected in the Arena.
Seeing the Crowned Earl's confidence, everyone else was inspired by him—his Light Affinity making him a shining star, a motivation, and an influence to look up to for the weak.
One by one, the candidates began to step into the ritual.
It would be a shame for any student to fail the Vocation, because they had trained this far to know exactly where they specialized.
True to this, the majority emerged with bright, triumphant smiles, their eyes alight with the thrill of newfound clarity and power, and they quietly made their way out of the hall for those remaining.
As a bastard and a foreigner, Darien was dead last to be called for the ritual.
Tutor Endor watched the boy with pride in his eyes as he stepped forward, entering the portal without flinching.
Stepping through, Darien felt the air shift, the hall fading behind him as the darkness of the sealed dimension sucked him in like a black hole.
(Welcome to ????? Dimension)
In the middle of total darkness, Darien could see the Vocation Crystal up ahead, large and imposing as the magister said it would look.
It was a large cluster of crystals with a broad one in the center and the others seeming to grow from its back.
The shards were violet, but the reflections were white, casting light upon the dark dimension.
(Item Name: Vocation Crystal)
(Type: Relic/Conduit)
(Rank: Primordial)
(Affinity: Fate)
'Unbelievable. A Primordial Item…'
Darien thought as he took careful steps to the Vocation Crystal and stood before it dramatically.
He could feel the pulse of the unfathomable amount of Energy stored within the relic, and then the Flow that it emitted, saturating the dimension.
Without thinking much, Darien told himself that he wanted the Swordsman class, which was the only class suited for him on the path of knighthood.
As a Skill Maker, he was basically an omni-mage of both elemental and mystical, so long as he had enough skill points to make the skill, enough Energy to cast, and enough physicality to possess the skill.
If he could assure himself just the same potential to become the best weapon master, he would be unstoppable, no matter who the threat was!
A soft, radiant glow radiated from the Vocation Crystal, washing over him in waves.
The Primordial relic intertwined its essence with the aspirant's, the Flow transferring to and fro through both entities.
If only Darien's eyes were open, he would have seen the Vocation Crystal turn blue during the process.
~~~~~
Deep in the Primordial World in the Third Zone, in an open field of ruins and dead carcasses, was a large deposit of Vocation Crystals, gleaming and glowing through the eternal dusk.
It resembled a lake of shattered glass, embedded into the earth at sharp angles, reflecting with a haunting brilliance.
This must've been where the Vocation Crystal was sourced from by a very powerful Warrior, brought to Queen's Reach, and housed in the unknown dimension.
But Primordial relics weren't your normal objects.
Even after its harvest, the Vocation Crystal remained connected to its birthplace, and so, whenever it glowed, the scattered shards in the field, both big and small, pulsed too.
Ironically, this glow was a reminder to the Primordial World that new Warriors from Valurion were being chosen, each shimmer marking ongoing recruitment.
But now, the crystals had shone blue and not the usual purple—something that hadn't happened in decades.
And somewhere in the detested decay, an entity recognized this blue light and knew it could only mean one thing.
~~~~~
[Congratulations on acquiring the sub-class: Swordsman]
[Congratulations on acquiring the Innate Skill: Ancestral Weapon Ascension]
[Ancestral Weapon Ascension: Grants the ability to evolve any weapon. Weapons can improve in quality, rank, unlock new traits, and grow stronger through use.]