"I have to admit, the game didn't manage to convey even ten percent of the hammer's true power." Dex thought as he looked at the warhammer.
Most of the students present were completely paralyzed at the sight of Volkris. Fear could be seen on every face—except one. A young wolf-girl, Lyra, without a trace of fear and with a smile on her lips, approached the hammer and lifted it with ease. Seeing this, some of the professors observing the ceremony from a separate room began to speak.
"That hammer… the legends said it was destroyed in the ancient war."
"It's unexpected, but since all predestined items return to their seal when their master dies, if it was destroyed, it would have returned and simply not reappeared for millennia because it was restoring itself."
"That theory fits."
"Well, all we can do now is hope she can withstand the still-dormant power of Volkris."
Back on the main stage, Lyra left confidently with her hammer.
Each step radiated unshakable confidence as she exited the hall.
The students, now freed from the crushing pressure, were finally able to breathe again.
But before anyone could comment on what had just happened, the vice-director continued with the rituals.
--
About 40 minutes after the chaos caused by the wolf-girl, one of the people Dex's father had told him to befriend was called forward.
"Cadet Sylvia Von Silverplate, please come forward and perform the Awakening."
At that name, everyone turned to see the elf maiden rise.
Sylvia Von Silverplate had been one of the heroines in the game I Will Kill the Demon King, and like Lyra, she was a fan favorite—some players even considered her the best heroine of all. For Dex, she was the second-best character.
Even among elves, she was considered the most beautiful woman of her generation. It was said she was born from sacred mana itself, for both her hair and her eyes seemed to be woven from the World Tree's divine energy.
Sylvia ascended the platform with the grace of a princess and placed her hand on the Awakening Orb. The moment her fingers touched it, the orb shone with a golden light that filled the hall with sacred mana.
Selene, feeling the suffocating holy energy in the air, pressed even closer to Dex to shield herself from it—something that did not escape the watchful eyes of certain professors, who found the princess's reaction rather odd.
The sacred mana that spread throughout the hall quickly condensed into a glowing sphere and imprinted a delicate golden floral rune upon Sylvia's neck.
"Sylvia Von Silverplate has awakened as a mage of the subclass Saint of the World Tree."
The announcement sent shockwaves through the audience, and whispers spread like wildfire. The Saint of the World Tree was a subclass that appeared only once per generation. The commotion was swiftly silenced, however, by the oppressive aura Dorian released.
He gestured toward the second altar, signaling for Sylvia to continue. Just like the others, she pricked her finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the altar.
From her blood bloomed a magnificent flower that slowly opened, revealing a single seed at its center. Neither students nor professors knew exactly what it was, but they all shared one certainty: this seed was an item that could rival Lyra's Volkris, given the sheer density of mana radiating from it.
The seed separated from the flower—which quickly withered into dust—and floated gracefully around the princess. As if reacting to its master's wound, it released a radiant pulse of life-element mana, instantly healing the cut on her finger.
And thus emerged the healer and buffer of the Hero's Party, alongside the artifact that would one day be known as the "Seed of Yggrosil."
She left the platform and returned to her seat, playing idly with the seed as it orbited her.
The crowd, especially the elves, erupted into chants.
"Sylvia! Sylvia! Sylvia!"
This uproar was fueled by the fact that she had inherited the same subclass her grandmother—the former elven queen—once wielded, as well as by the sheer power of her Awakening.
Even Dorian was shocked. But it wasn't her subclass that surprised him—it was the staggering amount of mana sealed within that tiny seed. "Could it be… a seed of the World Tree?"
Still, he quickly regained his composure and resumed control of the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Dex focused on calming poor Selene, who seemed on the verge of fainting from the sudden surge of sacred mana. Unlike the excited students, he looked at Sylvia with clear irritation—though even he couldn't explain why.
He quickly pushed that thought aside and turned all his attention to caring for Selene.
Time slipped by as he held her in his arms. But then something happened that caught him completely off guard.
"Cadet Selene Von Draculis, please come forward and perform the Awakening."
She stood up at once, pressed a brief kiss against Dex's cheek, and strode toward the Awakening Platform.
"Was she faking weakness just so I'd pamper her?" Dex thought, annoyed as he watched her walk away.
"I think so," Echidna's amused voice replied between laughter.
"I was just getting used to your silence, you know."
"I didn't want to interrupt the lovebirds, but honestly, you almost made me jealous."
While the two bickered in his mind, Selene reached the stage.
And every student who saw her thought the same thing: "Why was the beautiful vampire princess clinging to an ordinary human like a devoted wife? And who the hell is that human?"
Dex, watching her prepare, recalled the game. He knew she should awaken with the subclass Crimson Empress. A tide of blood would flood the platform, condense into a small sphere, then be absorbed, leaving a crimson crown engraved upon her left thigh. Afterward, she would receive the Lunar Tiara, an artifact that doubled her mana beneath moonlight and shielded her from the effects of sacred energy.
So he watched, bored, expecting what he already knew.
But what happened next shocked him.
Selene confidently touched the Awakening Orb. As predicted, blood filled the crystal and poured forth, flooding the platform. But then something new formed inside the orb—like liquid pink fire, it mixed with the sea of blood. The fusion encased Selene in a cocoon.
When she emerged, her body looked unchanged, but the aura radiating from her made one terrifying thought echo in every mind present: "Her aura is more frightening than the vice-director's."
But one person saw something entirely different.
"How can she be so beautiful?"
Dex, entranced by her, failed to notice two crucial things: the ritual had played out differently from the game, and that same strange stirring he had felt when he first saw her had returned, shaking something deep within his soul.
"Selene Von Draculis has awakened as a knight of the subclass Ruler of Lust."
Without hesitation, she moved to the predestined item altar. Instead of the ceremonial dagger, she pricked her finger with one of her fangs, releasing a droplet of blood now tinged faintly pink. The blood touched the altar, opening a rosy portal through which a beautiful Blood Crystal emerged.
The crystal melted into her wound like boiling liquid, merging with her bloodstream. Moments later, her already-intimidating aura exploded outward, untamed.
Before the stunned audience, something began to grow from her back—twisting, reshaping—until it tore through her uniform. Two wings of pure crystalline blood unfurled gloriously behind her.
Only then did Dex snap out of his daze. "What the hell is happening here?"
--
POV ???
An elven man, seemingly young, stood atop one of the academy's towers. He turned his head slightly, gazing toward the Awakening Hall.
"This year will be… interesting."