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The Awakening Ceremony went on with Class 4-A going in first.
As the students of that class were called, their faces betrayed the calmness they were trying to exude, which was normal, all things considered. This was a deciding moment of their life, after all. It's hard to remain indifferent about it.
While TJ doesn't seem particularly interested in his surroundings, or even the Awakening Ceremony at all, it doesn't mean that he wasn't paying attention.
Sure, his eyes were glued to the screen of his smartphone, but he's generally aware of what's going on around him.
He could hear Lily and Sieg's attempts to get rid of their nervousness by talking about pretty much anything under the sun. He could sense the mounting anxiety emanating from his other classmates. He could see how their knees bounced as impatience kept grating on their nerves. He's also aware that their attention was glued to the giant screen in the gymnasium, thinking that if they stared or glared at it long enough, it would eventually change and indicate that it'll be their turn next.
More importantly, though, TJ also noticed that the school's staff was particularly active today.
The security guards were all practically here in the gym; most were stationed outside, while others watched the inside. The other staff and the teachers are also roaming around, discretely watching the students for some reason.
This was within TJ's expectations, though. And this didn't happen because their batch was special or something. It's because of the day, not them.
Awakening Ceremonies are always like this: strict, heavily guarded, and solemn.
Since the government mandated every child's participation in it, its importance could easily be imagined.
And no, what they're on the lookoutfor isn't the archetypes that the children will awaken. With so many students awakening every single year, there's practically no more surprises there.
What they're really anticipating for all of this was the [Boons] that the children will awaken.
Ding!
[Class 4-B! Please proceed to the Awakening Chambers! ]
Students of Class 4-B all stood up and started making their way towards the now vacated awakening chambers.
Meanwhile, the batch before them, Class 1-A, have all exited, and most were now reporting their results to their loved ones.
"Mom! I did it! My highest affinity is for the Combat Archetype!"
"My affinity is with the Lifestyle Archetype. I guess I'll start learning your craft, Dad."
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. I'm a hybrid, this is incredible!"
But again, the archetypes weren't the main concern here. In hushed voices, TJ could hear the adults asking about their children's [Boons].
"Did you awaken a good boon, son?"
"It's so-so. It's a C-rank boon called [Strong Arms], which increases my arm strength by 15%."
"You brat, what do you mean so-so? That's already good enough! I, your father, only have an E-rank boon. You're luckier than I am."
"Mom, I hit the jackpot! I've got a B-rank Boon; it's called [Revenge]! 25% of any damage dealt to me will be reflected back to the sender. I'm practically born for the Combat Class Archetype!"
"Oh, my baby boy, you are favored by luck. Come here."
Most discussions about Boons were in whispers and murmurs, and because of the distance, the students who are yet to have their awakening couldn't hear this.
Yet somehow, TJ can. Quite effortlessly, too. He didn't need to lean to strain his ears just to eavesdrop on their conversation. However, if somebody were to ask him how he's able to do this, TJ wouldn't be able to answer. He's been like this as far as he's aware.
As he eavesdropped, though, TJ picked up a topic that was particularly intriguing.
"Hey, do you know where they're taking her?"
"Shh! We're not supposed to discuss that, remember?"
"Psh, what are you afraid of? Nobody could hear us! We're whispering. Come on, where do you think they're taking her?"
"In a safe place, obviously! Where else?"
"Tsk. You're boring."
"But not wrong. I mean, that's the only logical conclusion, right? She awakened an S-ranked Boon after all; she needs to be protected."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
TJ kept his face still despite the tremor that ran through him as he heard this revelation.
'Someone from Class 4-A awakened an S-ranked boon? What are the odds? '
Suddenly, the secrecy became understandable. TJ was almost sure that the organizers of the ceremony strictly warned the class to not spread this news around for now.
It made even more sense when he suddenly saw the calm yet hurried actions of the staff. They must be scrambling to accommodate and secure the girl who supposedly awakened an S-rank boon right now.
With this kind of luck, the life of whoever that girl is was about to experience a major shift, all because Lady Luck smiled favorably upon her.
TJ had become so immersed in his eavesdropping that the only noise that peeled him away from it was the alert saying that it's his class' turn now.
Ding!
[Class 4-C! Please proceed to the Awakening Chambers! ]
"Damn! Finally!"
"Gosh, I'm so nervous."
"You lot, move it! Don't dally and delay the ceremony!"
"Gods, it's me again. Please, do me a favor. I promise I'll be good."
"What tomorrow brings for me begins here. Heavens bless me!"
TJ shook his head at the dramatic antics of his classmates. He looked to his side and saw Sieg walking awkwardly next to him, knees wobbling due to nervousness.
Sighing, TJ smacked his back. It didn't hurt the big guy, but it's enough to pull him back from whatever quagmire his mind was trapped in.
Class 4-C marched to the Awakening Chambers, and soon, they were inside.
TJ observed the room and discovered that it had been modified overnight to look like this.
The room was sealed and guarded. The only way inside and out was the singular door they just passed through. The air inside felt static, as if electrically charged.
There was a team of professionals inside, all of whom greeted them and began instructing them on what to do so that they could begin as soon as possible.
Up front, TJ saw ten slightly elevated podiums. Each one was made from rare metals, judging by their sheen and density. The bodies were covered with these strange lines and markings, which TJ recognized as runes.
And sitting on top of each podium was a crystal ball embedded into the podium itself. The professionals instructed them to touch that crystal ball and close their eyes to begin their awakening.
The students were called in alphabetical order. Soon the first ten students to awaken in their class stepped onto the podiums.
Once they touched the crystal ball and closed their eyes, a buzz was heard from their respective podiums. Without any alerts, a hard-light structure sealed them inside.
The professionals told the rest of the students to not worry, saying that the hard-light walls were there to keep the stray energy from doing damage to the room and all the machines inside; of course, most importantly, it's there to keep the students safe. Both the ones that are still waiting for their turn and the ones inside the walls.
TJ continued watching, and soon, a visible change occurred to his classmates that are experiencing their awakening.
Nine of them emitted a faint white light and only shone with a weak green light. These lights were like a shroud covering their bodies from head to toe.
Then, TJ heard one of the professionals say, "9 D-ranks, 1 C-rank."
'Ah! So, white is for D-rank boons, and green is for C-rank boons,' he logically concluded. He could be wrong, but he's a bit more confident that he's right.
Once the light emanating from their bodies faded, the hard-light walls that sealed them in disappeared, and shortly after that, the students woke up with varying reactions.
"Alright, kids. Come here and list down your archetypes. You can't lie, okay? You'd be punished if you do; don't take that lightly."
"Next batch, please..."
And just like that, while the students who just successfully awakened were busy filling out their forms, the next batch of students was already called.
The process remained the same. As soon as the students stood at the podium, touched the crystal ball, and closed their eyes, the hard light walls sealed them in too.
This time, there were only five who emitted a white light. As for the others, three emitted green, one glowed with blue, and the last one had a purple veil covering his body.
TJ looked to the professional who's about to announce the results and heard him say:
"Five D-ranks, three C-ranks, one B-rank, and one A-rank. Not bad."
'So that's blue for B-rank and purple for A-rank boons. I guess the deeper the color, the rarer the boon,' TJ mused inwardly.
This wasn't really taught to them. It's not public knowledge either; that's why TJ was paying attention. While the information doesn't seem to be particularly useful outside of the ceremony, it's still nice to know anyway.
And again, once colors in their bodies faded, the hard-light walls disappeared, and they were told to write down their information.
Next, it was TJ's turn.