As Daniel stepped through the portal, a wave of sensation swept over his whole mind and body.
This feeling was strange. It was something he had not gone through before.
Every cell, tissue and organ, in his body felt as though they were being ripped apart fragment by fragment.
He found himself unable to yell or argue. At that instant all he could manage was to endure the sensation and pray to whichever god he believes in to save him.
Just as he thought he had hit his breaking point and was, on the verge of losing control the overwhelming sensation suddenly stopped.
He fell to the ground staggered a steps and finally dropped down onto his knees. He began trembling.
He felt short of breath when he entered the area.
He experienced dizziness as though he had been circling endlessly. He closed his eyes longing for everything to pause… if only momentarily.
Gradually the shaking. The feeling of dizziness started to diminish bit by bit.
When he attempted to rise he sensed something chilly beneath his palms. He opened his eyes. Was amazed!
He was no longer, on the training field. Rather he stood surrounded by blades of grass that moved gently even though there was no wind.
He gazed at the sky. Was completely astonished.
The sky displayed an artwork mixing tones of purple and violet, with green and golden clouds arranged in a chaotic pattern.
The sky displayed a pair of suns: a sun plus a smaller red sun that created an eerie twilight radiance across the scenery.
In the distance the mountains emerged above the clouds their summits stretching up into the sky.
The air held an aroma blending the smell of damp earth with the scent of blooming nocturnal flowers.
This unusual place displayed magnificence and deep danger at the time.
His team appeared from the portal close, to him trying to steady themselves after coming out of it.
Ragnar crashed onto the ground hard before he got to his feet grimacing from the impact.
Sophie shifted into a motion. She landed in a crouch. Immediately she began to scan the area.
Bran just collapsed onto his face. When he stood up he appeared bewildered.
"Well " Ragnar muttered, wiping a bead of blood from his nostril. "That was rough. My entire body hurts terribly."
Before anyone could respond a gentle tune filled the air.
Encircling the candidates were the Nexus Interfaces glowing brightly on their arms their screens radiating vividly.
The two thousand people spread throughout the field experienced a rush of excitement.
A woman close, by yelled with a mixture of terror and thrill as she exclaimed "Its occurring!"
She held up her hand to reveal her F-Grade 'Glow Stick' that emitted an feeble light.
Her face fell. "Oh. Well that's… of useful I guess, for reading."
The alerts arrived as a stream of features.
"D-Grade, 'Iron Grip'!"
"C-Grade, 'Enhanced Hearing'!"
"F-Grade, 'Water Condensation'!
"I'm capable of boiling a cup of water every hour! We've been saved!" a man commented with irony as he looked at his hand contemptuously.
The mood shifted considerably. Candidates possessing D and C-Grade skills celebrated since their scores met the academys standards.
Those who were given F-Grades experienced despair as their dreams of turning into warriors had vanished.
"What did you all receive?" Bran inquired his voice tinged with anxiety as he observed his interface screen.
I got a C-Grade… 'Minor Fortification'. This technique allows me to use raw life energy to form a shield, around myself for a brief period before it dissipates. It's not remarkable. It's something.
Ragnar let out a laugh pounding his chest with a noise similar, to raw meat hitting a surface.
"C-Grade! 'Stoneskin'! My flesh can harden like stone, for minutes! Take that you fiends!" He smiled broadly his expression a clear blend of relief and happiness.
Sophie showed a look, on her face at that time.
"Grade B " she whispered softly. Loud enough to draw the notice of onlookers. "Tactical insight."
Currently I can detect weaknesses in enemies or defenses. Not in complex situations at least, for now.
Her announcement, as a B-Grade talent immediately captured everyones attention.
Multiple candidates looked at Sophie with a blend of jealousy and strategic thought.
A B-Grade indicated that a person possessed ability. The distinction highlighted the space, between luring monsters and transforming into a threat.
As the noise of the gathering grew louder Daniel felt his Awakening.
It was neither the shock nor the burst of power that others mentioned.
A gradual significant movement arose inside him like a dormant age-old leviathan rousing, in the recesses of his spirit.
It was a silent strength that seemed less like a recently gained ability and more like an essential aspect of himself he had never realized before.
A profound vibration echoed, not through his ears. Within his very skeleton.
A warmth emerged inside him a feeling of oneness, with the being, impermanence and life force of this world.
Filled with both anxiety and eagerness he at last glanced down at the Nexus Interface on his arm.
The holographic text gleamed with a radiance, beyond all others casting a golden light that seemed to pulsate with vitality. He noticed his chest constrict as he struggled to inhale.
[Talent Awakening Successful]
[Name: Daniel Damigod]
[Talent: Soul Assimilation]
[Grade: SSS]
[Description: The user possesses the power to capture the souls of adversaries. These captured souls can be assimilated to enhance the users traits or employed to analyze and replicate the enemys intrinsic skills. Souls can be held, merged or modified to generate abilities. The potential, for growth is infinite.]
SSS-Grade.
The trio of letters appeared to sear into his sight. He gazed, his brain declining to comprehend the message. SSS.
The teachers had mentioned S-Grades in respectful whispers as mythical feats the strength possessed by beasts and deities.
SSS was regarded as a realm of power believed to be present, in theory or myth.
A chilly realization swept through him replacing the stun with a freezing dread.
Instructor Rostovas statement echoed in his mind, vivid and piercing. Authority isn't simply granted; it's seized.
He looked over the candidates. He saw the avarice, in the eyes of a man who got a C-Grade and observed a crowd forming near Sophie and her B-Grade their expressions a mix of admiration and faintly hidden longing.
Unveiling an SSS-Grade talent at this point wouldn't turn him into a hero. It would turn him into a target. An enormous shining, unavoidable target.
The academy would not regard him as a weapon; instead they would perceive him as a specimen to be examined and analyzed.
The other candidates, fueled by the survival-or-perish mindset instilled in them would view him as a jackpot chance.
Take his life. Maybe maybe his power could be seized.
His heart pounded within his chest. His sole concentration protecting his family relied on him staying alive.
His progress depended on becoming more powerful than becoming the center of a jealous frenzied rush.
"Daniel? Are you alright friend? It looks like you've just come across a ghost " Ragnar said, his voice cutting sharply through Daniels thoughts.
Don't mention that you got an F-Grade. It's alright you might well be our teams mascot.
Driven by instinct Daniels hand quickly moved to cover the Nexus Interface hiding its golden light.
"No it's… it's fine " he stammered, trying to maintain a voice. He needed to conceal it from them. Particularly his team. At least, for the moment.
He quickly focused his attention on the interface attempting to make the grade vanish in order to change the display.
He doubted whether it was achievable. Soul Assimilation was anything but a power.
It was ancient, older than the system itself, and, in its own way, aware.
A fundamental trait of its nature was to absorb, modify and transform the essence of entities, including the Systems manifestation.
As though responding to his command the profound ancient force, inside him awakened.
A surge of black-and-gold brilliance surged within his soul and the shining golden symbols, on the screen trembled… before dissolving into the blue of an ability.
The change appeared instinctive as though the power had decided for him that revealing its extent, at that instant would be deadly.
He inhaled deeply. Lifted his hand.
[Name: Daniel]
[Talent: Attribute Enhancement]
[Grade: D]
[Description: Allows the user to briefly boost one attribute by a margin.]
It was a pathetic, common, and utterly forgettable talent. It was perfect.
" a D-Grade " he commented, exposing the screen. His voice held a trace of disappointment.
Attribute Enhancement. I guess I can hit a little harder temporarily. It's preferable, to having no boost all.
Ragnar gave him a shoulder tap, a bit too forceful. "Listen, a D counts as passing! It means you're staying in.
Furthermore every little bit counts. We're here to assist you."
Sophie gazed at him gently. "Don't worry, Daniel. A skill is a tool. What matters is how you use it."
He offered them a smile, a facade of ease concealing the turmoil brewing within him.
He stood out as an anomaly. A concealed figure, among them. He possessed a power of shattering the foundation of this nascent world a power that could either raise him to divinity or lead to his demise by sunset.
Gazing upon the terrain with its spiraling violet heavens and shimmering silver foliage he realized his journey had suddenly grown vastly more intricate and perilous.
The hunt for his family was still his goal, but now, a new hunt had begun, the hunt for the truth behind the immense, terrifying power that now slept in his soul.