Cade spotted Vaelor the instant he materialized and immediately sprinted over, nearly bowling over two other students in his haste.
"Vaelor! Finally! How'd it go? What did you awaken?"
Before Vaelor could formulate a response, chaos erupted at the teleportation array's perimeter.
Three instructors who'd been stationed as guards suddenly moved with lethal intent. The first drove a blade-hand strike through the back of a female teacher standing beside him, piercing clean through her chest cavity. The second raised both hands toward Headmaster Gareth and the senior faculty, conjuring a shimmering barrier that trapped them inside like insects in amber.
The third attacker kicked off the ground with explosive force, launching himself toward the cluster of Elite Class prodigies. His hands crackled with electrical energy as he summoned multiple lightning bolts that roared downward like wrathful serpents.
Everything happened too fast.
Most students barely registered the threat before the devastating attacks were already in motion. Even the legitimate instructors couldn't react quickly enough to intercept.
"YOU DARE?!"
Headmaster Gareth's voice boomed like divine thunder, the sheer force of his will shattering the barrier constraining him as if it were spun glass.
He vanished from his position and reappeared directly before the barrier specialist. A single palm strike compressed the attacker's skull down into his chest cavity with a sickening crunch.
The white-haired Vice Principal—despite his elderly appearance—moved with surprising agility, raising his ornate staff. A translucent shield materialized instantly, intercepting the lightning strikes before they could reach the students.
Meanwhile, the Dean of Academic Affairs underwent a dramatic physical transformation. His muscles swelled grotesquely, shredding his formal shirt as his body mass doubled. He crossed the distance to the first attacker in a blur of motion and delivered a devastating punch that launched the man hundreds of meters across the athletic field like a ragdoll.
The lightning-wielding attacker realized his assassination attempt had failed. Rather than retreat, his expression twisted into fanatical fervor.
"FOR THE ETERNAL ABYSS!"
He detonated himself in a suicide explosion.
The blast's shockwave mixed with uncontrolled electrical discharge shattered the Vice Principal's barrier. Even the Elite Class geniuses—who'd instinctively activated their newly awakened talents for protection—were thrown backward by the concussive force. Though none sustained serious injuries, they looked distinctly disheveled with ash-streaked faces and rumpled uniforms.
"Those damned Abyss Cultists again!" Headmaster Gareth spat the words like poison.
"Absolute lunatics!"
"Blech... ptoo..." Cade pushed himself upright, spitting dirt from his mouth. "I've heard rumors that Abyss Cultists specifically target students who awaken S-Rank talents. Guess the rumors were accurate."
Vaelor's eyes narrowed as he processed the scene with disturbing clarity.
Geniuses from prominent families who awakened S-Rank talents faced assassination attempts from suicide bombers. Fanatics willing to die just to eliminate future threats to their dark cause.
What would happen if his actual talents and profession became public knowledge?
Would Tier 7 or Tier 8 Abyss Cultists travel across continents to eliminate him? Would they target not just him, but everyone he cared about?
Unlike many transmigrators who conveniently found themselves orphaned with no attachments, Vaelor still had family. His father stationed at the border. His mother working at the hospital. Aunt Mira and his cousins here in Thornhaven.
He couldn't put all of them on the Abyss Cultists' hit list.
The decision crystallized in his mind with absolute certainty.
Stay low-profile. Keep the secrets buried. Survive.
"Hey, Vaelor?" Cade's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "So what did you awaken? Assassin? Mage? Something cool?"
Vaelor didn't hesitate. "E-Rank talent. Job awakened as Shadow Reaper."
The lie came smoothly, naturally, with just the right amount of resigned disappointment in his tone.
Cade's expression cycled through surprise, then comprehension, then deep sympathy within seconds. He placed a consoling hand on Vaelor's shoulder.
"Man... I thought my results were disappointing, but yours are even worse."
"You've got to stay positive though. Life continues regardless."
Cade's expression turned mischievous despite the serious situation. "And hey, even if you can't become a legendary warrior, with your face you could definitely make bank as a—"
"Don't finish that sentence."
"—romantic companion for wealthy—"
"Cade."
"Okay, okay, I'm shutting up."
Order was gradually restored following the attack. Injured instructors and students were transported to the infirmary for treatment by professional Medics. The remaining students filed back toward their classrooms for official registration.
The handful of S-Rank awakeners—including the Elite Class prodigies—were escorted to the Headmaster's office for secondary verification testing to ensure no errors had occurred in their assessments.
Class 3 Classroom
Instructor Selene Mordain stood at the podium, methodically calling out names and recording results.
"Seraphine Vex. A-Rank origin talent awakened. Profession: Shadow Mage."
Murmurs of impressed recognition rippled through the classroom.
"Garrett Steelheart. A-Rank origin talent awakened. Profession: Spear Master."
"Marcus Ironwood. B-Rank origin talent awakened. Profession: Guardian."
"Cade Fenrir. C-Rank origin talent awakened. Profession: Monster Veterinarian."
"Vaelor Draeth. E-Rank origin talent awakened. Profession: Shadow Reaper..."
The moment Instructor Mordain announced Vaelor's results, numerous female students turned to stare at him with expressions mixing surprise and profound disappointment.
The academy's unofficial "Most Beautiful Face" had awakened the worst possible talent. What a tragic waste.
Several girls who'd harbored obvious crushes on him suddenly became visibly distant, their body language radiating disinterest or even disgust. They literally couldn't bring themselves to look at him anymore.
"Hey, Melissa," one girl whispered loudly enough to be overheard. "Didn't you have a thing for Vaelor? Now's your chance to confess."
Melissa's face flushed crimson. "What?! I never liked him! Why would I waste time on an E-Rank failure?"
"Right? I thought he at least had potential for A-Rank, but clearly I misjudged."
"Handsome faces don't matter when your talent is garbage-tier."
A cluster of boys who'd awakened low-tier talents themselves couldn't hide their schadenfreude.
"I thought my D-Rank was embarrassing, but at least I'm not that guy."
"Exactly! So what if he's got model looks? E-Rank is E-Rank. I'd rather be ugly with D-Rank than pretty with E-Rank."
Cade shot Vaelor a concerned glance. "Don't let their bullshit get to you, man."
Vaelor smiled faintly, completely unbothered. "Trust me, I'm not that fragile."
The truth was, he genuinely didn't care about their opinions. These people were so far beneath his actual power level that their judgments meant less than nothing.
Even the Elite Class prodigies with their vaunted S-Rank talents weren't worth his genuine attention anymore.
Instructor Mordain finished recording the final entries and stood before the class with her characteristic stern expression.
"The job awakening ceremony is complete. You now have exactly one month remaining before the Martial Aptitude Examination."
"Don't delude yourselves into thinking the hard part is over. Awakening a talent means nothing if you can't leverage it properly. Students aiming for Combat Universities need to spend this month familiarizing themselves with their talents and professional techniques."
"Simultaneously, you must continue tempering your vitality."
"Remember the fundamental rule: entering Abyssal Rifts or dimensional dungeons requires minimum Tier 1 Warrior status. No exceptions."
Vaelor's mind automatically recalled the classification system from their textbooks.
Warriors progressed through nine distinct tiers, with Tier 1 representing the foundation and Tier 9 marking the pinnacle of mortal achievement.
Tier 1: LV1-LV9 Tier 2: LV10-LV19 Tier 3: LV20-LV29 ...continuing upward... Tier 9: LV90-LV99
Warriors who reached Tier 7 earned the designation "Master." Tier 8 warriors became "Grand Masters." Those who achieved LV99—the absolute peak of Tier 9—received the honored title "Apex Master."
Breaking through Level 100 elevated one to King-Tier status.
Beyond that lay the Demigod realm, extending to LV150.
Even a freshly awakened Tier 1 Warrior at LV1 possessed over 1,000 kilograms of pure strength and could move at 30 meters per second—far surpassing normal human limitations and marking entry into a higher evolutionary state.
Unfortunately, most students who graduated from combat academies never reached even that basic threshold.
"Many of you will complete your job awakenings and never advance to Tier 1 Warrior status during your entire lives," Instructor Mordain stated bluntly. "I expect you're all aware of this sobering reality."
"Therefore, starting immediately, you must establish solid foundations. Those seriously pursuing combat careers cannot afford to relax—even students with high-rank talents must diligently cultivate their vitality reserves daily."
"Today we'll conduct vitality measurements to assess whether you've maintained your training regimen during the recent period."
She consulted her class roster. "Fiona Sterling, you're first. Come forward."
"Cade Fenrir. Vitality measurement: 2.197. Below qualification threshold."
Cade trudged away from the testing device looking dejected.
"Next. Vaelor Draeth."
Seraphine, who'd been staring listlessly at her desk, immediately looked up with sharp attention.
Vaelor approached the measurement apparatus and inserted his finger into the vitality scanner. The crystalline surface glowed briefly before displaying: 2.332
Surprised murmurs rippled through the classroom. That was actually... respectable?
Standing before the podium, Vaelor released a subtle breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Vaelor Draeth. Vitality: 2.332. Passed."
Instructor Mordain regarded the young man with an expression of mixed disappointment and approval.
She'd genuinely expected him to follow a similar trajectory as Seraphine—at minimum awakening B-Rank talent. The E-Rank result felt like watching potential wasted.
"Well done. Compared to last month's measurement, your vitality increased by 0.151 points. Clearly you haven't neglected your physical conditioning."
"Since you passed the threshold, you'll receive this month's final student subsidy—your senior year's last stipend. It'll be transferred to your account shortly."
Vaelor nodded respectfully. "Thank you, Instructor Mordain."
The instructor studied him for a moment longer—the handsome face, the lean but clearly well-trained physique, those dark eyes that held surprising depth. Despite the mediocre E-Rank talent and ordinary family background, he projected an aura of quiet resilience. Calm, hardworking, neither arrogant nor discouraged.
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your awakened talent may be underwhelming, but based on your recent improvement trajectory, if you can push your vitality above 2.8, there's legitimate hope for admission to a second-tier Combat University. Keep working."
Before Vaelor could respond, a derisive snort cut through the air.
"Him? An E-Rank piece of trash?"
Every head turned toward the source—a student with distinctive yellow-dyed hair named Darius Thornwell.
He leaned back in his chair with exaggerated casualness, arms crossed behind his head, regarding Vaelor with undisguised contempt.
"No respectable Combat University would accept E-Rank garbage. Dream on."
Cade discreetly raised his middle finger beneath his desk while muttering, "Pretentious asshole."
Vaelor ignored the yellow-haired idiot entirely. The opinion of insects didn't merit acknowledgment.
"I'll do my best," he said simply to Instructor Mordain before turning to walk back to his seat.
As he passed Darius's desk, the yellow-haired student—apparently unsatisfied with Vaelor's lack of reaction—spoke again with deliberate cruelty.
"Even bottom-tier trash like you managed to increase vitality by 0.15 points in a month? What, did your useless soldier father finally die on the border so you could use his death pension to buy enhancement supplements?"
The classroom fell utterly silent.
The temperature seemed to drop several degrees.
Vaelor stopped walking. He turned his head slowly to look at Darius, and something dangerous flickered in his dark eyes.
"What," he said quietly, each word precisely enunciated, "did you just say?"