Livia helped Frey sit upright as the Master watched closely. "What happened in there, kid?"
Frey groaned, clutching his head. The pain still lingered, but something about him felt… different.
The Master's voice hardened. "Did you encounter an Evil Spirit?"
Frey didn't know what had happened, not exactly, but he nodded anyway.
Encounters with Evil Spirits were rare; the awakening circle was designed to send one's soul only to a guardian spirit compatible with it.
On occasion, though, a wandering Evil Spirit might cross paths with the soul at that moment. When that happened, the circle would usually pull the soul back immediately, before any damage could occur.
But whatever happened to Frey… it wasn't that simple.
The Master frowned at the awakening array, its faint white glow lingering. "You completed a spirit bond," he muttered. "So… what did you bond with?"
Before Frey could answer, two elegant fox ears sprouted from his head, followed by a single pale tail wreathed in faint pinkish-blue wisps. His eyes flickered, a trace of blue spreading across them.
The Hall Master blinked in surprise, then, with a strange look, announced, "Frey Sinard — fox spirit, Common Mortalrank."
Frey's eyes went wide. Common Mortal? The words echoed in his skull. That woman, whatever she was, had enough power to send the world into oblivion, and this old man, barely Stage 2, actually had the nerve to call her a Common Mortal aptitude spirit.
Hearing the announcement, laughter erupted across the hall.
"Pfft—"
"Hah! A Mortal rank fox spirit? With all that blinding light, I thought he'd awakened a Heaven rank spirit!" one of the boys jeered.
Even Vivi and Chloe couldn't hold back their giggles.
The unawakened, however, stayed quiet. Better a Common Mortal spirit than none at all.
Chloe leaned toward Vivi with a smirk. "Have you ever heard of a man awakening a fox spirit? I haven't. Not in this town, at least," she said, amusement flickering in her eyes.
Vivi returned her smirk, both imagining the same thing. Fox spirits were typically drawn to women — nimble, alluring, and favored for espionage or trickery. Their talents leaned more toward charm and illusion than direct combat.
Among the lower aptitude ranks, fox spirits were infamous for awakening seductive skills, the kind that could bend hearts and minds alike. Those who couldn't earn positions in a noble house's army or guilds often found other uses for such abilities, particularly in brothels or courtesan houses that paid handsomely for pleasure and charm.
So when Frey sprouted fox ears and a single white tail, the girls couldn't help but picture it: a beautiful boy, pale skin, white hair swaying, tail twitching behind him.
The thought of him, fully grown and awakened, stirred something dangerous in them.
One couldn't help but imagine running her hands along every curve of his body, testing the softness of his skin, the warmth of him, while another imagined seeing him grovel, obedient, eager to please, every inch of him her to command.
Their laughter bubbled quietly, sharp and knowing, as they shared a glance that said far more than words ever could.
* * *
In this world, in this hall, every 16 year old, whether they had formed a spirit bond or failed to do so, was considered an adult, fully responsible for the pleasures or dangers they might unleash. And Frey… he had just become a fox boy in a world with low morals.
Frey, still dazed at the center of the altar, barely registered the whispers. The laughter, the murmurs about him being a "pretty boy" or worse, barely touched him.
Before, he might have cried — not at the mockery, but at the thought of a future limited by a spirit of mere Mortal aptitude.
But Frey was not the same Frey anymore. His entire demeanor had shifted, shaped by two lifetimes of memories etched deep in his mind.
In that moment, within the Gray Realm, he had lived as two people in two different worlds: one on a cultivation planet called Qianluo, the other on a world called Earth. It felt as if he had just awakened memories of his past lives.
But he could only cringe at the way both had met their end, silently hoping that his own fate would not follow the same path.
Frey shook his head as he stood, his tail swaying lazily behind him, earning a few whistles from the hall. With a thought, both the tail and ears vanished.
They usually manifested when the Guardian Spirit resided within one's Spirit Sea. For him, it was still forming. Once the Spirit Seed matured into a Core, the Spirit Sea would fully manifest.
He stepped down from the altar and walked toward the group of awakened students.
Henry smirked, speaking loud enough for all to hear. "Well, well, pretty boy… care to give me a discount for a night?"
The hall snickered, anticipating drama… or maybe even a full-blown catfight.
Frey stopped in front of him, calm as a saint. Usually, he would have snapped or done something childish, but not now. He tilted his head and smiled.
"Sure, buddy. Why don't you bring your mom too? I'll give her a 90 percent discount, and she'll be calling me 'Daddy' from then on. That way, you'll have two dads to look after your sorry ass."
The hall went dead silent for a heartbeat, eyes widening in shock. Then, a cacophony of laughter erupted.
"Oh my god…what did he eat today?!" Chloe burst out, clutching her stomach. It was the first time she'd ever heard Frey speak like this. Weird, brazen, and incredibly effective.
Henry's entire body trembled, black wolf ears sprouting from his head and canines elongating. He was about to lunge when—
Takk—
The sharp clang of a staff hitting the floor cut through the hall. Every whisper and snicker vanished instantly.
The Hall Master's gaze swept over the room. He didn't need to say a word; everyone understood.
The ceremony thus resumed, the tension easing as the final student bonded with a Rare Earth cat spirit.
When the final glow of the array faded, a quiet stillness settled over the hall.
The Hall Master's gaze swept over both the heartbroken non-awakeners and the jubilant ones who had succeeded. His expression didn't change, he had seen this scene every year.
He finally spoke, "As you've all learned by now, Aptitude is not destiny. It is potential."
The teenagers… no, the young adults focused on him, their attention drawn by the weight of his words.
He continued, "Even a spirit of lower aptitude can rise to greatness through effort, fortune, and the right guidance."
His gaze softened as he paused, letting the words sink in. "And remember, even those blessed with Heaven-rank spirits have fallen from grace. There are living examples, like Count Desmond. So to all who awakened today, give it your all, if you truly wish to reach beyond your limits."
Finally, he added, "It will take around six hours for your Spirit Cores to fully form, maybe more. Go home and make sure to stay safe until then. Only when the core is complete will you truly be considered Awakeners. Also, don't forget to collect your new IDs before leaving the hall."
The Hall Master gave a final nod, signaling the end of the ceremony. He had nothing to say to the non-awakeners; there were no words that could lighten their hearts.
It was a harsh truth — those without power could never hope to rise, and in a world overrun by Evil Spirits, even survival was uncertain.
Frey watched everything with quiet curiosity, as if seeing this world for the first time. Yet he had been born here, lived here for sixteen years.
What's wrong with me? he wondered, shaking his head as he turned to leave.
It was finally time to go back home and sort out all the shits he'd been through.