Chapter 5- Awakening Ceremony (Part 2)
Then, Jack called for a na from the list. Almost imdiately, everyone turned to a particular student as they recognized him. The boy was shocked to be the first and didn’t react for a second.
"M-?"
"Yes, please step forward," Jack said.
"*Gulp* Yes, sir."
In a hurry, the boy stood up and walked out of the row he was in as he headed up the stairs. Everyone watched him curiously, eager to know his fate. Everyone was nervous, but they were glad they weren’t the first ones to do it. It took a lot off their nerves.
He stopped in front of the Hunter and stared at him nervously. His legs and hands were shaking visibly, and he could barely stand straight.
"Relax. It will be quick." The hunter said calmly as he aid the gun at the boy’s chest. "Close your eyes, and don’t think too much."
"Yes... sir..." The boy said.
The man then put the gun against the student. The entire place went silent in anticipation. Then...
*Click*
The trigger was pulled, and a small flash of light ignited in the room before disappearing rapidly.
"..."
"..."
"..."
For a few seconds, nothing happened, and nobody knew how to react. Did it work? Did he awaken? Did he fail? No one could tell.
Then, Jack’s voice reverberated across the entire gymnasium.
"You have not awakened." He said calmly. "Good luck."
He sounded completely unbothered, as if this were another day at the job. However, the student who received the news paled.
"That can’t be..." He muttered in disbelief.
"It is unfortunate. But we wish you luck in your life. If you want, you can give it another try next year."
"..."
The boy looked down as tears welled in his eyes and then turned around and walked away. The heartbreak in his eyes was deep, and perhaps he will never recover from it. One could tell all the dreams he had of becoming a hunter, and yet they all vanished in a single instant. It was really cruel.
"Poor guy..."
"This is so scary..."
"What should we do?"
"I can’t really accept being refused like this."
The reactions were a mix of pity and worry. They all knew that only a handful of people were going to pass that day, and all they could do was pray they were one of those lucky few.
’He doesn’t know it yet, but he was blessed by being refused.’ Zen frowned. ’He dodged the biggest bullet of his life. All these people thinking becoming a Hunter will make their lives better... If they only knew.’
Zen sighed to himself as he stared up as the next na was ntioned, and the process continued. The second one was also refused, and so were the third and fourth ones... Nas kept being called and refused.
By the ti they reached almost 12, the first awakening happened. As Jack aid the gun and shot the energy into the girl, her body instantly reacted and flared with energy. For a second, everyone could see her body light up.
"What... What’s happening? I feel so much energy."
Then, she looked up as she saw sothing that confused her. Nobody could tell what she was looking at.
"Congratulations. You have awakened. Please move to that room. We will explain everything once the process is over."
"T-Thank you! Thank you so much!" The girl was still in disbelief, but she was able to find the words to thank the man with a smile as she looked over her shoulder at the rest of the students, then walked away.
"Damn... She’s so lucky..."
"Ugh, I want that to be so bad!"
"I have hopes! My luck isn’t over yet!"
The envy and frustration filled the minds of the students as the process continued swiftly. However, what nobody expected was that for the next 100 students... only 30 successfully awakened, and the room started emptying slowly.
Zen spent that ti examining every face, recognizing so from his past life. Knowing their fate, he could only sigh to himself. It was just sad how clueless these people were.
’This world is truly cruel. Dreams weren’t supposed to be nightmares.’ He pursed his lips bitterly. He had always wished that being a Hunter was truly the dream job many wanted, but the fact is... It was suicide.
Countless Hunters die every single day, and because the people’s minds were so washed, it just goes unnoticed.
’The number of people who awakened is still the exact sa, which is good. Any ti now, she should be...’
As Zen thought of that, the Hunter spoke.
"Cipha Heavensoul."
The mont those words were uttered, everyone turned their heads to stare at the girl. Even those who failed waited outside to watch what would happen. After all, Cipha, being of the Heavensoul clan, a prestigious clan of legendary Hunters, was supposed to be their most talented asset and one with endless potential.
Was she guaranteed to awaken? Or perhaps, was she going to fail too?
Nobody knew, and only Cipha herself could give them the answer. She stood up and walked to the stage silently, her eyes calm and serene as if the countless eyes didn’t bother her. Reaching the Hunter, she stopped.
The man seed to recognize her as his tone changed subtly, putting more respect into it. He knew not to ss with soone of Cipha’s caliber, or he might get in trouble.
"I shall begin."
The man said and aid the gun at her before he shot the energy pulse into her. For a split second, the entire world froze as everyone watched with anticipation.
Everyone was eager with anticipation... Except for Zen, who oddly crossed his arms as he pushed his chair back.
’Annnd... Boom...’
The mont he thought of that, the entire gymnasium was subrged in chaos as an overwhelming amount of energy exploded from Cipha’s body, pushing the chairs and the students several steps back. It felt like a raging storm that ford out of nowhere.
Cipha’s body lit up with a beautiful golden light. The Hunter stepped back in shock, showing a reaction for the first ti since he walked on that stage.
"..." His lips parted as he watched the energy pulsating through the girl. ’This... This can’t be...’
"An S... An S-Rank Hunter..." He muttered. That sheer amount of energy, and how truly pure it was... He only felt it once before, and that was when he saw one of the S-Rank Hunters from afar. He could never forget that mont.
’An S-Rank Hunter!! She’s an S-Rank Hunter!’
As the energy subsided, the man looked around him and then signaled for the other n who ca with him. Everyone was in shock, but they still understood what he wanted and moved instantly.
"What the hell was that?!"
"I almost fell!"
"What happened?!"
"She awakened... But... Why was it so violent!"
Many people were confused. It was completely different from how the other students awakened. The sheer volu of energy and how strong and oppressive it was... It was in a whole different world.
’Hm.’ Zen stared silently. ’An S-Rank Hunter is the highest rank that could be achieved by a Hunter. Every single one of those Hunters is one of the strongest in the world and a threat that could wipe out entire countries singlehandedly. The potential of an S-Rank Hunter is practically endless.’
Knowing fully well how ridiculous the power level of those monsters was, he knew how truly powerful his wife is. Cipha was one of a kind, even amongst those at the peak of power. Her talent and her innate abilities were freakishly strong to the point where even Zen didn’t want to ss with them, and he thanked the lord she was his wife and not his enemy.
"Hm..." Cipha humd softly as she looked at Jack. "I will move to the next room."
"..."
With that, she walked away before he could even say anything.
’She received the news as if it were nothing... Hah, she didn’t change one single bit.’ Zen smiled as he watched Cipha walk away. She had always been a very calm and composed person in front of strangers, and rarely does sothing faze her. Not even the news that she’s an S-Rank talent made her react.
’However, I rember the turmoil that happened after her awakening... The entire world was shaken to the core. A lot of chaos will occur because of this.’ Zen thought to himself. ’And a lot of unnecessary trouble will co her way and hinder her growth a lot. I can’t let that happen again. Cipha must reach her full potential.’
The fact that she was that freakishly strong and yet didn’t even reach her true potential told Zen enough about how talented she was. If he wanted to destroy everyone he wanted to destroy, he needed Cipha.
He needed her powers to reshape this world.
The Hunter took several monts to recover before he signaled for his n again. He had to continue the ceremony, even if such shocking news happened. He will deal with them later.
"Ehem, we shall... We shall continue."
With that, the nas continued rolling.
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