James sat silently on the bench, the buzzing in his head finally fading. His fingers still tingled. "So this is what awakening felt like?".
Across the room, Sonia rubbed her temples, adjusting to the strange warmth spreading through her chest.
The moment didn't last.
A heavy thud echoed as Kade stumbled out, breathing hard. He sluggishly walked over to the chair, collapsing onto it, trying to recover the feeling in his limbs.
After a little rest, the pain all over his body began to fade. He blinked, scanning the room.
"There's no one out yet," Kade muttered.
"I guess that Zone C bastard was all show after all," he said louder, laughing to himself.
"What are you on about?" Donna stared at Kade, clearly baffled by his confidence. "You're the last to exit… the last person before you came out about two minutes ago."
Kade shot up from his seat.
"You mean I was the last… to complete awakening?" he asked, stunned.
Donna gave Kade a sarcastic look.
"Yes… was there something unclear the first time?"
Kade gritted his teeth, humiliated.
"Then where are they?"
Donna sighed, already feeling exhausted from dealing with him.
"Where do you think, genius? They're all getting evaluated to determine their ability and what rank they are."
Kade immediately ran out of the underground center toward the evaluation room.
"It doesn't matter if I was the last to awaken. As long as I get a good rank, I can still rub it in their arrogant faces," he thought to himself with a smirk.
Reaching the evaluation room, he shoved the door open.
But no one paid attention to his dramatic entrance. Everyone's gaze was locked on the center of the room.
Kade squeezed through the crowd, trying to see what had everyone so captivated. As soon as he got close enough, he saw her — one of the girls he had taken the Awakener Exam with.
Sophia.
She stood calmly while being evaluated by a man in a suit.
His eyes flicked to Jide, who was also staring at Sophia in awe.
"Hey Jide, what's going on?" Kade whispered, dragging Jide closer.
Jide turned to Kade.
"Oh, you're finally out…" Jide said with light sarcasm.
Kade narrowed his eyes, unamused.
Jide cleared his throat and gestured at Sophia.
"She was able to awaken in under six minutes. But not only that… she's been evaluated as a level 4 Awakener."
Kade's eyes widened.
"She's really a Level 4 Awakener…"
Jide nodded.
Kade clenched his jaw. "You expect me to believe that girl, who looks barely older than me, might reach Level 6?"
"Okay, your evaluation is complete," the man behind the counter said, addressing Sonia.
"Your ability is a support type. It should begin manifesting this week."
She didn't look at anyone—not out of pride, but like someone with a clear path ahead. Not out of pride — but like someone who knew exactly where she was going. The crowd instinctively parted for her as she passed, whispering among themselves.
"This world really isn't fair… she's not only a Level 4 Awakener but also a support type."
"It's only a matter of time before the top Vanguards show up at her doorstep. Her career is practically set."
James, who was next to be evaluated, turned his attention to the chattering crowd.
He sighed, a flicker of envy surfacing.
"It's definitely a dream for anyone who wants to be an Awakener to be a Level 4."
The situation was clear — Sophia's future was secured. Being a Level 4 Awakener meant more than just power. The rank was tied directly to the potency of one's innate ability. Those who awakened between levels 4–6 were called High-Level Awakeners. They not only had stronger abilities but the potential to grow even further.
However, those who awakened at levels 1–3 were classified as Low-Level Awakeners. Their limit had already been set. No matter how hard they tried, their abilities would never improve. It was an irreversible ceiling.
"Please place your hand on the machine," said Riley, the evaluator
James stepped forward and placed his palm on the metal wall designed to measure an Awakener's ability.
The crowd murmured with curiosity.
"Do you think he'll awaken as a High-Level Awakener?"
"It seems realistic. He awakened as fast as the girl… and his kill count was higher."
"Seriously, how's it fair that so many geniuses are showing up at once? It was already rare to see the evaluation of a level 4 Awakener. Now we might see two."
James' eyes shifted to Riley, who now looked… disturbed.
"Please place your hand on the machine again," he said, his gaze locked on the flickering screen.
James hesitated. "Why is he reacting like that… could I be awakening as a Level 5?" He smiled, hope flashing in his chest.
"You've been classified as a Null Rank," Riley finally announced.
The murmurs in the room froze. Confused glances passed around.
"Null Rank? What's that supposed to be?" James asked, frowning.
"Not surprised you haven't heard of it. It's not even officially listed anymore." An old man standing among the crowd answered instead of Riley, drawing everyone's attention.
"It's a rank so rare it was never officially classified in the Awakener system you're all familiar with."
"Are you kidding me, old man?" Kade scoffed, clearly annoyed and envious. "Are you trying to say he awakened an ability so rare it needs a different classification altogether?"
But the old man shook his head.
"You're mistaken… those who awaken as a Null Rank are classified differently because they never have an ability to begin with."
The crowd gasped.
James froze. The words didn't register at first. Null Rank? That wasn't… that couldn't be right. His mind scrambled, searching for an explanation. He looked up, hoping for a smirk, a correction, anything.
But Riley's face didn't change.
"He's right…" Riley confirmed. "You don't have an ability. You just became a little stronger than a normal human after awakening."
Silence filled the room. Everyone stared, stunned.
Then, soft laughter echoed… slowly growing louder.
"Hahaha… Sorry," Kade said, barely holding back his grin. "You were such a hotshot not so long ago… What happened to that confidence? Hahaha!"
James' heart sank. Everything — all his years of work, his sacrifices, his hope — crumbled in an instant.
"T-this can't be," James whispered, his voice trembling.
He clenched his jaw and snapped at Riley.
"It can't be! There's no way my rank is that low… no way I couldn't even awaken an ability!"
Riley stared at James. He saw it — the pain, the weight, the desperation in James' eyes. The kind of desperation born from surviving the worst and still daring to dream.
But sometimes, reality didn't care.
"I'm sorry, man. But there's nothing that can be done…" Riley said softly.
James stood there, hand still on the machine. His body didn't move — but inside, something had shattered.
He had fought monsters. Bled. Starved. Saved. Survived.
And in the end… nothing.
"...It's best you give up on becoming an Awakener."