Sapphire High, Sapphire city, Sun Province :
John Martin saw the crowd around the awakening ceremony with a smile. Awakening, also refers to the start of Awakener or hunter. When the abyss invaded this world, humanity is almost driven to corner since normal weapons have little affect on the abyss creatures. Just when the Governments wanted to bomb the abyss creatures with nuclear weapons, a vast tower reaching skies appeared on Terra in every capital of a province.
It's called the cosmic Tower where divine and divinity will be born. The Tower gave them a choice, a hope in despair, it offered the opportunity to get the power enough to beat the abyss creatures at that time. From then on, humanity fought desperately.
After a year of constant war, the abyss creatures are pushed back into the dimensional cracks that appeared there.
But the invasion continued and the tower climbers also continued. Humans that have an affinity with mana or any energy from tower will be regarded as a potential awakener by the government. So when they finished their high school education, the awakening ceremony will be conducted by the tower for those who are compatible with mana.
Even a weak awakener will be very stronger compared to an average human. In the last few decades, many experts rose to top, many factions are created, conflicts arise, cults appeared, and all kinds of messy things happened.
As John stood in front of the awakening ceremony, he is hoping he can awaken a good skill. As for his path, naturally it depends on the skill awakening, if a good skill then he would strive to grow much stronger but if it's a not so good skill he will try to level to his limit until he a bottleneck and will think of an alternative way.
" Everyone is a hero of their own life afterall ", John don't have that much ambition to begin with. His parents are awakeners who served as enforcers in awakeners association before dying in a dungeon break. John received their pension and survived until now. " Bless me mother and father. Bless me so I can awaken a good skill ".
John said internally. As the awakening ceremony started, the cosmic tower cast a beam of light into the formation acknowledging the start of awakening ceremony. An expert stepped into the array and said," the person who is called will step into this formation to awaken their innate skill ". He then started calling names of people.
Peter Hughes
As the boy nervously stepped into the formation a bright light appeared and flames danced around him. Then the fire type energy merged into his body. The expert said," Innate skill - Fire Spirit Summoning. It's a C rank summoning skill ".
The expert nodded and called another name," Jennifer Locks ", a girl with a hint of arrogance and pride on her face entered the formation. A green and gentle aura appeared around her before it enlarged and absorbed into her body. She smiled while the man said," Innate Skill - Grace of Light. A-rank holy skill ".
" Wow, someone actually awakened an A rank skill that is said to be 1 in 10 million ".
" Damn, it is also very useful healing skill. It can heal and can also remove debuffs ".
" She will be taken in by an expert surely ".
" Arthur Vane ".
A white fog enveloped the boy, the platform generated a chilling sensation. Arthur who is on platform exhaled cold air while the expert said," Innate skill - Frost Fangs. B-rank Ice element skill", Arthur smiled and got out of the plaform.
" Arthur has very good luck ".
" Yeah, offensive skills are rare and it's also a B rank skill that appears only 1 in every million ".
" What a lucky bastard ".
The expert called one after another. Most are with F or E rank skills. They looked dejected, but those D or C rank skills stayed calm. They can find a dungeon or any other job in everywhere. As for B or higher, the association or guilds directly recruit them to be a part of raid teams.
" John Martin ".
The crowd looked at John who ascended the platform. The expert channeled mana into the formation. A blinding golden light appeared. It swirled around John and then entered his body.
" Woah, do you think he will get the legendary s-rank skill ".
" hah, S-rank is once in 100 million or even billion. There are only 30 or so worldwide every decade. Do you think it's that easy ".
" Yeah man, he may awaken an A-rank skill at most ".
" I think there will be a possibility he will awaken s-rank ".
As the awakening completed, the expert looked at the result and frowned. He thought,' all that blinding golden light and what awakened is just a B-rank Insight skill '. The expert frowned in thought before announcing," Innate skill - Insight. A B-rank appraisal type skill ", The crowd fall into stunned silence while John looked somewhat dazed. He got off the platform while the crowd shook it's head. They thought too much. But for John it's entirely different. When he awakened the skill he felt different. For a fraction of second he thought he knew everything, it's not his arrogance, it's his skill. At that time he felt omniscient for that fraction before reverting back.
No one knew the skill he awakened isn't B rank but an unknown EX-rank. He never heard of this rank. The highest rank recorded in mankind's history is the SS rank skill - Blessing of Fire God. Awakened among the first generation hunters, the hunter who awakened the skill is Andrew Dalton. The strongest hunter of mankind at present. If the news that he awakened an unknown rank skill is known then he will be assassinated not just by abyss creatures but by fellow humans. There are Guilds and Factions afterall, so he can't reveal it to anyone. The consequences will be disastrous afterall. John is greeted by his friends, they congratulated him and told him to work hard since he got a B rank skill.