Verdan Academy, Central Plaza.
On the high platform, a magister robed in star-embroidered ceremonial vestments gently tapped his staff before a massive crystal stele.
As torrential magical power was channeled into it, the ancient stone monument standing proudly in the plaza's center instantly activated.
The surface of the crystal stele emitted pillars of light that shot into the sky, intertwining into a brilliant canopy of radiance above the plaza. The entire area was filled with an atmosphere of solemnity and anticipation.
"The Awakening Ceremony now begins," the magister's voice, amplified by magic, resonated across the grounds. "Students whose names are called, please place your hand upon the crystal stele. The inscriptions will guide you to resonate with the most suitable profession."
"First, Liam."
As the first student to step forward, Liam took a deep breath and, under the gaze of the entire assembly, pressed his palm against the shimmering, multi-hued surface of the crystal stele.
The moment his hand made contact, the stele gradually brightened, enveloping his entire form in a dazzling, glorious luminescence.
"What profession do you think Liam will awaken?"
"His usual performance is well-rounded, decent in both physical and mental aptitude tests."
"My guess is a combat profession like 'Elemental Envoy' or 'Weapon Master'."
After a minute, a rune edged with a crimson glow materialized from within the crystal stele.
"It's a flame rune! Could it be 'Flame Walker'?"
"No, the rune's structure is different... That's the rune for 'Arms Artificer'!"
When the result was announced, a wave of hushed, sympathetic murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Liam was considered a high-achieving student in his year; this outcome was truly unexpected for many.
Emerging from the fading magic circle, Liam's eyes were slightly red-rimmed. He hung his head and silently returned to the line, where a counselor offered soft words of comfort.
As the ceremony progressed, the tension in the plaza grew thicker. Students who successfully awakened combat professions celebrated with joy, while those who awakened common or mundane professions struggled to conceal their disappointment.
In the observation area, several teachers were conversing in low voices.
"This year's batch of students is quite remarkable," the Year Head remarked, flipping through the roster in his hand. "Especially the ones with outstanding innate talent; quite a few have already awakened combat professions."
"Indeed," a female teacher added. "But there have been some pleasantly surprising performances among the others as well. For instance, Allison awakened as a 'Crystal Weaver', which is quite rare even among combat professions."
"Speaking of rare," another teacher interjected, "did you notice the observation platform? Even observers from the City Lord's manor are here. It seems they have a keen interest in this year's students."
While the teachers conversed, the ceremony continued methodically.
There was joy for some, dejection for others. When the highly anticipated students awakened into combat professions with significant potential one after another, the observing teachers nodded in approval, the atmosphere growing warm.
"Next, Kieran."
Kieran's expression was calm. Under gazes filled with either curiosity or indifference, he walked steadily towards the crystal stele.
However, the instant his hand pressed against the crystal stele...
BOOM!!!
A deafening roar, not from the physical world but exploding directly within the soul of every person present, erupted!
The light of the entire magic circle abruptly died, not from energy depletion, but as if all illumination was being violently sucked into the figure at the center of the array!
Immediately after, an indescribable, icy, and pure blue light erupted forth from Kieran with overwhelming force!
This light was not blinding, yet it carried a majesty and vastness that pierced straight to the heart. It instantly flooded the entire high platform, even causing the sunlight in the sky to dim momentarily!
Within the radiance, countless intricate, densely packed runes seemed to flow like a waterfall, and the fleeting silhouette of something immense and formless took form deep within the blue light, exuding a pressure that made souls tremble.
Students closest to the platform even felt a tangible pressure, forcing them to involuntarily take a step back.
"What happened?!"
"What is this light? Did the crystal stele break?"
"No! This pressure... it's a phenomenon! An Awakening Phenomenon!"
The entire plaza erupted into an uproar, exclamations rising one after another.
The magister on the platform and the academy leadership in the observation stands also shot to their feet, their faces etched with shock and utter disbelief.
Triggering a phenomenon between heaven and earth upon Awakening this was typically only recorded in ancient texts and legends, signifying the emergence of a profession that defied imagination!
But the astonishing phenomenon arrived as swiftly as it departed.
In the span of a few breaths, the vast blue light surged back like a tide, instantly converging and completely withdrawing into Kieran's body, vanishing without a trace. The plaza returned to its original state, as if the soul-shaking scene moments before had been a collective hallucination.
Dead silence.
Everyone stared dumbfounded at the sole figure standing on the high platform.
Kieran slowly opened his eyes. On his forehead, a blue mark composed of simple lines, resembling a stylized cross between a knight's mech and a sword, flashed briefly before fading.
[Detected host has awakened the profession: Mech Soulmaster. Profession requirements met. Initiating binding of Intelligent Assistant System, Aqua.]
A clear, calm, completely synthetic female voice, devoid of any human emotion, sounded directly in his mind.
Kieran's heart gave a violent jolt, then quickly settled.
As expected... it still came.
As a transmigrator, a sliver of subtle anticipation had always lingered in the depths of his heart.
In this world filled with miracles, since events like transmigration and awakening a hidden profession could occur, the appearance of some "special" assistance didn't seem entirely impossible either.
Immediately, all emotions were swiftly reined in. No matter the internal turmoil, now was not the time to investigate this "Aqua."
"Phenomenon Awakening!"
"Oh my heavens! Our academy has produced a genius who triggered a phenomenon!"
"What profession did he awaken?!"
The magister, suppressing his excitement, his voice trembling slightly, looked towards the instrument responsible for recording energy waveforms beside the magic circle.
On the screen of the instrument, a complex profession rune they had never seen before was displayed, its energy level absurdly high. But the profession name annotated below was a mess of garbled code.
Almost simultaneously, everyone heard a thunderous crash. A figure shot over from the direction of the main platform like a cannonball.
It was Headmaster Edgar.
Faint, swirling vortices of golden energy shimmered around him, the natural manifestation of the immense combat aura of a Level 65 powerhouse.
This old man, whose iron fists had earned him great renown on the northern border in his youth as a Brawler, was now so stirred inside that he struggled to control the power radiating from his body.
He planted a foot on the observation deck's railing. In the next moment, the solid wood railing, infused with combat aura, exploded into a cloud of splinters as if struck by a behemoth!
People only saw a blur before their eyes. A violent gust of wind swept past, and the Headmaster was already standing before the newly awakened and slightly dazed Kieran, his face a picture of intense excitement. The imposing figure he presented brought not oppression, but a sense of reliability and awe akin to a mountain's descent.
"The Headmaster actually used Flash Step!" a senior student recognized the move and exclaimed under his breath, his face filled with disbelief.
They knew well that this usually gentle and refined Headmaster hadn't displayed his terrifying prowess as a top-tier combat professional within the academy for many years.
"Kieran, what profession did you awaken?"
A pair of large hands gripped Kieran's shoulders tightly, the force making Kieran frown slightly. It was evident just how emotionally charged the Headmaster was at this moment.
Facing Headmaster Edgar's burning gaze, Kieran offered a slight bow before answering truthfully, "The hidden profession I awakened is... Mech Soulmaster."
Headmaster Edgar was speechless.
The Crowd was utterly confused.
Mech Soulmaster.
What kind of profession was that? Piloting mechs?
People looked at each other in confusion; even the widely experienced Headmaster Edgar was baffled. Why had he never heard of this profession? Though, just from the name, it sounded incredibly imposing.
Fortunately, upon awakening, relevant profession information surfaced for Kieran.
Similar to what everyone guessed, the Mech Soulmaster, as the name implied, was a variant of the Controller-type professions.
But unlike ordinary Controllers, the Mech Soulmaster could only pilot specific "mechs," and they had to be soul-bound mechs at that.
Headmaster Edgar's expression shifted repeatedly, his gaze fixed intently on Kieran as he asked nervously, "Are you certain... you can only pilot specific mechs? You cannot use any other equipment as a substitute?"
Kieran nodded.
Affirmative.
Moreover, the mech piloted by a Mech Soulmaster had to be an exclusive unit bound to their soul. Any other form of equipment would be rejected by the profession's inherent nature.
The expression on Headmaster Edgar's face finally solidified.
It was an extremely complex look, as if he had been doused with a bucket of ice water, leaving only boundless disappointment after the initial shock and joy.
Just like him.
Upon hearing the essence of the Mech Soulmaster from Kieran's own mouth, the expressions of the thousands present were identical.
"Mech Soulmaster, the name sounds domineering! Heh..."
"Exclusive mech? Such a thing is utterly unheard of!"
"He's done for, done for... Where is a newly awakened rookie supposed to find legendary equipment like that?"
Mech Soulmaster. First, you needed to have a mech.
Kieran himself had confirmed that the Mech Soulmaster's abilities automatically rejected any non-bound equipment.
The corner of Headmaster Edgar's mouth twitched violently. He patted Kieran's shoulder, mustering his spirits to offer consolation. "It's alright. It's still a hidden profession, and a completely new one at that."
"Even if its potential isn't limitless, at the very least... it still has research value."
Research value?
Pfft—
Many couldn't hold back their laughter.
Oh dear, Headmaster, must you be so humorous?
A prodigy who awakened a hidden profession surely you aren't planning to dissect him for research?
How absurd...
Countless people shifted from hope to disappointment. In contrast, the person at the center of it all, Kieran, remained as calm as if nothing had happened.
"Has this guy been stunned stupid by the shock?"
"Without a single usable piece of equipment, how is this profession supposed to fight?"
"This profession is a dead end from the start."
"Any normal profession can at least use some basic gear. But this Mech Soulmaster can't use anything at all."
One moment, he was the center of universal acclaim; the next, he had fallen from grace.
The crucial point was, the speed of this change was simply too fast. His time as a genius lasted less than a minute before it was over. Anyone would be crushed.
"Ah, what a pity."
"And the aptitude tests are in just one month. How is this guy going to take the exam? Without any decent equipment, is he supposed to fight the monsters in the dungeon bare-handed?"
"He probably can't even defeat the lowest-level Slime, right? Haha..."
Headmaster Edgar left, but not before offering earnest advice to Kieran: "For the test in a month, once you enter the dungeon, try to avoid the monsters as much as possible. With a bit of luck, if you happen upon some weaker ones, you might gather some materials and gain a bit of experience. At least you can make a living that way."
Kieran had instantly transformed from the "genius" everyone watched with bated breath into an unlucky fellow who had awakened a "useless profession."
Facing the varied looks shot his way from all sides, and the faint sounds of mockery reaching his ears, Kieran's face showed no trace of despondency or anger.
He raised his head, a sharp, barely perceptible glint flashing in his icy blue eyes. He ignored the taunts and silently walked down from the high platform.