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Gareth stood before the rest of the individuals as a swirl of energy passed through his eyes. A wave of energy burst from his body in the form of a billowing tempest. All of a sudden, his body swelled as his muscles became even more robust.
At the same time, a fierce expression appeared on his face, "I'm an Augmenter, a physical Awakened centered around amplifying themselves. In order to discern your type, you must first understand where your magical energy accumulates," Gareth voiced.
Besides an Augmenter, there were several types of Awakeneds. While the broad categories were limited to Physical, Magical, Mental, and Natural, their breakdowns went even further.
Awakeneds of the physical type were separated into many different forms. Even transformations were part of physical abilities. Typically, magical energy congregated in their muscle fibers, penetrating into their cells.
Magical abilities are related to conjuring elements such as flames, water, wind, etc., with the energy flowing in one's body, making their accumulation different. Their strength was determined by the depth of their connection to the ambient elements.
Compared to the physical type, these abilities were much rarer. In fact, 50% of those who awakened, awakened to physical abilities.
The Mental type was even rarer, accounting for less than 15% of the awakened population. This entailed that a person possessed strong abilities such as Telekinesis, and other accelerated cognitive abilities. The senses of these types were heightened compared to everyone else.
Naturally, their accumulation point was their mind.
Meanwhile, Natural users were even more limited in supply. No more than 5% of the recorded population fell under this category. While it adhered to two unusual types—Force Wielders, and Restorers—both of them possessed highly coveted abilities. This was especially so for highly ranked individuals.
Depending on the accumulation area, the association determined the classification of the Awakened. But, the device made further differentiation possible.
Gareth shifted his arm behind himself, raising awareness of the contraption behind his back, "This device will test the concentration level of your Mana, or if you would like to call it magical energy, which would suffice as well. After all, the presence of this energy led to magical things."
As everyone laid eyes upon the device behind Gareth's back, resembling a podium attached to a metal source, they felt a pang of nervousness awaken inside them.
Suddenly, a petite female voice chirped inside the testing area, "Excuse me, Inspector Gareth. You said there are many types of Awakeneds, but you haven't addressed the grading. Shouldn't you mention that as well?"
"Ah, yes. How could I forget?" Gareth chuckled in response. Shortly after, he revealed even more information to the group. The weakest possible Awakening was classified as F Rank. While it sounded helpless, the weakest F Rank was still above a normal human.
Beyond this, there were Ranks E, D, C, B, and A. Additionally, each ranking consisted of a "-", neutral, and "+" grading. The strongest possible awakening was A+. But, in truth, A Rank didn't mark the end, but a new beginning. There was a reason S Rank Awakeneds rarely appeared and never kept that title; each of them possessed a favored opportunity.
The chance to become a Guardian!
Though the opportunity to become one was equal for everyone, those who awakened as an S Rank already possessed the means to become a Guardian, since the only difference between an Awakened and Guardian was the ability to grow beyond their first awakening.
Breaking the silence, Gareth asked the question hanging in the room, "Now, who would like to go first to break the ice?"
Silence pervaded. There wasn't a single soul who was confident enough to be the first experiment. Should they fail, they'd potentially become a laughingstock. Even though failing to awaken was a fairly normal occurrence, it was still an embarrassment, nonetheless.
"Tsk tsk, so no one has the decency to show this old man some compassion? Haiz...very well, I will just choose arbitrarily," Gareth sighed. He then raised his finger towards the girl who spoke earlier, "You there, come forth and try it out."
The blue-haired girl blinked her black eyes before nodding, "Me? Err, ok."
She advanced towards the testing contraption and placed her hand on it. She didn't need to do anything as the device injected its energy inside her palm, generating a response.
Immediately, her body displayed a reaction as the ambient temperature of the area began dropping drastically.
Additionally, the girl's hair turned paler and paler until it settled upon an arctic color. Not to mention, the reaction didn't lose momentum until there was a ring of frost surrounding the girl with a 2-meter radius.
"Name?" Gareth questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Alana Frost," the girl replied.
"Any relation to the Frost Witch, Elizabeth Frost?" Gareth inquired. This time, he was more invested in her origins.
"That...is my aunt," Alana muttered.
"No wonder," Gareth nodded. "Since you're already an Awakened, with your background, there's a chance you may even be a Guardian. For now, we won't extend an invite, but you have a vibrant A Rank potential. You should advance rather quickly."
After hearing this, Alana returned to her prior position. Because Alana, the first one to get tested, was already evaluated as an A Rank, the collection of individuals were galvanized to find out their own.
One by one, everyone continued to test themselves. While some failed, others did well and awakened to some type of useful ability. Be that as it may, by the time they tested half of the people, Alana was still the only A Rank to appear.
This was a testament to how rare individuals with A Rank or higher potential were. Finally, it was Cyrus's turn to attempt his awakening.
As he approached the device, his blood rushed. The murmurs surrounding him faded with only the device remaining in his sights. He was experiencing an extreme case of tunnel vision! His focus at this point was rivaling the impossible.
The moment his hand landed upon the device; an immediate disturbance took place. The image of a silver wolf appeared behind him before emitting a deafening howl. Even Gareth was shocked by this ordeal.
The reason behind it was simple; the aura surrounding Cyrus soared without restraint, gaining Gareth's shock!
'A-...A...A+! This is an A+ aura. My god! What are the odds?! A Beast Ability nearing the S Rank boundary! Additionally, there are 2 A Ranks in one batch!' Gareth thought in a daze. His incredulous expression remained for quite some time.
Meanwhile, once Cyrus moved his hand away, he stared at it in a stupor. 'That rush of power...I loved it. Is that what I'm capable of?' Cyrus gulped. He couldn't help the fact he was stupefied by what he sensed.
"A beast transformation ability. Those are quite rare because, unlike my ability, they're more likely to accomplish a more thorough boost in strength. With that being said, I will be the first to congratulate you for your awakening," Gareth praised.
Cyrus accepted the praise with a nod. Though he didn't show it explicitly, there was a momentary surge of emotion. With the absence of his parents, praise was nearly impossible to come by.
As he started to head back, Gareth stopped him. He bent down and whispered into his ear, "Well done. Once we are done here, follow me."
"Okay," Cyrus answered. He then returned to his position next to Lucian, "You should go up next. If I was able to awaken to this type of power, you should be able to as well."
Although his words made sense, Lucian couldn't shake the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. Images of his parents flashed in his mind as he looked at the podium. Furthermore, in a way, the wolf behind Cyrus reminded him of his father.
'I wonder if Dad held a similar power,' Lucian thought. It wasn't confirmed, but Lucian felt this connection was symbolic, it couldn't be groundless. Nevertheless, under the continued insistence of his brother, Lucian finally caved in. He was one of the next people to approach the device. As he did so, he exhaled.
Feelings of hope and nervousness welled up inside Lucian, yet he still placed his hand on the apparatus.
But, similar to those who failed earlier, there wasn't the slightest reaction. To make matters worse, when the device first injected its energy into his palm, a searing pain radiated throughout his body.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Even if the recipient failed, pain shouldn't appear. If it did, it meant something was amiss. Lucian, on the other hand, didn't voice his discomfort. As quickly as it appeared, the feeling subsided, almost as if something quelled it.
Regardless of this anomaly, Gareth's spirit-shattering verdict still resounded.
"Your awakening attempt has been deemed a failure. But, don't worry. There is always a chance to repeat the process. However, heed my words, I suggest you wait until an odd sensation appears as it may be a sign," Gareth said, attempting to pacify any negative emotions that could be festering within.