"Next… C rank"
His heart was racing.
The next few moments would determine the rest of his life, though with the rate his heart was pounding a heart attack might kill him first.
"Next… B rank, Congratulations"
Around him were 4 gray, dull, lifeless walls, and it being dark wasn't helping at all. The equipment stored and used here was extremely sensitive, not even light was allowed.
The only source of illumination was in the very center: It was a giant glass tube with two glowing platforms capping it of, one at the top and one at the bottom. This is were the analysis occurs, with the results showing up on the two screens. One facing him and the other facing the invigilator
"Next… E rank." Mr. Philip said with a look of disdain on his face, practically spitting on the student in front of him "Fuck and don't waste my time."
For those who could awaken, rank determined everything. High ranked awaken would live life on easy mode while lower ranks would struggle for everything in life. The guy who was now being pulled away while balling his eyes out was truly unlucky to get one of the worst ratings, superior only to the mythic F rank.
"Next…. A rank, Congratulations. Please move over to my left to await further instructions." Mr. Phillip said with a smile on his face, in stark contrast to his attitude to the student only one prior.
'All i need is a C… no even a D rank talent and I'll live a good life'
He was the exact opposite of ambitious when it came to his future, his father had died when he was six while hunting monsters, with his mother following soon after out of sheer shock and anguish. The last thing he wanted to do was fight monsters; he just wanted to live a life that was slightly better than average. His current life was already a struggle, so if he was forced to live with a talent then he would want it to be good enough to not be a burden.
The government provided all awakened above F rank with a monthly allowance that was enough to live so that they could focus on growth and not how they were going to feed themselves, or where they were going to sleep.
With that allowance, he wouldn't have to work the shady 'jobs' that he grew accustomed to.
"Next… B rank, Congratulations."
The amount given would scale with rank, with the minimum required to live comfortably without doing anything being C rank, if he got a D then he would have to work at one of the many corporations that were eager to higher awakened for the subsidies they brought.
If he got an E rank then it would be basically non-existent and would need to hunt to survive as not even the smallest companies would be willing to accept someone of such low rank. It would be easier to get a job as a mundane than a low ranked awakened, as it would lead to a pr disaster for the company.
Awakened are held to a high standard and being weak, even if you had no say in the matter, would lead to the disgust of every one. Higher ranked awakened will see you as trash and mundanes will see you as a disappointment.
If by the skin of his teeth he managed to become an A rank, or god forbid an S rank, then the school will force him into a special training course to prepare him for proper hunting, combat and teamwork.
A school only had so many resources allocated to them every year, so even with what they could acquire themselves, they could only focus their efforts onto the few that would show promising results without needing excessive nurturing.
And with the prestigious standing this school had, such pampering was reserved for the cream of the crop, those who would be guaranteed to stand on top in the future. Otherwise, just like every other school, B ranks would also be forced into this special training.
"Next…. D rank."
Not too high, not too low. That's what he was aiming for, and with the yearly average fluctuating between C and D rank, he had a good chance of achieving his goal.
"Next….. S…S... S RANK!" Mr. Phillip said excitedly, almost crying "Oh thank God that we finally have another S rank after all these years!" The resources that were assigned to the school was dependent on the ranks of the newly awakened every year and so was his salary, so naturally he was excited with an economic boost personified.
Everyone was all shocked by those words as awakening as an S rank was less likely than winning the lottery twice in a row, but one of these people with divine luck had appeared in front of them.
Almost immediately the stuffy mood that hung around the room was lifted, as there was a folktale that higher ranks bring higher ranks. Even if this was disproven many years ago, many people still stood by it.
So the appearance of an S rank should determine that they should have better results than average. One might point out the E rank that had just awakened, but every one had already forgotten about him. Who told him to have piss poor luck anyway?
"Announcing the awakening of the S rank Talent Elizabeth Jacobs, May her future be bright and her contributions brighter." Removing his hand from the screen that allowed his voice to be heard all throughout the school, he turned his eyes towards that girl that was now crying on the floor in front of him.
"Congratulations Lady Jacobs, If it is comfortable with you then a few gentlemen will escort you to a location more fitting to someone of your status." He said with a smile on his face while bowing.
A teacher bowing to his student might be strange at another time, but at this moment she wasn't just his student, she was an S rank. With him being only an A rank, he had to treat her with the utmost respect. The last thing that he wanted was for her to develop some sort of grudge that she would be more than powerful enough to act on in the future.
"S rank talent: Holy priest, Light attribute." It was customary to announce the basic details about an S rank talent to those who were present when the awakening took place, unless the person expressed that they didn't want to have the details known. And judging by the fact that Elizabeth was still in a state of shock while being carefully moved to another room, she was in no condition to deny.
Collecting himself, he continued with his job of overseeing the awakening, she might have been the first S rank awakened in the last 5 years of the school, but he had been doing this for the last 40 years. He had seen many S ranks in his life and a new one wasn't going to change anything.
"Next… A rank, Congratulations. Please move over to my left."
Ray, being a skeptic, just believed that rumor to be bullshit and an A rank awakening right after an S rank to be just a coincidence, but with what happened next he might start believing.
"S rank talent: Holy Knight, Metal-light attribute."
"S rank talent: Ranger, Air-Beast attribute."
"S rank talent: Wraith , Dark-Air attribute."
"S rank talent: Dragonification, Beast attribute."
4 more S ranks in a row, each unique and powerful in their own way, accompanied by their own announcement and their details announced.
After the first 2, Mr. Phillip was no longer excited over every single S rank, even he would get numb after a while. One had to know that 5 S ranks in a year absolutely crushed the previous country wide record of 3 S ranks per school per year.
After a few more people walked up to the plate and got satisfactory results, it was finally his turn. Before, he told himself that he didn't want to get a high rank and be forced to train and hunt monsters, but there was a limit to how much one could fool themselves.
With a high rank, one would be properly cared for during the duration of their training with almost every need and want provided for them. What waited for them was the top of society, whether they choose to hunt or not. Their powerful abilities would be useful in many other ways making them extremely valuable and they were treated as such.
As he walked up to the plate, he felt that it was finally his time to shine and stand above the rest. The two platforms flashed with a strange light and he felt a wave of energy rush through his body.
He felt something awaken inside his mind. It was a strange feeling, it felt like something that was in a deep slumber was now awake. And now that he knew that it was there he couldn't believe that he didn't notice it before. A soothing wave of energy passed through his entire body, making him feel invigorated and much stronger than he had ever felt.
But before he could get too excited, the words he red next instantly shattered every expectation, false hope and feeling of satisfaction that he managed to build up inside of him.
"Higan Ray Hart. F rank talent, Physique. No detectable attribute."
He paused before hearing what sounded like glass shattering in his head, the world around him was spinning and then everything went black.