After the awakening of the first Awakener, the world underwent significant changes. Various technologies were developed to measure an Awakener's power, and a ranking system was established to categorize their abilities. The ranks started from F- and went up through E, D, C, B, A, and so on, with SSS being the highest attainable rank. Unfortunately, no human had ever reached the elusive SSS rank. This was the reason why humans weren't included in the alliance of elves and dwarfs – the fear of SSS-ranked demons. Humans had barely managed to defeat demons in the previous war because there were no king-ranked demons (equivalent to SSS rank). If even one had joined the battle, humanity would have been doomed.
Although humans had won the war against demons, they couldn't eradicate them entirely. Demons had taken over Australia and established their stronghold. As a result, humanity still faced the impending threat of another war with demons.
To prepare for future crises, humanity established the Five Awakener Academies to train future generations. Collectively, they were known as the Five Pillars of Humanity.
Back in the test room, Asher found himself facing a panel of seven individuals seated behind a long desk. He politely asked, "May I come in?" as he stood outside the door.
One of the seven replied, "Yes, come in and have a seat."
Asher entered the room and settled into an empty chair as the interview began. He introduced himself and answered their questions truthfully. Afterward, he was taken to a separate room filled with instruments and machines.
A man in a lab coat introduced himself as Dr. Harrison and prepared to conduct Asher's physical tests. He requested Asher to undress, leaving only his underwear. Asher complied and was led to a tube.
"Please enter the tube, put on the oxygen mask, and safety goggles," instructed Dr. Harrison.
Asher followed the instructions and lay down inside the tube. Numerous robotic arms extended from the tube, each equipped with syringes. They injected something into his body, and he soon lost consciousness.
From Dr. Harrison's perspective:
After ensuring the boy was in place in the tube for element affinity and rank measurements, I administered an anesthetic to numb his senses. I then initiated the infusion of mana liquid into the tube.
"Let's begin the test," I murmured, watching as the mana flowed toward the boy like a vacuum.
"Ha!" I exclaimed in surprise. "He possesses superior wind mana affinity." The boy had an incredibly bright future ahead. Although wind was the most common element for Awakeners, having a superior affinity with it was quite rare.
I withdrew the wind mana and filled the tube with water element mana, but nothing occurred. The same result was observed when I tried earth element mana. Finally, I filled the tube with fire element mana, but it, too, produced no visible reaction.
"It seems he has an affinity only for the wind element among the basic elements," I mumbled to myself.
"Now let's test if he has an affinity for advanced elements," I pondered. I began filling the tube with ice element mana, but still, there was no response. The same was true for crystal element mana.
"Phew," I sighed nervously and then filled the tube with dark element mana. To my surprise, the dark mana completely darkened the liquid within, which was quite unusual. Something seemed amiss.
"Shit, why is it so black? How did the mana-to-liquid ratio get so skewed?" I grumbled. Dark elements were the worst among all the elemental affinities. Unlike other harmless elements, dark elements could cause mana poisoning if not properly managed. Dark mana poisoning resulted in the patient's body withering away, leading to a painful death. Exposure to high levels of dark mana, even for those with dark affinity, could be instantly fatal.
I rushed to the tube and was about to hit the emergency stop button to prevent further complications when I noticed something I couldn't believe.
"How... is this possible?" I questioned myself. I questioned whether my eyes were deceiving me.
The boy had absorbed the dark mana as if he had been thirsty for millennia and had finally found an oasis.
"Gulp," I swallowed hard, taking my hand away from the emergency button. The liquid returned to its original green color, devoid of dark mana. I returned to my seat, picked up the telephone, dialed a number, and made a call.
On the other end of the line, the Chairman of the Awakener Association, one of the 12 Zodiacs and an SS-ranked superhuman, answered the call, sounding somewhat irritated. "What is it? Make it quick; I am busy."
From the Chairman's perspective:
I am Howard Lester, the Chairman of the Awakener Association, one of the 12 Zodiacs, and an SS-ranked superhuman. In my 76 years of life, I've witnessed both ordinary and extraordinary events, which has made it quite challenging to pique my interest. However, at this moment, I found myself intrigued by a specific individual: Asher Gray.
Asher was an orphan with no significant background. He possessed a strikingly handsome face that could rival top models but appeared undernourished. However, it wasn't Asher's appearance that interested me.
"You're saying he was unharmed after exposure to that much Dark Mana?" I asked Dr. Harrison, who was responsible for the examination.
"Why are you asking me? You can see it in the video," Harrison replied.
"I can see it, but I'm asking you if it's even possible," I inquired further.
"I'm at a loss for words myself," Harrison admitted.
With a sigh, I continued, "So what do you need from me? Why did you call me here?"
"Chairman, please allow me to use the Space Mana Gem on this boy," Harrison requested.
I knew it. That's why Harrison had contacted me.
"Look, Harrison, I understand your curiosity regarding this boy, but I can't allow the Space Mana Gem, our sole means of communication with the Celestial Alliance, to be used on him without the approval of the other Zodiacs," I responded.
"But you also have the authority to use it in an emergency. Furthermore, this boy is the best candidate to test whether he has Space Element affinity or not," Harrison argued.
I sighed once more. "Fine, let me discuss it with the other Zodiacs."
I left the testing room and convened an emergency meeting with the other Zodiac members. In the meeting room, I explained everything about Asher to them.
One member vocally expressed disagreement, claiming it was a ridiculous proposal to use the precious Space Mana Gem on a child. The meeting continued with various members expressing their opinions, some in favor, and others against the idea.
An influential female member chimed in, emphasizing the alliance's importance with the Celestial race. She pointed out that the Celestial race hadn't communicated with humans for over 300 years and argued that using the seemingly useless gem could provide a means for future generations.
The meeting grew heated, and one member mentioned how his granddaughter had awakened with an SSS rank talent, further strengthening the case for using the gem.
Alfred Melton, the head of the Melton family, agreed to the proposal, considering his granddaughter's potential.
However, there were still members who disagreed, leading to a back-and-forth debate in the holographic meeting room.
As the Zodiacs continued to discuss, I realized that using the Space Mana Gem was a divisive issue.
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