As Hope arrived at the Awakened Union, his mind still consumed by the memory of his mother's fearful expression at his awakening. Despite being an A-rank awakened mage who had retired many years ago, Hope moved forward, stepping into the building's hall. Immediately, he was greeted by a symphony of sounds. Conversations in various languages filled the air, blending together in a chaotic yet strangely harmonious cacophony.
Giants conversed in deep, rumbling tones, elves exchanged words with graceful elegance, and dwarves laughed heartily, their voices carrying a sense of camaraderie. Amidst the diverse crowd, he overheard a conversation.
"I heard the tower's monsters have been acting weird lately," a dwarf remarked to an elf nearby, his voice carrying a gravelly undertone.
"Yes, some goblins are forming groups and attacking people with traps too. My biggest concern is the trees are whispering about a bad omen," the elf replied, her voice tinged with concern. "I wonder what's causing it."
"Ha! Bad omen, I doubt it. Nothing was worse than what happened all those years ago; we all transformed from human to different species. We lost so much; it's their time. And about the monsters, let them come; we will kill them again and again," the giant replied in an angry voice.
As Hope heard the conversation, an announcement echoed through the hall, calling for newly awakened individuals to gather in the 7th Hall for processing. Making his way towards the designated area, Hope rushed to the 7th Hall, aware of the information he had just heard.
Upon arriving at the 7th Hall, Hope noticed a woman standing on the stage, her presence drawing attention from all the species present. Whispers rippled through the crowd as individuals recognized her as Anna, one of the 46 A-rank awakens in the country and renowned as the Union's Healer, one of the 17 divine healers in the world. Anna's reputation preceded her, and Hope couldn't help but wonder why such a distinguished figure was present for the orientation of newly awakened individuals.
Anna began speaking, her voice carrying authority and warmth as she introduced herself to the gathered crowd.
"Good day, everyone," Anna began, her tone soothing yet commanding. "My name is Anna, and I'm here to guide you through the orientation and processing procedures."
Hope listened intently as Anna delved into the significant changes that had occurred over the years, detailing the sudden awakening of individuals and their transformation into different species. She explained how the world's energy source had evolved into mana stones, which now played a vital role in various aspects of life and could only be found in the tower and dungeons.
Continuing, Anna discussed the fundamental power systems, explaining how strength, agility, physique, and intelligence were measured and evaluated in species standards. Mana, measured by the tower's tools, was a crucial aspect of their abilities. The power hierarchy ranged from S to F ranks, with S being the highest and F the lowest. She warned against attempting high raids as she said that Hope thought what his rank would be.
Hope pondered, "What rank will I be? I at least want to be a B ranker. If a person gets awakened, their power is set in stone and will not change normally. The only way to increase the power is by special items in the tower, and it's so rare. If someone sells it, he will be rich beyond his wildest dreams."
Anna also cautioned against bringing Earth-made devices into the tower, highlighting the potential dangers they posed, sometimes causing explosions.
Hope listened as Anna explained the existence of unique magic, only accessible to some individuals. "We call them unique skills, and when you have that in the status menu instead of skills - 0, it will give the number of abilities you have. And if you don't have any, don't worry; you can get skills as you go."
Hope silently prayed, "Please, God, at least one. I heard if you have a unique skill, you will get recruited to a famous guild, and your future is secured."
"And finally, you can access the tower menu by saying 'status' or simply thinking about it," Anna concluded. "And remember, others cannot see your status; it is only visible to you."
As Hope thought of his status, a window appeared before his eyes. Shocked by his Stats