No, it can't be…
Noah looked at the result blinking on the screen in front of him. It was unbelievable and impossible.
He was absolutely not ready to accept it.
But it was there, glaring at him, with no chance of change.
He had done everything he could for this moment. He trained harder than other fifteen-year-olds like him, followed every instruction, and pushed himself into exhaustion.
He tried to forget the mutilated bodies of his parents, carved for revenge, and fueled that into rage.
He attended every class for Rift Walkers, studied everything about rifts, hoping it would immensely help him in his future Rift running. He mastered the basics of every weapon, thinking that one day he would have to use one of them.
But the end result was this!
He was better than the other hundred students, or so his trainer always said.
Mr. Daniel always told him that he would be a legend after his awakening.
It was true, though, not in the way anyone expected.
The blue screen shimmered in his eyes, probably mocking him for every dream he had.
Noah sat in the chair, wires connected to his arm, staring at the screen that doomed him.
Tier 1 talent determined
Mana Inversion
Effect 1: Instant regeneration of inversed mana, resulting in a reversed mana pool.
Effect 2: You can't upgrade cultivation with mana as you can't absorb it.
Talent grade: Impossible
Noah was ready to accept whatever talent he had. He was sure that with his hard work, he would become a powerhouse the world would look up to in awe.
Yet now…
He controlled his urge to cry, at least not in front of his classmates.
Reverse mana or mana exhaustion was a condition Rift Walkers experienced after overdrawing their mana pool.
What did it really mean for him to have inversed mana as talent?
Did he need to over exhaust himself to trigger his talent?
Still, that was impossible. Over exhaustion might kill him.
Also, his mana pool was reversed, which meant he couldn't use any normal skills available to mages. Noah pulled his hair in frustration.
The second effect of his talent made him unqualified to cultivate with mana.
Noah clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. He glanced around at the excited faces of his classmates, a tinge of jealousy in his eyes.
Then his eyes moistened as he thought of the fate awaiting him.
'Father… Mother… this son failed to reach your expectations…'
The world seemed to abandon him. His friends, who had previously talked to him, seemed to become distant.
"Noah, I was searching for you everywhere. Guess what? I've already talked to many top guilds. They're all interested in you based on your previous data," Mr. Daniel, his trainer and guardian at the orphanage, excitedly grabbed his arms.
Then, noticing Noah's sad face, he continued, "Don't worry. Even if you awakened a weak talent, some guilds will still accept you. Tier 1 is just the base for a Rift Walker; the main thing is your Tier 3 awakening…"
Noah said nothing as he pointed at the blue screen.
Daniel read it, his face changing many times before staggering back in shock.
"It's impossible. How can one become a Rift Walker with this…" he stopped, guilt washing over him as he looked at Noah.
Noah paled and stared down.
"It's okay… Noah, it's not the end…" Daniel searched for the right words to say but failed miserably as Noah glanced up with tears in his eyes.
"If it isn't the end, then what is?"
He picked up his backpack from the chair, ready to disappear before his classmates took notice of him.
He didn't want to hear their pitying words; he might mistake them for mocking.
Daniel stopped him with a pull. With a sigh, he spoke, "Noah, I wasn't lying when I said it's not the end…"
Noah looked up at him in hope.
Daniel continued, "There have been instances when someone awakened talents deemed useless in their Tier 1.
However, at their Tier 3 awakening, that weakness became their strength…
So there is a high chance that you will awaken a talent that might solve your current problem at Tier 3."
Expectations rose in Noah's heart. His previously depressed heart started beating with hope.
Daniel breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing his expression.
'It's a pity; only one in a million has that chance. I hope you will be that one, Noah…'
"Still, sir, will any of the guilds accept me?" His talent grade was 'Impossible,' which hadn't appeared in many years.
It practically meant the person was impossible to advance in cultivation. For such a person, which guild would waste their resources?
If no guild accepted him, how could he run a dungeon and potentially become a Rift Walker?
Daniel thought for a moment, then said, "Guilds always want new members, Noah. It's just that the conditions and contracts differ based on talent…"
Noah brightened a little. He was ready to accept any conditions if a guild would select him.
Sensing his intentions, Daniel hardened his voice. "Never do that, Noah. Don't accept anything without considering the future… Some contracts can bind you to a single guild for years. You can't change guilds even if you become powerful.
Some might outright make you a slave. Noah, even if you have an impossible talent now, no one can be sure what the future holds. Binding yourself to one place might harm you more than it helps…"
Noah snapped back to his senses. Yes, he believed his Tier 3 talent would be a game changer.
Accepting offers with bad conditions was not a good idea. He bowed to Daniel in gratitude, remembering everything Daniel had done for him and his classmates.
He was like a father figure to him, and Noah wholeheartedly followed his advice.
"Noah, take this…" Daniel handed him a pouch containing a few gold coins, enough for him to live on for a few years if he didn't go to any dungeons.
"It's all I have… sigh." Daniel patted his head before turning to check on the other students.
Noah reached out to some guilds in hopes of finding acceptable conditions and contracts to join.
But, as Daniel had said, every guild, upon seeing his situation, tried to force him to sign crazy contracts.
Some even asked him to become a male escort. If Daniel hadn't warned him, he might have fallen for any of these traps.
With a defeated sigh, he left the awakening room, but his mood was different from before. He was not ready to accept defeat. Never unless he died.
"I, Noah Walker, will make sure my dreams never become vain."
The world had thrown him down, deemed him impossible. But they didn't know Noah Walker.
They didn't know the fire that burned within him.
This was not the end.
It was the beginning. The beginning of a legend.