The sun rose brightly over Solara Training Academy, casting golden rays on the bustling campus. Today was the annual Talent Awakening Ceremony, an event that held throughout the entire country. It was a day of hope, dreams, and expectations.
The moment when each student would discover their unique abilities and, in turn, their fate.
Inside the grand hall, students fidgeted in their seats, glancing at the large crystal in the center of the room. This was the Awakener Crystal, a magical stone that would reveal each student's talent.
Among the crowd was Chrome, a boy with messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. At twenty, he had a lean build, but his posture betrayed the weight of his anxiety. Originally from Earth, he had been transmigrated to this world five years ago, and now he was on the brink of a significant turning point.
Today marked Chrome's third attempt to awaken his talent. If he failed again, he would be expelled from Solara Academy, and would never get another chance to awaken his talent.
As the ceremony began, the headmaster called out names one by one, each student stepping up to the crystal with a mix of hope and fear.
"Emma Delayne!" the headmaster announced. The crowd fell silent as Emma walked to the crystal, her heart racing. She placed her hands on the surface, and the crystal glowed. Words formed in the air above her: C-Rank: Healing Touch.
Relief washed over her, followed by scattered applause. Healing Touch was a good talent, even at C-rank. It would allow Emma to mend wounds, making her a valuable ally in any team.
Next was Harold Grotich. As he approached the crystal, it revealed D-Rank: Fire Manipulation. D-rank talents were not particularly strong, but Fire Manipulation had its uses. Harold grinned slightly, knowing that while he couldn't unleash powerful infernos, he could still wield small flames to his advantage.
One by one, students came forward, some receiving talents that sparked cheers, while others were met with sympathetic whispers when they failed to awaken.
"Chrome Nerfir!"
Chrome's stomach twisted in knots. This was it. He took a deep breath and stepped toward the crystal, each step feeling heavier than the last.
"Look, it's Chrome." someone murmured from the back.
"This is his last try. If he fails again, he's done for."
The words stung like a slap to the face, but Chrome pushed them aside.
He placed his hands on the crystal, and for a moment, nothing happened. A heavy silence filled the room. His heart raced, each beat echoing the fear of failure in his mind. He could feel the eyes of the crowd on him, filled with judgment and expectation.
Then, the crystal began to glow. Words appeared in the air above the crystal: F-Rank: Core Eater.
Information rushed into Chrome's mind. This was a normal part of the awakening process—when you learned what your talent could do.
Core Eater. It let him consume the cores of defeated monsters and gain their abilities, but with one big catch. He could only absorb abilities that were also F-rank.
As he took this in, whispers broke out around him.
"An F-rank? That's useless!"
"He might as well have no talent."
"He's done for… What a waste."
Although the other students didn't know exactly what Core Eater could do, one thing was clear to everyone. It was an F-rank talent, the lowest of the low. To them, Chrome was already doomed.
Chrome clenched his jaw and turned away from the crystal.
He tried to hold back his emotions, but his chest tightened, and his eyes burned. Tears threatened to fall. He kept his head down, walking through the crowd, feeling like his world had shattered.
It wasn't just his future that felt lost—he had a little sister to care for. And in this world, where talent meant everything, he needed to be strong for her. But how could he protect her with a talent like this?
Just as he reached the edge of the room, something strange happened. A cold, unfamiliar sensation spread through his mind, and a voice spoke inside his head.
[ Talent detected. Initiating system activation. ]
[ Activation completed. ]
[ Ability Merging System is now online. ]
Chrome froze, his breath catching.
'What... was that?'
He wondered if he was just imagining things, but the voice was clear, and felt real.
Before he could gather his thoughts, a glowing screen appeared right in front of him, hovering in the air.
─────── · · ◈ · · ───────
[ User Info ]
Name: Chrome Nerfir
Race: Human
Talent: Core Eater < F >
Stage: Black-Iron
Energy: 30/30
[ Abilities ]
[ Mission ]
01: Absorb 2 Monster Cores. < 0/2 >
Reward: Insight Talent
Deadline: 48 hours
Penalty: Death
─────── · · ◈ · · ───────
Chrome stared at the screen. He quickly looked around, turning his head left and right, thinking if anyone else could see the floating screen. But nobody seemed to react—they continued chatting, laughing, completely unaware. It was as if he was the only one who could see it.
He was confused, but this wasn't entirely unfamiliar to him. Back on Earth, he had read quite a few web novels where the main character suddenly got a mysterious system interface just like this.
'Is it finally my turn?'
He read the information on the screen carefully. It detailed only basic facts about him, and the system didn't explain how it worked or what he was supposed to do with it.
His eyes drifted down to the mission section. Chrome let out a bitter laugh, almost choking on it.
'What is this, a welcome gift or a death sentence?'
But then, he noticed the bright side of the mission. If he completed it, he could gain an Insight Talent. A tiny bud of hope sprouted in Chrome's heart.
'Cici, looks like your brother is not a total failure after all.'
After the ceremony ended, Chrome found himself with nothing to do. He had no friends at the academy. While others were busy forming bonds, he spent most of his time working part-time jobs to scrape together enough money for their living expenses.
Taking a small sigh, Chrome walked over to his class instructor. It was mandatory to report the details of his talent. Once he finished, he headed back home.