I sat lazily at my desk in class, the clock reading 8:05 a.m. as I scanned the room.
My classmates were all listening intently to Mr. Riz, our homeroom teacher, as he briefed us on today's awakening ceremony to be held at the GAIA Talent Bureau. Behind him, a large screen displayed the awakening process, complete with steps and protocols.
"Remember," Mr. Riz began, "just because you don't awaken a talent today doesn't mean it's the end of the road. You all have two chances.
Anyone who doesn't awaken today can apply for the second awakening program."
A few chuckles here and there. Everyone knew the "second awakening" had a success rate of a coin toss.
He waved his hand, and the screen shifted to show the path forward for those who do awaken. Successful students would be assigned to different GAIA Talent Academies, each specialized in training specific classes.
"If your talent rank is A or higher, you'll have the option to choose your academy. They'll send you invites, so choose wisely. Each academy has its own perks," he added, before wrapping up the briefing.
"Those who have their awakening today, be at the school entrance by 8:30 to head to the GTB. Our school's slot starts at 9:00 a.m. Don't be late, or you'll have to find your own way."
With that, he left the room, and a buzz of chatter instantly filled the air. I stayed in my seat, barely interested.
I looked at the time, 8:10 a.m. Feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over me, I glanced around and wondered, "Maybe a quick nap would recharge me a bit?"
As I lazily scanned the room through sleepy eyes, I caught snippets of my classmates chattering excitedly about their potential talents. One boy was practically glowing with confidence, boasting about how his above-average stats practically guaranteed him an A rank.
Class rank was everything here, a social hierarchy woven into this world's fabric. I listened quietly, though I couldn't help but question how this AI-driven system could assign a person's future based on attributes.
From what we've told, GAIA assessed everyone on seven key stats: Strength (STR), Agility (AGI), Endurance (END), Intelligence (INT), Willpower (WIL), Luck (LCK), and Charisma (CHA). But that was only part of it.
Talent, on the other hand, was based on Energy Acuity (EA), or a person's sensitivity to the energy around them, unlocking latent abilities.
And class? That depended on a mix of attributes, EA, and something called Data Accumulation (DA)—essentially, experience points collected through learning and practice, like in a video game.
In a way, it reminded me of leveling up in The Sims, where learning specific skills could lead to a particular profession. GAIA analyzed all this data and assigned a class accordingly.
My HUD lit up with a prompt to head to the school entrance, and I joined the others as we made our way to the shuttle for the GTB.
********
The place was packed when we arrived, with crowds of teenagers registering for their awakenings.
"Everyone, follow me! Make sure to check in at this location so you can register!", bellowed Mr Riz. His voice boomed over the noise as he directed us to our designated hall.
A soft chime echoed in my ears as my HUD flickered to life, displaying a notification front and center.
"Check-in required: GTB Registration in progress."
Without hesitation, I tapped the glowing prompt, feeling the faint hum of the system scanning my credentials. The display shifted fluidly, morphing into the talent registration panel. A sleek interface greeted me, pulsing faintly as if it were alive.
I tapped "Accept."
"Verifying applicant…"
The seconds stretched longer than they should, my chest tightening ever so slightly. The spinning wheel on the display felt like it was mocking me, testing my patience. Then, with a satisfying beep, the message updated.
"Applicant verified. Welcome to the Gaia Talent Bureau."
After checking in on my HUD, my stats appeared on the screen:
Name: Noah Adler
Age: 16
Talent: None
Class: None
DA: ???
EA: ???
Attributes: ???
I frowned. Why was everything blank? I'd seen my stats before, so this was strange. "Could it be from that glitch last night?" I wondered.
"Hey, Noah!" my friend Graham called out, joining me. We'd bonded over a shared love of food, and though he was in another class, we hung out often. "Excited? I can't wait to see my talent!"
"Yeah," I replied, faking a smile. "By the way, could you see your attribute scores?"
"Of course. Above average," he said, grinning. "Bet you're asking to show off your high stats."
I laughed it off. "Not really. Mine aren't that high." Which wasn't a lie—my HUD didn't show anything at all. The question marks nagged at me. Was my data just so low it couldn't be measured?
We waited in line, and eventually, my turn came. My HUD directed me to Capsule 15, where I settled into the capsule seat, and the cover slowly closed.
The awakening process began, with GAIA's energy flowing through me, sending alternating waves of warmth and chill. My HUD displayed my EA progress.
Then, the capsule sealed shut, and the screen before me flashed.
"Talent Awakening is initiating…"
The capsule hummed as a warm, tingling sensation spread through my body. It was like I was being surrounded by an electric blanket that occasionally buzzed—honestly, it felt kinda nice. I watched as numbers and bars flashed on the screen.
[Energy Acuity (EA) Progress: 35%... 40%... 55%…]
[Data Accumulation (DA) Progress: 21%... 67%…]
Everything seemed to be running smoothly. The system began its analysis of my class, calculating my scores. I was honestly curious to see what kind of talent and class I'd be assigned in this world. It could be anything from something mundane to the rarest of combat classes.
[Determining Class…]
Then the screen went blank. My heart skipped a beat.
[ERROR]
[Progress interrupted]
"What?" I muttered, my pulse quickening. The screen flashed again, this time displaying something I hadn't seen since yesterday.
"Initiating Codebreaker…"
I froze. "Wait, that's…"