"Due to the emergence of a higher-level disaster, The National Awakener Bureau (NAB) issued an advance graduation by setting up a tournament. With the looming threat that is three years away, the demand for Awakeners has surged like never before. To prepare for this crisis, the NAB and the major academies have reached an agreement that is the students will be recruited ahead of schedule."
He paused, glancing around the room. "To ensure only the most talented and determined individuals are selected, every high school tournament will be held. This will not only identify the best candidates but also give students a chance to prove themselves early. Also, only about 30 students will be chosen in every school."
Allan's voice turned firm. "This isn't just about education anymore. It's about survival. The academies will train those selected in record time so that when disaster strikes, humanity will have warriors ready to fight back. Even though three years is not enough time to prepare, we have to!"
Asher, who was in the back, could not help but squeeze a fist; it had actually become more serious.
Krieg's face was also solemn, while the blonde girl Ishnehaya's eyes trembled as they returned to normal.
"I need to get stronger fast!" Asher said with determined eyes.
"When will this be held, teacher?" Another student asked.
"This tournament will be held one week after the awakened test ends. For the application, everyone who has above 100 Aether core can participate," Allan replied to the question.
When the students heard they could graduate early and finally become awakeners, they did not feel joyous but scared.
But this is what humanity fate is, if they don't fight back their families and everyone they loved will be lost.
All of them had lost a lot to those beasts, and they needed to pay the price for that.
Seeing the different expressions on their faces, the teacher knows that he has ignited their passion.
"In this time, the faculty will be free of use for you to train. You can test your combat power or fight someone to train your experience," Allan bellowed.
"This will be the end of today's class; the dean had specified that you are all excused for these 2 weeks to train. So good luck, my students, don't let humanity down," Allan roared to the classroom, to which the students replied with a roar.
...
On the roadside, Asher was walking back to the house alone when the dismissal happened.
Krieg bid a farewell to train and even invited him, but he disagreed. Since his path is different from theirs, looking at the sky, he bellowed.
"My path is the Nightmare's Path," He mumbled in a low voice.
Arriving back in the house, Amara wasn't there. "She must be at work," He thought.
As he went back to his bed to try and return to that dream, he closed his eyes after lying down, not wasting any moment.
[Logging In: The 'Nightmare World']
Then, his vision went black, and he felt his body and senses devoid of anything. Then, he felt the wind brushing against his face.
He woke up looking at the sky. It was dark, and when he sat up, the grave was back. So he stood up and began to do what he was going to do.
Asher did not waste time; since he only had about two weeks to train, he sprinted into the graveyard and found a zombie in sight.
He made a fist and dashed. His eyes turned cold, and the zombie, who was just minding his own business, was hit in the sides. The power radiating from Asher was no joke.
When the zombie was hit, his body was flung through the air. Hitting a lot of tombstones as it broke, while the zombie groaned in pain until it died with just one punch.
[You killed a level 1 Zombie]
[Unique Skill 'Eclipse Devourer' Activated.]
[Absorbing Essence...]
[Experience Gained: +10 XP]
[Energy Essence Absorbed: +2 Aether Energy, +3 Strenght]
(Author: There seems to some mushed up here, I will replace Aether Core to Aether Energy, because the Aether core is the storage to store this value. So that's just about it)
He was greatly surprised by the notification that he just killed a zombie. "Am I this powerful?" he mumbled, still shocked.
He did not even use the technique, 'Earth Shattering Punch,' but the zombie died with just one hit. What would even happen if he used it?
Also, the last time he came here, he could only lean into a rock to kill every zombie in sight, but now he can use his fist.
Talk about massive improvement. He did not delve into this matter anymore as more zombies came into view.
The zombie growled, and when it saw him, it rushed directly. Asher just smiled, and his fist tightened. The veins in his hand bulged slightly.
Locking in towards the running zombie, the glow in his eyes intensified. As he dashed towards him too, closing the gap in seconds.
With a single punch, his fist connected with the zombie's chest. The impact was devastating, with a low boom rippling through the air.
A visible shockwave emanated from the punch, sending the zombie flying like a ragdoll as it limped lifelessly to the ground.
[You killed a level 1 Zombie]
[Energy Essence Absorbed: +3 Aether Energy, +3 strength]
Seeing the notification, he nodded his head in appreciation as he heard some faint groans and snarls rising from the misty graveyard.
More zombies then began to emerge, their decaying forms shambling towards him in a disorganized horde.
Some of them move slowly, dragging their broken limbs, while the other sprinted with unnatural speed, their glowing, hollow eyes were fixated on him.
Their guttural growls grew louder as they closed in. "They must have heard the loud commotion," Asher muttered, cracking his knuckles.
Devoid of any fear about this, he dashed forward to the first group, his fists blazing with raw power.