The members of the Adventure Team were staring in shock at the scene before them
The plants had been burned, and the dry, charred wooden fibers were clearly the remains of the Beast with Vine and Flower monsters.
"Damn! It's not that the monsters are gone... they've been wiped out!"
The Adventure Team stood frozen in place.
"But there's no one around..."
"Wait, I did see a figure earlier, it looked like a student. Could it have been him?"
"That seems impossible, right?"
The team was in complete disbelief.
But then, someone spoke up.
"Even though I saw a student earlier, it doesn't mean he killed them. Maybe someone with control over fire or some other powerful figure passed by?"
"Yeah! That kind of expert would definitely move fast, so it's normal that we couldn't catch sight of them, right?"
The members of the Adventure Team seemed to come to a sudden realization, nodding in agreement.
They were now feeling much better.
"We're actually pretty lucky today looks like we had an expert pass by and take care of everything."
"Actually, maybe it was the student from earlier..."
"Yeah, maybe he's a powerful person just pretending to be weak!"
"Could be..."
As the Adventure Team relaxed and began chatting casually, they all agreed that today was a special day. After all, today was the day for the new players to awaken their Talents!
It made sense that no students would be wandering in the wild they'd all be at the academy.
...
As the Adventure Team had guessed, the Ritual for awakening the Player and Talent had already begun within the campus.
The training grounds were bustling with students.
A few instructors stood guard, each with an iron cage, calling out names.
"Meta, you're next!"
At the sound of the call, a girl in a long dress nervously stepped forward, holding a dagger.
The instructors threw a nearly lifeless Slime onto the ground from one of the cages.
Meta, who had seemed very calm just moments before, suddenly became wildly aggressive. She lunged at the monster and stabbed it dead with one swift blow!
A golden light immediately appeared around her.
The girl sensed it for a moment, then placed her hand on a nearby crystal ball.
The crystal ball glowed faintly.
One of the instructors exclaimed in joy.
"Meta has successfully awakened! She's gained a D-rank Talent, Muscle Amplification! Congratulations to her!"
The students below and the instructors on the stage burst into applause.
A perfect start to the day!
Next, another student stepped forward.
"Locke, awakened C-rank Talent, Rigid Body!"
The crowd cheered again, their excitement rising.
"Dice, awakening failed. No Talent."
A blond-haired boy froze for a moment, then suddenly dropped the blade in his hand and ran towards the back, covering his face as he fled. It seemed like he was shedding tears...
Next, one by one, students killed Slime and awakened their Talents as new Players.
Those who succeeded, even with the lowest E-rank Talent, were full of excitement. With a Talent, a team would accept them, and they could start leveling up and becoming stronger!
But for those without a Talent, their faces turned pale. They walked away, defeated, as if they had lost their souls.
Until another voice rang out.
"Next, Avril!"
Immediately, all eyes turned to her. Not only the instructors but also some observers from the academy, including Mayor Hammill, held their breath.
The awakening of the others was just background noise. The only one that mattered was Avril!
She was hailed as the most talented individual in history, the one with the highest adaptability to knight training techniques!
What Talent would she awaken?
At the very least, it had to be B-rank, right?
As for S-rank?
No one even considered that, and even Mayor Hammill thought it was absurd.
This was Keller City, such a small place how could they possibly have two people with S-rank Talents?
With all eyes on her, Avril stepped forward calmly. When the Slime was thrown before her, she elegantly slashed it with a single strike.
Then, the girl placed her hand on the crystal ball without any change in expression.
The next moment, a brilliant burst of light shot into the sky!!
The Talent testing device flashed, revealing two characters
[S-rank]
The entire crowd went silent.
"Did... did she really awaken an S-rank Talent?"
"Are you kidding? A place like this, with an S-rank Talent?!?"
"No, wait... Keller City has two S-ranks now!"
The first voices were from the astonished onlookers, but the last words were an exclamation from Mayor Hammill himself.
At that moment, without anyone needing to say anything more, Avril involuntarily summoned a swirl of Azure Flame in her hands.
Then, the flames erupted!
Her power spread in all directions, and finally, a ring of fire encircled her.
The Talent testing device, which could normally withstand attacks from Level 10+ Players, was instantly melted into molten iron by the heat.
There was no doubt about it only an S-rank Talent could unleash such an attack so soon after awakening.
The crowd stood in stunned silence.
In the academy, many students were filled with excitement. This was their idol, the goddess they had longed for!
S-rank Talent!
To put it in perspective, even the top Players in human history never reached such a level!
And for someone like Mayor Hammill, who was in the know, his entire body trembled.
Avril was the descendant of that person!
Originally, she might have been just one of many illegitimate children who wouldn't have garnered attention, but now, having awakened S-rank Talent, she had surpassed even that person!
Her identity and status were now destined to make everyone bow before her after this awakening.
No wait!
Mayor Hammill had already fallen to his knees!
"May the heavens bless humanity! Another S-rank has been born!"
He wasn't even concerned about humanity he was simply using this topic as an excuse to worship Avril!
For a moment, everyone in the room was once again stunned.
What?
This was the usually arrogant and overbearing Mayor Hammill, and he had just knelt down??
Little did they know, in this very place, only this Lord of the City was in the know. If anyone else with knowledge of Avril's background had been present, they'd have all knelt down as well.
Only the few teachers at the academy, after the initial excitement, showed expressions of concern.
Would the overwhelming joy of awakening S-rank Talent and the respect of figures like Mayor Hammill cause Avril to lose her head?
There had been a historical precedent for this. A Player who had awakened an S-level Talent had been celebrated by thousands and, filled with overwhelming confidence, had attempted to take on a boss solo at level 30—only to meet his demise.
The academy teachers didn't particularly care about how much glory Avril would gain in the future, as long as she could grow safely.
Fortunately, they soon noticed that Avril's expression was very calm.
This put their minds at ease.
But it wasn't that Avril's expression was simply calm it was a mix of melancholy and longing.
"Even if I've awakened an S-rank Talent, so what?"
"Am I still just... still just Raziel's pet?"
The young girl felt some unease, but strangely, there was also a sweetness and joy growing in her heart.
She had already asked her father and learned something important.
A Contractor was an exceedingly rare class, one with limitless potential. They could even Contract Calamity-level bosses, which made them a target for countless wild monsters who would try to kill them as soon as their existence was revealed. No Contractor had ever managed to grow strong.
But, at the same time, the Contractor's power was overwhelming. Once a Contract was formed, it could never be undone. Therefore, whenever a Contractor fell, the Calamity-level bosses they had contracted would go on a rampage, attacking the Contractor's own race.
That's right.
Contract. To the death, without respite!
"This lifetime, I've fallen into Raziel's hands."
Avril could only stand there, indifferent.
She had been tempted more than once to tell her father that she had been Contracted by someone, but she didn't want to hurt Raziel. She felt that since Raziel had such potential, for the good of humanity, she should help him keep it a secret.
Because of this, Avril felt…
That she had already fallen into Raziel's trap, unable to escape.
But this demeanor of hers was noticed by countless nobles and high-ranking officials nearby, all eager to please her, and they immediately began showering her with praise.
"Truly, Miss Avril, so composed!"
"Such mental fortitude! With people like her, humanity is sure to produce another great powerhouse!"
"Wonderful! Miss Avril has the aura of a strong one, even at such a young age!"
Meanwhile, out in the wild, Raziel suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He felt his heart pounding in his chest!
A surge of immense power flooded into his body!
Raziel could feel the energy within him expanding at an incredible speed!
"This is the feedback from the Contract Beast. Has Avril awakened her Talent?!"
Raziel quickly checked his status panel, and his pupils contracted in shock!
"Holy crap! This boost!"
"Avril, I acknowledge your future as the Empress!"