After the brief disturbance, the little dwarf with dense beard stepped into the dark portal. Instantly, glowing characters began to appear atop the portal's structure.
Kian and the others couldn't comprehend what the characters meant, but the Old Seer stroked his beard thoughtfully, clearly reading and understanding the symbols.
Moments later, the Old Seer announced with a commanding voice:
[ Name: Gerald Hoffman ]
[ Faction: Virtue ]
[ Soul Force: 70 (Above Average) ]
[ Talent: Hammer of Crafting; Grade: Epic ]
As soon as the Old Seer finished speaking, the little dwarf, Gerald, emerged from the other side of the portal, completely unharmed.
However, a strongly shaped hammer was now floating above his hand, radiating an aura of immense power.
"Wow!"
Ben and several others looked impressed.
Kian observed with a hint of envy in his eyes. "Is this the talent the old man talked about?" he wondered.
The Old Seer's next words confirmed his suspicion.
"You have promise in you, little dwarf, but you'll need to work hard. Nonetheless, your third-grade talent is impressive. It will allow you to craft remarkable weapons. Perhaps one day, you'll achieve the same heights as one of our Seers here."
The Old Seer seemed pleased. It was rare to see someone awaken a third-grade talent on their first attempt. Most participants struggled to surpass even that level on their initial try.
"Thank you, thank you!" The little dwarf beamed with happiness, and was eager to explore his newfound talent.
"Okay, you're done. Move to the right side and stay there silently. That side is reserved for the Virtue Faction, so be careful not to mix with the Sin factions," the Old Seer instructed sternly, his warning extending to everyone present.
"Next!"
At the Old Seer's command, a middle-aged human stepped forward. He was next in line.
His demeanor was somber, his shoulders slumped as though he carried the weight of the world. It seemed he had lost the will to live.
The Old Seer's eyes sparkled momentarily, betraying his curiosity.
As the man stepped into the Awakening Portal, a hush fell over the crowd. All eyes turned to the top of the portal, awaiting the appearance of the mysterious texts.
When the symbols finally materialized, the Old Seer's lips curved into a subtle grin. It was a reaction filled with intrigue and satisfaction.
----
[ Name: Zodisle ]
[ Faction: Sin ]
[ Soul Force: 85 (Excellent) ]
[ Talent: Eyes of Despair; Grade: Mythic ]
----
"What?"
"A human from the Sin Faction got such a good talent. Unbelievable!"
"Yeah, perhaps all the Sin Faction talents are vicious like this. We Virtue Faction should be careful."
"Hey, don't judge so soon. Maybe he just got lucky."
As the Sin Faction's newest talent was revealed, murmurs and whispers rippled through the crowd. The participants buzzed with a mix of envy, suspicion, and intrigue.
The Old Seer frowned at the growing noise and barked, "Next!"
Kian watched attentively as more people stepped forward to awaken their talents.
Some participants awakened the lowest-grade talents, while others left the portal empty-handed, their silence speaking volumes about their disappointment.
As the process continued, a pattern began to emerge. The Sin Faction participants consistently displayed higher-grade talents and Soul Force, while those in the Virtue Faction seemed to fall slightly short in terms of potential.
This obvious difference did not go unnoticed, fueling a quiet tension between the two factions.
Kian couldn't help but feel uneasy, the weight of his own turn growing heavier with every passing moment.
Ben observed Kian's reaction from behind and chuckled.
"Relax, dude. I'm sure you'll awaken a great talent. You're from a magical world, after all. But look at me—I come from a world where magic doesn't even exist."
"Huh!"
Kian and Silvy looked at him, stunned.
"What do you mean by that? Then how did your world function?" Kian asked in a hushed voice, curiosity piqued.
Ben shrugged. "We had this thing called science. It worked sort of like magic, but in many ways, it's completely different."
Though neither Kian nor Silvy fully grasped what science was, they decided not to press further at the moment.
Silvy interrupted, her tone calm and reassuring. "If that's the case, I doubt these talents depend on the kind of world we came from."
"Ohh, You're right, Silvy. You're so smart."
Her words seemed to spark a sense of enlightenment in Ben, who nodded becoming more positive.
Kian, however, remained unconvinced. His belief in his perpetual bad luck weighed heavily on him, and his expression remained as hopeless as before.
Ben and Silvy noticed it and became curious about what made him so down.
Without knowing the source of the problem, they couldn't help much, even if they wanted to.
Very soon, it became Silvy's turn after half of the participants had gone through the portal.
Silvy's silver hair swayed gently as she stepped onto the stage with a resolute expression.
Kian admired her courage amidst such a tense situation, especially as a girl.
"She will definitely get an excellent talent for sure," Kian guessed in his heart.
----
"Ah, a pure Elf Soul? Interesting, interesting," the old man muttered, feeling intrigued.
"What did you say?" Silvy asked, feeling confused by his words.
"Nothing... nothing... Go in, little girl!" The Old man smiled creepily.
Silverlina felt weirded out but stepped inside the portal without another word.
The old man fixed his gaze on the portal, eagerly awaiting the results. For some reason, his anticipation was at its peak.
When the results appeared, the old man's eyeballs almost popped out of their sockets.
He was dumbfounded, rubbing his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing things. But no matter how many times he checked, the words remained the same, defying his disbelief.
With a shocked expression, he finally announced:
[ Name: Silverlina Goenia ]
[ Faction: Virtue ]
[ Soul Force: 100 (Peak) ]
[ Talent: Man-Slayer Sword; Grade: Heaven]
"What?"
"A Sixth-Grade Talent!"
"And from the Virtue Faction on top of that?"
"Yeah, we've only seen Fourth-Grade Talents until now, but she directly awakened a sixth grade Heavenly Talent. How envious!"
"Phew... Finally, someone from the Virtue Faction has shown real promise."
On the stage, the Virtue Faction members breathed a collective sigh of relief, their spirits lifted at the thought that one of their own could seriously rival the overwhelmingly strong talents of the Sin Faction.
Meanwhile, among the Sin Faction, their reactions were mixed—some were tense, some openly jealous, and others hid their unease behind stoic expressions.