Today was the day of the profession awakening ceremony, and every graduating student of Seabright Highschool were gathered in the playground for this moment.

They stood tall, their posture poised and disciplined.

"Today," the principal, Victor, started, "Is the day all of you will finally start your lives as [Awakeners]."

"I know it may seem overwhelming, but you came to this school to learn about everything you need to know to live such a life."

"You all will become the pillars of the human race, trust me when I say that."

Every student looked at the magic circle on the ground, sweat dripping from their brow.

They knew that today would decide their fate.

Karl was no different from any of them.

Having been in this world since his birth, he knew that whatever was in front of him was no joke.

He had transmigrated from the Earth we all know after his death, just to be summoned to this new world.

But he quickly dealt with it, in fact, he enjoyed this place much more than his previous Earth!

In this world, people would awaken their powers on their third year of high school.

Once they do, they'll be able to gain experience by clearing dungeons, conquering secret realms, joining guilds, or killing monsters in the wild.

Basically, you could become strong enough to make everyone fear you.

"Upon acquiring your profession, you will officially gain access to the [Tower of Trial]!" Victor shouted, this time louder to make it more impactful, "Remember!"

The success rate of awakening had already reached 100% long ago, so it was just a matter of whether the profession you got was good or not.

"I want to become an assassin so bad..."

"My dad was a paladin, hopefully I can be that too!"

People were chatting with one another.

But on the other hand, Karl simply kept looking at Victor.

He had the best grades in his entire year, prompting the jealousy of many.

Regardless of that, he didn't pay much attention to them.

After all...

'Today is the day the dream of many people in my previous world will be fulfilled.'

With a ray of light rising into the sky, the magic circle was finally finished.

"Alright," Victor shouted again, shutting everyone down, "It's time!"

He made a list appear out of thin air, and looked at the students, "The students whose names I read will enter the circle!"

"Everything that should be taught has been taught! Don't be nervous, just relax."

"The first one, Dave Mole!"

Dave came out in response, and walked into the transfer circle with a little apprehension.

The magic circle instantly boomed, and with a burst of brilliant light, Dave's awakening ended.

[Profession: Light Wielder (S-Rank)]

As there are no categories for professions, they are mainly ranked based on the letter given to them.

They can range from F-Rank all the way to SSS-Rank, or even sometimes EX-Rank, though the last one was so rare you could count the people who got it every ten years on a single hand.

"Dave has received the Light Wielder profession, S-Rank!" Victor announced.

Everyone cheered at the announcement.

"Now, Dave, you know the deal," Victor nodded.

"Yes, principal, let me just read the description!"

As some sort of ritual, every single student was asked to demonstrate their basic skill to everyone else.

Even if you were confused and didn't know how to wield it, you were still asked to do that.

Failure was part of the process, after all, and the quicker you learned, the better.

Dave stepped forward, his hands trembling slightly as he raised them toward the sky.

He closed his eyes, focusing on the newfound energy coursing through him, as well as his instincts.

A faint golden aura began to shimmer around his body, drawing gasps from the gathered students.

"Alright, Dave," Victor encouraged. "Show us the simplest form of your power."

Dave nodded, extending his palm.

A small orb of radiant light began to form, growing brighter and more stable with every passing second.

The light pulsed gently, illuminating the immediate area with a warm glow.

"Not bad," Victor praised. "Now, let's see if you can control it."

Dave gritted his teeth, guiding the [Light Orb] upward.

The orb hovered above his head, then slowly began to orbit around him.

With a flick of his wrist, it darted toward a training dummy placed nearby, striking it with a burst of light.

The dummy staggered from the impact, leaving a faint scorch mark.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause.

"Excellent control for a first awakening!" Victor exclaimed, "Remember, the potential of an S-Rank profession like [Light Wielder] is immense. Keep honing your skills."

Dave beamed with pride, stepping back to join the other students.

"Alright, who's next..." Victor rolled his list, "Alice Griffin!"

She did the same things as Dave, gaining the C-Rank [Wood Cutter] profession.

One after another, people went up to awaken their talents, then demonstrated their powers against the dummy.

Though Victor did cheer them, he wasn't as happy as he would usually be.

'The students are average,' he sighed, 'No rare professions yet.'

There are usually only four to five rare professions per school every year.

By the way, "rare" professions are those considered at SS-Rank or above, since they were unique.

Being unique also meant that no one else could ever get this profession.

It was both an advantage since they were insanely strong, but also a disadvantage since no one would truly be able to help you: you would have to do everything yourself.

But right as Karl thought about that, Victor finally called the name everyone was waiting for.

"Celeste Frost!"

She immediately came out in response, looking as elegant as ever.

Long, snow-white hair cascaded down to her waist, shimmering faintly under the light like freshly fallen snow.

Her eyes were the color of the sea, and her flawless features and serene elegance made her seem almost otherworldly, a beauty that left the crowd awestruck and silent.

But before setting off, Celeste glanced at Karl, with a hint of provocation in her eyes.

The reason for that was simple: both her and Karl were fighting for the top spot at [Seabright Highschool].

However, in terms of grades, Karl had always been ahead of Celeste.

Yet no matter what, she would never admit defeat.

Karl turned a deaf ear to Celeste's provocation, as if he hadn't seen it, and kept his usual attitude.

"Hmph, I'll show you who's the real genius!"

Celeste strode confidently into the magic circle, her every step radiating determination.

She refused to let herself fall short of anyone else.

As the magic circle activated, its light grew blindingly intense, far surpassing anything seen so far.

Suddenly, twin fireballs erupted from the circle, soaring into the sky and bursting into a massive explosion.

Victor's eyes widened in excitement.

"A rare class awakening!" he exclaimed.

Faint, shimmering visions appeared above the circle, an ethereal sign of her destiny.

[Rare Profession - Elemental Mage (SSS-Rank)]

"Wow, Celeste actually got a rare profession..."

"Elemental Mage at that too, doesn't that mean she can wield all magic?"

"She's probably the strongest in the city now, huh, no one can beat that..."

Celeste walked down from the magic circle full of excitement.

She hadn't been asked to show anything, since the two fireballs turning into an explosion were already more than enough.

And after she returned, a group of classmates surrounded her, asking questions non-stop, which she gladly answered to keep up her image.

"Karl Bloodborne!"

Karl, finally hearing his name after all this time, took a deep breath and walked toward the circle.

Celeste looked at Karl, not leaving his figure for a second.

Academic performance and awakening are not necessarily related, by the way.

Which meant that Celeste could definitely still have a way better profession than he did.

Wouldn't it be hilarious if the number one genius of their year got an F-Rank profession?

Karl, paying no mind to any of them, stepped into the circle, placing himself right in the middle like everyone else.

"Alright, Karl, don't disappoint me," Victor smiled at him, "Starting!"

The magic circle burst with light, as it always did.

Closing his eyes, Karl focused on that power.

He felt pain go through his body, but he endured it, thinking this was the normal process.

He could also sense the aura surrounding him, taking over his vision.

'Here we go,' Karl internally grinned, knowing that it was over.

But in the instant Karl opened his eyes back, the light was gone.

Instead, he found himself standing in an endless void of darkness.

"Huh?"

The playground, the magic circle, and the world itself had vanished, replaced by a suffocating emptiness.

And suddenly, a chilling message appeared before him, written in ghostly, ethereal letters:

[Welcome to the Spirit Cemetery, Karl Bloodborne.]

From the darkness, a colossal figure began to rise.

Its tattered cloak flowed as though caught in a phantom wind, and in its skeletal hands, it gripped an ominous scythe that radiated cold, unyielding dread.

[Death, The Reaper]

[Level: ???]

Karl's instincts screamed at him to flee, but his legs refused to move.

The creature's presence rooted him in place, his heartbeat a deafening drum in the void.

Then, with a hollow chime, a translucent panel flickered to life before him:

Ding!

[You have awakened the EX-Ranked profession: Spirit Summoner.]