"This year’s batch was quite impressive," the teacher announced with clear pride once it was all over. "A 54% awakening rate. That’s significantly higher than previous years."
Some students smiled. Others nodded, satisfied.
But then the teacher raised his hand again, and the atmosphere shifted once more.
"But now," he continued, his expression turning serious, "it’s your turn to prove your worth. Because from this point onward, only your strength will determine your future."
He went on to explain what came next, but Alicar barely listened.
He already knew. Everyone did.
After awakening, each individual would be sent into the Initial Stage of the Eternal Realm.
Not the First Layer. Not yet. It was a separate space, designed to test them, to push them to grow, to determine whether they had what it took to move forward.
They would need to reach level 10 to be able to leave.
But even when they leave, they will still need to complete their advancement task.
Only then would they be allowed to step into the First Layer, where the true Eternal Realm began.
It was the beginning of everything. And for some, like Iris, that path was still open.
But for Alicar, it didn’t exist. Those who failed to awaken were never transported. They remained behind.
Left to live ordinary lives in a world that no longer valued ordinary people the same way.
Alicar exhaled slowly. His parents had once stood at the very top. Two of the most promising awakeners of their generation.
They had entered the Third Layer, chasing knowledge, chasing progress for humanity.
And like many others who ventured that far, they never returned.
He had never blamed them. They had done what they believed was right.
And he had wanted to follow in their footsteps.
But now, that path was gone. Completely.
He would have to find a job. Survive. Live like everyone else who had been left behind.
His financial situation was already unstable, something he had tried not to think about too much, but now it pressed itself into his thoughts whether he liked it or not.
As if on cue—
Beep!
A notification appeared on his phone. He stared at it for a second before opening it.
[Please pay your debt by the end of the month.]
[Current Balance: -27,993$]
"...Oh well."
His voice was quiet, almost absent, as he closed the screen, already thinking about what he could possibly do to deal with it.
There weren’t many options. And none of them were good.
Time passed. Eventually, the teacher finished speaking.
"Once you reach level ten and leave the Initial Stage, you’ll be able to register with the Awakener Association and receive benefits," he concluded. "Until then... good luck. You are dismissed."
That was it. The ceremony was over.
Students began to move, conversations rising again as they headed toward the exit, stepping out into the open space beyond the hall.
Outside, many were greeted immediately.
Parents. Guardians. Friends. Some cried with joy as they shared their success.
Others lowered their heads as they admitted failure, only to be comforted by those waiting for them.
It was a mix of emotions, raw and unfiltered. But among all of that, one scene stood out.
Slap!
The sound echoed sharply across the area, cutting through the noise like a blade.
"Absolutely pathetic," a man’s voice thundered, filled with anger and disappointment. "Is this what all my teachings have amounted to?!"
It was Theodore Crowford. He stood tall, easily towering over most people around him, his golden hair and green eyes mirroring Iris’s own, though there was nothing calm in his gaze. Only fury.
Theodore was absolutely livid that his daughter awakened as a Genesis Farmer.
Especially knowing that her brother, Lucius Crowford, had awakened the rare Spear Maniac class.
Iris stood before him, her head slightly turned from the force of the strike, her body trembling faintly, though not from the pain. She didn’t even react to it.
"Father," another voice cut in quickly, it was Lucius.
Standing beside Theodore, he stepped forward without hesitation, placing himself slightly between them.
"It’s not her fault," he said firmly. "Awakening isn’t something you can control. She can still be useful."
"...Useful?" Theodore scoffed, turning away in irritation. "She won’t even be able to fight. I’d be surprised if she makes it to the First Layer."
He didn’t look back. He simply walked away.
"Sorry, sis," Lucius said quietly as he turned back to Iris, his expression softening. "Just focus on staying alive. Don’t take risks. That’s what matters most."
"...Thanks," Iris replied faintly, her voice barely above a whisper.
A moment later, he followed after their father, leaving her standing there alone.
Alicar watched from a distance, his gaze lingering for a brief second before Iris looked in his direction, their eyes meeting without either of them saying a word.
Hers were empty. Broken in a way that words couldn’t describe.
"That’s life, I guess," Alicar muttered as he turned away, his tone flat as he began walking in the opposite direction. "Nothing we can do."
He walked forward alone, blending into the crowd before disappearing entirely.
Alicar returned to his small apartment after the ceremony, his steps slower than usual as he made his way through the lower area of the megacity.
The streets weren’t loud, but there was always a certain heaviness here, as if everything was just barely holding together.
When he reached his door and stepped inside, he took a deep breath before closing it behind him.
The apartment looked exactly the same as always.
Mold crept along parts of the ceiling in uneven patches, slowly spreading across the corners, while pieces of peeling paint hung loosely from the walls. The air felt damp, carrying a faint smell that never really went away.
This was the reality of living in the lower district. Nothing here was meant to last. There wasn’t much inside either.
A small bed rested against one wall, its frame slightly worn, with a basic table placed nearby.
A compact kitchen took up one corner, just enough to function, while a cramped bathroom stood beside it.
A TV sat near the edge of the room, outdated but still working, though Alicar rarely used it.
Everything here had been paid using credit. That explained the debt.
Alicar walked over to the bed and sat down, letting out a slow breath as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
Right now, across the world, everyone who had awakened their classes was preparing for something entirely different.
They would soon be transported to the [Eternal Realm] for the first time.
More specifically, they would be sent to the Initial Stage, or the Tutorial, as people called it.
It was where every awakener began. For people like Alicar, there was no such opportunity.
He was just a normal human now. There was no path that would lead him there.
And just like that, he waited. There wasn’t anything else to do.
After a moment, Alicar picked up his phone and opened the Awakener Association’s forum, something he had done many times before.
It was one of the only places where information about the [Eternal Realm] could be accessed freely, though only to a certain extent.
Because he was a civilian, his access was limited. He could only view the front page.
Anything beyond that required someone to be an awakener or to prove themselves inside the realm.
’I guess I’ll never know,’ he thought quietly as he began scrolling.
One of the trending discussions quickly caught his attention.
---
[New awakener here, can anyone give me some tips for the Initial Stage? I’m nervous!]
- Why be nervous? It’s extremely easy!
- Don’t listen to the guy above, the death rate in the Tutorial is around 25%, and that’s only thanks to the bases the association placed to help. Without that, it would be much higher.
- You’re all weak, maybe my class is just that good!
- I can literally see that you’re level 14, be serious.
---
Alicar stared at the messages for a moment before scrolling again, watching as more replies appeared.
Since he had nothing else to do, he kept reading, moving from one discussion to another without much thought.
Time passed slowly, the quiet of the apartment stretching around him as the hours went by.
Eventually, he checked the time. One hour left until midnight. Then thirty minutes. Then ten.
Alicar didn’t expect anything to happen, not for himself, but even so, there was still a faint pressure in the air.
Many people who had failed to awaken were likely watching the clock just like him, aware that something important was about to happen, even if they weren’t part of it.
He leaned back slightly, exhaling.
Somewhere out there, Daan, Alex, and Levi were probably celebrating, surrounded by others, talking about their future and everything they would accomplish inside the [Eternal Realm].
That was their path now. Not his.
But then, right as all hope was lost, and as the clock was about to strike midnight...
Ding!
A sound echoed clearly in the quiet room. And Alicar’s eyes snapped away from his phone as something appeared in the air in front of him.
[Congratulations, you have awakened the Unique Hidden Class: "Soulless"]