Meanwhile, across the Global Cosmic Alliance, an ancient coalition formed in the wake of mana's sudden arrival thousands of years ago...

  Across its many cities and settlements, the young came of age ready to awaken their talents.

  In one modest home, a mother wrapped her arms around her son, eyes shining with quiet pride.

  "Go on, Max," she whispered, brushing a hand through his hair. "Whatever talent you awaken, know this, I'm already proud of you."

  Max swallowed hard, fists clenched at his sides, fire burning in his chest.

  "I know, Mom. I won't let you down."

  Elsewhere, in a mansion adorned with family crests and trophies, a massive man loomed over his daughter, voice gruff and demanding.

  "Asha. Bring honor to the Greyhound name. Anything less is failure."

  Asha met his stare with unflinching confidence. Her chin tilted up, her voice, steel.

  "I'll go beyond the family's expectations and surpass everything the Greyhound name stands for."

  In a crumbling shack tucked deep in an alley, a gaunt boy sat alone, hands trembling.

  "I just need a C-Rank... just a C-Rank," he muttered, voice cracking. "For you, Dad... for you, Mom. I can't fail now."

  Across the alliance, the same hope stirred in a thousand hearts. The same pressure coiled around a thousand throats.

  ***

  Silvermoon Academy

  In a sealed room lined with spell-forged crystal and mana-threaded banners, twelve figures watched a monitor dispying the gathered youths.

  A man with raven-bck hair and icy blue eyes finally broke the silence.

  "Think this batch will surprise us? Or are we expecting too much again?"

  One of the women; elegant, silver-haired, with eyes like twilight, sighed.

  "Does it matter? With rift activity spiking and dungeon zones growing unstable, we need strong awakenings. If this generation falls short… Maelstrom City could become just another ruin."

  Her words settled like a stone in the room.

  Then, all eyes drifted toward the man seated at the head of the table.

  He looked no older than his te twenties, but his aura gave away his true weight. Power clung to him like a second skin.

  Dean Cedric. A name whispered across kingdoms. One of the few to have broken past Level 100 and lived to tell the tale.

  He smirked, a glint of mischief lighting his eyes.

  "What's the point of worrying?" Cedric said, voice casual. "For all we know, we might see an SSS-Rank talent today. Maybe even two."

  Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.

  The scoffing came from an elderly man with stark white hair and sharper eyes. Sor Scepter, the Academy's relic in the flesh. Another of the Level 100 elite, but unlike the others, he never let Cedric forget who had been around first.

  "Brat," Sor muttered, "you think SSS-Rank talents grow on trees? Last one we saw was a decade ago. If one appears today, I'll eat my walking stick."

  Cedric leaned back, grinning.

  "Care to bet on that?"

  The old man narrowed his eyes.

  Cedric held up a hand, ticking off the stakes. "If I'm right, you hand over that S-Rank wine you've been hoarding since the Mana Wars. If I'm wrong, I give you the Void Breaker Sword from the Valley of Death Dungeon."

  The room stirred.

  "You—! You cheeky bastard." "How the hell do you know about that wine?"

  The others sighed in unison.

  Just another day at Silvermoon.

  ***

  Silvermoon Academy – Awakening Hall

  The hall pulsed with anticipation.

  Hundreds of youths stood packed within. Above them, sunlight filtered through stained-gss skylights, casting rainbow streaks across the floor.

  At the center, a levitating obsidian orb flickered with inner light, the Talent Awakening Orb, ancient, mysterious, and unforgiving.

  In the back, away from the noise, Azvoid stood with arms crossed, silent. Watching and listening.

  "Did you hear? The Hunter's Association President's daughter is here today."

  "She's in our batch! Imagine the talent she'll get..."

  "Pfft. I'd kill just to get B-Rank."

  "B-Rank? Man, I'd take D-Rank and dance!"

  "Keep dreaming, loser. You're not even getting E."

  Azvoid let out a soft breath. Same nonsense, different faces. Everyone wanted to be special. Most would leave with nothing but disappointment and a consotion scroll.

  Then, silence fell like a hammer.

  A woman entered the hall.

  She moved like frost, beautiful, cold, and untouchable. Her silver hair glinted under the stained gss. Her bck eyes carried the weight of judgment.

  "That's one of the senior instructors."

  "gods... she's gorgeous."

  "I'd give up ten years of my life if she agreed to marry me... Ahhh, what a goddess."

  "Dream on. She wouldn't look at you even if you were the st man alive."

  ***

  Her voice rang out, sharp and commanding.

  "SILENCE."

  The crowd froze.

  "The Awakening Ceremony begins now. When I call your name and number, step forward. No questions and no deys."

  Her gaze swept the hall, drilling into hearts and spines alike.

  "I hereby decre the commencement of Silvermoon Academy's 100th Talent Awakening."

  Azvoid's fingers flexed.

  His name hadn't been called yet.

  But when it was...

  The world would change.

  ***

  "Marcus Garrett, Student Number 1, come up and awaken your talent!"

  Following the order, a young teenager with curly bck hair rose from his seat, his movements slow and hesitant. His gaze flitted nervously between the faces of his peers as he approached the podium, stopping before the bck orb that hovered in midair, glimmering with an enchanting light.

  Taking a deep breath, he pced his right hand on the orb. Instantly, all eyes locked onto him, sparks of curiosity fshing in their gazes.

  The previously dormant orb trembled slightly before fshing a dull red.

  "Awakened Talent: D-Rank, Css: Warrior – Berserker."

  The announcement echoed throughout the hall. Marcus's shoulders slumped, his previous nervousness repced by an aggrieved look of resignation. His fists clenched tightly, drawing pity from those who bothered to notice his plight.

  The silver-haired woman at the podium offered him a faint, comforting smile before her voice rang out, crisp and indifferent.

  "Next!"

  "Alicia Alison, Student Number 2, come up and awaken your talent."

  A red-haired girl strode confidently to the podium, her gaze flicking disdainfully at Marcus as she passed him. "Trash," she muttered under her breath, her arrogance practically oozing from her posture.

  Pcing both hands on the orb, Alicia's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

  The bck orb shifted to a dull grey before sparkling with a faint green light.

  "Awakened Talent: F-Rank, Css: Healer."

  "What… Wait… This… Impossible…No... this has to be a mistake. I'm an A-Rank legacy..."

  Alicia stuttered, her eyes wide with disbelief.

  "Next!" The silver-haired beauty's voice cut her off, showing no sympathy as Alicia was ushered off the stage, her stunned expression now a source of quiet amusement for some of the other students.

  The ceremony continued at a rapid pace.

  "Good. Awakened Talent: C-Rank, Css: Magus."

  "Next!"

  "Awakened Talent: B-Rank, Css: Knight. Not bad."

  "Next!"

  "Awakened Talent: A-Rank—wait, what?! Assassin Css."

  The crowd erupted in astonished murmurs.

  "Wait! Isn't that the Hunter's Association President's daughter? Damn! I knew she'd awaken something awesome. What's her name again? Lisa… Darkon, right?"

  Lisa Darkon looked over the gathered crowd with icy indifference, her eyes scanning them as if they were little more than insects. With graceful steps, she descended from the podium, utterly unaffected by the praise and whispers.

  Amid the commotion, Azvoid remained seated, his gaze only briefly settling on Lisa before turning to his number: 137.

  "Well, isn't that a cssic trope? Getting stuck with the st number… Just this alone gives me disquieting vibes."

  He pushed the ominous feeling aside and focused his attention on the ceremony. His gaze fell upon the 100th youth, Astral Cremsworth, a young man who awakened an A-Rank talent: Swordsman. The smile the silver beauty fshed him was enough to assure anyone that he'd be receiving special treatment.

  "Aelira Kara, student number 136, come up to the stage and awaken your talent."

  The silver beauty's voice carried a hint of weariness, likely from calling out so many names.

  Azvoid's eyes narrowed. "Isn't that my nosy neighbor? The one who always seems to peek at me across the hallway? What a small world."

  He couldn't deny that Kara was a rare beauty up close, her jade-like skin glowing with a serene radiance. Though her name was a weird mismatch to her stunning appearance, she certainly stood out.

  Pcing her left hand on the orb, a flicker of panic mixed with curiosity crossed her features. Azvoid couldn't help but feel intrigued.

  The orb, which had been mostly dormant up to this point, suddenly erupted with a blinding, resplendent light. Gasps echoed throughout the hall as the intense glow painted everyone's faces in shimmering brilliance.

  "This... this... Could this be the legendary... SSS-Rank talent?!"

  Before the silver beauty could confirm the result, eleven streaks of light shot down from the sky, descending upon the hall like divine bolts.

  The Dean and the other senior instructors arrived, their faces painted with urgency and curiosity.

  Dean Cedric stepped forward, his boyish grin twisted into something resembling genuine delight. His voice boomed with a strange mixture of warmth and authority.

  "Little girl, how about you come with me?"

  Before Aelira could respond, the Dean seized her by the shoulder with a speed so sudden most couldn't even track his movements. With a sheepish grin, he sped off, his voice echoing behind him.

  "Well, time to nurture our precious gem!"

  The other instructors trailed after him, their expressions ranging from disbelief to enthusiasm.

  "Amazing... She actually awakened an SSS-Rank talent..."

  "Wait, was that the Dean?! And he's personally escorting her away? Damn!"

  "I can't believe it... She's basically guaranteed to join the higher ranks of the Global Cosmic Alliance... A powerhouse in the making!"

  Jealousy and frustration clouded the eyes of many students, their dreams suddenly reduced to mere scraps before the brilliance of an SSS-Rank talent.

  "Why wasn't it me... Why…?"

  ***

  "Azvoid Larkson, Student Number 137, come up and awaken your talent."

  The previous cmor died down instantly. Silence swept over the hall like a dark tide.

  "Wait, did she say Azvoid Larkson?"

  "The son of those two freaks? This should be interesting."

  "I wonder what kind of talent he'll awaken... Can't be that bad, right?"

  Azvoid rose from his seat, his expression calm, indifferent. He moved with a nguid grace, his gaze unwavering despite the whispers and pointed looks.

  A cruel society had taught him one valuable lesson—indifference was his best shield.

  Leisurely, he approached the podium and extended both hands toward the hovering orb. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and felt his consciousness sink into the abyss.

  Within the dark expanse of his mind, a draconic roar split the void. It was a sound so primal, so devastating, it shook him to his very core.

  A myriad of humongous dragons emerged from the emptiness—each one more terrifying and majestic than the st. Their scales shimmered with power, their eyes bzing with pure elemental fury. They spiraled through the nothingness, creating a mesmerizing scene of destruction and creation.

  As the chaos swirled around him, a notification appeared in his line of vision, the system's voice echoing with unprecedented grandeur.

  (Ding! Congratutions to the host for awakening the Prime Origin of all talents. The...