Wielder of Chaos. Recognized as the descendant of the st true Primordial Dragon bloodline, all system functions have been fully activated. As the Wielder of Chaos, you have been granted the ability to wield all system abilities and all talents extracted.)
Azvoid's eyes widened as the revetion hit him like a tidal wave. "Oh, so that's why I couldn't activate the system functions before. Turns out I had to first awaken my true talent, the Prime Origin of All! To wield other talents, I had to first wield mine, the origin of all talents itself!"
As the realization sank in, something extraordinary happened. What had once only existed within his realm of consciousness suddenly manifested in reality. Phantoms of Ancient Primordial Dragons appeared, each an embodiment of chaos, surrounded by surging elements of fire, lightning, darkness, ice, and more, all swirling around them in an awe-inspiring dispy.
Their majestic roars reverberated across an unknown distance, shaking the air itself.
Azvoid snapped out of his daze and gnced at the orb he had been holding. Its surface glowed with a multitude of resplendent lights, far brighter than when the Triple S Talent had been awakened moments ago. Yet, as he looked closer, fine cracks spread across the orb's surface.
It was as if the power he wielded disdained being estimated or compared to anything else.
Then, with a sudden Boooooom! the orb exploded in a miniature bst, sending sharp echoes rippling through the hall.
The sound jarred everyone back to reality.
The silver-haired beauty who had been previously entranced now stared at Azvoid with wild, almost maniacal eyes. "This… this… it's… another SSS-Ranked talent…" she stammered.
Whispers and murmurs erupted throughout the Awakening Hall, shocked voices mingling with excitement and disbelief.
But that wasn't all.
Eleven familiar streaks of light shot across the sky, each carried by senior instructors, led by the Dean himself. Attempting a sincere smile, the Dean addressed Azvoid with a tone that held an unreasonable urgency. "Say, young man, how about you come with me?"
"Can I even say no?" Azvoid murmured helplessly before the Dean unceremoniously grabbed him and whisked him away, leaving the other Awakened thoroughly mesmerized.
But the announcement that came next froze everyone in pce.
A cold, crisp voice resounded throughout the hall:
"Azvoid Larkson, Talent Awakened: Unknown. Css Awakened: Summoner."
The previously deafening hallway turned silent.
What did it mean when even the talent orb couldn't cssify the talent someone awakened? Two terrifying possibilities came to mind: One, it was a mutation of talents, creating something entirely new. And two, something even more frightening, the emergence of a talent that surpassed the Triple S-Rank.
Just what kind of divine talent could that be?
And, most importantly, why wasn't I the one to awaken it?!
As the Awakened battled their own envy and curiosity, the silver-haired beauty tried to restore order. "This marks the end of Silvermoon's 100th Talent Awakening Ceremony. All Awakened are advised to remain in the hall for further instructions."
Meanwhile, in the Dean's office, the senior instructors scrutinized the two talents before them, their eyes bzing with fervent excitement.
The Dean cleared his throat and offered a warm smile. "Congratutions to the both of you for awakening SSS-Ranked talents." His words alleviated some of the tension in the room.
He continued with a smile so wide it threatened to split his face. "I trust you understand the implications of awakening SSS-Ranked talents. As long as nothing unforeseen befalls you, I believe both of you have the potential to elevate humanity to an entirely new level."
He paused before adding, "As a gift to the both of you for awakening your talents, I will grant each of you a request—given that it's within my reach."
Azvoid gnced at the Dean, then at Aelira, before making a shamelessly bold request. "Really? You mean anything? Then how about a full set of S-Rank equipment?"
The Dean's smiling face twitched, his eyes narrowing. "Cough… cough… about… that…"
Before he could awkwardly refuse, a melodious, pearly giggle echoed through the air, rich and pyful. Suddenly, an azure-eyed maiden with cascading blue hair descended from the sky, her beauty ethereal, her presence commanding.
She regarded Azvoid with intrigue. "How about you join my White Lotus Guild, young man? And I promise to give you a full set of S-Rank equipment."
The Dean's expression darkened as he gred at the newcomer. "What's this got to do with you, Amelia?! Trying to poach an SSS-Ranked talent from us?! And who said I wasn't willing to give the kid a full set of S-Rank equipment? It's just… what's the point of giving an F-Rank Awakened equipment he can't even equip?"
Azvoid's eyebrows rose. He hadn't expected his random request to stir up such a commotion. The dy named Amelia and the Dean looked about ready to go to war over him.
Before he could react, Kara, who had been sitting quietly across from him, leaned forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Um, Azvoid, right? What css did you awaken?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Azvoid said smugly. "Just the Summoning Css."
"Ohhh," Aelira nodded as if that made sense.
Watching her reaction, Azvoid couldn't help but feel curious about her talent. Then he suddenly facepalmed himself.
"Arrrrghhhhh, I almost forgot!"
He opened his modified system panel while gncing at Kara and issued a mental command.
"System, dispy Aelira's talent!"
A familiar blue notification screen materialized before his eyes.
Name: Aelira Kara
Race: Human
Talent: Space Vector Master.
(Talent that enables the host to manipute space to form spatial and spectral bdes to destroy all enemies and rend space apart, warp and control space as its master!)
Current Status: Extractable.
To extract: Kill the current wielder to acquire the talent.
Or Replicate: The effects will not be as potent as extracted talents.
Azvoid's lips curved into a mischievous grin. "Now, this is interesting…"
***
Azvoid gnced at Kara beside him, curiosity burning in his eyes. "Replicate? It even has such an amazing function," he murmured to himself. Yet, a part of him couldn't help but wonder what all this had to do with dragons and being the st wielder of the Ancient Primordial True Dragon Bloodline. The puzzle pieces didn't quite fit yet, but he knew one thing—puzzling over it wouldn't help his growth.
Answers would come in time. He just had to keep moving forward.
Turning his gaze toward Kara, his eyes glinted with excitement as he swiftly issued a mental command.
"System! Replicate Aelira's talent!"
The idea of extracting her talent was immediately dismissed. Killing her for it? That was simply ridiculous. She wasn't some vilinous character he had to eliminate. And besides, there were countless other reasons why that path was off the table.
The moment he issued the command, a familiar blue notification screen flickered into his vision, each character appearing with an otherworldly brilliance.
(Detected. The host has locked down on the target. Due to the host's low level, the host is required to maintain a five-meter range within the specified target. Conditions are met, talent replication will commence!)
<<0%...15%...40%...85%...100%>>
(Ding! Congratutions to the host for replicating the talent: Space Vector Master!
Do you wish to absorb it into your bloodline?
<
Azvoid's eyes widened in pleasant surprise. The whole process had been absurdly efficient! He'd expected complicated procedures and stringent requirements, but the replication barely took a second.
However, he couldn't ignore the dull ache throbbing throughout his body. It seemed the process had strained him, likely preventing him from copying other talents for a while.
Just then, Cedric, the Dean who had been bickering with Amelia, the Guild Master of the White Lotus Guild, gnced over at them with a mix of annoyance and curiosity.
"Arrgh, where was I before I was rudely interrupted?" he growled, throwing Amelia a petty gre. "Oh, yes, right. So, what are your requests?"
Aelira, who had been quiet until now, suddenly lit up. Her face flushed with a mix of excitement and nervousness as she met the Dean's gaze. "Dean, can you take me in as your disciple?"
Cedric's eyebrow arched in surprise. A disciple? He hadn't expected the girl to make such a bold request.
Since the Mana Surge thousands of years ago, countless talents had awakened, including the exceedingly rare SSS-Rank Talents. While such talents were still precious, the Global Cosmic Alliance's discovery of talents exceeding the Triple-S Rank had dampened their value.
But to small kingdoms and cities like Maelstrom City, the appearance of a Triple-S talent was akin to witnessing the descent of an immortal. It was a treasure worthy of celebration.
And if the rumors were true, the Global Cosmic Alliance rewarded the hometowns of Triple-S talents generously, sometimes even promoting them to a higher-tier city.
Seeing the cute girl before him, Cedric's eyes sparkled with delight. A true prodigy indeed, and one who didn't foolishly demand an entire set of S-Rank equipment like some other... particur person.
"From today onwards, you, O, Aelira Kara, shall be my first disciple." Cedric announced with a broad grin.
Kara practically leaped from her seat, bowing deeply. "Disciple greets Master!"
Amelia, the azure-eyed beauty who had remained still until now, suddenly rose with an urgency that almost made Azvoid flinch. Her excitement was palpable.
"Azvoid, how about you join our White Lotus Guild? In exchange, our guild will facilitate your growth by granting you access to all of our resources at your beck and call," she offered, her voice practically dripping with enthusiasm.
Azvoid paused, contempting her words.
"What's the catch?" he asked, his gaze sharp.
Amelia blinked, momentarily surprised by his cautiousness. Most would have jumped at her offer without a second thought.
"Of course, there are conditions. But they're not too bad, I promise," she expined with a sheepish smile. "First, you must participate in the upcoming Csh of Guilds and represent the White Lotus Guild. Second, you'll need to partake in dungeon and rift raids when necessary. And stly, you cannot join any other guild in the future."
The first two conditions sounded fair, but the st one? Hell no. What if the guild failed to provide him with the resources he needed down the line? Wouldn't he just be shackling himself for no reason?
"I can agree to the first two, but not the st condition." His voice was firm, unyielding.
To his surprise, Amelia grinned with an almost frightening eagerness. "Sure, fine! Congratutions on joining the White Lotus Guild! I look forward to working with you."
"Wait... That's it?" Azvoid stared at her, completely baffled. "Shouldn't there be a contract or something? And why do I feel like I just got scammed?"
But before he could voice his suspicions, Amelia's charming smile widened. "Come up to the White Lotus Guild tomorrow," she chirped before vanishing like a wisp of mist.
"Uurgh... That was weird." Azvoid shook his head, dismissing the thoughts of the peculiar encounter.
Instead, his mind churned with excitement. He quickly made his excuses to Cedric, leaving the Dean's office before anyone could bother him further.
He dashed out of the city toward a secluded spot deep within the wilderness. His grin widened.
"Finally... It's time to summon my first Dragon."
Since awakening his talent, all of the system's functions had been fully unlocked. And through sheer willpower, he had resisted the overwhelming desire to summon his first supreme beast. But now? Now was the time.
He established a mental connection with the system and focused on the function of the Ancient Chaos Celestial Realm. As he initiated the summoning process, an archaic spell echoed within his consciousness, the words flowing from him like a primordial torrent.
"FORGED BY THE SUPREME DARKNESS AND BOUND BY THE ETERNAL CHAINS, FILLED BY RAGE AND PAIN, MANIFESTED FROM THE ABYSS, SUMMONED BY VENGEANCE AND DRIVEN BY THE SLAIN, O, SHADOW BONE ENTITY EMERGE FROM THE FLAME, ARISE! AND COME FORTH ... SHADOW RENDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
His voice boomed across the wilderness, a resonance of power and authority.
And then, the world trembled...