Chapter 2: Caleb Rowan’s Provocation!

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Caleb Rowan’s Provocation!

There was no hint of mockery, but it was precisely this matter-of-fact attitude that was the most infuriating.

Caleb Rowan’s face flushed red instantly.

He gritted his teeth.

"Don’t get ahead of yourself. We’ll see about that!"

After saying that, he turned back to his seat in a huff, making the chair clatter loudly.

Daniel Mercer leaned in and lowered his voice.

"Brother Nathan, that was dominant."

"I was just telling the truth."

The discussions in the classroom gradually grew louder.

"Hey, who do you think will awaken a stronger class, Nathaniel or Caleb?"

"Hard to say. Nathaniel’s parents are both Level 400, and Caleb’s father is also Level 400. Their bloodlines are both ridiculously strong."

"I hope I can awaken as a Mage. A Fire Mage. How cool would that be? A Fireball Technique with just a wave of the hand."

"Mages are too expensive to maintain. An Assassin is better. Coming and going without a trace."

"Stop dreaming. If you can awaken a Combat Class, you should be thanking your lucky stars. If I awaken as a Gardener, I’ll just have to go home and plant flowers."

Everyone was discussing.

Their voices were filled with hope for the future, but also fear of the unknown.

This was the watershed.

Awaken a powerful class and rise to the top, becoming one of the people who stood above the rest.

Awaken a useless class and you could spend your entire life struggling at the bottom, relying on others for protection.

It was cruel.

And it was reality.

Eight o’clock sharp.

Footsteps echoed from the doorway.

The class teacher, Mr. Ellis, walked in.

The classroom fell silent.

Mr. Ellis waved his hand.

"Everyone stand up. Head to the gymnasium."

Clatter.

Everyone stood up.

Nathaniel and Daniel walked in the middle of the line.

On the playground, groups from other classes were also converging toward the gymnasium.

A dense mass of students filled the grounds.

The footsteps were chaotic, but no one spoke.

The atmosphere became somewhat somber.

The closer they got to the gymnasium, the stronger the sense of pressure became.

It was like the calm before a storm.

Westmere No. 1 Academy’s gymnasium was huge.

The dome was high, with rows of large lights hanging from it, illuminating the interior as bright as day.

The building was already packed with people.

The entire senior year, more than a thousand students, was gathered there.

At the very front was a high platform.

After a few brief words, the principal spoke directly.

"Now, the Awakening Ceremony begins."

"When your name is called, come up."

"Ten people per group, entering the ten Awakening Rooms in the back."

"Maximum five minutes per person."

"First group: Owen Price, Clara Bennett, Mason Reed..."

The names were read out one by one.

Those called visibly trembled before stiffly walking out of the line.

They walked toward the ten rooms.

The doors opened.

They walked in.

The doors closed again.

A deathly silence filled the venue.

Everyone stared at those ten doors.

Nathaniel could feel Daniel trembling beside him.

"Don’t be afraid."

Nathaniel reached out and patted Daniel’s shoulder.

Daniel took a deep breath and managed to force a smile.

"I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid..."

While his mouth said he wasn’t afraid, his teeth were chattering.

A few minutes later.

The door to Room 1 opened.

Owen Price, who had just entered, walked out.

He held a hoe in his hand.

That was the initial equipment provided by the Awakening, a symbol of his class.

Owen looked dejected, his eyes red.

"Farmer..."

Someone whispered.

A sigh of pity rippled through the crowd.

Farmer.

A typical Life Class.

In the future, he could only farm or cultivate spiritual plants.

Soon after, people from the other rooms began to emerge one after another.

Some held spatulas.

Some held scissors.

Others held short swords, their faces flushed with excitement.

Those were Warriors.

Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness were on full display at this moment.

Time slowly ticked away.

Group after group went up and came down.

Most were Life Classes or ordinary Combat Classes.

Occasionally, one or two rare classes, such as an Elementalist, would cause a stir of gasps.

"Next group: Daniel Mercer, Caleb Rowan, Marcus Reed..."

The principal’s voice rang out again.

Daniel’s whole body jolted.

"It’s my turn. It’s my turn."

He muttered to himself and glanced at Nathaniel.

"Brother Nathan, I’m going."

"Go on. Good luck."

Nathaniel nodded.

Caleb also stepped out.

As he passed Nathaniel, he paused.

"Just watch."

Caleb sneered.

"I’m going to show you what a genius really is."

With that, he strode toward the Awakening Room.

Daniel entered Room 3.

Caleb entered Room 5.

The doors closed.

Nathaniel’s gaze fell on the door of Room 3.

He was actually quite worried about Daniel.

Although Daniel was usually carefree, he was actually quite sensitive. If he really awakened a useless class, the blow would be immense.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Suddenly, the door to Room 3 opened.

Daniel rushed out.

He held a wooden longbow in his hand, and a quiver had appeared on his back.

His face was beaming with ecstasy.

Before he even reached the line, he couldn’t help but jump up.

"Brother Nathan! Brother Nathan!"

Daniel shouted, completely ignoring the gazes of those around him.

"Divine Archer! I’m a Divine Archer!"

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

"Divine Archer?!"

"What luck! That’s a powerful long-range damage dealer."

"He won’t have to worry about finding a party for dungeons in the future."

Seeing Daniel so excited, Nathaniel also smiled.

Divine Archer was indeed a good class.

If nurtured well, its late-game damage could be explosive.

Daniel jogged all the way back to Nathaniel’s side, incoherent with excitement.

"Brother Nathan, did you see? I have a bow! I’m a Combat Class!"

He held the wooden bow up in front of Nathaniel to show off.

Although the bow’s body was rough, a faint shimmer of light flowed across it.

"I saw it. Congratulations."

Nathaniel was genuinely happy for him.

Just then...

BOOM!

A loud bang, like a thunderclap exploding right beside their ears.

The entire gymnasium shook.

Everyone was startled, instinctively covering their ears.

Nathaniel looked up sharply.

His gaze locked onto Room 5.

That was exactly the room Caleb had entered.

A dark cloud appeared out of thin air above Room 5.

The dark clouds roiled, with purple lightning flashing inside.

Crackle.

The sound of electric current was clearly audible.

"What’s happening?"

"It’s a phenomenon! A phenomenon has appeared during the Awakening!"

"My god, what class is this?"

Exclamations rose from all sides.

The principal also widened his eyes, leaning forward from the high platform.

Usually, only the awakening of a special class or an extremely powerful Hidden Class would trigger a Phenomenon of Heaven and Earth.

The dark cloud didn’t last long.

A few seconds later, a thick bolt of lightning struck down, plunging directly into Room 5.

Then the phenomenon dissipated.

The door to Room 5 slowly opened.

Caleb Rowan walked out.

His appearance had changed drastically.

His hair stood on end as if he’d been electrocuted, and strands of blue electric arcs coiled around his body.

He held a longsword in his hand.

The blade wasn’t an ordinary iron sword.

It was deep blue throughout, with flashes of lightning passing over it from time to time.

Caleb walked very slowly.

With every step he took, it felt as though electricity flowed through the floor beneath his feet.

The expression on his face was arrogant to the extreme.

He basked in the gaze of thousands of eyes in the venue.

Those gazes were filled with shock, envy, and jealousy.