Chapter 8: Rebirth

In the Year 436 AR, Underground City 'C-71'

"This marks your final Awakening Ritual. Failure today means you'll have to pay for any future attempts—or worse, you might have to accept an ordinary life."

" And while that may sound safe, it also means giving up on the possibilities that lie beyond." The instructor overseeing the Awakening Ritual spoke with a heavy tone, fully aware of how much was riding on this moment for the students gathered in front of him.

Outside the field, anxious parents watched with bated breath, hoping their children would succeed where many had failed.

In the Dwan Federation, every student is entitled to three free chances to awaken before they graduate.

It's said that awakening can still happen after those attempts, but the odds drop significantly. Today, at the No. 1 Affiliated High School in Underground City 'C-71,' the playground was packed with rows of graduating students.

Their faces were a mix of nerves and excitement as they stood, ready to face their final chance.

Among the crowd of parents, two young men, aged between 22 and 23, stood casually but with serious expressions. Their attention was fixed on a particular girl in the line of students, preparing for her Awakening Ritual.

"What do you think, Brother Ram? Will little Lisa manage to awaken her profession and become a Professional this time?" The young man in light blue, wearing black glasses and sporting stylish short blue hair, spoke with a teasing tone.

His name was Liam, and though he tried to keep things light, the tension in the air was undeniable.

Ram, standing beside him in a black leather jacket, crossed his arms, his expression confident. "She should. Last time my father and I checked, she showed some responses to Spiritual Power."

"Let's hope so," Liam responded with a small grin. "This is her third attempt, after all. She can't be as unlucky as you were, Brother Ram." The teasing in his voice was evident, though it didn't come with malice.

When Ram heard the remark, he didn't react with anger, but instead, he sighed resignedly. He had grown accustomed to such banter.

He had already used up all three of his awakening attempts by the time he turned 21.

Since then, he had tried everything—from gene potions to spiritual fruits and other unconventional methods—to force an awakening, but nothing had worked.

In a world where being ordinary was almost like a curse, Ram had faced a lot of pressure.

But after years of facing the judgment of others, he had learned to endure the ridicule. His strength didn't come solely from toughening his mindset, though.

It came from something much more unique—a special ability an Attribute Panel or a MOD he developed in his last life.

Yes, Ram had been reborn in this world, called Blue Star, after his sudden death on Earth. And unlike Earth, Blue Star was a world where humans could awaken extraordinary abilities.

Its emergence plunged humanity into chaos—mutating animals and plants, and forcing people to fight for survival.

But it also brought the chance for humans to awaken, unlocking powers that allowed them to harness the forces of nature, surpass physical limits, and shape reality itself.

Now, it's Year 436 AR (After reiki) similar to BC and AD on Earth. And nearly four centuries of global turmoil and extinction crises, completely rewriting the fate of all mankind and the direction of civilization.

Through battle, research, and the development of new technologies, people learned to harness Reiki, leading to the creation of the first awakened Professionals.

Human beings have long adapted to the existence of reiki and have made use of the unique resources produced to promote the rapid development of science and technology and greatly increase productivity.

However, the greatest impact on humanity is the supernatural abilities from the awakening.

Their abilities vary, such as lighting control, power enhancement, body changes, stealth leaps, etc., are just the most common abilities, and there are many magical and weird abilities, the farther you go on the path of life evolution, the stronger the abilities, and even the lifespan will increase!

By successfully awakening, a person activated their gene chain and became a Professional.

The awakening process granted a person both a natural talent and a main profession, which could be related to combat, crafting, or other specialized skills. Their powers would grow as they trained and evolved.

Despite the lure of power, awakening was no easy feat. Out of every 100 people, only 30% managed to awaken, and even among those, only a fraction gained combat-related abilities.

To improve those odds, the Soul Resonance Instrument was introduced, pushing the success rate to around 70%, but even with all the advancements, Ram had found himself among the unlucky few.

Many nights he wondered if his inability to awaken had something to do with the Attribute Panel he could access.

Did this secret of his somehow interfere with the normal awakening process?

On the playground, the tension was building as each student stepped up for their ritual, one after the other.

The instructor's words echoed in Ram's mind as he observed little Lisa, who stood, her expression tense but determined. This was her final free chance to awaken.

The instructor performed the awakening ritual, a process that connected students to the Reiki-infused spiritual energy, hoping to trigger the activation of their latent abilities.

Each moment seemed to drag on forever as the instructor guided Lisa through the steps.

Ram's heart beat faster. He knew the chances of failure, but he also held onto hope—this world was built on awakening, and for many, it was the only path forward.

To live an ordinary life, especially in a place like the Dwan Federation, where society revered the awakened, was to resign oneself to mediocrity.