The moment Leon stepped out of the Awakening Hall, it felt as though an invisible wall of noise crashed into him. The entire courtyard had erupted into chaos. Students who had finished their awakenings earlier were shouting to anyone who would listen, parents babbled in panic, and guild scribes ran across the courtyard like startled birds, clutching scrolls and quills. Even the guards outside had abandoned their formation, craning their necks to peer inside the hall as if expecting a divine spirit to step out.
But what stepped out was Leon Gray.
He walked with the same expression he had worn inside—calm, almost detached, eyes steady as if nothing extraordinary had happened. Damian, on the other hand, was practically vibrating. The moment he realized Leon was actually leaving the hall, he sprinted after him.
"Leon! LEON!" Damian yelled as if Leon were halfway across the world. "Wait—you can't just walk out after THAT! Do you even understand what you just did?! You awakened EX rank! People inside nearly fainted! Elder Harrow almost cried! I'm pretty sure one noble wet himself!"
Leon didn't slow. "None of that is important."
Damian grabbed his shoulders. "None of—Leon, listen. I got S-rank. S. RANK. That should've been the biggest thing in this entire kingdom for the next ten years. But you—how do you wake up something above S-rank?!"
Leon stared at him. "I placed my hand on the crystal."
"That—! I—!" Damian nearly tore his hair out. "You make everything sound so simple!"
Leon resumed walking. Damian groaned and followed.
A few steps later, the world shimmered in front of Leon's eyes.
Ding.
Status Panel unlocked.
A blue window appeared before him, invisible to everyone else.
Name: Leon Gray
Profession: Battlemage — EX Rank
Level: 1
Talent 1: Luck (EX Rank)
Attributes unfolded next:
Strength: 15
Agility: 18
Endurance: 16
Mana: 20
Spirit: 22
Leon blinked once, absorbing the information. His attributes were already higher than the average new awakener. The Luck talent had likely influenced that already.
Another window appeared.
Luck (EX): Passive probability manipulation. Enhances growth rate, training effectiveness, breakthrough success, resource quality, and chance-based outcomes. Effects accumulate continuously. Cannot be consciously activated.
Leon closed the panel. It felt natural, as though he had always known this moment would happen.
Damian leaned dangerously close. "Are you looking at your panel? What does it say? Are you glowing? Are you going to explode?"
"No."
"Then why do you look so calm?"
"I am calm."
"That's the problem!"
The courtyard grew louder as more nobles and officials spilled out, each frantically discussing what they'd seen. The words "EX rank" flew from mouth to mouth. Scholars from the capital were being summoned. Hundreds of theories about Leon's talent were already swirling.
Some whispered in awe.
Some whispered in fear.
Others in greed.
Leon ignored all of it. He simply kept walking.
Instructor Hale finally caught up, pushing through the crowd with restrained frustration. "Leon! Damian! Over here!" He half-dragged them toward a quieter corner behind the training barracks. "Do either of you realize the trouble you've caused?"
Damian raised both hands. "For the record, I only caused S-rank trouble. Leon caused EX-rank trouble. I'm innocent."
"You are not helping," Hale muttered.
He turned to Leon, expression tightening. "Listen to me carefully. What you awakened today is not just rare. It has never happened. There is no record of EX rank in the kingdom, in any academy, in any guild, or any historical text. We have nothing to compare you to."
Leon nodded slightly. "I understand."
"No. You do not," Hale said sharply. "The Council will send investigators. The nobles will send messengers. The Royal Academy will demand detailed analysis. You will be studied, observed, questioned. Some people will try to recruit you. Others may fear you."
"I see," Leon said.
Hale stared at him. "I genuinely cannot tell if you're brave or if nothing affects you."
Damian answered for him. "He's like this with everything. He once got stabbed during practice and didn't even blink."
Hale froze. "He what?"
Leon shrugged. "It was shallow."
"Your definition of shallow is terrifying," Hale muttered.
The instructor sighed heavily, rubbing his forehead. "I will delay the officials as long as possible. You two should rest. Tomorrow morning, training begins. And Leon… be careful. The world will not look at you the same anymore."
Leon nodded once.
Damian opened his mouth—possibly to brag or panic—but froze when he noticed three richly dressed nobles near the gate pointing in Leon's direction.
"Oh no," Damian whispered. "They saw us."
Leon kept walking.
"Leon! LEON! They saw us. Why are you walking?! We should hide! We should tunnel out! We should fake our deaths!"
Leon stopped. "Damian."
"Y-Yes?"
"Stop talking."
"I CAN'T."
Leon walked away again, and Damian obediently followed—still whispering rapid theories about how to escape noble attention.
Inside the dormitory, quiet finally settled. Most students had gone home to celebrate their awakenings or cry about their misfortunes. The room felt strangely peaceful in comparison to the chaos outside.
Leon sat on the edge of his bed. The panel reappeared with a thought. The Luck talent glowed faintly.
He could feel it now, in small ways. A sense of flow. A sense of alignment. As though his choices had invisible weights guiding them. Nothing dramatic. Nothing flashy. Just… rightness.
This talent wouldn't make him instantly powerful. It wouldn't give him immediate combat advantage or sudden mastery. But over time? Day by day? It would build something unstoppable.
Damian barged in without knocking and threw himself on Leon's floor dramatically. "I'm sleeping here."
"No."
"Yes. There are nobles outside. One asked me if I knew what EX rank meant. I panicked and told him I was an orphan. I don't even know why."
Leon gave him a blank look. "Go sleep in your own room."
"I refuse. It's dangerous."
"For you?" Leon asked.
"For us," Damian corrected. "You need a guard. I'm the guard."
"I don't need a guard."
"I DO."
Leon sighed, gave up, and lay back on his bed.
Damian groaned into his blanket. "Leon… what do you think is going to happen now?"
Leon didn't answer for a long moment.
Then quietly, he said, "I'm going to get stronger."
Damian peeked over the blanket. "That's it?"
"It's enough."
Outside, the wind shifted. The first night of their new lives had arrived.
Leon closed his eyes. The Luck talent pulsed softly like a quiet promise.
Tomorrow, everything would begin.