The Elder slammed his staff against the stone platform. The sharp crack cut through the chatter like a slap.
"The Awakening Trial begins now," he said, his voice carrying over the packed square. "Step forward when your name is called. Let the mana judge your soul."
Revvyn stood near the back of the line, hands jammed into the pockets of the blue trousers Lily had made. The fabric felt stiff and new against his thighs. The square was a sea of people—villagers packed shoulder to shoulder, merchants leaning against carts, and kids sitting on their parents' shoulders to get a better view. The air was thick with the smell of sweat, hay, and the nervous energy of dozens of families.
Most of these kids were destined for Common-tier beasts. These were F or E-rank creatures—Stone-rats for digging or Field-hawks for scaring crows. Useful for a farm, useless for a legacy. Rare-tier—D or C-rank—was the stuff of village legends. Anything higher belonged to the nobles in the capital.
The Elder unrolled his scroll.
"Barry Sander!"
A boy near the front stepped forward, shoulders tight. He walked into the glowing circle, standing stiff as the Elder began the chant. The runestones flared. A small creature materialized beside him—brown fur, long digging claws, and beady eyes.
"Stone-rat," someone muttered in the crowd. "F-rank. Good for clearing rocks, I guess."
Bastian's shoulders dropped. He bowed and hurried off to find his family. His father looked away, disappointed.
"Liz Goss!"
A girl stepped forward, looking confident. The chant started. The light flickered.
Nothing.
The Elder shook his head. "No beast answers your soul, child."
Lyra walked off without looking at anyone. Her family didn't move to comfort her. In this village, failing the trial was like becoming a ghost.
One by one, they went. A boy named Corin summoned a hawk with brass-tipped wings. The crowd actually gasped.
"Wind Talon! D-rank Rare!"
Corin's father wept openly. Then a girl named Mira got nothing. Then a boy named Tomas summoned a small earth-colored rodent—a Dirt Grubber, E-rank.
Revvyn watched it all. The successes, the failures, the families being lifted up or crushed in a matter of seconds. Every name called was a world balanced on a knife's edge.
"Lucien Baltimore."
The crowd shifted instantly. Everyone knew this name. Lucien strode forward like he owned the ground. His guards flanked him to the edge of the circle, then stopped. He stepped in alone, looking bored.
The Elder chanted, and this time, the runestones blazed brighter than any before. The air grew heavy, pressing down on everyone's lungs. A white-hot and blinding light exploded.
When it faded, a creature stood beside Lucien. It was a massive, sleek wolf with fur like shifting shadows and eyes that glowed a faint, predatory red. Smoke curled from its nostrils.
The crowd erupted.
"Shadow Wolf! C-rank!"
"I've never seen a C-rank at a village trial! Never!"
Lucien turned slowly, his eyes finding Revvyn in the crowd. He smiled—a slow, deliberate pull of the lips. Then he looked past Revvyn to where Lily stood and winked. Revvyn's hands curled into fists, his nails biting into his palms.
The Elder waited for the noise to die down. He looked at his scroll.
"Next name... Revvyn."
Revvyn walked forward.
The crowd's eyes followed him. He could feel the weight of their gaze—some curious, some dismissive. He was the son of the paralyzed farmer, the boy whose family owed the Baltimores everything.
He stepped into the circle. The Elder began the chant. Ancient words vibrated in the air. The runestones flared.
Then light came.
It was explosive. Blinding. It was ten times brighter than Lucien's. The crowd cried out, shielding their eyes. The Elder stumbled back, his chant breaking as the mana surged with terrifying force.
Revvyn stood at the center, his heart pounding against his ribs. This is it. This is what Dad meant. The bloodline is waking up.
The light faded.
Silence fell over the square. Revvyn blinked, his vision clearing as he looked down at his feet.
A blob sat there.
It was translucent blue and quivering, about the size of a dinner plate. It had two tiny black dots for eyes that looked vaguely confused. It made a soft, wet squelch as it hopped once and stared up at him.
A Slime.
The laughter started with a snicker from the back. Then it spread like fire.
"A Slime? All that light for a puddle of spit?"
"The legendary bloodline ends with a cleaning supply!"
The crowd roared. It was pure, unrestrained mockery. People were holding their stomachs, pointing, and shouting insults.
Revvyn stood frozen. Shame burned up his neck and into his face. He stared at the blob. It was a Common-tier. F-rank. The weakest thing the circle could possibly produce.
Lucien stepped to the edge of the platform, his Shadow Wolf growling low beside him.
"Truly, Revvyn," he said, his voice carrying over the laughter. "I'm shaking in my boots. Try not to let anyone mop the floor with your... 'partner.'"
The laughter doubled.
Revvyn didn't answer. He couldn't. He looked for Lily. She was in the front row, near the fence. She wasn't laughing. Her face was pale, and her eyes were wide, shining with a look of pure pity. It was a look that hurt worse than Lucien's mockery.
Revvyn looked down at the slime. It hopped closer and rubbed against his boot. Even the slime seemed to feel sorry for him.
Suddenly, a flicker of white text appeared in his vision.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZED]
User: Revvyn
Level: 1
Rank: P
Taming Slots: [Slime] (1/1)
[User Stats]
STR: 5
AGI: 6
CON: 8
MANA: 2
[Beast Stats]
Name: ???
Race: Slime
Rank: F
STR: 1
AGI: 1
CON: 3
MANA: 5
Rank P? Revvyn stared at the letter. He'd heard of F-rank through S-rank, but P? It had to mean "Pathetic." A rank so low it wasn't even on the official charts.
The Elder cleared his throat, his voice dripping with disappointment. "The summon has been judged. Rank: P... Common-tier Slime."
He didn't even look Revvyn in the eye. "Next candidate."
Revvyn scooped up the Slime. It felt like cold, wet jelly in his hands. He walked off the platform, his head down, the laughter of the villagers following him like a physical weight. He moved back to the line, standing in the shadows where no one would look at him.
He stayed there, forced to watch as the trial continued. He watched other kids summon beasts that actually had teeth, his stomach twisting every time a cheer went up for someone else.
He was a joke. His family was doomed. And all he had to show for it was a blue blob that didn't even have a name.