Free Web NovelChapter 4: Not Ordinary
Tony walked down the aisle that led from the audience stage to the awakening platform. He was getting thousands of stares from the spectators gathered in the arena... but he couldn’t care less.
After all, this was more like a normal occurrence, like in his previous world, where his movements as an influential young engineer and pioneer of successful firms always had to stay guided, or he was ready to entertain a flock of fans. The only problem with these stares was they weren’t due to success but quite the opposite.
’Does it matter? I hope this chance slaps them all in the face. I don’t share the same fate as their famous loser,’ Tony mused as he continued making his way toward the platform.
There were no reactions like when others were called. No applause or jeering of any kind. Everywhere just went mute as everybody focused their attention on the young man who was going to try his final chance of awakening.
"Mummy," a female kid with a ponytail hair, tugged at her mother’s cloth. "Why aren’t we cheering that boy up? Or encouraging him?"
The mother crouched low so that her head would be on the same level as her daughter’s.
"You see that boy? He’s not ordinary. Cheering him up will lead to the same results. Just watch and see, baby girl."
The young female kid stared at her mother with pitiful, tender eyes, not quite grasping the full meaning behind those words. Nonetheless, she hugged the teddy bear in her hands tightly and turned to the stage.
Tony was midway to the stage when he suddenly began to hear applause from far behind. It was coming from one single person.
He turned to find Sandra standing on her feet and jamming her hands together. When their eyes met, she winked at him and gave him a thumbs up.
Tony looked down.
’Is that really what it means to feel love?’ he thought.
In his previous life, he only knew about charisma and nothing more, especially since he came from a family whose principles dealt mainly with meritocracy and achievements. So, he had been too focused to think about love in any form.
"Is that his girlfriend?" a man asked the neighbor.
"Seems more like it."
"Let’s join her. Who knows? Even if it’s the last hope we give that loser."
"I guess so."
Soon, another hand joined that of Sandra in applause. And another. And another. Again and simultaneously, the crowd soon began to clap their hands as an ironic way of trying to jeer Tony.
However, one could notice that their applause didn’t carry any encouraging weight like the ones attributed to other awakeners. It was more like they applauded him for duty’s sake.
Tony raised his head and looked at the audience before lingering his eyes on Sandra. Something he thought would never settle in his heart suddenly took abode in it. Emotive thumps and anxiety filled his being for even the briefest moment.
"I hope I won’t let you down," he murmured; "my heartthrob," he added faintly and turned to the awakening platform where the moderator was already tiring out.
Once he was on the platform, he stretched his hand to collect his fair scratch of the awakening powder but paused midair and turned to the moderator.
Seeing the boy’s attention had turned to him, the moderator said, "Boy, I hope you don’t disappoint the strength they put in applauding you."
However, Tony didn’t let the comment affect him in any way. Whatever he meant or tried to mean, saying that was his cup of tea. He had more pressing issues.
He remained calm and composed.
"I don’t know if it’s odd that I have to ask," Tony began, his cold, brown eyes staring at the moderator as if he could see into his soul. "Doesn’t the magic class we awaken have its rank? I didn’t hear you mention any."
The arena went silent upon hearing Tony’s question. Even Sandra had to pause, wondering why her boyfriend had asked that question. The moderator, on the other hand, jittered.
"Well, this is not information that you’re meant to be concerned with upon awakening, as it will still be made known to you through your records as you register in any guild." He furrowed his brows. "But I don’t see a problem leaking the ranks to you... even if it’s for the knowledge of it."
Tony was right with his speculation. From the memories he gained from the previous owner of this body, there wasn’t anything like the ranks of these magic classes.
Perhaps he wasn’t aware of any because he was never able to awaken one.
"I’m glad you’re willing to tell me," Tony smiled.
The moderator scoffed and began to explain.
"Magic classes are ranked based on their rarity. So, to cut things short, they are ranked into low, medium, high, rare, legendary, and divine magic classes. I wish I could lay out an example with the awakened magic classes you witnessed today. However, will that really be helpful to you?"
Tony squinted his eyes, trying to understand what the moderator was trying to say by asking that question.
"Thanks. This much information is okay for me."
Without further ado, the brown-haired boy collected a scratch of the awakening powder and sprinkled it into the pulpit of grace.
By now, the audience had stopped their empty applause as everyone looked in anticipation to see what was going to happen.
And...
The pulpit glowed, and from within it, a purple flame burst out, but it was not as bright as even that of Aaron. It was faint and didn’t look like something with a promising outcome.
"Woah!"
The faint glow still was a surprise to the audience. The loser Tony hadn’t even been able to cause a glow like this during his first two awakening chances.
Seeing it now, maybe there was hope he could at least awaken a low class. A class that could allow him to serve as a rear guard that supported his team with carrying their loads. It was better than nothing.
Meanwhile, Sandra remained standing. Her hands joined and rose to her jaw as she shut her eyes in silent prayers.
"Please, be great," she prayed.
Just like the others, a brown, haggard paper fell out of the flame as soon as it vanished... and Tony didn’t fail to catch it midair.
He handed the brown paper to the moderator, who looked at both its back and front, then raised it to the audience.
"It’s just as expected, guys!" he echoed through the microphone.
The clamor of the spectators that followed that announcement made the moderator not stop at just those words.
"It’s a good thing you were able to make a glow emanate from the pulpit of grace this time, Tony. Sadly, there’s nothing for you." The moderator looked up at the audience. "He awakened no class."
Eyes turned to Sandra, who was still in her meditative position. Meanwhile, if anyone was standing very close to her, they could see the strand of tears that had dried on her face... and even the silent, flowing ones.
Tony stood on the awakening platform, his face down.
’Don’t tell me I inherited even his pathetic fate. The gods of transmigration, where’s my compensation?’
’Oh right. They already compensated me by giving me a second chance at life. But still—’
Tony couldn’t continue pondering. This was his first time facing failure from the right beginning, but it didn’t matter if it would be the end.
For him, the definition of a failure was one who never bothered to try again. It was one who never understood that never quitting was what actually guaranteed success. In that case, he couldn’t allow himself to look pathetic like the loser Tony.
Hence, he collected the brown paper from the moderator and performed the ritual other awakeners, now players, performed after their magic classes were called.
He placed the brown paper on his chest and allowed it to burn into his being.
"What now?" a voice shouted from the audience.
"He’s absorbing emptiness. He might as well become hollowed. I guess the monsters would welcome his presence."
"But no guild will wish to employ him. How can he team up to clear the floors?"
"His girlfriend is there, can’t you see?"
Eyes turned to Sandra, who was still standing in her meditative posture. Some eyes squinted in immediate recognition upon seeing her.
"Isn’t that Sandra Mett? The higher awakener of last year?" The voice of a male kid shot across the arena.
"No way!" Many other eyes turned their attention to her.
"She’s the girl whose flames almost burned the moderator."
Brief laughter followed the jest.
Amidst this entertaining chaos, a deep voice echoed, loud enough to draw attention.
"Hey look, the pulpit is still glowing!"
Everyone’s attention turned to the pulpit, which, to their oblivion and now amazement, hadn’t stopped glowing ever since Tony’s awakening process.
Only now did Sandra open her eyes.
Nevertheless, a suffocating, unnatural silence swallowed the arena as purple glows ignited once again from the pulpit. Except now, the flames were no longer small and faint.
It erupted upward like a pillar trying to pierce through the ceiling into the heavens. Shocks filled everyone as their mouths couldn’t find the right reaction to give to this occurrence. They couldn’t even make gasping sounds in the least. Their eyes just set on the flames before them.
"This... this isn’t normal." Someone finally found their voice, whispering from the spectator stands.
"He’s not ordinary," another voice joined.
"Is that a summoner class?"
"But the pulpit of grace didn’t assign him any."
The flames nearly devoured a quarter of the arena’s ceiling, peeling away like curtains unveiling a forbidden stage until shadows began to form on that stage.
A tall figure stepped forward from the shadows.
A man cloaked in ragged darkness that swallowed the firelight instead of reflecting it. A towering female knight in fractured armor dragged a colossal blade against the imaginative stone of the burning stage. Beside her, a woman floated, draped in funeral veils, her feet never touching the ground.
One by one, these figures lined up, gradually forming an army.
A collective breath caught in thousands of throats at this sight. All eyes now shifted to Tony, who was no longer staring at what he had pulled but was staring at—
"What is he staring at?"
"Why don’t you ask him to find out?"
While the spectators were busy glimmering at the sight of the purple flaming stage, which was beginning to dwindle and eventually flickered off, Tony was looking at the floating screen before him with wide, enthusiastic eyes.
A purple translucent screen was currently floating before Tony. Something he had read many times in comics and manga was currently happening to him.
The gods of transmigration finally answered his prayers.
[Gacha System Activated!]
[ ... ]
[The requirement "Never giving up" has been met. The Gacha System is being loaded...]
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully awakened the Fate Gacha System.]
[The road to being the greatest is nigh...]
"..." Tony was dumbfounded.
[Host, congratulations for awakening the unique divine class: Infinite Summoner (Level 1).]
[Host, congratulations on acquiring the passive trait: Shared Growth.]
[Shared Growth: 10% of all summon stat growth is transferred to you; Summon title is automatically transcribed as a new subclass for you.]
[ ... ]
Before Tony could continue with the influx of notifications displayed in front of him, an experienced, cold hand rested on his shoulders.
The brown-haired boy turned to meet the moderator’s confused eyes.
"What’s happening? I thought you passed out while standing with eyes open. Did you awaken a class? Sorry, I should have known if you did. What’s going on?"
From the way the moderator gibbered his words, it was clear he didn’t expect what was happening.
Tony, on the other hand, was suddenly caught between the net of having to reveal what had really happened... or keeping it to himself.
"I..." he paused, thinking of the right decision to deliver. "The thing is..."
