Chapter 07: Transcendent level
Just as it seemed that Sam would remain an unawakened hero for the rest of his life, something unprecedented occurred.
The awakening crystal emitted small whips of red flames before an intense red light, never before witnessed, assaulted the arena, blinding everyone present.
Even the Hero King and noble clan leaders were forced to shield their eyes.
"What in the heavens is that?" When the intense red light finally subsided, what became visible was countless monsters, all formed of red and black energy.
Each one was distinct from the others, more terrifying than the last, deadlier in appearance with every glance.
Dragons, vampires, lycans, qilins, snakes, phoenixes, spiders, four-legged beasts of all varieties, detestable abominations straight from nightmares, angels, demons, and countless more beings manifested before their eyes.
Compared to these manifestations, the earlier apex-level phenomenons seemed like child's play.
"What kind of phenomenon is this? I have never seen anything like it before," Ragnar said, putting some distance between himself and the awakening crystal as he noticed that the awakening showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.
And indeed, he was right. Sam's awakening was far from over.
Another round of intense red light, mixed with blackish energy, erupted.
When it dissipated, hundreds of thousands of bits and pieces of energy floated in the air.
This time, a tree—an immense tree, resembling a divine banyan—appeared, surrounded by the manifestations as if they were worshipping their god.
Sam, enveloped by a myriad of energies, felt as though he were in a daze.
His eyes seemed distant, and his dark black hair mysteriously turned pure milky white, growing several inches down to his shoulders, covering his ears and the back of his neck.
His body lifted from the ground, ascending about thirty feet into the air, before the manifestations transformed into streaks of red and black light, merging with the divine tree's manifestation.
Then, the divine tree itself transformed into a massive ball of golden light, which shot towards Sam, merging with his body and causing a pillar of golden light to pierce through the clouds.
...
Somewhere within the territories of the heroes, the White Lotus Knights were gathered in a meeting.
They constituted one of the Squads of Imperial Knights, under the leadership of Maya Tatsuya.
Maya Tatsuya presided over the meeting with her knights when a pillar of light struck the sky, seizing her attention.
Even from this distance, it was vivid and awe-inspiring.
"Son..." Maya couldn't help but think of her beloved son who had gone for the awakening ceremony.
...
Back in the arena of heroes, the pillar of light slowly receded back into his body as he descended to the ground.
Gradually, he regained consciousness as his hair returned to its normal state.
He stood there, bewildered, clearly not comprehending what he had just caused.
He noticed Isabella Lancaster, Yuki Asuna, and Yami Kusanagi looking at him as if he were a monster.
Then it dawned upon him that not just them, but everyone in the arena, bore similar expressions.
[Mana flows through your veins]
[You have awakened your potential.]
[You have unlocked your Dorment-Innate Ability.]
[Since you are favored by the System Administrator, you are granted a special rewards]
[Reward: +5 Free Stat points.]
[Reward: +1 Rare Stat]
Sam was dumbfounded. Did the system, which had never given anything to anyone before, just reward him with attribute points?
'What the hell does it mean by saying I'm being favored by the System Administrator? Wait, is there a system administrator? Does that mean there is a person who can control the system?' Sam didn't know what to make of this revelation.
He was too engrossed in looking at the system to realize what was happening around him.
The Imperial Knights, who were hiding in the dark, had emerged and stood at the corners of the arena as if protecting the people inside under the Hero King's orders.
"This awakening ceremony is done. Have a good day and get out," Ragnar said, immediately ushering the awakeners backstage, but not everyone; only the ones that caused the phenomena.
Under the Hero King's order, the arena emptied, and then he took his daughter, Yuki Asuna, and left along with the Asuna clan.
While leaving, Yuki gave one last glance at Sam, who also returned the look.
It was a simple, expressionless look, but Sam felt like there was more to it.
He ignored that when his grandpa, Jin, pulled him out of the arena and hastily brought him back to the Tatsuya clan's territory.
Upon arrival, he noticed Ragnar, the vice principal of the Hero Academy, and captain of the Imperial Knights' Crimson Blade squad, waiting for him.
Jin spoke first. "Sam, do you know what you just did?"
"I... don't know," Sam replied honestly.
All he remembered was touching the awakening crystal; after that, everything was as black as a white paper.
When he regained his senses, he saw some weird things the system was showing him that he had never seen before.
"You don't know? Are you saying you don't remember the things you conjured?" Jin asked violently, grabbing his shoulder and yanking him.
Sam shook his head sideways in response.
"You caused a transcendent-level phenomenon, and not a simple one at that," Ragnar, the vice principal of the Hero Academy, answered, moving forward.
"It was unique, and this marks you as a target for people who already had eyes on you for a long time," the captain of the Crimson Blade squad, Alden Blackwood, said.
Sam looked in the direction where he was pointing, and sure enough, he could see the remnants of his phenomenon yet to dissipate.
What he didn't know was that all the heroes in the vicinity had been able to see the phenomenon adorning the sky in black, white, and golden resilience.
"Oh?" That was Sam's reaction.
Jin didn't know whether he should cry or laugh at his reaction.
Just from the intensity of the phenomenon alone, Sam surpassed all the heroes in the history of awakeners.
"I have work to do. The selection for the Academy will start in a few days," he said before looking at Sam.
"As the vice principal of the academy, I have some privileges, and using that, I'm allowed to give direct admission without a test, and I want to give it to you."
"So, no hardass test that you guys usually conduct?" Jin asked.
"Nope. And it's only for your grandson. His potential was nothing short of divine; even the principal would do anything to have him as his personal student."
Sam thought for a second silently. "No, I will take the test. I'm already standing out too much; I don't want to make it worse by you giving me special privileges. Moreover, I'm confident I can get into the elites."
Ragnar smiled in satisfaction. "Okay then, I will see you back in a few days for the entrance exam."
After he left, Alden Blackwood handed a scroll containing a technique to Sam.
"The Hero King sent me to give this to you as a gift for showcasing your extraordinary potential in the awakening ceremony."
[Name: Asura Sutra
Type: Evolutionary-type Body Cultivation Technique
Description: Cultivating the body to the absolute limit using natural heroic energy, and with enough comprehension, one can manifest an avatar of Asura.]