Chapter 6 - The awakening space

Name: Xian Mei

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Class: Psychic

Rank: SS (Compatibility: 98%)

Level: 1

Talents:[Hidden]

A psychic. It was a one of the most coveted and rare classes humans could awaken granting the user the ability of telekinesis, telepathy, and psychic projections aka illusions.

Xian Mei's class gave her access to a vast range of psychic abilities, including the power to manipulate the minds of others, control objects with her thoughts, read emotions, and even project her consciousness over long distances. It was a class known for its mental warfare capabilities and its ability to subdue enemies without the need for physical confrontation.

A class very rarely awakened by humans due to the complexity required to manipulate and control mana for its abilities.

The display above her head glowed brighter, until the whole chamber was colored purple, ripples appearing in the air as if her psychic energy was resonating with the Awakening Chamber.

The room was filled with silence as Xian Mei's class appeared. Many of the students exchanged glances, their faces a mix of shock and awe. Psychics were incredibly rare, and even rarer were those who awakened classes with such mental potency.

"Psychic... She's one of the blessed ones," a student whispered, their voice trembling slightly with awe. "Power over the mind and matter... this is what people dream of."

"Did you see how the stars bent around her?" another student said, shaking their head. "It was like they were obeying her will. I've never seen anything like it before."

"She's going to be terrifying on the battlefield," someone else remarked in a hushed tone. "If she can manipulate people's minds... she could control entire armies."

Wang Zi was also stunned.

"God damn! 98%! Its like this class was made with her in mind. I thought there would be no visions like in novels but that was pretty damn close!"

"Psychic... Telekinesis huh. If she grows half as much as Tatsumaki from OPM she's gonna be incredibly powerful. Hahaha! This is exactly what I wanted before, the possibilities!"

Wang Zi couldn't help himself grinning again. The thought that what he could only admire in his past life was just a step away from him filled him with anticipation!

"Come on, let me go up!"

Xian Mei stood still as the light around her gradually faded, her expression still calm but with a faint glow of pride in her eyes. Teacher Zhou stepped forward, his usually stern expression melted away like snow in the spring. "Miss Xiao Mei, congratulations. You a truly one of the blessed ones of our human race! If you need anything in the future, don't hesitate to call the teacher!"

"Um."

As she stepped out of the stage, her psychic aura still rippling in the air, a blinding light suddenly appeared in front of her.

Almost as soon as the light appeared, a laughter was heard from the light.

"HAHAHA!" And a chubby old man with a beard that looked like... someone had ripped half of it off stepped out of the light.

"Indeed, a psychic! It been over 100 years since I've heard of one awakening a mental based class! Congratulations miss Xian Mei!" Suddenly, a hologram appeared in front of both of them "I've added privileges to your registered V.B. in school. If you need any help in training feel free to contact me! You can also come to my office at any time, and all school facilities are free for you to use until you pick and enter an Awakener Academy!"

Xian Mei however just stood there, flabbergasted.

"Haha, excuse me for the late introductions. My name is Anthon, a Light Mage and the principal of Nexus Academy." As he introduced himself, his V.B. showed a hologram with his status:

Name: Anthon Wanderer

Age: 384

Gender: Male

Class: Light mage

Rank: S

Level: 73

Talents:[Hidden]

Xian Mei's reaction though was very mild. She just nodded "Thank you, principal." and left the stage.

The other students however weren't so calm. Many had heard legends of the Principal and his power, but few had believed them. Now, seeing him in person, it was... Not what they were expecting.

"That's the Principal?" A student near the front exclaimed with a strange face.

Bea whispered to Alicia who was right next to her "Why does it look like he ripped his beard off?"

Alicia however quickly covered her mouth "Shh! Keep your big mouth shut for once!"

"Hmmph mphhh mhphhh!!"

Wang Zi also had his eyes glued to the principal "I can't believe it. He looks... like a regular old man. But 384 years old, no way! If mana increases lifespan then this life will be even better than I thought!"

Even though the principal was the highest level Wang Zi had seen, he wasn't particularly impressed. He didn't believe there was nobody stronger than an old man in the human race. If this planet's name was Earth-327, there would surely be more "Earths". And with mana increasing lifespan, with countless humans? There's no way 73 was the limit. If it went that far, then surely level 100 was also a thing.

At only 30ish years he made it to the top in his last life. With even more time available in this life, he didn't believe he would fall behind anyone.

After Xian Mei sat down, the principal disappeared and the murmurs also gradually died down.

And finally... It was Wang Zi's turn.

Wang Zi heard teacher Zhou's voice, "Wang Zi, step forward!"

"Whew, this is it... I got this. Warrior seems like the best choice for me, but I don't know if there's a way to tell how compatible I am with it... Looks like I'll have to wing it." He walked up the stage, reaching for the Awakening Relic.

Most students had already figured out what class they might awaken to, but Wang Zi had no idea. He had tried to prepare himself, studied all the possible outcomes, but deep down, he had doubts. After all, he wasn't sure if he really belonged here. Did his memories somehow travel to his new body? Or did he replace the old Wang Zi? Was his soul sealed and just now got unsealed? He had no idea.

Unfortunately, he had no time to doubt anymore.

With a deep breath, he reached out and placed his hand on the orb. The moment his fingers made contact, something strange happened.

It felt like his soul was being yeeted from his body. A sharp, sudden sensation pulled him, and he couldn't help but gasp. The world around him seemed to vanish in an instant, and he was no longer standing in the stage with everyone watching him.

Instead, he was floating in the middle of a vast, starry sky. "Like I thought, you do get dragged somewhere, at least your soul or consciousness does."

There were no walls and ground, just endless space. Around him, a cluster of stars drifted through the void. They were all different in size, color, and brightness. Some were dazzlingly bright, while others flickered faintly, barely visible.

"Those are... the classes I guess? Brighter and dimmer, probably based on how compatible I am with them. Do I just touch them?"

As Wang Zi observed, he realized these stars weren't just standing around. They were moving, shifting, as if guided by something beyond his understanding. Each star represented a potential class, each with its own power, its own fate.

The air around him felt cold, but he on the other hand was feeling hot, blazing. He had heard the stories - the star system of awakening, the matching of soul and class but now he was experiencing it himself. And boy was he excited... no, he was HUNGRY for them. 

"Finally, the chance to break the limits! The chance I didn't have before! HAHAHA! The beginning of my journey to the top in this new world starts here!" He grinned like an idiot who just saw a stunning beauty.

His attention was quickly drawn to one star, far away in the distance. It was bright, steady, and it looked like it had a powerful aura. "It looks like the star Ji Min had. A warrior star!" It was indeed a warrior star, pulsing with a deep, fiery light. Wang Zi's heart beat faster. This was it the class he had been hoping for.

With a burst of willpower, he began to move towards it, instinctively reaching out with his mind, pulling himself closer to the star. The closer he got, the more the star seemed to evade him, just out of his grasp. It danced around him, moving away as though it had its own mind, pulling further each time he thought he was close.

"Wait!" Wang Zi called out, his voice echoing in the vast space. But the star didn't stop. It just continued to drift, teasing him, always keeping just beyond his reach.

"Damnit!"

Desperation began to rise in Wang Zi's chest. He could see the star flickering. He wanted to touch it. But it seems it had other plans. He rushed after the star, reaching out, his fingers almost brushing its light. The closer he got, the more his pulse quickened. 

"Come here you!"

He was nearly there.

Suddenly, as Wang Zi extended his and almost grasped it, a new star appeared from nowhere. This new star wasn't bright or fiery. It was dark, the complete opposite of every other star here, as if it didn't want to be found. It shot through the space with ridiculous speed, aiming for the brilliant warrior star.

Before Wang Zi could react, this new star collided with the warrior star he had been chasing. A massive explosion of light erupted, sending shockwaves, and Wang Zi, through the space.

"Gah!"

The warrior star shattered into countless pieces. The force of the explosion pushed Wang Zi back, making him lose his balance. His body seemed to float weightlessly, suspended in mid-air as the stars around him began to fade.

"Fucker! No way!"

And then, the new dark star, started rapidly moving directly towards him. It looked like after the warrior star, it wanted to shatter him.

"Son of a-"

"You just blasted my class to pieces, and now you want to blast me? Bring it on then, if I, Wang Zi, even flinch, then I'll start walking with my hands instead of my feet!"

But before Wang Zi could even start to prepare himself, the star sped up to an unbelievable speed and smashed against his body, a surge of energy rushing through him. Sudden pain assaulted him.

"Argh!"

Even his real body outside was forced to kneel down. He could feel his spirit and soul being infused with something new, something foreign. The dark star was probably trying to give him a class. But Wang Zi wasn't having none of that. What if he awakened as a chef? or a tailor? He couldn't risk it!

"Get out of me you little-" Wang Zi pierced his hand into his own translucent body, trying to drag the dark star out of himself... But no matter how he tried, he couldn't touch it.

Suddenly, a message appeared in his mind:

"Class Awakened: Artist (Support) Compatibility: 100%"

Wang Zi's eyes widened. Artist? His heart sank. "No!"

An Artist? He had suspected that his status was biased towards a mana or magic based class, at least something combat-oriented. He had been so sure he was meant to fight alongside the others, upgrade and sculpt his body to the new limit of human beings, even if his compatibility wasn't the best.

But now, that dark star awakened a support class in him, a class that didn't fit the image of strength and power he had always envisioned for himself.

As soon as Wang Zi got his class, the space shattered and he returned to the familiar stage.

When he was about to curse his luck... 

DING!