SSS Awakening: I Can Create Skills By Will-Chapter 40: The Weight of Talent
The representative ignored them and turned to the girl with a polite nod.
"Welcome to Division One," he said.
The girl hesitated briefly, then returned the nod.
The representative continued smoothly.
"You’ll be placed in the Gold Squad for high talents. Please proceed to certification to receive your explorer badge and customized armor."
The murmurs slowly died down, though the resentment lingered.
The girl bowed lightly and walked toward the indicated area.
Arthur watched her go.
She doesn’t look happy... But not unhappy either.
Just thoughtful, or maybe overwhelmed. Maybe already thinking about expectations.
The moment she left the center floor, the atmosphere shifted again.
The commanders straightened.
Their eyes carried renewed anticipation.
"Alright," one said. "We’ve seen a B and an A. Odds say another decent one should be coming."
"Hopefully not to Division One again," another muttered.
The explorer in charge called the next name.
Then, a young man stepped forward, his shoulders tense.
He pressed his palm to the machine, and then came that silence once more.
Then Beep!.
"F Rank talent. Class: Mage."
The reaction was immediate, with clear indifference.
The few commanders glanced, then looked away.
One of them yawned openly.
As the boy swallowed and nodded, face pale.
Next was the random selection which decided his Division.
And with that, he was directed to the Bronze Squad. With just instructions, no smiles or congratulations accompanying.
Arthur felt a dull ache in his chest. Not because the boy was weak.
But because of how fast he had become invisible.
The next awakeners followed.
E Rank.
F Rank. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Another E.
Each result chipped away at the earlier excitement.
Soon the commanders grew visibly bored.
One leaned back, while the rest whispered among themselves.
Yet the process did not stop.
Every awakener still picked a division, still received a badge, and was still sent to a squad.
Arthur noticed that even the lowest ranked were treated as resources.
Not people.
Resources.
They don’t care who you are, Arthur thought.
They care what you can produce.
A name was called.
Another person stepped up.
"E Rank. Mage."
Barely acknowledged.
Another.
"F Rank. Warrior."
Another.
"C Rank. Spearman."
That one caused a small stir.
The commanders all glanced up, as they acknowledged the mid talent
The C rank was praised briefly and finally assigned to a Silver Squad.
As the assessment continued, Arthur found himself less focused on individual results and more focused on his own thoughts.
What am I going to show? He had no much mana in the conventional sense.
His body barely responded to it.
Everything he had done inside the dungeon had been driven by intent.
By will.
By something the machine probably wasn’t designed to measure.
His fingers twitched slightly.
If it shows F...
Would he be disappointed? Probably.
But would he be surprised? Not really.
What bothered him more was not the rank itself.
It was whether this system of theirs could even see him.
If it can’t...
Arthur exhaled slowly.
He remembered his past life.
His unwavering resolve that took him to the top of the underground.
"You’ll be amazing someday,"
Even when he himself wasn’t sure.
Arthur’s jaw tightened slightly.
"I don’t need to be amazing," he murmured under his breath.
The boy beside him glanced over. "Huh?"
Arthur shook his head. "Nothing."
What he really meant was simple.
I just need to understand and master my system.
Again, another name was called.
As the person stepped forward, the line shortened even more.
Arthur wasn’t scared. Nervous, yes.
He lifted his gaze toward the machine.
The smooth surface reflected faint light.
It looked ordinary. Almost unimpressive.
Whatever you show... he thought, it doesn’t change what I can do.
Yet a small part of him still wanted validation.
Not from the commanders, Not from the divisions.
But from the world itself.
To know that he existed in a way it could recognize.
The explorer in charge called another name.
Only a few people remained ahead of him now.
Arthur rolled his shoulders once. Slowly and quietly.
He didn’t try to hype himself up, also didn’t try to suppress his thoughts either.
He let them exist. Hope, doubt, and then resolve.
They blended together into something steady.
When the next name was called, Arthur realized his turn was approaching.
Very soon. He took a step forward with the line, and waited.
"E Rank. Healer."
The explorer’s voice echoed faintly through the hall as the result of the last awakener was announced.
No one reacted.
Not the commanders, or even the other awakeners.
Not even the explorer standing beside the machine, As he simply nodded, turned, and followed the familiar path toward certification, where a bored attendant gestured for her to move along and collect her badge and armor.
The assessment hall had grown heavy with monotony.
It wasn’t loud or tense anymore. It was quiet in the way a place becomes quiet after hope has been exhausted.
Since the A rank Archer, nothing remarkable had appeared.
Only F ranks.
Only E ranks.
One lonely C rank in between.
The commanders leaned back in their seats, some resting their chins on their hands, others staring into nothing in particular.
A few even whispered among themselves, clearly more interested in their own conversations than the process.
To them, this was turning into a waste of time.
The awakeners felt it too.
No one murmured in excitement anymore.
No one whispered about luck.
Most stood in silence, lips moving faintly as they prayed in their hearts.
At least let me be C rank.
Please don’t let me be F.
Anything but the bottom.
Arthur stood in line, hands relaxed at his sides, and eyes forward.
He could feel the atmosphere. The dullness, the quiet desperation.
He did not feel above it, he was part of it.
If anything, he felt it more sharply than most.
This is it, he thought.
He was next.
A/N:
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