Chương 1: The Awakening

It was currently the dead of night in Outer Sector B. Arthur fidgeted his hands in severe nervousness as he stared into the dim darkness of his room. Today, he had turned 15 years old. When the Gates descended on Ariety a few centuries ago, everyone born on Ariety had to go through a ritual called Awakening. History told nothing about how and why humans had to go through this change. However, the world of Ariety had adapted to this strange ritual, since it gave an overwhelming advantage to humans.

It was especially true for those fortunate ones who awakened a good Class. Hence, no one questioned why this change descended on Ariety, and everyone adapted to it. Or, perhaps, Arthur simply did not have enough knowledge about it in a broader sense. He was a very small being that lived in an outer sector, born to very bad Awakeners. His father had awakened the very lowest labor Class. Meanwhile, although his mother awakened the [Static Generation] Class, she had a very weak electricity affinity.

Since the descent of the Gates, his whole generation had never obtained any good Class that would improve their lifestyle. Currently, it was finally Arthur's time to awaken his Class. His entire family held onto the hope that he would awaken a good Class, at the very least a C-rank or B-rank. Such a result would definitely remove their burdens. His father's health was steadily declining as he worked in a low-paying factory. Due to going through so much stress, his mother had aged poorly.

Moreover, his siblings' future would solely depend on his Class awakening. Naturally, all of these matters made Arthur's awakening a truly monumental event for their family. 11: 59 PM. Arthur did not know how these Classes were bestowed upon people. Did those who ruled with absolute authority awaken a good Class, or did they end up in those positions precisely because of their Class? Arthur did not want an A-rank or S-rank Class.

All he truly wanted was a good Class that would secure his and his family's livelihoods. The small wristwatch resting on the table ticked slowly towards 12: 00 AM. 30 seconds… 20 seconds… 10 seconds… Arthur sucked in a deep breath, letting out a long sigh. He could do nothing but accept whatever he was given. 12: 00 AM. The clock finally reached twelve, making Arthur officially 15 years of age. In reality, however, he was still waiting for the awakening to happen. 12: 00: 14 AM. 12: 00: 30 AM.

The ticking clock moved past twelve. However, Arthur felt nothing of the sort he had heard about from people who had awakened. Normally, they would feel an energy flow from their hearts, eventually coming to know their class mentally. Did I fail to awaken a class? Arthur thought, his heart beating fast. Suddenly, his mind started to drift towards every possible thing about what would happen if he were to fail to awaken. His family, his siblings' futures... Arthur felt the world was going to end.

How was he going to provide for his family? Without awakening a class, he would not get any job where 90% of them required a person to be Awakened. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The thought of his family's future caused his heart to beat faster and faster. His breathing accelerated in an uncontrollable way; he had started to panic. Arthur held his two hands on his head, trying to calm down.

In reality, however, the thoughts of failing to awaken and his family's future continuously came before him. 12: 01: 30 AM. Arthur suddenly collapsed into total darkness. The air in his lungs vanished as he tried to breathe properly. Abruptly, he felt something in his heart; his hands automatically clawed at his chest. The feeling slowly spread thoroughly into his body. Following which, a bright light suddenly came into his view within that darkness. Within that brightness, he could see a notebook hovering.

Its pages started to flip uncontrollably, stopping at a certain page. Arthur, who was looking at the light, did not even notice that he was currently breathing normally. When Arthur intently stared at the notebook, text suddenly started to appear before his face. [IDENTITY VERIFIED: Arthur Purchase] [LINEAGE INSPECTION: INFERIOR BACKGROUND DETECTED.] [EVALUATING INNATE FOUNDATION...] Arthur steadily watched the text hovering before his face as the three dots on the evaluation continued to load.

However, Arthur could feel it was taking a longer time for the evaluation. He suddenly realized he was very calm, and his mind started to panic once again. Would the evaluation come up as null? A different negative thought came to his mind. However, before he could go into another panic attack, the text changed. The evaluation was completed. [NEW Class BESTOWED: UNDEAD FACTORY TRADER (SSS)] [NEW INNATE ABILITY: CONTRACT A WORKER (UNDEAD DIVISION)] [The deceased require no slumber. The fallen do not unionize. However, the dead still demand their rightful compensation! You have been granted the supreme authority to establish labor contracts directly from the Nether-Realm Marketplace.] [INITIAL LABORER UNLOCKED: Coburn (Jack of all trades).] Arthur stared at his newly awakened Class, "Undead Factory Trader," and the SSS Rank for a long time. Is it real? Did I really awaken a class, and an SSS Rank at that? A dilemma arose in Arthur's mind.

It all felt like a bizarre dream; perhaps he was currently hallucinating, seeing things in the midst of his panic attack. However, while Arthur was caught in his confusion, a new text abruptly appeared before his face, nearly sending him into yet another panic attack. [CRITICAL WARNING: OUTSTANDING DEBT DETECTED] [To finalize the summoning contract for the [Coburn (Jack of all trades)] and fully initialize your interface, an immediate transaction fee is strictly required.] [REQUIRED TRIBUTE]: 500 Credits AND One (1) Ounce of Unrefined Iron Ore. [Time-Limit]: 48 Hours. [PENALTY FOR FAILURE]: Absolute revocation of the SSS Rank Profession. Permanent demotion to the F-Rank trash tier. A severe punitive fine of 10, 000 Credits forcibly levied upon your immediate bloodline. A sharp, bone-chilling terror violently erupted within Arthur's chest. His body uncontrollably started to shake.

"10, 000 Credits for failure?" he muttered in absolute despair. He could not even earn 1, 000 Credits even if he were to work 24/7 for a whole month.

"Wait!" Arthur frantically called out to the notebook, or whatever entity it was that was bestowing the Class.

"I can't possibly take this penalty! My family will face severe consequences because of this!" Arthur cried out. However, he received absolutely no reply. In the very next second, Arthur snapped awake, heavily gasping for air like a drowning man breaking the surface. The sudden momentum caused him to fall face forward, viciously crashing against the floorboards from his cot.

"Ten thousand Credits..." he muttered in a daze. While he was still trying to gather his senses within the darkness of his room, the door slowly cracked open. His father stood at the doorway, with his mother standing closely behind him.

"Son, are you okay in there?" his father asked. Arthur, who was still on the floor, slowly stood up and turned on the light of the room.

"Did it succeed?" his father asked with eager anticipation. Arthur nodded his head as he grabbed his heavy coat, forcefully thrusting his arms into the sleeves.

"What type of Class is it, son?" he asked again. Arthur finally snapped out of his trance.

"It's an Inventory Sorting Class. C-Rank." Hearing Arthur's words, both of his parents' shoulders heavily slumped, as if a literal ton of weight had been instantly lifted off them. Their faces brightly bloomed with relieved smiles.

"I will head for the Factory District and return in the morning," Arthur suddenly said.

"At this midnight hour? Son, that entire district will be absolutely overflowing with unruly drunkards. Wait until daybreak," his father anxiously advised.

"Don't worry, I will return safely. You two go back to bed," Arthur assured his family before swiftly walking out of his room. The penalty of 10, 000 Credits weighed heavily on his mind, pressing down on him like a thousand-ton boulder. With such a massive threat looming over his family, there was absolutely no way he could possibly sleep tonight. He desperately needed to think of a way to earn 500 Credits within just two days.

However, his mind raced in despair; exactly what kind of job out there would ever pay a staggering 500 Credits for a mere two days of work?