Chapter 8: Talent Awakening is the World's Blessing
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 8: Talent Awakening is the World's Blessing
I wasn't the only one registering here. Although it wasn't the official registration period yet, many students had arrived early—girls scouting the campus, and new students from other academies who had been "abducted" by senior sisters using various means.
It wasn't just boys who were abducted; many girls had been brought in as well. Thinking about it that way, the proportion of males in the Witch Academy was actually quite small.
Despite being adults, some were standing there crying like children.
I could understand it, though. They had bright futures ahead of them, and now they were stuck in a Witch Academy. Many of them had never even considered this place, let alone planned for it. Having their lives completely upended so suddenly was bound to cause a breakdown.
I noticed that after registration, the arrangements for males and females were separate. On the girls' side, one Senior Sister led several girls, while on the boys' side, it was mostly one-on-one. It made sense; the senior sisters probably needed to provide "special psychological counseling" for the boys they had abducted...
At that moment, Sister Bai thoughtfully helped me turn on my new phone and taught me how to use it. However, since I hadn't been exposed to the Transcendent yet, I couldn't use the holographic projection features.
No wonder the Senior Sister said the tech level was low. It turned out the phone was just a platform; if you wanted those cool display methods, you had to handle the mana yourself?
The gap between expectation and reality was quite jarring. Besides, the phone only had a few basic applications.
As for the battery... no, it should be called mana now. This phone was driven by mana. Since I didn't have any large apps and didn't know how to manipulate mana yet, the charge the Senior Sister had given me would last a long time—at least, that's what she said.
"Sister Bai, where are we going next?" I asked reflexively. "Sister Bai" really did roll off the tongue more easily.
"To awaken your Talent."
"Awaken... my Talent?" I frowned slightly. I hadn't heard of this. Did I actually have some kind of talent to awaken?
"Yes. A Talent is a gift bestowed upon us by the world, a precious blessing for those stepping across the threshold of the Transcendent. Of course, that's the official line. Don't get your hopes up too high."
"Huh? What do you mean? Are rare talents that scarce?"
"How should I put this... Talents aren't really linked to anything. They have nothing to do with hard work, savvy, or anything else. It's basically all luck. Ninety-nine percent of them are just useless bits of fluff."
"Fluff? What is Talent Awakening actually like?"
Since she was telling me this, she was likely trying to lower my expectations. Still, as a Transmigrator, shouldn't I get something good?
Of course, that was just wishful thinking. What if this world didn't welcome Transmigrators and the awakening failed?
"You'll see when we get to the awakening site. It's basically an array set up through a ritual. You stand inside and call for the World's Blessing. Think of every nice thing you can possibly say; just don't start cursing. Otherwise, you might fail the awakening. While talents are generally optional, failing the ritual is an easy way to get laughed at..."
I listened intently as she explained the details. I wasn't an idiot; I wasn't going to start swearing. If I was asking the heavens for something useful, I obviously had to be pious.
"By the way, Senior Sister, what are talents usually like? Can you give me some examples?"
"Alright. The scope of talents is incredibly broad. The most common are blessing-type talents, like 'Great Strength,' 'Keen Intellect,' or 'Immunity to Toxins.' Then there are item-types..."
"Wait, items? You can awaken an actual item?" I interrupted.
"Yes, items are also things that can be awakened. This category covers everything from worthless rocks to weapons that can destroy stars. Of course, there's only one recorded instance of a weapon that terrifying, but that one case raised the theoretical damage ceiling for awakened items to the star-destroying level."
I swallowed hard, my perception of Talent Awakening shifting.
"Then there are common ones like a specific memory—which might be useful or useless—or even a complete set of spell skills. Fragmented, incomplete spells are also possible. Talents are just too random."
"And then there are talent abilities. For instance, you might awaken and find you haven't gained any power, but suddenly you're amazing at drawing or housework. Those are 'Drawing Talent' and 'Housework Talent.' They can be quite strange."
"That is... definitely strange," I agreed. Those abilities sounded incredibly lackluster.
"If you ask me, the most useful thing an awakening can give you is a spell, preferably a Great Spell. Forget it, that's too far out of reach for both of us. Just keep an open mind." Sister Bai led me into the so-called Talent Awakening Hall.
There were already quite a few people here, and most of them looked unhappy. From the looks of it, there hadn't been a single "lucky one" yet.
I watched a girl walk past me holding a strangely shaped short stick. Her eyes were filled with resentment; clearly, the item in her hand wasn't anything useful.
I waited patiently in line. There were a lot of people, and the magic-circle-like patterns on the floor seemed to be single-use; they had to be redrawn after every person.
By the time it was my turn, a good while had passed. The girl in front of me had also awakened an item—a weapon... model.
It was palm-sized and even had a keychain clasp.
Looking at it this way, the probability of getting an item was quite high. I hoped that if I got an item, it would at least be valuable. Maybe I could sell it for a good price and solve my immediate financial crisis.
"Are you standing steady? I'm starting the ritual. Pray in your heart and follow the method I just told you," the Senior Sister in charge of the awakening said carefully. Despite repeating the process endlessly, she didn't seem the least bit impatient.
I reflexively closed my eyes, not even daring to activate my Spirit Vision for fear of causing a failure. Although Sister Bai's lecture had lowered my expectations, it didn't mean I wanted to fail.
Awakening a useless rock and failing the awakening might be the same in essence, but the subjective experience was very different.
My mind was filled with every prayer and blessing I knew from my past life. I used basically everything I could think of.
I felt a sudden wave of heat wash over me, and then someone tapped my shoulder.
"Student, your talent has finished awakening. Next!" the Senior Sister said warmly.
I opened my eyes to see the array beneath my feet crumbling like burnt ash.
I stood there dazed. That was it?
There was nothing in my hands, and no new memories or spells had appeared in my head.
"Well, at least it was a success, right? It doesn't matter what the talent is. You'll probably figure it out eventually. Or maybe we'll find out in a moment." Sister Bai walked over and took my hand, offering a bit of comfort.
"Actually... I'm okay."