Daniel woke up in an unfamiliar room, his eyes still blurry. He tried to rub them, but pain shot through his whole body as he attempted to move his arm. A distant but familiar voice echoed, “When is the sleeping princess waking up? Or should I get a white horse and kiss him for him to wake up?”

A closer but unfamiliar voice replied, “The patient should be waking up any moment now. He luckily received no physical damage, but we can't rule out the possibility of any mental damage the lightning may have caused. So be prepared for the worst.”

“It’s impossible to damage that thick skull of his, believe me. I've tried during our sparring sessions,” Daniel now recognized the voice as his friend Alex's. “Look, he’s awake. Hey, buddy, can you hear me?”

Daniel tried to speak, but he couldn’t muster the strength to do so. instead, he slightly nodded his head but even that gave him a lot of pain.

“Yeah, buddy, don't try talking or moving for a while. The nurse told me that you will need to rest for a while before even thinking of doing any type of movement.”

Daniel's eyes were finally clear, and he could see his burly friend standing beside his bed. Alex wore a rare expression of worry, a sight Daniel rarely has seen on his friend's face.

“Daniel,” he suddenly spoke up after a moment of silence, “you've been passed out for the past two days... Let me fill you in on everything that happened after you stepped onto the dais.”

“You probably won't remember, but when you touched the awakening stone you stood there in an odd daze, Shadewood tried to talk to you after a few moments had passed but you gave no response until suddenly a deafening thunder resonated through the room, it was soo loud that even some people fell out of their seats,” the burly boy said while he got seated on a chair that was next to Daniel's bed

“After the loud thunder, your eyes suddenly began to glow bright purple. But before anyone could notice that lightning broke through the roof and struck you, and you passed out,” he explained. “But before Lucia and I could reach you, pieces of the roof started falling. Luckily, Shadewood used a spell that caused a dome to surround us to protect us from the falling pieces, and we were escorted back to the hall while some professors stormed in and dragged your unconscious body away through another door. While Shadewood stayed with us.”

As Daniel listened to his best friend talk, he couldn't help but notice a minuscule tear welling up in the corner of his friend's eye. But, he knew if he ever brought that up his friend would never acknowledge that he had cried about him.

The boy continued, “Once we were all in the hall, the academy head suddenly appeared. He asked who caused the disturbance and wanted to speak with them. Before any of us could respond, Shadewood took him aside. They had a short discussion, and the head left after finishing the conversation.”

“Yesterday, Shadewood visited while I was here too, leaving this letter from the baron for you. I have an idea what it might contain, but we will get to that later” The boy gestured toward the letter resting on the nearby table. “When he stopped by, too, he looked really worried. I asked him about what might have caused the lightning to strike you, but he couldn't give a clear answer. He theorized it could be related to the ambient mana saturating the air, triggering an unexpected reaction.” Before the boy continued, he got up and grabbed a glass of water from the other side of the room.

While walking back he continued “Anyway, after a while in the hall, we the remaining students who hadn't awakened yet were guided to a different room with an awakening stone and continued the awakening.” As he sat down he started smiling for the first time since Daniel returned to conscience

“Lucia got the Rune Carver Apprentice class, which she's super happy with. It's apparently quite a rare class; she got offers from multiple academies, and she's considering between one and the Astral Academy. But enough about her, you can ask her when you’re healed. Meanwhile, I got a great class. I received the Mountain Guard class, it is the same class as the founder of my family received during his awakening it is somewhat of a legend in my family”

“We're curious about the class you received. Some professors attempted to appraise your status to determine if the class might have been the cause of the lightning striking you. However, they couldn't assess your status with their tools. This led some professors to label you as a heretic and a demon worshipper. Allegedly, only those associated with dark practices can conceal their status from these tools, or so I was told. However, the head dismissed their claims, insisting that everything was fine after examining you. He warned them against making baseless accusations within his academy. He even threatened to fire some of them from the academy.” he followed up.

Alex continued, sharing with Daniel everything he missed during the last two days. Some students were dissatisfied with their assigned classes and they pleaded with their families and the academy for a reawakening stone. However, only a select few were able to. This, of course, made sense given that a reawakening stone could cost as much as an estate in the capital.

Alex continued for a while, sharing various stories about their classmates' experiences and the different classes they received. Then, he dropped a bombshell of information: Daniel's stepbrother Mark, had received an exceptional class, leading to a scholarship offer from the Royal Academy. After accepting this offer he packed everything and left for the Baron's estate, and shortly afterwards, a letter arrived at Daniel's dorm room, sent from the Baron's estate. Alex retrieved the letter from his coat pocket and offered to read it to Daniel.

In considerable pain, Daniel managed a slow nod toward Alex, the boy opened the letter and began.

“To Daniel von Mios,

It is my duty to inform you of the baron's sudden illness. In light of this, our financial situation, and the expenses associated with Mark's education, I regret to say that we can no longer afford to sponsor your studies. Your status as a guest of our family cannot shield you from the realities of our financial circumstances.

Regrettably,

Eleanor Brownstone”

The letter was everything he feared, as soon as Alex mentioned it. Daniel's mind flooded with thoughts and worries about this new development. After a few moments, he decided to cast these thoughts aside. He could worry about that later; he first had to heal and see what class he had received.

While he was gathering his thoughts, he could hear his friend speak up, "Hey... I have some gold saved up. It might not be sufficient, but I can help you out for a few months. I'll also talk to Lucia given her family's wealth she might be able to sponsor you."

Daniel shook his head and tried to speak up, his words coming out slowly and strained due to the pain. “That... won't be necessary, Alex, but thank you. You're a real friend.”

“Aw, come on, mate, don't get all sentimental with me,” Alex teased in response. “I’ll leave you to rest for now. I'm heading back to my family’s estate tomorrow morning. Lucia will drop by later today, she mentioned she has some other matters to attend to at the moment. Get well soon, Daniel. And let's have another spar when I return.” Finishing the sentence, Alex smiled so brightly that Daniel wondered if his teeth were about to fall out.

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….

Now all alone, Daniel attempted to access his status mentally, but he couldn’t get it to appear in his mind. After a few tries, it finally worked, and he was greeted by a menu.

[Choose your class]

Daniel was astonished by the menu. Normally, you couldn't choose your class but were simply given one by the unseen. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to focus on the icon. After a brief moment of concentrating on the menu, it opened.

[Elemental Mage]

[Shadow Stalker]

[Summoner]

[Warding Alocyte]

[Enchanting Novice]

[Mana Carver]

[????]

Daniel scrutinized the available options. Most were familiar and conventional, but Shadow Stalker and Mana Carver stood out as these were uncommon classes. He quickly dismissed Shadow Stalker not only because it was a scout class but also due to its inherent risks, as scouts often worked alone ahead of the party. Furthermore, the class's reliance on archery was a major drawback for him since he consistently scored the lowest in archery competitions and wasn't a fan of using a bow.

Mana Carver presented a challenge. The path involved sculpting magical sculptures, primarily ornamental pieces meant for nobles' gardens. These sculptures not only served as beautiful decorations but also housed enchantments, such as purifying the air or alerting the owner to nearby intruders. However, pursuing this profession demanded considerable resources and effort. Not only did Daniel need to invest in materials and training, but he also had to find clients willing to pay for such intricate creations. Given his current situation, with limited resources and uncertain prospects, he couldn't afford to embark on such a risky and expensive class.

Summoner, on the other hand, was an intriguing class. It would allow him to summon creatures from other planes of reality to serve as his companions. However, it was a path Daniel had to eliminate from consideration due to the substantial costs it entailed. Not only did he need to supply the summons with mana and food, but he also would need to provide them with the necessary equipment. Most successful summoners hailed from noble or affluent merchant families, giving them the financial means to sustain their summons. For those who lacked the necessary funds, pursuing the path of a summoner often left them practically crippled, unable to afford the upkeep and improve their class. With a sigh, he continued evaluating his options.

His eyes eventually fell upon the mysterious class, concealed by a haze on the menu that obscured it. Daniel focused on it for a while. until the haze slowly dissipated, revealing the class title: [Abyssal Mage Novice]

As Daniel honed his focus on the class, another menu materialized before his eyes.

[Abyssal Mage Novice weave the very essence of the abyss into their spells]

Daniel was unfamiliar with the class, which wasn't surprising given the vast array of potential classes in the world. However, the mention of "abyssal" or "abyss" caught his attention. He had never encountered a class with such terminology before. After a brief moment of contemplation, he settled on the [Elemental Mage] class. While it was one of the more basic options, it offered versatility, and it was one of the more common starter classes for mages, so there was a lot of material he could read to improve his level efficiently. Yet, when he attempted to select the class, an error message abruptly appeared, thwarting his choice.

[ERROR]

[Due to the host's bloodline, the host will receive Abyssal skills]

[LOADING]

[CONGRATULATIONS]

[You have received the Elemental Mage Class]

Daniel was shocked for a moment before he suddenly felt an enormous sense of tiredness washing over him and fell asleep.

….

When Daniel woke up, the room was dimly lit. Glancing out of the window next to his bed, he was greeted by the sight of stars and the moon illuminating the night sky. Upon scanning the room, he noticed a bouquet of flowers with a card placed on a table at the foot of his bed. The card read, ‘Get well soon - Lucia’.

Daniel was touched by the sweet gesture from his friend. After a while, he slowly sat up and realized the pain he had felt earlier was gradually subsiding.

“Okay let's check if what happened earlier really happened or if it was just a weird dream,” Daniel said out loud “Status”

Name: Daniel von Mios

Level: 1

Class:

[Elemental Mage] Level 1 [NEW!]

Attributes:

Strength: 20 [+2!]

Dexterity: 25 [+1!]

Intelligence: 30 [+4!]

Constitution: 19 [+5!]

Charisma: 17 [+1!]

Mana: 17 [+12!]

Skills:

[Sword Handling]: Level 3 [+1!]

[Wood Carving] Level 5

[Reading Comprehension] Level 5

[Writing] Level 5

[Basic Woodworking] Level 4

[Abyssal Bolt] Level 1 [NEW!]

[Fire Bolt] Level 1 [NEW!]

[Eldritch Knowledge] Level 1 [NEW!]

Traits:

[Low-Light Adaptation] Level 1

[Nimble Fingers] Level 3

[Lesser Calm Mind] Level 2

[Bloodline: not awakened]

[Abyssal Noble System] [!]

As he looked at his status screen, his eyes locked onto the Mana stat. He was surprised, finding it hard to believe what he was seeing. His mana had increased so much that it was now on par with a noble who had received a magic class during the awakening and had access to mana-boosting potions since birth.

But that wasn't the only thing catching his eye on the status screen. Three new skills had appeared. Taking a moment to ponder, Daniel chose to delve into the first skill, [Abyssal Bolt], hoping for more insight he focused on the skill and a new screen opened, offering detailed information about the skill.

[a swift shadowy projectile infused with abyssal mana]

Daniels felt a moment of fluster, his mind filled with questions. What was this 'abyss' that kept being mentioned? During his lessons at the academy, they had covered every basic mana type and even delved into some uncommon and rare mana types, but this term had never crossed his ears before.

After a moment, he decided he would ask Shadewood about this ‘Abyss’ the next time he saw the stoic man, hoping he might have some insights regarding this.

Daniel then directed his focus to the second skill, [Fire Bolt].

[Conjure a bolt of fire]

Luckily, this skill happened to be the standard Fire Bolt, commonly used by mages and people with magic-related classes. After a brief moment of relief that he had received something familiar, Daniel decided to explore the next skill, perhaps one of the strangest he had acquired: [Eldritch Knowledge]

[Gain basic knowledge of the abyssal language, which allows for deciphering simple abyssal texts and runes]

Daniel couldn't comprehend the description; what exactly was the Abyssal language? Just as he was pondering, a massive headache engulfed him. The information, or rather the language itself, started flooding his mind. This sudden stream of information gave him an intense headache, and it took a few minutes until it stopped.

Daniel, now drenched in sweat and trembling, took a moment to collect himself. "What... what just happened?" It was typical for skills received from the system to imprint their use and information onto one's brain, causing only mild discomfort. However, this experience was drastically different from what others had described, the pain he felt was far beyond the expected discomfort.

After gathering himself, Daniel decided to test his new skill and see what it could do. His mind filled with the incantation needed to cast [Abyssal Bolt], and he began the casting process. When he uttered the final word of the spell, a small, dark purple orb materialized in his hand. He could sense that if he willed it, the bolt would shoot out and hit whatever his palm was facing. However, Daniel opted not to release it immediately. Instead, he studied the orb. Its hue was an intense, almost black shade of dark purple that filled the room.

Daniel lost all sense of time, his attention wholly consumed by the strange dark purple orb. He could feel his mana slowly draining. After half an hour had slipped away unnoticed, he realized that his mana was almost depleted. Reluctantly, he had to cancel the spell. Feeling reluctant to halt his experiment he decided to reopen his status screen, intending to study it further.

His eyes quickly stopped at the Bloodline section, but he couldn't glean any information from it. He couldn't recall this topic ever being mentioned during his lessons at the academy, leaving him perplexed. He then continued scanning the screen until his attention was drawn to the bottom of the screen, where he read [Abyssal Noble System]. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to 'click' on it, his curiosity overpowering his caution once again.

“What the... what is this?”