Slowly, row after row of new summoners went and got their unique soul skill examined. Liam was next in line on the platform.

He was nervous not from being known as a Dysfunctional or as a useless summoner, but he worried if his status would affect his parents.

With the student a head of himself withdrawing her summon and coming down the platform, it was now Liam’s turn.

“Go show them Liam! Your unique soul skill can still get you recruited into the guilds even if you can’t bring out your summon. Let’s get into Fortuna together!”

Liam turned around and showed a helpless but resolved face to his optimistic friend, giving him a foreboding feeling.

“Luke, it’s okay if I don’t get recruited. I have a plan. I don’t need to climb the tower. I know you’ll get recruited. Your rhino is powerful and will become more powerful. Before you evolve it, ask me.”

Liam stepped up to the platform. And ignored his friend’s bantering.

“She’s a dragon!” Seeing Liam moving forward, he no longer yelled but thought to himself. “And what do you mean Liam? Ask you before I evolve her?”

Luke’s question would not be answered for a while as they would have to go separate ways.

Liam walked towards the center of the stone platform to where the headmaster stood. Ms. Maribell stood along with the other staff members around the side and snorted at her student.

“Laim Tarliot! Proceed to the Orb of Telling! May the Ivory Tower bless you!”

Further ahead was the podium where the clear orb was sat upon a white pillow. Liam went forth and placed his hands on the cool orb. A heat sparked where his hands touched the orb. He felt a foreign hot energy entering his body through his hands moving up to his third eye.

As the origin energy entered into his third eye, the orb began to ripple and glow in a myriad of colors.

Liam felt Ordinace’s energy escaping from his primal soul house, intercepting the energy from the orb.

“It is done master.” Ordinance’s refined manner of speaking echoed in Liam’s head.

A display was shown for everyone to see.

UNKNOWN SKILL

Values cannot be determined.

Silence filled the air. In the history of the Lazar Kingdom, there had never been a unique soul skill that didn't have any information. Unknown skills did happen, but there would still be an evaluation at least telling what essence of creation the skill was related to. Or at least an inkling. But Liam’s was unable to be determined.

The crowd was confused but there was mayhem in the guilds.

“The hell is that? Is that even possible!?” The vice guild leader of Adonis loudly asked Kai.

“Don’t know, Hansel. That’s a first. But there’s many beings in the expanse of creation. Could be a unique being we’ve never seen before. To figure out what the orb can’t show would be difficult. We can possibly deduce something if we look at his summon.”

“I suppose you're right. But it could be weak too. Weak to the point of not even registering on the orb.”

“Could be.”

Kai’s guild secretary interrupted his conversation.

“Guild master. That one was that friend of the one you mentioned for me to keep an eye on. I think we should try to recruit him. My instincts tell me there’s something more to him.”

“Haha! I think you need a new pair of glasses, Sal! Look at him. The scrawny boy is no use to us. We fight on the front lines! He’d be a burdensome baggage!”

Sal huffed at the vice guild leader’s snickering comment, and looked expectantly at Kai. Feeling the pressure from her large eyes, he made a decision.

“For now we need to see what the possibilities are. We can determine more after looking at his summon.”

“Wanna bet Sal?” Hansel smirked.

She crossed her arms around her chest and hmpfed, looking away. Glancing at Liam, she felt that there was something special, her years of experience and intuition told her so.

Luke gave a pitiful look at his friend. He was sad and felt helpless at Liam's misfortunate circumstances.

Reld eyes looked like he wanted to squish a bug. He felt like he was cheated, being a friend to a worthless insect. Many of Liam’s classmates were thinking along similar lines as Reld.

Liam’s parents were confused, but they had a growing sense of worry.

The headmaster cleared his throat from the odd scene Liam displayed.

“Ahem! Alright! Now, young man. Would you like to display your summon?”

“No.” Liam simply stated and started to make his way off the platform. He didn’t want to have his parents witness anymore of the mess.

There was an uproar in the crowds. Every single person had shown off their summons. No one had declined.

“Wait! Please show us!” Sal yelled from the seated guild sections.

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“Yes! Show us! I’m so curious!” The other guild members shouted.

“Show! Us! Show! Us!” The crowds started to chant imposingly.

Liam ignored them and made his way down the platform.

Suddenly a loud shout came from the lady in gaudy gold and silver clothing interviewing Darrell and his entourage earlier.

“He’s a pathetic loser! A Dysfunctional! HAHAHA!”

The ridiculing comment stunned all those unknowing in the coliseum. A crowd frenzy overtook the masses and they didn’t think about their actions. Finger pointing and degrading laughter bursted out of the crowd, all directed at Liam.

“Look at his clothes! Not only is he a loser Dysfunctional! He’s a loser too!”

“Weak and useless! He doesn’t deserve to be here! He should just be put as fodder to the heathens!”

“He doesn’t deserve to be a climber! The tower chose wrongly! I should have been chosen! I would be a thousand times better than some Dysfunctional!”

“What an embarrassment! His parents should be ashamed!”

“Does he even have parents anymore?! I would have disowned him!!!! Hahaha!!!”

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Sal looked confused at Liam. She wasn’t sure and questioned if what she felt was wrong.

“Pay up Sal! I knew that weakling was a nobody! His summon can’t even be summoned. What a useless waste!”

Sal didn’t say anything, but simply glared at Hansel.

There was someone who looked at Liam in pity. A guild team leader of the Polaris guild in a similar circumstance understood Liam’s plight. His first summon was unable to be summoned too, but his unique skill was powerful and gave him the opportunity to enter the Polaris Guild.

Even though he felt pity, he couldn’t help seeing how Liam didn’t have a summon that could fight or a usable unique soul skill.

Liam endured the harsh and brutal comments. He was expecting some sort of consequences, but the results were worse than he expected. The whole kingdom now knew.

Liam felt guilty. His actions now caused terrible consequences for his parents. The other non-summoner adults usually ventured together into The Wild together for safety. He wasn’t sure if they would continue to do so with his parents now that the whole kingdom looked down upon him.

The comments about his parents hurt him the most. He felt unfairly blamed as no one could change the soul palaces they were born with. The fated events were not his parents’ fault or anyone else’s. Anyone in a similar situation could only make do with what was given to them.

Yet, the ones who spoke the loudest, pointed the most, and ridiculed Liam were the ones who were stuck in their own bad situations. They took out all their frustrations on a young man who they projected their burdens on.

Liam wanted to run away from the relentless and ruthless crowd, but he didn’t. He was proud of his parents and he walked out with his head high. Heartbroken, but not his pride.

Not bothering to stay and be further humiliated, he walked out of the coliseum. His parents got up and hurriedly exited to find their son and console him. They faced the same treatment from the crowd noticing the similar features of their faces.

They were angry.

Leon wanted to fight the crowd, but Kanna, held him back. Reminding him of Liam, who was more important.

“Leon! They’re not worth it! Those horrible people are powerless! Don’t forget Liam is a summoner. He’s still better off than the majority of the bantering people here!”

The crowd riled up from Kanna’s angry statement. Leon cooled off a bit, but he vented his anger at the crowd.

“You dumb shits! You’re more pathetic for attacking a young man who did nothing wrong! Did he choose to be in his situation?! Did any of you?! You’re the ones that should be ashamed of yourselves! Fools!”

The two left the coliseum, but the event was greatly disturbed. Even when finding their son, the loud masses inside were still making a ruckus.

“Liam! Honey! Are you ok?!”

“Hey! Don’t pay any attention to them kiddo! They’re all idiots. You’ve worked hard! I know you're doing your best.”

Liam couldn’t turn around. He couldn’t face his parents. He just made them go through so much harassment. Trembling in guilt, tears dropped down his face to the stone path below.

His parents ran and hugged him.

“I’m sorry mom, dad. I couldn’t be better. I couldn’t make you guys proud. Instead I made everyone despise you both and hate us.”

His parents patted his back and stroked his head.

“Nothing of the sort, honey. They showed their true colors. We love you regardless.”

“As long as we’re together, that’s all that matters son.”

Seeing their son stop crying they decided to go home.

“Let’s head back honey. I’m not going to let those damn idiots ruin your day! I’m going to cook a feast!”

“Yea! I’ll help your mother, and we can share stories and have a wonderful time together!”

Cheering up Liam smiled at his parents and responded, “okay!”

“Now hold on just a minute Liam Tarliot!” Ms. Maribell shrieked from the coliseum doors.

“I’m not letting you graduate if you don’t clean up those books in the library!”

Kanna was furious. “You evil witch! Didn’t you just witness the harassment of those lunatics! How could you demand something so outrageous! A teacher! You’re no better than the others!”

Ms. Maribell was burning with anger being told off from the parents of a Dysfunctional.

“That’s all you pathetic son will amount to! A worthless summoner is the same as a useless Tack! What good will it serve the kingdom? How will he fight the ever growing dungeons?! You raised a waste! All of you are useless!”

Liam's blood boiled. He was usually calm and in his own world caught up with his own problems. But with the ridiculing of the masses in the coliseum and now Ms. Maribell’s too, the fragile restraint within Liam broke.

“I didn’t care if you slandered me, but you went too far! You wench!!! You act all righteous, but you're down right dirty just like the Dungeon Heathen! I challenge you to a duel!”

Ms. Maribell was infuriated.

“To be insulted by a Dysfunctional! Since your imbecile parents did a terrible job of raising a waste, I will teach you a lesson! Be prepared to be handicapped for the rest of your worthless life!”

“We’ll see who will be handicapped! 1 month from today. Midday. Here at this coliseum. I’ll make you eat your words.”

“Ha! You’ll no longer be able to speak garbage when I’m done with you! You better not chicken out Dysfunctional! If you leave before cleaning the library, I will come and drag your whole family to make sure every piece is spotless!”

Ms. Maribell stormed off before Liam could say anything back.

“Will you be ok Liam?”

Both his parents were worried.

“I’ll give her the surprise of her life. She’ll take back her words, don’t worry.”

Revenge flickered in Liam’s eyes. He was determined to show everyone, who disgraced him as a Dysfunctional, could truly do.

“Mom, dad. You guys go on first. I’ll finish cleaning that stupid library, and we’ll have a nice meal by the fire later.”

His parents nodded and went away first. Looking at the lavish and large library building, Liam grinned.

“First step to revenge. Let’s power up.”