The ceremony ended with the last student stepping down from the Awakening Platform.
A few students exchanged high-fives while some faculty members offered applause. The atmosphere was vibrant, as if everyone had successfully navigated a significant milestone—everyone except Ethan.
He sat at the edge of his seat, back stiff, eyes still glazed with the memory of that black sky from earlier. His fingers clenched, not from fear—but from the realization.
"I'm already behind, and it hasn't even begun."
A chime rang through the hall.
A holographic panel unfolded mid-air, spanning the front stage.
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[All Divine Realms successfully awakened.]
[Next Phase: Initial Race Card Selection]
[School-issued Tier 1 Cards will be accessible for the next 24 hours.]
[You may also bring your own race cards for integration, subject to inspection.]
[Reminder: Only Tier 1 to Tier 3 cards are permitted within the first year. Limit: 12 integrations per year.]
[Race integration begins tomorrow. Good luck, pioneers.]
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The light faded.
Dozens of murmurs broke out at once.
"I hope they have that Tier 3 Iron-Scaled Lizard."
"My mother informed me she sent a courier with my Tier 2 Drakefolk Card!"
"Ugh, we'll get stuck with Goblins or Slimes if we wait too long."
Ethan leaned back in his chair.
He didn't move for a while even after the professor left. He just sat there, in the middle of the half-empty auditorium, watching students rush past the doors into the adjoining card exhibition hall.
His fingers twitched.
"Race cards, huh…"
The system's interface hovered faintly in the air in front of him.
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[You may now browse Tier 1 race cards.]
[Available time: 24 hours until Integration Ceremony.]
[Current Divine Realm: Polluted Wasteland – Hazard Level: High]
[Recommended Card Range: Sludge, Mutant, Resistant Types]
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He scoffed quietly to himself.
"So even the system thinks I should play it safe."
He stood up and headed out, his footsteps light, but his mind racing. Upon entering, he was immediately captivated by the vast array of giant projections displaying race cards hovering above glass cases. Students buzzed about, lively conversations echoing against the metal and glass structure, with some already boasting.
"Did you see the Azure Blinkfox? Can teleport instantly within a five-meter radius!"
"I heard D-Class students can access rare cards if they apply through the family vault."
Ethan glanced at a group of boys walking past, their coats custom-stitched with their house insignias.
"Back in my world, we fought over canned food. Here, they contend over card attributes."
Rows upon rows of basic cards were displayed, numbering in the hundreds, perhaps even more. Each appeared simple and unimpressive, yet these cards were intended to represent the potential for the future. Ethan scrolls slowly through the options.
"Let's see what's at the bottom of the food chain."
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—[Race: Slimekin]
Gel-based organisms with no intelligence but capable of absorbing pollutants and splitting under stress.
Trait: [Adaptive Absorption]
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—[Race: Rustcrawler Goblins]
Short, tech-hungry humanoids who hoard broken machinery and adapt it into tools.
Trait: [Scrap Engineering]
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—[Race: Cinderbugs]
Insects born in volcanic zones. Known for fast breeding and glowing carapace.
Trait: [Thermal Colony]
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—[Race: Mossfolk]
Plant-based humanoids that grow in clusters. Passive and weak alone, but symbiotic when grouped.
Trait: [Life Bloom]
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—[Race: Dusk Imps]
Nocturnal shadow beings who thrive in low-light environments.
Trait: [Shadow Step]
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Many more races caught his attention, representing various environments—ice, desert, underwater, even aerial.
"They may be basic, but they serve a purpose. That is their significance."
But he didn't linger around. His steps carried him to the far end of the hall—where the lights were dimmer, the crowd thinner.
The unpopular section, where cards seemed to elicit little interest.
The projections here flickered slightly, as if even the system itself had little interest in investment in their presentation.
He lightly brushed a hand over a cold glass panel, causing a card to illuminate.
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[Race Card: Saplingkin]
Tier: 1
Description: A peaceful plant-based race that thrives slowly under proper care.
Environment Compatibility: Forests, Nature-Dominant Biomes
Traits: [Photosynthesis], [Root Memory]
Reproduction Rate: Low
Combat Ability: Very Low]
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"Not suitable for toxic realms," the system warned again.
He stared at the card, acknowledging its limitations. It lacked combat capability, reproductive speed, and adaptability to harsh conditions.
It was, objectively, a bad choice.
"But it represents… life."
He remembered metal skies. He remembered walking past the same crumbled city tower every day, its broken screens flickering choppy as drones buzzed like flies.
He remembered burying someone with his bare hands—because there was no soil left.
The Saplingkin… it wasn't powerful, but it reminded him of something humanity had forgotten:
Hope.
"If it can't live in the world I have... then maybe I need to build a world where it can."
He tapped the panel.
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[Mark Saplingkin as selected?]
[Warning:Your realm's environment poses extreme incompatibility.]
[Expected Failure Rate:92.7%]
[Proceed anyway?]
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A long silence passed.
Then, he smiled.
"Proceed."
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[Confirmed.]
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He turned away from the panel just as the lights dimmed slightly across the room. A chime rang through the speakers.
"All students, please finalize your selection within the next 24 hours. Integration Ceremony will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m."
Ethan walked out, hands still in his pockets.
"Let the world say what it wants. Let them laugh."
"They'll watch a forest grow where nothing should live."