The awakening ceremony kept rolling on even after Aaron stepped down from the platform, but for him the noise of the field had faded into the background like static.
Students were still getting called up one by one. Every few seconds the Awakening Crystal would light up and spit out another person's future. Cheers for the lucky ones. Heavy sighs for the rest.
Aaron heard it all, but none of it really sank in.
His mind was locked on the voice that had just spoken inside his head.
A system.
If this had happened back on Earth three months ago he probably would have thought he was hallucinating or going crazy. But here, in a world where the kid three rows ahead had just been announced as a B rank Pyromancer and the girl near the back was crying over an E rank Weaver class, a voice in your head did not feel like madness.
It felt like a chance.
He kept walking until he reached the student waiting area. Rei caught up right behind him, face twisted with worry.
"I'm really sorry," Rei said quietly.
Aaron blinked.
"Pfft. Why?"
"You awakened an E rank class," Rei muttered, keeping his voice low. "Laborer is pretty much just for construction crews. Most hunting teams won't even look at someone with that."
He paused, then added, "You could still get work inside the city though. The infrastructure guys hire a lot of Laborers."
Aaron looked at him for a second, then let out a soft laugh.
"You already mapped out my whole future?"
"I'm being serious," Rei said fast. "Life inside the walls is not bad. It's safe. Way safer than heading out there."
Aaron did not argue. He just scratched the back of his neck and let his eyes drift back to the platform where the last few students were finishing up.
"Every year tons of awakened hunters die trying to clear those zones," Rei went on. "Only people with strong combat classes last out there."
An E rank Laborer had no place fighting monsters.
At least that was what everyone believed.
Aaron rubbed his chin, thinking.
"Tell me something," he said.
"What?"
"How much experience do you get for killing a monster?"
Rei looked thrown off by the question.
"Depends on the monster's level and how many are in the party," he answered. "But low level ones usually give around ten experience points."
Aaron nodded slowly.
Ten experience points.
If the system in his head was real, that number could turn into something very interesting.
Before he could ask anything more, the instructor's voice boomed out from the platform.
"The awakening ceremony is now complete."
The last student stepped down while the teachers started logging all the results.
Students broke into groups right away, talking over their classes with loud voices.
Some looked pumped.
Others looked like their whole world had just crumbled.
Aaron watched the crowd quietly.
The gap between ranks was already carving out everyone's path.
The B and A rank kids were getting clapped on the back by teachers and people from the Awakening Bureau. They would probably get offers from top training programs or strong guilds.
The D and E rank students hung back, faces a lot less excited.
In this world strength was pretty much everything.
And strength started with your class.
"Aaron."
A steady voice called his name.
He turned.
Their homeroom instructor, Mr. Chung, was walking over with a clipboard. Mr. Chung had taught their class for almost three years. He usually looked strict, but today his expression was a little softer.
"I've looked at your awakening result," Mr. Chung said.
Aaron nodded politely.
"Yes, sir."
Mr. Chung glanced down at the paper again.
"Laborer class. Rank E."
Rei shifted awkwardly beside him.
Mr. Chung kept going. "Don't look too down. The Laborer class is not built for fighting, but it gives solid physical endurance and better tool handling. A lot of the city's development teams like hiring awakened Laborers because their stamina beats regular workers by a lot."
Aaron listened without interrupting.
He could tell the teacher was trying to make it sound better than it was.
Mr. Chung added, "If you want, the academy can recommend you to the development department after graduation."
"That's very kind," Aaron said with a polite smile.
Mr. Chung gave a nod and moved on to the next student.
The second the teacher walked away Rei let out a long breath.
"Well," he muttered, "at least you won't starve."
Aaron chuckled.
"Your faith in me is really low."
"What do you want me to say?" Rei replied helplessly. "You got the weakest class on the list."
Aaron did not argue.
Instead he looked down a little.
Because right then the mechanical voice spoke in his head again.
Ding.
The sound was quiet but clear.
A translucent panel popped up in his mind like it was floating right in front of his eyes.
....
[Effort Theft System Successfully]
Player: Aaron Emegrey
Class: Laborer
Rank: E
Level: 1
System Rule: All rewards obtained by the player will be Minimal Effort "Maximum Reward" with random amplification
.....
Aaron studied the panel in silence.
It looked just like the status screens from the games he used to play back on Earth.
Another line appeared below it.
[Beginner reward detected.]
[Reward: 2 copper coins]
Aaron blinked.
Two copper coins?
That sounded almost silly.
But before he could think much about it the panel flashed again.
[Reward amplification activated.]
[Final reward: 20 copper coins.]
[Want to convert copper coins into real Copper coins?]
[yes/no]
He picked yes.
Aaron stopped breathing for a second.
Two became twenty.
He reached into his pocket without thinking.
A light weight had appeared there, like someone had slipped the coins in without anyone noticing.
His fingers touched a small stack of cool metal.
Twenty copper coins.
His thoughts raced.
If the system really multiplied every reward by that unknown factor...
Then even the tiniest gain could turn huge.
Aaron let out a slow breath.
He made himself stay calm so Rei would not notice anything off.
"Hey," Rei said suddenly. "What are you staring at?"
Aaron looked up.
"Nothing. Just thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
Aaron glanced toward the huge city walls rising beyond the academy grounds.
Those walls kept Lemuria City safe from the wild zones where monsters roamed.
Most people inside believed someone like him had no reason to ever step past those gates.
But Aaron was starting to think something very different.
If killing one monster gave ten experience points...
Then with the system, he would get way more.
And if a monster dropped a single item...
He might get a bunch of them. Or maybe something even better.
Even a so-called useless E rank class could become something terrifying like this.
Aaron smiled faintly.
"Tell me something," he said to Rei.
"What now?"
"When do new hunters usually go outside the city for the first time?"
Rei stared at him like he had lost it.
"Outside the city? With an E rank Laborer class?"
Aaron just shrugged.
"I'm curious."
Rei rubbed his forehead.
"Usually students join beginner hunting teams a few weeks after awakening. The guilds set up training groups to help people level safely."
He paused, then asked suspiciously, "Why?"
Aaron looked out toward the distant horizon past the walls.
A quiet excitement built in his chest.
For the first time since landing in this world, he felt like he had something that was truly his.
The system.
And everything it could open up.
"Just wondering," he said lightly.
But inside he was already thinking ahead.
If two copper coins could turn into twenty...
Then what would happen when he got his first real reward?
The answer might just change everything.