Noel stepped slowly out of the awakening room, the weight of reality pressing down heavily on his shoulders. The bustling corridors of the Hunter Association Branch were still full of noise, with loud voices embroiled in conversations, with congratulatory cheers for some and consolation for the others. However, none of these mattered to Noel at the moment. After all, he had just awakened as a Necromancer, one of the worst classes he could ever awaken.
What a bummer.
"All that joy for nothing. If I knew I was going to awaken as a Necromancer, I wouldn't have bothered in the first place." Noel cursed hatefully under his breath as he trudged slowly along the polished marble floors, unconsciously tuning out the noise around him.
This was supposed to be the happiest moment of his life. It was something that he had been striving for ever since he was kicked out of his orphanage at the tender age of 12 and was forced to fend for him and his younger brother, Julius. Unfortunately, it seemed fate had other plans for him.
Necromancer.
The reality of his new class hadn't sunk in yet.
He let out a bitter sigh and walked outside the towering building. He found a bench outside the main doors and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees with a downcast expression on his face, his new Hunter card issued by Jill held firmly in his hand.
Name: Noel Augustus
Class:Necromancer
Rank: F
Affiliation: None
His thoughts spiraled with every passing second, dragging him deeper into a pit of frustration and exasperation. He couldn't even find it in himself to get angry. The only thing he felt was a dull, stinging emptiness that threatened to devour him whole.
Noel glanced at the sea of scouts in their tailored suits and eager smiles buzzing with energy as they tried to rope in the newly awakened Hunters.
He let out a bitter sigh, his thumb brushing over the black metal card again. However, it was at that moment that something clicked in his head, and it finally hit him.
Ronan!
His eyes widened slightly as the memory of their meeting surfaced, and he couldn't help but become hopeful.
"If you awaken, come find me after your test. We can talk possibilities."
"Why didn't I think of that?! He had told me to find him if I successfully awakened! There's still a chance for me!" Noel exclaimed.
Without a second thought, Noel jumped to his feet and weaved through the crowd, his heart racing in his chest. After a few minutes of scanning the crowd, he spotted the tall, auburn-haired man standing near one of the registration booths, casually scrolling through a digital tablet.
"Ronan!" Noel called out at the top of his voice, panting heavily as he hurried up to him.
The scout looked up, and a smile immediately spread across his face when he recognized Noel.
"Hey, you made it. That was fast. Was the awakening a success?" Ronan asked with a smile on his face.
"Yes, it was." Noel replied, still trying to catch his breath.
"Really? That's awesome then. Congratulations." Ronan said, his smile growing even wider as he heard Noel's positive response.
"Thank you." Noel replied.
"So, what class did you awaken?" Ronan asked, smiling faintly as he awaited Noel's response.
Silence.
"Come on man. It can't be that bad." Ronan laughed when he saw Noel's tense expression.
"I told you our Verdant Blade Guild are looking for fresh talents, so don't hold back. Now tell me, what class did you awaken as?" Ronan drawled, his tone light and casual, though his eyes were quietly expectant as he awaited Noel's response.
"Necromancer." Noel finally said, swallowing hard as he did.
The smile on Ronan's face instantly faltered, and there was another brief moment of silence.
"Necromancer?" he repeated, his voice flatter now.
"Yes." Noel answered, a little hesitant.
For a moment, neither of them said anything; then Ronan let out a slow sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Damn, that's unfortunate."
"What do you mean?" Noel asked quietly, his voice tinged with uncertainty and a hint of desperation.
"I mean I can't sign you anymore." Ronan said, the friendliness fading from his tone.
"What? But you said to find you after I awakened, and that your Guild are looking for fresh talents!" Noel protested as he took a step forward.
"Yeah, because I thought you'd pull something that we can work with. Even a Swordsman would have been better. But Necromancer? It's just not worth it." He shook his head as he exhaled slowly and looked away, his eyes already scanning the crowd for a new potential recruit.
Noel's hands clenched into fists as he pleaded with Ronan. "You don't know if I'm—"
"I know enough." Ronan's tone was sharper now. He turned back to face Noel, his stance already closing off.
"Look, kid. I meant it when I said I saw something in you, but I didn't think you'd pull that." Ronan sighed.
"You haven't even seen what I can do yet—"
"I don't need to. You pulled the worst class out of the nine, and I'm not here to babysit liabilities." Ronan cut him off coldly.
"But I can—"
"Noel, let me explain this to you so you understand." Ronan said harshly. His voice dropped, and there was now a very sharp edge to his voice. He stepped forward slowly, tilting his head slightly as if speaking to a child who wouldn't listen.
"There are nine classes accepted under the current Hunter classification system. Five are Common: Swordsman, Guardian Knight, Assassin, Archer and Berserker. The other four: Summoner, Elementalist, Healer, and Necromancer are rare. However, out of these nine, can you guess which one's dead last?"
Noel remained silent, but Ronan didn't wait for an answer.
"Necromancer." Ronan said flatly.
"You get the ability to summon three undead at the Novice tier, but they're nothing worth mentioning. They have weak stats, slow response time, little to no adaptability, and are impossible to use in combat unless they are enhanced with an essence tome."
"Do you know how expensive those tomes are? Those things don't grow on trees. They're salvaged from rifts and usually sold at high class auctions to the highest bidders."
"We're talking first-rate guilds with billions of credits to spare. Even if we had thirty times our current budget, we still couldn't afford to make one Necromancer useful, and unfortunately, without those enhancement, Necromancers are mainly dead weights." Ronan explained slowly, dragging a hand through his hair, his tone fully showing his frustration.
"I promise I'll find a way," Noel said quickly. "Even if it takes longer, I'll put in the work—"
"It's not about putting in the effort, Noel." Ronan snapped, his tone more tired than angry. "It's about returns. Necromancers aren't trash because they lack potential. They're avoided because the cost to unlock that potential is a steep one."
"Most Guilds, including ours, don't have the leeway to invest in the Necromancer class. They take years of investments, and we're talking several billions of credits, to raise one properly. Only the wealthiest Guilds or Clans can afford to raise one properly, and even then, it's a gamble."
"By the time you reach the Lord tier, our Guild would have filed for bankruptcy ten times, and that's if you even become a Lord."
"Please, Ronan. There has to be something you can do." Noel's voice cracked, his desperation on full display as he spoke.
Ronan didn't answer immediately. He just stared at Noel for a brief moment, and then the hard expression on his face softened, albeit barely.
"Noel, you're asking me to sign someone who's a drain on every front; a class that demands everything upfront and offers nothing in return. Of course I can't do that." Ronan replied tiredly.
Noel opened his mouth again, but the words caught in his throat.
Ronan stared at him for a moment longer, then shook his head.
"You should've awakened as anything else," he said quietly. "Hell, even a Guardian Knight would have given you a fighting chance. But a Necromancer? That's a class that we just cannot afford to sign."
Ronan exhaled heavily, then stepped back. It was clear that he was done wasting his breath on Noel.
"Look, Noel. I don't mean to be cruel. I scouted you because you looked like you had potential, but it turns out that I was wrong. That happens, so it's best if you just move on."
"Our Guild doesn't have the ability to take care of Hunters with such a class. Good luck on your journey."
Ronan gave him one final glance, then turned and walked away, leaving Noel alone in the sea of noise, the disappointment cutting deeper than he expected.
This time around, Noel didn't try to stop him. He stood there for a while, the voices and footsteps around him fading into the background.
The burning heat behind his eyes threatened to spill over, but Noel fought back the hot tears. With nothing left to do, he finally turned and left the Branch Association.
The sun was still out, bright and dazzling above the city skyline, and the hustle and bustle of New Calden City did not cease. Civilians filled the streets, vendors continued to hawk their wares, and somewhere behind them, an eighteen-year-old Necromancer with no undead, no sponsor, and no clue what came next walked into the crowd.