Chapter 2: Necromancer...

The woman at the podium let the silence settle before she continued.

"Before we continue, I would like to welcome you all." "You are now students of this academy. The fact that you are sitting here means you have reached the age of Awakening, and the responsibility that comes with it."

Ethan sat still in his seat, hands clutched and resting on his knees.

His mind was still reeling of how everything felt so real to him.

Did this mean that he had transmigrated?

And what would that mean for him? Because in all the webnovels he had read, whenever a person transmigrated, there was no instance where the person returned to his original world.

So if he had truly transmigrated, who was responsible for doing it and why?

He pushed that thought out of his mind for now as the woman spoke again.

"For a long time," she said, "monsters have tormented humanity. They appear without warning, grow stronger with each cycle, and show no interest in peace or reason. The hunters who stand against them are fewer every year, as every evolution just meant that there would be more carnage. I’m sure many of you must have already lost someone to that reality."

A low murmur moved through the rows, and Ethan could hear bits of nervous agreement, fear and the sound of people who understood what she was implying.

"Every human is born with a dormant ability," the woman said. "Most of them live their entire lives without ever using it. The Awakening Ceremony forces that power to the surface. Once it is awakened, this academy will train you to use it. Some of you will become hunters. Some will support from the rear. A few may never be suited for the front lines. All of you, however, will be expected to contribute. Humanity no longer has the luxury to be picky."

She paused, letting the weight of the words settle.

"We will begin."

Names were called one by one, and students walked to the stage, placed a hand on a crystal sphere resting on a low pedestal, and waited. The crystal would glow, a faint screen of light would appear in front of the student, and the woman would announce the result from the tablet she was holding in her hands.

"Fire affinity. Rank A."

"Enhanced strength. Rank C."

"Wind manipulation. Rank C."

Most results were modest. A few drew small sounds of approval from the watching students. One boy awakened a healing ability and received an impressed nod from the woman on stage. Another girl produced a flicker of lightning that made the air crackle, and the students watched with awe.

Ethan watched it all with the same quiet look he once used in meetings. Part of him was still trying to decide whether this was a dream, him having a breakdown, or him trying to escape the cruel reality where he was rejected.

But no matter how he looked at it, it was all real. Abilities were being measured, ranked, and judged right before his eyes. The ones that looked useful received attention. The ones that did not were noted and set aside with whoever awakened them, offering hope that they still had the chance to grow stronger.

His thoughts kept circling back to the apartment, the rejection, the decision he had made before sleep: Focus on a goal. Stop reaching for things that would never stay, and the memory felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else.

"Ethan Shaw."

He stood. The movement feeling fluid in this younger body. He walked down the aisle, climbed the short steps to the stage, and stopped in front of the crystal.

The sphere was clear, roughly the size of a human head, and cold to the touch when he placed his palm against it.

It hummed.

A low vibration ran up his arm and spread across his body.

A pale green light flickered in the Crystal and then a translucent green screen unfolded in front of him.

```

[Ding!]

[Congratulations Host! You have Awakened the Necromancer System.]

[Name: Ethan Shaw]

[Age: 19]

[Awakened Class: Necromancer]

[Rank: F]

[Level: 1]

[EXP: 0 / 100]

[Death Energy: 50/50]

[Control Capacity: 8]

[Undead Legion: 0/8]

```

Necromancer...

Ethan stared at the words, fighting the urge to laugh at how absurd this all was. He had gone to sleep in a life that made sense, however empty it had felt. Now he had woken up in a younger body inside a school auditorium. In a world plagued by monsters and the same world handing him the ability to raise the dead.

The screen closed, and the crystal’s glow faded.

The woman on stage stared at the tablet with a quiet look on her face.

The hall was silent as well, and curious murmurs began to rise...

However, before the murmur had turned to noise, she spoke.

"Ethan Shaw," she said, "Necromancy. Rank F"

A few students shifted in their seats. Someone near the front let out a snicker.

"Really? A Necromancer?"

"The lowest Rank no doubt." Another huffed. "Let’s just hope that which he doesn’t drag down which ever class he’s in."

Ethan stood there for a moment processing what had just happened.

Necromancy. And the lowest rank.

Sure enough, he wasn’t the only person with a Rank F ability. But he had a feeling that this ability was going to bring him more than he bargained for.

And he didn’t mean that in a good way...

He turned and walked back down the steps, returning to his seat without speaking and ignoring the glances he got from the people around him.

Around him the ceremony continued. More names. More names of more abilities, and the occasional rare result that drew real interest.

Ethan sat quietly, inhaling as he crossed his arms and tapped his index finger against his forearm.

It was at this moment that he realised that whatever world he had been pulled into, he wasn’t sure he was ever going to make it back...