No one tried to stop him or intercept him, at least not under the presence of the Hero King and Imperial Knights.
"Get information about that commoner. I want him in my faction," Sam heard an authoritative voice speak to the person beside him.
He saw a boy named Yami Kusanagi, the grandson of the leader of the Kusanagi clan, looking all arrogant when he saw Sam looking at him.
His face formed a sly smirk as if he were looking down on him.
"Yep, this guy's definitely trouble," Sam turned his gaze away as if he didn't care, but this only made Yami more dissatisfied.
Then the awakening ceremony proceeded as normal. No one other than Cedric Wardrad had been able to conjure a phenomenon of his level, which frankly disappointed a lot of people.
Sam noticed that it was time for him and the other nobles to awaken.
Among the nobles, Sam didn't know anyone personally other than what his grandparents and mother told him, but he did see a familiar face.
The person was a girl with long blonde hair and green eyes.
She also stood alone and didn't talk to anyone. Even if someone tried to initiate a conversation, she wouldn't go through with it.
"If I remember correctly, this girl is my mother's friend's daughter, right? Her name is Isabella Lancaster," Sam gazed at her for a few seconds, merely appreciating her great looks and nothing more.
Yes, definitely nothing more.
Then, the vice principal of the Hero Academy began to call out the names of the noble kids one by one, randomly picking names from a jar filled with parchment papers.
After some of the nobles were called out and awakened their potential, each showing outstanding potential, though none conjured any phenomenon, they all triggered extreme reactions from the awakening crystal.
Though there were some who seemed on the verge of conjuring phenomena, it didn't occur in the end.
Now, there were four people left: Sam, the disdainful Yami Kusanagi, Isabella Lancaster, and a girl with short white hair and blue eyes.
At first glance, Sam found the girl with short white hair and blue eyes quite attractive.
For a moment, he even thought he fell in love with her on the spot, which was ridiculous considering he had only just seen her for the first time.
The girl seemed to sense eyes on her, and as she looked at Sam, he quickly turned his face so she couldn't catch him in the act.
"Isabella Lancaster," Ragnar called out.
Isabella walked to the crystal and placed her palm on it, allowing the mana to flow into her veins.
Then, something manifested from the crystal—a bird, a large yellow bird resembling a crow, with red eyes.
"CREEEEAAA..." Its cry resounded throughout the arena, a deep, guttural sound reminiscent of a crow's hoarse call.
Isabella's eyes gleamed as brightly as the sun. As mana flowed into her body, she was surrounded by a yellowish light energy that flowed from her body and into her back.
[Mana flows through your veins.]
[You have awakened your potential.]
[You have awakened your Dorment Unique Ability.]
Even after she removed her hands, the phenomenon didn't disappear, and a small smile formed on her lips.
"An apex level phenomenon, huh?" the Hero King nodded to himself.
"It's been a while since someone conjured an apex level phenomenon. It's certainly refreshing," Jin muttered slowly.
After Isabella, Sam grew even more nervous. He didn't want to summon anything less impressive than Isabella's manifestation.
But fortunately, it was Yami's turn. When he placed his hand over the crystal, similar to Isabella, a bird manifested. This bird had three snake-like tails, a big red beak, and eyes filled with darkness.
[Mana flows through your veins.]
[You have awakened your potential.]
[You have awakened a rare stat.]
While Yami was engulfed within a dark energy, it eventually disappeared back into his body.
"Another apex level phenomenon? What's wrong with this generation? Two apex level phenomena?" Now even Jin became nervous. He shot a glance at his grandson, who mirrored his expression.
The Hero King glanced at his daughter, who had short white hair and blue eyes, and didn't let these displays of power get to her head.
"Yuki Asuna," Ragnar called out.
Sam sighed; it seemed he would be the last person to awaken his Mana veins.
It felt like a huge red flag.
Yuki, the daughter of the Hero King, walked down, totally ignoring the two massive phenomena that covered the sky in golden and black brilliance.
She touched the crystal, and mana flowed into her body.
In response, an icy aura began to flow out and cover her surroundings, but Ragnar didn't seem to mind it at all.
[Mana flows through your veins.]
[You have awakened your potential.]
[You have awakened a rare stat.]
As she watched the system prompt, a figure began to form from that aura, growing as large as fifty feet, just like the earlier phenomena.
It turned into a large humanoid monster, or rather, a yeti.
It was massive and menacing, with bulging arms that seemed capable of smashing anything into a pulp.
Yuki was surrounded by mist-like energy, cold to the touch, yet she didn't seem affected by it. Then, she left the place.
"Sam Tat... Sam Tatsuya?" Ragnar looked at his name with a weird expression, then called it out, instantly catching everyone's attention.
Even the Hero King and the other noble clan leaders were now looking at him with great interest.
Sam took a glance at the three apex level phenomena in the sky, passed Yuki, Isabella, and Yami, and walked up to the awakening crystal.
He placed his hand over it and let the mana flow into his body.
But there was no reaction from the awakening crystal at all. A few seconds passed, and nothing happened.
Just when everyone was beginning to think that Sam had failed the awakening, a blinding red light assaulted the entire arena.