Edmonton High School, one of many.
Nick was in his third year of high school. The final year, and then he would graduate.
Compared to the beginning of the year two months ago, the class seemed more cheerful now. It wasn't surprising, as more than half the class had undergone their magical awakening. That's why they weren't gloomy. School had to be finished regardless; otherwise, you couldn't get any decent job, and you wouldn't even be allowed to become a Hunter.
Schools in Edmonton, like in other cities, served not only an educational function, providing children and teenagers with knowledge and some semblance of life experience, but also allowed the government to monitor the magical awakening of its citizens.
It just so happened that most people Awakened before reaching adulthood.
The highest number occurred during the second year of high school. The first and third years had roughly equal numbers.
A very important point must be made here.
The earlier a person Awakens, the higher their potential.
Although, it's more likely that because they have higher potential, the awakening happens earlier.
All renowned Hunters Awakened back in middle school, not to mention the true geniuses whose power one could only envy.
Entering the third year unawakened, teenagers were usually not in the best of moods. This particular school enrolled those who hadn't awakened yet. The schools where those who Awakened last year studied looked much better. The funding there was significantly different, the teachers were better, and so was everything else.
Only after filling their bodies with magical power did teenagers realize it was a turning point in their lives, opening the path to a bright future.
They dreamed of great achievements.
But… they still had to discover their abilities.
After all, abilities could be very different. That's what colleges with corresponding specializations were for – providing the necessary training and unlocking potential.
Just winging it wouldn't work here. A self-taught person would never achieve the results of someone equally powerful who had received proper training. They would explain everything, show you, and let you try. If necessary, and of course, if you showed promise, they would work with you individually. Only then could your abilities shine… or at least help you not die on your very first outing.
Most mages had combat specializations.
There were various elemental mages controlling specific magical elements. There were those specializing in melee weapons. Many focused on firearms. There were monster tamers and summoners.
What were they all needed for?
Primarily, to fight monsters. They were the only reason monsters hadn't wiped out humanity.
Funnily enough, humans obtained the most valuable resources precisely from monsters.
The stronger the creature, the more expensive its body parts. This was especially true for the magic core – a special stone where magical energy concentrated. It served as a kind of battery, but with mana instead of electricity.
For some beasts, besides the core, their durable hide or warm fur was particularly valued. Or deadly venom. Flexible, strong bones. And so on…
And mana didn't just saturate beasts.
Metals infused with it possessed amazing properties. Almost the same applied to minerals and many other resources. All this needed to be harvested. Most often through combat, which required Hunters.
There were many specializations.
But there were also non-combat ones. These included artisans.
People using their skills to create weapons, equipment, gear, and much more. One works in a forge, infusing a hammer with magic to work magical metals, while another stays on a farm growing plants. You couldn't guess who was more useful because their products were unique.
Who is more useful: an alchemist brewing healing and enhancing potions, or an architect creating impregnable bastions? The former is needed during expeditions, while the latter is an invaluable asset to any city.
So, each specialization had its purpose.
Gamedesigners too.
For a long time, people couldn't find a use for these abilities. The necessary foundation was missing. Just like an alchemist without a laboratory or a blacksmith without a forge, they were almost useless.
Everything changed when the government, with their help, managed to upgrade existing computing equipment, creating the so-called energy psychomatrix.
Thanks to it, a person using magical energy could easily upload their consciousness into the digital environment supported by this very matrix.
Difficulties arose during the creation of the necessary conditions. After all, gamedesigners were just beginning this kind of work. What was important was that the matrix was very sensitive to their energy, meaning only one person could work on each individual segment into which consciousness could be uploaded. This created a heavy burden.
However, the results exceeded all expectations.
The created simulator turned out to be not just effective; it almost completely recreated real conditions. A Hunter spending time in it, using mana, gained practically the same experience as in real combat. Their abilities improved. Sometimes their power advanced to the next rank, or new skills were unlocked.
Previously, mages had two ways to improve their powers: fighting monsters and consuming magical consumables. The latter included potions, pills, and other processed magical resources. Well, those still had to be obtained or bought, and in battle, a Hunter always risked their life.
That's why the discovery of the psychomatrix was such an event.
People gained the ability to develop skills and train without leaving their rooms.
To enter the psychomatrix, one only needed to put a headband made of special metal on their head and plug a wire into the network. To immerse, one had to enter meditation, so the person needed to lie down. Any mage could exit this state at will, or if woken up. Such immersion posed no danger. Excessive fatigue or mana depletion would push them out anyway.
Essentially, a person connected their brain to a computer, with mana facilitating the connection.
It was also important that since it was a digital environment, it could be viewed on other devices. Even live. There was nothing complicated about it. Just ordinary video, exactly like any other. Those who were in the simulator sometimes found it amusing to watch themselves from the outside afterward, from the other side of the screen, so to speak.
Realizing the potential, the authorities allocated the necessary funding and focused on training gamedesigners. Special emphasis was placed on overcoming the limitation of one person per segment, or one game.
After wasting loads of time, mountains of money, and tons of resources, some results were finally achieved.
But they were far from what was intended.
A group of people, each knowing the others perfectly, trusting them completely because they had been through a lot together, while immersed in a trance state – were capable of merging their consciousness into a single whole. In this state, they could indeed work on one project.
All this happened under supervision, using medications and special equipment.
Such a group truly produced very good results.
First and foremost, their skills were used to reproduce known skills and environments. The available government simulators accurately recreated specific, well-studied areas. A person entering the matrix found themselves in an environment almost identical to reality, facing recreated monsters. After undergoing such training multiple times and then entering the real area the simulator was copied from, they would know what to do. Facing real monsters for the first time, they would have actual combat experience against them.
Everyone who possessed gamedesigner abilities began creating their own games.
Any mage would agree to pay for the opportunity to train without risking their life.
And it's important to note here: the gamedesigner who created the game, that very segment of the psychomatrix, was connected to it in a special way. A small portion of the mana spent by players returned to them. This mana could be used both for working with the matrix and for personal use.
A mage knows how to use their mana to develop abilities; this is the foundation of any training. This relates to meditation. The mage activates the mana in their body, influences their organism with it, especially the area where mana is stored and the channels through which it flows. It's almost like building muscles. Little by little, you become stronger.
Figuratively speaking.
A mage with 100/100 mana units spends them. They have 0/100. Then, they recover it through sleep, meditation, or using a consumable resource. They are back to 100/100.
But if they spend that hundred on training, their total mana pool grows, becoming, say, 0/105. That is, they increased their available pool by 5 units using the hundred they had. But if they had 200/200, spending it all at once would increase it to 0/210. An increase of ten units, not five.
The total amount and recovery speed are important here.
For high-ranked mages, such numbers are trivial. Higher ranks use powerful spells and skills, nothing like low-ranked ones.
But advancing in rank requires more than just meditation. One needs to fight, earn money, buy equipment, acquire resources, and much more. Only then can one become stronger.
It's no wonder most mages see themselves primarily in combat.
Every mage must serve mandatory military service. This is non-negotiable.
There, they teach discipline, order, and socialization. If you dodge it, they'll kick you the hell out of the city, and you can do whatever you want. And believe me, it's the same in other cities. Nobody needs a mage who can't even live by the rules for a few years. Too proud? Go to hell, we don't need your kind here.
No one in their right mind would develop deadly abilities in a person incapable of obeying orders.
But there are exceptions to every rule.
And for mages, these are the crafting professions.
It's utterly banal here. Such people must work constantly. And the sooner they start, the better. So it often happens that such Awakened individuals go straight from school to places where they are taught the intricacies of their specialty, under the supervision of senior colleagues. In a forge, workshop, laboratory, or farm, you'll always be supervised. They have their own methods. Not the army's, but close.
There are people who combine crafting with fighting monsters, but there are also those who utilize their abilities exclusively within the city walls. Gamedesigners are among them.
"Everyone sit down. Class has started. Mor, get your emblem after class. Don't forget to remind me," said the teacher.
An unshaven, middle-aged man with thinning hair and complete indifference in his eyes was the one conducting the lesson.
His teaching skills were average at best, and much depended on the students' efforts, as the man's desire was clearly focused on finishing with these blockheads as soon as possible. What else could you expect from such a school? For this salary, this guy wasn't too bad. At least there was someone. Better than no one.
Life had spat on him, and he returned the sentiment. At least he wasn't in the slums, which meant he must know something.
These were the kinds of people teaching in schools like this. Nick wished for better treatment, but for the money his parents paid, this was the only available option. And it could have been much worse.
What hope did graduates from such schools have?
Most would go into the army. It was easier for girls; they were at least sent to more or less decent service posts, while boys went wherever assigned. This applied to both the Awakened and those less fortunate.
Nick, with his asthma and poor health, wouldn't pass the medical examination. If his awakening had been combat-oriented, it would be a different story, but now…
He was half a head shorter than his peers, skinny and weak. His face might be average, but there was also acne, causing a few pimples to always adorn his forehead or cheeks. All in all, popularity was clearly not for him.
He didn't have many friends, maybe two classmates he could talk to.
He was very lucky not to have enemies, although he should thank one guy for that. That guy had messed up badly once, setting up his comrades, and got into deep trouble for it. Since then, he served as a sort of lightning rod for bad moods. But at least he was sturdy, unlike Nick.
"Open your textbooks to page ninety-six…" the teacher droned.
The lesson proceeded as usual. The teacher didn't even ask why Nick had been absent for two days.
"Teacher, what about my emblem?" Nick asked afterward.
"Ah, right… here, congratulations," the teacher said.
He pulled a round object from his pocket, resembling either a coin or a game token.
It bore several symbols indicating the Awakened's rank and specialization. On the reverse side was more personal information – name, surname, year, and place of birth. This emblem also functioned like a data card, carrying information. It was used as a key and identification. Often, emblems were worn visibly to display one's status.
For many years, the young man had dreamed of wearing an emblem, always thinking it would be… honorable. But here, the teacher just shoved it at him and left, muttering a perfunctory "Congratulations."
During the break, students chatted about their usual stuff. Mostly about their great futures. About how they would go on raids, find valuable resources, and lead luxurious lifestyles.
"Ha! I'm gonna have a mansion in the best district of the city. Hire a bunch of beauties to serve me," one student boasted.
"Screw this rotten Edmonton. I want to go to Washington. The Hunters there are nothing compared to ours," a second guy chimed in.
"My ability is Summoner. They say the best Summoners work in South America. I guess I'll have to fly there," said a third.
"Pfft! Who'd take you there? Don't be an idiot, stick with me, you won't go wrong," the first one retorted.
Nick closed his eyes.
All his plans, built over many years, had vanished into oblivion upon receiving the Gamedesigner specialization. What now? He didn't even really know what they did. How did they create games?
For a second, an image of a game flashed in his mind.
Nick felt an urge to try it… But it didn't exist in this world. It needed to be created…