Chapter 2: The Test

Song Qiu hurried all the way and reached his destination in less than half an hour.

Along the way, he stopped to buy a few tubes of nutrient solution—the cheapest kind available, ten Star Coins each.

There were a huge number of applicants.

Even though it was the last day of registration, the line was still incredibly long, stretching as far as the eye could see. Soldiers stood guard around the area.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

On Blue Star, mental power was divided into six ranks:

S, A, B, C, D, and E.

Among them, A-rank mental power was extremely rare, while S-rank was one-in-ten-thousand even among A-ranks.

Many people came to test themselves with hope in their hearts.

For most slum residents, this was their only chance to enter the Special Zones.

Song Qiu was no exception.

To be honest, he wasn't confident at all.

Although he was a transmigrator, he didn't think he was particularly special.

In his view, things like protagonist cheats, golden fingers, and chosen saviors didn't exist.

He had been here for a week.

The things he'd seen most were garbage and mutated rats.

If attracting mutated rats counted as a special ability, he would rather not have it.

Besides, his body was that of an Earth human.

He wasn't really a Beta.

He didn't even understand what mental power was.

How was he supposed to pass the test?

"Brother."

Someone spoke from behind him.

Lost in thought, Song Qiu didn't hear it.

"Brother!"

Seeing no response, the person tapped his shoulder.

"You're here for the mental-power test too?"

"Yeah."

Song Qiu turned around.

Behind him stood an Alpha teenager with bronze-colored skin.

He was extremely tall, with sharply defined features and bright brown eyes.

"What were you daydreaming about?"

The boy casually moved closer and pulled out a handful of charred black objects from his pocket.

"Snacks. Want some? Deep-fried. Nice and crunchy."

As he spoke, he tossed one into his mouth.

Crunch.

Song Qiu: "..."

Looking at the beetle-like black snacks in the boy's hand, Song Qiu's defenses completely shattered.

Before transmigrating, he had been a clean and tidy young man who showered every day.

Now?

After a week in this world, his torn T-shirt and shorts were practically fermenting, and he hadn't had anywhere to wash his hair. It hung from his head in greasy strands.

This wasn't survival in the wilderness.

This was almost like Outlast!

Still...

The smell was making him hungry.

Song Qiu rubbed his flat stomach.

The line moved painfully slowly.

By the time it was finally his turn, the sun was already setting.

The examiner led him to a machine about his height.

The device was marked with grades from E to A.

Song Qiu put on the helmet and stepped onto the platform.

"Focus your attention and gather your mental power in your mind," the instructor reminded him.

Song Qiu did as instructed.

Ten seconds passed.

The progress bar didn't move at all.

"Why isn't anything happening? Is he E-rank?"

"Tch. Betas really are useless. Hurry up and get down. Don't waste everyone's time."

"The machine isn't reacting at all. Let him off and call the next person."

The crowd's whispers reached Song Qiu's ears clearly.

He closed his eyes tightly and concentrated with all his might.

Yet his mind remained completely blank.

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Panic began to rise in his chest.

Was he really incapable after all?

Was he destined to spend the rest of his life in the slums?

Was his future in this world already set in stone?

He didn't want that.

Suddenly—

A flash of white light exploded inside his mind.

His body felt weightless, as though he had been thrown into space.

Then an endless ocean appeared before him.

Vast.

Magnificent.

Boundless.

"It's moving!"

"It changed!"

The crowd erupted in surprise.

The progress bar, which had been frozen for so long, suddenly shot upward.

Past E-rank.

Past D-rank.

Past B-rank.

Until it finally stopped at—

A-Rank.

Growl—

An overwhelming hunger suddenly hit him.

His stomach roared violently.

His body screamed with emptiness, as if all its energy had been drained away.

The ocean vanished instantly.

Song Qiu's eyes snapped open.

The red indicator had stopped firmly at A.

He passed.

Relief flooded through him.

As he stepped off the platform, he replayed the scene in his mind.

That rolling ocean...

Was that his mental power?

His legs suddenly gave way.

He nearly collapsed to the ground.

Trembling, he stumbled over and leaned against a wall.

No good.

He was starving.

It took him over half an hour of rest before he recovered enough strength to stand.

Seeing how weak he looked, people nearby immediately started gossiping.

"Seriously? That guy has A-rank mental power? And he's a Beta?"

"Maybe the machine broke. They should test him again."

"I'm a proud six-foot Alpha and only got B-rank. That short Beta must've cheated."

Song Qiu ignored every word.

A retest wasn't going to happen.

The military academy's equipment was extremely accurate.

There was no way they would change the results because of a few rejected Alphas complaining.

They could only grumble behind his back.

But none of that mattered.

What mattered was—

He could finally enter the city and eat his fill.

Song Qiu nearly cried tears of joy.

If your mental power met the standard, you could attend military school.

And who attended military school?

The future pillars of Blue Star.

The cafeteria feeding those future pillars couldn't possibly be bad.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Looking at Song Qiu's thin frame, the admissions officer hesitated.

"Are you sure you want to join the Combat Department?"

"Yes."

Song Qiu nodded.

He had carefully read the information earlier.

The Combat Department distributed subsidies at the end of every semester.

Perfect for a poor student like him.

"Alright."

The teacher signed and stamped the enrollment form before handing him a wristband.

"Your identity information has been entered into it. From now on, you can use this terminal throughout District One."

On Blue Star, most daily communication relied on personal terminals.

The First Military Academy had thoughtfully provided free terminals to freshmen from the slums.

Song Qiu happily accepted it.

After signing the enrollment documents and imagining a brighter future, he boarded a transport aircraft with the admissions group.

He had just chosen a window seat when a familiar excited voice rang out.

"Brother! You're here too!"

The bronze-skinned teenager from earlier dropped into the seat beside him.

"What a coincidence! My name's Nuowei. What's yours?"

"Song Qiu."

"Brother Song Qiu, we're the only two A-ranks from this slum area. Once we get to military school, we've got to look out for each other!"

Nuowei blinked his bright eyes, his face full of anticipation.

"I heard we're going to the First Military Academy. I never dreamed I'd leave the slums and enter a military district—let alone the First District. My parents must be blessing me from heaven."

A trace of tears appeared in his eyes.

"My condolences."

Song Qiu lowered his gaze.

He was an orphan.

He had never experienced parental love.

Yet at that moment, he could still empathize.

"Brother, you're such a good person."

Deeply moved, Nuowei started rummaging through his pockets again.

"I only have a little left, but it's really delicious. Want to try some?"

He held out another handful of snacks, eyes shining with hope.

"Just a little?"

"Thanks, but I'd better not."

With complete sincerity, Song Qiu gently pushed the offered hand back.

"Brother, you should eat more yourself."

"Then how about we add each other as friends?"

Nuowei gestured toward the terminal on his wrist.

The two quickly exchanged contact information.

Before long, Nuowei was yawning and drifting off to sleep.

Song Qiu turned toward the window and stared outside.

His heart felt strangely lost.

Far below stretched a desolate landscape.

Collapsed buildings.

Massive mutated plants.

And giant semicircular structures as dark as black holes, impossible to ignore.

Seen from above, these enormous objects blended together into a bizarre and surreal panorama.

Endless.

As far as the eye could see.