Chapter 2

Space... hmm? Space?

The Registration Teacher rubbed his eyes, his mind reeling.

What kind of day is this? Both Time System and Space System abilities have manifested in the world?

But... Storage Space?

A Space System that can only be used for storage... doesn't that seem even more restrictive than the Time System ability we saw earlier?

The Registration Teacher's curiosity was piqued.

However, on the God-Fall Continent, the specific effects of abilities were each person's secret. Even Linyuan Academy, when admitting students, didn't require them to fully disclose every aspect of their abilities.

Therefore, no matter how curious he was, he couldn't ask another question.

After confirming Gu Huai's records were in order, he stamped the document.

Next came the tuition fees.

As the Continent's Number One Ability Academy, Linyuan Academy's annual tuition was ten gold coins. The school uniforms, which came with precious defensive magic arrays, cost two gold coins per set.

These expenses would not be refunded if a student dropped out mid-year. However, students could enroll on credit, provided they repaid the debt within five years of graduation or leaving the academy.

There was no way around it. On the God-Fall Continent, one gold coin was equal to ten silver coins, and one silver coin was equal to one hundred copper coins. Gold coins held the highest purchasing power.

An ordinary family, even working diligently for a year, might struggle to earn a single gold coin. Yet Linyuan Academy required at least twelve gold coins upfront upon enrollment.

Even so, Linyuan Academy was one of the most affordable Ability Academies on the continent, highlighting the exorbitant cost of cultivating Ability users.

Few geniuses from impoverished backgrounds could scrape together such a sum, so the academy's policy of recruiting talented individuals from all walks of life was a thoughtful consideration.

Throughout the day, the Registration Teacher had become accustomed to processing credit applications. He maintained a gentle yet restrained expression, mindful of the young man's dignity, as he awaited Gu Huai's "parents deceased" credit application.

To his surprise, the youth merely glanced at the bill and said, "Please register this for me. I'd like to purchase three sets of school uniforms."

The words had barely left his lips when a heavy little cloth pouch materialized in his hand.

Gu Huai placed the money pouch on the counter and pushed it forward.

The Registration Teacher stared.

Materializing objects out of thin air?

Could this... could this really be a storage ability?

The Registration Teacher counted the gold coins inside, finding exactly sixteen. With a peculiar feeling, he logged the transaction and handed Gu Huai the dormitory key, student ID, and a voucher for picking up his clothes the next day. He watched the peculiar young man leave.

Unbeknownst to him, the moment Gu Huai reached a deserted area, a "ding" sounded in his mind:

Ding~ Host's disguise of the Registration Teacher successful. Ability: Storage Space Progress: 1%.

Gu Huai smiled.

As expected, misleading the people of this continent increased the progress bar for acquiring abilities.

Still, Gu Huai asked, "Only one percent?"

The System dutifully replied, "The Registration Teacher at Linyuan Academy is not a key figure in determining the continent's fate, hence the low disguise efficiency."

Gu Huai had guessed as much; he just wanted to confirm it through the System.

The System added, "The Host wasted too much time on the road. If the Host had arrived at the registration hall with the other freshmen and performed the same operation in front of the Children of Destiny, the progress should have been higher."

"You mean I should have publicly demonstrated levitation?" Gu Huai chuckled. "Let's skip that until I've actually acquired the ability."

Gu Huai had transmigrated to a continent where people possessed supernatural abilities. His mission was to prevent the world's destruction, and his only cheat was the ability to obtain any Ability he desired by role-playing and guiding others.

However, role-playing and guiding were inherently continuous processes. A single slip-up could ruin everything.

After all, would the figures the System had deemed "destined to shape the continent's fate" be fools? Gaining role-playing progress from them required extreme caution. Who knew what they might see through?

Gu Huai had deliberately avoided the main group, opting for a mysterious approach until he familiarized himself with the surroundings.

The more you do, the more mistakes you make. The less you do, the fewer mistakes you make.

After all, he didn't have many chips to play with.

Gu Huai opened the System Panel.

Under the "Newbie Gift Pack," the icon for sixteen gold coins had turned black. In the currency section, only ten gold coins, twenty silver coins, and two hundred copper coins remained.

That's right. The trick he'd used to conjure gold coins out of thin air wasn't some "Storage Space," not even a "System Backpack." It was a function provided by the System for the Host: the "Newbie Gift Pack."

As a being sent to assist this world, the System possessed a certain authority: it could create items within limits to aid in mission completion, much like implanting a program into the world.

Gu Huai's resurrected body was created in this manner.

The Newbie Gift Pack also included a clean background, a Special Recruit slot at Linyuan Academy, first-year tuition and living expenses, and a self-selected beginner weapon.

These were all essential items, very similar to the starting packages in games on Blue Star.

When Gu Huai realized that the System's ability to create items from nothing looked visually identical to a Space-type ability's ability to retrieve items from nothing, he immediately thought of his earlier plan.

He asked the System to temporarily retain the Newbie Gift Pack's creation authority and only "create" items on the spot when needed. This would make it appear as though he could conjure items out of thin air.

While the Registration Teacher didn't directly boost the progress bar, he served as an catalyst.

As the person directly handling the documentation, anyone trying to secretly investigate Gu Huai's abilities would likely have to go through him.

By using the Newbie Gift Pack's authority on him, Gu Huai had secured the Registration Teacher's unwavering belief in his Ability. This initial 1% investment might eventually yield a tenfold return for him, and it was a safe, indirect way to play the game.

The Storage Space ability wasn't particularly powerful or complex, so it wouldn't require special attention or repeated verification. With a few more opportunities to demonstrate the "conjuring objects from thin air" ability, obtaining the full Storage Space ability should be straightforward.

After reviewing everything he had done so far, Gu Huai closed the System Panel, his brow furrowing slightly as he adopted a more solemn expression.

His plan wasn't over yet.

In truth, the ability he truly desired wasn't Storage Space at all!

A ferocious, colossal figure materialized in Gu Huai's mind—the Space-type Demonic Beast he had dragged down with him in their final, mutually destructive battle.

That world-shattering, system-attracting battle had occurred less than 24 hours ago.

Even now, Gu Huai could close his eyes and still smell the metallic tang of blood in the air, still feel the agonizing sensation of his body being sliced apart inch by inch by spatial distortions.

In his previous life on Blue Star, the Space-type Demonic Beast's atrocities against humanity had been truly heinous.

It appeared on the very first day of the Blue Star apocalypse and continued to wreak havoc for four years. It came and went without a trace, wielding spatial power that made its attacks impossible to defend against and its escapes effortless.

If Gu Huai hadn't fought it before and discovered its sole weakness, humanity would have struggled to eradicate it even with their combined efforts.

Precisely because of its existence, when Gu Huai had the opportunity to choose his own Ability, his first instinct was to select a Space-type one.

Although he could currently only act as a "Storage Space," the rules of "acting" meant that the Abilities he gained wouldn't remain static. As long as he could mislead the Children of Destiny, his Ability could even evolve infinitely!

This hidden rule was the System's true Cheat for Taskers.

In this context, "Storage Space" was the perfect stepping stone for him.

His ultimate goal, of course, was to reach the level of that Space-type Demonic Beast!

...Naturally, neither "Storage Space" nor a "Perfected Space System" was something Gu Huai possessed now, nor something he could obtain in the short term.

However, having fought from the darkest hour of the Blue Star apocalypse to the dawn of its end, Gu Huai was never lacking in patience or resolve.

After completing the registration process, Gu Huai headed to his dormitory.

As the Continent's Number One Ability Academy, Linyuan Academy did not skimp on student accommodations. The dormitories were double rooms, each with its own bathroom and small balcony. The interior resembled graduate student dorms on Blue Star, with two bunk beds, each with a desk underneath, and two large storage cabinets.

However, the walls and floor of the room were seamlessly integrated, with no visible seams. Gu Huai tapped them, suspecting the entire dormitory building might have been constructed using Abilities.

These dorm conditions were ideal for making a good impression on important people.

After careful consideration, Gu Huai concluded that regardless of who his roommate turned out to be, his lack of Abilities would always put him at risk of exposure. In that case, he might as well choose a Child of Destiny as his roommate. He had the System discreetly manipulate the process.

Thus, Gu Huai's roommate was none other than Qin Fenglin, the key figure the System had repeatedly emphasized. They would also be classmates.

Qin Fenglin had clearly already arrived at the dormitory. One of the beds was already made with a thin blanket, a standard issue from Linyuan Academy. Beyond that, there were no personal belongings, a surprisingly austere sight.

Gu Huai, however, was different.

Though Gu Huai had spent the past four years in the post-apocalyptic world, enduring harsh conditions, he had been raised in a loving home until the age of eleven.

Now that he had returned to civilized society and the System's tuition funds were more than sufficient, he had no intention of denying himself comfort. He immediately ordered soft sheets, bedding, and a bed curtain from the academy's downstairs shop. After they were delivered and made, he rolled around on them, enjoying the experience.

The sun-warmed cotton fabric carried a comforting warmth, reminiscent of the scent of his long-lost home.

The tension in Gu Huai's heart eased slightly, and only now did the reality of starting a new life begin to sink in.

He had originally planned to set up a room like this only after they drove all the invaders from Blue Star...

Still, to have this opportunity at all was an extraordinary stroke of luck.

The System quietly kept track of time. After half an hour, it spoke: "Host."

"I know," Gu Huai stretched lazily and sat up. "First class is about to start, right? I'll head to the classroom now."

After this brief moment of relaxation, the real challenge lay ahead:

Infiltrating the elite students of Linyuan Academy without any Abilities!

Fortunately, it was the start of the semester, and everyone was still unfamiliar with each other. Perhaps there would be a brief period of safety...

It was the first day of classes at Linyuan Academy. The freshmen had been evenly divided into ten classes, and Gu Huai followed his student ID to find Class Three.

However, as soon as he reached the classroom door, he heard the following commotion:

"—I thought Special Recruits were supposed to be the cream of the crop, but this guy doesn't even know what his Ability is, and he still got a spot!"

Gu Huai: "......"