1 The Sole Talent Awakener
In the Holy Mountain Empire, within the Val Administrative Region.
At the Earth Seed Base, number 71392, within the Talent Awakening Zone.
...
"Base number: 01254110, awakening failed, no talent, next."
"Wait, please, give me another chance!"
"Get lost."
"Base number: 01254111, awakening failed, no talent, next."
"It's impossible! Impossible!I even have mastery-level skills, how could I not awaken?"
"Shut up, get out!"
"Base number…"
...
Underneath a giant shining orb in the square.
A group of young boys and girls walked forward, feeling disheartened and even unbelievably rolling around after being illuminated by the brilliant rays.
But in the end, they were all escorted off the stage.
And the middle-aged man overseeing it all remained calm: "Such poor quality in this batch of newcomers! Not a single one with potential talent?"
"Forget it. This is a normal phenomenon."
At the edge of the square, a young man was panicking.
Everyone before him had failed!
It was almost his turn, and it didn't look hopeful.
Can I awaken a talent?
No way!
Someone whispered beside him: "Isn't it? We've tested almost half of our batch, and not a single one has awakened a talent?"
"Don't panic! They're just stepping stones! According to statistics, every base test averages one or two awakenings. If no one before us has succeeded, our chances just got better!"
"Holy crap! That makes so much sense!" the young man thought.
He couldn't help but glance back at a slightly chubby boy with faint freckles speaking confidently.
But then, Sterl, the young man from before, could only bitterly smile in his heart. In his previous life, he was a bottom player in playing UNO card games. But after crossing time, now he had to rely on luck to decide his future as either a special ability user or a nameless nobody.
He was different from the people around him. Although he appeared young, Sterl's soul came from a place called the Earth.
He used to be a programmer in America. but one day when he woke up, he found himself in a
Game world.
Yes, you heard right, a Game world.
Humans in this world also once lived on a planet called the Earth. But with the outbreak of World War III, human civilization was nearly annihilated.
The terrifying energy released from nuclear warfare even accidentally tore through space, allowing countless extraterrestrial monsters to invade and occupy the world, forcing humanity to hide in bases and caves, barely surviving.
Until the Explorer, which was sent out countless years ago, brought a game called [Transcendence] that connected the entire universe. As a result, humans moved their physical bodies to the underground world and their spirits entered Transcendence to live.
In reality, only some workers responsible for producing babies and powerful "professionals" could survive.
"Professionals" are the changes brought to humanity by the game [Transcendence].
How could a game connect the entire universe? In the game, players could obtain various extraordinary powers to use in reality.
And a professional is the title that players possess in the game after successfully transitioning to professions such as warrior, priest, or mage through a series of missions.
This, however, was too far-fetched for Sterl.
If he couldn't awaken a talent, his life would pretty much be over.
Because in the game world, Earth's humanity was just one insignificant race among countless others. And because they joined [Transcendence] very late, they didn't even have their own territory. They could only rely on a place called Vastuo Continent and rely on numerous local NPCs to develop smoothly.
Thus, Earth's forces could only train a few individuals with potential to become players. And if one were to remain a commoner, surviving in the extremely realistic game of [Transcendence] would mean a constant struggle for survival.
"If I can't awaken a talent, I'll just have to live off someone else." Sterl sighed helplessly. Young boys and girls of the same age around him are still chattering.
"I will definitely awaken a talent this time! To become a great warrior!"
"It feels like after this test, our last illusions will be shattered. Might as well wait for death."
"Don't talk nonsense. Who says we can't be the ones with talents?"
...
Some imagined a future where they awakened talents and became powerful, while others were utterly pessimistic, feeling that after the test, their last hope of becoming a player would be crushed.
And at that moment, a middle-aged man in flaming red armor, exuding authority, shouted:
"Silence!"
At the same time, a crimson flame aura spread out from around him.
Instantly, countless eighteen-year-olds fell silent, not daring to make a sound.
They all felt a wave of flame power sweep past them, knowing that a slight exertion of force could reduce them to ashes!
They also looked up to the middle-aged man with admiration.
"It's him! Commander Smith!"
"He soared to the skies by awakening a talent!"
"This is the regional commander! I didn't expect him to personally oversee our talent awakening."
...
Sterl also looked up at the figure on the high platform, slightly envious. He knew that imposing man was a professional who had awakened a D-grade fire talent.
After the middle-aged man awakened his talent, the base provided a few player training sessions. Then the base arranged for experts to level up with him and his batch of newcomers.
Later, the middle-aged man smoothly advanced to level five, gaining the ability to solo monsters. And then he climbed step by step, going from a commoner directly to the commander of the Sixth District, managing tens of thousands of people, an incredibly noble status!
Who wouldn't be envious?
You know, the man was originally just a mediocre orphan!
"Next, base number: 01254114." The middle-aged man coldly called out the number.
Sterl was startled, then hurriedly stepped forward. This was his number in the base.
"Go for it, man!"
"Come on! Awaken a talent!" Sterl's somewhat familiar friends cheered him on as a matter of routine.
Their words were kind, but their expressions held no expectation at all. Awaken a talent? Sterl? How could that be possible?
Sterl, unaware of his friends' thoughts, took a few steps forward and stood under the orb, bathed in its strange light.
"Uh..." Bathed in a strange radiance, Sterl felt as if his body and mind had been washed away. Then an extremely wonderful energy burst forth from his soul.
He heard a buzzing in his ears, and his vision was filled with white.
However, the outside world was astir:
"Holy shit! That's the light of awakening!"
"Wow! Sterl is going to soar! He's awakened a talent!"
"What talent is it? Did the machine detect it?"
"Why him!! Why!"
...
For a moment, the scene became chaotic, with some amazed, some envious, and some extremely envious.
Even the middle-aged man couldn't continue to manage the order. Instead, he looked towards the giant crystal ball that displayed the anomaly with surprise and then loudly announced:
"Number 01254114, Mr. Sterl, congratulations on awakening a D-grade talent... Attribute Enhancement!"
"Not bad, not bad! Young man, you are truly the pride of our Sixth District."
"Attribute Enhancement may be a common talent, but it allows you to solo monsters right from the start. You don't have to wait for the base to arrange someone to lead you, you can quickly become a formal player!"
"If you're interested, I can recommend you to the Green Pastures Guild. Hmm, a D-grade talent is quite impressive."
The man had lost his previously cold demeanor and instead warmly welcomed him.
And below the high platform, countless young men and women were excited.
"Sterl actually made it! He's the guy who spent over a decade maSterling basic steps without success!"
"Damn! I feel like I can do it too!"
"Holy shit! Sterl has turned his fate around! He's really taken off!"
...
Many people showed envy, but even more were ignited with hope — who would think themselves inferior to an utterly ordinary peer?
If Sterl could awaken a talent, then we should have a chance too!
However, despite the hustle and bustle of the outside world, Sterl didn't respond and just stood there dumbfounded.
The middle-aged man was generous, "Mr. Sterl is too excited. Let's give him some time."
But Sterl was indeed a bit dazed. Having awakened a talent, he automatically received a player panel, but he was stunned by the strange words displayed on his attribute panel.
"Wait a minute."
"Could this be..."
"My cheat as a time traveler?"
His expression was blank, seemingly overwhelmed by the joy of awakening a talent.
In reality, he was equally stunned, shocked by another piece of good news.
[Player: Sterl]
[Level: 0]
[Physique: 1]
[Strength: 1]
[Agility: 1]
[Spirit: 1]
[Physical Talent Ability: Attribute Amplification (D-grade)]+
[Mental Talent Ability: Current potential insufficient for awakening]+
The panel seemed normal. But behind both talent abilities, there appeared a plus sign.
What was happening?
