CH:1

On a certain part of the earth close to human civilization, there is a mountain whose top is surrounded by poisonous miasma, preventing humans from entering.

Usually, there was nothing noticeable at the top of the mountain. However, a strange phenomenon occurred today—a strange grey flash accompanied by a crackling sound they had never heard before.

A 15-year-old boy looked up at the mountain and asked his father, "What was that?"

 The father said to the child, "Whatever that was, it doesn't concern us. It seems its radius was just within that accursed mountain." 

The mountain was notorious for its ominous appearance, and the lack of return of explorers who ventured there.

Aaron's father was one of the most renowned explorers of his time. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury during one of his expeditions, which forced him to retire early. Interestingly, the injury did not occur during his mountain expedition, but it did contribute to the nightmares he experienced.

"Oh, then I will head to the central square. I have a team meeting there," said Aaron as he headed towards the bustling square in the middle.

Aaron was the son of a well-known explorer and a renowned doctor in his civilization, making him ideally positioned for exploration.

His father trained him to carry on his legacy, and his mother, a doctor, taught him how to survive the wounds sustained during exploration.

Everybody anticipated the expansion of their civilization's explorers, who would eliminate the mutated animal hordes to facilitate connections with other human civilizations.

Aaron was approximately 170 cm tall and slender, brimming with explosive speed and power.

He was one of the most promising up-and-coming explorers, along with three others on the team. The civilization had identified the four most promising future explorers.

He arrived at the meeting place the team waved at them and went straight to the the monthly testing facility.

A testing facility was constructed to examine how the body utilizes radiation and predicts individuals' future health, conducting monthly tests for children aged 6 to 16.

A group of four arrived in front of the testing facility. "Ah, I will miss this place," said the one who looked to be the leader.

The group was made up of four men. The apparent leader was wearing a name tag with a bronze plate that spelled "Aaron," and all of them had similar name tags. The other three name tags are spelled "Ashton," "Shara," and "Sky."

"Ok let's go this will be my last visit to this testing center," said Aaron to the rest of the group and stepped inside the building

"Oh you guys are here everything is ready let's go," said the person who was in charge of the testing and led them toward the testing area

After the test, Aaron requested the report card, which was necessary to obtain a permit for any expedition outside the city.

"Ah, you're going on the first expedition this month. How time flies," said the man in charge of the testing. Of course, he knew the group well, as he was responsible for testing and recording their progress.

The city had a strict rule of not wandering outside the city walls. As a child, Aaron always yearned to explore the vast expanse of the forest, which was brimming with exotic plants and animals.

The time to experience the outside world was when one turned 16 and became eligible to venture outside as an official explorer. Aaron, whose birthday was this week, was brimming with excitement.

Aaron left the group after discussing their testing process. He went home with his report card but didn't open it. He wanted to review his 10-year progress with his parents.

When Aaron arrived home, he found his father polishing old guns. His father had recently taken up the hobby of collecting old antiques and guns. Aaron said, "Where's Mom? I just got my report card. Let's review it together."

His father called his mother and they sat together and opened his review card, the card was a cold silver-colored metal plate with words sculpted in golden words

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Name: Aaron Strider

Age: 15

Growth rate: Excellent *****

Physique type: agility-based

Current estimation of CP: two-star **

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*gasp*

Aaron's mom was shocked when she saw a two-star CP, indicating that her son was eligible to venture outside the city. She was a little sad because she knew he would be leaving the city. She knew her son had been practicing hard with the guidance of his father, but it still came as a shock for her to know that her son was a two-star CP explorer.

Aaron's dad laughed out loud and patted his son's shoulder. "As expected of my son, you will surpass me sooner or later."

Aaron smiled at his father's comments and clenched his fists out of excitement. He was calm and collected most of the time, but he couldn't contain himself from feeling the excitement of finally having proof that he could also be an explorer, just like his father.

Aaron's family had a feast that night, and his father gave him a gift. After scouring his collection of old guns, his father gave Aaron a pump-action shotgun. Aaron happily accepted it, as he had always wanted to own a gun but was never allowed to.

He inquired about the instructions for using the firearm and hurried to the basement, which housed a training area, to inspect his weapon.

Aaron's birthday arrived, and he celebrated with his team members and his parents. It was a grand feast to mark his 16th year, an important milestone as it signifies the end of the danger zone for children who cannot withstand radiation.

Aaron's teammates looked at him with envy, and Sky asked, "So when are you starting your expedition? Have you prepared everything?" When they found out that Aaron had a two-star CP evaluation, they were almost beside themselves. One-star CP explorers can only form groups to explore, while two-star CP explorers can command one-star CP individuals and venture outside on their own. The difference between the two ranks was quite evident.