Chapter 3: Talent

In a plaza before an old statue, over two hundred youths with various expressions gathered—each of them turning eighteen today, and also awakening to their talents.

Over two hundred young individuals, each clad in different attire, no matter how varied in style, all had large backpacks on their backs, and many were equipped with an assortment of firearms, weapons, and ammunition.

Some even wore padded coats in the stifling heat, sweat drenching their foreheads without a thought to take them off, creating an extremely bizarre scene.

At that moment, Uncle Hu stood before the statue, waving his powerful and mechanically-augmented prosthetic arm, righteously preaching something.

"From the moment you were born, you've owed the corporation a huge debt! The air you breathe, the soil you live on, the food you consume, all these are gifts from the corporation!

"Your survival until today is also a grace bestowed by the corporation's protection! And now, the corporation will give you another opportunity to change your fate …"

Listening to Uncle Hu's poisonous chicken soup from the stage below, wearing a padded coat and carrying a twenty-kilogram backpack, and clutching an AK-like assault rifle, Tao Yu couldn't help but reveal a dead fish-eye expression.

Although aware that this was Uncle Hu's job, he had never imagined such a degree of forced brainwashing, and what was most critical was the excited expressions of some people beside him suggested that there might really be those who swallowed it.

All two hundred-plus individuals present celebrated their eighteenth birthdays today, truly of the same age, born on the same year, same month, same day.

As someone who had come with Uncle Hu, Tao Yu also had an initial understanding that most of the two hundred people were mud-legged outsiders like himself.

A small portion of the outsiders had joined the security forces, becoming minor leaders with children who possessed combat talents.

From their equipment, one could roughly tell the disparity; Tao Yu, with his old assault rifle, ranked about average, and there were many of his contemporaries wielding shotguns, homemade guns, or even just sharpened steel pipes without any guns at all.

Then there were six or seven of the same age from the Inner City, who stood distinctively on the other side.

Fully armed in combat gear, military backpacks, bulletproof vests, or full-body armor—various pieces of equipment—even three of them already sporting mechanical limbs, clearly distinguishing themselves from the rest.

Besides, there stood a man and a woman behind Uncle Hu, expressionless as if they couldn't care less, their presence even more peculiar.

Not only did they not join the ranks, but they also wore a type of skintight combat suit bursting with a high-tech feel, resembling the black combat suits from the movie "Assassination City". In comparison to those wearing padded coats, it was indeed worlds apart.

From their equally stunning appearance and sharing the same birthday, they were likely twins, a dragon and phoenix pair from the dignitaries of the Floating City.

"...Furthermore, today is also a lucky day for you mud-legged lot, for it's the only chance in your lives to meet the great people standing before you.

"After entering the Abyss, try to find Young Master Sun and Miss Sun as much as possible. Even the crumbs from their table would be enough for a lifetime of ease. In your actions, you must unconditionally obey their orders—understand?"

Uncle Hu roared with a resounding voice, emphasizing the point.

"Understood!"

The crowd below felt a surge of excitement. Indeed, as Uncle Hu said, this might be the only chance in their lives to encounter such nobility, even the Inner City youths felt the same!

Tao Yu, however, was unimpressed by this, mainly because Uncle Hu had specifically instructed them earlier to avoid those nobles as much as possible in the mission—don't even get close!

Following those big shots might indeed bring some benefits, but the risks were too great.

The offspring of such prominent people would naturally have exceptional innate talents, and with nourishment from nutrition fluids and various skills training from childhood, these rich heirs and dames, along with their equipment and the Yuan Force bestowed by their families, were born far beyond the endpoints of others.

While ordinary people strived just to survive, these two would certainly be seeking greater benefits, hence would urgently need cannon fodder to probe various dangers.

The gains could be great, but the risks were even greater!

All the potential benefits and advantages are worth nothing if you don't survive to claim them.

The same logic applied to those fully armed folks from the Inner City—even though they might not reap as much as those two, the risks were just as high, and so they were to be avoided as much as possible.

But it might be possible to interact with the children of the minor leaders from the Outer City. Uncle Hu and a few acquaintances had exchanged greetings, and though they might not help, they could still keep each other warm through solidarity.

The first step was to demonstrate one's value to be accepted as an equal. If not strong enough, then it was necessary to recognize one's place.

In this world, there is no love without reason—even with Uncle Hu, it was due to many years of mutual help that had fostered their relationship.

If it weren't for the period when he was disabled and at a low point, even if his family could rely on kinship to make connections, it would only be as a vassal.

"...Alright, the time is almost up, and you should now be aware of what you need to know. But I have to emphasize once more, your main goal over these next two weeks is to survive!

"The will of the world usually places you in relatively safe fragments at the start. Then you must find the company's rally point through the radio. Only those who successfully arrive at the rally point qualify to survive in the

A beam of light burst forth from the flames, striking a statue whose features were no longer discernible. The next moment, a radiance enveloped the square, and all the youths who turned eighteen today vanished in an instant.

However, as the glow faded, Uncle Hu, who had been smiling, glanced back at the statue and his expression suddenly froze.

The once blurry face of the statue began to emit a faint blue light, which gradually converged into a new small orb of light and was absorbed by the statue.

This made Uncle Hu quickly pull out a walkie-talkie, his forehead covered with cold sweat as he said,

"Captain Ze Chuan! There's been an abnormal fluctuation in the teleportation, and the regional binding couldn't be completed! A new set of coordinates has appeared!"

Everyone who turns eighteen automatically receives a gift, and theoretically, it would all be the same no matter where they were. The reason for gathering here was to use the Flame of Civilization to complete the regional anchoring, so that this batch of newcomers wouldn't end up too far from the company's assembly point.

But now, the feedback from the teleportation was indicating that there was a problem…

The Abyssal Rift contains endless fragments of worlds, and a slight deviation could mean crossing countless fragments. If one were to navigate the Abyss alone, they may never be able to reach the assembly point in their lifetime!

Although this doesn't happen often, there had been a few instances previously. If some commoners from the outskirts or even a few offspring from the Inner City messed up, they were simply messed up—left to survive on their own, to seek their own fortunes.

But this time, there were also two children of important figures from the Floating City involved; this was different!

Nevertheless, the teleportation was complete, and this was unchangeable. The coordinates of the abnormal area were recorded, so future teleportations of newcomers could be set to anchor near that region...

...

Yue~

The intense dizziness made Tao Yu feel nauseous.

Kneeled down immediately, he didn't have time to check the gifts from the world will because of the stifling heat coming from his cotton-padded jacket but deftly drew a small-caliber handgun with one hand, and quickly placed his pack down to start shedding his cotton clothes.

The reason for wearing a cotton jacket to this place was because while the region had been roughly pinpointed, the fragments in the Abyss changed in the blink of an eye. It was entirely possible to end up in a cold glacier area.

If one went dressed too thinly, they might freeze before they even had the chance to adjust. Although it was a chance event, no one dared to gamble on it.

Now, taking off the cotton jacket was much simpler.

He discarded his cotton jacket and underneath, he wore a set of cowhide armor handcrafted by his mother.

He slid the handgun into the chest holster, pocketed the slightly paint-chipped but shiny AK-like rifle, and expertly fitted a bayonet onto the front before Tao Yu began to survey his surroundings.

The lighting was somewhat dim, but streaks of sunlight still shone through the gaps in the leaves above. The scent of earth and decay filled his nostrils. The robust trees around him, the soft rotten leaves on the ground, and the winding roots all signaled that he was in a rainforest environment.

His vision had clearly improved a great deal, which should be due to a talent. It seems not too bad.

All the survival knowledge he had been familiar with for eighteen years came to mind: in the rainforest, the greatest enemy besides the Yuan Force creatures from various world fragments is actually poisonous insects!

He quickly began to secure the cuffs of his sleeves and pant legs, while taking out a 'veiled' conical hat from his backpack to put on. Tao Yu also took the opportunity to apply an ointment on key areas.

After completing all these preparations, he maintained his vigilance with his gun at the ready as he started to examine the changes in himself.

The world will had already passed on some relevant information to his mind in a non-textual but immediately comprehensible way. As Tao Yu focused, he was soon lost in thought.

His cheats had arrived!

Talent One: [Dynamic Vision] (B-), possessing strong dynamic vision capability, and can learn visual and perception-related skills more easily, providing a slight increase in dexterity and reaction.

There was no doubt this was inherited from his parents, a talent that this body was supposed to have all along. It was already quite impressive, and upon focusing, he could feel the orb of this talent and the instinctive understanding that came with it.

But this paled in comparison to the dazzling golden Talent Two next to it!

It's possible to have multiple talents in this world, and even to enhance or acquire new talents later in life, although that's irrelevant to ordinary people. But now, Tao Yu had a second talent!

Talent Two: [Divinity] (MAX++?), From the outer gods of the void??

Known Ability One: [One Proof Forever Proof] Any enhancement gained through practice will not fade, and any injury can be fully recovered by absorbing Yuan Force or through nourishment.

(Applies to abilities that need practice and Yuan Force to improve, such as the Heavenly Demon Assassin's disassembly technique, which can only accelerate the recovery from injuries afterward, not exploit bugs to cement abilities.)

Known Ability Two: [Mental Immunity] Ignore any mental and soul-based effects and attacks.

Known Ability Three: [Deification] Strengthen existing abilities and talents by consuming Yuan Force, and using enhanced abilities will incur additional physical and mental energy consumption depending on the power of the skill.