The Day of Awakening.
Chu Xiu sat in his seat, surveying the classmates around him.
There were thirty-four people in the classroom, all participating in the awakening trial.
It's said that nearly three-fifths of the school have signed up this time, the highest proportion ever.
Chu Xiu and his peers, along with students from other schools in Jiang City, totaling five thousand people, will all be transported by the awakening array to the same abyss world for the trial.
On the podium, their homeroom teacher Tao Lei was emphasizing the final precautions for everyone.
"Students, you are about to participate in the awakening trial."
"I know everyone is already familiar with the affairs of the abyss, but concerning life, I must explain once more."
"The abyss world is the worlds once devoured by the abyss, remnants of 'Old Memories' under the power of the abyss."
"No one knows what you will encounter, as everything about the abyss is full of randomness and uncertainty. You might be chased by infinitely growing savage beasts with unlocked evolution limits, surrounded by fervent Demon God worshipers, or enter a post-apocalyptic world submerged by the ocean."
"What is certain is that whichever world you find yourselves in will be extremely perilous, and there certainly won't be a Peach Blossom Spring you can easily pass through!"
Tao Lei's words made the already tense hearts of the students even more anxious.
Seeing the fear in the students' eyes, Tao Lei softened his tone: "However, as long as everyone is well-prepared, the chances of survival can be greatly improved."
"Does anyone still remember the 'three no's principle'?"
"No panic, no infighting, no taking risks," someone answered from below.
"Precisely!" Tao Lei nodded, "I won't elaborate on avoiding panic, as everyone knows staying calm is the first priority in any situation, especially since in some worlds, losing rationality might attract terrifying entities."
"What I wish to emphasize are the latter two points! No infighting! No taking risks!"
"In the abyss world, unity and mutual support are paramount! Only by working together and helping each other can you maximize your chances of survival!"
"Although laws don't protect you in the abyss, countless cases have proven that infighting only leads to total annihilation!"
Tao Lei heavily knocked on the blackboard.
Most of the students below were listening attentively, yet a few were indifferent.
In their view, the abyss world is one of survival of the fittest. Useless classmates will only become burdens, and their best use is as cannon fodder to pave the way or as defensive shields at the front.
The teacher's emphasis was nothing more than unspoken political correctness.
Most who thought this way either had a high energy level or came from families well-off enough to prepare survival equipment for them in advance.
Tao Lei knew that long-established views can't be changed with a few words, so he continued without stopping.
"Lastly, the 'no taking risks'."
"You may have seen online that some people received rare treasures during the awakening trial. Indeed, the loot rate in the trial world is many times that of ordinary worlds, but you must never take risks because of this!"
"Those who seek treasure survive one in ten!"
"As awakened individuals, you'll have ample opportunities to grow gradually, no need to rush."
"What you should do is avoid combat as much as possible and find somewhere safe to hide as soon as possible."
"Unless you awaken with B-level or higher talent or a high-tier combat profession, only then consider exploring further benefits in the awakening instance..."
Tao Lei's words reminded Chu Xiu of a case he read online.
There was an awakened named Zhang Quan whose talent and profession were quite ordinary, yet he accidentally obtained a legendary quality treasure capable of growth during the awakening trial, instantly transforming into a rising star.
Then he died under unclear circumstances.
Nobody knew whose hands the legendary treasure ultimately fell into, as foolishly flamboyant individuals like Zhang Quan weren't common.
"The teacher is right, those treasures aren't what I should be concerned about. The most crucial thing is to survive."
Chu Xiu thought to himself.
Next, the homeroom teacher went over numerous points that the students had heard countless times, and as the clock struck nine, he stopped and led the students to the playground.
A huge awakening array had been drawn here, and the entire five thousand students had gathered.
Most were dressed in ordinary clothes, but some had one or two unique pieces of equipment, spears, giant swords, even enchanted guns.
These individuals mostly clustered in small groups, forming a distinctly separate circle from the others.
In the abyss, only items contaminated with abyssal aura could be transported over, and these items are extremely expensive, leaving many students to start off completely naked.
Chu Xiu's family wasn't wealthy, and all they could afford for him was a set of ordinary clothing.
"A-Xiu, come find me immediately after entering the abyss," Zhang Qingshan instructed for the last time.
"Rest assured," Chu Xiu nodded heavily.
As all the students entered the array, a bright radiance illuminated above their heads.
In the next moment, the array shone brightly, and the five thousand students vanished from their location.
...
"Buzz——"
With a deafening hum, Chu Xiu felt his body float up as the space around him began to twist and warp, as if traversing endless dimensions.
Before he could react, he fell heavily to the ground.
"Bang!"
The coarse touch of gravel transmitted from the palm pressed against the ground, and the impact of the fall made his knees ache faintly.
Dizziness surged like waves crashing against his brain. He fought the urge to retch and struggled to open his eyes.
The dazzling light pierced his iris, forming halos in his eyes. Chu Xiu hurriedly lowered his head, and it took a long time before he gradually adapted to the intense light.
He squinted his eyes, observing the surroundings.
This seemed to be a bedroom where no one had lived for a long time. The floor was covered in dust, the wooden bed in the corner teetered precariously, its paint peeling off, and the bedding on the bed had lost its original color, with only vague cartoon patterns barely visible.
Chu Xiu sat against the wall, and above him was a window with only a wooden frame, through which dry hot wind continuously blew in from outside.
He propped up his body to take a look outside, where he saw dilapidated tall buildings, yellow sand sweeping across the streets, and a lifeless apocalyptic scene.
He appeared to be in a modern apocalyptic city of considerable size.
Suddenly, a massive shadow swiftly skittered below, startling Chu Xiu into quickly pulling back his gaze.
"That seems to be a... giant bird?"
No, it was a creature more terrifying than a bird. Although it was just a brief glance, Chu Xiu saw sharp bone spikes growing backward on the creature's spine, a shape no normal creature would possess.
He silently organized his thoughts:
"I should be in an apartment building, around the twentieth floor from the height. This seems to be an apocalyptic world with mutant creatures, but it's unclear if there are any native survivors..."
As Chu Xiu pondered, faint subtitles appeared before his eyes.
[Trial Taker Data Analyzing...]
[Data Analysis Complete, Loading World Information...]
[Loading Complete.]
[Current World: β-21272417]
[World Danger Level: Seven]
[Area Danger Level: Three]
[Trial Task: Survive Seven Days]
[Challenge Tasks:
[1. Accumulate 100 Kills of Mortal Tier Lifeforms]
[2. Kill Any Warrior Tier Lifeform]
[3. Destroy a Nest]
[World Task: Kill the Corpse King in the Central City]
[Note: Completing the trial task will trigger a return. Challenge and world tasks will remain available for thirty days, allowing the trial taker to re-enter and attempt after the cooldown period.]
Seeing the text appearing before him, Chu Xiu inwardly clicked his tongue.
"It seems the difficulty of this trial is quite high. The area danger level is unexpectedly three! And there are three challenge tasks and one world task."
Usually, most trials are at danger levels of one or two, with some fortunate ones even encountering level zero.
Of course, the higher the danger level, the better the rewards for completing the trial.
As for challenge tasks and world tasks, they are highly rewarding additional tasks, allowing multiple people to complete them as a team, with individual contributions automatically assessed based on performance.
The difference is that there is only one world task, and once someone completes it, others have no chance.
Of course, the difficulty of these tasks is immense, and very few people can complete them during the trial stage.
However, as long as the trial is passed, a [Beacon] will be left in this world, allowing re-entry at any time later.
So, Chu Xiu's only goal right now is one.
Survive!
"This should be a zombie apocalypse world." He began to think internally.
"However, judging by the giant mutated creature I just saw, the zombies here are likely not the slow-moving targets seen in movies, but creatures with considerable combat capabilities."
"The tasks given by the system are clearly ordered by difficulty, with later tasks being harder, but with better rewards upon completion."
"Should I honestly try to last for seven days? Or attempt high-difficulty tasks?"
Clearly, the answer to this question depends on what kind of [Talent] and [Profession] Chu Xiu has awakened.
Knowing this is the moment that will decide his fate, Chu Xiu took a deep breath and opened his character panel.
[Name] Chu Xiu
[Tier] Mortal Tier Level 0 (0/100)
[Constitution] 0.94
[Spirit] 2.25
[Energy Level] 0.81
[Equipment] Worn Cotton Clothes
[Profession] Demonic Inheritor
[Talent] Perfect Refining