Chapter 3: Talent

Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Talent

Above a plaza, in front of an old statue, more than two hundred young people with various expressions gathered. They had all turned eighteen today and were also awakening their talents.

These two hundred or more youngsters were dressed in different styles, but despite the variety, each one carried a large backpack, and many were adorned with various firearms, weapons, and ammunition.

Some were even wearing padded coats in this stifling heat, with sweat on their foreheads, seemingly refusing to take them off, creating an oddly eerie sight.

At the moment, Uncle Hu stood in front of the statue, waving his powerful, mechanical-looking prosthetic limb, righteously proclaiming 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 the corporation's gifts to you!

"You've survived up to this point thanks to the corporation's protection! And now, the corporation will give you another chance to change your destiny..."

In the audience, Tao Yu, still wearing a padded coat and carrying a twenty-kilogram backpack, clutching an assault rifle akin to an AK, couldn't help but reveal an expression of utter boredom.

Though he knew this was Uncle Hu's job, he never imagined that such toxic preaching could be spewed so forcefully—and judging by some people's excited reactions, it seemed that some indeed swallowed it whole.

All two hundred on the scene celebrated their eighteenth birthday today, true peers born on the same year, same month, same day.

Tao Yu, who had come with Uncle Hu, had already roughly understood that the majority of these two hundred were Outer City locals like himself.

A small portion of them from the Outer City had entered the security forces or were children of small-time leaders with combat talents.

The disparities were somewhat discernible from the equipment: Tao Yu, with his old assault rifle, was considered middle-tier, while many of his peers wielded shotguns, homemade guns, or even just sharpened steel pipes instead of firearms.

Then there were six or seven peers from the Inner City, distinctly standing apart on the other side.

Fully geared in combat suits, military backpacks, bulletproof vests, or full-body armor, and even three who had already installed mechanical limbs, starkly differentiated themselves.

Beyond that, a man and a woman standing behind Uncle Hu, bearing an air of nonchalance, were even more extraordinary.

Not only did they stand outside the formation, but they also wore skin-tight combat suits filled with a sense of technology, somewhat similar to the black combat suits from "Battle Royale". Compared to the group of padded-coat wearers, the difference was like night and day.

Judging by the equally handsome features of the two and sharing the same birthday, they were likely a pair of twins born to someone influential from the Floating City.

"...Furthermore, today is also your lucky day, you mud-leggers. The chance to meet important figures you'd likely never encounter again has come to you.

"After entering the Abyss, do your best to find Young Master Sun and Miss Sun. The smallest favor from them could last you a lifetime. In the expedition, you are to follow their commands unconditionally. Understand?"

Uncle Hu emphasized with a booming voice, filled with force.

"Understood!"

The crowd below was indeed stimulated, just as Uncle Hu had said. This might be the only chance in their lives to meet such influential people, even the few from the Inner City felt the same!

Yet Tao Yu was indifferent towards it, mainly because Uncle Hu had already specifically instructed them to avoid them if possible during the mission—steer clear!

Though following in their shadow might indeed bring potential benefits, the risks were too high.

Yue~

Intense dizziness made Tao Yu want to vomit.

Moreover, the stuffiness from the cotton-padded jacket he was wearing made his first action upon landing not to check the gifts from the world's will but to promptly draw out a small-caliber pistol with one hand and quickly drop his pack to start shedding his cotton clothes.

He had worn the cotton jacket because, although the regional deliveries were anchored over a general area, the fragments in the Abyss changed in the blink of an eye. It was quite possible to be dropped into a frigid glacier region.

If one went there dressed too thinly, they might freeze solid before even getting a chance to dress warmly—although this was a matter of probability, it was not something to gamble on.

Now, removing the cotton jacket was much simpler.

Tossing the cotton jacket onto the ground, he revealed a set of cowhide armor his mother had made by hand.

With the pistol tucked into his chest holster and that somewhat chipped but gleaming AK-like rifle clutched in hand, he swiftly fitted a bayonet onto it and then began to look around at his environment.

The light was dim, but strands of sunlight still pierced through gaps in the foliage above. The earthy and decaying scent at the tip of his nose, the stout trees around him, the soft decaying leaves, and the sprawling roots on the ground—all indicated that he was in a rainforest environment.

His vision had clearly vastly improved, probably due to his inherent talents, which seemed promising.

All the survival knowledge he had learned in the past eighteen years came to mind. The biggest threat in the rainforest, aside from various Wish-powered creatures from the World Fragments, was actually poisonous insects!

He quickly began to secure his cuffs and pant legs, and simultaneously pulled a 'veiled' straw hat from his backpack and put it on. Tao Yu also took out a bottle of potion and started applying it to several key spots.

Only after finishing all this did he keep his gun at the ready, maintaining vigilance while beginning to examine his changes.

The will of the world had already transmitted some related information into his mind in a way that wasn't textual but was instantly understandable, causing Tao Yu to focus and review it, eventually becoming stupified.

My cheat has arrived!

Talent one: [Dynamic Vision] (B-), possessing strong dynamic vision and the ability to learn visual and Perception-related skills more easily, with a slight increase in Dexterity and reaction.

Undoubtedly, this was a talent inherited from his parents and was innate to his body. It was already quite good. After focusing, he could sense the talent's sphere and instinctively understand the information it entailed.

But compared to the dazzling, golden Talent two next to it, it was nothing!

In this world, it's possible to have multiple talents, even to enhance or acquire new talents later in life, but that has nothing to do with ordinary people. However, Tao Yu now possessed a second talent!

Talent two: [Divinity] (MAX++??), from an Outer God of the Void??

Known Ability one: [One Proof Forever Proof], any improvements obtained through practice won't diminish, and any injuries can be fully regenerated by absorbing Yuan Force or consuming food.

(This applies to abilities that need to be enhanced through practice and Yuan Force, like the Heavenly Demon Dismantling Technique, which only speeds up injury recovery post-facto and cannot solidify abilities to exploit a bug.)

Known Ability two: [Mental Immunity], immune to any mental or soul-related influences or attacks.

Known Ability three: [Deification], by consuming Yuan Force to enhance existing abilities and talents, using the enhanced version of abilities consumes additional physical and mental strength based on the power of the abilities.

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