Dangerous Spatial Rifts, Predestined Number One in the Graduation Trial?
An hour later.
David finished his briefing and led Xalen and the others toward the trial ground.
They were in a remote part of the Slums.
Along the way, they barely saw any pedestrians.
That wasn't surprising.
After the Cataclysm, humanity's numbers had plummeted.
The Crownhold Base City, where Xalen and the others currently lived, had a population just barely over one million.
But the Base City itself covered hundreds of thousands of square kilometers.
So aside from the central district, the outer Slums were still pretty empty.
However, once they rounded a corner, they came upon a large contingent of heavily armed soldiers in full combat gear.
These were troops from the Federal World Government.
This military unit was stationed here specifically to guard a spatial rift at the center of the area.
This was the location of the Shadowwind Wolf instance.
Seeing the spatial rift, information about it surfaced automatically in Xalen's mind.
These spatial rifts had appeared after the Cataclysm.
Some said the rifts formed naturally.
After the Cataclysm, Earth's space had become unstable, giving rise to these otherworldly dimensions.
Others claimed they were created by Aberrant Creatures with spatial abilities, designed as sanctuaries where they could rest and multiply.
That would also explain why each spatial rift contained only a single type of Aberrant Creature.
But neither theory had been proven yet.
The one thing everyone agreed on was that these spatial rifts were extremely dangerous.
After all, their appearances were completely random.
They could pop up anywhere inside a Base City at any time.
If left unguarded, the Aberrant Creatures inside would spill out and wreak havoc among the citizens.
To some extent, these spatial rifts posed an even greater threat than the Aberrant Creatures out in the wild.
Wild Aberrant Creatures were kept outside by the towering Walls of the Base Cities; even if they attacked, there were early warnings.
But these spatial rifts had no pattern whatsoever. If one suddenly manifested, it could cause chaos deep inside a Base City itself.
Fortunately.
After lengthy research, the Federal World Government had developed methods to detect spatial rifts.
Whenever a new rift appeared, they could now dispatch teams to the location much faster and contain it.
Of course, besides containment, there was also a way to destroy a spatial rift entirely.
That was to exterminate every single Aberrant Creature inside it.
Unfortunately, due to the instability of spatial rifts, each one imposed a strict level cap on who could enter.
Only Gene Soldiers whose level matched that of the Aberrant Creatures within could step into the rift.
As a result, destroying a spatial rift was exceptionally difficult for humanity; it could only be accomplished through repeated, painstaking expeditions.
The Shadowwind Wolf instance before them was clearly not being explored for the first time.
But according to David, this instance was still quite dangerous.
That was because Shadowwind Wolves retained the pack instincts of normal wolves and liked to move in groups.
Which meant the students would have to deal with large numbers of wolves at the same time.
"I'm so nervous. This is my first time facing an Aberrant Creature in person!"
"Same here. But my gene's decent, so even if I can't beat them, I can still run!"
"Heh, my gene's Golden Monkey. Think I can just climb a tree to get away from the wolves?"
Assembled in front of the instance, everyone felt a mix of anxiety, excitement, and anticipation.
After all, they had just become Gene Soldiers. This was their first step from theory into actual combat.
"Don't worry. Shadowwind Wolves aren't that terrifying. Hit their weak spots, and they're not much tougher than ordinary wild wolves."
Seeing their state, David offered some reassurance, a knowing smile on his face.
Watching them, he seemed to see a younger version of himself.
Then his tone turned earnest. "I hope you'll cherish every chance to fight. Gene Soldiers also have a golden period for training. If you fall behind now, you could end up stuck like me someday."
"So if you don't want to turn into a nagging old instructor like me, start working hard right now!"
"Fight hard, push yourselves to the limit, until you become powerful Gene Soldiers!"
David's words fired up the students again, making their blood boil.
Rick clenched his fists, full of renewed determination.
In this graduation trial, he intended to make a name for himself—to earn a spot in a Gene University for advanced studies, or catch the eye of a major faction.
Xalen was also raring to go, brimming with anticipation.
But unlike the others' anxiety, he felt nothing but calm composure.
If Rick and the rest were here for a trial.
Then he was here on a supply run!
Those Shadowwind Wolves would all become his resources!
At that thought, Xalen patted the spatial backpack provided by the academy.
The backpack had a hundred square meters of space inside.
Yet even that didn't feel like enough.
He might have to borrow someone else's pack when the time came.
Thinking of that, Xalen glanced at Rick.
Rick was also looking at Xalen in that moment.
Their eyes met briefly, then they looked away in silent, mutual understanding.
Without a doubt, both of them had their own little plans.
At last, the entrance to the spatial rift was stabilized.
The Gene Soldiers from the other classes began filing in under their instructors' guidance.
David didn't hesitate any longer. He turned to Xalen and the others and said, "Go. Go and seize your future!"
Xalen and his classmates acknowledged the order and then walked into the spatial rift entrance one after another.
Watching their figures disappear into the rift, David stared for a moment, then suddenly walked over to the instructors from the other classes.
"So, who do you think will take first place this time?"
The instructors from several classes had already started discussing it.
Whichever class took first, they as instructors would receive a certain reward too.
"I think it'll be Orene from Class 1. She's got a Rare Gene—Velociraptor."
"Not necessarily. Class 2 is strong too. David's got a Rare Gene as well—Unicorn Bull!"
Just then, the instructors noticed David approaching and broke into smiles.
"David's here! I think David's Class 3 has an even better shot. He's got two Rare Gene Soldiers in his class—Rick with his alligator snapping turtle gene, and Athena with her white fox gene!"
Based on past experience, first place in the graduation trial almost always went to a Rare Gene Soldier.
David's Class 3 had produced two Rare Gene Soldiers this time, which practically guaranteed them the top spot.
Hearing this, David naturally broke into a grin.
But then, one of the instructors sighed and said, "Actually, I think that Xalen kid is pretty impressive. It's a shame he only awakened a Common Gene."
"Xalen, the one with the lizard gene? I think I saw he's participating in the trial too, right, David?"
At that, David paused, then nodded.
The instructors looked a little taken aback.
"A lizard gene, and he's still doing the graduation trial?"
"David, why didn't you talk him out of it? If the mortality rate gets too high, that's going to be hard for you to explain."
"What's that Xalen kid thinking, not giving up in a situation like this?"
David fell silent at their words.
He suddenly recalled the bet between Xalen and Rick.
On a strange impulse, he blurted out,
"Do you guys want to make a bet with me?"
The instructors all stared at him.
……