The afternoon sun shone brightly overhead. Cory's wet shirt stuck to his chest. His breathing was harsh and his eyes stung. His chest kept falling in and out as he tried to keep up his speed. He tried to keep up with the rest of the students. Even though put through all his efforts, they still felt worthless. Cory was at the very back of the group. Even the last person who was ahead of him was far ahead of him.
Suddenly, a buzzer went off. Cory's heart dropped. This meant the first student had already cleared the race. So fast! Cory looked ahead. He couldn't even see the finishing line yet! Anxiety kept welling up inside Cory. This was the graduation test. Although Cory already had the qualifications for graduation, this test wasn't for the purpose of graduation.
Every citizen of the Empire under the age of eighteen was required to attend a state-subsidized school, regardless of status or wealth. After the Empire was set up, this was one of the very first laws it passed. Education was compulsory. After reaching eighteen, the students will graduate and undergo a test. This test was known as the graduation test.
The purpose of the graduation test was to help the apply the students apply for academies. These academies were similar to the colleges and universities in Corey's previous life. Although most academies had their own entrance tests, they still put great importance on the graduation test. This was because all three genders- alpha, beta, and omega went through different tests based on their strengths. Each student was thus fairly evaluated and precise data about their future potential was calculated. This data allowed the academies to reduce a lot of their workload in selecting their students.
The test Cory was undergoing right now was the fitness test for betas. This race was the last section of the fitness test, covering the aspects of agility, stamina, and endurance.
When Cory initially transmigrated, he was very optimistic and energetic. He didn't refrain from letting others know that he was a genius. He could learn faster than the kids and do things that kids his age couldn't do at all. And his plan worked. When his spiritual strength was tested, it was found that it was much superior to his peers. His parents were very happy and his brother doted on him a lot. But later he discovered that although his spiritual strength was higher than his peers, his strength was similarly much lower than his peers.
After realizing this, Cory was very sad. When he had learned the existence of alphas, he was very excited. His father and mother were both alphas and not just ordinary alphas, they were alphas who were superior even amongst other alphas. Thus, he automatically assumed he would be an alpha too. But the most superior aspect of an aspect was their strength. Seeing his pitiful physique, he felt like crying.
Seeing her son's discouragement, his mother was very distressed. Thus, she told him about omegas. All human beings were born as betas, who were now considered as the 'new' normal people. Only after they grew up would they awaken. Almost everyone awakened in their adolescent years. One could awaken as an alpha or omega. Although omegas had poor strength, their real strength lied in their spiritual power.
Elizabeth knew there was a very small chance that Cory was an omega. This was she and Charles were both pure-blooded alphas. The chances of two alphas giving birth to an omega were very low. But seeing her son's peculiarities, she couldn't help but doubt whether he really was an omega. After learning about omegas, Cory's doused spirit reawakened again. That's right! If he couldn't be an alpha, he would be an omega. But the next second, his newly awakened spirit was doused again.
That's because Elizabeth thought that it was funny to tell him that if he really awakened as an omega, he would marry a man in the future and give birth to lots of babies. That's right. Omegas could give birth regardless of whether they were male or female.
Cory was horrified after learning this. Although he had never dated anyone in his previous life, he still considered himself a straight man. As a straight man, how could he tolerate being married to a man, not to mention GIVING BIRTH TO BABIES?!
This new experience helped Cory discover newfound humility. He no longer showed off like before, afraid that he would really awaken as an omega. Turns out his worries were for nothing. Throughout his teenage years, he watched with envy-filled eyes as the noble sons and daughters who used to play with him when he was a kid, awaken as excellent alphas. Some even awakened as omegas. His parents and brother watched him pity filled eyes when he didn't awaken as anything even when he turned eighteen.
They had now given up hope that he would ever awaken. This was because almost no one would awaken after turning eighteen. Although Cory didn't awaken as an omega, he still had hopes of awakening as an alpha. But all his hopes were crushed. He no longer had any dreams of being a protagonist. He simply wanted to awaken as an alpha. As a noble son of such high status, it was a very shameful matter for one to be a beta. But his family's attitude towards him did not change. They still showered him with love like before. His brother also grew very protective of him. Whenever someone tried to bully his little brother, he would beat them up until they could no longer walk or talk.
Cory appreciated his family's attitude but that still did not stop him from being sad. He did not want to remain ordinary. Since he could no longer awaken as an alpha, he might as well be a beta. Although he would be a beta, he would be the best beta among all betas! With newly found determination, some of his sadness swept away. But his newfound determination was crushed again. His body again became his hurdle towards his goal.
With his spiritual strength, he surpassed all the other betas in his school. In fact, his spiritual strength was so strong that he even surpassed a majority of the alphas. This was unprecedented. Alphas naturally had superior spiritual strength than betas, even though their main gifts lied in their physical strength. The school was very happy to see such a talented student, especially since he belonged to the noble house of Lazerus. But his physical strength evened out all of his advantages. His physical strength was abysmal.
With these two extremes, the school officials were very conflicted about how to evaluate Cory. If he was an omega, it would've had been a simple matter. After all, omegas naturally had a weak physique and superior spiritual strength. But Cory was not an omega, but a beta. Although his spiritual strength was superior, it was not as superior as that of an omega. After all, omegas stood at the very peak in terms of spiritual strength. Also, he was not as weak an omega. His physique could still be rated two classes above an average omega. Even though it didn't amount to much, it was still something.
In the test for spiritual strength in the graduation strength, Cory had an amazing performance. His performance surpassed all the alphas in the school. The examiners were amazed to see this. He had prepared hard for the graduation test. After all, his goal was the greatest academy in the Empire – the Pristine Academy of Elites. The Pristine academy was the most famous academy in the empire. Every ambitious student wanted to go there.
But since Pristine academy trained its students to stand at the peak of government and military, the conditions for entering were very stringent. One not only needed to have an excellent background, but also excellent capabilities. Only geniuses out of geniuses were able to enter the academy. That was where Cory's brother Daniel was currently studying.
But when Cory finally reached the finish line, his heart felt like it was crushed. He came last. Yes, last. Even if he had come first, he would only have had a chance of entering the Pristine academy, not to mention now that he had come last. Cory fell on his knees on the ground. A sob escaped his mouth. The inspecting examiners were very worried to see such a talented child fall into ruin. They wanted to go console him but someone reached there before them.
A hand pulled him up and embraced him in a tight embrace. Cory immediately hugged the person and started crying. "Brother, why am I such a loser?" Cory said through broken sobs. Hearing Cory's words, Daniel was very distressed. "You're not a loser! You're the most talented beta I've ever seen!" Daniel wasn't just saying this for the saying it, he really meant it. Cory was the first beta he had seen with such abnormal spiritual strength that could leave even alphas behind in dust.
But Daniel's word didn't manage to console Cory. He was still crying, clinging to Daniel. Daniel felt more and more distressed and pulled him into the resting room. He made Cory sit beside him and hugged him, allowing him to let his tears out. Cory quickly calmed down. Although he might act spoiled at times, he was quite rational and composed. He knew that crying about it would do no good. But seeing his brother pull himself together, Daniel was even more distressed.
"Why are you here, Daniel?" Cory asked. Although Daniel spoiled Cory, he couldn't casually come to see him, especially since he was now an academy student. The Pristine academy was located very far away from here. If there was something trivial, he could've simply said it through his contact. Remembering the reason he came, Daniel's distressed mood finally cleared up. Cory would surely be happy after hearing this.
"I talked to my teacher about you. He was very interested in you after I told him about your abnormal spiritual strength. I earlier told him about my request. He finally gave me an answer. Although the end of the session exam of the academy is usually kept confidential from the public, he said he will make an exception for you."
Hearing his words, Cory's dull expression finally cleared up. Daniel had told him about the end of the session exam for the fifth years for the military department. The student from the military department would experience a real combat test. They would fight against humanity's greatest enemy – the zergs.
Although humans had managed to defeat the zergs hundreds of years ago at their home planet, Earth, those were just a small amount of them. After humans evolved, space exploration became one of the most primary concerns for them. Previously, although humans had very advanced technology, their own bodies couldn't keep up with them. Thus, their own bodies became a shackle for them on their road to development.
But after their evolution, it was like giving a tiger a pair of wings. If their previous development speed could be said to be that of a snail's pace, their current development was at the speed of a bullet train. Humans occupied many planets and spatial bodies and started developing. Through this process, they also met many intelligent species. Thankfully, none of them were a super-intelligent species like the zergs.
They destroyed the aggressive ones and allowed the non-aggressive ones to live peacefully, with the condition that they would be subservient to humans. After seeing the power of a super-intelligent species like humans, those species happily agreed to this condition. But after years of peace, humans finally met their archenemy again – the zergs.
This time it wasn't just a small amount of zergs like last time. This was the zerg nest. Their numbers were in millions. But after hundreds of years of welfare and development, humans had themselves developed into a terrifying force. The zergs didn't dare take this foe casually now. Throughout the years, humans had fought to a standstill with the zergs.
Cory grew excited just thinking about it. He would finally be able to see humanity's greatest weapon – the mechas. In the first racial war against the zergs, when humans were nearly forced into extinction, they developed the primary model of these mechas. Now, after years of modifications and developments, the mechas had developed into a weapon that the zergs feared the most.
"When is it?"
Seeing his brother's bright eyes, Daniel could finally relax. Letting Cory come watch the year-end examination was just one of the reasons for Daniel to request his teacher. The other main reason was to allow Cory to meet his teacher.
Cory had a very below-standard physique. Even if his spiritual strength was vastly superior, unprecedented amongst betas, it would still be difficult for him to enter the Pristine Academy of Elites. But with his teacher's recommendation, everything would change. If Cory could gain his teacher's favor, his chances of entering the academy would rise to almost 100%.
"It's a week later. I'll come to pick you up. Get the formalities for the graduation cleared up and then we'll go together." Daniel smiled dotingly.
Cory repeatedly nodded his head with shining eyes. He knew how difficult it would've had been for his brother to make this possible. He excitedly hugged him.
"I have the best brother in the world!"
Daniel couldn't help chuckling and stroking his head. "Now get back to the graduation test ground. The examiners must be waiting for you."
"Yes!" Cory suddenly remembered. He had almost forgotten that the graduation test was still going on. He quickly ran off. Watching his leaving back, Daniel smiling expressing slowly morphed into a mixed expression. He sighed. If only his brother had awakened as an alpha, he wouldn't have to worry about him so much…