Inside a dark steel building, a hundred young men in their early twenties were gathered in a circular formation. All of their faces were filled with apprehension and anticipation, aside from Adams, whose face was filled with confusion and bewilderment.
"Oh my God, tell me this is a dream. Let me wake up quickly!" Adams prayed inwardly as he scanned his surroundings.
After waking up, he had actually transmigrated from Earth to a desolate and dangerous world.
This was a planet that had been occupied by humans, but was being invaded by creatures of different races from an alternate realm. After years of war, this planet was already in ruins, and the resources that were essential for survival were extremely scarce.
In such an extreme environment, only powerful cultivators could survive the war and obtain more resources!
There were two types of cultivators. The first was to become a strong Mage who could cast powerful spells, and the second was to become a Warrior who could fight a hundred enemies alone.
There was only one way to become a cultivator, and that was through the coming-of-age ceremony that everyone had to attend when they were twenty!
Every human citizen had to go through a mandatory ritual when they reached adulthood. They had to go through a teleportation array to be transported to an alternate realm with other races that humans had once explored, and leave their coordinates there. They had to survive under the siege of the other races and complete missions with high evaluations in order to qualify as cultivators.
"Dammit, why did I have to attend this coming-of-age ceremony?!"
Adams heaved a resigned sigh. Then, the hunger he felt in his stomach cut him off. He hadn't eaten anything since his transmigration.
Right now, his skin was extremely pale, and he looked like he was about to die. He clearly had a tall figure, but it was difficult for him to straighten his back because that would make him feel flustered and exhausted.
Dragging his battered body, Adams believed that even if he did not die in his coming-of-age ceremony, he would die of hunger.
Just then, a white-haired elderly suddenly walked up to the tall platform in front. Wearing a glamorous robe embroidered with all kinds of odd symbols, he looked towards the bottom with a kind expression.
Everyone looked up at the old man with great respect. The robe he was wearing was the symbol of a powerful Mage.
"I am Jayce, the mentor who will host this coming of age ceremony! You are all the hope of humanity's future. I hope your journey will be smooth. Have a full meal before you leave. I have already gotten people to prepare a sumptuous meal for all of you!" the old man said with a smile and waved his hand. A group of armored guards pushed a food cart over.
Adams immediately rushed to the front of the crowd and took the bowl from the guard.
However, after seeing the food, Adams lost the courage to eat it.
In the grayish-white soup, there were a few plant leaves and a couple of yellow lumps. It looked just like animal feed.
This is considered a sumptuous meal? Adams brows furrowed as he thought to himself with hesitation.
However, he then saw that the people around him had already picked up their bowls and started gulping down the food in large mouthfuls. Furthermore, the expressions on their faces were one of extreme enjoyment. It seemed that such food was already considered a rare delicacy in this world.
Taking a deep breath, Adams tilted his head back and gulped down the soup in the bowl. Perhaps it was because he had been hungry for too long, but the food did not make him feel uncomfortable. Instead, he thought that the taste was not too bad.
"Phew ~"
After putting down the bowl, Adams and the people around him looked like they craved for more. The feeling of fullness was a very feeling for them at this moment.
At some point in time, the white-haired Archmage, Jayce, had already walked down the platform and stood in front of everyone. Beside him was a young man and a young woman.
"Let me make the introductions. This is the son of the Wester Family, Anthony!" Jayce raised his right hand and introduced the man beside him. Then, he introduced the woman on his left, "This is the beloved daughter of the Kevin Family, Miss Vivian!"
A chorus of gasps rang out. Following which, Adams realised who the two of them were.
The two strongest and richest families in the city were the Wester Family and the Kevin Family. Furthermore, the two families had been in-laws for generations and had close ties with each other.
This man and woman should be cousins. There was a high chance that they would become husband and wife in the future.
Anthony was tall and handsome. He had a gorgeous armor on and had a broad longsword hanging at his waist. He had the aura of someone in a high-ranking position.
Ms Vivian wore a hunter outfit with a bulging bag hanging at her waist. Even though she wore soft armor on the outside, it still couldn't hide her slender figure. Her elegant and beautiful face had a hint of heroic spirit about it, and was simply unforgettable!
After everyone gradually quieted down, Jayce said, "All of you are very lucky. Anthony and Vivian will be attending the coming-of-age ceremony with you. I believe that you will be much safer under their leadership. Now, prepare to leave!"
Everyone was in an uproar again. Only Anthony and Vivian calmly walked straight into the teleportation array. The others stood behind them after receiving their equipment. No one dared to stand side by side with these two aristocrats.
"I wish all of you well, the sparks of Mankind!" Jayce raised his hands high and chanted a sentence loudly. The teleportation circle instantly shone brightly until it enveloped everyone and they disappeared.
Adams, who was within the magic array, felt as though the magic array beneath his feet was like an elevator. It rose rapidly and he had no idea when it would come to a stop.
Enduring the stinging pain in his eardrums, Adams began to inspect the equipment he had received.
Aside from their own equipment, everyone who participated in the coming-of-age ceremony would receive complimentary items, including an ordinary iron sword, a wooden bow, a quiver, a mission list, and an elementary quantum ring which contained a hundred three by three metre storage space to store the gains from this trip.
After some time, Anthony turned around and put away the mission list in his hands. He smiled and said to everyone, "Everyone! Although the alternate realm that we enter during your coming-of-age ceremony is randomly chosen from the realms with weaker races, it is still very dangerous for us who are weak. I hope that everyone can listen to my orders. I will ensure your safety to the best of my abilities!"
"Okay, we'll listen to you!"
"Can't go wrong with trusting the Wester Family!"
Everyone responded.
Anthony looked at Vivian smugly and said to everyone, "Next, I'll rearrange all our formations. I hope that we can set up an effective defence before we reach our destination!"
With that, Anthony walked into the crowd and patted each person on the shoulder before telling them where to stand. Finally, he constructed a layered defence formation with him and Vivian standing in the center.
Under Anthony's command, those in the outer layers handed over their quiver and distributed it to the people in the inner layers.
Adams was assigned to the outermost layer. Looking at his companions who were as weak and small as him, he suddenly understood the role that he was about to assume.
Cannon fodder!
Before Adams could do anything, light came before their eyes and they were on a cliff. The first thing they saw was the pitch-black earth and the scarlet glow in the sky. On both sides of the cliff were bottomless abysses.
Not far away, a group of enormous and hideous reptiles was rapidly charging towards them.
"Be careful, this is the Zerg realm! Archers, get ready to shoot. The rest of you, come forth with me to defend!" Vivian, who was in the center of the formation, reacted immediately. She shouted to the people around her and prepared to lead the attack.
"No need!" Anthony suddenly grabbed Vivian and said solemnly to the others, "The Zerg race is the most difficult realm in the coming-of-age ceremony. We should save our strength. Without my orders, no one is allowed to shoot the arrows. These are C-rank Zergs, Bladed Praying Mantises. They are the weakest vanguard. Let the people on the periphery attack!"
Everyone deeply trusted Anthony's order and attacked the strange insects with their iron swords.
Seeing this, Vivian couldn't help but turn to Anthony and say, "We can only defeat these Zergs if the two of us join hands. Why didn't you let me go out? You're sending them to their deaths by doing this!"
Anthony raised his hand and pinched Vivian's neck. He looked into her eyes and said softly, "Listen, I only need you to return with me completely unharmed. As for the others' lives, they have nothing to do with me!"
In the battlefield ahead, the strange insects that charged up the cliff waved their two sharp, blade-like front claws and slayed people in halves in an instant.Then, they moved forward in a group and surrounded the corpses to devour them on the spot.
Adams watched as his companions collapsed one by one and became food for the strange insects. His stomach could not help but churn, and he hurriedly retreated to a place where there were fewer insects. However, just as he reached the edge of the cliff, one of the insects that was fighting for food kicked him down the cliff.
"Ah!"
Adams's cry echoed through the abyss until it was drowned out by the blood-curdling screams coming from the cliff.
Within the abyss, there were layers and layers of huge spider webs. After passing through countless spider webs, Adams finally fell unconscious from the rapid plummet.
[Detected that the Host is on the verge of death. Super Hint System activated!]
"Hint! One hundred meters ahead, there is an S-rank natural treasure, the Immortality Spring!"
He had no idea how long he had been unconscious, but Adams was awakened by the sound that kept ringing in his head. Exhaustedly opening his eyes, Adams suddenly realized that the world in his eyes had changed. A yellow marker flickered above a small spring not far ahead.
Immortality Spring!
Driven by his desire to live, Adams did not spare much time to think. Dragging his heavily injured body, he slowly crawled over. Finally, he rolled into the spring.
"Hint! The Host's injuries are healing!"
"Hint! The Host's physique has changed due to the Immortality Spring. Immortal Body obtained!"