"Next!"
Sighs echoed through the Awakening Hall as the crowd of young students shifted uneasily. The room, designed more like a grand open arena with a domed ceiling and intricate runes lining the walls, was filled with the murmur of low conversations.
"It seems that Mystic Star Academy really has no hope of revival this year," one instructor lamented, adjusting his glasses with a resigned sigh. "Epic Talent is the highest we've seen so far. Even the academy next door, Azure Sky Academy, has a team of Epic Talents, and their leader, Bai Chen, is rumored to be a Legendary Talent…"
"Alas… it seems that the glory of this once powerful-academy will now disappear from the main stage." added another, his voice tinged with nostalgia and regret.
Qin Tian stirred from the murmurs around him. His eyes fluttered open, confusion clouding his gaze as he surveyed his unfamiliar surroundings.
"Where am I…"
A sudden pain struck his head, forcing him to clutch his temples. Strange, unfamiliar memories crashed over him like a tidal wave. Images of a parallel Earth, identical yet profoundly different, surged through his mind. After a minute, the pain subsided, and clarity returned to his eyes.
As the memories settled, Qin Tian's expression hardened with understanding. He is now on a parallel Earth. Everything was almost the same, except for one major difference, there were Gods in this parallel Earth.
In 2024, a mysterious virtual game called "Global Lords" had taken the internet by storm. Its origins were untraceable, but its allure was undeniable. The game offered a 100% realistic virtual reality experience in a magical fantasy world.
In the game, everyone started with a Lord Crystal, and it is basically your life in the game. Once the Lord Crystal was shattered, it was game over. Players were given random Talents, a starting race, and initial territory at the start of the game. You have to use your talent, starting race, and initial territory to defend your Lord Crystal from other Lords, or choose to invade them.
Players could develop their territory, build houses, assemble an army, create an Empire, and even become God within the game. You could say that you could do anything you want in that game.
However, a year after the opening of the game, everything changed. The game merged with reality, and people received feedback from the game. Everything they had in the game could be manifested within reality, that includes strength, the troops they assembled, and the Empire they created.
The game also entered its next stage: the Ten Thousand Realms Hegemony, where Earth faced invasions from other realms that also entered the game with them. The aliens could also enter Earth through the game, and a bloody war soon followed.
Now, a millenium has passed since the game's integration with reality. Gods now walked the Earth, protecting humanity from alien threats. The authorities established academies to train young people as the future defenders of Earth. These academies nurtured talents, preparing them to become the guardians who would protect humanity in this new world order.
Despite the gravity of this information, Qin Tian remained calm. As an avid reader of 21st-century novels, he was well-acquainted with such plots. This scenario was so familiar it felt almost cliché, like the countless novels he encountered on a certain popular novel website.
Qin Tian surveyed his surroundings with a thoughtful gaze. In front of him was a platform elevated tens of feet above. At its center stood a crystalline pedestal, gleaming with an ethereal light. He was now in the Awakening Hall.
Awakening Hall, although called a hall, is a massive open field in an academy. Every academy in the Supreme Human Federation has it. As the name suggests, it awakens the talent of a Lord. In addition, this is also akin to the entry ticket of people aged 18 years old and above to the world of Global Lords.
Qin Tian was absorbing the information he received, a burst of excited shouts draw his attention.
"Look! It's Miss Nangong's turn!" someone exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. "It is said that she is the future of the Nangong Family! Rumor has it that when she was born, she was fed with top-grade elixirs, and it is said that she will awaken an Epic Talent at minimum, which basically guarantees her status as a top Lord!"
"Yeah?! Is she so awesome?"
"So pretty!"
"Of course, she's also the prettiest woman on campus, not one of them."
"Amazing!!"
Qin Tian's eyes shone a curious look as he listened to the shouts near him. His gaze followed the woman slowly walking up the steps of the elevated platform.
She was incredibly beautiful, with a graceful elegance as if sculpted by the Gods. Her skin was smooth and glowing, like jade. Her eyes were deep and captivating, framed by long lashes. Her hair, like black silk, fell over her graceful neck. The soft arch of her brows, the blush on her cheeks, and her red lips added to her charm. Her movements were as graceful as a swaying willow, mesmerizing everyone around her. She was the perfect embodiment of a nation-toppling beauty or a jade beauty.
However, Qin Tian immediately lost interest after seeing her. Jade Beauty? Please, Teacher Eimi at Teacher Yua is much better than her.
As Qin Tian was lost in thought, the woman gracefully walked towards the crystal, and placed her hands on it. Slowly, the crystal emitted yellow light.
"What?!"
"No way!"
"I can't believe it…"
"A Legendary Talent???"
In this world, talents are divided into 6 levels;
Common: White
Uncommon: Green
Rare: Blue
Epic: Purple
Legendary: Yellow
Mythical: Orange
75% of the people living in this world could only awaken the most ordinary talent, a Common Talent. The remaining 25% of the people could awaken Uncommon and above talents. Legendary and Mythical talents were the threshold for one to be able to be called a genius in this world.
Of course, talents aren't everything in this world. While they provided a significant advantage, what truly mattered were the initial race one awakened and the management of one's territory. Even so, a high-level talent offered a considerable head start.
The reason why people were shocked was because Legendary Talents were too rare, especially in the countryside. It is said that before Bai Chen awakened his talent, the last Legendary Talent that appeared within this countryside region was a hundred years ago. Now, two Legendary Talents appeared at the same time in the same region. Even if it is said that Miss Nangong took some treasures that increased her talent.
Four figures wearing black robes suddenly appeared beside her.
"Experts from the Nangong Family… It seems that the Nangong Family holds great importance to her."
"Are you stupid? It's a Legendary Talent, and with her, the Nangong Family is said to have a chance to rise."
As the crystal's brilliance faded, Miss Nangong descended the platform with her four bodyguards in tow, her steps light and confident.
"Next! Class A, Qin Tian."
Hearing his name, Qin Tian felt a surge of nervous anticipation. If he had been calm earlier, now his heart raced with every step he took towards the Awakening Platform. His talent would determine whether he would live as an ordinary person or rise to prominence in this era. Deep down, he hoped for something extraordinary, a subconscious expectation fueled by his status as a traverser and the novels he had read before that was almost an exact replica of his situation.
Reaching the platform, Qin Tian stood before the crystal. The surface was smooth and cold to the touch, radiating a faint hum of energy.
'I hope that I will be able to get the chance to stand out in this era.'
Every human being harbored the instinct to distinguish themselves, to receive recognition and praise from their peers. No one wanted to remain ordinary, especially if they believed themselves to be destined for something greater.
Qin Tian took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. His hands slowly reached out to touch the crystal. The moment his fingers made contact, a blinding white light engulfed his vision, consuming everything around him.
Suddenly, he found himself standing in an endless expanse of white light, an otherworldly void that seemed to stretch into infinity. His heart sank as he gazed around, a sense of unease settling over him.
A game-like transparent screen flickered into existence before him, accompanied by the monotone voice of a robotic announcer.
[Ding! Heavenly Dao System of Global Lords booting up!]
[Ding! Detected that you have an ordinary tal-]
[ajsidjwoajsijoawvfnoafaofmdamfdaeawfopsoifjoifjaiewfjosf]
The voice abruptly cut off, replaced by a cacophony of jumbled and distorted sounds. The screen flickered wildly, the text warping and glitching.
[Error! Error! Error!]
Qin Tian's eyes widened in alarm. 'An error? How could it be… None of the books I've read ever mentioned an error occurring in the system since it arrived on Earth.'
The screen stabilized, and the voice returned. Except that it contained a hint of… respect?
[Ding! Repairing…]
[Ding! Detected that Your Majesty has a Taboo Talent]
[You have awakened the Taboo Talent: Immortal]
"What?!"