The next day, Jesse arrived at the terminal, looking around at the old dilapidated building. It seemed abandoned as this terminal was barely ever used, but as he approached, he found a group of teenagers gathered around the entrance. With excited and nervous faces, they huddled around each other.
Standing a few inches away from the crowd, his eyes scanned through the crowd.
A tall woman dressed in a suit, probably an agent emerged from a car parked at the other side with a briefcase in her hand. "Hello. Good morning, everyone. You all are right on time."
She nodded at the students. "These are your fellow classmates. You'll all be heading to the academy together."
A rusty old bus pulled up, one befitting for the residents of the seventh wall. The furthur the wall was from the capital, the worst treatment they receive.
The woman gestured for them to board the bus. Jesse hesitated for a moment, feeling a sense of unease; They never had a test for infection, so he could only hope for the best.
Inside, the bus was surprisingly better, equipped with comfortable seats and sleek technology. The woman took the front seat and turned to face them.
"Welcome, students. I am Agent Lora, your escort to the academy. You are all here because you've shown potential. Don't waste it." Her strict words being chary and straight forward only managed to add more tension to the already tensed kids.
As the bus pulled away from the terminal, Jesse looked around at his supposed fellow students. They all seemed to be sizing each other up, unsure of what lay ahead. Though, a few in pairs, none of their faces looked familiar.
The bus ride was long and quiet, punctuated by occasional small talk. Jesse gazed out the window. Watching as the town he had lived in his entire life, disappearing further away from his eyes.
And finally, in a distance, the sixth wall came into view. The students stood up from their seats, walking towards the front. The towering structure loomed before them, its imposing presence a stark contrast to the crumbling terminal they had departed from.
As they approached the entrance, the large gate glided open, letting them in.
The city behind the sixth gate was tremendous. The air felt different and even the people looked and acted slightly different.
As the bus drove through the city, he couldn't help but notice the subtle differences in the people around him. They seemed more refined, more polished, as if they had been honed to perfection. Their movements were fluid, their gestures precise, and their eyes seemed to gleam with an inner light. They simply glanced at the rusty bus before looking away in uninterest. While the seventh wall dabbled in poverty, still living in the old world, the sixth wall was already greatly advanced. How advanced would the first wall guarding the capital be then?
The air itself felt charged with an electric energy, as if the very atmosphere was alive and humming with power. Jesse could feel it vibrating through his veins, making his skin tingle and his senses come alive. He drew in a breath of fresh air, relishing in the atmosphere.
"The first screening will be carried out here in the sixth city. Those who are strong enough to pass will advance to the next level where cadet ranks will be given. And those, who are too weak...well, the seventh wall awaits you once again." Agent Lora stood up. "Now, come along."
The students who had just realized that the bus had come to a stop slowly hopped down
"Holy first wall!" A student exclaimed.
Coming down from the bus, Jesse frowned. He had thought that the student exclaimed out of awe, but maybe he had exclaimed out of stupefaction.
The place in which the bus had stopped was quite far from the main city. It was a large expense of green land.
"Agent Lora?" Another student called the agent, "Where are we?"
"Test ground." Agent Lora replied, "Good luck. I hope I see you again, Future Cadets." She added, walking towards the car that had followed closely behind them all through the journey.
"Hey! Wait!" A student yelled, however the car had left and what was left was the empty bus and the large group of student in the middle of a vast land.
"System." Jesse called lightly underneath his breath, walking away from the crowd of nervous students.
[At your service]
A mild translucent screen appeared in front of his eyes.
He gazed at the students who were walking around the field earnestly.
"What should I do?" He asked, sitting on the grass.
[I do not know.]
The curt reply that came from the system made him bite his lower lip in derision.
The daily quest tab that hung by the side of his eyes, showed a new quest that he had failed to complete before leaving his home.
[--Quest--]
[-Daily Quests-]
[Build up your strength - 50 pressups → 50/50]
[Increase your protein level - Consume 1 kilo of meat → Completed]
[Agility and strength comes in pairs - Run 3 miles → 0.5/3]
[Complete daily quests for daily rewards]
[Failure to complete daily quests would incur a punishment]
There was nothing he could do as no instruction was given regarding the test, hence, he could as well complete his quest now.
Rising to his feet, Jesse stared at the end of the field...at least, where his eyes could reach.
He stared slowly by jogging, earning a few glances from the students who had formed various groups.
However, even after a few minutes of jogging, the number remained a solid 0.5.
He paused, calling up the system once again.
"Is there a glitch?"
[No.]
"Then?"
[Your daily quest says "Run".]
Jesse clenched his fist, gritting his teeth in annoyance.
Stilling the urge to yell, he took to his heels, running as fast as he could across the field, past the students and down.
The surprised students stared at him, a few running after him, and a few laughing at his weird antics. However, his little act stirred all the students.
Though after more than ten minutes of intense running, Jesse stumbled, rolling over multiple times.
The students who had gave up running after him burst into laughter.
"Oi, poor kid. Someone go get the weirdo up."
"He acted like he knew something, so I followed him. What a waste." Another student added, sitting on the grass.
[Agility and strength comes in pairs - Run 3 miles → 2.78/3]
Jesse panted, clutching his chest in his hand. He rested for less than a minute before standing to his feet again.
"Oh, he's up."
"Goddamn system." Jesse gritted his teeth, taking to his heels again. He ran further away from the students and well, a willing one followed behind.
[Charisma - 5 +3]
[Charisma - 8]
"Hey, bud, you're gonna kill yourself at this rate."
[Agility and strength comes in pairs - Run 3 miles → 3/3]
Jesse toppled over when the tab appeared in his line of sight. He sprawled on the grass, breathing heavily.
"Dude, all this wouldn't score you a point, you know." The student who jogged behind him came to a stop, sitting beside him.
[Daily quests completed.]
[-Reward-]
[150 Exp]
[Exp - 155\200]
[AP - 3 +1]
[AP - 4]
[Charisma - 8 +2]
[Charisma - 10]
"Damn it." Jesse swore underneath his breath. He had hoped for something nice at least, maybe a level up or more AP points.
"Pardon?" The student who sat beside him squinted.
"Huh?" Jesse turned his head to the presence that he had failed to notice, "I wasn't referring to you." He blinked blankly, knowing well his offense. He raised his fingers to push up his glasses like he always did, but then again, he no longer wore glasses. The last time he saw them was when the meteorite fell.
"Oh." The student nodded. His dreadlocks dyed white in contrast to his dark skin, "Well, I was saying-"
[-Skills-]
[Inspect - Level 1]
[→Basic observation skill, revealing surface level information]
"Yes!" Jesse jerked up. The rewards included a skill, hence he was beyond glad.
Startled by his yell, the other student jerked back, "Dude."
"My name's Jesse." Jesse mindlessly turned to him, stretching out his hand for a handshake.
"...Yeah...sure. I'm Maxwell, nice to meet you." Stupified Max nodded, taking Jesse's hand.