Collects the Attribute Light Group
Dapeng City, Year Two, Class 17.
Name: Ethan Grey
Unusual Gene: None
Vitality Value: 0.81 (Same age average: 0.8)
Skill: Foundation Breathing Technique LV 1 (25)
Ethan Grey looked at his own status panel and sighed helplessly.
"Well, there's no way back now. I even promised the editor I'd deliver the book by the end of the month. But if I don't submit it, the readers will definitely curse me out."
Ethan wasn't originally from this world. Back on Earth, he was just another struggling writer. His income was meager, and he often relied on the generosity of others through group donations. A few weeks ago, he promised himself he would take writing seriously, yet despite revising his manuscript 23 times, he still wasn't satisfied. On his 24th attempt, he passed out from exhaustion—and woke up in this new world.
According to the information he had gathered so far, it was currently the year 403 of the Ephemeris calendar. Humanity was thriving thanks to a powerful artificial intelligence network called Starlink, which connected the five continents and propelled human civilization to rapid development.
Even more important, Starlink had unlocked a mysterious path for humans—awakening special abilities. If someone successfully awakened, they could gain access to an extraordinary sequence and potentially become a top figure in this world.
Fortunately, Ethan wasn't an illegal resident in this new reality. He had assumed the identity of a high school student, low-key and ordinary, blending in easily with his classmates. This anonymity ensured that the AI wouldn't mark him as suspicious.
During the past two weeks, Ethan diligently attended classes, absorbing as much as he could about this world. His main focus was the Breathing Technique Class, an essential subject for anyone hoping to awaken their unusual gene.
In this world, there were two ways to awaken. The first was to pay for help from someone with a high-level ability, but that option was expensive. Ethan's family had already sold their house last week to afford an awakening attempt, but unfortunately, it had failed.
Now, his only option was the second route: mastering the Foundation Breathing Technique and awakening the unusual gene naturally. Through relentless practice over the last two weeks, Ethan's skill had progressed from 24.8 to 25, though it still felt like it would take 100 years to achieve full awakening.
"So much for my story of a loser rising to greatness," Ethan muttered to himself. "More like the journey of an old emperor… If I stay optimistic, maybe I'll get there eventually."
Suddenly, the bell rang, signalling the start of class.
"Ms. Bing is here!" someone shouted. The students scrambled back to their seats, and the noisy classroom fell silent in an instant.
A tall, slender woman strode into the room, her sharp gaze sweeping across the class like a hawk scanning for prey. The students immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.
Ethan, seated in the back row, secretly observed the infamous "Ice Queen." From what he'd heard, Ms. Bing came from a military family and was an awakened individual with ice-based abilities. Though she had been absent during Ethan's first few days in this world, she was well-known for her strict discipline.
"Who has successfully completed their meditation in the last two weeks?" Ms. Bing's cold voice cut through the room.
Silence.
Finally, a girl with a ponytail hesitantly raised her hand. "I did, Ms. Bing."
Ms. Bing scanned the room. "Anyone else?"
No one responded.
"Come forward and demonstrate your meditation process for the class," Ms. Bing instructed the ponytailed student. "Remember, only by mastering meditation can you awaken your unusual gene."
The girl blushed with embarrassment but obeyed.
Ethan was curious about the meditation technique, but just as he prepared to focus, something strange caught his eye.
"What is that?" Ethan whispered to himself.
A glowing white orb, about the size of an orange, floated near the classroom aisle where Ms. Bing stood. It was faint but definitely real. Ethan blinked several times, thinking it was a hallucination, but the orb remained.
"Am I the only one who can see this?" Ethan wondered. He nudged the student sitting next to him. "Do you see that?"
His classmate gave him a puzzled look. "See what?"
Ethan quickly realized that no one else seemed to notice the strange light.
"This has to be a rare opportunity," he thought. "I need to figure out what it is."
Before he could act, his deskmate whispered nervously, "Ethan, stop staring! Ms. Bing is looking right at you!"
Ethan looked up and locked eyes with Ms. Bing. Her icy gaze sent a shiver down his spine.
"Ethan Grey, come to the front," she ordered.
The entire class turned to look at him in surprise. Ethan hadn't even raised his hand, yet here he was, being summoned by the strictest teacher in school.
Heart pounding, Ethan knew he had to act fast. He glanced at the glowing orb, realizing this might be his only chance.
As he walked to the front, Ethan crouched down near the orb, pretending to tie his shoelace. "Just fixing my shoe," he said casually.
The students chuckled quietly, but Ms. Bing didn't seem to notice. She had already turned her attention back to the ponytailed girl.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan reached out and touched the glowing orb.
[Psychic Gene Fragment +1]
The moment his finger made contact, Ethan felt a surge of energy flow through him, and a line of text appeared in his mind:
Psychic Gene (1/3) – Fusion Gene: 0
Ethan's heart raced with excitement. He had just collected a fragment of an unusual gene! This could be the breakthrough his family needed.
Suppressing his joy, Ethan quickly joined Ms. Bing and the other students at the front of the class.
Ms. Bing glanced at him briefly. "Sit down and begin your breathing exercises. Focus on my energy flow, and I'll guide you through the process. Remember, it's okay if you don't succeed right away."
Ethan nodded and sat cross-legged on the floor. He closed his eyes and began to run through the breathing technique he had practised tirelessly for the past two weeks.
As he exhaled slowly, Ethan couldn't help but glance at his status panel again.
Unusual Gene: Psychic (1/3) – Fusion Gene: 0
He grinned inwardly. "If I can gather all three fragments, I might just awaken my psychic abilities."
"Ready, Ethan?" Ms. Bing's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Ethan refocused, and determined to make the most of this opportunity.