Inside a classroom, a bald, middle-aged man stood at the front, pointing toward a projected image. His voice echoed through the room. "Thirty years ago, dimensional portals appeared, and monsters began invading Earth."
He turned to the class, his expression grim. "The arrival of mana and aura changed everything. Earth expanded to five times its original size, yet gravity remained the same. It's a phenomenon we still don't fully understand, but one thing is certain: mana and aura have rewritten the rules of our existence."
He gestured to a diagram of the solar system. "It wasn't only Earth. Every planet, even the sun, grew five times larger. Mana and aura became the foundation of our new era."
Pausing for a moment, he let his words sink in. "But size wasn't our greatest concern. From the dimensional portals came destruction. Monsters from the Otherworld poured into our cities, leaving devastation in their wake. Humanity was on the verge of collapse."
His tone softened, almost hopeful. "Yet, amid this chaos, humans began to awaken. Mana and aura didn't just change the world, they let all living beings in the world evolve."
"At sixteen, we awaken our class, a power born from the world's evolution. For some, this happens earlier; for others, later. But every class is a reminder of how Earth itself rose to meet the threat of the Otherworld."
The bald teacher continued, "And tomorrow, the school will conduct a unified awakening for those who haven't awakened their class yet using the school's class awakening stone."
As the bald teacher continued his lecture, he soon checked whether his students were listening but he later frowned when he saw one of his students sleeping in his class.
Slamming both of his hands on the wooden table, the bald teacher barked, "Ainsworth Arthurford! This is a classroom, not your bedroom! If you're going to sleep, at least try to be subtle about it!"
The room erupted in snickers as Ainsworth groggily sat up, rubbing his eyes.
The teacher loomed over him, arms crossed. "Did my lecture on Earth's near destruction bore you, or are you simply auditioning for the role of 'classroom sloth'?"
When Ainsworth heard his classmates' snickering, he opened his eyes and saw his teacher's familiar bald head. Rubbing his eyes in confusion, he soon felt a headache as countless memories flashed in his mind.
What felt like hours passed in a second, and after reviewing all the memories he received, Ainsworth realized that he had transmigrated to a parallel world of Earth.
As for why it's a parallel world rather than a new one, Ainsworth's classmates and school were the same as his past life and even his class teacher's head was as bald as ever.
Perhaps, the only difference was that Earth, or rather, the entire solar system, became five times bigger which was attributed to the arrival of mana and aura and the descent of the Otherworld. Aside from that, there were also new nations and kingdoms, and history veered off course from what he once knew.
Noticing that Ainsworth was in a daze and didn't respond to his reprimand, the bald teacher was about to slam the wooden table again to get their attention but he froze much to Ainsworth's surprise.
Not only his teacher but also his classmates' movements halted and the surroundings became monochrome as if frozen in time.
Before Ainsworth could look around and determine the cause for this strange phenomenon, a notification sound startled him.
-Ding!
[Ainsworth Arthurford has successfully binded with the God-Level Choice System!]
-Ding!
[You have encountered a situation that requires a choice. Whenever you encounter such a situation, time will be frozen so you will have enough time to choose your choice. However, to prevent exploitation, your movements and scope of action are limited to your current position.]
-Ding!
[Loading choices…]
-Ding!
[(1) Respond to the bald teacher with:
"Whether I sleep or not has nothing to do with you. No matter what I do, my future is still brighter than the light shining upon your bald head!"
(Reward: God-Level Hair Stylist)]
[(2) Look at the bald teacher's bald head, sneer, and sleep again.
(Reward: God-Level Driving)]
[(3) Look at the teacher's bald head and respond with:
"Your bald head reminds me of the boiled eggs I ate for breakfast."
(Reward: God-Level Cooking)]
[(4) Respond to the bald teacher with:
"Yo, Wassup bro?" Then get out of your chair and perform a breakdance in front of the class.
(Reward: God-Level Breakdancing)]
[(5) Choose none of the given options and choose your own path.
(Reward: None)]
Faced with those choices, Ainsworth pondered for a while before he chose (4).
All rewards aside from (5) were of similar quality but he lived alone so he preferred to increase his ability to cook.
As soon as he made his choice, time resumed and flowed as usual.
Ainsworth immediately looked at his teacher's gleaming bald head and remarked, "Your bald head reminds me of the boiled eggs I ate for breakfast."
Hearing Ainsworth's remark, the bald teacher was about to slam his hands again on the wooden table but he soon rubbed his forehead and sighed, "I really want to reprimand you and suggest you focus on my lectures, but who made you the Top 3 in the entire school?"
After deciding not to mind Ainsworth's offense, the bald teacher, Charles Lawson, sighed again, rubbing his temple in resignation. He knew better than to escalate things with the third-ranking student in the school, especially when his grades were impeccable despite his antics.
"Alright, alright, Ainsworth," the teacher grumbled, his voice laced with annoyance, "I'll let this one slide. But remember, no matter how good your grades are, respect is still part of the equation."
Ainsworth gave him a carefree grin, stretching lazily in his seat. "Respect? You might want to ask for a refund on that 'respect' from the hair salon."
The teacher's eye twitched, but he turned his attention back to the projection screen, unable to muster the energy to argue further. He had bigger problems to deal with than the student with the sharpest tongue in the class.
Noticing that his bald teacher no longer placed his attention on him and continued his lecture instead, Ainsworth remembered the choice reward he received which was placed in his system inventory.
-Ding!
[Do you want to use God-Level Cooking? You will receive the experience, knowledge, and all skills related to it until you reach God-Level proficiency in Cooking.]