"January 1, 2000, Blue Star."
"A black bird suddenly appeared, vomited a massive stomach sac, and devoured the entire sun. Then, the bird swallowed the sac back and vanished."
"With the sun gone, Blue Star was plunged into eternal night."
"For some unknown reason, life on Blue Star did not completely perish, and humans managed to survive, albeit barely."
"That same year, gods began to appear on Blue Star in large numbers, hunting humans. To protect themselves, humans formed a united government and built several large safe zones. From then on, humans lived only within these safe zones."
"This history marks the arrival of the apocalypse on Blue Star."
"Everyone, take note. The passage I just read about the apocalypse has three key points. First, the date—New Year's Day ten years ago. Second..."
Sitting in the corner of the classroom, Qin Siyang shook his head:
"Studying history won't save humanity."
"In this apocalyptic world, only knowledge related to Sequence abilities is meaningful."
He stopped listening and turned to look out the window.
Through the protective glass, he could vaguely see many gods drifting in the night sky above.
Since Blue Star entered eternal night, the view outside was always the same, no matter the time.
A faintly flickering starry sky.
And gods wandering beneath it.
"Class, next, we'll talk about the gods. This is also a key point, so pay attention."
"After the eternal night, strange creatures began to appear on Blue Star, with bizarre and varied appearances."
"But they all share one common trait: they prey on humans and possess immortality."
"Humans believe these creatures are divine punishment for humanity's past sins, hence they are called gods..."
Strange creatures that prey on humans are actually revered as "gods."
Hearing this, Qin Siyang sighed again.
It's always like this.
The end of science is theology.
People attribute everything they cannot explain to the realm of gods.
"Everyone, remember: the sections on gods and the apocalypse are mandatory for both liberal arts and science students in the college entrance exam..."
Qin Siyang stopped paying attention to this useless lecture.
Everyone knew that in this apocalyptic world, only by awakening a Sequence ability could one secure a foothold.
As for the college entrance exam, meant for ordinary people—only those who ranked in the top 0.1% in the safe zone could advance to higher education.
In such a vast safe zone, what did it mean to be in the top 0.1%?
Not even the top five students in the school could guarantee that.
The Qin Siyang of his past life couldn't achieve it, and the reborn Qin Siyang couldn't either.
In his previous life, Qin Siyang was an orphan who studied hard for many years. His college entrance exam results were mediocre, but he later passed the postgraduate exam and secured a somewhat respectable job. However, in his middle age, he was laid off by the company. While demanding compensation, he was accidentally killed by a security guard and reborn back to when he was seventeen.
Except, after rebirth, the people around him were the same, but the once-normal world had turned into this.
"Living a second life, I can't let it go to waste, right?"
"I still need to find a way to awaken a Sequence ability."
Qin Siyang already had a goal in mind, but he lacked the path to achieve it.
After the apocalypse, all kinds of life forms mutated. Countless species went extinct, and countless new ones emerged. Humans, too, began to mutate.
That was the emergence of Sequence ability users.
On January 1, 2005, exactly five years after the apocalypse, the first Sequence ability user was born among humans.
He possessed a power beyond human capability—he could transform one of his hands into a revolver.
His revolver could fire six bullets a day. Many saw his emergence as a beacon of hope for the future.
Nuclear bombs couldn't kill gods, so what use was his revolver?
But.
His revolver was actually useful.
After awakening his Sequence, he successfully killed two small, fast-crawling gods.
This shattered the notion that gods were immortal.
Sequence ability users could kill gods!
Humanity rejoiced.
They saw hope for a counterattack against the gods!
After that, many more people awakened Sequence abilities.
Humanity's feats of killing gods gradually became less rare.
However, no large gods had been killed yet. So, this small spark of Sequence awakening didn't change humanity's insignificant position.
But it did alter the internal dynamics of human society.
Outside the safe zones, gods ruled. Inside, Sequence ability users ruled.
Sequence ability users became the gods within the safe zones.
This was humanity's apocalypse. But it was also a paradise for Sequence ability users.
As long as one could awaken a Sequence ability, they would instantly rise to the top.
Stories of people going from begging on the streets in the morning to living in luxury by the afternoon were widely circulated in the safe zones.
Qin Siyang thought that reborn individuals should have some luck bonus.
He had hoped he would awaken a Sequence ability immediately.
But three days had passed.
He was still an ordinary person living on the fringes of the safe zone.
Just like all the other students in this school, an ordinary person.
But Qin Siyang wasn't willing to stop there.
"Class, the awakening of Sequence ability users is humanity's hope..."
Sequence awakening?
Qin Siyang suddenly turned his head.
This was what he was most curious about.
He immediately raised his hand and looked at the history teacher, who was also his homeroom teacher.
"Qin Siyang, what's your question?"
"Teacher, why hasn't a single one of our classmates awakened a Sequence ability? How can we awaken a Sequence ability?"
"The reason for Sequence awakening is unknown. If I knew, I would have awakened one myself."
A classmate immediately interjected, "But I heard that Zhou Yang's uncle from the next class awakened a Sequence ability! Why can't I awaken one?"
"That's Director Zhou! Government officials have a much higher rate of Sequence awakening!"
"But..."
"No buts! Instead of dreaming about unrealistic things, focus on preparing for the college entrance exam!"
"In six months, you'll be taking the exam. If you don't study hard and get into a college, you'll have to start working right after high school!"
"Can you not give me a headache?! Open your homework, I'm checking it!"
The homeroom teacher grew more and more agitated, eventually slamming the desk repeatedly.
But Qin Siyang, having lived two lives, could see that the teacher wasn't frustrated out of concern for his students.
Only the top five students in the school had a chance of getting into college. And the top student in their class was only around thirtieth in the school.
In other words, everyone in the class would have to find a job after high school.
The teacher couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
His agitation and anger weren't out of worry for the students' futures.
Qin Siyang sensed the teacher's own resentment and envy.
Resentment at being an ordinary person.
Envy of those who had awakened Sequence abilities.
"But if I don't awaken a Sequence ability, what hope is there in life?"
Qin Siyang muttered to himself.
This mutter was overheard by the teacher, who was checking homework.
"Qin Siyang!!"
"You're sitting alone at the back corner, and instead of reflecting on your mistakes, you're still dreaming about unrealistic things, even disrupting class!!"
"Absolutely hopeless! Go stand outside the door and reflect! Come back when you've cleared your head!"
"Okay."
He hadn't said anything particularly provocative, but he had still angered the teacher.
Someone once said that human anger ultimately stems from one's own inadequacy.
That was probably the case.
Qin Siyang walked out of the classroom.
Being made to stand outside was a trivial matter to him.
If it weren't for the fact that the school cafeteria provided meals, allowing him, an orphan with no income, to fill his stomach, he wouldn't even bother attending school. He would have devoted all his energy to figuring out how to awaken a Sequence ability.
Just as well, it was quieter outside the classroom.
He could think in peace about how to awaken a Sequence ability.
From what he knew, the wealthy and powerful in this world had a much higher probability of awakening Sequence abilities.
But for impoverished students like him, living on the fringes of the safe zone, only one in several thousand would awaken an ability.
Sequence awakening didn't seem entirely random; it appeared to favor the rich.
Thinking of this, Qin Siyang smiled wryly.
"If the conditions for Sequence awakening are related to one's standard of living, then I might never awaken a Sequence ability in my lifetime."
He shook his head, sighed, and stopped thinking about it.
Looking out the window, he saw many gods still wandering beneath the starry sky.
"Gods, huh?"
"If you're gods, then someone like me who can be reborn must be your equal."
"In that case, I'm a god too."
Qin Siyang chuckled softly.
Suddenly, he noticed something in the dark sky—a giant eye slowly opening and looking directly at him.
The pitch-black pupil didn't seem human; it resembled that of a bird.
This eye, hanging in the night sky, was larger than the stars. If it truly belonged to a bird, it could probably swallow Blue Star whole.
Qin Siyang frowned and glanced at the other students standing in the hallway as punishment. Some of them were also idly looking out the window, but none seemed to notice the eye.
Only he could see it?
He locked eyes with it for a moment and immediately felt a strange interference, making him dizzy.
Then, a message appeared in his mind:
[Sequence "God Eater" Awakened]
[Devouring gods will make you stronger]
[Current Sequence Level: 1, Glutton]
[Skill: Blood Feast. Skill Description: Can digest gods even when consumed raw.]
When he regained his senses, the eye in the sky had disappeared.
Had he... awakened a Sequence ability?!
Qin Siyang couldn't believe what had just happened.
He didn't know much about Sequence abilities.
The only thing he had heard was that Sequence ability users could see their Sequence information in their minds.
"I... I've awakened a Sequence ability?!"
Still in disbelief, Qin Siyang suddenly felt a surge of power within him, strengthening his mental state.
Even his previously thin, malnourished arms now showed faint muscle definition.
"They say your body gets enhanced after awakening a Sequence ability. So it's true!"
But thinking of the eye, he was still puzzled: Did everyone awaken their Sequence abilities in such a strange way?
Why had he never heard anyone mention it before?
"[God Eater] Sequence... sounds impressive. I need to check the [God-Slaying Camp] for more information."
The [God-Slaying Camp] was a forum where Sequence ability users discussed and exchanged information.
Qin Siyang had only heard about it from classmates chatting idly.
To access the forum, he needed a phone or computer.
But at home, he didn't even have a single electrical appliance, let alone a computer.
"Today's evening self-study dragged on, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow morning to go to an internet café."
"Ding—"
Just then, the bell signaling the end of evening self-study rang.
The homeroom teacher walked out of the classroom and gave him a disgusted look:
"Go home and reflect on yourself. Stop daydreaming."
He didn't immediately boast to the teacher about having awakened a Sequence ability.
Instead, he nodded obediently, returned to his seat through the back door, and packed his bag.
"Something about the way I awakened and the name of my Sequence feels off. I'll figure it out before telling anyone."
"After all, the identity of a Sequence ability user won't disappear."
Today's evening self-study had dragged on for a long time. The teacher had scolded everyone for a while and made them complete two sets of test papers. It was already past ten when they were dismissed.
Due to the scarcity of electricity in the apocalypse, internet cafés weren't open 24/7, and they were already closed by now.
Qin Siyang returned home and let out a long sigh:
"Sleep first, then head to the internet café tomorrow morning!"