Chapter 16: Ordinary and Genius
[ Xp +30
Body Path Level 1: 50/100
5.5% Greater Human]
The status panel flashed and Varian felt the chi in his body rise. He felt a surge of power in his weak body. His bleeding slowed down. He couldn't see it, but he felt his regeneration improve.
Varian was ecstatic for a moment before the gut wrenching pain reminded him of the battle he just won.
'Fuck you, system' Varian cursed it with a passion. The records of the island said there were only Level 1 Murlocs on this island and none reached the peak of Level 1.
That was the reason Varian selected this particular island. He wanted to train, but he didn't want to die.
But on his first trip to the island, he was so lucky or unlucky that he encountered a murloc that just hit level 1 peak. This wasn't backluck anymore. This was courting death.
When the murloc set its sights on him, he had no choice of escape. Fight or die.
This must be what the system was talking about when it said he'd face danger to "pay" for the opportunity he received through the system. The price of his growth was constant danger.
'But... regardless of what this world throws at me, I'll come out stronger' Varian gritted his teeth and stood up.
Even though the pain was unbearable, the wound was not fatal, and he'd be able to survive for some time.
Unlike the last time, he wasn't dying.
'Not dying after killing your enemy is ... admirable. Should I call myself OP?' Varian tried to smile, but he couldn't stop wincing from the pain he tried to ignore.
"Isha, pick me up and take me to the emergency healing center nearby." He ordered his comm and his AI, Isha obliged.
"Yes, sir. The emergency center is 100km from here and will be reached in 5 minutes at the latest."
The hover bike descended, and Varian climbed into the seat. It took off and headed to the emergency healing center.
His eyelids drooped, and it all went dark.
In the darkness, he felt the pain from the wound recede with an itch replacing it. The itch increased to an unbearable level and finally fell.
{Your treatment is finished. The bill has been sent to your account.} The familiar prompt he heard a thousand times woke him up.
Varian opened his eyes to see the medi bot leaving his hover bike and entering the floating emergency treatment complex.
"How long has it been?" He asked.
"2 hours, sir. I informed the medibot to treat you here so as not to disturb your rest." Isha's cute voice sounded.
Varian checked himself and found no traces of injuries.
"Really, the medical technology is awesome. In old earth's period, it'd take months to heal this, now it's done in a few hours." Varian smiled and felt his body brimming with vigor, then he slumped his shoulders.
"Only their bills... suck." He felt like crying recalling his empty savings.
Old Earth was the period of earth before the Blink. It was when people still used 5G and thought AIs were going to take over the world. It was romanticized by the historians and the general public.
Even though old earth only had backward technologies, there were no dungeons, no shadow nation, no murlocs, no Abyssals.
'The grass is always greener on the other side, eh?' Varian shook his head.
But looking at the pitiful amount of cps left in his account, he felt that transmigrating to old earth like in some novels wasn't really a bad idea.
"Since it's free to enter, I can't sell the corpses of those murlocs... damn the regulations." He sighed in despair and felt the woes of poverty.
"Sir, cadets of any military academy receive stipends to keep them afloat." Isha reminded him.
"Oh right. I'll be going to the academy, anyway." Varian said. "To Earth Imperial Defense Academy." He stressed. Partly for Isha to remember, but mostly for himself to believe.
'I'd need to be at least Level 2 to enter the Imperial academy. Today is 39th, and the testis on 45th...' Varian glanced at his status panel and concluded it was not a dream.
[Body Path Level 1: 50/100]
He was genuinely surprised to see himself cross half of Level 1.
Usually, an average person would awaken by 14 or 15 and take at least 3 years to reach the peak of Level 1.
Most, however, only hit the peak of Level 1 at 19 years and break into Level 2 by the age of 20.
Geniuses awakened at the age of 13 and reached the peak of Level 1 around the age of 16 and broke into Level 2 by the age of 17.
So a normal individual strived to join the Imperial Trooper Academy. The minimum qualifications to enter it were:
Not older than 18
Level 1
Outstanding performance in the entrance test
Geniuses, however, aimed for the Imperial Defense Academy. One must be no older than 18, be at least a Level 2 and display an outstanding performance in the entrance test.
'I progressed halfway through Level 1 in a few days. This is crazy... I might really break into Level 2 and qualify for the Imperial Academy.' Varian kept his hopes up while still being baffled by the sheer audacity of his growth rate.
He told himself that his massive improvement was thanks to the combat. But he knew the biggest reason got something to do with the system.
Though there wasn't an explicit division, it was commonly acknowledged that talent was decided at birth and it determined the speed at which one progressed in their divine paths.
There were instances of people eating a strange fruit in the Deva Ruins and their pace of advancement skyrocketing. These "Trash to Genius" stories were the part and parcel of the popular culture and an inspiration to normal individuals.
'System, what did you do to my talents?' Varian asked.
[Host, before you question about talents. You need to understand how the Divine Paths work. Let this system show you the truth]