[Sequence "God Eater" Awakening]
[Consume gods to grow stronger]
[Current Sequence Level: Level 1, Glutton]
[Skill: Blood Drink. Skill Description: Eating gods can enhance strength.]
When he came back to his senses, the eye in the starry sky had vanished.
The sequence, awakened?!
He didn't know much about Sequence Abilities. The only thing he knew was that Sequence Ability Users could see their sequence information in their minds.
"I... have I awakened a Sequence Ability too?!"
Qin Siyang was still in disbelief, but he instantly felt a surge of power within him, strengthening his mental state significantly. His previously skinny arms now had muscle definition.
"They say that after awakening a Sequence Ability, the body gets stronger. Turns out it's true!"
But thinking about that bird's eye, he was puzzled: "Does everyone awaken their sequence in such a strange way? I feel like my awakening method and my sequence name are a bit odd. Better understand it before telling others."
"The 'God Eater' Sequence... the name is quite straightforward. I'll check it out at the 'Godslayer Camp'."
The 'Godslayer Camp' is a forum where Sequence Ability Users discuss and exchange ideas. To access the forum, you need a phone or computer.
At home, he didn't even have a powered household appliance, let alone a computer.
Evening self-study ended. With the scarcity of power resources in the apocalypse, internet cafes weren't open 24 hours and were now closed.
Qin Siyang returned home and took a deep breath: "Get some sleep, go to the internet cafe in the morning!"
The next morning, he took his only ten copper coins and headed to the internet cafe with his backpack.
The internet cafe had a faint smell of smoke, not as pungent as the ones in his past life. It was a bit rundown, with only some patterned stickers, seemingly not much renovated, but still much better than Qin Siyang's place.
In his eyes, anyone who could afford electricity in the nearby area was wealthy. Those who could run such an electricity-consuming internet cafe were even more so.
In this impoverished area on the edge of the Safe Zone, few could afford the luxury of paid internet access.
Yet, there was an internet cafe here.
The unique location of the internet cafe naturally had its reasons. Qin Siyang often saw some strange people coming and going when he passed by on his way to and from school, which seemed to confirm this.
"One machine for half an hour will do!" He tossed ten copper coins to the net café attendant. With the scarcity of power resources, the internet cafe fees were exorbitant. Ten copper coins were his week's wages from working at the school library, and giving them away felt like bleeding his heart.
The thirty-something, plump net café attendant at the counter gave Qin Siyang a second glance, expressionlessly pointing to a machine: "That one, go ahead."
After Qin Siyang sat down, not far from him, a man in a suit was typing away on a keyboard. Qin Siyang glanced again and finally understood why the internet cafe in this life smelled better than the ones in his past life.
Because it was expensive.
Those who had spare money to come here were generally looking for information or conducting transactions, not the kind of people who lived and ate in the internet cafe like in his past life.
Qin Siyang stopped thinking about anything else and focused on the screen in front of him. But the machine was very slow, taking two minutes just to enter the interface.
There was no help for it; faster computers cost more.
He logged into the forum for Sequence Ability Users, the 'Godslayer Camp,' and looked up the sequences that had already appeared. The pinned post was about the statistics of currently awakened Sequence Abilities, which he immediately clicked into.
From New Year's Day 2005 until now, over five years, thousands of sequences had awakened. Everyone awakened suddenly, like being struck by lightning; no one had seen a bird's eye before awakening.
What surprised Qin Siyang even more was that among the thousands of sequences, none had abilities related to devouring gods. No one had an awakening method like his, nor a sequence ability like his.
Qin Siyang swallowed and murmured:
"Could it be, I'm the chosen one?!"
His sequence was untraceable.
Should he make it public? He might become the center of attention!
But when his gaze lingered on a post, he hesitated.
"Humans have been unable to digest godly remains. If someone awakens a sequence that can grow stronger by devouring gods, they might be captured for research!"
Captured for research...
With a preliminary understanding of Sequence Abilities, he knew his 'God Eater' sequence was unique.
The Sequence Ability Users in the 'Godslayer Camp' also yearned for this ability.
Because hunting gods while simultaneously enhancing oneself would undoubtedly be a terrifying perpetual motion machine.
Qin Siyang cautiously realized he might not have the strength to match this miraculous sequence.
As the saying goes, "A man without sin, but with a treasure, is guilty."
If someone possesses wealth disproportionate to their strength, they will be surrounded by danger.
Is it better to trust oneself?
Or to trust others, placing one's life and future on the noble morals of others?
For a normal person,
This question isn't hard to answer.
Qin Siyang instantly made up his mind:
He would keep it a secret.
Quietly make a fortune.
Whether in his past life or this one, it's an unbreakable truth!
As he pondered his future plans, the computer suddenly returned to the password screen, displaying a message:
[Time's up. If you wish to continue, please go to the counter to extend your time.]
The internet time purchased with ten copper coins had ended.
That's the difficulty of having no money.
No matter how powerful your sequence is, you still have to log off on time.
Fortunately, in just half an hour, Qin Siyang had found the information he wanted.
At least, he absolutely couldn't let others know about the 'God Eater' sequence.
Qin Siyang shouldered his backpack and left the internet cafe under the puzzled gaze of the plump net café attendant.
Through the anti-air glass of the Safe Zone, he looked at the vast starry sky that hung year-round and the occasional giant gods wandering by, feeling a bit lost again.
Next, should he go to the Safe Zone exit or to school?
In the 'Godslayer Camp,' those Sequence Ability Users said that at the Safe Zone exit, there were always teams of Sequence Ability Users going in and out to hunt gods.
The United Government provided various support policies and resource inclinations for Sequence Ability Users.
In exchange, Sequence Ability Users had to go and hunt the gods outside the Safe Zone.
Moreover, the more and larger the gods hunted, the richer the rewards for the Sequence Ability Users.
To prove they had hunted a god, Sequence Ability Users would bring back a special part of the god's body as proof to claim their rewards.
So Qin Siyang thought that waiting at the Safe Zone exit might give him a chance to take a bite of godly flesh and verify if this 'God Eater' sequence would make him stronger.
If the verification was successful, he might soar to great heights.
He could hide outside the Safe Zone, continuously hunting gods until he became a peerless master, then return to the Safe Zone to dominate everything.
He could enhance his strength while hunting gods, a veritable perpetual motion machine.
But Qin Siyang checked the information panel in his mind, calmly analyzed his skills, and shook his head.
"The description of Blood Drink is that eating gods raw can enhance strength."
"But it doesn't say it can fill my stomach..."
"If it can't satisfy hunger, it means I can't save on food expenses by eating gods."
For him, the issue of eating was more important than the sequence issue, and he couldn't be careless.
A meal can stump a hero.
Qin Siyang stopped thinking about where to go.
Because he only had one option—to go to school.
Going to the Safe Zone exit to try his luck indeed had the potential for growth.
But today's Xia Calendar said [Nothing is suitable], indicating it might not be suitable to try one's luck.
Qin Siyang wasn't superstitious.
However, with things as unscientific as reincarnation and the apocalypse happening, superstition seemed reasonable.
When people encounter things beyond their understanding, they can't help but become superstitious.
The school had lunch and dinner.
More importantly, today was Friday.
The school was closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
When the school was closed, the cafeteria was too, meaning he couldn't scrounge meals.
Missing today's cafeteria meant he'd have to go hungry for two more days with no money.
He not only had to go to school but also had to ask Auntie Zhang in the cafeteria to give him extra food to cover his meals for the weekend.
The cafeteria's Auntie Zhang knew he was an orphan and took good care of him.
He could go to the Safe Zone exit on the weekend; after all, Sequence Ability Users didn't rest on weekends.
Sequence Ability Users needed to submit godly remains to the United Government to receive resources, not much different from self-sufficient small businesses.
Since they were self-sufficient, their working and off-duty times weren't very clear.
Qin Siyang made up his mind.
On the dim main road, there was a streetlight every few dozen meters, not very bright.
It illuminated a distance of two or three steps. The top of the streetlight was connected to anti-air glass, seemingly for support.
In Qin Siyang's view, the only purpose of these streetlights was to tell passersby that this street was the main road of the Safe Zone's edge area.
Other than that, they weren't very useful.
Even the lights in the internet cafe were several times brighter than the streetlights.
Qin Siyang walked along the dim main road for about ten minutes and arrived at the school.
In his past life, Qin Siyang attended a regular high school in the county, and the school's conditions weren't great.
In this world, it wasn't much different.
He had no choice.
Nearby, there was only Ju'an School.
Ju'an School encompassed a twelve-year education system from elementary to high school.
Children on the edge of the Safe Zone started school at six or seven and left at eighteen.
It could be said to be a second home.
The students at this school were all ordinary people, and their parents were also ordinary people.
In a Safe Zone where Sequence Ability Users weren't uncommon, there weren't many places where only ordinary people gathered, all located on the edge of the Safe Zone.
Anyone who could awaken a Sequence Ability would definitely move their entire family away from this dangerous and dilapidated edge area to live in a better environment within the Safe Zone.
In the school, everyone was at the bottom of the Safe Zone.
But Qin Siyang's family condition was the lowest of the low.
He didn't even have a home. No parents, living alone.
If it weren't for the United Government's policy that orphans could have their tuition waived,
He wouldn't know where he would be or what he would be doing now.
Qin Siyang walked along the dim street to the school.
The teacher on duty at the school gate hadn't arrived yet, and morning self-study hadn't started.
Every day's morning self-study was from eight to eight-fifteen.
He was so excited about awakening his sequence that he woke up early today. Even after spending half an hour at the internet cafe, he was still early.
The school was full of lights.
The school was the brightest place on the edge of the Safe Zone, with the best electrical systems and lights.
In the Safe Zone, where power resources were expensive, it was very rare.
The United Government believed that the hope of saving humanity and counter-killing gods lay in every child. No matter what, education couldn't be neglected.
With better educational conditions, the new generation would feel a sense of belonging to the United Government and the Safe Zone.
They would also be more enthusiastic about joining the cause of hunting gods.
The United Government also proposed giving every child an equal opportunity for education because you never know which child might grow up to be a hero.
But policies are policies, and when implemented in each school, they become all sorts of strange things.
Someone like Qin Siyang, who didn't pay tuition and had no future, was considered a leech in the school, not well-liked by the teachers. Even after the apocalypse, the teachers took far more from the school than Qin Siyang ever did.
The homeroom teacher placed his desk in the corner of the classroom, an unnoticed spot.
The same position as in his past life.
Before rebirth, Qin Siyang's heart became lonely because of this, but after rebirth, he found it quite comfortable. At least here, no one would disturb his daydreaming.
Other students took out their textbooks and began to preview the day's lessons. Qin Siyang, however, rested his chin on his hand, gazing out the window at the gods occasionally flying by the Safe Zone.
Could he defeat the gods? What would they taste like?
"Qin Siyang."
At this moment, his daydreaming was interrupted.
He looked up to see a pretty female classmate standing beside him.
"Oh, Li Jingwen, what's up?"
She came, she came.
She brought with her a memory he wished to forget.
Li Jingwen was Qin Siyang's high school classmate.
She could be charming and manipulative.
Now, Qin Siyang found her immature, but among high school peers, her level wasn't low.
No wonder Qin Siyang was strung along by her for three years. He would rather go hungry than not use his work-study money to buy breakfast for Li Jingwen. He also did her homework. For Li Jingwen, Qin Siyang would do anything.
But Li Jingwen never accepted his confessions, always deferring to not wanting to interfere with her studies.
However, whenever Qin Siyang wanted to give up pursuing her, Li Jingwen would find him, encouraging him, saying it was just a test, hoping he would continue.
Such words were hard for a pure-hearted high schooler to refuse.
More captivating than a sword-forging contest, donkey hoof repair, or carpet cleaning.
So Qin Siyang resolutely became a pure love warrior.
Unfortunately, after graduating high school, he found out that Li Jingwen was with Zhou Yang from the neighboring class.
Zhou Yang's family was well-off; his uncle was a director in the education department, and his parents had respectable jobs. Li Jingwen being with him was like crossing half a class.
He still remembered when he saw Li Jingwen and Zhou Yang holding hands, Li Jingwen mocked him:
"So dumb, no wonder you're an orphan!"
In this new life, even though the world had drastically changed, most of his former classmates hadn't.
Seeing Li Jingwen again, he felt no ripples in his heart, even a sense of sudden enlightenment.
The spring breeze returns to the youth, today I finally know who I am.
Love is beautiful, but beware of those who use it for ill.
Li Jingwen said coquettishly, "Qin Siyang, you haven't brought me breakfast for three days."
"Oh, I ate the breakfast myself," Qin Siyang replied indifferently.
Li Jingwen was stunned, then asked in surprise, "What about my breakfast?"
"Didn't you tell me you have breakfast at home, so I don't need to bring it?"
Qin Siyang later found out that Li Jingwen gave the breakfast he brought her to Zhou Yang from the neighboring class, to win him over.
It could be said that to be with Zhou Yang, Li Jingwen worked hard.
Only, she dragged Qin Siyang along in her efforts.
"I was testing you! If you give up so easily, how can I trust being with you in the future?"
Seeing Li Jingwen's mix of anger and coquettishness, Qin Siyang chuckled lightly, "If you can't trust it, then let's not be together. After all, we're not a couple now."
Li Jingwen felt something was wrong with Qin Siyang's response. She didn't understand why Qin Siyang, who used to be at her beck and call, seemed to have changed recently!
But she was eager to get her homework back from Qin Siyang, then go to Zhou Yang to compare answers.
"Then give me my homework."
Qin Siyang opened his backpack, took out three notebooks, and handed them to Li Jingwen.
Li Jingwen took the homework, flipped through two pages, and her eyes widened: "Qin Siyang! Why is the homework blank?!"
"Homework won't write itself. If no one writes it, it's naturally blank."
"But... but you used to help me write it!"
Qin Siyang took out three more notebooks, opened the blank homework section, and showed Li Jingwen: "I haven't even written my own, why should I help you?"
"You! You'll get me scolded by the teacher!"
"Oh."
"Aren't you worried if I get scolded by the teacher?"
Qin Siyang looked at her with amusement, then shrugged: "I got punished by the homeroom teacher yesterday, and you didn't worry about me."
Tears welled up in Li Jingwen's eyes: "Qin Siyang, I feel like you don't like me anymore."
Qin Siyang was unfazed by her acting, instead giving her a thumbs up: "Li Jingwen, that's the first sensible thing you've said all morning."
With that, Qin Siyang leaned against the window, continuing to gaze at the bizarre gods in the sky—would eating them give him a stomachache?
Li Jingwen was completely dumbfounded.
She had arranged to compare homework answers with Zhou Yang and planned to give him the breakfast Qin Siyang had brought her.
Now that Qin Siyang was refusing, how could she explain to Zhou Yang?!
Faced with Qin Siyang's indifference, she angrily said, "Qin Siyang, if you do this, we won't have a future together!"
Qin Siyang chuckled, turned his head, and looked at the calendar hanging at the back of the classroom.
[Blue Star Calendar, January 1, 2010]
[Gregorian Calendar, Friday, New Year's Day.]
[Xia Calendar, Year of the Ox, November 17, Nothing is suitable]
"Who said nothing is suitable today?"
"Isn't this a double blessing!"