Chen Yu stared at the registration form silently.
The white screen reflected faint light across his calm eyes while voices echoed throughout the crowded hall.
Some people sounded nervous.
Others sounded excited.
A few were already discussing future beast souls and sacred-blood creatures as if they had already become famous evolvers.
Chen Yu lowered his gaze slightly.
Most of them would disappear within a few years.
Either dead.
Or trapped forever as ordinary sanctuary hunters.
"Next."
The woman behind the counter sounded exhausted.
Chen Yu stepped forward calmly.
"Name?"
"Chen Yu."
"Age?"
"Sixteen."
"Family background?"
"Alliance military household."
The employee typed lazily across the screen.
"Inherited hyper geno arts?"
"No."
Her expression immediately lost interest.
That reaction was normal.
In this world, background determined almost everything.
Elite families possessed advanced hyper geno arts, expensive beast souls, private training methods, and endless resources.
Ordinary people entered God's Sanctuary with little more than hope.
And hope was usually worthless inside the sanctuary.
"First Sanctuary registration approved."
A metallic sound echoed softly.
"Proceed to Teleport Station Three tomorrow morning."
Chen Yu accepted the identity card quietly before stepping aside.
Around him, excited teenagers immediately surrounded the registration desk.
"What geno art did you learn?"
"My cousin already has mutant geno points!"
"I heard one sacred-blood beast soul sells for enough to buy an apartment!"
The conversations blended together noisily.
Chen Yu walked past them without interest.
Sixteen years ago, he probably would have sounded exactly the same.
Back then, Super Gene had only been a novel.
Entertainment.
Something he read late at night before sleeping.
Then came the truck.
Fast.
Bright headlights.
Screeching brakes.
Pain.
And darkness.
After opening his eyes again, he had already become a crying infant inside a small apartment illuminated by military emergency broadcasts.
At first, he thought it was a dream.
Then he heard the words:
"God's Sanctuary casualty report."
That was the moment he realized where he had been reborn.
Not a peaceful fantasy world.
Not a heroic adventure.
But a world where human lives depended entirely on strength.
And ordinary people died quietly every single day.
Unfortunately…
Unlike the protagonists in novels, he had not awakened any cheat.
No mysterious system.
No invincible AI.
No god-tier cultivation technique.
No hidden bloodline.
Nothing.
Even after sixteen years, he remained completely ordinary.
His talent was average.
His family was ordinary.
The hyper geno arts his father could access through military merits were low-grade public versions used by countless people.
If there was anything special about him…
It was only his memories.
And the knowledge of how terrifying this world would eventually become.
That was why Chen Yu never believed he was special.
People with protagonist syndrome died very quickly inside the sanctuary.
Chen Yu exited the registration building slowly.
Cold evening wind brushed against his face.
The massive Alliance city stretched endlessly beneath the darkening sky while military aircraft crossed overhead.
Everything looked peaceful.
Only people living here understood how fragile that peace truly was.
By the time Chen Yu returned home, the apartment lights were already on.
The smell of food drifted faintly from inside.
He opened the door quietly.
"You're back!"
A cheerful voice immediately rang out.
A young girl rushed toward him excitedly before stopping halfway.
His younger sister narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Did you register successfully?"
Chen Yu removed his shoes calmly.
"Yes."
Her eyes instantly brightened.
"You're finally entering the sanctuary!"
Unlike him, she still viewed the sanctuary with excitement.
Most children did.
Strength.
Beast souls.
Famous evolvers.
To them, the sanctuary was a place where ordinary people could change their fate.
Chen Yu only saw danger.
At the dining table, a tired-looking middle-aged man silently drank water while reading military reports from a transparent screen.
His father.
An ordinary Alliance military evolver.
Not famous.
Not powerful.
Just another soldier surviving in this harsh world.
Most of his work involved patrol duty outside the sanctuary zones, escort missions, and emergency creature response assignments.
Dangerous enough to risk death.
Ordinary enough that nobody remembered your name afterward.
"You registered?"
His father finally spoke without looking up.
"Yes."
Silence followed briefly.
Then the man closed the report screen slowly.
"When do you enter?"
"Tomorrow morning."
His younger sister immediately looked nervous.
"So fast?"
That was how the sanctuary worked.
Once someone reached the proper age and qualifications, entry could happen immediately.
The earlier you entered, the earlier you could begin collecting geno points.
And the earlier you could die.
His father stood up silently before walking toward the bedroom.
A few moments later, he returned holding a dark combat backpack.
Military standard.
Old but carefully maintained.
He placed it onto the table.
"Used it in my First Sanctuary years ago."
Chen Yu looked at the worn bag quietly.
Several scratches covered the surface.
One side had clearly been repaired multiple times.
A silent reminder of survival.
His father lit a cigarette near the balcony window.
"You know what kind of place the sanctuary is?"
"Yes."
"Good."
The man exhaled smoke slowly into the night.
"Then don't act brave."
"Strength matters more than pride in there."
Chen Yu nodded once.
"I understand."