Coming out of the War God's Mansion, Cheng Xing turned and got on the bus, watching the bustling streets outside the window gradually become old and dilapidated, his mind filled with plans for the future.
Anyone who reaches 18 years old will Awaken, but the Awakened talents are varied, and not everyone's talent is suitable for combat.
Take Cheng Yun's A-grade talent, Swordsaint, for example; his talent is a typical combat talent. As long as he continuously kills Disaster Beast, it will be easy for him to advance to A-grade in the future.
But that doesn't mean construction and research talents are bad. After all, the bus he is currently sitting on, and the entire South China Base, are the creations of those Awakener with architectural and research talents.
"Open panel."
"Name: Cheng Xing"
"Level: 1 (0/100)"
"Health: 100"
"Attributes: Strength 2, Agility 2, Constitution 2, Spirit 2, Free Attribute Points 0"
"Talent: SSS-grade Drop Rate Increase Effect: 100% Drop Rate"
"Skills: None"
Opening the unique Awakener panel, the information on it was very concise and clear at a glance.
"I need to find a low-level Disaster Area to test my talent's effect and level up at the same time."
All Awakeners, to level up, have only one path: killing Disaster Beast, even those with architectural or research talents.
And the level of talent only represents the strength of the talent itself, not the height of the Awakener.
"H District has arrived. Passengers, please..."
The bus arrival announcement brought Cheng Xing's thoughts back, and he immediately got up and got off.
Unlike the A District, where the War God's Mansion is located in the center of the South China Base, the H District belongs to the base's edge. The surrounding buildings are noticeably more dilapidated, with old, small structures everywhere and no tall buildings. Not far away is a high wall tens of meters tall.
It is said that this was the old urban area of Y City before the apocalypse, later transformed into the H District of the South China Base.
Cheng Xing skillfully walked through the alleys, warmly greeting the neighbors. Compared to the luxurious A District, he preferred the H District; it had more of a living atmosphere.
Soon, Cheng Xing arrived at an old, dilapidated building at the corner of the wall. After navigating the maze-like stairwell, he finally returned home.
Calling it home, it was actually just a small room of about ten square meters. Besides a bed, a table, and chairs, there was nothing else. The only advantage was the low rent.
Back home, Cheng Xing expertly searched under the bed and soon pulled out a machete and a travel bag.
This machete was picked up in a supermarket not long after the apocalypse began and stayed with him until the South China Base was established.
Checking the time, Cheng Xing put the machete into his travel bag, changed into faded casual clothes, and went out.
He walked east along the high wall.
If it were as usual, he would walk west, where there was a secret passage.
After all, in principle, unawakened individuals are not allowed to leave the city, but no one would leave the city before Awakening unless absolutely necessary.
It was different now; he had Awakened and could leave the city through official channels.
Soon, a huge steel gate appeared before him. The steel gate was open, and in front of it was a camp.
This camp belonged to the Adventurers' Guild, and Awakeners who constantly ventured into the Disaster Area outside and earned money by killing Disaster Beast were called Adventurers.
The Adventurers' Guild was not a strictly managed organization. It was established simply to facilitate the collection of Disaster Beast materials and to guide Awakeners in leveling up and exploring the Disaster Area.
Moreover, the threshold was extremely low; any Awakener could register, so for ordinary people, becoming an Adventurer was the best choice for crossing social strata.
Among the five major bases in China, many syndicates, families, and War Gods grew step by step by becoming Adventurers.
This was also why Cheng Xing disdained returning to the Cheng Family.
In the Adventurers' camp, there were many backpackers like Cheng Xing, and also many Adventurers wearing expensive equipment, who were clearly higher-level Adventurers.
"E-grade Disaster Beast subjugation team, seeking E-grade Adventurers and above!"
"Qingyun Mountain Disaster Area adventure team recruiting, seeking D-grade Adventurers and above!"
"Newbie leveling self-improvement team, seeking E-grade combat talent and above!"
"One-on-four leveling team, seeking E-grade Adventurers and above, price negotiable!"
...
The sounds of recruitment and team formation echoed continuously throughout the Adventurers' camp. Cheng Xing even saw a few classmates from his neighboring class.
Cheng Xing did not linger, walking directly to the counter. The person responsible for registration behind the counter was a young beauty, and when she saw Cheng Xing, her eyes lit up.
"So handsome."
"Hello, I want to register as an Adventurer," Cheng Xing said, handing over his application form.
After taking the application form and seeing the information on it, the smile on the counter lady's face subtly disappeared.
"F-grade talent? What a pity."
Cheng Xing did not pay attention to the counter lady's change.
The registration process was not slow, and soon the counter lady returned with a nameplate.
"This is your Adventurer ID plate. Please keep it safe. The initial registration plate is free, but if lost, subsequent replacements will incur a fee."
The nameplate felt heavy in his hand, gleaming with a yellow metallic luster. A simple letter "F" was engraved on the front, and his name was on the back, simple and unadorned.
"To upgrade to E-grade, you need to reach Level 10 yourself and participate in the hunting of an E-grade Disaster Beast."
After listening to the counter lady's explanation, Cheng Xing thanked her and hung the nameplate around his neck, preparing to leave the city.
"Hey, brother?"
Cheng Xing hadn't gone far when he was suddenly called out to.
A young man in his early twenties quickly ran over, then swiftly scanned the nameplate hanging on Cheng Xing's chest. Like someone who had found prey, he quickly put on a professional smile.
Being looked at like that, Cheng Xing frowned slightly, then calmly asked, "Is there something you need?"
His tone already carried a hint of rejection.
"Hehehe, brother, you just registered as an Adventurer today, right? Are you planning to team up to level up?"
Liu Gu seemed oblivious, rubbing his hands and talking to himself.
"It's very difficult for newly registered Adventurers to find a team. I have a team here, and I, an E-grade Adventurer, will personally lead it. It's only 10,000 chinese yuan per person per day."
"Thank you, I don't need it." So this was a salesman. Cheng Xing shook his head and refused.
"Are you saying it's too expensive? Let me tell you, my price is already the lowest."
Liu Gu did not give up, persisting relentlessly.
His own talent was only E-grade, and he had painstakingly leveled up to 10. Then he spent a fortune to join an E-grade Disaster Beast 'slacking' team, finally advancing to an E-grade Adventurer.
He had intended to rely on his E-grade Adventurer status to join teams, but he was rejected by other teams due to his own insufficient strength. Without a team, he had no income, so he had no choice but to target those newly registered low-talent Adventurers.
As long as he took these 'small fry' to a low-level Disaster Area and killed a few Level 1 F-grade Disaster Beast, he could make a lot of money.
Afterward, if anyone pursued the matter, how could a group of low-talent useless people possibly do anything to him?
"I don't need it."
Cheng Xing still refused, walking around Liu Gu and preparing to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't be like that. You're going to team up anyway. How about this, I'll give you a 10% discount. My team is 4 waiting for 1, just missing you."
Liu Gu stepped forward again. He had been eyeing this 'small fry' for a long time. An F-grade talent useless person couldn't be allowed to escape like this.
"I wasn't planning to team up either." Cheng Xing was repeatedly stopped, his brows furrowed. After a pause, he continued, "Besides, I don't have any money."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Liu Gu's face immediately darkened. He hadn't expected to waste so much breath, thinking he had found a 'small fry,' only to find out he was a pauper.
"What?! You, an F-grade talent, are going out alone?!"
Thinking this, Liu Gu spoke loudly without explanation, feigning indignation.
His loud voice immediately drew the attention of others in the camp.
"Huh? Isn't that Cheng Xing from Class 1? Didn't he Awaken only an F-grade talent? How dare he go into the Disaster Area alone?"
"An F-grade talent dares to go into the Disaster Area alone? Is he tired of living?"
"Exactly, that's not how you seek death."
...
Those students from Hua Nan Fourth High School also recognized Cheng Xing, which then led to a flurry of discussions among the crowd.
Facing the crowd's words, Cheng Xing's expression immediately turned cold, and he glanced at the instigator.
For some reason, Liu Gu was startled and took a step back.
Cheng Xing's inner thoughts remained undisturbed, and he retorted, "Is there a rule that one cannot leave the city alone?"
"No, there isn't."
Liu Gu was speechless for a moment. Then, under their astonished gazes, Cheng Xing entered the Disaster Area alone.
After Cheng Xing left, Liu Gu finally reacted, saying viciously, "Pah, an F-grade talent acting all high and mighty. I bet this guy is dead for sure."
"What if he comes back alive?"
"Comes back alive? Dream on. Do you think he's an S-grade talent?"
...