One morning, Han Wu gathered his personal belongings and teleported directly to his classroom. Today held particular significance, as it marked his first day of participation in a major class. As he prepared himself mentally for the event, his arrival in the classroom immediately drew the attention of his fellow classmates.
A student named Sun Qingnian came up to him and began, “Hey, Han Wu, have you heard that this time our major class will involve attempting to survive within a foreign civilization? I’ve heard rumors that we will be going to the college’s much-desired Basic Secret Realm, Zombie Town.”
Han Wu confirmed with a nod. “Yeah, I’ve heard about it.”
Sun Qingnian leaned in and whispered, “I even overheard that some of the seniors are listing very high prices for certain resources that can be obtained in Zombie Town. I think a few of our classmates were summoned by them to discuss this.”
While making that statement, Sun Qingnian cast a brief glance in Xu Tie’s direction. It was obvious that Xu Tie had also been roped into something by some of the seniors.
With confident strides, Xu Tie came up to Han Wu and Sun Qingnian.
“Hey, Han Wu,” he asked, a smirk on his face, “how about a little bet between us for this major class?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“We’ll bet on who does better. If I beat you, you will stay away from Qin Shuang. If you beat me, I’ll leave her alone.”
Han Wu frowned. “Are you out of your mind? This bet is unfair to me. Qin Shuang and I have known each other for ages! I will not cheapen our relationship by using it as a bet. And more importantly, she hates your guts! She’d never go for you anyway, so who wins or loses doesn’t even matter.”
Xu Tie was visibly angered by Han Wu’s words, but he couldn’t refute them as they were undeniably true.
“I just want you to stay the hell away from her. That’s all that matters to me!”
Han Wu scoffed dismissively and paid no further attention to Xu Tie. Qin Shuang, however, having overheard their conversation, walked over.
“Xu Tie,” she said, her voice unusually sharp, “you did say you’d leave me alone if Han Wu ranks higher than you, right?”
Overjoyed that his beloved goddess was speaking to him, Xu Tie declared, “Qin Shuang, my feelings for you are genuine! Why do you keep rejecting me?”
Qin Shuang regarded him with a look of revulsion. “Just answer my question, would you?”
“Yes, that’s right. I won’t even think about you again if he ranks higher than me!”
Qin Shuang nodded and then tugged on Han Wu’s sleeve. “Han Wu, please agree to this! You have to help me out!”
Han Wu was puzzled, wondering why Qin Shuang was so insistent.
“Hey,” he said, looking around, “everyone here is some kind of genius. This is my very first major class, so I honestly don’t know if I'm up for this. What happens to you if I mess up and lose?”
“I have complete faith in you. I know you can do it.”
Seeing how determined she was, Han Wu finally agreed to the bet. She then pulled him to the side and slipped a card into his hand.
“A special seed is sealed within this card. It should prove to be beneficial during this major class,” she explained.
Han Wu shook his head. “You need it as well, don’t you? I actually got some from my seniors already.”
“It’s always better to have more, right? You have to help me get rid of Xu Tie! Think of these seeds as your payment to help me out.” Qin Shuang was being really serious about this.
“Alright, fine, I’ll take it.”
He had a strong feeling that there was something else behind this whole exchange than Qin Shuang was letting on, but since she wasn’t talking, he didn’t want to pry.
Han Wu accepted the seeds, and at that precise moment, Lina entered the classroom. The students, aware that she would be providing details about the major class, promptly settled into their seats.
Lina explained, “I presume that all of you have already heard some details about the upcoming major class. Yes, the central theme of this major class will be your ability to survive in a foreign civilization. Here, power dictates everything, and therefore, the level of difficulty you will encounter will be considerably higher than that of your typical minor classes.
“Still, I have faith in everyone’s abilities. If no one has any questions, we shall now begin the class. It is my sincere hope that everyone will achieve satisfactory results.”
The students were then instantaneously transported into the Basic Secret Realm. Han Wu opened his eyes to find himself standing on a hill overlooking a small town, his classmates gathered around him.
Suddenly, a system message appeared in their minds.
[Emulating Survival Course within a foreign civilization. To prevent detection by the Will of the Civilization, all connections to your divine realms have been severed.]
[As Divine Beings affected by the system of the foreign civilization, all base stats are reduced to those of regular humans.]
[Creating Scoreboard...]
[Context: Zombie Town is an idyllic little town where the resident zombies cheerfully gouge out the brains of visitors. Do not be alarmed by this behavior, as it is simply their way of saying hello. Moreover, every night, they march out from the darkness for a parade...]
The students received no further information beyond that. They were all left in a state of bewilderment, as none of the details seemed particularly helpful or informative.
Even those students who had taken the initiative to read up on Zombie Town were left without a clear understanding of what to expect. The college had only released limited and unclear information regarding the town itself and the kinds of resources one might encounter. There had been no mention of the missions they needed to undertake or how they would accumulate points.
As the students stood around, hoping for additional details, the unmistakable sound of a hungry stomach emanated from within the group.
The student in question blushed slightly. “Uh, yeah, I haven’t had breakfast yet.”
Several of the students reacted with surprise to this revelation. They were Divine Beings who could go months without eating and not even feel a twinge of hunger! Was this what the system meant when it said they had been reduced to regular humans?
“No way!” one student exclaimed, their voice full of panic. “I can’t even open my God equipment Spatial Ring! I’ve stashed a lot of food in there!”
The students rapidly inspected their own God equipment, discovering that none of them could be accessed or used.
Han Wu suddenly remembered that he had stored the bag of seeds within his divine realm, not on his person. He quickly checked his pockets and was surprised to find the seeds already there.
“Hold on,” another student interjected. “I’m still able to access my Divine Powers. I can still inspect things using them.”
“Seriously? Let me try. Hey, you’re right! I can too, but it’s only working for my core race, though...”
Upon inspecting his Divine Powers, Han Wu noted that he still had access to both Sacrifice and Controlled Mutation. The Origin of Mutation, however, was preoccupied with absorbing the Divine Essence and paid no heed to Han Wu’s mental call, remaining unresponsive.
Han Wu cautiously attempted to use some of his skills and was relieved to find that they were still functional. Even though he was now just a regular human, he could still use his skills and showcase extraordinary strength.
After concluding his personal inspection, Han Wu shifted his focus to the town nearby. He was certain that he would be able to uncover more details about the major class once they reached it.
Turning to Qin Shuang, he said, “Come on, let’s go check out the town.”
Qin Shuang nodded and placed both hands on the ground. Right away, a glowing array appeared, and from its center, a gigantic eagle was summoned. After the summoning, however, she appeared visibly drained, indicating that it had been a very taxing endeavor for her.
“I can send you over,” Qin Shuang suggested.
Han Wu declined with a shake of his head and employed his Dark Dragonification skill. A pair of miniature dragon wings unfurled from his back, and he swiftly took flight, Qin Shuang flying close beside him.
Witnessing their departure, the remaining students employed their own unique methods to make their way towards the small town. Some students, like Qin Shuang, summoned beasts of transport like tigers and leopards, while others, like Han Wu, underwent transformations into creatures like werewolves or werebats for quicker travel.
In a curious display, one student picked up a stick, fastened some straw to its tip, and uttered a few unintelligible words. Then, in an apparent act of defying gravity, they floated upwards towards the western sky while astride this makeshift broom.
A small number of unfortunate students who lacked any alternative methods of long-distance travel were left with no choice but to rely on their own legs to run towards the distant town.