Chapter 7: Awakening

Chapter 7: Awakening

Upon seeing Su Muyu genuinely approach him, Lu Heng noticed a slight difference in her personality compared to their previous life.

In their past life, Su Muyu had been gentle, but she would have definitely refused such an unreasonable request.

After all, her life had taken a 180-degree turn, and it was only natural for her personality to change, given that she had escaped such a tragic fate.

The current Su Muyu was more lively and pure-hearted, which was a good thing.

"You should head back to school. After your evening self-study, come find me."

Since Su Muyu was willing to obey his command, Lu Heng decided to help her awaken early.

...

At 9:40 in the evening, the self-study session ended.

Su Muyu arrived at the budget hotel right on time and knocked on the door.

Before coming, she had taken a shower, changed into new clothes, and neatly combed her hair into a ponytail tied at the back of her head. She also wore a blue hair clip to hold back her bangs, revealing her forehead, making her look even more delicate and charming.

However, she wasn't wearing any makeup because she didn't have any cosmetics, and her natural beauty was already striking enough that makeup would have been unnecessary.

Lu Heng opened the door and walked back to the desk, sitting down. "Come in and close the door."

Su Muyu gently closed the door and stood before Lu Heng, feeling a bit nervous.

"Take it off," Lu Heng said casually as he bent down to open the cabinet.

"..."

Su Muyu's expression froze, her face flushing again. She hesitantly fiddled with the buttons of her top but couldn't unbutton a single one for a long time.

Lu Heng took out a stab-resistant vest from the cabinet and handed it to her, saying, "Take off your outerwear and try this on to see if it fits."

Only then did Su Muyu realize her misunderstanding, and her face turned even redder. She quickly took off her outerwear and put on the vest, saying, "It... it fits..."

Then, Lu Heng took out a demon crystal core and placed it on the table. "This is called a Demon Crystal Core. It can awaken humans into Metahumans, but there's also a great cost..."

This demon crystal core was the one Gong Chusheng had taken out before his death.

Lu Heng paused mid-sentence, his gaze fixed on her eyes. After a moment, he continued, "Once you become a Metahuman, you'll be pulled into the Abyss Battlefield to fight against various Abyssal Demons at regular intervals by an unknown force."

"If you lose, you die."

"So, think carefully. Once you decide, there's no turning back."

Su Muyu's chest rose and fell slightly, and after some thought, she asked, "What if I choose not to become a Metahuman? What will we do when there are more and more Abyssal Demons in the future?"

Lu Heng explained to her in a calm tone what the world would be like after the Abyssal descent: "As the number of demons increases, the living space for humans will be continuously compressed.

"However, you can live forever in the highest safety level Human City.

"As long as you maintain your value, you can live out your life in peace."

Su Muyu furrowed her brows and asked, "What if I can't maintain my value forever?"

"When all the Metahumans fighting against demons are gone, those without other value will be thrown into the battle against demons by the Upper Rulers."

Lu Heng paused for a moment before adding, "Your grades are excellent. After getting into a good university, find a way to transfer to a major in Abyssal Studies. You should be able to maintain your status as a researcher and gain residency in the highest safety level Base City."

"What about you?" Su Muyu asked further.

"I'm already a Metahuman, and I'll keep fighting until I uncover the truth behind the Abyssal descent or until I die in battle."

This was Lu Heng's choice, and he had no regrets, no matter the outcome.

Su Muyu weighed the two options in her mind, and finally, she took that step forward, "If I choose to become a Metahuman, will you take me with you?"

She was worried about Lu Heng's refusal and quickly added, "I'll do my best not to be a burden."

She had already decided that if Lu Heng refused, she would go back to her studies, aim for a major in Abyssal Studies, and strive for a residency slot in the Base City for her mother.

In her heart, she felt that the chances of Lu Heng's refusal were high.

After all, women were naturally at a disadvantage in life-and-death battles.

Lu Heng pushed the demon crystal core towards her and said firmly, "If you're willing and obey me from this moment on."

"Whether it's living together or dying together, I will never leave you behind."

Su Muyu was stunned by this promise, as it was a heavy one.

Despite knowing Lu Heng for a short time, she could sense the determination in his voice, as if it were an eternal vow.

Rationally, she felt this promise came too soon, but she couldn't help but want to believe, even if it meant paying the ultimate price of death.

She slowly reached out and picked up the demon crystal core, holding it in her hand and staring at it.

Her mind imagined various possibilities for the future, and after a long while, she made a decision, "How do I use this?"

"Crush it, and absorb the energy within."

"Okay."

Su Muyu followed his instructions, using her right hand to squeeze the crystal core, but it didn't shatter immediately.

"Use a bit more force. These demon crystal cores will decompose into energy when the force reaches a critical point." Lu Heng explained from the side.

Su Muyu clenched the crystal core with both hands and finally crushed it with a "pffft" sound.

The crystal core shattered into countless tiny energy points, which pierced her palm and flowed into her body.

Su Muyu's face showed a look of astonishment, as if she had witnessed something unbelievable.

"Can you see the data now?" Lu Heng asked.

Su Muyu was stunned for a full three seconds before nodding hesitantly, "I can see it... Is this an illusion?"

"No, it's not an illusion. All items and abilities from the Abyss Plane will be presented in the form of data." Lu Heng explained.

Su Muyu's mouth hung slightly open, her astonishment evident, "This data panel seems like a game."

Indeed, it was like a game.

Before her rebirth, someone had proposed a theory that the rules of the Abyss Plane had been modified to resemble a game.

However, this speculation had neither been confirmed nor could it be confirmed.

"What's your initial talent?" Lu Heng reached out and tapped her forehead, snapping her out of her shock and back to reality.

"Summ...Summoning Vision." Su Muyu read out the talent name from the data panel.

"As expected..."

This initial talent was the same as her previous life.

The initial talent hadn't changed despite her different life experiences.

"How many skill slots?" Lu Heng asked.

"Five. My attributes are Strength 7, Agility 8, Constitution 8, Spirit 11, and Perception 11." Su Muyu recited all the data in one breath.

Just like her previous life, Su Muyu had a single talent, but the number of skill slots was impressive—a total of five.

According to official statistics from Xia Country, the average number of initial skill slots for awakened metahumans was 2.15.

Su Muyu's initial five skill slots were the reason she could become a top-tier metahuman even while confined to a wheelchair.

After reporting the data, Su Muyu asked uncertainly, "Is this data poor?"

"Hmm... Your Spirit and Perception attributes are quite high. It's normal for females to have lower Strength. As for the skill slots... there are quite a few." Lu Heng gave his assessment.

Su Muyu rarely played games, but the data on the panel gave her a general idea, "What about the talent? Judging by the talent's name, is it a reconnaissance-type?"

"Yes, it depends on whether you want to develop in that direction." Lu Heng didn't want to restrict her wishes.

"I'll listen to you." Su Muyu didn't know which direction to choose, but she knew what she wanted.

After asking about the data, Lu Heng asked the most critical question, "The most important thing—is there a countdown to the Abyss Battlefield on your data panel?"

"Yes, there's a countdown of 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 45 seconds." Su Muyu nodded and asked, "What's this countdown for?"

Hearing the countdown, Lu Heng was taken aback, as her recruitment countdown was the same as his.

Normally, the recruitment probability for the Abyss Battlefield wasn't high.

It was rare for someone like Su Muyu, who had just awakened, to be recruited with almost no preparation time.

Lu Heng's countdown still had over an hour left. He had planned to help her awaken first, then go through the Abyss Battlefield himself and return to help her afterward.

He hadn't expected her to be recruited directly.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end