Chapter One: Chosen

Page (1/3)

Z University, a second-tier institution situated in a mid-sized city.

As dusk settled, the chime marking the end of class interrupted the professor’s relentless lecture at the podium. Hastily, he shut down his computer and rushed from the classroom.

Outside, the professor’s voice echoed, announcing the end of class, and the stagnant atmosphere was abruptly stirred. Students began gathering their belongings in small groups, the sound of backpacks being zipped and books shuffled breaking the silence.

In the back row, Chen Qi rose to his feet, leisurely packing his books into his bag before walking alone toward the exit. Voices drifted past—girls discussing a drama, boys talking about the NBA—but Chen Qi kept an impassive face and quickened his pace.

As he walked, a strange heaviness pressed upon his chest, as if the world itself was becoming weightless and untethered. The air carried a vague scent of earth or dust, giving him the sense of decay, as if he were teetering on the edge of oblivion.

Yet, deep within, a peculiar tremor pulsed at his heart, as though something momentous was about to unfold.

Outside the classroom, couples strolled hand in hand, boys headed off to play basketball. Chen Qi touched the stubble on his chin, not yet clean-shaven, and lit a cigarette.

It was a skill he’d only just learned that year, and he still found the smoke harsh.

Suppressing his discomfort, Chen Qi exhaled slowly, pausing to observe the students passing by.

No one paid any mind to a stranger lingering nearby.

For a third-year student, the looming pressure of graduation season weighed on every nerve.

But for Chen Qi, days passed in a monotonous, uneventful rhythm—neither worry nor joy, no ambition, no dreams.

He ate a hasty dinner, then sat at the table, lost in thought, so absent that he barely noticed the cafeteria worker clearing away his plate.

The strange tremor within him only grew more pronounced as time passed.

Only when the lights in the dining hall were turned off and he was ushered out did Chen Qi realize, with a jolt, that he’d lost another evening—a time he could have used to study, improve himself, or even play. Anything would have been more meaningful than blankly staring into space.

...

With a thud, Chen Qi threw himself onto his bed, the sound of his roommate’s game echoing nearby.

“What’s happening to me?” he muttered, then closed his eyes...

At midnight, ink-black clouds spread across the sky, while the moon failed to cast its glow upon the city.

A crack of thunder jolted Chen Qi awake. He looked anxiously toward the window, where the streetlights had mysteriously gone out, and utter darkness poured over the university.

“Are you guys asleep yet?” came the voice of the second roommate from the adjacent bed.

“I can’t sleep. I’m worried about finding a job after graduation,” replied the fourth.

“As a local, I’ll probably just get a job at a state-owned enterprise in K City, work for a few years, go on blind dates, settle down, and that’ll be my whole life.”

“What about you, Chen Qi?” the second asked.

“I... I...” Chen Qi found himself unable to speak, uncharacteristically tongue-tied.

Time slipped by, and soon the second roommate was snoring heavily, while the fourth began mumbling unintelligibly in his sleep.

Chen Qi tossed and turned, a nameless sorrow flooding his heart. The deep darkness could not conceal the unease beneath his calm exterior.

“I don’t know what I want. I only know that this isn’t the life I desire,” he said to himself, a few tears unwittingly slipping from the corners of his eyes.

The oppressive night seemed powerless to lull him to sleep, and waves of melancholy surged from the depths of his soul.

Reason urged him to sleep, to face the challenges of the day ahead.

Page (2/3)

Thunder rolled again, casting a brief flash of light across Chen Qi’s contorted face.

He was utterly sleepless, tossing about in agony.

“Perhaps I’ll have to endure until dawn,” he whispered, a quiet sorrow clinging to him.

He looked up at the gray, suffocating sky, which felt like an invisible net trapping his thoughts and emotions.

Though he felt the urge to cry out, an inexplicable pressure bound him tightly, stifling his voice and leaving him submerged in the profound yet hollow expanse of stars.

In many corners of the world, powerful obsessions persist. Whether by fortune or misfortune, some relentless longings eventually echo back.

Time passed unyieldingly, indifferent to human will. After an eternity of torment, Chen Qi suddenly sensed the gaze of a tremendous, transcendent will.

It was a feeling beyond words, carved into the depths of human DNA—a tiny ant looking up at the heavens, an ancient soul gazing at the starry sky, a shock that reverberated through the soul.

[Are you willing to pursue the ascension of life, even if the price is your very existence?]

A wave of ancient, cryptic energy emanated from the great will.

“I...” Chen Qi struggled to respond, but was struck dumb by a terror beyond comprehension.

His heart raced at an unprecedented speed, blood surging as if it might burst from his veins.

Each second was agony, like a heretic staring directly at the divine.

[Decision timer: five minutes]

[4:59][4:58]...

Blood-red numbers counted down. Chen Qi guessed that if the timer reached zero and he hadn’t made a choice, he would return to his ordinary life, and tomorrow’s sun would rise as usual.

[0:05][0:04]...

As the time neared its end, Chen Qi felt no relief. Instead, he sensed he was losing something infinitely precious—something he had longed for.

Or perhaps, he had nothing left to lose.

Finally, in the last instant before the countdown ended, a flash of insight struck him: “I am willing!”

In his heart, perhaps everyone harbors such a fantasy: “Though I am but dust, my soul yearns for the sky.”

His consciousness blurred as if struck, the world around him twisting and reassembling in ways he had never experienced.

In his final moments of awareness, he vaguely sensed a welcoming pulse from the great will...

[Body transmission in progress...]

[15%, 55%, 99%—Transmission complete. Lifeform detected in a living state, selected in accordance with Initial Ordinance 20002...]

[Beep... According to Initial Ordinance 20002, the chosen will be granted a unique first world opportunity. Transmission will begin in ten minutes.]

Chen Qi slowly awakened, struggling to look around. The starry sky shifted in mysterious patterns, and he found himself in a transparent room, surrounded by the cosmic expanse.

[Welcome to 'Sprout Space.' You may ask questions, and the space will answer according to your access level.]

[Beep... You have received three Level 1 question permissions.]

Wary of the unfamiliar, Chen Qi did not immediately ask anything.

Beneath him, the ground felt solid, as though he were walking amid the stars. Above, a bright red countdown reminded him that time was precious here.

“Where is this place?” Chen Qi summoned his courage, taking a few steps before asking his first question.

Page (3/3)

[This is Sprout Space, created by #### to cultivate novices. You will spend your first stage to ## here, traveling to various worlds to fulfill tasks for the space. Rewards will be granted; everything you desire is here, if you survive. (# indicates insufficient access to view.)]

Fortunately, as a self-proclaimed recluse who had read many “infinite flow” novels, Chen Qi adapted quickly after a brief moment of shock.

Seeing that he’d used up one question, Chen Qi learned his lesson about wasting permissions on background queries. He timidly asked his second question: “What should I do?”

The space seemed surprised by his inquiry, pausing before responding:

[Accept reality quickly. After 7:27, complete as many tasks as possible in the new world.]

As if feeling the answer was too simple for this level of permission, another message appeared:

[The novice-exclusive world is a benefit for newcomers. Dig for as many tasks as possible.]

“Benefit?” Chen Qi murmured, then fell silent, unwilling to waste his last question.

He stared at the starry sky, which seemed to gaze back at him, the countdown ticking away as a reminder that time was not still.

He sensed that this change might be a blessing.

Finally, as the timer reached zero, darkness swallowed him.

[Transmission commencing...]

——————————

Chen Qi woke again, finding himself lying face-down on grass, holding a rifle, clad in a red-and-black school uniform with an ID badge pinned to his chest—a typical high school student’s attire. On the other side of his chest, a strange device pulsed with green light.

Gentle sunlight warmed him, inducing a drowsiness more than anything else. He stood and looked around, recognizing the setting as a school, with a five-story classroom building nearby.

“Damn it, why do students have guns?” Chen Qi cursed, preparing to find someone to ask about his situation. Suddenly, a burning sensation flared on his chest.

A pale green seed tattoo appeared, branded onto his skin.

A prompt flashed before his eyes, or rather, directly in his mind. Even with his eyes closed, the message remained vivid.

The prompt read:

Enter world: Earth (Derivative)
World difficulty: C (Easy)
Setting: Modern technological world
World overview: The powerful Northern Alliance dominates the northern region, exerting immense pressure on surrounding areas. Hatred, oppression, and purges quietly spread along its borders. With defeat on the main battlefield, the struggle shifts to the shadows. Under covert support from Western nations, unrest surges toward the Northern Alliance.
Main task: Survive
Warning: Do not mention anything related to ‘Sprout Space’ in this world. If warnings are ignored, elimination will follow!
Notice: Since this is your initial exclusive world, you will automatically master the local language for the duration of your stay.
Notice: This is a single-player world; you will not encounter other chosen or contracted individuals.
Warning: Death in this world equals death for the chosen!
World transmission commencing!