Star Abyss Walker

Chapter 5: Are you a player too?
The next morning, I was woken up early by the guards and put on a puncture-resistant combat suit without any attributes. Then I went to the canteen for breakfast and saw many other "experimental subjects" like me.

Everyone remained silent, the only sound the clinking of knives and forks against plates, creating an atmosphere of unbearable oppression.

"you."

Instructor Lakuri appeared, pointed at me, and said, "Number 033, you piece of trash, come with me in a bit."

"Yes, Instructor."

I gave a blank reply.

The other test subjects cast sympathetic glances, but none of them said a word.

After finishing my meal, I was led to the training ground by a guard. There were more than ten other test subjects there, not just me. It was only then that I noticed the letters X033 printed on my combat suit. This was probably my number among the test subjects.

"Today, you will begin your marksmanship training."

Instructor Lakuri stood with his hands behind his back and sneered, "The Deadmines don't tolerate trash. There will be an assessment before the end of each day. The top ten trainees will be selected to join the Vanguard for further training, and may even have the opportunity to join the Grey Worm Chapter and be trained as power armor warriors. But the bottom ten will be eliminated. You should know the consequences very well!"

Everyone was trembling.

I was slightly excited; I could finally touch a gun!

"Take it!"

An instructor handed over a pistol and said, "Try to aim and fire. Be steady and don't rush."

"it is good."

I picked up the pistol, feeling inexplicably excited, released the safety, and began to aim and fire.

"Bang bang bang~~~"

After firing three shots in quick succession, a notification popped up in front of me.

Should I learn the skill "Basic Shooting" (Rank C)?

I've been waiting for it for a long time.

Without hesitation, I added the basic shooting skill icon to my skill panel, which also consumed one skill point.

Unfortunately, there isn't enough skill experience to level up basic shooting.

Even so, having just learned the basic shooting at level 1, a lot of experience and insights suddenly flooded my mind, and I no longer felt like a novice. Instead, I felt that I had developed a certain tacit understanding with this gun, which is probably an advantage of being a player.

……

In the evening, after a day of training, the assessment began.

There were more than sixty people participating in the assessment. With my level 1 basic shooting skill, I could have easily made it into the top ten, but I didn't. Instead, I kept my assessment score at a mid-level, so I wouldn't be selected or eliminated, which was the best outcome.

That evening, all the test subjects were taken to a large hall to learn how to assemble and familiarize themselves with firearms. This was the part I wanted the most, as the skill experience gained from disassembling and assembling a rifle was far greater than that from disassembling and assembling a radio!
So, they frantically plundered skill experience!
Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

At this point, the experience points gained from disassembling and assembling firearms had reached a terrifying 12!

Just enough to upgrade all three skills—Basic Repair, Basic Shooting, and Throwing Techniques—to level 10!
After flashes of light, all three skills reached their maximum level. Basic Repair and Throwing Technique each gained an additional 3 points of Agility and Strength, while Basic Shooting gained a total of 6 points of Agility after leveling up from 1 to 10.

In this way, their combat capabilities were raised to a new level.

【Shadow Chaser】(Main class not yet unlocked)

Rating: 4
Attack: 10-23
Defense: 5
Life: 400
Critical Hit: 0
Charisma: 0
Elemental Power/Psionic Energy: Not yet awakened

Overall combat capability level: 40
Potential Point Allocation: Strength 18 / Agility 12 / Spirit 0 / Stamina 0
Achievements: 0
……

Agility is also one of the essential attributes of sword-type super weapons. A large agility bonus means an increase in attack speed and accuracy. In addition, movement speed is also closely related to agility. In PvP, if a sword-type super weapon class does not have strong agility, it may not even be able to touch the edge of a class like a psionicist or a damage dealer before being killed instantly!
In Star Abyss, there are eight classes: Super Warrior, Psionicist, Star Speaker, Light Priest, Dark Priest, Firearms, Shadow Assassin, and Gene Warrior.

Among them, super warriors are further divided into specialized branches such as sword, hammer, and spear. All super warriors rely on the Yuanli Furnace to obtain a continuous source of power.

In the Star Abyss World, the composition of air is slightly different from that on Earth, consisting of: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.03% carbon dioxide, 0.94% rare gases, and 0.03% primordial energy!
Yuan Qi is widely present on this planet, which is called the "mother planet" by the Star Maple Federation and the Crimson Dragon Kingdom. It is also one of the sources of power of the mother planet. As long as the Yuan Qi Furnace is awakened, the Yuan Qi in the air can be converted into Yuan Qi. Yuan Qi is a kind of power similar to the source of "ancient martial arts" and is highly sought after.

As for psionicists, they rely on the mental furnace. Psionicists are quite rare. Once they awaken the mental furnace, they can unleash superhuman power, similar to mages.

The Star Speaker is a branch of the Psionicists, and can be considered a hidden class. In the closed beta version, it was ridiculously powerful.

Both the Light Priest and Dark Priest professions originate from the theology of the Star Abyss world. This world not only has advanced technology but also the existence of gods. Of course, these two professions are not the kind of priests that people generally think of, wearing robes, wearing crosses, and having a gentle face. In the Star Abyss world, priests wear heavy power armor and wield swords to kill demons; they are not gentle at all.

The Gunner is a class that anyone can take, and it's the only class that can enhance the power of firearms. While the damage output of bullets fired by all players is fixed and determined by the quality of the firearm, the Gunner is different. They can enhance the power of firearms through class skills such as Weapon Charge and Evil Frenzy, making them an indispensable type in a team.

Shadow Assassins are usually awakened by those who have mastered the Mind Forge, because this profession requires drawing power from the warp, which is quite mysterious. However, I'm not very interested in them; they're too fragile and can't wear power armor. After all, survival is the only thing that matters in the Abyss.

As for gene warriors, most players wouldn't choose them. To become a top-tier gene warrior, one must undergo various gene mutation programs and even drastically modify their body to adapt to powerful power armor. Implanting various neural sensors inside the body is considered relatively mild; some gene warriors even have to have their reproductive organs removed.

Based on just the introductions from the closed beta, I already felt that the Gene Warrior class was sensational, so I naturally wouldn't consider it.

A man may not be strong enough, but he cannot be without his second brother!
"...X033!"

A loud voice startled me from my reverie. It was Instructor Lakuri. His gaze was icy as he said, "Come on, five days have passed. Your body can now withstand the second injection of Pandora solution."

Come again?

I squinted. This time, I wasn't too panicked; in fact, I was quite looking forward to it.

Soon after, he was once again firmly strapped to a hospital bed, and then a medical worker injected a second dose of Pandora solution into his arm. This time it was a little different; his arm burned with intense pain.

After being pushed into the small room, my body underwent a series of changes, like a raging fire!
Soon, lines of text appeared before my eyes again—

[Pandora Solution is starting to work!]

Your genes have officially begun to mutate!

You can choose between two evolutionary paths: directed mutation and free mutation!

……

Sure enough, they're exactly the same!
My heart was pounding. Now the same choice was before me again: play it safe and get a B-level evolution skill, or take a gamble and see if I could see a divine skill from a genetic mutation?

"Damn it, we're going all out..."

"No gambler loses every day. No child cries every day."

The next moment, I confirmed that I had chosen the free mutation method to evolve.

Suddenly, a mysterious power surged within him, like a gentle, silent rain nourishing his entire body, even giving every inch of his skin a subtle glow.

Soon, a ding-dong sound reached my ears.

[Congratulations! You have acquired the S-level gene enhancement skill "Bio-Optical Invisibility": Skin cells can distort light to achieve optical invisibility. Each use lasts for 12 seconds, with a 60-second cooldown.]

"Om~~~"

In an instant, my mind went completely blank!
This is an amazing skill; it can even achieve optical invisibility, which is similar to the Shadow Assassin's Shadow Veil skill. It belongs to the stealth category and does not reduce movement speed. In fact, it may be even more useful than the Shadow Assassin's stealth!

My heart is ecstatic!

Soon after, they gradually calmed down.

No, I absolutely cannot let Instructor Lakuri discover this ability, otherwise he will definitely drag me into the concentration camp immediately and turn me into a member of the Dark Tide. I don't want to join such a ruthless organization!

Even if I get electrocuted or die from the pain, I will never switch into combat mode and never reveal this S-level gene enhancement skill!
Sure enough, I was soon pushed into the room where "electroconvulsive therapy" was being administered.

"Failed again?!"

Instructor Lakuri was furious: "Number 033, you useless piece of trash, you wasted two injections of Pandora solution! If it weren't for the fact that your performance in the past few days has been passable, I would have taken you and turned you into fertilizer!"

"Instructor, I didn't want to either..."

"Shut up, shock him!"

"Yes, Instructor!"

A powerful electric current surged through my body, causing me to convulse in pain and nearly lose my mind. But I gritted my teeth and repeatedly refused the system's request to switch to combat mode.

Soon after, he was taken to a room, covered in wounds, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

……

In the afternoon, training continued.

Today's training was close combat. I was assigned a training sword without any attributes. After exchanging a few blows with the close combat tactics instructor, a notification popped up.

Do you wish to learn the skill "Basic Swordsmanship" (Rank C)?

finally come!

I was overjoyed. Swordsmanship Basics is the foundational skill for sword-wielding super warriors. Learning it can greatly enhance the killing power of swords and also provide various sword techniques, making it the specialty of this profession.

Unfortunately, I'm only level 4 at the moment and don't have enough skill points to learn it, so I added it to my "reserve skills" list. I can just confirm and learn it when I have enough skill points.

……

After practicing swordsmanship, they began training in marksmanship, with a group of test subjects huddled together shooting at targets.

"Hey, 033 bro!"

Suddenly, a handsome experimental subject wearing a combat suit walked over and said in a low voice, "You must be the player Chasing Shadow, right?"

(End of this chapter)