"Little Allen," the supervisor called.

His voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I turned to look at him.

"Do you know about the classification of animals, their power levels, and so on?" the supervisor asked.

"I know a little," I replied, as my knowledge was limited to a few basic things.

"Let me fill you in, just in case," he continued. "When a person discovers their racial affinity, they seek out animals that share that affinity. Most animals have their abilities documented by humans, but there are rare exceptions. These rare creatures possess unknown or special powers, often monopolized by certain families."

I nodded, encouraging him to go on. This was new information to me.

"Back to our main topic," he resumed. "At school, you’ll learn skills tailored to your element, ensuring your talent isn’t squandered on random abilities. A person can absorb a maximum of nine special skills. Human powers fall into two categories: warriors and practitioners of supernatural abilities, also known as Aspers. Some prodigies manage to excel in both."

He paused to see if I was following along. I nodded again. The other children listened intently, likely hearing this for the first time. Had I not been here, they might have remained ignorant.

"As I mentioned, human powers are divided into two categories, each with nine stages. These stages are further split into four levels: early, intermediate, advanced, and the stage of perfection," he continued.

"Mental or spiritual abilities can be cultivated through meditation, while physical strength is honed through combat training. Of course, there are supplementary aids like rare herbs, potions, and other resources."

"That’s the gist of it. There’s more about meditation techniques and such, but you’ll learn all that in school."

"Thank you, sir, for the information," I said, genuinely appreciative.

"No need to thank me," he replied. "I see potential in you. I might call on you for a favor someday in return for this kindness. Here, take this money; you’ll need it in the city."

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I accepted the money, aware of the envious gazes of the other children. As for the implied debt, I had anticipated that. His interest in me, coupled with his disregard for the others, made it clear. But that was fine. If I could repay him someday, I would. If not, I’d simply ignore it.

Soon, we approached a wall, but before we reached it, I noticed the supervisor pulling out a strange card. Curious, I looked at him.

He noticed my questioning glance and explained, "Haha, this is just a key to the barrier, a transparent sphere that’s invisible to you at your current level. It protects the city from external threats like monster attacks. This card lets us open a small passage to enter."

After a moment of reflection, he added, "It requires a lot of energy crystals, which is why we can’t afford to place it around the slave areas."

"Thanks for explaining," I said, deep in thought.

He seemed worried I might resent the city or act rashly, so he explained the cost. But since they could afford to surround the city, many times larger than the slave quarters, with a barrier, I knew he wasn’t being entirely honest. Not that I cared much for the slave quarters, so it didn’t matter.

We reached a checkpoint where some guards approached. Their uniforms differed from those in the slave area. After a brief exchange, they allowed us entry. What I saw next stunned me.

Skyscrapers towered above, flying vehicles zoomed past, and advertisements flashed everywhere. Seeing all this, I had to reassess the technological advancement of this world. From the memories of this body’s previous owner, I hadn’t expected such development. It seemed they had surpassed even my original world.

The supervisor noticed our amazement and proudly explained, "This is the city. Those vehicles you see flying are only affordable for the wealthy and big businessmen. That large building over there?"

He pointed to the tallest structure. "That’s the city center, where the city lord and his family live. The city lord is Mo Qing, head of the Mo family."

I brushed off the unfamiliar name. It was clear I was no longer in America but in China. Fortunately, after the monster invasion, English had become the global lingua franca, enforced so strictly that anyone speaking another language was punished. Harsh as it was, it had its benefits—you could converse confidently with anyone. As for who established this law and how, all I knew was that it was decreed by the Global Union, a coalition of all the world’s nations.

I was pulled from my thoughts by the supervisor’s voice.

"...It's also a hub for artists—actors, singers, and the like. That other building houses the Adventurers' Union, where you can take on missions like guarding goods or hunting monsters, and exchange their corpses and cores," he explained.

It seemed I had missed part of his explanation, but it probably wasn’t important.

While he spoke, we arrived at the only examination center in the city where they test for affinity and determine your elemental alignment. The supervisor led us into a large building, and we entered, glancing around. He guided us to an elevator, much to the astonishment of the children.

Finally, we arrived at what appeared to be the sixth floor, where the tests would be conducted. The hall was spacious, and there weren’t many people around.

"Follow me," the supervisor instructed.

We followed him to a room with five seats, each equipped with a helmet, and a person standing nearby, seemingly recording something.

"Oh, you’ve finally arrived! Running a bit late, I see," said a stranger, addressing the supervisor.

"Apologies, Dr. Ling. We encountered some delays," the supervisor replied calmly.

"No worries. Let’s start examining the children. Five of you, take a seat. The rest will have to wait until they’re done."

I immediately moved to take the first seat. I wasn’t like those protagonists who insist on going last. The other children, whose names I hadn’t bothered to learn, followed suit. I noticed the supervisor talking to Dr. Ling and pointing in my direction. He was probably discussing my high affinity.

Dr. Ling approached and said, "Once you put on the helmet, the test will begin. Just focus on sensing the elements around you and leave the rest to the machine." He then placed the helmet on my head, his eyes filled with anticipation.