A week later...

I slowly opened my eyes, finding myself in an unfamiliar place. After a moment of reflection, I recalled that I had traveled to another world. I prepared and ate some food, and though I found it difficult at first, the memories of the body's original owner made the experience less uncomfortable.

Surprisingly, I had adapted quickly to life here, feeling only a faint sense of strangeness. Some of my actions had changed, but fortunately, the original owner had no friends, so there was no one to notice the difference.

Today, I didn't go to work. I still had some bread left at home—though calling it a home is generous; it's more of a cottage.

I stepped outside, deciding to wander around the area. There was still time before the test.

The huts, the dirt, the foul smell, the exhaustion...

These were my first impressions of the place. It was far worse than the slums of my previous life. Oddly, I wasn’t too bothered by it.

The people looked like walking corpses—eyes dull and lifeless, driven by hunger with nothing to eat. Everyone was painfully thin, myself included, though I was slightly better off than most.

I glanced up at the sky, noticing its reddish-blue hue. Even the sky was different from my original world. A wave of homesickness hit me, something I hadn’t expected to feel so soon.

Shaking off the feeling, I headed toward the southern part of the slave area, where the guards who manage this place gather. It was also where the testing would take place.

After a few minutes of walking, I arrived. There were countless children—perhaps a thousand—gathered around, their eyes wide with curiosity. I couldn’t blame them; this place was starkly different from the rest of the slave area.

Being from the 20th century, I wasn’t overly concerned. There were things I didn’t know, but I could learn them later. I found a good spot and sat down to wait.

After a quarter of an hour...

"Stand up now, slaves!" a voice boomed.

"Quickly, now!"

The examiner's shout snapped me back to the present. I stood in the middle of the line, where more than a dozen machines were set up to measure talent.

The first child stepped forward and touched a stone. I couldn’t see clearly, but it seemed the boy lowered his head and walked away—perhaps he had failed.

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After another quarter of an hour...

Finally, it was my turn. Despite my earlier confidence, I was nervous. The thought of remaining a slave for life terrified me. In this world, to control one's destiny, one must have power.

The examiner gave me a look, urging me to step forward. I did, stopping before a stone that seemed ordinary at first glance.

I placed my hand on the stone, and it began to glow with a strong white light. Relief washed over me—this meant I had an affinity, just like I had observed with the other children.

The examiner’s expression shifted to one of surprise, and perhaps a hint of joy.

I didn’t hesitate. "Sir, what is my affinity?" I asked directly.

"I don't know," he replied.

I frowned in confusion, and he explained, "This device only measures whether you have an affinity and gives a rough estimate of its strength. Based on the light, it appears you have over 70% affinity, which is very good." His tone was much more respectful now, as if he no longer saw me as a mere slave.

"How do I find out which element I have an affinity for?" I pressed.

"You'll need to go to the city," he said. "There’s a machine there that can measure your specific affinity. It’s quite expensive, which is why it’s not used here. Normally, only ten out of a thousand have any affinity, and it's often weak."

He must have noticed my thoughts because he added, "Don't worry, with your strong affinity, you’ll be allowed into the city and can even shed your slave status. No matter what kind of affinity you have, you’ll secure a good position in the army. If your abilities are rare, the administration might even send you to the city's most prestigious academy—Hope School." He looked at me with a hint of envy as he said this.

I paid no attention to his envy, focusing instead on his words. The thought of shedding my slave identity and entering the city filled me with excitement, perhaps due to the lingering memories of the body’s original owner.

The guard noticed my enthusiasm and smiled. "You'll need to wait until the evaluation is over, and then we'll take you for your affinity test."

I nodded quickly and sat down nearby to wait.

After several hours, the evaluation finally ended. I was led to a room where I saw seven other children, all around my age, dressed in tattered clothes.

"Hey Alan, these are the others who’ll be going with you to the city. They all have elemental affinities, though theirs aren’t as strong as yours," the supervisor explained kindly. He had introduced himself earlier while I was waiting and had asked for my name.

The other children looked at me curiously, but I ignored them and asked, "When do we leave?"

"You can leave now, but before that, you should gather any belongings you want to take with you. It might be difficult to return here later. You have an hour—if you're late, I'll leave without you," he replied.

The other children panicked at this, some choosing not to return home out of fear of being left behind, while others went to bid farewell to their families, hoping their future success might elevate them from this place. As for me, there was nothing of importance at home. In the slave area, money is scarce; everything is bartered.

After some thought, I decided to return home. I went inside and removed a piece of cloth from my room's wall, revealing a small hole. Reaching inside, I pulled out a ring.

The ring was beautiful, crafted from shiny silver, with a stunning purple diamond set in its center.

I stared at it greedily before hiding it in my clothes. Though I didn’t know its exact value, I was certain it was worth a fortune. I’d be a fool to wear it openly.

The person who raised the original owner of this body had told him that the ring was found with him when someone delivered him to the commander of the security forces in the slave area.

It seemed the original owner had not realized its worth, but he had cherished it nonetheless, keeping it safe. Robert had wisely advised him to keep it hidden.

As I gazed at the ring, it became clear that the original owner's background was not simple. But why had he been abandoned in the forest if he came from such a background? The situation reeked of conspiracy.

This wasn’t the time to delve into the original owner’s past, though. I was still too weak. For now, I would keep the ring, and if necessary, sell it later.

After securing the ring, I returned to the meeting place the supervisor had indicated.

I found everyone already there, despite only half an hour passing. They all seemed afraid that the supervisor would leave without them.

We were then taken out of the slave area in a large vehicle, different from anything in my previous life. It was spacious, holding about ten people, and armed in case of an attack by small monsters. An armored vehicle accompanied us for added protection.

Although the city was only ten kilometers away, I understood their caution—monster attacks in the slave area were common, claiming many lives. It was a small mercy that my house was close to the security center, sparing me from such a fate.

The city’s design was clear as we approached—surrounded by four areas designated for slaves from the north, south, east, and west. It was evident that we weren’t regarded as human. The slave areas served as the first line of defense against monster waves, and each was situated about ten kilometers from the city. I’d heard that the northern region had been attacked a few years ago and nearly wiped out.