Are you also a player?

The next morning, I was woken up early by a guard. I put on a piercing-resistant combat suit with no stats and then headed to the mess hall to eat. That's where I saw many "test subjects" like myself.

Everyone was silent, the only sound being the clinking of cutlery against plates. The atmosphere was indescribably oppressive.

"You."

Instructor Lakuri appeared, pointing at me. "No. 033, you trash, come with me later."

"Yes, Instructor."

I replied numbly.

The other test subjects cast sympathetic glances my way but said nothing.

After eating, I was led to the training grounds by a guard. It wasn't just me; there were over ten other test subjects. It was then that I noticed the letters "X033" printed on my combat suit. This was probably my designation among the test subjects.

"Today, you will begin training your marksmanship."

Instructor Lakuri clasped his hands behind his back and sneered, "The Death Mine doesn't keep trash. There will be an assessment at the end of each day. The top ten trainees will be selected for advanced training in the Vanguard, with a chance to enter the Gray Bug Regiment and be trained as Power Armor warriors. However, the bottom ten will be eliminated. You all know the consequences!"

Everyone trembled.

As for me, I felt a slight thrill. I could finally hold a gun!

"Take this!"

An instructor handed me a handgun. "Try to aim and shoot. Be steady, don't rush."

"Okay."

I took the handgun, feeling an inexplicable excitement. I released the safety and began to aim and shoot.

"Bang, bang, bang~~~"

After three consecutive shots, a prompt appeared before my eyes.

[Do you want to learn the skill Basic Shooting (C-rank)?]

I had been waiting for this for a long time.

Without hesitation, I added the Basic Shooting skill icon to my skill panel, consuming one skill point.

Unfortunately, I didn't have any more skill experience to level up Basic Shooting.

Even so, having just learned Basic Shooting at Lv1, I still gained a lot of experience. Insights suddenly flooded my mind, and I no longer felt like a novice. I felt a slight sense of synergy between myself and this gun, which was probably an advantage of being a player.

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

There were over sixty participants in the assessment. With my Lv1 Basic Shooting, I could have easily placed in the top ten, but I didn't. Instead, I controlled my assessment score to a mid-level, ensuring I wouldn't be selected or eliminated. This was for the best.

At night, all the test subjects were brought into a large hall to learn and familiarize themselves with firearms, assembling and disassembling them. This was the part I wanted most. Gaining skill experience from assembling and disassembling a rifle was much more than from a radio!

So, I frantically accumulated skill experience!

Four days passed in the blink of an eye.

By now, the experience gained from assembling and disassembling firearms had reached a staggering 120,000!

This was just enough to level up Basic Repair, Basic Shooting, and Throwing Skill to Lv10!

With a series of flashes of light, all three major skills reached their maximum level. Basic Repair and Throwing Skill each granted an additional 3 points of Agility and Strength, respectively. Basic Shooting, after leveling up from Lv1 to Lv10, had provided a total of 6 points of Agility.

As a result, my combat power level increased significantly.

[Shadow Chaser] (Main Class Not Unlocked) Level: 4 Attack: 10-23 Defense: 5 Health: 400 Critical Hit: 0 Charm: 0 Essence/Psionic Energy: Not yet awakened Overall Combat Power Level: 40 Potential Points Allocation: Strength 18 / Agility 12 / Spirit 0 / Stamina 0 Achievements: 0

Agility is also one of the essential attributes for Sword Specialization Super Weapon Masters. A large Agility bonus means an increase in attack speed and accuracy. Furthermore, movement speed and other factors are also closely related to Agility. In PK, if a Sword Specialization Super Weapon Master lacks strong Agility, they would likely be instantly defeated by classes like Psionicists or Firepower Specialists before even getting close.

In Star Abyss, there are eight major classes: Super Weapon Master, Psionicist, Star Speaker, Light Priest, Dark Priest, Firepower Specialist, Shadow Assassin, and Gene Warrior.

Among them, Super Weapon Masters are further divided into specialized branches such as Sword Specialization, Hammer Specialization, and Gun Specialization. All Super Weapon Masters rely on the Essence Furnace to obtain an endless supply of power.

In the Star Abyss world, the composition of the air is slightly different from Earth's: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.03% carbon dioxide, 0.94% rare gases, and 0.03% Essence!

Essence is widely present on this planet, which the Star Maple Federation and Crimson Dragon Country call "Mother Star," and it is one of the sources of Mother Star's power. As long as one awakens the Essence Furnace, they can convert the Essence in the air into Essence Power. Essence Power is a type of power source similar to "ancient martial arts" and is highly sought after.

As for Psionicists, they rely on the Essence Furnace. Psionicists are quite rare, and once they awaken the Essence Furnace, they can unleash superhuman strength, similar to mages.

Star Speakers are a branch of Psionicists, considered a hidden class, and were outrageously strong in the closed beta.

The Light Priest and Dark Priest classes both originate from theology in the Star Abyss world. In this world, not only advanced technology exists, but gods also exist. Of course, these two classes are not the kind of priests people commonly imagine—those who wear robes, carry crosses, and are gentle. In the Star Abyss world, priests wear heavy Power Armor, wield swords, and slaughter demons; they are not gentle.

Firepower Specialists can be taken up by anyone and are the only class that can enhance the power of firearms. The lethality of bullets fired by all players through firearms is fixed and determined by the quality of the firearm. However, Firepower Specialists are different; they can enhance firearm power through weapon charging and skills like Evil Tide. They are an indispensable type in a team.

Shadow Assassins are generally taken up by awakened Essence Furnace users because this class needs to draw power from subspace, making it very mysterious. However, I don't have much interest in it; it's too fragile and cannot wear Power Armor. After all, surviving in the Star Abyss world is the top priority.

As for Gene Warriors, most players don't choose them. To become a peak Gene Warrior, one must undergo various gene mutation procedures and even extensively modify their body to adapt to powerful Power Armor. Implanting various nerve sensors in the body is considered relatively mild; some Gene Warriors even have their reproductive organs removed.

Just from the introduction in the closed beta, I already found the Gene Warrior class horrifying and naturally wouldn't consider it.

A man can be not strong enough, but he cannot be without his second brother!

"No. 033!"

A loud voice jolted me from my thoughts. It was Instructor Lakuri. His gaze was cold as he said, "Come on, five days have passed. Your body can now withstand the second dose of Pandora Solution."

Again?

I narrowed my eyes. This time, I wasn't as panicked; in fact, I was quite looking forward to it.

Shortly after, I was firmly strapped to a hospital bed again. A medical worker then injected the second dose of Pandora Solution into my arm. This time, it was a bit different; my arm burned with intense pain.

After being pushed into the small room, my body began to undergo changes, like a surging tide of fire!

Soon, lines of text appeared before my eyes again—

[Pandora Solution begins to take effect!]

[Your genes are officially beginning to mutate!]

[You can choose between two evolutionary paths: Directed Mutation and Free Mutation!]

As expected, it was exactly the same!

My heart pounded. Now, the same choice lay before me again. Should I play it safe and get a B-class evolution skill, or should I take a gamble and see if I could obtain a divine skill among the gene mutations?

"Damn it, I'm going all in..."

"When does a gambler lose every day? When does a child cry every day?"

The next moment, I confirmed my choice for the Free Mutation path.

Instantly, a mysterious power surged within my body, like a silent, nourishing rain that moisturized my entire being. Even every inch of my skin began to emit a subtle glow.

Soon, a ding-dong sound reached my ears.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the S-class Gene Enhancement skill "Bio-Optical Invisibility": Skin cells can distort light, achieving optical invisibility. Each use lasts for 12 seconds with a 60-second cooldown.]

"Buzz~~~"

In an instant, my mind went blank!

An awesome skill! It could achieve optical invisibility, which was similar to the Shadow Assassin's Shadow Veil skill. It belonged to the stealth category and did not reduce movement speed. In fact, it might be even more useful than the Shadow Assassin's stealth!

I was ecstatic!

After a while, I gradually calmed down.

No, Instructor Lakuri absolutely cannot discover this ability. Otherwise, he would immediately drag me into the concentration camp and turn me into a member of the Undercurrent. I don't want to join such a deranged organization!

Even if I'm electrocuted to death or tortured to death later, I will never enter combat mode or reveal this S-class Gene Enhancement skill!

As expected, I was soon pushed into that "electrotherapy" room.

"It failed again?!"

Instructor Lakuri was extremely annoyed. "No. 033, you useless piece of trash! You wasted two doses of Pandora Solution on me! If it weren't for your decent performance in the assessments these past few days, I would have turned you into fertilizer directly!"

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

"Shut up, shock him!"

"Yes, Instructor!"

Intense electric current coursed through my body. I convulsed in pain, my consciousness fading, but I gritted my teeth and repeatedly refused the system's requests to enter combat mode.

Shortly after, I was sent back to the room, covered in wounds. Soon, I drifted into a deep sleep.

In the afternoon, training resumed.

Today's training was close-quarters combat. I was assigned a training sword with no attributes. After a few exchanges with the close-quarters combat instructor, a prompt directly popped up.

[Do you want to learn the skill "Basic Swordsmanship" (C-class)?]

Finally!

I was overjoyed. Basic Swordsmanship is the foundational skill for Sword Specialization Super Weapon Masters. Learning it can significantly increase Sword Specialization lethality and provide various swordsmanship techniques, making it the ultimate skill for this class.

Unfortunately, I was only level 4 and didn't have any extra skill points to learn it. So, I added it to my "reserve skills" list. I could confirm learning it directly when I had skill points.

After practicing swordsmanship, I resumed training my shooting skills. A group of experimental subjects gathered together, shooting at targets.

"Hey, Brother 033!"

Suddenly, an experimental subject wearing a combat suit and with a delicate appearance walked over and whispered, "You're that player, Shadow Chaser, right?"