The Art Student's Mandatory Internal Test

Lin Mo felt his life's ideal was very simple.

Lying down.

If conditions allowed, it was best to lie in an air-conditioned room with cola in his left hand, chips in his right, and a beautiful girl beside him.

Of course, it would be even more perfect if the girl could also lie down with him and watch shows.

As a third-year art student, he had successfully taken this life philosophy to the extreme.

While his roommates were grinding for GPA, internships, and postgraduate entrance exams, he was "grinding his blanket" in bed.

Tonight, he was living out his ideal.

The other three beds in the dorm were empty; his three roommates had already gone to the internet cafe to play all night.

The twenty-square-meter western-style room was his kingdom for now.

A new anime played on the computer screen, short videos scrolled on his phone, and a half-read manga lay open by his bed.

Lin Mo reclined comfortably in his chair, a half-bag of chips in his left hand, his right hand sliding the mouse.

"This is what life should be..."

He sighed contentedly, completely oblivious to the strange pop-up window that appeared in the bottom right corner of his computer screen.

The pop-up had no buttons, just a pure black background with a single line of silver-white text:

[Do you crave true power?]

"No, thanks. I crave tomorrow morning's soy milk and fried dough sticks." Lin Mo clicked to close it without even looking.

The pop-up disappeared.

Three seconds later, it popped up again.

[Are you tired of your hypocritical daily life?]

"Not tired. Hypocritical daily life has wine and meat, it's wonderful." He closed it again.

Five seconds later, the pop-up appeared for the third time.

[Are you willing to be someone who changes the world?]

Lin Mo finally stopped shoving chips into his mouth and squinted at the screen:

"Are today's viruses this philosophical?"

He moved the mouse, preparing to do a thorough cleanup.

However, just as the cursor was about to click the close button, the text on the pop-up changed.

[Detected compatible soul fluctuations]

[Forced link initiated]

[Global Beta Players: 10000/10000]

[Local Adapter: 1 person]

[Welcome to Destiny]

"Wait--"

Before Lin Mo could even finish saying "wait a moment," the entire world went black.

Immediately after, a synthesized voice, grand as if from the depths of the universe, boomed directly in the deepest part of his mind:

[Rules Announcement, this is the only time:]

[One, this is a real realm; pain, hunger, and death are all real.]

[Two, during the beta period of thirty days (within the realm), every day from Zi Shi to Chen Shi (12 AM to 8 AM in the real world), your soul will be pulled here. Your physical body in the real world will fall into an unconscious sleep.]

[Three, beta testers have only one chance at resurrection. A second death means the annihilation of your physical body in the real world.]

[Four, if you fail to complete 'Class Transfer' within thirty days, you will be erased.]

[Five, three days here is one day there. The time flow rate differs by a factor of three.]

[Survival, or annihilation, rests entirely on yourselves.]

[Countdown: Ten, Nine, Eight...]

Lin Mo's scalp tingled. He tried to shout but found he couldn't even control his lips.

It felt as if his soul had been ripped out, leaving him only able to watch helplessly as the golden numbers of the countdown ticked mercilessly in his consciousness.

What the hell? A game? Beta test? Death? Erased?

[Three, Two, One.]

[Descent.]

A blinding golden light suddenly flared, then rapidly contracted and extinguished.

A sense of weightlessness struck, accompanied by an unbearable tearing dizziness.

Lin Mo felt like a tattered rag doll thrown into a washing machine, spinning wildly, his insides threatening to be flung out of his throat.

It's unclear how much time had passed; perhaps an instant, perhaps ten thousand years.

"Gack—!"

His knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground, retching.

His nostrils filled with the scent of soil, decaying plants, and some unfamiliar wildflower. The cold air rushed into his lungs, triggering a fit of coughing.

As the dizziness subsided slightly, Lin Mo managed to lift his head and take in his surroundings.

This wasn't his university dorm, which was as messy as a dog's kennel.

Before him lay a sparse woodland. The trees had strange shapes, their branches and leaves a peculiar, unnatural dark green under the dim sky.

The ground beneath his feet was damp, covered in mossy soil. Not far away, he could see a winding dirt path with messy tire tracks.

The sky was a deep, leaden gray. No sun or moon was visible, only an oppressive, hazy gloom.

In the distance, the silhouettes of low, crooked thatched roofs could be vaguely discerned.

"I really transmigrated..." Lin Mo murmured, his voice dry.

He looked down at himself. The "Don't Rush, I'm Relaxing" themed t-shirt and wrinkled pajama pants were gone.

In their place was a set of coarse, grayish-brown linen clothes. The fabric felt stiff, and the coarse stitching was large enough to chafe his skin.

On his feet were open-toed straw sandals, and the cold earth seeped through.

He instinctively touched his face, then raised his hand to examine it closely.

His fingers were still his own. From years of holding pens and drawing digitally, his knuckles were slightly deformed, and there was an old callus on the web of his right hand.

But beneath his skin, he seemed to feel a strange "sense of power" flowing.

Almost the instant this thought arose, a semi-transparent, pale blue screen silently unfolded before his eyes.

[Name: Lin Mo]
[Race: Human Race]
[Level: 1 (0/100)]
[Status: Healthy]
[HP: 100/100]
[Attributes: Strength 10, Agility 10, Constitution 10, Spirit 10, Charisma 10]
[Class: None (Vagrant)]