Star Vein Generation

"Star Vein Generation"

"Ding-dong—"

A pleasant chime echoed through the modern open-plan high-rise buildings, and the school grounds began to fill with noise and chatter.

Uniformed students streamed out of the school buildings. Some chatted and laughed together, while others hurried past, their energetic figures on full display.

Like any ordinary student, Azer blended into the crowd leaving class without seeming the least bit out of place.

That was because he was also wearing this academy's student uniform, and even his apparent age had become younger.

Azer now looked like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old high school student. His youthful figure strolled beneath the lush tree-lined paths, radiating vitality.

"I never expected entering a fantasy world to come with benefits like this."

Azer found it rather novel himself. Touching his face, he could feel it brimming with collagen, without the slightest trace of oiliness.

While quietly marveling at it, Azer began sorting through his current situation.

"Without a doubt, I'm in Asterisk now."

Asterisk, commonly known as the Hexagram.

It was an artificial city floating atop an enormous impact-crater lake, shaped like a regular hexagon, just as its name suggested.

The city's official name was Six Flowers. It had been built by the emerging economic power known as the Integrated Enterprise Foundation for the purpose of holding duels.

Of course, the duels here did not mean playing cards like in some Yu-Gi-Oh! world. They were brutally intense practical competitions, fought with weapons in hand and real blades and guns.

In this world, there was a sporting competition adored by everyone: the Star Martial Festival.

The Star Martial Festival was a comprehensive combat entertainment event said to have the most fans in the world, powerfully stimulating and promoting the entire world's economic development.

Asterisk served as the stage for the Star Martial Festival and as the primary facility for cultivating competitors.

According to the Star Martial Festival's rules, only Star Vein Generation members between the ages of thirteen and twenty-two could participate.

And Star Vein Generation members in that age range were basically all students.

Thus, six academies had been established in this artificial city to train competitors. Every academy had a Middle School Department, Senior High Department, and University Department, encompassing all Star Vein Generation members between thirteen and twenty-two.

"And the academy I'm currently attending is Seidoukan Academy."

Seidoukan Academy was not only one of the six major academies, but also the stage where the original story's protagonists had made their mark.

According to the life background Azer had selected, he was now a first-year Senior High Department student at Seidoukan Academy. He had come to Asterisk because he wanted to participate in the Star Martial Festival.

That was nothing worth mentioning.

After all, seven or eight out of every ten students who came here had some interest in the Star Martial Festival. The remaining two or three had come for all sorts of other reasons.

Azer was one of those seventy or eighty percent of students, utterly unremarkable.

"Looks like the life background I drew wasn't one for a protagonist."

Azer thought it without much concern.

Under the settings of this life background, his abilities were middling at Seidoukan Academy. He was not at the bottom of the barrel, but neither was he an elite prospect capable of shining at the Star Martial Festival. He was painfully ordinary.

Still, Azer was already quite satisfied.

"Reaching the heavens in a single step might feel great, but it isn't realistic."

As he walked, Azer arrived at a corner of the central courtyard.

There were few people here. Only a pavilion stood amid the surrounding lawns and flowerbeds. Other than vague figures occasionally passing in the distance, there was no other movement.

After arriving, Azer stretched and moved his body a little.

"Hmm... My physical condition really is far better than before."

Azer could clearly feel that his body had not merely become younger and more energetic. His overall capabilities had improved considerably as well.

"With this physical condition, I could casually win world championships in several sports back in the Living World, yet I'm only considered average at this academy..."

Azer sighed with feeling.

"So this is the Star Vein Generation?"

Just as the instructor had said in class, after the twentieth-century disaster known as the "Starfall Rain," people had discovered an unknown element called the Omni-Response Element within the meteorite swarms. It had greatly advanced science and technology and had also given rise to the Star Vein Generation, a new breed of humans for the new century.

Influenced by the Omni-Response Element, not only were their physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary humans, but they also possessed a special form of Spiritual Energy known as Star Power.

This special Spiritual Energy could enhance a Star Vein Generation member's offensive or defensive power, with an especially remarkable effect on defense.

Ever since arriving in this world, Azer had been able to sense at all times a special power flowing within his current body.

So, just as he had done earlier in the classroom, Azer began to draw upon that power.

"Zing..."

As a scene like drifting Star Dust appeared, the Star Power within Azer surged, wrapping his entire body in floating starlight.

Watching this and sensing the changes in his body, Azer's eyes flickered.

"If it were me now, even if a bullet hit me, I'd probably only have to withstand a little impact and wouldn't be hurt at all, right?"

And this was merely a student at Seidoukan Academy's average level?

That showed just how formidable the truly powerful Star Vein Generation members were.

Having obtained such power for no reason at all, how could Azer not be satisfied?

"Unfortunately, this kind of opportunity only comes once."

This was a benefit exclusive to one's first life experience. The administrator was directly granted abilities compatible with the selected life background, an invisible bonus of sorts.

But this was only available for the first life experience. There would be no such thing in the future.

"If I'd selected a life background with an invincible character setup during my first life experience, wouldn't I be invincible now too?"

After thinking about it, Azer still felt that was unrealistic.

He felt that since the Library of Fantasies ultimately pursued real worlds, it would not allow things that disrupted the balance of those worlds too severely.

Perhaps, although life backgrounds were selected at random, the chances of selection were limited by the administrator's own abilities.

If an administrator possessed abilities that were practically invincible relative to a fantasy world, then the probability of drawing a life background with an invincible character setup should be somewhat higher.

Conversely, if an administrator's abilities were weak, then the odds of drawing an ordinary start—or even a disastrous start—would be higher.

"And with my current abilities, making this life experience exciting enough will probably be difficult."

After confirming his current abilities, Azer fell into thought.

The Library of Fantasies clearly stipulated that once a life experience ended, the administrator would receive a reward based on how exciting that life experience had been.

Therefore, Azer needed to live as excitingly and actively as possible in this world.

And if he wanted to live excitingly and actively in this world, what could achieve that goal more easily than participating in the Star Martial Festival and dueling those famous powerhouses?

But with Azer's current abilities only ranking around average even within Seidoukan Academy, even if he participated in the Star Martial Festival, he would most likely be eliminated in the first round.

"I can only find a way to improve my strength."

How should he do that?

Azer barely needed to think before deciding what he needed to do next.

"I need a weapon."

"A weapon powerful enough—and one that can make me powerful enough."

Everything about him was ordinary for now, that was true. Yet sleeping within him was an authority that surpassed Divine Power, a force hailed as the Ultimate Authority.

It was effective only on the concept of "armament."

Therefore, if Azer wanted to become powerful as quickly as possible, the fastest method was to acquire a powerful armament.

"Looks like I can only start from there."

Azer already had a preliminary idea.

Before that, he needed to confirm just what extent the authority he had gained could reach.

At once, Azer turned his gaze toward his waist.

There, attached to the belt of his uniform, was a cloth sheath.

Azer reached out and took something from the sheath.

It was a machine with a green mineral embedded in it, shaped somewhat like a sword hilt.

"So this is an Activation Device?"

Azer examined it curiously, and then his thoughts stirred slightly.

"Zing!"

Immediately, a long blade extended from the front end of the sword-hilt machine in his hand.

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