Memory

Just as David's hand landed on the semi-transparent shadow's shoulder, a strange energy flowed from his hand into his body.

It was as if he were soaking in warm water. His whole body relaxed, and still shaken, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

David fell asleep on the floor by the living room door. Fortunately, the only other presence in the entire residence was the Smart Butler, Emma, and she didn't interfere with her owner's behavior.

David dreamed. In the dream, he had lived with his mother since childhood, from elementary school through middle school and then high school. He had been somewhat withdrawn, with few friends besides his mother.

His father had rarely appeared. Then one day, his parents separated, and not long afterward, his mother took her own life after arranging everything.

In the dream, he remembered happy times, but also the grief of losing a loved one. He had laughed heartily and wept bitterly.

It was a complete life from birth to the age of seventeen. Every experience and every emotion had played out in the dream.

David woke up from hunger. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was how different everything around him seemed.

All the colors looked incredibly vivid to him, as though he had once seen the world on an ordinary television, but was now viewing it in 4K.

He didn't know what had caused it, but he knew it was the energy the semi-transparent shadow had passed on to him.

He checked his Identity Bracelet, the watch-like device on his wrist. It was already nine in the evening, which meant he had slept on the floor for an entire day.

As he recalled everything from the dream and compared it with the memories he'd already recovered, he knew beyond a doubt that he had regained all of his predecessor's memories.

The previous owner of this body had also been named David. He didn't know whether this was a coincidence or some kind of choice made by whatever had brought him to this world.

David Kerr was seventeen, a senior in high school, and currently on winter break.

He lived alone in this residence, but he wasn't an orphan. His biological father had started a new family, while David had inherited the estate of his biological mother, Kathy, and lived on his own.

David couldn't put into words what the memories revealed about his feelings toward his biological father. Respect, resentment, and resistance were all tangled together.

His biological father was named Hans Kerr. He was a hero in this city—and not just here. His title of National Scholar gave him a special status.

National Scholar was the highest title awarded to any war hero. It was also the reason David respected Hans.

Hans had sacrificed a great deal to earn the title of National Scholar. He had separated from David's mother, who later died by suicide after suffering from depression. Hans had lost his left arm and left leg and could only get around with prosthetics. Although he had undergone gene therapy, his body remained in a weakened state. And his son, David, still couldn't forgive him.

David's predecessor had never gotten over his mother's death. Hans's remarriage and the birth of another son had also contributed to their living apart. Legally, of course, Hans was still David's guardian.

He had also learned that the planet he was on was called Panshi Planet. It lay two small star systems away from War Star, the battlefield against the Zerg. It was within the Zerg's sphere of influence, yet was the least affected of the war-zone planets.

That said, Panshi Planet wasn't safe. Uncontrolled Zerg larvae were scattered across it, and some would occasionally mature into Level 1 Zerg. There were even hidden Zerg that might grow into Level 2 Zerg.

Ordinary firearms could deal with Zerg larvae. But once a larva became a Level 1 Zerg, it was beyond the capabilities of ordinary people.

The only way to fight a Level 1 Zerg was to wear Exoskeleton Armor and wield a weapon made from Level 1 metal, an alloy produced from the teeth and claw tips of Level 1 Zerg along with several other metals. Only then could a fighter pierce a Level 1 Zerg's defenses.

Of course, that was only in theory. Given the Zerg's agility and combat ability, it usually took several powerful fighters in Exoskeleton Armor, armed with Level 1 Weapons, to defeat even one Level 1 Zerg.

And to wear Exoskeleton Armor, one first had to become a certified Armored Warrior.

In the ten thousand years of fighting the Zerg, the Interstellar Federation had used advanced war machines to battle them, while also harnessing them to strengthen its own forces.

Zerg corpses were the most important resource. As mentioned earlier, their teeth and claw tips—their sharpest bones—were used as raw materials for making even more powerful weapons.

Most Zerg corpses had two long, narrow strips of muscle along their backs, known as Fortified Meat. This was the foundation of the Interstellar Federation's powerful warriors.

David now understood why his predecessor had performed the sacrifice. He had wanted to get into Na'an University, but his qualifications weren't good enough, so he'd looked for a shortcut.

Na'an City, where Na'an University was located, was the largest city on Panshi Planet and its economic and cultural center. It was also protected by a powerful military force, making the area within a hundred kilometers of the city a safe place where people could live freely.

People like David's predecessor, who lived in Peilan City, longed for that kind of security. Outside Peilan City, danger could strike at any moment, and even inside the city, Zerg sometimes appeared.

Although Zerg rarely appeared within the city, their presence still left David's predecessor feeling unsafe in Peilan City.

Na'an City was a wonderful place to live, but moving there wasn't easy. He needed the proper authorization.

In the Interstellar Federation, anyone without a sufficiently high access level couldn't travel freely to other cities.

David's predecessor was still a minor, so he certainly didn't have the necessary access level.

His guardian was his father, Hans. If Hans took him along, his National Scholar status would allow them to travel to any city or planet.

But David's predecessor had resisted Hans and didn't want to ask him for help. He just wanted to leave Peilan City as soon as possible and get away from Hans. Everywhere in the city reminded him of his sadness.

The only way he could think of to get away from Hans was to get into a university. He wasn't willing to settle for an ordinary one; he didn't want to spend his life as an office worker like so many people in the city, having to apply and wait for approval just to travel. Of all the schools on Panshi Planet, Na'an University was the one he most wanted to attend.

Graduates of Na'an University were coveted by every employer. Getting in meant a secure, high-paying job and a high level of social access. Becoming a resident of Na'an City was practically guaranteed as well.

Na'an City welcomed Na'an University graduates. Almost every graduate who applied was allowed to stay.

David's predecessor had only average academic ability. His grades in general subjects at Panshi High School, where he was currently enrolled, were merely above average.

With grades like that, he couldn't get into Na'an University—not even a second-rate university.

So he had no hope of getting into Na'an University through academic performance. His only option was to try for admission based on combat aptitude.

His predecessor lived comfortably and had Fortified Meat from Zerg larvae every day to supplement his diet. He was much stronger than students from ordinary families. But the candidates for Na'an University came from across Panshi Planet, and many of them had far better advantages.

In fact, with his current strength of six hundred kilograms, he ranked only around the top thirty among students in his year at Peilan High School.