Origin

"Incredible!"

"I actually slept straight through until morning!"

"Not only that, I didn't have any nightmares last night, or hear anyone singing in my dreams."

"This is the first time in a month that I've slept so comfortably."

On the morning of September 1, Lu Zhan opened his bleary eyes in bed, his face full of shock.

His "sleep persecution syndrome" had actually cured itself.

Instinctively, Lu Zhan connected this development to the changes in the Blood-Red Antenna.

The reason I could hear all those sounds in my sleep was that, while asleep, I lost my ability to suppress the Blood-Red Antenna.

But after yesterday's Gourmet Appreciation Class, the Blood-Red Antenna became more deeply integrated with my body.

So even while asleep, my body retained the same suppressive power it had while I was awake.

If I think of the Blood-Red Antenna as a functional plug-in that invaded my body, it's now been incorporated into my body's operating system.

The more Lu Zhan thought about it, the more sense it made, and the better he felt.

Over the past month, his future had looked bright, but the lurking concern of "poor sleep" had continued to trouble him.

He had developed the habit of writing a diary before bed precisely to relieve that stress and help himself fall asleep.

But now, Lu Zhan declared that, starting today, he would never write a diary again.

Only abnormal people kept diaries. What normal person wrote one?

This morning is Old Lu's Alchemy class. Things got pretty unpleasant between us before, but skipping class is out of the question.

After class, I'll put in another extra session of Basic Combat.

By tomorrow's class, I'll definitely make Liu Chenghu see me in a new light.

That guy actually said my body was stiffer than a puppet's. He really has no eye for talent.

With his schedule settled, Lu Zhan kipped up out of bed and began a day of his "new life."

Perhaps his greatly improved digestion was to blame, or perhaps he had trained a little too hard yesterday, but Lu Zhan was particularly hungry that morning.

As a result, he was so eager to head out for food that he completely neglected to greet Vikem and his two companions when he ran into them again.

Ugh, I'm starving!

When people are hungry, they tend to get flustered and lose their composure.

Ajak was kind enough to warn me yesterday, but today I actually forgot to thank him and ask how they'd slept.

All three of them have dark circles under their eyes. What sensational program did they hear last night?

In the cafeteria, after wolfing down thirty pieces of boiled meat and barely filling his stomach halfway, Lu Zhan finally had enough mental energy to "reflect" on his behavior.

When he had left earlier, he had happened to run into a flustered-looking Vikem and his two companions.

Lu Zhan was not at all surprised that the three looked "guilty."

After all, he knew perfectly well that they were secretly listening to a radio.

Yet the dark circles that had suddenly appeared beneath their eyes were rather conspicuous, even incredible.

The three of them had entered the Training Center half a year before Lu Zhan.

Having attended dozens of Gourmet Appreciation Classes, their physical conditioning was easy to imagine.

Forget a single sleepless night-even staying up several nights in a row should not have given them dark circles.

The only explanation was that they had listened to an especially "sensational" program last night, leaving them so agitated, and perhaps so consumed by worry, that they had exhausted themselves mentally.

Although Lu Zhan was very curious about what had happened to Ajak and his companions,

he also knew that, given their relationship, they would not tell him even if he asked.

He would most likely make enemies of them instead, since asking would reveal that he knew their little secret.

Right now, Lu Zhan only wanted to study in peace. He had no desire to make trouble for himself at the Training Center.

Setting aside his curiosity about the gossip, Lu Zhan continued shoveling down food.

To gain a detailed understanding of everything about himself-or rather, to constantly monitor the cells inside his body-

Lu Zhan deliberately used the Blood-Red Antenna's ability while eating.

Although this meant hearing all the "nonsense" his cells were making,

it was not without benefits.

For instance, from his cells' complaints, Lu Zhan learned that boiled meat was "better" for breakfast.

His cells even had their own preferences among different kinds of boiled eggs.

This allowed Lu Zhan to choose foods tailored to his needs.

Perhaps in other matters, Lu Zhan would not obey his cells quite so readily.

But when it came to eating, he greatly respected the opinions of the "experts."

Because he was so absorbed in what was happening inside his body, Lu Zhan overlooked some of the trivial happenings around him.

For example, he failed to hear other people's "new assessment" of him in time.

As Lu Zhan shoveled down food in huge, ravenous mouthfuls, quite a few trainees in the cafeteria pointed and commented.

But their eyes held no contempt. Instead, they were filled with envy.

Yesterday, these trainees had witnessed the rapid improvement in Lu Zhan's combat skills firsthand at the training grounds.

It was all thanks to his ability to eat.

"Did you see that?"

"When I passed the flower bed just now, I saw a cat practicing backflips."

"Were your eyes playing tricks on you?"

"What cat would practice backflips? Those were clearly front flips!"

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Lu Zhan left the cafeteria at a leisurely pace.

The moment he stepped outside and resumed keeping watch over his surroundings, he finally caught up with the trainees' gossip.

A cat that could do front flips?

The Training Center actually had a cat that impressive?

How did I not know about it?

"Ajak, about last night..."

Not long after Lu Zhan left the cafeteria, Vikem and his two companions appeared there, the dark circles beneath their eyes only just faded.

Getting rid of those dark circles had cost them quite a bit of time.

"Don't say anything!"

"Not a single word!"

Zhou Qi, whose worries were written all over his face, had barely opened his mouth before Ajak and Vikem snapped at him.

Was this something they could discuss in public?

Although the cafe-

teria's noisy surroundings made their conversation quite private.

But what if someone heard?

This was no trivial matter like secretly listening to a radio. If it got out, they would certainly be expelled from the Training Center.

Seeing the grave expressions on Ajak's and Vikem's faces, Zhou Qi realized his mistake and immediately shut his mouth.

The three then ate in silence, and did not speak again even as they stepped into the classroom.

"Students, today we'll study the Second Law of Life Alchemy: the origin of life."

"Does anyone know what gave rise to life?"

During Alchemy class, Lu Guanhong seemed to be in a good mood. Even his voice carried a hint of joy.

At his question, the dozens of trainees who had been distracted instantly perked up.

Among them were Ajak and his two companions, who had been in a daze.

Normally, judging by their "learning progress"-or rather, their usual habit of skipping class-Ajak and his companions would never have attended this lesson.

But driven by some sort of "instinct," they had found themselves here without thinking.

And then they received a "fright" that made them tremble!