After Lancelot became an ability user, his identity information was updated. He no longer had to pay for public transportation; he could ride for free.
His bank account also gained 20,000 crimson notes. It was a monthly superhuman subsidy issued by the government, with higher ability potential earning a larger subsidy. Other superhuman professionals received one too, judged by much the same standards.
The superhuman subsidy was issued partly to highlight the status of superhumans and show how much importance the Alliance placed on their class.
The other reason was to placate them.
In the Crimson Alliance, tensions between the superhuman class and ordinary humans were intense.
The power superhumans possessed was worlds apart from that of ordinary humans. The two could hardly be considered the same species anymore, much like dragons and sheep.
This gave many superhumans a sense of superiority. Some extremists even regarded human life as worthless, and vicious crimes involving superhumans occurred one after another.
Ordinary people were inherently at a disadvantage before superhumans. Yet becoming a superhuman depended primarily on luck and talent; hard work was useless. This made ordinary people jealous of superhumans, even resentful of them, somewhat like the "hatred of the rich" on Blue Star.
What they hated wasn't superhumans, but the fact that they hadn't become superhumans themselves.
Many people used the various crimes committed by superhumans to loudly advocate online for greater restrictions on superhumans' rights and equality for everyone...
That was unrealistic, of course. Superhumans were an important force in defending the Alliance.
If the Crimson Alliance had been the only major power in the world, things would have been simpler. With nowhere else for superhumans to go, imposing some strict restrictions would have been reasonable.
The problem was that the Alliance had too many competitors, and the world beyond it was far larger.
If they truly provoked the superhumans into thinking, "If I'm not wanted here, there's somewhere else that will have me," and they left in droves, things would get out of hand!
But ordinary people were also the fertile soil from which superhumans emerged. Moreover, many superhumans' descendants, as well as elite talents like scientists and engineers, were ordinary people. They were the foundation of the Alliance.
Both sides were equally important, and maintaining that delicate balance had long been a headache for the Alliance government.
The government had tried many ways to ease the tensions between them, and the superhuman subsidy was an important part of that effort.
Opinions varied on how effective the measure was, but Lancelot was satisfied, at least. His savings were finally back in five figures.
After going home to pick up some luggage, Lancelot took a ride to the special training camp at the address Director Harvey had given him.
Leite City Sports Center!
It was a giant building shaped like a beehive, with citizens in sportswear coming and going.
Along the way, young women brimming with youthful energy kept looking back at Lancelot. When their eyes met his, they hurriedly turned away like startled deer.
Lancelot shook his head and chuckled.
By human standards, he was quite handsome. His skin was smooth and delicate, his features defined and refined, and he had a clean-cut, graceful air. Plenty of girls at school had pursued him.
After more than a month of exercise, along with the many impurities expelled from his body when he awakened his ability, he looked radiant, like the warm winter sun.
On the fifth floor of the sports center.
Lancelot stepped out of the elevator, looked around, and headed to the right.
He came to an office and knocked before entering. Inside was a burly, ox-strong middle-aged Quebecer.
"You're Lancelot, right?" the burly man asked with a smile.
"That's me!" Lancelot nodded.
"Director Harvey already told me about you. You brought your ID, right?"
"I did!"
"Good. Follow me!"
The burly man rose from his chair, his massive chest muscles straining against his combat suit.
"I'm Rosen, one of the instructors at the special training camp. I'm also a physical enhancement ability user, and I'm in charge of your fighting lessons."
"Director Harvey said you have a knack for fighting and made good progress just by teaching yourself?" Instructor Rosen asked as they walked.
"I don't really know how talented I am at fighting. I just find it easy to learn, and I can quickly master and integrate the lessons from Fighting Home."
"Oh? I hope you're not exaggerating!" Rosen raised an eyebrow, even more curious about the kid. Not many people earned Commander Harvey's praise.
The two passed through several glass corridors and arrived at an enormous metal room.
Dozens of ability users were standing in neat formation, with three stern-faced instructors in combat suits like Rosen's standing at the front.
"Let me introduce everyone. This is our new member, Lancelot. He's twelve years old and previously attended Wright City No. 9 Middle School. He's a C-rank potential ability user, and his ability is Body of Steel!"
When Rosen finished speaking, gazes fell on Lancelot, then quickly moved away.
A C-rank ability was the minimum requirement for entering the special training camp, so it was nothing unusual. Body of Steel was a common ability on top of that, so naturally it couldn't draw their attention.
"All right, Rosen, Lancelot, both of you get into your respective positions!" the lead instructor said coldly. He was tall and lean, with an icy, capable bearing that warned strangers to keep their distance.
Lancelot glanced at him and sensed something familiar about the instructor.
A martial artist? he murmured inwardly.
Lancelot went to the last row and stood in place. The lead instructor looked over the group and said, "The ranking matches are in three days. A new batch of vitality secret medicine has arrived. If you want a larger share of the medicine and more time using the precision equipment, give it your all. Don't wait until you fail the Joint Entrance Examination to shed useless tears..."
After the speech, the lead instructor looked at the young man on the far right of the first row and said, "Cole, you have five minutes to explain the basics of the training camp to Lancelot and enter his personal information into the special training camp's database. Everyone else, begin training!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone followed a short, stocky instructor in a black trench coat and tactical goggles away. Only a chubby Injun left the formation and came over.
Cole smiled and held out his hand, introducing himself. "Hello, Lancelot. I'm Cole Pollock, from White Light University in Londo City. I awakened my ability using a genetic potion half a year ago. My ability potential is B-rank, and it's an energy manipulation type."
"Hello!" Lancelot took his hand, gaining a general idea of Cole's circumstances.
The superhuman joint entrance exam had an age limit: only those between ten and twenty could register. There was no educational requirement, however.
Whether they were middle schoolers or university students, anyone with superhuman abilities who wasn't a member of a superhuman school could take the Joint Entrance Examination.
Cole had awakened his ability at university. If he was accepted by a superhuman institution, his student records would naturally be transferred along with him.
With his B-rank potential, his admission was almost a sure thing.
"Before you joined, our training camp had fifty-two trainees in total, all ability users. Forty-eight were C-rank, three were B-rank, and one was A-rank!" Cole explained.
"A-rank?" Lancelot was surprised. Normally, a small city like Leite City would only produce one A-rank potential ability user every three or four Joint Entrance Examinations. He hadn't expected to encounter one this time.
"Yeah, A-rank. That's her, Windsor Mountbatten. Hers is also an energy release type, but her ability is way more powerful than mine. That's a superior ability for you!" Cole said, sounding a little sour as he pointed at the tall, fair-skinned girl in the first row, making no attempt to hide his envy.
Lancelot understood. The higher the ability potential, the greater the gap between each rank.
The difference between B-rank and A-rank wasn't quite a chasm, but there was still a considerable distance between them.
If both were developed to their limits,
a B-rank potential ability user's combat power should hover between that of sixth- and Seventh-Tier Transcendents.
An A-rank could reach the eighth or ninth tier, and a very small number could even step into the legendary rank.
Although abilities needed time to develop before they could unleash their full power, everyone had a different starting line. High-potential abilities were easier to develop, easier to improve, and had a higher ceiling.
Thus, the ability a person gained upon awakening largely determined their future and was difficult to change.
This also led to clear class divisions among ability users.
Although the existence of the Innovator School had opened a new path for ability users with poor potential,
it meant gambling with their lives!
Every time they awakened a new ability, they had to pass a trial of life and death.
Succeed and everyone was happy; fail and the funeral feast started on the spot!
And the vast majority of people who became ability users weren't actually prepared to risk their lives for their future.
No matter how poor their abilities were, they still belonged to society's upper class.
Their incomes were substantial, and their status was lofty.
There was no need to take such risks just to become stronger.