Who knew attending class meant crouching in a tunnel barely three feet high?

  Crouched awkwardly in the cramped, dimly-lit cavern, Ryan Carter was busy sorting through the sudden, chaotic rush of memories flooding his mind.

  "Remember clearly, every awakened bloodline leads to an ultimate divine throne! Humanity has already lost too much. Every single one of you must dig deeper, awaken your potential, and rise again!"

  The teacher's impassioned speech echoed through the tunnel-school. But Ryan barely registered the words. His mind was stuck on one shocking fact—had he really traveled through time to the year 3025?

  Shouldn't humans a thousand years into the future be conquering space, living aboard shiny starships, munching on intergalactic cuisine, and casually jumping through wormholes for weekend getaways?

  Instead, humanity had retreated underground.

  With the resurgence of spiritual energy, hidden bloodlines began to awaken across all species. Unfortunately, animals and monsters evolved at terrifying speeds, forcing mankind off the surface; first abandoning wilderness, then cities, and finally retreating underground.

  "Students, we've already lost the surface! No matter what, we cannot lose the underground too," the teacher, Mr. Reed—thin, graying, and covered in dust—declared passionately. "If we lose our underground sanctuaries, humanity will be extinct! We must unite and sacrifice everything we have to rebuild our civilization!"

  He coughed violently before finishing his sentence, clutching his chest as though his organs might spill out at any second.

  "Mr. Reed, your injury has worsened. You should rest at home instead of teaching," said a deep voice. A robust middle-aged man crawled awkwardly through the entrance, his head bumping against the ceiling despite his attempts to crouch.

  "Captain Harris, have they finally prepared a new classroom for us? The kids can't keep learning in this cramped hole forever," Mr. Reed asked hopefully, ignoring his own coughing fit.

  Captain Harris hesitated, his expression troubled. "You know the situation. Ever since that armored giant porcupine burrowed nearby, nobody dares to expand tunnels. Even the Overseer is helpless."

  Mr. Reed's face fell, his voice turning cold. "Then what's your reason for coming here today?"

  Captain Harris sighed heavily. "I'm here for conscription."

  "Are you insane, Harris?!" Mr. Reed exploded, anger and disbelief mixing in his voice. "The oldest kid here isn't even sixteen yet! How could you enlist them?"

  "I don't have a choice, Reed," Harris replied bitterly. "We're critically undermanned. If we don't recruit more fighters now, we won't survive the winter."

  A tense silence filled the tiny room, broken finally by Mr. Reed's defeated whisper. "How many?"

  "Two," Harris raised two fingers grimly. "Yesterday, on the western perimeter, we encountered a two-headed seven-step serpent."

  Mr. Reed paled instantly. "Is the serpent still alive?"

  "The Overseer killed it personally, but we lost two fighters," Harris said, his gaze shifting toward the students huddled quietly. He paused, then announced firmly, "Ryan Carter, Dylan Ross!"

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Ryan jolted in surprise—he'd nearly forgotten that the body he'd occupied was also named Ryan Carter. Dylan Ross, a scrawny boy shaking slightly, sat nearby, eyes wide with panic.

  "By order of the Overseer, starting tomorrow, you're both members of the field patrol team," Captain Harris stated curtly. Then he chuckled dryly, "Congratulations, boys, you're officially adults now. Might as well find yourselves some brides."

  Marriage? Ryan's mind blanked. Just arrived in this crazy future and already getting hitched? Actually, that didn't sound too bad—especially considering he'd been a hopeless loner in his previous life, stuck in his parents' basement well into his twenties.

  But Dylan Ross's shaky voice broke through Ryan's thoughts. "W-Why me? I'm not even of age yet! There are other older kids here!"

  "Right, Ryan?" Dylan glanced desperately at Ryan, clearly hoping for backup.

  Ryan almost rolled his eyes. Great, use me as your shield, why don't you?

  Captain Harris's cold voice cut through their exchange. "Ryan Carter, Common Wind bloodline, class nine. Dylan Ross, Common Earth bloodline, class eight. Your chances of awakening as bloodline warriors are one in ten thousand. That's why you're drafted. It's our settlement's policy—hell, it's humanity's policy. Do you have a problem with that?"

  The air grew heavy with tension. Ryan felt a wave of fear radiate from Harris, like facing a dangerous predator.

  "N-no problem," Dylan stammered, shrinking back.

  Ryan's borrowed memories finally clicked into place. Humanity survived underground thanks to awakened bloodline warriors. The purity and strength of one's bloodline determined their worth. Those with higher purity were treated like royalty, feasting daily on beast meat and blood. Those like Ryan, with weak bloodlines, got nothing.

  When trouble arose, weak-blooded youth were expendable, drafted first.

  "Here, take these beast crystals," Harris tossed three glowing stones to each boy. "Use them wisely—buy gear or find a girl to leave behind a legacy."

  Beast crystals, Ryan recalled, were the currency of humanity's underground civilization. One crystal could buy enough meat for a month—something he'd never experienced in this harsh world.

  Captain Harris left without another word, leaving Mr. Reed crawling toward his two students, placing comforting hands on their shoulders. "You two, please… just survive."

  Survive. Such a simple word, carrying so many unspoken burdens.

  Mr. Reed dismissed them early—no, Ryan realized, he'd announced their graduation from childhood. Crawling out of the stuffy, tiny classroom and into the equally cramped tunnel, Dylan spoke softly, voice trembling, "Hey Ryan, we'll finally see the sun tomorrow. Old Joe said it's round. You think that's true?"

  Ryan nodded absently. "Probably. Old Joe wouldn't lie about something like that."

  Dylan's voice cracked, "I knew this was coming, Ryan. Our bloodlines suck, man. Let's just spend those crystals tonight. Get ourselves wives while we still can."

  Ryan nearly choked. Marriage already? Seriously?

  Dylan continued bitterly, "Once our dads get hold of these crystals, we'll lose control over our own futures. So, let's live a little tonight. Remember Sean from last year? First mission outside, and he never came back!"

  Ryan's heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized the beast crystals he'd been clutching tightly were gone!

  "Damn! Dylan, you go ahead. I think I dropped something," Ryan muttered, panic rising.

  Dylan shook his head impatiently. "Your loss, bro! Don't blame me if I take the prettiest girl first!" He disappeared quickly down the tunnel.

  As Ryan turned back, a strange, semi-transparent interface suddenly popped into his vision:

  Energy: 215

  Stamina: 2/8

  Strength: 2/3

  Spirit: 12/12

  Skill: Iron Body Technique Level 1

  [Basic Skill-Stealing Card available for upgrade. Merge now?]

  Skill-Stealing Card? Intrigued and slightly desperate, Ryan mentally selected "merge."

  Instantly, his energy dropped to 115, and a gleaming crimson card appeared clearly labeled:

  [Skill-Stealing Card Lv.1]:

  Can copy a single skill from a target of similar strength. Success Rate: 50%

  Ryan's mind raced. How exactly did this thing work?

  Before he could test his newfound ability, Dylan reappeared frantically. "Ryan, your dad's coming! I heard Big Mike agreed—you'll be his daughter 'Tiger Girl's' first husband!"

  Tiger Girl: seven-foot-tall, built like a linebacker, with a face fierce enough to scare off bears. Memories flashed painfully in Ryan's mind.

  Marrying Tiger Girl?! No way in hell !

  Without thinking, Ryan instantly scrambled in the opposite direction.

  "Hey, coward! Where do ya think you're going?" roared a thunderous voice behind him.

  Ryan groaned inwardly. This apocalypse was shaping up to be worse than he'd imagined.