From the creation of the first man, humans have had the ability to adapt, survive, and reproduce.
With those traits, along with knowledge, humans conquered the world. They sat atop the food chain—the uncontested supreme race.
Year after year, the first kingdom was established and then abolished.
Empires rose and then collapsed.
Rise and fall. Fall and rise. The cycle continues.
Humans developed. As usual, the worst became the worst.
Humans are greed-loving individuals. Period.
They weren't satisfied with exploiting others. Perhaps it was rooted in their genes: born to be and die to be.
Humans became accustomed to never-ending conflict: beliefs versus beliefs, hate versus hate, faith versus faith, race versus race, nation versus nation.
What always followed was death, then death, and endless death.
Large numbers of unrecognizable bones piled up, were buried, and then excavated.
The value of life decreased. Perhaps reproducing was the reason? Or was it because of a lack of faith?
Nevertheless, life was life.
What was the worst that could happen in a century?
A plague?
A pandemic?
War?
From one, two, or three bullets, the First World War erupted. Geography was changed, and lives were taken.
From radical beliefs, the Second World War followed. Maps were changed, and the lives of countless individuals were forever altered.
What about the Third World War? How did it change the world?
Drones, missiles, and nuclear weapons were available. How much could that change the world?
Easy. The world became a completely barren wasteland. Nations evaporated in seconds. Life was erased—turned to dust.
Radiation spread everywhere, killing the surviving life.
But the miracle happened. Blessed or cursed, life evolved.
Humanity was spared. Perhaps.
Living in a radioactive wasteland, people started to feel changes in their bodies. Immunity was the first trait to evolve.
One after another, humans received genetic changes. Some experienced physical changes, some magical, and others none.
With these traits, humans rebuilt society. Technology and evolution became the foundation.
The old wasteland became skyscrapers. The polluted sea became underwater ports. The desert turned into a bustling city.
Yet, even with these advancements, danger sneaked in. To be more precise, danger also evolved.
Humans with low exposure to radiation and those who failed to evolve turned into monsters that seek and devour human flesh.
Of course, the evolved ones began to hunt the monsters, but even with their technological innovations, they settled into a stalemate.
The evolved ones then established a strict and organized society that followed ranks and was governed by the evolved.
The evolved ones called themselves the Blessed, while those below them who couldn't evolve were known as the Cursed.
Blessed lived in advanced cities, while the Cursed became the rats of those cities, living in the slums with low radiation.
The Blessed rose above, and the Cursed remained in the dirt.
Jian was among the Cursed. He lived in the slums of the fifth sector, far away from a lavish lifestyle. He had a frail body, almost like a living skeleton.
He had no parents, but he had a sister who died a year ago.
He worked in garbage disposal, trying to extract even the smallest amount of radiation from the trash.
However, because of the current war with monsters, he was stripped of his workplace.
Today was March 16, 2088.
It had been three days since the last time he ate leftovers.
If he continued like this, he would die of starvation in just the next two days.
Currently, inspectors from the Blessed society were conducting the yearly assessment.
For a Cursed, this was a good opportunity to rise in ranks and leave the slums.
However, Jian didn't care. He was only reminiscing about the taste of his sweat.
Leaning against the wall, he watched the children his age happily approach the inspector.
He wanted to become Blessed, but not a warrior.
In his eighteen years of life, he had already witnessed the horror of wars. His sister was the primary victim of that.
He didn't want to face the same predicament.
Suddenly, his friend Nico nudged him.
"What are you looking at?"
"Nothing!"
Nico clutched his fingers together and said, "The war with monsters is starting again."
"Hmm..."
"Why aren't you listening? This is very important. Blessed need warriors. The Border Knights are recruiting."
"Last time we checked, your radiation exposure reached 9 Sieverts. Among all the people here, you have the highest potential to reach evolution level one!"
Jian gave him a tired look.
"If you become Blessed, don't forget me!" Nico said happily.
He lent Jian a hand and said, "I got some leftovers. Do you want a bite?"
Jian nodded and followed him.
"This is not fancy!"
Jian stared at the mold with a bit of disgust.
"I'm not picky!" he whispered.
Nico took a bite and shared half with Jian.
"I ate the mold; that should be good for you!"
Jian swallowed the remaining leftovers in one go. The taste was awful. The sour flavor remained in his mouth for a few minutes.
Nico laughed at him.
"Should we try our luck?"
"Let's go!"
Pointing toward the inspector, Nico and Jian slowly approached.