The Dilemma of Power

The next morning, Alex took his only ten copper, his backpack, and headed to the internet cafe.

As soon as he entered, he was hit by a wave of smoke, though it wasn't as pungent as the smoke from internet cafes in his previous life.

Alex had never smoked, so he couldn't tell the difference.

The cafe was somewhat run-down, seemingly no renovated, just a coat of paint and some floral stickers on the walls. However, it was still much better than Alex's residence.

For there were two electric lights above his head—not candle lights, but electric lights.

In the safe zone, anyone who could afford electricity was considered wealthy in Alex's eyes.

Opening a store that consumed electricity was even more of a sign of great wealth.

In this impoverished area at the edge of the safe zone, no one could afford to go to the internet cafe.

Yet, oddly enough, there was one here.

As the only internet cafe nearby, Alex had heard that the owner had some connections, and the cafe often attracted strange individuals.

"I'll need a computer for half an hour!"

Alex dropped ten coppers on the counter, his week's wages from his job at the school library.

Power resources were scarce, making internet cafe fees extremely expensive. Giving away ten coppers made Alex's heart bleed.

The overweight, thirty-something internet cafe attendant stared at Alex for a moment before pointing to a computer with a stone-faced expression: "That one, over there."

Alex sat down, and not far from him, someone was puffing on a thin cigarillo while tapping on the keyboard.

That's when Alex realized why the smoke in this world's internet cafes smelled better than those in his previous life.

Because internet cafe fees were expensive.

Those who could afford to come here, usually to search for information or conduct transactions, smoked higher-quality tobacco than the inferior cigarettes found in internet cafes from his previous life.

As for the nature of their transactions, Alex had no idea.

Alex turned on the computer, but it was slow, taking two minutes just to load the interface.

Unfortunately, faster computers didn't come at such a cheap price.

He quickly logged into the forum for Sequence Ability holders, the [Camp of God-Slayers], and began searching through the existing Sequences.

The top post was a statistic on the Sequences that had awakened so far. He clicked on it immediately.

Since New Year's Day in 2005, exactly five years ago, thousands of Sequences had awakened.

And everyone's awakening had been sudden, unlike Alex's bizarre experience.

A thread titled "How Can Humans Reclaim the Planet Blue?" caught Alex's attention.

"The abilities that have awakened now offer no hope of defeating the gods.

Gods can consume humans to heal, but humans cannot consume gods to grow stronger. How could we possibly win?!

If only there were a Sequence Ability that allowed one to consume gods and grow stronger!"

"Thousands of Sequences have awakened, and none related to consuming gods. There's no hope."

So.

Neither his awakening method nor his Sequence Ability resembled anyone else's.

Alex swallowed, murmuring to himself, "Could it be... I'm the chosen one?!"

The [Gods-Eater] Sequence, undoubtedly, would cause a stir in the safe zone once it was revealed!

However, as his gaze lingered on a particular reply, Alex hesitated.

"Hey, if you awaken a Sequence that allows you to consume gods and grow stronger, you might get snatched away for research! No chance of typing here anymore!"

Being snatched away for research...

Having gained a preliminary understanding of Sequence Abilities, Alex realized that his [Gods-Eater] Sequence was a coveted existence for countless individuals.

The countless Sequence Ability holders on the [Camp of God-Slayers] forum all longed for a Sequence that could consume gods and enhance themselves.

The ability to hunt gods while simultaneously growing stronger would undoubtedly make one the most terrifying perpetual motion machine among Sequences.

Alex cautiously noticed that he seemed to lack the strength to match this incredible Sequence.

As the saying goes, "An innocent man bears the guilt of his treasures," and "A tree stands tall, but the wind will break it."

A person who possesses wealth that does not match their strength is prone to danger.

Should he trust himself?

Or should he trust others, placing his life and future in the hands of their moral integrity?

This question wasn't difficult to answer.

Be stronger than everyone else, and they will see you as a hero. Be much stronger than everyone else, and they will see you as a catastrophe.

In an instant, Alex made up his mind: he would keep this a secret! It was better to rely on himself than on the goodwill of others.

Silently becoming rich.

Whether in a past life or this one, it was an unbreakable truth!

While pondering his future plans, the computer suddenly returned to the password screen, displaying a message:

["Your time is up. To continue, please renew at the counter."]

The ten coppers he had paid for internet time were gone. This was the difficulty of being broke.

No matter how powerful your Sequence was, you still had to log off on time.

Fortunately, in just half an hour, Alex had found the information he needed. Ten coppers hadn't been spent in vain. At least he knew now that he absolutely couldn't let anyone learn about the [Gods-Eater] Sequence.

Shouldering his backpack, Alex left the internet cafe to the bewilderment of the chubby attendant, Barry.

The air outside the cafe was instantly fresher, free of smoke and strange greasy odors, just the ordinary scent of dust.

However, without the illumination of lights, the surroundings turned pitch-black, taking Alex a moment to adjust to the dim path.

Looking through the air defense glass of the safe zone, at the vast sea of stars hanging in the sky all year round and the occasional giant gods wandering past, Alex felt lost again.

What should he do next? Where should he go?

Should he go to the exit of the safe zone or back to school?

On the [Camp of God-Slayers] forum, those Sequence Ability holders mentioned that at the safe zone exit, teams of Sequence Ability holders hunting gods came and went every day.

To enable humanity to counterattack the gods, the United Government provided various support policies and resources to Sequence Ability holders. In exchange, they had to hunt the gods outside the safe zone.

Moreover, the more and bigger gods they hunted, the more generous the rewards for the Sequence Ability holders.

To prove they had hunted gods, Sequence Ability holders would bring back the most characteristic part of the god's remains as proof to claim their rewards.

Alex pondered over the idea, contemplating whether he could seize an opportunity to bite into a god's flesh at the safe zone exit, verifying if the [Gods-Eater] Sequence would indeed make him stronger.

If the verification succeeded, he might soar to greatness.

He could hide outside the safe zone, constantly hunting gods until he became an unparalleled master, then return to the safe zone to dominate everything.

His Sequence was incredibly powerful, allowing him to grow stronger while hunting gods, akin to a perpetual motion machine.

Yet, Alex checked the information panel in his mind, calmly analyzing his abilities, and shook his head.

"Blood Drink's description states that consuming gods raw can be digested. But it doesn't mention whether it can be absorbed."

"Digestion is one thing, absorption is another. These must be distinguished."

"If I can't absorb it, that means I can't gain necessary nutrition by eating gods."

If this possibility existed, then even if he slew countless gods, he might starve to death outside the safe zone.

One meal could bring down even the greatest hero.

Alex ceased contemplating where to go because he only had one option—return to school.

Waiting at the safe zone exit for a lucky break might indeed offer a chance to grow stronger.

However, today's lunar calendar indicated "unfavorable for all endeavors," suggesting that today might not be suitable for taking risks.

Alex wasn't superstitious by nature, but with rebirth and the apocalypse happening, superstition seemed justified.

When faced with beyond-cognition phenomena, one couldn't help but become superstitious.

Even if he somehow grew stronger at the safe zone exit, converting his ability into food would take time, not happening overnight.

But at school, there was no such issue.

The school provided lunch and dinner. Without it, Alex didn't know how he would survive in the dilapidated outskirts of the safe zone.

More importantly, today was Friday.

The school's Saturday and Sunday were off days, meaning the cafeteria would be closed, depriving him of free meals.

Missing today's cafeteria meals would mean going hungry for two days with no money in his pocket.

That wasn't a good decision.

Not only should he go to school, but he must also swallow his pride today and ask the cafeteria auntie for extra food to tide him through the weekend meals.

The cafeteria auntie, aware of his orphan status, turned a blind eye to his request for extra portions.

While the school was closed on weekends, Sequence Ability teams didn't rest. This was understandable.

Sequence Ability holders needed to submit god remnants to the United Government to receive resources, akin to self-employed individuals.

Since they were self-employed, their working hours weren't as rigid.

So, Alex could still try his luck at the safe zone exit tomorrow and the day after.

Undoubtedly, going to school was the best solution. Even though he wasn't interested in studying.

The dim main street was lit by sporadic, dim lamps every few dozen meters, illuminating just a couple of steps. The lamps were connected to the air defense glass above, seemingly serving as support.

To Alex, the only purpose of these lamps was to inform pedestrians that this street was the main thoroughfare of the outskirts of the safe zone. Besides that, they were not very useful.

Even the lights inside the internet cafe were several times brighter than the street lamps.

Alex walked along the dim main street for about ten minutes before reaching the school.

In his past life, Alex attended a regular high school in the county, which wasn't well-equipped.

In this world, it was similar, perhaps even worse than his previous school.

Alex had no choice but to head to the only school in the outskirts of the Safe Zone, ‌Haven Academy‌.

‌Haven Academy‌ encompassed a twelve-year education system, spanning from elementary to high school.

Children in the outskirts of the Safe Zone began their school journey at six or seven years old and didn't leave until they turned eighteen.

It could be considered a second home.

All the students at this school were ordinary individuals, and so were their parents.

In the Safe Zone, where Sequence Ability Holders were not uncommon, gatherings of ordinary people were scarce, scattered across the outskirts.

Any family that could awaken a Sequence Ability would surely relocate from this dangerous and dilapidated area to a better part of the Safe Zone.

Within the school, everyone was at the bottom rung of the Safe Zone's social ladder, scraping by in the outskirts.

Yet, Alex's family situation was undoubtedly the worst.

He didn't even have regular parents, having lived alone since childhood.

Were it not for the United Government's policy of waiving tuition fees for orphans, Alex didn't know where he would be or what he would be doing.

Perhaps he would have become a pile of bones.

Alex walked down the dim street to the school, where the duty teacher hadn't arrived yet, and morning self-study hadn't commenced.

Morning self-study was from 8:00 AM to 8:15 AM, similar to his past life.

He had awakened early that day due to the excitement of awakening his Sequence. Even after spending half an hour in the internet cafe, he still hadn't arrived late at school.

Alex loved the school. Not only because it provided him with free meals but also because it was the brightest place in the outskirts of the Safe Zone, boasting the best electrical system and lighting.

In the Safe Zone, where electrical resources were expensive, this was very rare.

The United Government believed that the hope for rescuing humanity and killing the Gods lay in every child. Regardless of the cost, they couldn't compromise on educational conditions.

Improved educational conditions would instill a sense of belonging among the younger generation towards the United Government and the Safe Zone, making them more enthusiastic about dedicating themselves to the cause of hunting Gods.

The United Government also advocated for providing every child with an equal opportunity for education, as you never knew which child might grow up to change the world and the structure of humanity.

However, policies were one thing, and their implementation in each school varied greatly.

Teachers at the school didn't believe every student was worth cultivating, especially at ‌Haven Academy‌.

According to incomplete statistics, the fewer opportunities for prosperity, the fewer Sequence Ability Holders awakened.

To date, Alex hadn't heard of anyone at ‌Haven Academy‌ awakening a Sequence Ability.

Students like Alex, who didn't pay tuition and had no prospects, were seen as bloodsuckers by the teachers. Even though the teachers took far more from the school than Alex ever did.

Ms. Clarke placed his desk in the corner of the classroom, an unnoticed spot, exactly the same as his previous life's seating arrangement.

In his past life, Alex's heart grew lonely because of this, but the reincarnated Alex found it quite comforting.

At least here, no one would disturb his daydreaming.

While other students pulled out their textbooks to preview today's lessons, Alex rested his chin on one hand, gazing out the window at the Gods occasionally flying past the Safe Zone, pondering how to find an opportunity to grow stronger.

"Alex."

Just then, his reverie was interrupted.

He looked up to see a pretty female classmate standing beside him.

"Oh, Emma, what's up?"