Happy birthday part 1

Odd didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "If you have any big moves, hurry up and use them. Don't forget that today is my birthday. Come to my house for dinner tonight."

"Oh, right! I actually forgot about that. Alright, let's split up the work. You go to a crowded place and hand out flyers, and I'll keep recruiting here. Even with my looks, I might be able to attract some newcomers!" David said, revealing his new recruitment strategy.

Odd smiled and nodded. At this point, he had no better ideas, and it seemed like this was the best plan David could come up with.

After Odd left, David immediately stood up and looked around. Although he really wanted to recruit cute new female students, ensuring the survival of the club was the most important thing. If they couldn't gather five members in the next two weeks, the club would be disbanded, and they wouldn't even be able to remain an unofficial club.

Suddenly, David's eyes lit up. He quickly rushed toward a new student and blocked his path, narrowing his eyes.

This student was over 190 centimeters tall, weighing somewhere between 85 to 90 kilograms. He had dark skin, broad shoulders, and well-defined muscles, with a wide chest and powerful arms and legs. His face was large, with a strong jawline and somewhat sharp features. His hands and feet were proportionally large, fitting his overall physique. His presence was somewhat imposing, and judging by his build and muscles, he was definitely from the Warriors Division.

"Hey, student, judging by the red buttons on your uniform, you must be a freshman. Have you joined a club yet?"

The new student, who had been stopped, stared blankly for a moment before revealing a simple and sincere smile. He looked at the golden buttons on David's uniform, bowed slightly, and nodded. "Greetings, senior. I am a new student, Conquistar Mundo. I'm from the city of Docheep, and I haven't joined any clubs yet."

'Conquistar…? And he's from Docheep? What's he doing here?' David silently pondered the identity of the student before him. What he had just heard seemed unusual, but he decided to ignore it. Finding club members was the top priority right now.

"Haha, very good. You're in luck. I can see you have great potential. Join my club, New Tomorrow! It's a paradise for the elite. Come, let me show you one of New Tomorrow's members—Odd Verity. He's older than you and ranks among the top 30 in the theoretical exam." David pulled out a white nine-pointed star from his pocket.

The Synchro Network—a high-precision technology developed by Claudio GR—functioned like a computer. It allowed data input, processing, and output and could also store and retrieve information using Claudio energy.

David activated Claudio energy within the Synchro Network, causing the star to split in half and reveal a blue screen. He then searched for Odd Verity's results and displayed them for Conquistar Mundo while carefully covering the lower section of the screen that showed Odd's division.

"Rank 30???"

Mundo was stunned. It seemed that seniors here actually cared about younger students rather than ignoring them. How could he possibly refuse an invitation to such an elite club?

"Senior, can I really join?" Mundo stammered.

'Good, he took the bait.' David sighed in relief as he saw Mundo's eager expression. After learning about Mundo's background, he was somewhat confident that the student knew little about Synchro Academies.

"From now on, you can call me 'President.' I have high expectations for you!" David said in an exaggerated tone.

"Yes, President! I'll work hard for sure!" Mundo quickly nodded.

Every muscle in David's body relaxed. 'No wonder so many people want to become presidents. This is refreshing,' he thought. "Alright, recruit, your first task from the President—return the table and materials to the storage room. Give me your star number, and I'll send you the location via the Synchro Network."

"Oh, President, are we stopping recruitment for today?" Conquistar Mundo asked curiously.

David rolled his eyes and said, "What kind of club do you think we are? We only recruit elite individuals with unique qualities. Quality is our top priority, not quantity. We'd rather have no members at all than accept those who don't meet our standards!"

Mundo was so excited that his face turned red. He was a sincere person who always saw the good in people. Since he had heard that the academies here operated differently from where he came from, he had no reason to doubt David's words. Without hesitation, he gave David his contact information and got to work.

When David saw Mundo casually lifting the large table, he once again felt proud of his own wisdom. With Mundo around, their club wouldn't lack support—Mundo alone was strong enough to handle three people at once.

Like a wisp of smoke, David found Odd, who was still handing out flyers. He grabbed the flyers and stuffed them back into his bag. "Odd, let's go. I've already recruited someone. Today is your seventeenth birthday, right? As long as we got at least one new member, that's good enough for today."

"Really?" Odd asked, surprised. "Did you pull some kind of trick?"

"What do you mean 'trick'? I just told the truth… well, half of it," David replied nonchalantly. "I even praised you—you should be thanking me!"

After hearing David's last sentence, Odd immediately understood what had happened. It seemed that David had tricked some clueless student into believing in his supposed 'excellence.'

For the Warriors Division, the theoretical exam was barely a priority compared to the practical test. In fact, it accounted for less than 10% of the overall score.

The theoretical exam was only truly valuable in the Innovation Division, where it made up half of the total score. However, their test was far more difficult than the Warriors' theoretical exam.

True, this made Odd slightly smarter than the average student. With over ten thousand students in the Warriors Division, ranking in the top 30 was indeed an achievement.

But compared to the truly brilliant students, he was nothing.

'Even if the Odd of this world was a little smart, the problem was that he wasn't him. Am I not dumber than a six-year-old in this unfamiliar world? 'Odd thought as sweat dripped from his forehead. Now that he had thought about it carefully, he wasn't the Odd who had grown up here, nor did he have his memories.

Every Synchro Soldier Academy was divided into two main departments: the Warrior Division and the Innovation Division.

The Warrior Division was the cradle of future military officers. Thus, students were required to be highly knowledgeable in theory, talent, and combat. Status didn't matter—if you were incompetent, no one would follow you. Although half of the students in this division had yet to complete the "Sky-Soul Synchronization" process, once they managed to do so, they would become super soldiers, armed with the experience they had gained.

As for the Innovation Division, it consisted of students aspiring to become specialists in GR Technology. They only accepted students who had already undergone the Sky-Soul Synchronization process, which made them significantly fewer in number compared to the Warrior Division. Across all academic years, their total student count did not exceed two thousand. They had the largest number of courses, including GR Technology and various auxiliary professions, allowing them to contribute in many ways. After all, in this era, every GR specialist was a valuable resource. A hundred warriors might not be as useful as a single GR Engineer.

Even though Odd belonged to the Warrior Division, the ideals of his life didn't seem to be aligned with becoming a hero.

---

8:17 PM – Returning Home

Odd returned home, bringing David along with him.

The house was simple and slightly small, painted gray with a cubic architectural design. The windows were round, positioned beside a red door. Due to the house's small size, it was decorated with flower pots, some trimmed into the shape of the number 3, while others were shaped like a coiled snake resembling the number 2.

The moment the door opened, a fragrant aroma greeted them. David had already rushed inside. "Madam Tia, it must be your cooking—sweet and sour ribs! It smells amazing!"

A slender woman appeared with a gentle smile. She was tall, with long black hair, appearing to be in her thirties. A green jade necklace adorned her neck, and she wore an apron over a violet dress.

"David, you're here. Have a seat, dinner will be ready in a moment."

"Madam Tia, you're getting even more beautiful! I wish I could have a girlfriend half as stunning as you one day!" David grinned.

"Your mouth is as sweet as honey, little one," Tia chuckled. Even without makeup and dressed in simple clothes, her elegance was undeniable.

David wasn't someone unfamiliar with the world. Honestly, those upper-class women who wore heavy makeup paled in comparison to Aunt Tia in many ways.

Tia was Odd's aunt. When Odd was three years old, his parents—who had been Synchro Soldiers—died in a war against one of the four non-human races opposed to humanity. As a result, he was raised by his Aunt Tia and Uncle George. However, George passed away from illness when Odd was ten, leaving only Aunt Tia to care for him.

"This guy's silver tongue could make monkeys blush. I really wonder who fell for his tricks today," Odd said. Though he didn't know who they were, the new students David had recruited had definitely been fooled.

Once dinner was ready, Aunt Tia placed the roasted chicken on the table.

"Tsk. You're underestimating my personal charm. Those young girls threw themselves at me, crying and begging to join. Ah, I'm just too amazing." David casually picked up a piece of chicken.

Tia couldn't help but laugh. With David around, the atmosphere was always lively. She looked at Odd with eyes full of warmth.

"Look at you, Odd. You've turned seventeen, almost ready to graduate and become a Synchro Soldier… I wish your uncle could have been here to see this." Her joyful tone shifted into a sorrowful one at the mention of Uncle George.

"...Yeah, that would've been nice," Odd replied in a quiet, calm voice. Unlike his parents, he actually had fond memories of his uncle. George had been a kind man, well-known for his generosity and warmth.

David remained silent, knowing the full story. He couldn't fully grasp the emotions Aunt Tia and Odd were experiencing right now.

After a moment of sorrow, the three of them continued their meal as if nothing had happened. Tonight was a night of celebration, not sadness.

The meal was cheerful and harmonious. With someone like David acting as the group's clown, the night was filled with laughter. Aunt Tia never hid Odd's identity as an orphan, nor did Odd feel regretful. On the contrary, he felt even more warmth in this family.

If he had the power right now, he would wish for this night to last forever.