Chapter 7: Eternal Heaven (2)

The moment he finished speaking, the world disappeared as a brilliant light enveloped Leon and the room vanished around him.

His body was pulled upward, space distorted, and the sensation lasted less than a second. Then everything became dark.

When Leon opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in an enormous black space. He wasn’t alone.

Thousands of people stood around him, then thousands became tens of thousands, and the crowd continued expanding until Leon could no longer see where it ended.

People appeared in every direction, all wearing the same bewildered expressions. Some were still holding phones, while others had been transported in the middle of their daily routines.

A businessman stood nearby with a briefcase clutched against his chest. A young woman was crying while desperately calling someone’s name, and a muscular man was shouting questions at the darkness.

The confusion quickly became panic.

"Where the hell are we?"

"What happened to my family?"

"Get me out of here!"

"Someone explain what’s going on!"

"This has to be some kind of terrorist attack!"

Leon remained still. He recognized this place. It was the beginning.

Everyone here had been selected by Eternal Heaven, exactly one hundred million people.

One hundred million strangers from across Nexus, brought together for the same reason, had been given a chance to survive, but survival was not guaranteed.

A deep rumble suddenly passed through the darkness, and the crowd fell silent.

Something appeared far ahead. At first, Leon thought it was a person, then he realized that wasn’t quite right.

A humanoid figure stood suspended in the darkness, its body surrounded by countless layers of translucent symbols. Its face constantly shifted between forms, never settling on a definite appearance.

Nobody could see its true form, yet everyone instinctively understood the same thing: this being was beyond them.

The ethereal voice sounded again.

[Selected candidates, welcome to Eternal Heaven.]

The crowd became restless.

[You have been chosen because your existence possesses sufficient potential to participate in what comes next.]

A man near Leon shouted toward the figure.

"What about the people who weren’t chosen? You said they’d be eliminated! Why are you doing this? Give us an explanation!"

The being’s gaze moved toward him.

[Your question is irrelevant.]

The man’s face paled. The voice continued.

[Eternal Heaven does not exist to satisfy your sense of fairness.]

A wave of silence spread through the crowd. Leon nodded faintly; that sounded exactly like something a being capable of selecting one hundred million humans would say.

Another person shouted.

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

[Become stronger.]

The answer was immediate.

[Those who become strong will advance. Those who fail to become strong will perish. Those who reach the end will obtain what you call eternal life.]

Leon listened carefully. This was the information he needed, not because he didn’t know the broad outline, but because details mattered.

Eternal Heaven was a system, a game-like world. But it wasn’t a game.

There would be no reset button. Death would be permanent.

The figure raised its hand, and the darkness suddenly filled with countless translucent interfaces.

[Before entering the first stage, every selected individual will awaken a Role.]

[Your Role will determine your initial path of development.]

[Each Role possesses unique characteristics and access to Role Talents.]

Leon immediately became attentive. Role was something he hadn’t known from the God of Transmigration.

His ten talents were separate from this system, and whatever Role he awakened would exist alongside them.

The thought made Leon’s mind race. If he received a powerful combat Role, his starting point would be excellent; if he received a weak Role, his talents could potentially compensate.

Then another notification appeared.

[Role Awakening commencing.]

[Available Role Types include: Combat, Support, Lifestyle, Hybrid, and Specialist.]

The crowd erupted. Some people prayed, others clenched their fists, and a few began laughing nervously.

Leon remained completely calm. He had already survived death, and he wasn’t going to let a role determine his courage.

A soft golden light appeared around him.

[Role evaluation complete.]

Leon waited. The system paused.

Then the notification appeared.

[Role: Support]

Leon blinked. Support? Of all possible roles... Support?

For the briefest moment, disappointment crossed his face. A support role wasn’t useless, but it certainly wasn’t what he had hoped for.

He had ten SSS-Rank talents. He had been given another chance at life. And his first role was support.

Leon stared at the screen. Then he smiled faintly. "Of course."

A new notification appeared.

[Role Talent awakening.]

[Role Talent Grades are ranked as follows: E < D < C < B < A < S < SS < SSS]

[Role Talent: Close-Ranged Healing]

[Grade: C]

[Description: Restore the health of a target through direct contact. Healing effectiveness depends upon the user’s attributes, mana, and the severity of the target’s injuries.]

Leon stared at the talent: C-Rank. His first Role Talent was only C-Rank.

For several seconds, he said nothing. Then his expression gradually changed.

He remembered the hospital, the countless nights when he had wished for something as simple as healing, and looking at doctors while desperately wanting them to say that his body could be repaired.

Now he possessed a healing ability, and he also had Infinite Growth. He had Supreme Comprehension. He had Eternal Mana. He had Skill Evolution. And most importantly, he had more SSS-Rank talents that could change the meaning of life and death.

Leon looked at the words Close-Ranged Healing again. His eyes gradually became sharper. "C-Rank for now."

He clenched his fist. "That doesn’t mean C-Rank forever."

With his Skill Evolution talent, he can evolve the C rank role talent into something way more powerful!

The system responded immediately.

[Role awakening complete.]

[All selected candidates will now be transported to their initial starting regions.]

The mysterious figure raised its hand.

[Your journey through Eternal Heaven begins now.]

The darkness trembled, and Leon felt space beginning to distort around him once again. But this time, he wasn’t afraid.

He had been given something he had never possessed on Earth: ten SSS-Rank talents in a world where strength could be measured, cultivated, and stolen from the jaws of death.

Leon looked at the system interface one final time.

[Role: Support]

[Role Talent: Close-Ranged Healing (C)]