[Congratulations, Host. Armed Mutant Training System has officially activated. Random Starter Pack reward granted…]

[Starter Pack is ready. You may open it at any time…]

A cold mechanical voice rang in Edison Clarke’s ears.

He froze for a moment, the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.

As a transmigrator, he had waited ten whole years for this day!

Ten damn years…

Damn system, do you even know what kind of hell I’ve been through?

Seriously, this thing had been around since he first crossed over, but it never once came online. If this dragged on any longer, Edison might’ve thought the damn system had depression or something.

Suppressing the excitement in his chest, Edison stood in a crowded square, surrounded by thousands of other young men and women.

Everyone was lining up to take the government-mandated talent test.

This world wasn’t all that different from Earth… except for one massive change.

Humanity here went through an apocalyptic disaster.

From the dark corners of nightmares came terrifying creatures—Flesh Ghouls, Mummies, Evil Spirits, even mythic beasts like the three-headed Hellhound and sky-sized Kunpeng. They all appeared worldwide.

These horrors were simply called—Mutants.

Terror returned. The natural order collapsed.

Humans? No longer top of the food chain.

Mutants ruled now.

In just three years, the global population dropped by seventy percent…

The survivors formed resistance groups, slowly learning how to fight back.

Centuries of bloodshed later, a new civilization emerged—the Wasteland Age.

That’s where Edison ended up when he crossed over.

No family. No strength. No background.

Just an orphan scraping by at the bottom of the barrel.

Most people cowered inside fortified cities. Everything outside was mutant territory.

Edison lived in Longdu, one of the main cities of the Da Xia Empire—a population in the millions.

Guys like him? Cramped into shanties the size of closets in the slums, chomping down government-issued energy bars, doing grunt work like wall-building just to survive.

In this wasteland era, the average citizen was nothing more than a cog in the machine—pick up a shovel, reproduce, and live until something kills you.

If you wanted out, only one path remained—become a Nightwatcher.

Nightwatchers could tame and control mutants, turning them into a force to fight back with. They were humanity’s sword arm, the only true warriors left.

Fight fire with fire.

Those tamed and trained beasts? They were called Armed Mutants.

Ever since, this has been the age of Armed Mutants.

Edison had coasted as a bottom-feeder for over a decade.

Today was different.

At twenty, citizens of Longdu had no choice—they had to take the talent test.

The test revealed whether you had what it took to be a Nightwatcher.

In this world, Nightwatchers were the elite of the elite.

They had power, honor, wealth, even worship.

They were the last defense of human civilization, hoarding most of the valuable resources.

And right when Edison was facing his test, the damn system finally wakes up…

This wasn't just his shot. For Edison and the rest of the youth here, this moment could rewrite their fate.

Make it or break it.

One shot to decide everything.

"So nervous..."

"Get it together. You can't lose it here."

"Bro, stop shaking. It ain’t that serious… yet."“Someone collapsed over here, foaming at the mouth!”

The kids nearby freaked out like they'd seen a ghost, panic all over their faces.

Edison Clarke rolled his eyes. Come on, he wasn’t that fragile.

He’d been through worse—a decade fighting to survive in this hellhole of a world. Crossing over gave him the one thing others didn’t have.

A system.

And with that system, he’d crush anything in his way.

【Host, would you like to open your beginner’s package now?】

Of course. He’d waited ten years for this.

【Opening beginner’s package...】

【Congratulations, Host. Talent Acquired: “Excellent Biofield”...】

Edison froze. Then came the heat—an odd warm flush that swept through his bones.

Biofield talents. Exclusive to Night Watchers. Without it, you’d never control a battle mutant.

The stronger the mutant, the more powerful the biofield needed to dominate it.

Think of it like a magnetic field—something you're born with. You can’t force it through training. Which is why every twenty-year-old had to get tested—spot the gifted, cut the rest loose.

And here he was, freshly twenty, slum-born Edison Clarke, standing with a top-tier talent handed to him by his system.

He almost wanted to cry.

This test, he was going to ace it—no doubt. He’d become a Night Watcher, unlock real power, maybe kiss power and riches both—ride straight to the top.

He caught himself grinning like an idiot, drool pooling at his lip.

“Form a line! Wait your turn for testing! No pushing!”

On both sides of the square, guards in white robes barked at the crowd.

【Mission Detected...】

【Mission Posted...】

【Mission 1: Pass the Night Watcher Talent Test】

【Mission Brief: A dreamless life is no different from salted fish. Pass the test, and let your adventure begin. Go make a miracle, brave one!】

【Bonus: Complete the mission to receive a random reward...】

What the hell was with that cringe-worthy tone?

Whatever. With a system this solid, he’d overlook the drama.

Can’t be too greedy in life anyway.

The line dragged. Over three hours later, it was finally Edison’s turn.

He stepped forward, neck craning to see.

Under a shabby tent, a white-robed examiner stood beside a creature that looked too ugly for this world.

It sat like a bloated calf, gums drooling. Its hide was slime-green and bumpy like a diseased toad, with a red tongue that hung from its mouth like a dead fish.

The Magneo Toad. A class of mutant. No combat power, but it had one useful ability—it could sense biofields, like a living detector. That made it perfect for testing Night Watcher potential.

Candidates approached it one by one, stretched out a hand and touched its wet, repulsive tongue.

Depending on their biofield strength, the toad would croak in different pitches.

No sound? No talent. Life over, go be a tool for the rest of your days.

The girl before Edison wrinkled her nose at the ugly thing, then shut her eyes tight and reached out.

The Magneo Toad blinked. Dead silence.

“Zero biofield. No talent. Next!”

The examiner, face flat, marked a fat red X beside the girl’s name.