Battle Frenzy

1-20

Chapter 1 – Fate Trickster

Desire was the force that drives progress, as well as what gives birth to destruction.

In 2206 CE, humanity is confronted with its most severe energy crisis, while the Earth's climate has become exceedingly vile due to the the excessive exploitation of the planet's resources. The colony on the moon couldn't support a hundred million immigrants, and thus, the Salvation Project began. Humanity decided to build an "artificial black hole" between the Earth and Moon in order to provide everlasting energy, while also improving the Earth's environment. This project clearly had enormous dangers associated with it, but it was their only method for salvation.

2216 CE. The construction of the black hole was a success, but the aftermath was something humanity could never have predicted. The black hole caused a higher dimension to overlap with Earth, causing a spatial fold effect. This led to drastic changes on Earth, such as spatial cracks, unusual powers manifesting, and mutated organisms.

The Earth descended into chaos due to the ineffectiveness of conventional weapons in the face of these new monsters. Even the ultimate weapon of humanity, nuclear weapons, became useless. After a short three years, the Earth's population had declined to only two hundred million, and human civilization was on the brink of annihilation. Thus, humanity entered its last stand.

However, during this moment of crisis, humanity's avarice was matched by its powerful vitality which revealed itself. After many years of fighting against these monsters, humanity discovered what had caused the organisms of Earth to mutate. While other organisms had been transformed by this energy, many humans had also been transformed as well. In their final stand, humans continuously searched for ways to strengthen themselves. After much effort, they were able to create a completely new battle system. In honor of the countless sacrificed in order to create this system, it was titled the Heroic Soul System. Named as such because a hero's soul would never be extinguished .

At the same time, the famous scientist, Glenn Grasso, discovered a way to use this unusual energy in a scientific manner. People called this energy "Grasso Energy". Combined with technology, it was newly termed rune technology. After paying a steep cost, humanity was able to wield this new energy and overcome the danger of extinction.

After fighting for several centuries, humanity was finally able to stand firm and claim a position on Earth. With the combination of their technology and new battle system, they were able to establish cities upon cities, rapidly expanding out once again. The new generation whose souls were ignited became the main defending power of these cities. They were called Heroic Soul Soldiers. In every single city, the heroic soul schools became the most important sector. These schools were the cradle from where soldiers were nurtured. After the old human society had been completely destroyed, two factions emerged from the ashes. One was the Imperial Alliance while the other was the Freedom Federation.

Chapter 2 – Senior is here!

Simba revealed a fiendish expression, wanting to make Wang Zhong yield. Little Wang Zhong examined Simba with a smile. In fact, he even walked up to Simba and began touching him. For little Wang Zhong, this wasn't a cute little clown, but a rare animal and the most adorable thing in this world of darkness.

Simba retreated two steps and rubbed his red nose. He had never expected to meet such a foolish child. 'Ah, forget about it. A powerful Fate Trickster such as I shouldn't bother with him.'

"Child, what is your name?"

"I'm Wang Zhong. Are you really called Simba? It's a cute name!"

"No brat. You are to never use the word 'cute' to describe I, the great Fate Trickster! I am a powerful existence that has transcended fate!"

Clearly, Simba was very dissatisfied with the word 'cute'.

"Then you can call me Wang Zhong, and I'll call you Simba. Or I can even call you the Handsome Simba." Wang Zhong's eyes twinkled with cleverness and curiosity as he continued sizing up the little clown. Despite his attempts, however, at getting near the little clown, he found that no matter how much he walked, the distance between the two of them never changed. He really wanted to feel Simba's nose again.

The Fate Trickster mulled over it for a moment. Then he discovered that it really was hard to trick this child.

"Fine then. Wang Zhong, you have received finally good fortune. Do you want to become a mighty hero? Or an unparalleled lord under the heavens? Or perhaps, you want to become a dictator over countless numbers of people?"

The Fate Trickster's passionate voice matched his multicolored radiance, and his over-exaggerated body language made it sound as if he were a mighty hero that was worshipped by all. Yet, the wimpy kid in front of him still hadn't been stirred into immediately crying with tears of joy, nor did he shout out his wishes to become a hero!

"I don't want to." Wang Zhong said this simple phrase after he finished enjoying the little clown's exaggerated display. He stretched out his hand again in an attempt to pinch the little clown's nose, as if to mock him.

　　............

The current scene was a bit awkward as the little clown stared at Wang Zhong with an unfathomable gaze. This child's expression was like an insipid cloud floating upon gentle winds, which profoundly provoked the little clown. 'Is this brat an idiot? Why would the Fate Stone pick him?'

"Why don't you want to? You must be a fool not to!" Simba anxiously spoke. If Wang Zhong refused, then that would make his existence meaningless.

"If I don't want to then I don't want to!" Wang Zhong craftily said. "This is stupid. Are you trying to argue with a child?"

The little clown was dumbfounded, and could only blankly scratch his head. He seemed to have something to say... However... What the brat said was right! He wouldn't argue!


Why did he need to argue with this brat!?

"That's great then. You possess a rebellious spirit as I expected. Then let us agree that fate is a wooden club, so let us happily strike with it!" The little clown didn't give Wang Zhong a single chance to refute him, and had spewed a bunch of nonsense, even coming to a conclusion in Wang Zhong's stead.

The whole world was quiet, just like the day before.

After a long time, Wang Zhong seriously looked at the little clown and said, "Can you be my friend?"

"Brat, it'll cost you a steep price if you want Simba to be your friend!" The little clown vigorously nodded his head as he spoke.

"I'm not afraid!" Wang Zhong resolutely answered.

"Then I'll try it out!" Said the little clown as he continued to wonder why the Fate Stone had chosen him.

"It's a deal then. Let's shake on it to keep this promise for the next hundred years!" Wang Zhong extended out his hand to shake a deal with Simba. He felt that Simba's hands were a bit strange; they felt like rubber.

The Fate Trickster didn't notice the smile at the corner of Wang Zhong's mouth. For an ill child who could face death at any moment, their greatest desire would be to have a single playmate, to say nothing of this fascinating little clown. The reason he had declined before was because he was afraid. He was afraid that after making a deal with this little clown, the little clown would disappear like the characters in those fairy tales his aunt Shirley tells him. There was no worse suffering than to be in a world of nothing but infinite darkness.

After a second, the little clown's expression crumbled apart. Unexpectedly, Wang Zhong had... he had seized this chance to pinch his nose!

His incredibly noble, handsome, and most important nose!

Darkness soon overcame Wang Zhong's gleeful smile. This was the most joyful moment he could remember as his new companion, Simba, flew back in retreat while shrieking.

It turned out that being alive was actually such a happy thing.

☀

526 NE. Tianjing City, one of the hundred major cities of the Freedom Federation.

The Tianjing Heroic Soul Academy was famous for its rune technology. Every new school year, it was bound to be bustling with noise and excitement.

"Student, students. Come over here and take a look at the soldier department's top-notch society, the Immortal Rampart Society. We're recruiting new students!"

"Don't miss an opportunity to walk your own path! Successfully become a commander in the future. A genius's camping ground, the Arbitration Society is recruiting! Hey! Check us out. This will be the first step you'll take towards glory!"

"As long as you're talented, then you're welcome to join the Divine Eye Society, one of the ten great societies in the rune department! Stupid fellows, don't bother and keep to the side. Come, come, come"

The entire school plaza was as lively as a food market. This was the season when everyone fought over the newly admitted students. This was the time for all the male seniors to put on their best clothes and style their hair in order to both attract new recruits and look for pretty female juniors. Furthermore, there was nothing else that motivated them more than recruitment.

"Hey, student. I'm the president of the Prodigy Society, one of the future five great societies. Joining us will be the wisest decision of your life. This place is only for those who stand out from the masses. Hey, darling junior sister, don't leave. Let this senior brother finish speaking." Student Ma Dong did his best to have an affable smile, yet those two junior sisters still ran away with lightning speed.

"Isn't the Prodigy Society blacklisted? I can't believe they still dare come and trick people."

"That's right. Hurry up and run away. Their president looks like a hooligan and my dad said that one must be careful of false flattery from black hearted seniors. He was definitely talking about people like that!"

When he saw these two female students run with an expression as if they were guarding against a thief, student Ma Dong felt aggrieved. Wang Zhong simply laughed at the side. "You should just give up. The new student handbook is being sold everywhere and it possesses lots of detailed introductions about all of this academy societies."

"Laugh! Go ahead and laugh then! You're still the vice president, so you should feel a bit of responsibility, shouldn't you!?"

Wang Zhong couldn't stop smiling. Their society only had two members; the president, and the vice president. To be precise, their society was actually only registered as a student union, and hadn't even been approved as a society yet. Thus, they were the typical case of a dark society.

"Hey, hey, junior sister. Come take a look at senior brother... Don't run junior sister!" Ma Dong had worn his best outfit today. Even though he was dressed in a black rose flower suit, his flashiness was completely in shambles. Just as the junior sisters had said, he looked indecent, no matter how one looked at him.

Wang Zhong also helped recruit people by handing out flyers to anyone who passed by. However, they could only sneakily try to recruit people in a corner as they weren't an official society. A society needed at least five people, but since none of the veterans acknowledged them, they could only try to recruit from the new students. To become a society was the dream of Ma Dong.

Both Wang Zhong and Ma Dong were in the second grade of Tianjing Heroic Soul Academy's commander division. The two of them shared a dorm room, but in practice, Ma Dong lived off-campus. Ma Dong simply found the dorms to be too shabby for him. His dream was to establish an unrivalled society. There were many people like him, but one couldn't just use a worldly gaze in order to evaluate him. Instead of looking at his talent or his soul power, one simply looked at his personality and traits.

Of course, even if his dreams were plump, reality had no meat for him. Recruiting new students was their only hope.

Despite the two of them exhausting their throats from shouting for half the day, no one bothered with them. Their throats were practically burning with rage as the crouched on the roadside, drinking large mouthfuls of water. "We can't continue like this. We need to increase the scale of recruiting!"