75: Start early

The arrival of the Endless Game on Blue Star several years ago brought about significant changes to human society.

The situations varied in severity; for example, the value of gold, a universal equivalent, plummeted after some individuals awakened skills like [Midas Touch] or replication, causing many gold store owners to stock up on quick-acting heart medicine overnight.

The educational system naturally underwent many adjustments, with new courses like self-defense and dungeon survival added in addition to the previous foundational knowledge.

Physical Education teachers, who used to frequently fall ill and ask others to cover their classes, became energetic again, leading students in runs and physical training daily, emphasizing that even if they couldn't fight, they could at least outrun.

Some higher education institutions also established new majors: the mental group was responsible for researching and analyzing how skills and items could aid social development, while the combat group's role was simple and direct, summarized in four words—conquer the dungeons!

After all, higher-level dungeons yield more powerful items, and if strong individuals could unite to tackle dungeons, both efficiency and rewards would greatly increase.

Therefore, various universities actively recruited talented students, trained them together, and formed teams to clear high-star dungeons.

After Cheng Zhen transmigrated, he learned about these matters, but he was still somewhat surprised that his Homeroom Teacher called so quickly.

If it were according to the process for regular students, they would generally have to wait until five dungeons were completed before universities would recruit them based on their performance.

The Homeroom Teacher felt pleasantly surprised, yet it was also reasonable. After all, ordinary students were still queuing for novice dungeons, mostly one-star or two-star, and a single or two data points wouldn't show much, so multiple samplings and analyses were naturally needed.

Unlike Cheng Zhen, with two dungeons—one four-star and one four-and-a-half-star—his points soared faster than a rocket. If the admissions office could still ignore that, they probably didn't want their bonuses.

Cheng Zhen didn't mind; it was all the same to clear dungeons wherever he went. However, according to his Homeroom Teacher, various universities would offer scholarships and point items to outstanding students, and the inter-school item trading market was also very comprehensive and convenient.

Anyway, he wasn't short on money now, so it would be good to acquire some items and equipment, at least to raise the probability of that unsellable sandal to 35%, otherwise, even looking at it for another second felt uncomfortable.

After arranging a time with his Homeroom Teacher, Cheng Zhen went to the school and chatted with a few people from the admissions office.

"...Okay, thank you, I will consider it."

After hanging up the video call, Cheng Zhen sat in his chair and let out a long sigh.

Sitting upright and negotiating with several schools for half a day was truly exhausting.

The admissions offices of those schools were indeed very interested in Cheng Zhen and spoke of many school benefits, but nothing truly captivated him.

His Homeroom Teacher diligently forwarded information about those universities to Cheng Zhen, saying, "These are all key universities. Here’s their information, including scholarships, admission subsidies, and ranking rewards. Some schools focus more on research and strategy, while others prioritize physical combat abilities. You can choose based on your own situation, and feel free to ask me if you have any questions."

Then, he handed over two separate files and said, "These two, however, are quite special. Take a look at them separately."

Cheng Zhen opened the files and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when he saw the names 'Hua University' and 'Yan University'.

"The status and level of these two universities, I don't need to elaborate; you understand," his Homeroom Teacher said.

"If you want to go to those two universities, you have two options: one is to complete their test questions, which are these two files; the second is to reach the top hundred on the New Talent Rankings, and then various universities will surely clamor to recruit you."

Cheng Zhen glanced at his current ranking, 635. Although not high, the '2' next to his name for dungeon clear count was completely different from the style of others.

Assuming he scored 250 points per dungeon, after 5 games, he would definitely be in the top hundred, and perhaps even break a record.

But they still only gave him test questions... He figured it was because of his Tier 1 skill.

Perhaps they also suspected that the expert had misassigned the skill tier, which is why they wanted to test him again.

Because according to the data, the top hundred new talents in previous years had skills of at least Tier 4, and powerful Tier 5 skills were abundant.

In contrast, his own skill seemed as out of place as Teletubbies crashing into an Iron Man vs. Godzilla battle, making the style seem so incompatible.

Therefore, those two major universities were unsure of Cheng Zhen's situation, so they sent a test to confirm.

His Homeroom Teacher seemed to have seen through Cheng Zhen's thoughts, patting his shoulder, "Although your skill might not be powerful enough... but I believe that gold will always shine. As long as you continue to perform well in the upcoming dungeons, you will definitely get into the university of your dreams!"

Cheng Zhen knew his situation and didn't feel disheartened. Even recruiting a workhorse requires an interview and a second interview, and each school has enrollment limits, so it's normal for them to want to test his abilities.

However, seeing his Homeroom Teacher kindly offering him encouragement, he still smiled and thanked him.

Anyway, he was going to clear dungeons and aim for the top spot on the rankings, so getting into those universities was just a matter of time.

Cheng Zhen had gathered the materials and was about to leave when his Homeroom Teacher's phone suddenly rang.

His Homeroom Teacher answered the phone, responded twice, and then suddenly looked surprised, "Yes, I... Ah? Yes, Cheng Zhen and I are both in the office. Room number? Building B, 103..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Zhen vaguely heard a sound of 'Open!', and then a door suddenly appeared on the wall of his Homeroom Teacher's office, and a very tall man walked in.

"Hello, I'm from Worker University's admissions office!"

He looked at the dumbfounded Homeroom Teacher and enthusiastically shook his hand.

Judging from the Homeroom Teacher's subtly twitching mouth, the tall man's handshake seemed quite firm.

"Uh, excuse me, how did you suddenly..." The Homeroom Teacher looked at his phone, then at the door on the wall, a bewildered expression on his face.

"Of course, I was afraid that Student Cheng would be snatched away by other institutions prematurely!"

The tall man laughed heartily, looking at Cheng Zhen with great eagerness and extending his hand, "Hello, Student Cheng, I'm Director Men Hao, the Director of the Worker University admissions office. Men Lei is my older brother, and he told me you are a very outstanding talent, so I came to bother you!"

"Hello, Director Men..." Cheng Zhen reached out his hand, then received a form.

Cheng Zhen: "?"

"Student Cheng, I'll get straight to the point."

Men Hao directly extended an invitation: "I very much hope you can join Worker University and become one of us. This form lists all the various subsidies and scholarships our school offers. In addition, students in the top ten of their year can receive a rare item each semester, and the top three can also receive an additional epic item or equipment."

"I don't know how much 'admission subsidy' other schools have offered you, but it doesn't matter. Whatever they offer, I'll add to it; it will definitely be more, not less!"

Cheng Zhen was a little surprised.

He had heard of Worker University's reputation; it was known as the most hardcore university in the country.

How hardcore? It launched satellites, built rockets, and operated North Wind missile launchers on its campus, making it the only university in the world with nuclear strike capabilities.

He really hadn't expected their recruitment methods to be so hardcore as well.

While Cheng Zhen was stunned, Men Hao even pulled out an inkpad, "Student Cheng, as long as you agree, we'll leave today. The school has independent apartments, so you can move in without needing to bring anything!"

The Homeroom Teacher next to him was also stunned, seemingly unable to keep up with the man's speed.

"Thank you for your generous offer, Director Men. Please allow me some time to consider."

Cheng Zhen didn't intend to sell himself on a whim, so he politely declined for now.

After hearing this, Men Hao put away the inkpad and handed his business card to Cheng Zhen, "Hmm, no problem. This concerns your future, so Student Cheng should think carefully. This is my contact information; if you are willing to come to our school, you can contact me anytime."

Cheng Zhen nodded, watching him about to leave through that door in a flurry, and then curiously asked, "Director Men, you must know that my skill is only Tier 1, right? Other schools sent me test questions; don't you need to?"

"Others suggested it, but I rejected it," Men Hao replied with a smile.

"Our school's ranking isn't as high as the others, so we can only act quickly while they're still hesitating."

"Even if we make the wrong bet, it doesn't matter; at most, the dean will scold me and deduct some bonus."

"But I believe you won't let me lose this bet!"